RJ on Jazz

At Last, the Miles Davis Stamp

2012-02-02T12:19:00.010-05:00

U.S., France to honor Prince of Cool

Word is finally out now that the U.S. Postal Service, in some kind of conjunction with France (Don't ask me what. Do we ever know what France is up to? They are music lovers tho, and have proven over decades to be jazz lovers), is issuing a Miles Davis postage stamp this year.

The likes of Bird, Trane, Billie, Ella, Duke, and Pops have received the honored. Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. This year the general Jazz Appreciation stamp was issued. Very cool. He and Edith Piaf, an iconic French singer, will have their stamps issued at the same time. Perhaps that's the French connection.

No word yet on when it will be available.

Of course, reams of material has been written about Miles, the man who changed music four or five times, and put an indelible stamp (no pun intended) on trumpet style. And the sound. The beautiful SOUND.("The Sound is Silenced" said the New York Post headline when Miles died).

No repetition here of all the reasons why Miles is Miles and his incredible impact on music. An impact that remains to this day and likely for as long as humans organize and emit musical sounds.

I did find a picture of what the stamp will be. I think it's a great choice -- the photo that can be found on "Tribute to jack Johnson" (Columbia, 1971), an album that actually solidified the body of work that got Miles elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It's a great image. Miles Workin'. Cookin'. Steamin' Not relaxin'. Miles doin' it.

Nice that these greats are honored periodically. Who will be next? My vote would be Sarah Vaughan. Yours?

On a related Miles front, there are now two movies headed for production about Miles.

Don Cheadle, a good actor, is involved in the project first suggested a few decades ago. Weird things being said about it. It won't be a typical "bio pic", but will try to capture Miles somehow. (a DIFFICULT task).

Another has surfaced based on a book by his son Gregory, "Dark Magus." problem is, the book isn't very good.

Who knows when these will surface. I'm prepared for them to miss the mark, as Hollywood so often does, and pretty much suck. But I'll be there to view them, hoping I'm wrong. I'm as willing to bet on the sucking part tho, as strongly as I'm willing to bet the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots this weekend in the Super Bowl. By alot.

The best books on Miles are the autobiography, the bios penned by Ian Carr and John Szwed, and the one on his electric period by Paul Tingen. There are some other worthy ones. "The Man in the Green Shirt" is great for photos and has decent commentary.

So -- Miles lives on. As ever.

In Praise of DeJohnette

2012-01-14T13:48:00.009-05:00

Recent NEA Jazz Master is among best drummers ever

It was nice to see the recent National Endowment for the Arts annual Jazz Masters awards ceremony and concert broadcast online recently from the Jazz at Lincoln Center. All the honorees were fitting, and all--the ones present--eloquent. Particularly trumpeter Jimmy Owens speaking about the needs of aging musicians (and the lack of support from jazz club owners in that regard), and the good works of the Jazz Foundation of America.

Among this year’s class, that includes Von Freeman, Owens, Sheila Jordan and Charlie Haden, the one that stands out for me is drummer Jack DeJohnette. And what prompts these reflective remarks is listening to a CD received today by the excellent pianist Luis Perdomo, titled Universal Mind,(RKM Music) a trio outing with Drew Gress on bass and DeJohnette on drums. DeJohnette is enlightening on the drums. As always.

And it reminds me of what I have been telling people for some time. DeJohnette is the best drummer on the planet. In spite of how unreasonable it is to use such a term “best” in any endeavor, particularly art. There are sooooo many fine drummers out there, and superb young guys coming up like Kendrick Scott, Eric Harland, Marcus Gilmore, Johnathan Blake, Rudy Royston, Jamire Williams, Justin Faulkner and on and on and on. But listen to DeJohnette albums, or those of the Keith Jarrett Trio, or whomever. Miles at the Isle of Wight. Or see Jack with any of his fine formations.

See Jack Play.

[Photos: Above, Jack DeJohnette at Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, 2011. Below, Luis Perdomo and Drew Gress playing with Ravi Coltrane’s quarter at the Newport Jazz Festival, 2011. © R.J. DeLuke]

Sheee-it. It’s mesmerizing. And always so musical, even at his most volcanic.

The Perdomo disk, which will be released on Valentine’s Day, is a helluva recording. Check it out when possible. DeJohnette’s playing is so compelling, matching neatly with Perdomo, who is also consistently terrific. It’s always thus.

At Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival in 2007, with Trio Beyond -- guitarist John Scofield and organist Larry Goldings joining Jack -- it was hard to keep one’s eyes off the drummer and the waves of sound (not to be confused with sound waves) that came from his drum kit. Last year’s Saratoga fest featured DeJohnette’s group with sax fiend Rudresh Mahanthappa, kicked ass, propelled, of course by the force of Jack. The Force of Nature. The Natural.

And nothing is more natural than DeJohnette’s playing, even when frantic.

He’s a total musician, having been trained as a classical pianist during his upbringing in Chicago. At a concert with guitarist John Abercrombie and bassist Ron McClure in 1977, in a small auditorium on the campus of Utica College of Syracuse University, DeJohnette spontaneously left his chair behind the drums, walked over to a piano that was pushed aside for the trio -- not part of the show -- and started wailing. It was impressive.

Everything about Jack is impressive. (Check out John Kelman’s excellent story on DeJohnette at All About Jazz). Pick up any album. And by all means see him and his bands.

“I consider myself a world musician,” he told me in a 2007 interview. “No matter what the instrument is, you’re a musician. You’re playing music on the instrument. I consider myself a world musician or world drummer. It’s not set in stone. It’s always pliable. It’s always changing.” Regarding his being held in high esteem by the next generation of drummers: “It’s nice to be respected and appreciated that way. It inspires me to keep doing more of what I’m doing. More experimenting, keep challenging myself and just doing the best every time I’m playing the music.”

He sure does.

At the NEA ceremony, DeJohnette was also impressive expressing his thoughts. He spoke of music being a vital part of the “emotional and spiritual development of people.” He spoke of an artist’s responsibility to always address that. He noted that times have changed since his musical growing up in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, but “one thing that we should never lose is a commitment to the highest level artistry and integrity an individual can add to the collective voice … In a mediocre world this is more important than ever.”

Amen.

And DeJohnette is Always holding up his end of the bargain.

For a Night, Jazz Shines in America

2011-12-27T23:00:00.003-05:00

Sonny Rollins receives Kennedy Center Honor on CBS television

It actually happened a few weeks ago, the night Theodore Walter Rollins was among people from the arts receiving the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., in front of the President and First Lady and hundreds of people associated with the arts. But the event aired tonight (Dec. 27) on CBS television … a national network. Once upon a time that might not be a big deal for jazz, but in recent decades, national exposure is rare. And who better to be the man this year than Sonny. Age 81 and still going strong.

It’s awarded annually for exemplary lifetime achievement in the performing arts. Sonny, the great living master of jazz, has repeatedly said it is one he accepted for people like Coleman Hawkins and Thelonious Monk and their ilk … the greats he admired who never got to attain such awards. He appreciates that through the award, jazz--America’s classical music, as he and others dub it--gets exposure through the event. (Sonny also received, earlier this year, the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the U.S. government. He felt similarly about that award).

[Photo: Sonny Rollins at Newport Jazz Festival, 2008, © R.J. DeLuke]

It was a good night for jazz. The network spent about 20 minutes on Meryl Streep, well known as one of the great actresses. You can’t find anyone who doesn’t know who she is. Sonny’s portion followed on the broadcast, and they didn’t scrimp. It was about the same length, started by a witty, yet to-the-point, intro by Bill Cosby, a valued friend of jazz, and including a short bio film summarizing Rollins’ career. Short, but this is TV. It was still presented to a national audience and was fair treatment.

Then the public got some real sweet jazz performed by musicians like Joe Lovano and Ravi Coltrane, who were great, backed by people like Christian McBride, Billy Drummond, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette. Jimmy Heath was there, as was Roy Hargrove. Truncated for TV, yes, but what there was, was a fine taste of jazz. Yo Yo Ma, another of the honorees, was digging it, as the cameras cut to the box where the honoress were seated. So was Michele Obama, who Sonny says is the REAL jazz fan of the First Family, formed by a long time of listening to the music in her household while growing up. The great Rollins classic “St. Thomas” ended the musical segment, even though many watching probably didn’t know the song.

I’ve seen networks give jazz VERY short shrift on occasions when it could have done sooooo much better. CBS gets a thumbs up this time from me. It was a good night. The jazz was cookin' and presented with some elegance to the nation. And Sonny is surely happier about that than his own accolades. All over the world, he notes, people love jazz. But he feels the U.S. needs to do more. The government needs to do more to help the musicians who play it, and help get the music to wider ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifudiences.

It had to be a great weekend--the weekend of Dec. 4 when it actually took place and was filmed by CBS--for the saxophone colossus. He was toasted by Bill Clinton and lauded by Obama (not on the telecast). But fun? “Well, not fun. It’s not exactly my style,” Rollins said to me last week. Sonny is a private man, modest. He knows his place in the pantheon of the music, but his life is about learning, exploring music, and “trying to get along and do the right things.”

So as the audience gave him a great ovation on a couple of occasions, Sonny stood, modest but distinctly noble, and accepted the admiration. But he’http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs already on to his next thing. Off the road for a bit, his tour schedule is being compiled for 2012 and there are other things on the horizon. (Story on Sonny coming to All About Jazz near you, soon).

Viva Sonny Rollins. And let’s hope his desire to see jazz blossom more on its native soil, like it has around the globe, comes to fruition.

Best Albums of 2011

2011-12-08T13:22:00.011-05:00

That time again. A reluctant glance at some fine records. Take with two grains of salt ... a pint of ale and two fingers of Wild Turkey ain't a bad idea either ...

The annual process of selecting any list of “best” for the year is a precarious endeavor, especially in music where one man’s Miles is another man’s Megadeath. But it’s an entertaining exposure and it also is a good way to look back and remember what good disks were produced.

Another problem is that each year there is sooo much good music recorded. Some great music. Bit that is also in the ear of the behearer. Additionally, while as a writer I do get exposure to more music than the average fan, there is a ton of music I don’t receive (I am not a CD reviewer). For example, I would have loved to have heard Bill Frisell’s John Lennon project and John Scofield’s ballad album, among others. And hopefully I will, eventually. But what I don’t hear, obviously, isn’t up for inclusion.

I’m truly grateful for the music I do receive, as it helps a person keep tabs on what’s out there; keep a finger on the pulse of the scene. And this year there are more people who are definitely not household names on the list, the result of being exposed to it. Every year some superb albums come from the less well-lit corners of the jazz scene.

[PHOTOS: From top: David Binney, Newport Jazz Fest, 2010; Ambrose Akinmusire, Newport Jazz Fest, 2011; Tineke Postma, North Sea Jazz fest, 2011; Joe Lovano, North Sea Jazz Fest, 2011; Gretchen Parlato, Newport Jazz Fest, 2010. All © R.J. DeLuke]

As always, compiling the list means worthy disks are left out. This isn’t the bible, it’s an observation about some of the outstanding music I’ve run across. They are not in any order and I do not decree a single Album of the Year.

Joe Lovano and Us Five: Birdsongs (Blue Note). Of course Lovano is a heavyweight no question. The quality of his albums -- and his playing -- is always. US Five is a great group and their exploration of Charlie Parker is innovative and exciting. Lovano is so fucking good. This band is also kick ass live and shouldn’t be missed.

Ambrose Akinmusire: When the Heart Emerges Glistening (Blue Note) Akinmusire is a unique musician and individual. This came close to breaking my Album of the Year edict, just by the way this trumpeter has achieved a personal approach to music and sound at a young age. And still developing. And eager to develop. My conversations with him have been enlightening and this is one cat to keep an ear on. Strong band, captivating music.

James Farm: James Farm (Nonesuch). James Farm is a relatively new band of extraordinary musicians that I hope steers this ship for a long time, even though they all are quite busy outside the group. Of course it’s Joshua Redman, Matt Penman, Eric Harland and Aaron Parks. Sometimes “star” groups go astray, but this is truly a group of comrades with no ego center and a communal approach. It’s only going to get better. Love this group!

Tineke Postma: The Dawn of Light, (Challenge Records) This young saxophonist from Holland has one of the sweet saxophone sounds I’ve heard come down the pike in a while. And her approach, full of warmth and wonder, is charming. She’s been gigging in the U.S. over the years and playing with heavy cats, including Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic project. This is with her own band of guys from the Netherlands. They were excellent at the North Sea Jazz Fest in July.

Jonathan Kriesberg: Shadowless (New For Now Music) This is one slick guitarist with a fine band featuring Will Vinson’s sax. Love the smoothness of the tunes, the execution, solos. Very crisp and quite appealing.

David Binney: Graylen Epicenter (Mythology) Binney is a guy who's really emerging in the last couple years. Dynamic player with an open musical mind and a spirited attack. He plays with the best cats on the Brooklyn scene and is highly respected. A sharp musical mind with an eagerness to explore.

Chantale Gagne: Wisdom of the Water (CDBY) A fine piano player with a joyous expression to her touch, and a great band including Lewis Nash and Peter Washington. Joe Locke’s vibes are blissful throughout, matching the pianists buoyant feel. Look forward to more from this lady.

John Daversa; Junk wagon; the Big Band Album (BFM Jazz) This music has a lot of modern pop rhythmic things in places, including rap, and an electric bass. It’s dynamic and energetic. Daversa doesn’t take any ethereal flights of fancy like many of today’s arrangers. He’s charging out of the gate, but shows a lot of different colors and levels of intensity. Grows and stands strong with repeated listens.

Noah Haidu: Slipstream (Posi-Tone) This is kind of mainstream, though there are moments outside of that, but the group of younger cats wails throughout. Even with names like Jeremy Pelt and Jon Irabagon, there’s no question pianist Haidu is in charge. He got the right feel and the album is swinging fun throughout. Great execution.

Armen Donelian: Leapfrog (Sunnyside Records) This veteran pianist puts out consistently good music, this time choosing to investigate the quintet setting again. His writing is attractive and the overall feel is very cool. Mike Moreno’s guitar blends nicely with the melodies and harmonies and Tyshawn Sorey’s drums are always what the music calls for, fast or slow.

John Escreet: The Age We Live In (Mythology Records) This young Brit transplanted to Brooklyn is making a strong name for himself. These tunes are searching and propulsive, aided by Binney, who seems to be on a lot of good albums over the last couple years. Serious music.

Michael Pedicin: Ballads … Searching for Peace (Jazz Hut) This album is just what it says it is. And wonderfully refreshing on a scene where everyone is trying to be “different” and “innovative” to varying degrees of success. These are ballads featuring the big, luscious tenor sound of Pedicin. Guitarist John Valentino provides a couple originals, but ballads. Barry Miles piano is equally sweet. This is first-class gorgeous music that we should never lose. It’s not just old standards either. Wayne Shorter and McCoy Tyner’s divine “Search for Peace” are there. I recommend it for getting laid. (Does it HAVE to always be the art?)

Jimmy Owens: The Monk Project (IPO) I like Owens’s treatment of Monk material for seven musicians including Marcus Strickland, Kenny Barron, Wycliffe Gordon and Howard Johnson. It has interesting twists and stellar solos. Nice.

Sonny Rollins: Road Shows: (Doxy Music) Another grouping of live Sonny from past shows. Anything liver from Sonny is worthy of high praise. This one includes the historic encounter with Ornette Coleman, which, frankly, doesn’t do a lot for me, though I understand the significance. But Sonny rules, as always.

Stan Killian: Unified (Sunnyside) Didn’t know who this cat was when I first spun the disk. Rich tenor sound; fluid and full of ideas. He’s got that something extra that will push him from the pack, perhaps. Solid tunes, good band, and appearances by Binney and Pelt and Roy Hargrove. This is a very sharp recording.

Ernie Krivda: Blues for Pekar (Capri) I just like the way this veteran tenor sax man rips through the material. He’s got an edge. Kind of no-holds-barred. A tarnished sound and he wails throughout this. I probably paid attention to it first because I liked the late writer/cartoonist Harvey Pekar. But it quickly moved beyond that. This is just basic hot 11 p.m. nightclub, here-it-is jazz.

Silvano Monasterios: Unconditional (Savant) This is a piano player I didn’t know from Adam, but it’s a cooking disk of original music that has different moods, but always driving and engaging. Keep it up.

Bill Carrothers Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard (Pirouet) A fine piano trio outing from a very tasty and talented player. Group interplay and many bright moments throughout. Love the live feel. Carrothers flies under the radar, but he’s one talented cat.

It’s here I’m going to mention a few Pirouet Records, which seems to crank out quality music each month. Jochen Reuckert’s Somewhere Meeting Nobody is the drummer’s record, but features the wonderful tenor of Mark Turner and some tasty guitar from Brad Shepik. The stalwart Penman is on bass. This could have made people’s lists, as could the piano-guitar duets outing of Marc Copland and John Abercrombie, Speak to Me. Abercrombie sounds great, melodic and harmonic, away from the wild side. Another Marc Copland record, Crosstalk, features Greg Osby’s sax. Sweet., And Copland is a good player. Some kudos to Pirouet.

HISTORICAL ALBUM:

Miles Davis Quintet, Live In Europe 1967, The Bootleg Sessions. What else? This could be the best music put out in 2011. Or since who knows when. One could argue that this group -- Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, Miles -- is the greatest ever, anywhere. And many do argue that. This is live music from the and the apex of their collective powers. Three disks and a DVD. A stone-cold motherfucker.

VOCAL ALBUMS:

Not a lot pop to my head this year, but everything Kurt Elling does is worthy and The Gate (Concord) is no exception. Pop Tunes like “Norwegian Wood” exposed in new lights, and jazz stuff like “Blue and Green.”

Gretchen Parlato’s style and delivery is unique. The Lost and Found (Obliqsound) is filled with unusual tunes but her emotive quality and sense of seeking bring the art together. And she enlists first-rate cats like pianist Taylor Eigsti and drummer Kendrick Scott. This grows on you.

Karrin Allyson’s voice and harmonious piano sounds shine brightly on Round Midnight (Concord), a collection of standards done is classy, sensual style. I haven’t heard enough of this disk yet, but thought enough of the quality that it belongs here. She’s a very consistent and quality artist who really puts herself into her music.

… waiting for the next disk from Roberta. (She knows who she is)

'Clark' is the Autobiography of a Jazz Giant

2011-11-24T19:04:00.002-05:00

Clark Terry Tells His Story

Clark Terry is one of the bright, indomitable spirits in American music. Of course, jazz is his specialty and he’s never run from the term or tried to change or over-explain it. He embraces jazz and is unabashed about his love for it. That’s obvious to anyone who’s seen him perform over several decades. It’s reinforced and embellished in his autobiography released this year, simply titled Clark (University of California Press), written with the assistance of his wife of 19 years, Gwen.

It’s an enjoyable read, lighthearted like the man himself, told in a natural style. It’s not critical or analytical like a biography from an author looking in from a different view. It’s like a journal, but one that gives the reader pictures from the inside of one of the wonderful careers in music. And as many smiles as we’ve seen on the face of the man who will be 91 on Dec. 14, it’s not all glee. Terry experienced hardship, disappointment, racism and discouragement along the way. But he was unyielding. He always steered the course. Always came out on the other end better for it.

That’s been a great thing for jazz.

Terry’s an enjoyable storyteller, with flair and humor. He also speaks frankly and exposes his human blemishes. During his life on the road with the great big bands--including George Hudson, Charlie Barnett, Count Basie and Duke Ellington--Terry drinks, gambles, cavorts with ladies--All things that traveling musicians did back in the day. These are not horrible things. In fact, the book exemplifies that Terry is a man of character. Terry came from a family with a too-strict, physically abusive father whom he eventually had to leave--never to see again. He doesn’t say “woe is me.” In fact, he eventually comes to understand at least what was at the root of his father’s sternness and uses it as a source of strength through his life. Think many people today take those kinds of lemons and make them lemonade? Fat chance. He also reveals he never graduated high school because he impregnated a girlfriend. It was a source of severe disappointment. But again, terry is resolute.

Terry introduces a lot of colorful characters that flow in and out of his life, some having nothing to do with music, like his childhood friend “Shitty.” He constructed his first trumpet out of junk; that’s how badly he wanted to play. The agreeable Terry also had his limits. He knew how to box and carried a blade in case of trouble. He didn’t take shit from people. But he treated people with the respect they deserved. He knew all the cats in music. He mentored a young Miles Davis, who always called Clark one of his idols. Played with all of ’em. Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus (with whom he came close to one of those physical confrontations the enigmatic bass player was known for--but didn‘t back down), all the big band stalwarts. Loved Duke and Basie, and vice versa. He also recounts associations with people like Norman Granz and Billy Strayhorn. He has a great way of describing them and his stories illuminate the people and the era in which they thrived.

The trumpeter was the first black man on the NBC music staff and spent a long time with the Tonight Show band. His arranging and writing talents came to the fore working with large groups and Terry eventually reached his dream of having his own big band. He also championed the flugelhorn; like he championed the careers of so many young musicians. Those stories are all there. As is the genesis of his character “Mumbles,” the unique scat singer that was born on the Tonight Show during the popular “stump the band” segment and caught real fire after he recorded “Incoherent Blues,” a song employing the wordless vocal technique on the album Oscar Peterson Trio + 1 (Philips, 1964), produced by Granz. Peterson, he divulges, fell out laughing when he first heard Mumbles.

Terry toured everywhere, seemingly with everyone, and has appeared on more than 900 recordings (He’s the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, among his many honors). He‘s undoubtedly got more stories than he could fit into the book. But one touching and highly important aspect to Terry’s career that is explained and examined closely is his dedication to jazz education and helping young people develop. He was always generous with younger musicians, but the formal part of teaching started in the 1970s. It picked up speed at the behest of the great pianist/composer Billy Taylor (another feather in the cap of the multi-talented Dr. Taylor) who got Terry involved in conducting clinics.

“I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he writes. “I decided that my crazy schedule had to go. I had to make room to teach.” It led to years and years of enriching the lives of young musicians and also to a pair of books on trumpet instruction. The great pleasure Terry takes in having a positive impact on young folks is blissfully evident. His accomplishments are sooooo numerous. An “Honors and Awards” section runs for 8 1/3 pages, but the immeasurable impact of Terry’s mentoring perhaps supersedes them all (though many of those awards are related to education).

Clark is a breezy read, fast paced and enjoyable. Honest and genuine. It was a great idea for this young man to get it down on paper.

Observations from Holland: Ntjam Rosie, Tineke Postma

2011-07-30T14:41:00.003-04:00

The North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands is said to be the biggest indoor fest in the world. I have no argument. It’s a tremendous event with quality music from start to finish. Like so many jazz festivals, you’ll find rock and pop and soul music as well. Names like Price and Snoop Dogg and Seal--Hell, even Pal Simon and Tom Jones were there this year. No question though, jazz was abundant and in all forms, from big band to traditional to bebop to more modern and experimental groups.

It also showcased some Dutch jazz musicians, of which a couple are worth mentioning. Bear in mind, there were 13 stages at the event. To see everything was impossible. To see all Dutch jazz was just as impossible as it was to see all other kinds. It was a dizzying experience in some respects--so much goes music missed. SO MUCH good music experienced and savored.

North Sea Jazz is something fans should try and see. The host city of Rotterdam is warm and welcoming. Friendly. Easy to get around. Laid back. Plenty for tourists to take in. Shopping. Night life. A nice arts community. Dining of all kinds. It’s a perfect host city for this huge event and the venue -- a huge facility dubbed Ahoy -- is unique and impressive.

[PHOTO: Ntjam Roise at North sea Jazz, 2011, © R.J. DeLuke]

There’s no predicting how the careers of musicians will go. No formula for success. Why this person “made it” and that person didn’t, in terms of public recognition, is largely a mystery. The famed jazz producer Orrin Keepnews once told me that some musicians were “inevitable,” meaning that regardless of what hehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif did as a producer, or anyone else, that cram was going to rise to the top. The talent was too immense. Coltrane, Monk. Sonny Rollins. That’s true.

What becomes of so many others, why some rise and some don’t .. who knows. Good fortune certainly plays a role. But it remains a mystery. Just like individual songs. Why this one makes it and that one doesn’t. Who knows.

A noteworthy discovery in Rotterdam was Ntjam Rosie, a resident there for a while now, but originally from Camaroon. She’s a singer in the manner of perhaps a Lizz Wright or Angelique Kidjo. Soul, world music, jazz, R&B all have a place in her music, as does, certainly, sounds she’s heard in Camaroon. She’s a trained vocalist who writes just about all of her own material and is bent on carving a career based on that. Her latest album Elle exhibits her songwriting. It’s a good disk, but in performance, like most good artists, she is more dynamic and engaging. It should be that way and not the other way ‘round.

Performing at Ahoy, she exhibited charm and a relaxed ease, fronting a larger ensemble with percussion, flute and vibes to go with the basic rhythm. She was energized and so was the crowd. Her voice is pristine and she communicates her lyrics directly and clearly. A fine sense of rhythm and harmony. Her influences she channels through her own filter and it comes out a mixture of pop, soul and world music, with underpinnings of jazz harmony. She’s not pushing pop hooks in order to be heard. Very musical.

Her story is spreading around Europe. Why this one makes it and that one doesn’t, who knows. But this lady could be one whose name is heard more and louder. Her music is accessible without playing down to the crowd. It’s her own voice -- inward and outward. Who knows ………

On a different note, Dutch saxophonist Tineke Postma has had successful albums in the United States, the latest The Dawn of Life (Challenge Records), out in Europe and due in the U.S. soon. It’s outstanding, with her European quartet. She’s also recorded with people like Geri Allen and Teri Lynne Carrington and is part of the recently released Mosaic Project, with Esperanza Spalding, Allen, Helen Sung, Ingrid Jensen, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson and Dee Dee Bridgewater. She has a gorgeous sound and an infectious approach to music. She’s already carving out a sound that belongs to just her.

At Ahoy, her set was superb, playing with pianist Marc Van Roon, bassist Frans Van Der Hoeven and drummer Martijn Vink. Dynamic and strong music. Great communication among the quartet. She’s a very fine player whose rewards are only just beginning and are well deserved.

Eliane Elias Shows a Captivating Charm to Merge with Monster Musical Talent

2011-07-16T07:45:00.002-04:00

Eliane Elias was a fantastic pianist when she came from her native Sao Paulo to New York City in 1981. She’s already worked with some of the best Brazilian musicians as a teenager. Her early albums show a pianist with monster chops, but with the ability to display delicate beauty. Passion and emotion.

She did a vocal album of Antonio Carlos Jobim music (Eliane Elias Sings Jobim, Blue Note, 1998) but admits she was a bit tentative with her singing. Since then, her soft, sensual voice has become more of a mainstay in her work. Dreamer (Bluebird, 2004) was a delight, as was and Boss Nova Stories (Blue Note, 2008). More surety in the vocals. With Brazilian music, she’s obviously at home and nails the material, but other songs she selects come joyfully to life.

Now there’s Light My Fire, out this year on Concord. It’s not that dissimilar in content to her recent vocal outings, but her masterful piano has a strong presence, her singing seems to grow stronger. Her band is tight. It’s a record that’s jumped up the musical charts. In support of it,. She’s on a huge tour that takes her and her sparkling band around the world. Not too many artists can boast of such an itinerary. It’s warming to see a performer of such class, style and talent get the support of fans and the music industry.

An fans, she has in large numbers. Her live concerts are always enchanting because the musicianship is so high. At Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY, in June, the band was full of energy. She did songs from the new CD, as well as some from past albums. Romero Lubambo joined on guitar. Marc Johnson, one of the finest bassists out there, is still at the hub of the rhythm and percussionist Marlvaldo dos Santos adds a great layer to the sound. The band sizzles and Elias‘ voice adds the charm and sensuality

“I’m truly very excited with this album,” she said after the concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This album, from the very beginning, had a force of its own. It’s doing so well. It’s so wonderful to see. When you do the work, and the way it’s being received by critics, by the people … You saw the show. You see how people love it. There’s such energy. We’re very happy about it.”

It’s a joyous event when this band plays. So much that the superior musicianship might slide under the radar. But listen closely and see what’s at work. Fantastic music, great piano.

The band had been in South America and from SPAC was off to Canada. The Europe, South America again, Central America, to the United States and back to Europe. Then the U.S. and Asia. So much of the world will get to see it.
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“I always brought different elements of Brazilian music, but I’ve done a lot of albums that were more instrumental. This is a vocal album that still has a lot of piano. But this album, with the vocals has more of a variety of elements of Brazilian music, than just the bossa nova. There’s some music from the north of brazil, from Bahia. And some Afro-Brazilian rhythms. Then we have percussion added,” she said. “It’s a very special album and it has an aspect to it that is different than the others. It has some very sexy moments. It has moments that are very cool, vibey. But also a lot of rhythm, groove and romance. It has different things that worked so nice together.”

Elias has found a way to get everything to work together.

Though she says her first love is jazz, having been influenced by the greats like Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, she also loves the music of Brazil and puts a stamp on it that is now her own. It’s intimate and joyous. And her playing still smokes. Don’t be surprised if more hard-core jazz albums emerge as Elias’ career continues its growth. This is a first-rate musician whose accolades, and awards that have been amassed along the way, are well deserved.

In concert, it’s invigorating.

Ageless Jazz Icons for the Ages -- Brubeck and Wein.

2011-06-12T19:24:00.013-04:00

Blessing to those who have spent their lives doing what they love. For most of those people, even that ends at some point, eventually relegating those activities to “the good old days.” But there are a fine few for whom it doesn’t end. ThosE people are inspiring.

Recent experiences in the jazz community brought to of those folks to the forefront. One is the renowned jazz impresario George Wein, the other the great American music legend Dave Brubeck. They are two long-time friends, but the paths that crossed mine recently are separate.

Wein invented the jazz festival in Newport, RI, in 1954 and 22 years later created a major jazz festival in Saratoga Springs, NY, that will see http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifits 34th edition on June 25 and 26. It’s Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival (It had different names over the first couple decades as sponsorships changed). And Wein returns there this year to get an award [click for YouTube video]--a star on the Walk of Fame of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where the festival is annually held. He’ll also lead his Newport All Stars in a set on June 25, just after getting the award. (Randy Brecker, Anat Cohen , Lew Tabackin , Howard Alden , Lewis Nash and Peter Washington comprise the band).

That brought about another conversation between George and I recently. He continues to impress me. But it wasn’t the general gist of the talk. It’s the underlying theme. At age 85, Wein is playing piano and touring with the All Stars. And after giving up producing the Newport jazz festival for a couple years, a brief period during which its new caretakers fucked it up royally, Wein jumped back in, producing two great festivals there in ’09 and ’10. Not only that, he made the effort after last year to create a non-profit foundation that will carry on the festival after he’s gone.

That’s commitment. It’s pride. And it’s love of the music and its makers. Hs legacy will be that millions of people will enjoy jazz festivals into the future.

The thing is, Wein could have slipped away and made it easy on himself. History would have regarded him in no less esteem. He even deserves to lay back and take it easy. But he rejuvenated Newport when he didn’t have to. And he’s still trying to safeguard its stewardship for years to come.

[PHOTOS: Top, Dave Brubeck, with wife Iola, back stage at Newport, 2009; middle, George Wein plays with Christian McBride at the 2009 Newport Jazz festival; Brubeck plays with Tony Bennett, Newport 2009. Photos © R.J. DeLuke]

And he has a ball playing with his band. It’s not that many dates, but it’s fun. Again--he doesn’t have to. “I’m 85 years old, so I’m not breaking my neck doing anything,” he quipped. “I’m in pretty good shape. My health is OK. I hope it stays that way. I was just practicing. My hands are OK.“

Of his set at Saratoga (and the Montreal Jazz Festival the very next day), he noted “We don’t rehearse. They know what we’re going to play. They know what we’re going to do. We’re going to put together a show that will last a little more than an hour. And it will be perfect. That’s my joy.”

It also called to mind how, more than a decade ago, in my first conversation with him, Wein lamented that jazz “stars” were leaving and not being replaced by new ones, people who were box office. In more recent years, he’s changed. The old dog has new tricks. He goes out to clubs in Manhattan and checks out new things. He’s helped champion people like Esperanza Spalding and Anat Cohen. He’s brought people like Jason Moran, Dave Binney, Darcy James Argue, Ben Allison and others to his festival. He sees a crop of fine talent carries the day, even if there is no Miles or Trane--yet. (No one saw them coming, either. We never do)

Wein keeps doing what he loves to do and he does it right.

At the same time Brubeck, 90, walks the same path. He, too, could be resting on laurels. But his quartet still performs quality music and fans still go wild. Two summers ago Wein had him play with Tony Bennett at Newport. Last summer he did a guest spot with Wynton Marsalis.

On June 10, he came to Saratoga to sit in with a band called Triple Play, a trio which includes his son Chris. To see that show was inspiring. Dave can’t physically play like he used to. No one can do any physical task at the age of 90 that they could at 70, 60, 50, 40 … and playing an instrument is PHYSICAL. But I watched Brubeck uplift a room with his spirit, his joy, his willingness to be part of a group and make the music sound right for the people. He beamed like a child watching the others -- his son, Madcat Ruth, Joel brown and Frank Brown -- play and groove on some of his classic tunes. And he walked off the stage with a lot more bounce then he had before he started playing.

Music moves these two men. It’s a powerful thing in this world. And these two men have moved people for years.

Bravo.

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival Is Killer

2011-06-05T07:00:00.002-04:00

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival (check it ouuuuut ) in Saratoga Springs, NY, is a great event every year, the ultimate jazz picnic, good-time hang of any festival you’ll find. Anywhere. People who show up year after year, are great music fans with great loyalty to the fest. They’ll enjoy it no matter what.

This year, producer Danny Melnick, in conjunction with the Saratoga Performing Arts center where the event has been held every summer since 1978 (stop using your fingers--this is the 34th edition), has put together one of the better lineups in recent years, across the board. Much of the talent is not in the “star” category (a nearly useless term in this art form). But these ladies and gentlemen can play.

Saturday’s lineup features the brilliant drummer Jack DeJohnette. Couldn’t take my eyes off him at his last Freihofer’s appearance in a trio with John Scofield and Larry Goldings a few years. Sooooo much thunder from those drums. Fire and brimstone. Finesse and fluidity. He has a fine band featuring the super sax of Rudresh Mahanthappa and the fiery guitar of Dave Fiuczynski, as well as the wonderful, underappreciated George Colligan on piano. This is set to be a monster set of music.

Eliane Elias has turned her career a lot toward singing in recent years, with pop shadings thrown into her mix of jazz and influences from her homeland, Brazil. But she’s a fantastic piano player. And her jazz/pop vocal tunes are first rate. She’ll be offering up a large portion of music from her new album “Light My Fire,” which will include, no doubt, her cover of that famous Doors tune. She does it in a slow, smoky, come-hither ballad style. This is a great musician who’s sometimes overlooked because of her vocals. Her husband, Marc Johnson, is one of the best bass players on the scene and he will be among her accompanists. Don’t be surprised if former husband Randy Brecker gets a chance to accompany her on the SPAC stage. He appears on the album, and he’ll be at SPAC as part of George Wein & The Newport All-Stars, along with Lew Tabackin on tenor saxophone and flute, Anat Cohen on clarinet, Howard Alden on guitar, Peter Washington on bass and Lewis Nash on drums.

Wein, who founded the Saratoga festival and is the father of all jazz fests, has a kick as mainstream jazz band that is well worth seeing. Names like Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves and The Bad Plus have become well known. But the beauty of this year’s fest lies in the lesser “known.” Hilary Kole is a singer of note who owes part of her style to cabaret, but who has been playing with a lot of fine jazz musicians and her vocals are getting sharpened that way. She freely admits that, and is justly proud of an album she did as a series of duets with jazz piano greats “You Are There.” Kole will warm and win the hearts of Saratoga festers.

Ben Allison, a bass player and fine writer, was terrific at Newport last year. Like Binney, creative and captivating. Great art produced by this unit, which features the sweet and versatile guitar of Steve Cardenas. Cardenas does his own trio set with Allison and drummer Rudy Royston later at the small gazebo stage. Royston is a fantastic drummer who’s playing with top musicians around, like Dave Douglas. So this whole thread from Allison’s band down to the Cardenas set will have some beautiful musical moments.

Don’t go to sleep on Marcus Strickland, one of the great young tenor sax cats who will be WORKIN it at the gazebo. And he’ll have a bunch of sharp NYC cats in tow that could include the remarkable EJ Strickland, his twin brother, on drums.

Sunday’s lineup includes Dave Binney, a very creative soul. His band at Newport last year was a thrill. Movements and improvisation that held interest and threw surprises. He’s turned up on a lot of people’s projects lately, becoming an in-demand cat on the NYC scene and it will be evident why that is so. Tia Fuller plays her alto sax with Beyonce, but she’s a kick-ass jazzer with a band that is tight and grooves.

Matt Slocum, a drummer who’ll have Danny Grisset (a Jeremy Pelt Band regular) and Massimo Biolcati on bass, is someone I’ve not heard, but Melnick says he was super impressed when checking out the drummer in the Big Apple. Rebecca Coupe Franks is a burning trumpeter that will open some eyes and ears. People who go to Saratoga now expect to have great discoveries at the gazebo, like this lady. Great job my Melnick to fill the gazebo stage up with artists that will bring their own vision and tell their own stories and will shine in their own way. No bullshit.

The theme here has kind of been to stay away from talking about bigger names. The headliner on Sunday with be the Sing the Truth! Tour featuring three singers, jazz great Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo. They’ll sing an array of tunes, jazz, pop, soul etc., from a variety of sources. Should be fine music, but my reason for noting it out of context here is the friggin’ band that is behind these vocalists: pianist Geri Allen, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist James Genus, percussionist Munyungo Jackson and guitarist Romero Lubambo. That’s a talented group! If he singers all came down with laryngitis, this would still be a band to regard.

So one of the great festivals anywhere truly has a variety of style among the artists Melnick has amassed this year. It bodes well for the event, and it bodes well for jazz as it continues to move forward.

A couple more words: Blog has been on hiatus for a bit. That will change. Also, Wein will be getting an award from SPAC this year as he returns to the event he masterfully created and stewarded through good times and bad. More on that very soon!

Passing It On

2011-04-05T15:50:00.002-04:00

Colleges are among the major supporters of jazz across the country, not just because there are many schools now where musicians can study jazz. Major, and not-so-major, jazz musicians supplement their income teaching. But colleges are also routine sites for jazz concerts--good gigs. And very often when someone comes to play, they put on some kind of clinic or workshop for musicians.

Those can be as valuable to the musicians in school as the courses they’re taking.

Once upon a time, jam sessions abounded for musicians. They cut their teeth and learned there. They got their asses kicked and walked out with their tails between their legs too. But that was also learning. Rebounding from that was important. That’s almost gone these days. But encounters with musicians in workshops brings an added value to their education.

Recently, in conversations with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and drummer Eric Harland, both mentioned how musicians came to their college or high school brought valuable information about the music. Of course, they’re not alone. Many others have told me how much THEY learn when they teach. Give and take. Very cool.

So last week (April 1), I got the opportunity to sit in on a workshop at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, given by some first-rate jazz folks. It was a great experience for me, let along the young musicians in the audience. I was there to shoot video for the eyeJazz program of the Jazz Journalists Association (subject for a future blog) and am in the process of producing a short video of the session. But there was so much that won’t get covered.

Involved was John Medeski of the world renowned Medeski, Martin & Wood band. He was in town to do a concert at the college with his former teacher, Albany, NY, jazz pianist Lee Shaw and her fine trio: the wonderful bassist Rich Syracuse and stellar drummer Jeff Siegel. All four cats had words of wisdom for the students.

It was their enthusiasm and genuine caring that stood out most for me. They met in the lobby, each one trickling in separately, and talked on the fly about how they would approach it. Just like good jazz, made up on the spot.

Then they took it to the kids and handled it with great flair. They spoke about communication, listening, persevering. They addressed being critical. And being free. And the points were peppered by Syracuse and Medeski with amusing anecdotes that had purpose behind them. They listened to students play and gave constructive criticism. Shaw played with a student trio. Medeski, Syracuse and Siegel performed an original written by a young pianist in attendance. They’d played never seen the music before, naturally. A few minutes earlier the young man and two or his classmates played the piece. And very nicely. But the pros brought it to a new level, off the cuff, before the enthralled group.

The point here isn’t to rehash the educational tidbits. Just to relate how uplifting the session was and the sincerity of each instructor. Passing it on. That’s always been key to jazz and blues, which are at the root of it all. The methods might be different -- classrooms compared to jam sessions or after-hours assemblies -- but the feeling is the same. Learn. Grow. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

As Syracuse opined, “Be fearless.” Medeski said as a youngster he experienced “certain realizations … things that people told me that changed my perspective and enabled me to grow faster and be more familiar with my own style, my own voice. All those things are important to share, to help people find that. It’s real easy to get on the wrong track.”

Nice when veterans like this can take the time and help others with such things. And it’s nice that a lot of jazz musicians seem to do it regularly.

Sonny Rollins Honored at the Whitehouse

2011-03-02T17:25:00.005-05:00

The Man, who personifies art, gets a medal for it. At last.

“Jazz is life,“ the legend, Sonny Rollins, told me a couple of years back. “It's what happens every minute of every day. It's fresh and new. Creative, just like life itself.”

It’s kind of a summary, and yet the tip of the iceberg with Sonny, who at age 80 is still going strong. Breathing fire. Shaking tree limbs to see what falls. Taking what comes through his head and heart -- and soul -- and shaping it into beautiful and astounding sounds that spring from the bell of his tenor saxophone. Joyous. Dark. Expressive. Exploring.

Sonny Rollins is still the man. The grand master of all the genre, bar none. The reigning shaman. He’s got legions of fans around the globe. He’s revered in the jazz world.

[Photo © R.J. DeLuke, Sonny at Newport in 2008]

And today he was honored at the White House when he was bestowed with the National Medal of Arts.

There were others, of course, a group of 10 that included the very deserving Quincy Jones and James Taylor. Actress Meryl Streep. Some other cats.

But my bow goes to Sonny. He’s above them all (even though media accounts will list him among “others awarded…” What the fuck is that? Ok…ok…I know what that is.)

No one is more deserving. He’s our kind and he’s still going strong. No figurehead, he.

Last year pianist Mark Soskin related to me how he on the phone with Sonny at about 11:30 at night, discussing an upcoming gig he was to play with the sax titan. Sonny was practicing his horn.

On top of being a great musician, he’s a highly evolved man. Great guy. My encounters with him are always warm and he always has a personal touch, usually asking about Saratoga Springs and the Albany area (he doesn’t live all that far away). In fact, he can talk about anything, pretty much, and isn’t shy with his opinions. (Nor is he pushy with them).

He takes life as it comes and tries to help people deal with its vagaries through his music.

On his website appears one short stateme4nt “I’m very happy that jazz, the greatest American music, is being recognized through this honor, and I’m grateful to accept this award on behalf of the gods of our music.”

He’s able to speak on behalf of the gods because he’s one of them. Has been for a long time. That’s my opinion (and the opinion of MANY), not Sonny’s. if, down in his heart, he knows that to be true, you won’t hear him say it. But I feel he knows his place. He walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Monk and Miles and Mingus and Coltrane and Blakey and Hawk. Bird and Diz. He and Trane shook up the world around the same time and they admired each other, the rivalry, he states, “more from our fans. We were good friends. Hanging out. Coltrane used to come by my house a lot. We were good, good personal friends. In fact, him and Monk, I think, were my closest friends, personal friends off the bandstand. Just as friends that I had in the music business.”

Sonny was one of those with the biggest stride, biggest footprint the golden age of jazz but has never stopped. “I don’t miss it,” he told me. “It’s just, that was the way it was. It was sort of the golden age. I was very fortunate to be alive in the golden age of music.”

I could write a lot more about the man, but rather than drag up our old conversations, I re-submit a story I wrote on the Man for All About Jazz not long ago, in 2009.

Congratulations, Sonny. Bravo.

Eric Harland: Circle in the Round

2011-02-19T11:01:00.003-05:00

The sublime drummer Eric Harland brought a band into Skidmore College’s Zankel Music Center in Saratoga Springs New York on Feb. 17 and put on a show that potentially will rank among the region’s best for 2011 by the time December rolls around. The musicians --Taylor Eigsti, piano; Chris Potter, sax; Julian Lage, guitar; Harish Raghavan, bass -- are all part of New York City’s vibrant jazz scene, based in Brooklyn these days.

All but Raghavan are leaders in their own right, and Harish can be found playing with Kurt Elling, Kendrick Scott’s Oracle and any number of important gigs. Potter is one of the finest saxophonists out there. It was first performance with the group (Walter Smith can usually be found blowing with this band).

The music began by creeping in slowly, then swirled and twisted … and delighted. Performed like a suite. The fantastic, highly influential, pianist Jason Moran, a colleague of Harland’s from Houston, might have indirectly had some effect on this.

[Photo: Eric Harland band, Skidmore College]

“My music is a lot about segues,” Harland told me a couple weeks before the show. “It’s less about the composition itself. It’s about having a composition that allows the members of the band to fully be in the moment. I never liked having to be so caught up in a tune that I couldn’t live in the moment. … We have a thing. Me and Jason Moran say it all the time: circular. It means that everything rotates around you like the Earth. And the Earth goes around the sun. The same things happens between the band and the audience. Even within the band. What you give kind of comes back around and keeps moving around. I always felt like if the musicians on stage are too caught up in the music, what they’re doing on stage, they’re not really paying attention to the moment. Or the direction the music can take. As well as what the people in the audience will feel. Something kind of gets lost a little bit.”

Listening to the artistry of this band, those words came back to me. He succeeded in bringing about that concept.

It also called to mind a recent conversation with the renowned young trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Moran produced Akinmusire’s very good new album that doesn’t come out until April.) A little while after acknowledging Moran as a major influence, he talked about music thusly: “I believe that composition--music in general--shouldn’t be exact. It shouldn’t be straight up and down. It should be a circle. That’s the way nature is. When you look at a tree, it doesn’t go click-click-click. It sways around. I try to capture that in my music.”

Harland’s show was superb. The music was seamless. It churned and twirled and was driven by Harland’s insistent and wide-ranging drumming, Raghavan’s muscular bass chops and even Eigsti playing percussive piano when not flowing up and down the keyboard. Potter would take the lead voice, blowing within the composition and improvising around. He showed his imagination and monster chops. The music would then slide to Lage, who then got the chance to add his colors. He was fiery, playing quicksilver runs over the wall of sound that were some of the most Methenyesque I’ve heard from the young guitarist. Visible was what Gary Burton saw in Lage a decade or so ago upon taking him under his wing.

Upon the completion of his statement, Eigsti would glides into the fray with both precision and polish. His energy matched the passion of his cohorts at all times. Excellent stuff. By the time the first set came to a close they were smiling, the smile of that satisfaction that comes over those who make the art. In this case--jazz--made on the spot.

Harland, who seems to play with everyone under the sun, has really got something here.

“I want to try something and I want to share with everyone who’s in this room right now. Not just allowing the music, the composition, take precedence and be something more important than the audience,” he said.

The next day, he and Raghavan went into the studio to do a trio record of John Nazarenko’s, an Albany, NY, area pianist who also teaches at Skidmore.

Harland praised Skidmore and its music program. The college not only gives young musicians a chance to learn, but they bring in good jazz musicians for performances, and also instruction. “I wish more people would support the arts,“ said the drummer. “So an artist doesn’t feel like they have to sell themselves … The true meaning of being an artist is being a artist. Being able to allow your mind to search into realms … that spiritual space. It’s been a thing throughout history that the artist has been able to breathe that energy back into the room to remind everyone this is who we are, where we come from. This is how we feel.”

He said it’s a lot harder for the artist today. “The visibility of the artist himself has been lost. They’re not able to deliver that anymore. It’s become the same old overly produced… it doesn’t offer anything. If it’s not overly produced, it’s not even thought out. The guys themselves on stage are frustrated. They’re not even in the zone, as artists, to feel free enough to allow themselves. They’re like, ‘I’ve got to do this, because if I don’t do this I won’t get enough gigs.’ It’s tricky.”

Alas. But Harland certainly breaks all that shit with this band. Creativity reigns. And his drumming is terrific, as so many band leaders know. He’s always busy playing with someone -- Charles Lloyd, Josh Redman, on and on.

“I feel like the drums was just a way in. I like to think of myself as a human being first. … My greatest love is life. I have a real love for life and spirituality. Oneness. Everything that encompasses. It doesn’t necessarily mean these things are religious or anything like that. From my perspective, it’s more about just being there. Paying attention to it. Being conscious of it. I feel like playing the drums gave me an avenue for people who wanted to listen. Most people are willing to listen, you have the opportunity to say something. I’m always grateful that I’m a drummer. It’s given me the opportunity to move forward into the things I really want to do. Which is to really reach people on different levels … I think you can go on and keep trying things. It’s so vast. There’s so many things you can do.”

He’s doing them, alright.

Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival Should Be Stellar

2011-02-14T19:51:00.004-05:00

Fest Creator George Wein returns to perform and be honored on Walk of Fame

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival has announced its lineup for 2011, a marked improvement over last year’s edition, though there was plenty of good music last year. At the two-day, two-stage event, there is always good music, even if there are acts scattered in at times that are questionable. With all due respect to the big city festivals, a music festival held outdoors is the best, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, NY, is ideal. It’s the way the Newport Jazz Festival was done from its inception.

No wonder, since George Wein, the icon who invented such outings and made the Newport event the flagship American festival, also started the Saratoga event in 1978.

[Photos © R.J. DeLuke, top: Ralph Lalama leads his band at SPAC's gazebo stage, 2010; bottom: Terence Blanchard's band plays the main stage in 2008]

When he thought he was retiring in 2007, Wein sold the Saratoga festival and his company. Regrettably, the company, which still had the Newport event, went to people who didn’t know what they were doing. They folded after financial troubles and it looked like there would be no Newport fest in 2009. George came back and brought it back to life. Both the 2009 and 2010 Newport festivals were tremendous.

As for good fortune, the Saratoga festival went to Danny Melnick, a former Wein employee, who, through his company Absolutely Live, produces the Freihofer in conjunction with SPAC. Melnick didn’t drop the ball. He’s done a damn good job, even in the face of a trouble U.S. economy.

One of the cool things about this year’s lineup is the return of Wein to Saratoga for the first time since he got out of the producing end of it. He’ll play with his Newport All-Stars, a group he does small tours with every year. He plays piano for the group that includes Howard Alden on guitar, Lew Tabackin on sax, Anat Cohen on clarinet, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Peter Washington on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. All are fine players. Wein played piano at the very first festival, sitting in with the New York Jazz Repertory company, a big band comprised of NYC veteran jazz cats. (A set by the group at last year’s Newport jazz fest was really nice).

He’s proud of the SPAC event. We spoke in 2009 about he revival of Newport, but discussion turned to Saratoga.

“That’s one we lost because I sold the company. They (SPAC) didn’t want to deal with the new company (Festival Productions). You lose things. The only thing that counts in business is to own things. Sometimes you can’t own things. You have to make deals.” he added with a chuckle, “I started a lot of things in my life. Some of them I have. Some of them I don’t.” He also spoke highly of Melnick

“That’s a beautiful sight up there. They have a constituency that focuses on what’s happening at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center … there’s a constituency that looks forward every year to the weekend before the Fourth of July. It’s like the beginning of summer up there when they do that event.” With parking, food and the spacious grounds it’s a perfect setting.

He thought back to the days in the late 1970s. “I was doing a festival in New York. My mind was restless. It’s a big job doing that. I wanted to get back to an outdoor feeling like Newport. I went up there and they said, ‘That’s great. Let’s do it.’” His wife, Joyce, said he should continue doing New York and Saratoga, “So I did both for years, with great success. It’s the best thing that ever happened, to do both of them … I wish those people good luck up there. They’re nice people. Sorry we don’t work with them any more, but that’s my fault, not theirs.”

He’ll be working there soon. At the piano bench. It’s billed as an 85th birthday celebration, and Wein will get a star on SPAC’s Walk of Fame.

The even is Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26, at SPAC. It runs from noon well into the evening. Two stages. Picnics. Arts and crafts tents. Smiling, happy people.

Other music that weekend will be from the terrific jack DeJohnette, whose band includes the fine young saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa; Eliane Elias; recent Grammy winner Dee Dee Bridgewater; The Bad Plus and a set called Sing the Truth! with Angelique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves and Lizz Wright, celebrating the legacies of Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln and Odetta. For pop fans, Michael McDonald will likely be a crowd pleaser.

There are lesser known groups at this year’s event. But the music will be superb. Groups led by Ben Allison and David Binney turned in great sets at Newport last summer. They’ll no doubt do the same up here in Saratoga. Steve Cardenas, who plays guitar with Allison, will also do trio music. He’s a splendid player. Expect good things. The guitar trio of Lionel Loueke should also be remarkable.

Hilary Kole is a singer who is getting more comfortable in the jazz idiom, handling standards with style and flair. Marcus Strickland is a fine young saxophonist who’ll no doubt be playing with some of his outstanding peers from New York City, maybe his twin brother E.J. who plays drums with Ravi Coltrane, among others. He performed at Saratoga’s gazebo stage a few years back with Lonnie Plaxico’s band.

That’s not all. The full lineup, as well as all kinds of stuff about SPAC and TICKETS is available at the FESTIVAL WEBSITE.

Get your tickets…bring your blanket, lawn chairs, picnic baskets and coolers. Ohhhhhhhhhhh yeah.

Joe Lovano Investigates Bird

2011-02-01T15:57:00.003-05:00

Joe Lovano’s musical curiosity seems endless. Creativity is his credo. No what part of the forest he chooses to investigate, he’s always looking for creativity. It’s what he learned listening to the masters growing up, and playing with many of them over the years.

Now, of course, he is one of today‘s elite jazz musicians, one who‘ll in his autumn years will be hailed as one of those masters. But that’s later. Joe is in the here and now. He’s a dominant musician on the scene right now. Dominant in that he’s seemingly everywhere. Different groups, all excellent. Playing with McCoy Tyner. The SF Jazz Collective. On other relevant albums. But also dominant because his sound and approach are honest. Can’t be denied. They’ve deservedly swashbuckled themselves to the forefront of jazz for this millennium. Done through hard work and the force of sheer musical talent and an unceasing creative drive.

[Photo © R.J. DeLuke, Joe Lovano with Us Five at Newport Jazz Festival, 2009. (Esperanza Spalding on bass)]

He’s at it again with his latest CD, “Birdsongs,” a Charlie Parker tribute carried out with his superlative quintet, Us Five. All the songs are associated, written or inspired by Bird, the genius of the 1940s bebop scene whose music will always be one of the cornerstones of jazz. Lovano is one of the most influential players of his generation, the post-Coltrane era. But unlike a lot of tenor sax players, Lovano’s own roots can be heard going way back before that. He’s done his homework. At a concert two nights ago at The Egg in Albany, Lovano’s was on fire in a quartet with guitarist John Scofield. During the evening you could hear it all. Coleman Hawkins. Sonny Rollins. Trane. Bird. But all Lovano. His sound as robust as his personality, which is rich and full and welcoming. In that respect he’s achieved the ultimate jazz goal: playing and being yourself.

The disk, his 22nd for Blue Note (who he hell does that anymore??), meets the high standards everyone expects from Lovano. Us Five really has developed together as a band.

In a January conversation with Esperanza Spalding, a rising jazz star who also happens to be the bass player for Us Five, she couldn’t contain her enthusiasm for her boss and “Birdsongs.” She was in the midst of a weeklong gig playing that music with the band at the Village Vanguard.

“He did it again. It’s totally incredible. He sounds amazing as always. He’s always getting better. That’s so encouraging. I have the rest of my life to keep working at this,” she told me with palpable awe. “I’ve played with him now for about seven years. I see him and I hear him and I see his evolution as an artist in seven years. And I think to myself, ‘I hope to be like him one day.’ He keeps growing and evolving. Every new project he does is profound and beautiful.”

She added, “If I was going to say one person that really has been a huge source inspiration, it would probably be Joe.”

Even more recently, conversation with Lovano naturally shifted to Us Five. He was happy with the Vanguard gig. “Throughout the week we focused on 15 or so different tunes. Each set was completely different and shaped different. As far as the pieces we played and the flow and orchestration of it all. I’m not treating it like one tune at a time. I’m trying to put a set together that is an orchestration of the music within the structure of the set, which adds another element to the presentation.”

He reflected on Bird. “Drawing from the compositions and tunes Charlie Parker wrote and played. It’s such an inspiration. His tunes are standards in the jazz repertoire. To try to re-work them and shape them to how we play today … it’s a really rich environment to be in.”

Lovano listened to the music growing up. His father, noted Cleveland saxman Tony “Big T” Lovano, had all the records. Siren songs for so many jazz folk. “That was the language and vocabulary that really taught me a lot about my instrument. About music. And how to play with people,” said Joe.

“I never dreamt I would put a project together and focus on his compositions. But it was something that kind of evolved for me. It was beautiful. Especially with this band (Us Five) … We’ve been playing together over the last three or four years now. We primarily, started playing most of my original tunes. The throughout those years, including Billy Strayhorn’s music and Thelonious Monk’s music and Coltrane’s music, Miles’ tunes. Now Bird. Whatever the repertoire, there’s a personality and a way of playing that we’re developing within the structures of the tunes.

“To do a total focus on just Charlie Parker tunes was really fun. Very creative.”

The group is off to Europe in March but comes back to the States in April for more touring.

I’m not going to run through the CD … this is good, that’s good. Check it out. The music is today’s jazz at its best. Re-worked according to Lovano’s intuition and brought to life by a band sensitive to that vision.

Said Lovano, “Whether you’re listening to Ben Webster or Sonny Rollins or Wayne Shorter or Joe Henderson, people that are themselves within whatever song structure they’re playing on. You live with the elements of the music, then the repertoire that you love to play, that fuels your ideas just grows and grows throughout your lifetime. Classic music that in undeniably timeless. Beautiful harmonic structures and forms and melodies … you develop in a certain way, that if you didn’t experience those things, you wouldn’t become the musician that you could be.”

Let’s leave it at that.

Grammys to Honor The Man: Roy Haynes

2011-01-08T14:36:00.004-05:00

The annual Grammy Awards are a funny thing. Sometimes one wonders from what fishbowl they pulled out names to nominate for the awards. Sometimes real deserving folks win. But so much great music never any notice. And yet everyone would like one on their mantel, it only for the cachet.

But dammit if they didn’t do something right this year, selecting the masterful drummer Roy Haynes as a recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. Formal acknowledgment comes at the 53rd Grammys shindig on Feb. 13 (broadcast on CBS starting at 8 p.m. Eastern). He will be among a group that includes Julie Andrews and Dolly Parton.

Haynes is a titan. One of the most influential and respected drummers ever. He’s still winning Drummer of the Year awards in the jazz community and his bands COOK, driven of course by his fluid, intense, polyrhythmic drumming. He’s played with all the great over time from Bird to Miles to Trane, to today’s current crop of jazz royalty. He is that royalty. His own groups, usually with musicians young enough to be grandsons, are always notable. On the cutting edge and hip as hell -- just like Roy.

[Photos © R.J. DeLuke. Top: Roy at he 2010 Newport Jazz Fest playing with Chick Corea's Freedom Band; Bottom: Roy and bass legend Ron Carter take the Newport stage in 2009]

Watching him on stage, usually sporting some funky shades, you can’t believe his age. Older jazz masters still go out and play. Their speed on a horn might be slower, their ideas still rich, they play some choruses and then bow. The rest of the band contributes their solos. We loves those masters. Roy starts driving the band from the first beat. Pushing, coloring, twisting the music. Alive and edge. From the first note through the entire set. When others solo, Roy’s still going, providing a fire to light their improvisational pilot lights.

You can’t say that the years strip away on stage. Because back stage you might mistake him for a barroom bouncer, even with his short height.

And he’s soooooo cool. Mind like a steel trap he remembers stories from back in the golden days -- the 40s with Sarah Vaughan, playing with Bird, filling in for Elvin Jones with the John Coltrane Quartet. He talks hip. Walks hip. Dresses hip as hell.

In fact he recounted to me a few years back his first encounter with Miles Davis thusly: “When we met, which would have been 1945 when I came to New York, I was into corduroy, and when I met this guy he had corduroy pants on. We were both listed in Esquire magazine. We were the youngest at the time, which would have been 1960, an article written by George Frazier called ‘The Art of Wearing Clothes.’ We were the only musicians, and the youngest. People like Fred Astaire, Walter Pigeon, all of those guys were in it.”

(Sonofabitch if he wasn’t exactly right with the date etc. )

Here are some more quotes from my encounter with Haynes, with whom I freely admit I was in awe:

“When we get on the bandstand, we all become one age—the same age. It has nothing to do with how old you are or where you’re from, it’s what you can do musically”

How does he keep going? “It’s a combination of everything. The feeling that I’m getting from the audience. First of all, the feeling of the group. We do it together as one. We inspire each other. We give it to the audience and the audience gives it back to us. It’s a back and forth thing … Every time I appear some place, it’s a different project. There’s always something new and interesting happening. We strive for that each time. We can play the same tune and take it some place else. It involves a new project at that time.”

On the drums being an extension of himself: “It feels like it, playing over 60 years. I never thought I would be still playing. I never thought I would even live this long, to be (at the time) 82, you know. Yes, definitely an extension of me. My approach to the instrument, as well. The sounds I try to get out of the drums. The whole thing … I’m still young. I’m still listening.”

Around the same time I interviewed the incredible drummer, another titan, Jack DeJohnette. The subject of Roy came up:

“Roy Haynes has always been at the top. He’s one of my mentors. I always knew where he was coming from. He’s always been inspirational. You can always hear Roy and get inspired. He’s been there with all of them, Lester (Young) to Bird (Charlie Parker), to Coltrane. He’s been there and still going strong in his 80s. He’s a wonderful inspiration. Very original, very creative and always playing with younger musicians, which keeps him inspired. He’s always fresh. He’s not old.”

Indeed. Had the pleasure of seeing Roy with Chick Corea last year and with his own band the year before. He’s kicking ass and taking names.

Well deserved honor, to say the very least. Thanks to the Grammy people for noticing.

Best of 2010

2010-12-04T12:55:00.010-05:00

It’s that time again for being pestered about Top Jazz Albums of 2010 lists. I say “pestered” because it seems like a chore that doesn’t accomplish much other than give a tip of the hat to SOME of the outstanding music of the past year. So much music comes out these days that it’s impossible to give a good judgment to it all. It’s impossible to hear it all. And fine efforts by a lot of people go unnoticed. So many deserving folks and so many get short-changed.

(Ahhhhh. Lured you in with phots of lovely ladies. Hey--magazines do it all the time. Sue me).

[PHOTOS: top, Hilary Kole. bottom, Dana Lauren. Photos courtesy of the artists]

For myself, the challenges of memory contribute to some people not making my highlight reel. Better organization through the year might solve that little issue. Yeah, right. Like I’ll keep my glasses in the same spot all the time so I know where they are. Ummmmmm hmm.

So onward to the list -- something I don’t usually do, but it seems there is pulling from more sides this year than ever. So: Tossing my proverbial hat in the ring. These are not in any order.

Wallace Roney: If Only for One Night (High Note). Wallace is always first-rate and almost always passed over by the critics. He’s not the most media friendly guy. He’s a serious artist and his recordings are always excellent. This one is live and it’s hot shit.

Will Vinson: Stockholm Syndrome (Criss Cross). This one is recently out, so probably no one considered it. But it’s fine stuff from an alto sax player of fire and conviction. Good writer too. The band has Aaron Parks on piano and the ever-tasteful, ever creative Kendrick Scott on drums. (Kendrick is working on a record with his own band that should come out in 2011. Count me as putting it on my “best” list already….In case I …er…forget).

Dave Holland: Pathways (Dare 2). Like Roney, everything Holland does is excellent. The band is crazy good, reflected accurately on the disk.

Christian Scott: Yesterday You Said Tomorrow (High Note). Hasn’t taken a bad step yet in his young career. His music springs from jazz, but with modern sensibilities reflective of his own experiences. He will grow into a musician for the ages.

Paul Motian: Lost in a Dream (ECM): Cool improvisational trip with the unique drummer heading his trio. Jason Moran on piano is one of the fine improvisational minds of his peers and every chance to hear Chris Potter on sax is a good thing. Potter has unending spirit and seemingly endless chops.

Brad Mehldau: Highway Rider (Nonesuch). Another great disk from this extraordinary pianist. Great players, including the superior sax voice of Joshua Redman. Mehldau writes great music here and its execution is superb.

Roberto Magris: Mating Call (Jmood). This is another very good record from this pianist. He always send me his stuff from his home in Italy and it is consistently stellar. Each recording, he gets it right. This one is a small group with his fine piano, cool sax from Paul Carr (the D.C.-based sax man whose own CD, “Straight Ahead Soul” this year was pretty cool!) and the steady drumming of the underrated Idris Muhammad. Roberta writes good stuff.

Rudresh Mahanthappa/Bunk Green: Apex (pi): Two fine alto saxmen going at it, Rudresh one of the great young fresh voices,; Bunky one of the fine veterans.

Jeremy Pelt, Men of Honor, (High Note). Another fine disk from this fantastic trumpet player who always has great concepts when he plays. He's sourrounded by some of the outstanding younger guys on the scene, like J.D. Allen.

Holly Hoffman/Bill Cunliffe: Three’s Company (Capri): This intimate teaming could have put this under the radar. It’s not cutting edge, in your face. It’s a classy meeting of minds. Hoffman is one of my favorite flute players. “Too Late Now” is a great example.

Rachel Z, Omar Hakim/Maeve Royce: Trio of Oz. recently kind of shoved under the rug in recent high-profile jazz mag reviews, I think this music is fuckin’ sweet. Saw the group live this summer and they kicked ass. The record is true to that form. Hakim is a motherfucker pushing the music with polyrhythms that seem effortless. Rachael’s piano is also electric and Royce is strong. Just dig song 1, “Angry Chair,” and try not to be moved. A fine piano trio recording.

VOCALS: A few of the best this year were:

Hilary Kole: You Are There (Justin Time). This growing talent is matched up here with some of the finest jazz pianists--Kenny Barron and Hank Jones among them--for a series of duets on classic songs. Sweet! A record with much nuance and beautiful at each listen.

Dana Lauren: It’s You or No One (Dana Lauren Music). This newcomer shows great promise, negotiating these standards with style and some freshness as well. Strong instrument and great feel for the music. There’s more to come from Dana, who’s finishing up at Berklee School of Music. Good band too!

Julia Dollison, Kerry Marsh: Vertical Voices: The Music of Maria Schneider. (ArtistShare). This was a tremendous undertaking: Taking the complex, thrilling, majestic work of the brilliant Maria Schneider and her orchestra and using their voices as the lead instrument over just a rhythm section (albeit Maria’s rhythm section). Could have fallen from the mere daunting nature. They pulled it off, and very, very well.

LARGE BAND:

Two outings with foreign bands stand out.
Tim Hagans: The Avatar Sessions (Fuzzy Music). Tim’s great trumpet over the great Norrbotten Big Band of which he is artistic director. The music is all his too. Great stuff.

John Scofield: 54 (Universal Music Group). A bit unusual to have a guitarist as the solo voice over a huge big band, but Scofield is a wizard, putting his signature sound over the fine Metropole Orkest, with arrangements by the wonderful Vince Mendozza. Scofield can play anything. Rock, funk, blues, bebop … It all sounds great here.

HISTORICAL: This category used to be “reissues.” But a lot of the old stuff that comes out in new packages wasn’t released before. Anyway:'

Miles Davis: Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Collection (Sony Legacy). The package that has all things Bitches Brew, everything you wanted to have about that seminal 1970 rock album but were afraid to ask for. The improvisational rock music is still unique and lasting. And there’s a brewery that made a special beer just for the anniversary. You fuckin’ kiddin me? If they named a beer after me I would never stop talking about it. [photo: the author with the Miles elixcir]

Stan Getz, Kenny Barron: People Time, The Complete Recordings. The original two-disk release of duets from these two masters was such a great pleasure. Is this anything but more? Suppose not. But it brings this music back in front of people. And more from these two would always be welcome. Beauty and class rolled into one. Just when you thought it had gone out of style.

Ray Charles. Genius = Soul = Jazz (Concord). The great one’s jazz inclinations rolled into a package. Ray could swing like hell and sing place his unique vocals in there to give them vibrancy and vitality. He admired jazz. Vice versa.

Wow. That wasn’t so painful. Maybe I’ll do it again next year. Then again, maybe I wake up tomorrow and think 12 different albums should be here ... If I can remember.

Wein’s Perseverance Will Keep Newport Fest Strong

2010-11-24T12:46:00.006-05:00

Newport Jazz Fest Seeks Sponsorship

Somewhat sad news of late that CareFusion, a health care outfit that works to improve hospital patient safety and care, has pulled its sponsorship from George Wein’s Newport Jazz Festival after just two years. The group also helped fund the return of Wein’s jazz festival in New York City last June.

The company stepped in at a time when Wein was breathing life back into the oldest, most famous, jazz festival that he created in 1954. The company he sold the festival to a few years ago had failed miserably, and rather than see the event die, the octogenarian jumped back into the fray. He did this in 2009 without the knowledge that CareFusion would help. That partnership, which Wein admitted “came out of nowhere,” at the time, was a big. Both the 2009 and 2010 festivals were outstanding events. Great artists, great music. One would expect the same as Wein’s company, New Festival Productions, moves forward booking acts for the 2011 edition of the festival, Aug. 5-7.

[PHOTOS: Top to bottom: The fest; Kendrick Scott playing with singer Gretchen Parlato; George Wein shares a tender moment with Anat Cohen, mid-set; Herbie Hancock in the midst of the dreamy Newport setting; Sign in the downtown Newport--yes, they'll take you there!]

He’s currently soliciting a new title sponsor.

“CareFusion came forward at a very crucial time when my company was facing decisions about the future of this historic event. They understood the worldwide appeal of jazz and tapped into its magic to launch their brand, and we're pleased that jazz helped to make the company a household name," Wein said in a press release. The company also acknowledged its debt to Wein for helping establish its brand.

While it’s sad to see the break, fear not that Wein and staff has their collective noses to the grindstone. Going back to the earliest years of the Newport fest, perseverance has been one of Wein’s best qualities. One might say he’s embodied that. In 1971 he had to leave Newport after over exuberant young audiences--attending after Wein begrudgingly booked some rock music acts-- broke through fencing and engaged in raucous, even equipment-damaging, behavior. Undaunted, he established the festival in New York City, a huge event ever since. He even branched into Saratoga Springs, NY, (stating in 1978) there the festival thrives. (Thankfully, when Wein divested his interests a few years ago, the Saratoga event went to Danny Melnick, a former Wein employee and a capable young producer who’s proven to be a good keeper of the flame).

[PHOTOS: Top to bottom: The fest; Kendrick Scott playing with singer Gretchen Parlato; George Wein shares a tender moment with Anat Cohen, mid-set; Herbie Hancock in the midst of the dreamy Newport setting; Sign in the downtown Newport--yes, they'll take you there!]

Who knows what group will step for ward for sponsorship, but bet on Wein to come through and prevail, one way or another.

“It gave me a new start in life,” he told me prior to his triumphant 2009 festival.

He also explained “Doing a festival is work. It's not easy. It's not calling an agent up and getting some talent and putting a stage up in a field. That's only the surface part of doing a festival. There has to be a meaning, a mission, a dedication, a concept of promotion. It's 24-7."

Recently turned 85, his dedication is unwavering. He even turned in a fine set of music last August, playing piano with an all-star group of players that included Randy Brecker, Anat Cohen and Harry Allen. They played old standards and mainstream stuff which is where Wein comes from. He admits he’s not a great pianist, but he gets the job done with flair.

When it comes to booking, Wein lamented to me years ago that the music seemed to be sliding. Icons like Miles and others were gone.

But in 2009 he spoke of going out more too see young artists in New York city. And the Big apple has MANY, even if they are not marquee names, or “box office,” as Wein noted. He’s fallen hard, for example, for the likes of Cohen and Esperanza Spalding, among others.

“People now are playing the music and they're very good. But they're not the creators. They're not the originators … I think you have to have faith in the music. That's the dedication and new direction I'm going in. I have to make the public realize that when I do groups like Esperanza Spalding, Miguel Zenon, Michel Camilo, Vijay Iyer, the Bad Plus, Rudresh Mahanthappa. All these people are outstanding. William Parker with his Vision group. Joe Lovano .. so much good music out there. It's a matter of not just thinking about the big names. If jazz doesn't sell itself when it's great, it has to overcome those problems. I think we can do it. That's why I think it's a great festival.”

Sure is. The breadth of music and consistent excellence was truly remarkable.

Bet on future editions to maintain that important presence on the jazz scene. Bet on George.

Sailing Away … to Lake George (Roseanna Vitro, Mark Soskin, Christian Scott)

2010-09-24T15:47:00.017-04:00

Blogging again. (apologies for the gap in submissions. Hectic summer with other things to deal with. Nuff said.) The festival season in the Northeast has wound down, but came to a nice end in Lake George, NY, with the village’s annual Jazz Weekend.

It featured outstanding musicians like David Amran, Buster Williams--who carried Mulgrew Miller, Cindy Blackman and Stefon Harris in his band--and newcomer Sharel Cassity.

But one of the most interesting bookings was the Randy Newman Project, featuring the vocals of Roseanna Vitro and the arrangements of pianist Mark Soskin.

Newman, of course, is a folk-pop guy (He’s contributed music for films as well) who arose 30some years ago with albums like Sail Away a classic. He’s written tunes that other folks have made popular, like “Momma Told Me Not to Come” and “You Can Leave Your Hat On.” “Short People” (Have No Reason to Live) may be--but shouldn’t be--his most well known because it got a lot of airplay. It also got some idiotic flak from people who thought he was criticizing short people from that group of Americans that continually illustrates that they have waaaaaay too much free time.

[Photos, by me: TOP: Mark Soskin and Roseanna Vitro; BOTTOM: Christian Scott and Christian Scott band]

Anyway -- Vitro, a strong singer with a rich voice and a veteran’s jazz savvy, applied her vocal charm to songs like “Sail Away,” with Soskin playing the familiar piano intro. The song loses none of its beauty, and in fact is brought out beautifully by the singer and Soskin’s superb accompaniment. The violin statement seemed to bring out its emotional quality even more.

“I re-worked a lot of that, definitely,” Soskin told me a couple months back. “In terms of feel and harmony. That’s really a challenge, because a bunch of those songs are so simple. And a lot of the lyrics are talking; they’re more spoken. So, it’s tricky. But that’s a challenge I also like.” It held up real well. A fine set of music.

“In Germany Before the War” and “Baltimore” were lifted from Newman’s Little Criminals, and “last Night I had a Dream” came from Sail Away. Among others, yes, they did the song that Three Dog Night made a hit (“Momma Told Me …). Each selection brought new life to Newman’s ideas. There were unique twists to each and all were quite welcome. As for Soskin’s playing, he was at his usual bent: superb. Soskin is one of hose undervalued pianists who always comes through.

Under valued by the populace that is. Sonny Rollins hired him for about a decade, so someone knew the value. He even brought Soskin out to Seattle for a gig earlier this year. (“It was great,” Soskin said. “I didn’t really see him until we were up on the stage during sound checks. The sound checks are usually us just playing. We almost played up to the performance. The feeling was really great. I said to him at one point, ‘It’s been a while.’ He said, ‘Mark, don’t think like that. It seems like it was just yesterday.’ That was very cool. We have a long past, as you know.”)

Soskin and Vitro were the heroes of those interpretations. As an encore, they tossed in “Blue Monk” from the straight-ahead jazz world and burned like hell over the Thelonious Monk blues theme. Soskin especially. Roseanne sang lyrics by Abbey Lincoln and did it with the perfect sense of time--critical in Monk tunes--and feeling as well. It was the real shit.

This music has already been recorded, Soskin says, but with Sarah Caswell on drums and some guitar work by the exceptional Steve Cardenas. Expect to see it some time next year. In the meantime, there aren’t many gigs featuring the material--something that should change once the CD comes out. Soskin himself was headed out to Helsinki the morning after the Lake George show.

The festival doesn’t usually have an evening sessin, but it did this year with the Christian Scott band. The young trumpeter continues to get better, not only as a dynamic player, but as a super bandleader and composer.

Scott writes about today’s issues and some of them not so nice,. Some are foreboding and take on angry tones at times. After all, it‘s good art that moves people. All the music is injected with modern sounds. Don’t expect to hear ching-a-ching ride cymbals over bebop beats. There are modern, hip-hop influences and other --I’d rather say “today” sounds rather than rock, because so much rock is based on what is now old and moldy ideas--influences. Drummer Jamie Williams is all over the drum kit, crashing, slamming, polyrhythmic. Scott blares out bold and brazen ideas. Majestic, but leaving spaces that let the rhythm build tension before his next exclamation. In that sense, he’s like Miles. An avowed Miles guy, Scott doesn’t let influence lead to imitation.

This is strong, music, not for the mellow. Each of the albums in his early career is impressive. He grabbed stuff from Rewind That, Anthem and Yesterday, You Said Tomorrow. “Klu Klux Klan Police,” based on a racist run-in Scott had with New Orleans policemen in the--sadly--not distant past, was volatile, yet striking and earthy. “Katrina’s Eyes” was a softer song, allowing Scott’s full, powerful sound to show its lyrical side.

The band is first rate, with monster bassist Kris Funn, Williams and guitarist Matt Stevens, whose angular and fluid sounds run perfectly in sync with Scott’s ideas. (He’s been in the band for eight years). Usually he has a pianist, but when the group came north from New York City, Scott brought saxophonist Louis Fouche (pronounced Fu-shay) instead. Lucky for those in Lake George. Fouche, a longtime colleague of Scott, played torrent of alto sax. His fertile ideas and high energy were incredible. He made it seem easy, as if he could have keep going and going and still had good things to say. Think Kenny Garrett. Yikes.

They also through jazz fans a bone with Herbie Hancock’s “Eye of the Hurricane” and blew it away. Stevens bebop licks were super and the horns showed these youngsters can create lines with authority over any style of jazz. Williams turned into Max Roach for a bit and burned. Those young motherfuckers can play!!

Herbie Hancock’s 2010 World Tour: Social Music for a New Era

2010-07-30T07:57:00.004-04:00

Herbie Hancock’s got something to say about the chaos in the world and he’s saying it with music. He calls it The Imagine Project, which is the title to his latest recording released in June on his own Hancock Records label. It’s also the theme for his world tour that’s returning to the U.S in August.

Speaking in early July from a hotel in Spain overlooking the Mediterranean Sea -- ahhhhh. The Life -- Hancock says the tour is going well. The album “The Imagine Project” is an all-vocal offering that uses musicians from all over the worlds. It was recorded in many parts of the world. And the songs come from different corners of the world, but they have a common thread of global unity. And some of the songs are very familiar to people: Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin,’” Lennon’s “Imagine,” “Tomorrow Never Knows,” “A Change is Gonna Come” and more.

[Photo: Taken by me, Herbie Hancock at the Newport Jazz Festival, 2008]

He’s joined by joined by Seal, Pink, Jeff Beck, Ceu Vagarosa, Dave Matthews, Lisa Hannigan, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Chaka Khan, The Chieftains, Marcus Miller, Wayne Shorter, and more.

To pull it off on tour, without the availability of those folks, he’s carrying Vinny Colaiuta on drums and Lionel Loueke on guitar. Those guys have toured with Herbie for a while. A second keyboard player, Greg Phillinganes, sings some songs. So does young, unheralded singer Kristina Train.

The bass player, who also sings some selections, may be someone to play attention to.

“Tal Wilkenfeld … She’s plays electric. She’s 24, but she looks like she’s 12. She plays like she’s 60,” said Hancock. “I mean in the sense that she plays like a really experienced, knowledgeable bass player. Amazing technique and command of the instrument that just astounds me.”

If Herbie is astounded … well … Listeners should prepare to be astounded.

The album is slick, with good arrangements of the songs. The international flavor is very hip. And appropriate. No long Herbie solos, but his piano touch is heard and felt. Quality stuff. “Space Captain,” who people know from Joe Cocker on his “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” record, is super, with blues woman Tedeschi getting to the emotional core. Her husband, Derek Trucks, a fabulous slide rock/blues guitarist who is a jazz fan with strong improvisational skills, follow’s a gorgeous Hancock solo with a superb solo of his own, giving the guitar a vocal quality that displays his emotional take on the vehicle.

For the listener, Herbie hopes the music “will trigger something in their hearts that really wants to move forward and wants to be reminded about the importance of moving forward and wants to be stimulated to be proactively involved in creating the kind of forward motion that we want, globally. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Reminded that when jazz went electric in the latter 1970s, spear-headed by his former boss Miles Davis and fostered by Miles alumni Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul and Hancock himself, Miles called his music “social music,” Herbie said “it was. This is also social music in a different forum. Music can be purely entertainment and that’s fine. It can also be entertainment with a message, which is what this is. It’s a message about the future. It’s more like a call to arms. Let’s rise up against our negative self. Against our passive self and start proactively leading the kind of globalized world we want to live in and want our children’s children to live in.”

Hancock also is quick to note that he is politically astute and his music can be aimed to express that. He also has no problem giving his opinion on the state of affairs. An avowed fan of President Obama, he sees promise in a leader who is trying to men the many problems in the nation. But the problems are global and should be cured with a global vision.

He and I concur with the ruination and corruption that eight years of George Asshole Bush (my moniker, not Herbie’s) wreaked upon America. (“Who in the hell would want to be president of the United States, especially now? It’s the worst job in the world,” he noted.)

“But it’s only been a year and a half and Obama’s done amazing stuff. The health care. Now the overhaul of the Federal Reserve. He’s delved into some things that none of us even knew about like the commission that was designed to monitor all sorts of drilling and how corrupt that thing was. You’re looking at a whole stream of things that are wrong and that need to be addressed. And he has to do it at the hardest of times, an election year. When none of those guys (in Congress) will do anything to jeopardize their getting re-elected.”

He’s particularly critical of the abomination that is Arizona’s immigration law. While it is widely ridiculed, there are supporters outside Arizona, and a few other states are supporting it.

“What’s wrong with these people? They’ve been lied to and they believe the lies. That’s one thing the Republicans are really goods at. Lying. … They have kept a hold on the American people by keeping them dumb and stupid and not educating them with the truth. They are masters at that,” said the pianist.

“There’s a lot of work we need to do. I’m trying to do my part.”

Despite the uphill battle the Obama administration, Hancock is optimistic. “I bet that before his four years are up, the tide is going to change enough so that people will see the positive beginning of what he’s accomplished. Enough to be re-elected. That’s what I’m hoping for. Then, America still has a possibility of living up to what the real mission of America is. If we don’t re-elect Obama, we will fail the reason for America existing in the first place. I don’t want that to happen. And it has to do with the message that’s on The Imagine Project.”

Enough of the political conversation, which stopped when he commented “OK. I’m preaching to the choir.”

The jazz legend, at age 70, continues to be vital and vibrant. It will be interesting -- hell, it always has been -- to see what twists and turns his creative output takes as he strolls into his 70s. Though the legend’s age is no factor. He remains a pure artist, bright, imaginative, curious, alert, enlightened. He’s a walking American legend. An American treasure.

No, a global treasure.

And just in case there are some who question whether Hancock has gone jazz soft, and don’t know if they’re ready to face an all-vocal Herbie outing, go see the concert when it’s in your area (For NY Capital District folks, it’s Aug. 9 at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass). The live versions are sure to have a different magic than recorded versions. And: “I also play ‘Chameleon,’ ‘Cantaloupe Island’ ‘Speak Like a Child,’ ‘Round Midnight,’ ‘Maiden Voyage.’”

Ohhhhhhhhh yeah.

Remembering Sal Maida, Sam Farkas

2010-07-16T16:35:00.008-04:00

With a busy June and early July, this log edition was delayed. But by no means should it be ignored or dropped by the wayside.

Two Capital District jazz musicians died within days of one another in June and both were significant to this region of New York State and to me.

Pianist Salvatore Maida, 77, of Gloversville, NY, was a longtime jazz pianist in the area. Extremely talented, he played with some heavy hitters and could probably have made a nice career in New York City (he attended Julliard for a time and was a graduate of the Crane School of Music, which is part of the State University of New York at Potsdam), the center of the jazz world. He was actually born there. But he remained in Gloversville NY, which had become his home where his family settled. It’s the same city a where I lived for 20 years or so. Strangely, I didn’t know Sal then. But I had seen him perform around the region with the best of jazz cats that included the brilliant saxophonist Nick Brignola and great guitarist Jack Fragomeni, among many others. He had a great style and always played with intelligence and exuberance. Always good shit coming from his mind and through his fingertips.

I was introduced to Sal in a small, short-lived club in Gloversville, after I had moved away. He was there as a fan, as was I, to see a band led by the excellent saxophonist Brian Patneaude. I humbly state that it was Sal who requested to be introduced to me when he found out I was in the room. He knew my writing, apparently. I was a certainly eager to do so, feeling in the presence of an extraordinary talent. It was a warm meeting. Brief. But started a kinship where I would see him often when he played in Saratoga Springs where I have resided for about a decade.

He played various venues in the Saratoga area and, in fact, had played a jazz club/restaurant -- One Caroline -- a bunch of times earlier this year. We would have chats of varying lengths in between sets at some of these appearances and it was always warm. He was a warm guy. A gentleman. And very sharp. And very humble about his own talent.

The last time we spoke at length was when he completed a gig at a pretentious Saratoga Springs establishment where not many people seemed to be listening; no doubt too impressed with the sounds of their own voices and the mindless blather that no doubt emanated therein. Ironic, in a sense, since Sal was the opposite of pretentious. As always, it was warm, filled with good humor.

Another noted area pianist, Steve Pellegrino, and myself have toasted Sal since his death. Steve -- also from Gloversville -- knew Sal way longer and better than myself. He says he learned lots from Mr. Maida. Steve was touched, like many, by his passing. Steve was in awe of Sal's playing. And Steve can play. That's cool.

I just thought he was worthy of note. Salute, Sal. Cent' anni.

(Pronounced: Chin Dahn, for uninitiated non-Italians. It means literally 100 years, but as a salute it means 100 years of health and happiness. 100 good years. Things to that affect. Sal lives on, so it's appropriate).

Jazz guitarist Sam Farkas also died in June. He played guitar in the area over many years. But in fact, I never saw him perform.

Where Farkas comes into my life was educating me on jazz and its creators. I was a kid in high school and later in college when I used to listen to him on radio station WRPI out of Troy, NY, which is attached to the renowned engineering school of the same name -- RPI. I was totally enthralled with jazz music at that time and ate up anything and everything I could. I spent time in the Schenectady Library taking out albums by all kinds of people. Listening to artists and taking note of who the sidemen were. Then going to listen to work by those sidemen. (This is common among jazz fans).

Then I would go out and buy records. I read jazz histories and collected writings by people like Leonard Feather, Nat Hentoff and Ralph J. Gleason.

But Farkas was also a key. He started at 11 on a Saturday night and would go into the wee hours playing Miles, Sonny Rollins, Coltrane, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz… on and on and on. He played the greats and people lesser known, but wonderfully talented. I would listen to him while driving around if I was out and about. I’d tune him in if I was at home, often falling asleep in the wee hours to those sweet sounds. That was akin to the library, since, after hearing many selections, I would go out and buy the album, or other music by those artists.

I remember sitting in my car (actually, my parents') with my girlfriend in a parking lot outside a nightclub, refusing to go inside until the song was over so I could hear Sam announce who was playing. The music was kick-ass. She was annoyed, but I was undaunted. The album turned out to be “Ten Years Hence,” by Yusef Lateef. His booming tenor sax was complimented by crazy-good piano wailing by the great Kenny Baron -- my first exposure to both those great talents. Tootie Heath on drums and Bob Cranshaw on bass. The cut was “Yusef’s Mood” which, some may be familiar, occupies one entire side of the two-album vinyl set. Over 20 minutes long. We must have sat there for 15 or more of it. (No matter. Got laid anyway). It's still one of my favorite albums.

His radio show was an immense pleasure for me, but a highly educational tool and one that helped quench my thirst for knowledge that extended beyond just enjoying the music. It was the beginning of a road that has led to me becoming an established jazz writer. Still listening. Still learning. Still enjoying.

Sam did some radio in more recent years on a couple commercial stations, but those stints were always cut short -- just when I'd think good taste was coming back. Too bad.

More Capital District:

I could list many jazz events for this region. But really the best thing to do is continually check the calendar section of Albany jazz.com.

However one noteworthy appearance is that of Ralph Lalama at the Bread and Jam Café in Cohoes, NY, on July 23 and 24. He turned in a sterling set of music at Freihofer’s Jazz Festival in Saratoga last month with his quartet. Fine NYC-based player. Real nice guy. He’ll be playing in trio format with Lou Smaldone and Joe Barna.

Check him out!

Freihofer Jazz Fest Continues Fine Tradition

2010-07-07T13:07:00.016-04:00

This year’s Freihofer’s Jazz Festival, held at the end of June, was again one of the highlights of summer, musically and otherwise, in upstate New York. Held in the sweet town of Saratoga Springs in upstate NY and at the scenic and special Saratoga Performing Arts Center venue, it’s always a gas. Always there’s music from some of the master’s, as well as surprises from the aspiring masters, and always surprises from up-and-coming artists.

It’s also a fabulous picnic and place where old and new friends meet with a backdrop of a variety of jazz, soul, blues and sometimes pop music. Being a jazz festival, of course that genre prevails. Some years -- blissfully -- it has supremely dominated. Others, sadly, not.

The 2010 version could have stood a couple of big-name starts -- Chick, Herbie, Dave Holland, Lovano … someone. Attendance seemed down, unfortunately. But the “feature acts” were Gladys Knight -- I could scarcely find a single soul who was interested -- and a “smooth jazz” act that could make me sleep just reading the name. I won’t write it for fear of the same. More jazz fans would have come in for more jazz. Granted, there are financial considerations in these times, and Chick or Sonny etc. do not come at a discount price. And yes, producer Danny Melnick did bring in some very fine music that resulted in another good 2-day festival. I’ll gripe no further. Melnick has carried the torch well since it was handed to him by George Wein and he's to be lauded for that.

[My photos, top to bottom:
Kendrick Scott; Omar Hakim; Rachel Z (piano) & Maeve Royce; Ahmad Jamal; dapper Mr. Mario Abney; Ralph Lalama (sax) quartet; Hailey Niswanger; Mario Abney playing; Kendrick Scott (center) with Mike Moreno, guitar, and John Ellis, bass clarinet; Revelers - you know who you are!]

Special to me was Kendrick Scott’s Oracle band, a group of outstanding individuals who carry out Scott’s vision and broad musical perspective. The quality of music was very high, the vibe blissful. There’s enough there for the head and the heart. And sitting under sunny skies sipping a beer and going with the music was a sheer delight. Scott’s drums have been featured in the bands of Terrence Blanchard and Herbie Hancock. This was his first gig outside NYC and he was excited about it.

“I’ve been using John Ellis (sax) for years now,” he said a few days before the gig. “We have a good linkup because we all played together in (guitarist) Mike Moreno’s band. Mike is always one of the center pieces of the band (Oracle). Now so is John. The three of use have played together in each other’s bands for a long time. Taylor Eigsti (piano) just started playing last year. Taylor’s excellent. So I’ve been having a great time playing with him. He’s been using me on some of his gigs. It’s funny being a drummer/bandleader, because I’ve called all the people I love (for his group), then I play in their band. It’s a blessing for me to be able to have bandleaders play with me. Taylor has a beautiful sensibility and touch on the piano. Harish (Ragavan, bass) I met through Taylor or through the whole influx of the west coast coming into the city. Like Ambrose Akinmusire, Justin Brown and Taylor, Joe Sanders. All of them were out in LA on the west coast, and they all came (to NYC) at the same time. They kind of blew up the scene at the same time. I met Harish then. That’s the whole band.”

he said he hopes his band is something that is long-lasting, like Art Blakey's. Time will tell. The quality of his music and his ability to run a band is unquestioned. But there are always other factors in oplay, and some degree of good fortune is always helpful. I hope things go well for Kendrick in this regard because he's a true artist. And a good guy. High quality music, indeed.

They were excellent.

As was Ralph Lalama’s quartet, bluesman Taj Mahal, saxophonist J.D. Allen, Trio of Oz with Rachel Z on piano and drum wizard Omar Hakim;, and veteran Ahmad Jamal. The Young Talent Raising Eyebrows awards went to 19-year-old saxophonist Hailey Niswanger, still a student at Berklee College in Boston, and young trumpeter Mario Abney who brought a high-energy sextet that brought a strong vibe of fun while not playing down to the audience. Kaliq Woods on clarinet was a highlight within that group. Great chops and feeling.

J.D. Allen‘s trio was a great listen, especially the Trane-like “The Cross and the Crescent Sickle” with the saxman playing long, serpentine ideas over a steady rhythmic pulse.

An official review is found here, at the great All About Jazz website.

But Trio of Oz is worth mentioning as a group that brought as much intensity and electricity as any, propelled by the whirlwind drumming of Hakim. His arms and hands seemed to be everywhere, but as frantic as the pace was, everything he did was musical with his bandmates Rachel Z and bassist Maeve Royce. They turned rock songs into jazz heaven. Powerful stuff.

Most of the fans at this event seem to mark their calendars every year in anticipation. Many, I’m sure, already have plans and weekend accommodations for 2011. Get yourself in that mode. It’s a high-quality hang and enough music to float your boat for a long time.

Freihofer Jazz Fest in Saratoga Springs is HERE

2010-06-23T10:14:00.005-04:00

The annual event -- two days of jazz bliss -- was started in 1978 by legendary impresario George Wein. The greatest names in jazz have performed at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center over the years, and many who are “stars” now appeared here as up-and-coming talent.

It's this Saturday and Sunday (June 26-27), starting at noon each day.

Miles, Sonny, Ella, Basie, Dexter, Getz, Dizzy, Sarah, Carmen, Weather Report, Herbie, Chick ... on and on and on -- have graced the stage. Stages, really, as the event has one main amphitheater stage and a small gazebo stage, both hosting superb bands.

[Photo, by me, is Terrence Blanchard's band in 2008]

It has been called Newport Jazz Festival - Saratoga, Kool Jazz Festival and JVC, but for years now, the Freihofer Baking Co. has been the main sponsor. Bless them!! And while George Wein sold the event a few years back, it went to the capable hands of Danny Melnick of Absolutely Live Entertainment, who has been a fine caretaker for the last few years.

Don't let rain disuade you. bring stuff for passing showers if they even come. Usually, they don't. And bring a cooler with all your needs (no glass containers) even beer or other adult pleasures.

This year’s event doesn’t have huge “big name” hooks, other than the stellar pianist Ahmad Jamal. But there is talent a plenty. I’m particularly looking forward to Kendrick Scott’s Oracle band, saxophonist JD Allen, Jamal, Al DiMeola, bluesman Taj Mahal and trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, as well as a first look at young trumpeter Mario Abney. There’s more .. The lineup is below, but those starting times are sometimes subject to change during the daytime hours.

Saturday – June 26th
Main Stage
* Noon – Mario Abney Quintet
* 1:20pm – Evan Christopher New Orleans Clarinet Virtuoso
* 2:40pm – Legendary blues musician Taj Mahal
* 4:10pm – Pianist Ahmad Jamal
* 5:35pm – Al DiMeola’s World Sinfonia Group
* 7:10pm – Festival favorites Al Jarreau & The George Duke Trio
* 9:00pm – Sax For Stax featuring Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum
Gazebo Stage
* 12:15pm – JD Allen Trio
* 1:35pm – Tomasz Stanko Quartet Polish Jazz Legend
* 2:55pm – Alyssa Graham
* 4:20pm – Steve Kroon Sextet
* 5:40pm – Mario Abney Quintet

Sunday – June 27th
Main Stage
* Noon – Trio of OZ featuring pianist Rachel Z and Omar Hakim
* 1:20pm – Vibraphonist Stefon Harris with Blackout
* 2:40pm – Ann Hampton Callaway
* 4:10pm – The Ramsey Lewis Trio
* 5:50pm – Juan De Marcos & the Afro Cuban All Stars
* 7:40pm – Gladys Knight “The Empress of Soul”
Gazebo Stage
* 12:15pm – Hailey Niswanger Berklee College of Music alto sax phenom
* 1:35pm – Kendrick Scott Oracle
* 2:55pm – Linda Oh Trio
* 4:15pm – Trio of OZ featuring pianist Rachel Z and Omar Hakim
* 5:35pm – Ralph Lalama Quartet

Indoor amphitheater seats may be scare at this juncture, but single-day tickets are:
* Saturday Amphitheater: Adult $65, Child (12 & under) $55
* Sunday Amphitheater: Adult $58, Child (12 & under) $51
* Lawn: Adult $44, Child (12 & under) $5

Jazz Journalists Association Presents Awards

2010-06-16T11:45:00.007-04:00

The Jazz Journalists Association presented its annual awards Monday (6/14) in New York City and recognized the contributions of a number of wonderful musicians, journalists and other friends of jazz. The awards were streamed live over the Internet and there were satellite parties in cities across the country, so hopefully there was more exposure than ever before. (A video of the event is viewable at the JJA site … click the above link and scroll down a bit).

Awards are always kind of tricky. Who’s to say who is ‘the best” this and the “best that,” and yet awards for movies, TV, plays, music, etc. etc. have been around forever. Art is so subjective that it sometimes seems silly to try and sort these things out. In jazz especially, each artist is trying to bring truth and beauty to the surface in their own way. The results are broad in taste, but all valid when they are done with honesty and integrity. The tapestry of jazz around the world is so much more than any awards format could ever address.

[PHOTOS: Top: Dr. Lonnie Smith accepts award for best organist; Anat Cohen takes top clarinetist award; Bottom: Tia Fuller addresses the crowd; Kurt Elling thanks the group.]

I attended the JAA dinner on behalf of the All About Jazz website and was honored to accept the award for Website of the Year. All About Jazz is, hands down, the best site on the web. It provides so much information, so many features, so many things, for fans but also musicians and people in the industry. Special salute to publisher/found Mike Ricci. And as I mentioned on stage, I also personally salute John Kelman, a tireless editor and organizer of material for AAJ. And a damn fine writer who knows his shit inside and out. They are the nuts and bolts of AAJ, to me. And they’re both a pleasure as people.

As much as there were great musicians who won awards, there were far many more great one that got no acknowledgement. Such is the way with awards. But sticking to the results, it was a great pleasure to see Roberta Gambarini win Female Vocalist of the Year. Her reputation has been growing, but formal awards have eluded her. Her albums have been Grammy worthy -- It’s coming one day. Her range and vocal instrument, with her depth of feeling, make her a sublime listen every time. Nice to see her earn the trophy. Kurt Elling’s presence at the top of the male vocalist list should be a given. He is tops in talent and he is always seeking creative ways to utilize his superb skills.

Roberta let it be known on facebook that she wanted to attend the event, but was struggling with the effects of food poisoning. She said she would have dedicated the award to one of her great friends and mentors, the late, great Hank Jones. Ironically, another of her great friends and mentors, James Moody, won the Lifetime Achievement Award. Moody couldn't make it due to recent surgery, but people reported that he's doing well and will be back on the scene. Congrats to Moody!

Joe Lovano has become one of the finest saxophonists of his generation, always creative, always passionate. He plays with heart. All the time. So his hat trick of saxophonist, small group and record of the year was deserved. Maria Schneider, one of the nicest people in jazz, is also one of its master composer/arrangers. Nice to see her take home two awards. Anat Cohen as clarinet player of the year was another noteworthy one. She has fast established herself as a great player on the instrument with bright, fresh ideas. But don’t go to sleep on her tenor sax playing. She an bring it! A great young player. (I never did find the food either, Anat…oh well).

Great to see George Wein going strong at almost 85. I’m particularly pleased to see him get Events Producer of the Year over younger, talented, producers of important events. The reason he should still be awarded after all these years is the way he breathed life back into the Newport Jazz Festival, now sponsored by CareFusion. The citadel of jazz festivals fell after he left the guardhouse, but he brought it back to great heights last year. And he’s revived his New York City festival too, which is great. His energy is boundless… and he’s still playing piano gigs with bands he puts together!

Too many winners to comment on. But the nicest thing for me is to see all these people in the room, talking, laughing, hugging. The musicians are on tour a lot, of course, so “hang” time as a group is rare. So is rubbing elbows with so many writers. Great to see all the industry people and so many excellent writers for whom jazz music is a passion. There’s always a fine spirit in the room. One of community and passion and joy. That’s the best part.

Some exceptional music was performed too, by pianist Ayako Shirasaki, guitarist Rale Micic's Trio, pianist Marc Cary's Focus Trio, saxophonist Tia Fuller's Quartet and Bobby Sanabria's Big Band. Fuller’s alto sax was scorching. Cary’s too brief appearance was intense, the group hard-driving and the pianist nimble and hot. Micic is someone to keep an eye on and Sanabria’s Latin group moved the feet and heart. Sweet stuff. Shirasaki played while people came in and greeted one another; a tough gig, but she played with great touch and swing. Nice stuff.

One bone to pick: There’s got to be a way musicians can come up for their awards and not be dragged off stage because of time restraints. They should have a few moments to make their comments and get some of the love.

Other than that, I’ve got to find a way to get Brother Thelonious beer in upstate New York!

A Bass Player to Watch

2010-06-01T15:17:00.003-04:00

When young Ben Williams stepped on to the stage at the Kennedy Center in his native Washington, D.C., to participate in the Thelonious Monk Institute Bass Competition, he was nervous. There must be a certain amount of nerves connected with any “competition” but the jury for this particular prestigious event consisted of arguably the best bass players out there. By “out there,” I mean the planet Earth.

“I purposely made sure I didn’t look into the audience to see where they were sitting,” Williams said in a recent conversation. A man with an easy sense of humor, he chuckled at the recollection, “It was bad enough that I knew they were there. I didn’t want to look in the crowd look in the crowd and see them in the front. Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Christian McBride, John Patitucci just sitting there looking at me. I didn’t want to see that.”

Williams won the competition, its $20,000 scholarship, and a chance to record for Concord Records, which he will do on June 16-17. He expects his debut recording will be out early next year.

“They were all really cool,” Williams said of the judges that day. “Very supportive. It was nerve racking, but at the same time I feel like they were there to support me and all the contestants.”

Lots of people in the jazz world were already aware of Ben from gigs he did during his college years, which ended recently in New York City, where the 25-year-old has lived for a couple of years. He did gigs around his home town -- mostly R&B -- and then got into jazz in junior high and high school, the latter of which was Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He developed a strong jazz repertoire there. A teacher gave him a copy of Kind of Blue, the iconic Miles Davis album.

“I still remember how I felt the first time I listened to it. The first track, ‘So What.’ ‘Freddie Freeloader’ after that. I couldn’t even get past the first two songs. There was this overwhelming feeling of, like, shock and amazement. It’s like tasting chocolate cake for the first time, or something that you really love,” he said. “That first time. When you hear it, it feels like you’re going through this metamorphosis. You’re deep in this feeling that you’ve never felt before. I was very curious too. I knew at that point I wanted to do what I heard these guys doing. I want to be a part of that. I guess that’s when the jazz bug bit me.”

He played jazz gigs while at Michigan State University, under tutelage of Rodney Whitaker. From there he went to the Julliard School in New York City for his master’s degree, which he received last month. Living in the city, he getting to play with jazz notables, and went to work for the likes of Stefon Harris and Jacky Terrasson, touring and recording.

On May 22, he did his first road gig as a leader, bringing a quintet to Saratoga Springs, NY, under the auspices of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, which runs the annual Freihofer’s Jazz Festival at the end of June.

On stage, Williams had an easy presence, joking with the audience between songs. At the helm of the band, he was steady. The group was composed of some of the best young players on the Big Apple scene -- Otis Brown II on drums, Aaron Goldberg on piano, Marcus Strickland on tenor and soprano saxes, Matt Stevens on guitar. In the beginning, the group sounded like they hadn’t played together that much. Outstanding individually, the group sound needed some more cohesion. That element picked up as the night when on and if the young bassist can keep that going in spite of the vagaries of today‘s music business, the future is quite bright.

The group reworked Woody Shaw’s “Moontrane,” Stevie Wonder’s “Part Time Lover,” Buster Williams’ “Christina,” and Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way.” He also tossed in originals like “Dawn of a New Day,” a loping, mid-tempo, melodic vehicle that features the tasty piano of Goldberg, a growing presence in jazz, and Strickland on soprano, who played with gusto throughout the evening.

Williams solos during the night, sometimes long, always seemed melodic. He didn’t bring out some of the thumping technique that bassists like to employ to get the deep resonant sound. Ben has a nice sound, and his ideas were charged with pushing the melody and were creative in doing so. Noteworthy was his arco playing. Often times I find myself cringing when a bassist reaches for the bow. Not so on this night. He has a crisp attack and gets a great sound. (He also has classical training in his background). He played it blissfully over the romantic “Christina” melody.

Williams never called breakneck bebop tunes. The arrangements fluctuated in dynamics and range, ass did Williams individual playing. Even tough he has a strong R&B background, the version of Michael Jackson’s “Little Susie” was more abstract than pop or soul, then built in intensity. His solo had him harmonizing with his own bass lines by alternating lines on the bass.

It was a good set of music, and there’s much more to come. With that in mind, it’s also interesting to hear Ben’s response to what he feels is the key to his early success. It’s not woodshedding. It’s not his education. It’s not his contacts with particular musicians.

“Being a good person, first and foremost, really goes a long way. Being nice and being able to get along with people. Being a good human being. Being the kind of person people want to be around. Before you even play a note, you get a vibe about the kind of person you are. I try to maintain a good positive energy and be the kind of person people want to work with, first of all. Be as professional as I can. Always being prepared for the gig. Do my homework. Give it 110 percent. I think I really give a good message to people that their music matters, that you really care about the music and you’re serious about it. When they call you, it’s going to be a good time.”

That seems healthy to me. Speaks to character. His mother, who was at the concert, would be proud of that one. It speaks well for longevity in an industry that can eat people up.

IN THE CAPITAL DISTRICT:

Things are heating up in the Capital District of New York State -- Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga and around.

On Sunday, June 6, the Caroline Street Blues and Arts Fest features Murali Coryell, who’s a hot young blues guy. He's also the son of guitar wizard Larry Coryell. Murali plays the Capital Region every so often. The Chris O’Leary band (Chris worked with Levon Helm for some time, and maybe still does on occasion) is also one to watch, as is George Fletcher’s Bourbon Renewal band. George is a fine local guitarist who runs two bands. The other, Tequila Mockingbirds, is an acoustic duo, though a scorching one. Not wimpy bullshit. Blues and jazz and rock and bluegrass and things in between.

But the electric blues band is always exciting. Kick ass tunes and solos. Give you da blues, baby. Great to check out. Food and arts and crafts will be decorating the Caroline Street area, along with other music to hear.

That night, Frank Vignola plays Caffe Lena on Phila Street in Saratoga.

Next week is SaratogaArtsFest, which will feature Warren Bernhardt playing some superb solo piano at Putnam’s Den on Putnam Street. All the arts are being represented June 10-13, but thankfully they have always had a jazz headliner group.

The Freihofer Festival, two days of great music on two stages, is June 26-27. It’s followed by a few concerts at Skidmore College in Saratoga. June 29, Stefon Harris and Blackout (featuring Williams on bass); July 1 and July 8, the Skidmore Summer Jazz Institute faculty concert, which features people like Dennis McKrell, Pat LaBarbera, Curtis Fuller, Bobby Shew, Bill Cunliffe and more. July 6 has pianists Bill Charlap and Rene Rosnes, now a married couple, performing a concert of duets.

Check Albanyjazz.com for much more jazz in the region and visit All About Jazz every chance you get!!

Entering the Blogosphere

2010-05-26T10:43:00.004-04:00

“Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons,” said Buckminster Fuller. Perhaps. But for writers, technology has been here for a while, and I’m jumping into it -- finally -- in a blog. The blog, as the title suggests, is about America’s greatest art form -- jazz.

Not just jazz in general and jazz musicians that we all know and love. It will also feature at times the scene in the Albany-Saratoga region of New York State, which has a wealth of talent as well as many venues for these musicians to play. (We still need more, like everywhere else!)

New to this, I hope to see the page expand with more bells and whistles for the reader. I hope to grow with it. It will cover a lot of ground, but hopefully be informative and worthy of the public discourse.

The voice will not be that of my articles, but that of me. As such, it might ruffle or offend at times, but not for that sake. It’s just that honest is honest. So, fuck it.

Which brings me to the first general subject of my first entry: Miles Davis. Talk about honest. Honest in his dealings with folks and honest in his music. Uncompromising. Unapologetic.

Today -- May 26 -- would have been his 84th birthday. I celebrate it every year, calling it my Holy Day. Some thing that facetious, but I’ve gotten more inspiration from listening to Kind of Blue or Miles Smiles or Live at the Blackhawk ... Workin’ … Steamin’ … Relaxin’ … Cookin’ … than I ever did from any religion or authority.

(Photo: Taken by me at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in 1988)

While I had jazz music in my veins as a youngster, from family and some music I enjoyed that had horns in it, it was Cookin’ and Miles that reeled me in in high school. Starting with “My Funny Valentine” and the hauntingly beautiful sound of Miles, and moving into “Blues By Five,” where Trane joined in with Red, Philly Joe and P.C. to swing the blues like mad.

Miles music at every stage, including his electronic period of Bitches Brew fame to his funky period in the years before his death (Sept. 28, 1991), was a great adventurer. Full of energy and spirit and discovery. He was as true to art as anyone, even when some people ignorantly screamed that he was coasting. Moving yes, but putting out music that would stay current, not in a museum.

But most of us know that.

I have had the great thrill of interviewing many of the people who knew and worked with Miles. Chick, Herbie, Dave Holland, Jimmy Cobb, Marcus Miller, George Coleman, Joe Zawinul, Elvin Jones, Percy Heath, Robert Irving III, John Scofield, Sonny Rollins … many more. And many who knew him and/or were influenced by him. Let me shut up and give a smattering of what these people said about me personally to Miles Dewey Davis III.

CHICK COREA: “We all have great reverence for Miles, in that he was a trailblazer, carving new forms and new ways of communicating in order to stay contemporary and keep on communicating with new audiences. But retaining the high quality of music … He was an inspiration to us all. Look at all the musicians he spawned way before the 70s. Going back to the 50s, when he started making records. Then along came Coltrane, and my god! I always thought someone should make a documentary of the second half of 20th century music and have Miles be the center of that. He did spawn that.

DAVID WEISS (NYC trumpeter): “Miles doesn’t get enough credit for being a great trumpet player, and he was. But he didn’t last like that. He never stretched like that. If you listen to some of those tapes, he played with the same intensity. It’s unbelievable what Miles did.”

HUGH MASEKELA: “Miles Davis was a major hero to everybody because that was on the front page of every South African newspaper, even though it was an apartheid country. The guy stood up to the police outside Birdland and actually had a fist-fight … It was international news … We became very good friends. Miles was one of the first people who told me not to become a jazz musician. Because when I first came there, I was a bebopper. I was looking forward to maybe becoming a Messenger in Art Blakey’s band. Blakey and Dizzy and Miles, all of them said, ‘why don’t you put some of what you got from your country and mix it in. maybe we can learn something from you. Otherwise, it’s just going to be a statistic, like all of us.’”

JOHN SCOFIELD: “As a student of jazz it was fascinating to get his perspective on all the previous jazz that had gone before. And here was this guy with this high set of standards for what made good music. It was so much about what he liked, a lot from the bebop and swing era. So here we are playing Cyndi Lauper tunes and he was bringing his swing and his criterion to that music. He played his ass off every night, even when his horn wasn’t together. I think he had some physical problems and we didn’t play gigs sometimes for long periods of time. But he still played his ass off, even when his chops were down. It was all about the music.”

LENNY WHITE: “I had never had my name on an album before. Miles Davis was my hero. A lot of people don’t even got to meet their heroes. I got a chance to meet and play with my hero … This is an honest true story. We did that record (Bitches Brew) in August of 1969. In October, I woke up out of a dead sleep, sat straight up in my bed and said, ‘I recorded with Miles Davis.’ I couldn’t believe it. I was walking in a fog all that time. I actually did something that’s historic, that’s documented. It’s going to be around for people to hear for the rest of the world. That was really special to me. It didn’t hit me until a few months later.”

SONNY ROLLINS: “My relationship with Miles was very important for me. I always liked his wig. I always thought he was just a little bit different from the other great trumpet of that time, Fats Navarro. Miles always had a little different approach, sort of Lester Youngish approach in a way of speaking. He was a little bit more thoughtful, a little bit more nuanced. I always liked that about him.”

ROBERT IRVING III: “ … He had me go to the piano to play something for him. I don't remember exactly what I played; I think it was some sort of bluesy things. He was like a doctor who diagnosed a musical deficiency. He came around and he showed me these chord progressions that turned a light bulb on in my head in terms of harmonic possibilities. It changed me forever, in terms of my hearing the music and my approach; a lot of harmonic tension and release.”

As I like to say: Miles Bless us… Every one.

Stay tuned!

And visit the All About Jazz website every chance you get !!