I've decided to have all of my key festival reviews on this page.
Featured below are my reviews of:
The 2008 Playboy Jazz Festival
The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (the 50th)
The 2007 Sweet And Hot Music Festival
The 2007 Orange County Classic Jazz Festival
The 2007 Playboy Jazz Festival
The 2007 IAJE Convention
The 2006 Montreal Jazz
The 2006 Art Of Jazz Celebration
The 1995 Jazz Times Convention (has some of the same jokes as the
IAJE Convention review but it is an interesting glance back into time)
The 1985 Playboy Jazz Festival (a long long time ago)
THE 2008 PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL
The 30th annual Playboy Jazz Festival was better than usual, with a
strong jazz-oriented lineup along with bits of World Music, blues and r&b. As
usual the June weekend at the Hollywood Bowl was a big party with jazz,
rather than a jazz party, with the music serving as mere background
ambiance for many of the partiers. But despite the crowd noise, there were
many strong musical moments.
The marathon, a pair of 8 1/2 hour concerts, began with the Hamilton
High School Academy Of Music Jazz Ensemble “A” which was directed by
Dan Taguchi. The 19-piece high school band fared quite well particularly on
the opening “Claxtography” which had fine solos from Thaddeus Brown on
tenor and trumpeter Marcus Paul. Pity that the orchestra, which featured
their excellent saxophone section on “Blues And The Abscessed Tooth,” was
only given 20 minutes.
Pianist Robert Glasper did fine playing with his trio, but his comments to
the audience were actually more memorable than his playing (although the
witty “Silly Rabbit” was a highlight). At the end of his opening number which
was met by decent applause, he said, “All of you weren’t listening, so don’t
clap now. If you were listening, then you can clap.” Knowing that many of the
18,000 in the audience did not know who he was, he said humorously,
“Thanks all of you for coming out to see me. I wasn’t expecting all this.”
Each year the emcee Bill Cosby leads a “Cos Of Good Music” all-star
group, which gives him an excuse to play percussion and display a silly
conducting style. This year he let the group play and the results were
rewarding. After organist Jerry Peters and guitarist David T. Walker had a
feature, a quintet featuring tenor-saxophonist Billy Harper, the up-and-
coming trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist Benny Green performed
John Coltrane’s “Dear Lord,” the swing standard “Marie” and “Moanin’” with
spirit; Harper in particular sounded great.
The main star of Saturday was pianist Hiromi, a really outstanding
player who has great showmanship and apparently limitless energy. While
some of her set was funky or fusionish, featuring guitarist David Fiuczynki,
the repertoire was wide-ranging, from an inventive reworking of “Caravan,”
to Debussy’s “Clare De Lune.” On an unaccompanied “I Got Rhythm,” Hiromi
took six remarkable choruses in which she sounded like George Gershwin at
triple the speed. At other times, she used her elbow on the piano to
punctuate chords, played both piano and Fender Rhodes simultaneously,
and showed that she is as adept with her left hand as with her right.
Veteran tenor-saxophonist James Moody proved that at 83, he remains
quite ageless. He led a quintet featuring trumpeter Terence Blanchard and
pianist Renee Rosnes (who could not help sounding sober and polite after
Hiromi) on such numbers as “Last Train From Overbrook,” “Bebop,” “St.
Thomas” and of course “Moody’s Mood For Love.” Guest singer Roberta
Gambarini did her vocalese version of “On The Sunny Side Of The Street”
but she would have fared better with the audience (which was under the
barrage of 30 beach balls) if she had sung a lowdown blues instead.
The all-female big band Diva, which was driven by its leader drummer
Sherri Maricle, performed a well-rounded set that included Janelle Richman
swinging on clarinet a la Benny Goodman on “Rachel’s Dream,” a tribute to
Slam Stewart on “Slambo” (with some outstanding bass playing by Jennifer
Leitham), a high-powered version of Leonard Bernstein’s “America” with
Maricle in the forefront, and “Three Sisters And A Cousin” (which was
inspired by “Four Brothers”). Looking at Hugh Hefner in the audience, Sherri
Maricle said, “If you ever decide to do an all-woman big band issue for
Playboy, we’d like to be the centerfold!”
After six straight rewarding sets, it was time for the music to become
much more erratic. R n R teamed together trumpeter Rick Braun and tenor-
saxophonist Richard Elliot. While they played well on their first number
(giving it everything they had) and were okay on “Down And Dirty,” the music
soon became much more predictable; smooth without soul, funky without any
creativity. The audience was hungry to dance and stole the show, relegating
the band to background music for their dance party.
Dr. John kept the spirit going, playing one funk number after another
during a set that climaxed with “Right Place But The Wrong Time” although
he also scored some points with the plea “My People Need A Second Line.”
If Dr. John had cut his horns loose and extended his final number, he would
have really gotten the crowd.
Poncho Sanchez had no trouble keeping the audience’s attention with
his brand of accessible Latin jazz. Trumpeter Ron Blake often took solo
honors. Two numbers were change of paces that featured the veteran soul
singer Eddie Boyd: “Knock On Wood” and “Raise Your Hand.”
Easily the strangest set of the weekend was performed by Al Jarreau.
Although Jarreau’s voice sounded as strong as ever, his verbal monologues
between songs were so aimless, meandering and overly dramatic that they
sounded like outtakes from a bad Broadway show. He even ranted that Dave
Brubeck should give him royalties because he recorded “Take Five,” not
apparently realizing that Paul Desmond wrote the song, that it has been a
giant hit since 1960, and that the royalties go to the Red Cross. Jarreau’s
version of “My Funny Valentine” was corny, his use of a mediocre female
singer on many of the numbers was distracting, and his scatting was
eccentric to say the least. Al Jarreau needs to rethink his career. His set
bombed, leading one to speculate, “If only his great talents could be used
for the good of mankind.”
Closing the night was Tower Of Power. While having no real connection
to jazz, Tower Of Power put on a great show. Their five-piece horn section
was very tight, musical and soulful, singer Larry Braggs was charismatic, and
the program moved fast, including “We Came To Play,” “Get Your Feet Back
On The Ground,” “I Still Be Digging On James Brown,” and of course “What
Is Hip?”
Sunday began with the View Park Prep Jazz Ensemble. Directed by
Fernando Pullum, the 19-piece outfit was most notable for having a seven-
piece saxophone section and for performing music that was reminiscent of
Oliver Nelson in the 1960s.
Drummer Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Septet is a fine pianoless group
that features trumpeter Don Sickler (who was probably responsible for most
of the arrangements and transcriptions), altoist Bruce Williams, Wayne
Escoffery on tenor and baritonist Jay Branford. They sounded excellent on
such Monk songs as “Brake’s Sake,” “Bemsha Swing” “Bright Mississippi”
and a lengthy chart on “Rhythm-A-Ning” although no real surprises occurred.
Soul singer Ryan Shaw has a strong voice and really dug into such
numbers as “Try A Little Tenderness” (which was not too tender), “Let It Be”
and “We’ve Got Love.” He sounded at his best on the quiet “I’ve Got Many
Rivers To Cross” although he was very much out of place at a jazz festival.
Brazilian composer, vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Lins put on a jazz-
oriented program that included “Velas Sails,” strong saxophone playing
(particularly on soprano) by Marcelo Martins, and memorable guest
appearances by guitarist-singer Oscar Castro-Neves on “The Waters Of
March” and “Dindi.”
My favorite set of Sunday was by the Roy Hargrove Big Band. Although
Hargrove did not say a word to the audience (other than a perfunctory
introduction of guest Roberta Gambarini), he sang quite effectively on
“September In The Rain,” displayed a range on trumpet that has widened in
recent years (he now hits impressive high notes), and looked quite happy
with his orchestra’s performance. He provided most of the arrangements
which included boppish pieces, some that were more reminiscent of John
Coltrane’s “Africa” project, and a few dramatic numbers. Gambarini was fine
on two numbers (including “Something Happens”) but she deserves to be
more extensively showcased. The trumpet section (Ambrose Akinmusire,
Greg Gisbert, Frank Greene and Darren Barrett) was featured during the
exciting closer.
Dee Dee Bridgewater’s most recent Red Earth project is a tribute to
Mali and Africa in general. Joined by a strong rhythm section that included
the great pianist Edsel Gomez, Mamdou Cherif Swoumano on kora, and
several other singers, Dee Dee combined together African music with her
scat singing, often dancing happily. The colorful set included “Afro Blue,”
“The Breeze,” “Compared To What” and some recent originals.
Unfortunately I missed the performance by Plena Libre, a Puerto Rican
group that mixes together plena rhythms with dance grooves and is
dominated by vocalists, trombonists and percussion.
Keb’ Mo’, a longtime Playboy Festival favorite, inspired a lot of dancing
with his mixture of blues ballads, catchy r&b grooves and an occasional
blues. “Give Me What You Got” particularly excited the audience.
One of the most interesting sets of the weekend was put on by Herbie
Hancock, who switched between piano and electric keyboards while being
joined by a great deal of talent. His quintet included tenor-saxophonist Chris
Potter, guitarist Lionel Loueke (who can apparently play in any style), Dave
Holland (sticking to electric bass) and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. After they
played “Actual Proof,” they were joined by singers Amy Keys and Sonya
Kitchell for songs from Hancock’s award-winning River CD. Keys impressed
everyone even if most of the music was outside of jazz. The musicians
performed “Watermelon Man” in 17/4 time and really excited the crowd with a
lengthy “Chameleon.” Wayne Shorter was a surprise guest, adding his
soprano to two numbers although he was underutilized. As a climax, electric
bassist Marcus Miller, C-Minus on turntables and 41 young dancers from the
Debbie Allen Dance Academy joined in for a spectacular and rather wild
version of “Rock It.”
Although they tried their best, Guitar & Saxes was anti-climatic as the
20th and closing group of the Playboy Jazz Festival. Keyboardist Jeff Lorber
played well, altoist Gerald Albright showed once again that he should be
playing more adventurous music since he is quite talented, and guitarist
Peter White was in fine form. On the minus side, saxophonist Jessy J. made
one wonder if she knew how to do anything but stick to the melody (her
posing got annoying) and guitarist Jeff Golub seemed to think he was at a
rock show. But Guitar & Saxes served its purpose, clearing the place so the
traffic jam leaving the Bowl was not quite as bad as it usually is.
All in all, 2008 was one of the best Playboy Jazz Festivals in recent memory.
THE 50th MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL
For 50 straight years, the Monterey Jazz Festival has been held at the
Monterey Fairgrounds. For three days in September, the center of the jazz
world always moves to Monterey. Arguably the top American jazz festival,
Monterey gives music fans a strong overview of the modern jazz scene, and
always leaves one with an optimistic feel about jazz today. Ever since Tim
Jackson succeeded founder Jimmy Lyons as the festival’s general manager,
the festival has continued improving and growing to the point where now
there is an overwhelming amount of talent booked each year.
With five stages that often operate simultaneously, particularly at night, it is
nearly impossible to see every group though I manage it each year. The key
is to travel light, wear strong tennis shoes, only eat food that can be
consumed while walking fast, and master the art of tearing oneself away
from one highpoint in favor of seeing another highlight elsewhere. My
reviews of Monterey are necessarily snapshots since, no matter where I
stand, I am missing four other bands at that moment. However it does give
me an opportunity to get in all of my exercise for the year in one weekend. If
someone asks me in December why I do not exercise, my answer is “I
already exercised at Monterey!”
A band called Along Came Betty began the festival promptly at 6:30 on
Friday night. It seemed only right that Monterey started its 50th year with a
group playing in a style that would have fit into the 1958 festival. They
played original hard bop numbers by pianist Biff Smith including “Rumor Has
It” and a song called “Brad Mehldau’s Monogrammed Guest Towels.” There
were excellent solos from trumpeter Brian Stock, Paul Tarantino on tenor,
Smith and guest guitarist Storm Nilson. Stock is the nephew of the late Jake
Stock who led his band as the opening act at the very first Monterey Jazz
Festival.
The Anthony Wilson Nonet made a strong impression. The Nonet’s set
included a Joe Zawinul medley of “In A Silent Way” and “Walk Tall” featuring
pianist Donald Vega and Wilson soloing over the riffing horns. Bonerama, a
group consisting of four trombones, one sousaphone, guitar and drums,
performed colorful, funky and somewhat riotous music including a crazy yet
danceable version of Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy.” This year’s version of
the Berklee-Monterey Quartet was less interesting than usual, with so-so
post bop originals although guitarist Jeff Miles got in some good solos. Papa
Grows Funk proved to be a likable quintet with group vocals and Jason
Mingledorff featured on tenor.
On the main stage, the quartet of bassist Dave Holland, pianist Gonzalo
Rubalcaba, tenor-saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Eric Harland was
as remarkable as one would expect. Their music was both complex and
catchy, each of the musicians was well featured and Chris Potter, who
contributed the song “Ask Me Why,” displayed a beautiful tone on tenor.
Guitarist Jim Hall performed a series of duets with pianist Geoffrey Keezer
that were often exquisite, always subtle and somewhat telepathic. Their
abstract version of “All The Things You Are” was quite intriguing. John
McLaughlin featured his 4th Dimension band, a quartet with keyboardist
Gary Husband, bassist Hadrien Feraud and drummer Mark Mondesir that
was caught playing an extended rockish blues that displayed plenty of fire
and passion. Salsa singer Issac Delgado, although he does not really
belong at a jazz festival, put on a stronger show than he did at Playboy and
his horn section was excellent. Pianist Craig Taborn and his trio, on a very
repetitive “The Little Red Machine,” gave listeners the impression that they
were watching clothes in a dryer. Although the colors and combinations kept
on changing, the music never seemed to go anywhere. Clearly, I was not
able to give Taborn much of a chance that night, but there was so much else
to see.
Dumpstaphunk, a rockish funk party band that included two of the Neville
Brothers, was spirited but seemed quite trivial next to the Terence Blanchard
Quintet which was performing a 30-second walk away. Blanchard’s trumpet
solos were quite dramatic and emotional as he paid tribute to his fallen New
Orleans, filling his improvisations with choked tones and anguished cries.
Blanchard’s band (tenor-saxophonist Brice Winston, pianist Fabian Almazan,
bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Kendrick Scott) was full of young greats
but the trumpeter easily took honors with his haunting performance.
It had rained a little bit Friday night and it was pouring on Saturday morning,
but luckily the rain had largely stopped by the time the music began that
day. Parts of the Fairgrounds resembled a swamp for a time, but it did not
dampen the spirits of the crowd. Saturday afternoon usually features a blues
show at two of the venues although this year the blues content was weaker
than usual. James Hunter, who was clearly inspired by the crowd, performed
joyful rockabilly. The Honeydripper All-Stars revived older blues songs
(including “Got My Mojo Walking”) and had a good time. Otis Taylor put
plenty of passion into his one-chord vamps, displaying a high-toned voice
strangely reminiscent in spots of Janis Joplin, but one kept on waiting for his
music to evolve or at least for the chord to change. Los Lobos played their
usual brand of bluish rock but was clearly out of place.
Otherwise Saturday afternoon featured a hodge podge of events. The Cal
State Long Beach Concert Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jeff Jarvis, performed
“One For Monterey” and an inventive arrangement of “Eleanor Rigby,”
sounding quite professional. Guitarist Mimi Fox with bassist Harvie S. and
drummer Akira Tana updated the bebop tradition with swinging but often-
sensitive solos on “West Coast Blues” and “Caravan.” A Downbeat blindfold
test featuring Gerald and Anthony Wilson was good-humored and
informative. At one point a middle-aged dancer (Jan Hill?) did a colorful
routine to a Jimmie Lunceford recording. Humorist Mort Sahl reminisced
about his earlier jazz connections and told humorous stories about Stan
Kenton, Paul Desmond and Dave Brubeck. The Shigeru Morishita Quintet
had tenor playing from Kunikazu Tanaka that hinted at Albert Ayler and also
included fine post bop solos from trombonist Yuzo Kataoka and pianist
Morishita. They served as an excellent warmup act for the Rashied Ali
Quintet, a group featuring trumpeter Josh Evans and tenor-saxophonist
Lawrence Clark that included the ferocious “Judgment Day” and a somber
“You’re Reading My Mind.” Ali’s drum solos were very impressive.
After a deep breath, it was time for a Saturday night program that featured
11 major groups in 3 1/2 hours. Trumpeter Christian Scott showed a lot of
potential leading his sextet through a Young Lions-type song dedicated to
New Orleans (altoist Louis Fourche recalled Donald Harrison a bit) and
some more contemporary material. The Dave Holland Quartet performed
another stirring set, this time in a smaller venue. Singer Lynne Fiddmont
sang some r&bish tunes and displayed an attractive voice.
Terence Blanchard, joined by his quintet and the Monterey Jazz Festival
Chamber Orchestra, performed “A Tale Of God’s Will (A Requiem For
Katrina),” once again in very dramatic and passionate fashion during a
moving performance. At one point Blanchard said, “Don’t come lobbying me
for my vote and then leave me on my roof.”
78-year old Ernestine Anderson sounded surprisingly strong during a set
with the Lafayette Harris Trio, holding long notes without wavering,
displaying a catchy and highly individual phrasing, and swinging up a storm.
The audience loved her versions of “This Can’t Be Love,” “Skylark” and
“Only Trust Your Heart.” Pianist Cyrus Chestnut with his trio improvised in a
technique comparable to Oscar Peterson’s but also with his own brand of
soul. I hated not catching more of trumpeter Sean Jones’ Sextet for the
group, with altoist Brian Hogans and tenor-saxophonist Walter Smith III., was
playing hard-swinging music and stretching themselves.
But one could not miss the Gerald Wilson Orchestra’s performance. After
featuring Kenny Burrell’s guitar on “Romance” and his voice on “Stormy
Monday,” Wilson debuted his commissioned work “Monterey Moods.” The
suite built up to a Latin section and a celebratory finale that garnered a
standing ovation. Although not quite as catchy as his “Theme For Monterey”
from the 2005 festival, it is a rewarding work and featured his orchestra at its
best.
Gerald Wilson had an opportunity to play a second set with his orchestra at
one of the indoor nightclubs. Kenny Burrell was featured with his quartet on
“Good Bait” and “Mark I.” Jim Hall and Geoffrey Keezer performed with a
quartet. And Diana Krall closed the night, leading her quartet with Anthony
Wilson, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton. She played and
sang her usual repertoire but was especially inspired. It is something about
being at Monterey, playing before an informed and attentive audience on a
historic stage, that frequently results in musicians sounding at their very
best. As many times as Diana Krall has performed “I Love Being Here With
You,” “Let’s Fall In Love” and “East Of The Sun,” she has rarely sounded
looser, fresher and happier than on this night at Monterey.
And it was not over yet. Sunday afternoon features many high school and
college bands along with some more interesting moments. There was a
panel discussion about the late great jazz journalist Ralph Gleason and his
contributions to the Monterey festival, a discussion with Clint Eastwood and
John Sayles about the role of jazz in films, and a chance to see Terence
Blanchard sitting in with the Next Generation Orchestra, sounding quite
lyrical on “My Old Flame.”
Two groups made Sunday afternoon quite worthwhile. Ornette Coleman led
his Three Bass Quintet through a thought-provoking and stirring set of
music. Ornette has never compromised and this is his strongest group since
Prime Time. Equally rewarding but very different was the Hot Club Of San
Francisco, a happy surprise. Their comments to the audience were quite
humorous, the playing by violinist Evan Price, guitarists Paul Mehling and
Jeff Magidson and bassist Ari Munkres was swinging, and their Django
Reinhardt-inspired music was pure joy that the crowd greatly appreciated.
After the debut of a film that the late Ralph Gleason put together of the 1967
Monterey Jazz Festival (the tenth year), it was off to the races for the final
nine groups.
Mort Sahl, gave a monologue before the final show at the main stage,
recalling that he had hosted the event 50 years earlier. The Monterey Jazz
Festival All-Stars featured Terence Blanchard (playing happier music than
the previous nights), the ageless James Moody and pianist Benny Green but
probably a few too many vocals from Nnenna Freelon though everyone was
in fine form. Another Monterey All Star group featured top local musicians
who had played at the festival at one time or another; most notable in the
personnel was the great flutist Ali Ryerson. Drummer Benny Barth’s trio
played moderately pleasing background music that did not wake up even
when pianist Buddy Montgomery joined in.
Japanese organist Atsuko Hashimoto is a name to remember. She held her
own on an exciting trio set with tenor-saxophonist Houston Person and
drummer Jeff Hamilton, smiling the whole time. Pianist Kenny Barron led a
trio through standards (including Monk’s “Ask Me Now”) and originals with
his usual class and brilliance. Joey DeFrancesco romped with his trio
including a tribute to Jimmy Smith on “Got My Mojo Workin’”; Ramon Banda
was a strong asset on drums. The Dave Brubeck Quartet, with altoist Bobby
Militello in top form, romped on “Gone With The Wind” and “Margie,” in
addition to welcoming Jim Hall to a few numbers including “Take Five” and
“These Foolish Things.”
Pianist Jacky Terrasson played a set of unaccompanied solos that, if he had
been on the main stage, might have been the hit of this year’s festival. He
infused “Take The ‘A’ Train” with a wide assortment of fresh and unusual
ideas, created a strange one-chord groove in 9/4 time and, on “Tragic
Mulatto Blues,” simulated a heartbeat with his left hand while his right played
bluish phrases.
The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival ended with Sonny Rollins, another survivor
of the 1958 festival. While one might criticize Rollins’ band for sometimes
going through the motions, the great tenor had his stunning moments
including his cadenza on “In A Sentimental Mood” and a 20-minute solo on
“Don’t Stop The Carnival.”
While this particular jazz carnival finally ended, Monterey #51 is already
lurking in the not-too-distant future. All jazz fans within 500 miles should go
out of their way to experience this often-wondrous festival.
THE 2007 SWEET & HOT MUSIC FESTIVAL
Each Labor Day weekend at the LAX Marriott in Los Angeles, the Sweet &
Hot Music Festival takes over for four days of swing, bop, big bands,
dixieland and classic American music, often in seven venues at once.
Although its roots are in New Orleans jazz, much of the music at the Sweet &
Hot is actually straightahead mainstream jazz featuring some of L.A.’s top
musicians along with some “imports” from other cities. This year, due to it
being 108 degrees in Burbank, it was a particularly attractive oasis. As I told
a few people, I go to jazz festivals for the air conditioning. I successfully
avoided going outside for three days.
Although the lineup did not offer many bands or musicians who had not
been featured in previous years, it was still a great deal of fun. I followed
favorites and did not attempt to see every single group (as I do at
Monterey), so forgiveness is asked in advance for the omission of some of
the artists. There was almost too much to see at times. Here are a few
snapshots.
In the various all-star groups, it was always a joy to hear trumpeters Tommy
Saunders and Randy Reinhardt, trombonist Russ Phillips, clarinetist Chuck
Hedges, pianist Johnny Varro, bassist Richard Simon and drummer Jake
Hanna. Pat Yankee, celebrating her 80th birthday, sang with plenty of spirit,
particularly on a medley of “Am I Blue” and “The Man I Love.” Pianist Derek
Smith made a rare appearance out in Los Angeles, usually playing with trios
that sometimes included the virtuosic bassist Jennifer Leitham. Trumpeter
Ed Polcer and clarinetist Allan Vache jammed on an uptempo “Sweet Sue,”
Reinhardt, soprano-saxophonist Jim Galloway and guitarist Howard Alden
put plenty of spirit into “It’s All Right With Me” and Polcer played pretty on
“Stardust.”
Banu Gibson, still one of the great vocalists of swing and classic jazz, led her
New Orleans Hot Jazz through a wide variety of tunes that were mostly from
the 1930s. Her voice, the choice of material, the concise solos by her
sidemen (which included Dan Levinson, Randy Reinhardt, David Sager and
pianist Mark Shane), the arrangements and the good-natured humor always
make her performances a highpoint at the Sweet & Hot. “Diga Diga Doo,”
“Pardon My Southern Accent,” “Dinah” (which evolved through three
tempos), alternate versions of “Blue Moon” (with the original discarded
lyrics), “After You’ve Gone,” “No Nothing” and “Shine On Harvest Moon”
were among the more memorable performances.
Cornet Chop Suey is co-led by the charismatic trumpeter Brian Casserly and
the more laidback cornetist Thomas Tucker. Casserly’s high note flights,
vocals and showmanship (which went occasionally over-the-top and were
sometimes reminiscent of Al Hirt) kept the proceeding consistently
stimulating on such numbers as “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” an
exuberant “I Wish I Was In Peoria” and a dramatic “Georgia On My Mind”
that found the horns playing out in the audience. Clarinetist Jerry Epperson
with his Creole sound was also impressive.
Dan Levinson led several overlapping combos throughout the weekend,
usually teaming up with pianist Mark Allan Jones, drummer Hal Smith and
singer Molly Ryan. Cornetist Corey Gemme always proved to be a good
match with Levinson, who was heard on clarinet, C-melody and tenor, and
trombonist David Sager helped out on “Chinatown My Chinatown” and “I
Would Do Most Anything For You.”
Rebecca Kilgore, trombonist Dan Barrett, guitarist-banjoist-singer-jokester
Eddie Erickson and bassist Joel Forbes form B.E.D., one of the top swing
combos of today. Ms. Kilgore’s warm and lightly swinging vocals, along with
Erickson’s humor and Barrett’s versatility make this a continually entertaining
and musical group. A version of “My Heart Belongs To Daddy” that
alternated between being dramatic and pure satire was particularly
noteworthy as were joyful renditions of “This Could Be The Start Of
Something Big,” “Little White Lies,” “Old Devil Moon,” “Bye Bye Baby” and
“The Trolley Song.”
Festival director Wally Holmes, an excellent trumpeter, was featured with his
Yankee Wailers, a fine quintet that often featured the Sarah Vaughan-
inspired singing of Ava Dupree. A festival regular, trumpeter Yoshio Toyama
and the Saints, did near-perfect imitations of the Louis Armstrong All-Stars
of the 1950s on such numbers as “A Kiss To Build A Dream On,” “St. Louis
Blues” and “Basin Street Blues.” Pianist Keiko Toyama was always
impressive on her boogie-woogie features with the Saints. Mora’s Modern
Rhythmists (with Dan Barrett and Corey Gemme sitting in) revived early
1930s hot dance band music.
Guitarist Jonathan Stout loves Benny Goodman/Charlie Christian-style
swing. His big band was quite popular during a Friday night dance, romping
on such numbers as “Flying Home,” “Royal Flush” and an uptempo “Dark
Eyes”; the latter featured Dan Weinstein on violin. Hillary Alexander’s vocals
(on “Why Don’t You Do Right” and “Stop The Red Light’s On”) sounded as
authentic as this fine orchestra.
James Torme, son of Mel, is gradually developing his own singing style apart
from his father’s. He always had poise and charisma, which sometimes
covers up the fact that he drifts out of tune now and then, which was most
noticeable on “Love Is Just Around The Corner.” However he sounded better
on “Moonlight In Vermont” and “Autumn Leaves,” and soprano-saxophonist
John Altman was a strong asset to the set.
Roger Neumann reprised a four-tenor septet set from a few years ago,
teaming his horn with that of Sam Most, Gil Bernal and John Bambridge for
such numbers as “Tangerine,” “Undecided” and “Blues Up And Down.” With
its great potential (which includes riffing behind each other, heated tradeoffs
and all four tenors improvising together), this group should definitely record.
As usual Jack Sheldon contributed exciting trumpet solos, personable vocals
and hilarious humor. In a combo he was in top form on “Caravan,” a one
verse/one chorus version of “Stardust,” “Isfahan” and “I’ll Remember April.”
His big band on Sunday afternoon was outstanding, the trumpet section was
quite boisterous and Sheldon’s enthusiasm for his orchestra was well
deserved.
Saturday morning’s “Pianorama,” hosted by Yve Evans, gave several
pianists an opportunity to stretch out as soloists. Carl Sonny Leyland, who
was otherwise heard romping on boogie-woogies, blues and bluish
standards in a trio with bassist Marty Eggers and drummer Hal Smith,
performed a classic version of “Honky Tonk Train Blues” that included a very
clickety-clack left hand, simulations of whistles made with his right hand and
some original train sounds not usually heard on the piece. Johnny Varro
played beautiful versions of “The End Of A Beautiful Friendship” and “Emily”
while Chris Calabrese ripped through an uptempo “Sheik Of Araby.”
Each morning pianist Jerry Rothschild entertained bystanders in the lobby
with spontaneous sets full of Jelly Roll Morton, Xmas songs, German tunes,
college fight songs, New Orleans favorites and singalongs. At night, pianist
Brad Kay led spontaneous jam sessions that lasted past 2 a.m., mixing
together tireless pros and better-than-expected amateur musicians.
And there was much more. Howard Alden and Barry Zweig jammed as a two-
guitar duo. Herb Jeffries at 96 showed that his miraculous voice could still
pass for 56. Wesla Whitfield sang dramatic versions of “Glad To Be
Unhappy,” "By Myself” and “The Glory Of Love.” Marilyn King and some
guest vocalists performed a tribute to the King Sisters.” Bassist Jennifer
Leitham, pianist Josh Nelson and drummer Randy Drake played some avant-
garde jazz on “Turkish Bizarre.” Trombonist Bob Havens was showcased a la
Jack Teagarden on “Lover” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man.” Tuba master
and humorist Westy Westenhofer played a remarkable version of the
“William Tell Overture,” complete with hand motions.
It made for a special weekend, one that should never be missed by any
serious Los Angeles-based jazz fan.
THE 2007 ORANGE COUNTY CLASSIC JAZZ FESTIVAL
Each year during the first weekend of August, the Orange County Classic
Jazz Festival features some of the finest classic jazz, trad and swing groups
around today, focusing on music not heard very often in Southern California.
This year’s event, held at the Costa Mesa Hilton and Holiday Inn hotels, was
no exception.
Attending the festival on Friday and Saturday, I was fortunate enough to
catch 17 of the groups. As usual, the Midiri Brothers were among the main
stars. Clarinetist Joe Midiri and his twin brother vibraphonist Paul Midiri bring
back the sound and style of Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton, but in
their own way, with lots of energy and without copying the past. The rapid
tempos and lengthy solos are very impressive as are their techniques and
constant creativity within the swing style. In addition, Joe occasionally plays
alto sax like Johnny Hodges and closely imitates Louis Armstrong when he
sings while Paul also plays drums (battling Jim Lawlor, the group’s regular
drummer) and trombone. With guitarist Pat Mercuri, pianist Joe Holt and
bassist Gary Cattley, this is a truly exciting band. Among the many highlights
were their versions of “Air Mail Special,” “When You’re Smiling,” “Carioca,” a
clarinet-guitar duet on “Star Dust” that borrowed from the famous Artie Shaw
recording, “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise” and “Limehouse Blues”
Clarinetist and C-melody saxophonist Dan Levinson led three bands during
the weekend, one on each day including a tribute to the late Rosy O’Hargue.
His Roof Garden Jass Band featured “rag-a-jazz,” music that often fell
between jazz and ragtime. The ensemble-oriented music had trumpeter Jon-
Erik Kellso, trombonist David Sager, drummer Kevin Dorn (who should
probably have been lighter on his bass drum), various pianists (including
Jeff Barnhart and Randy Morris) and Levinson performing in a style that has
long been extinct, the type of music heard between the debut of the Original
Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917 and before King Oliver and Louis Armstrong
arrived in the recording studios in 1923. The next day Levinson headed the
Canary Cottage Dance Orchestra, a sextet with trombonist David Sager and
violinist Benny Brydern that also featured a delightful barbershop quartet
(who, in addition to singing expertly, definitely looked and acted the part of a
1910 singing group) and vocalist Molly Ryan. Their performances were
nostalgic, touching and flawlessly played.
The major name at this year’s festival was the great British stride pianist
Neville Dickie. Mostly heard playing unaccompanied solos, Dickie performed
stride classics (such as “Anitra’s Dance” and “Alligator Crawl”) and heated
boogie-woogie (including “Swanee River Boogie”) with effortless grace.
When it comes to playing and singing boogie-woogie and blues, few are on
the level of Sonny Leyland. Teamed with Marty Eggers (whose bass solos
recalled Pops Foster) and the subtle but always swinging drummer Hal
Smith, Leyland romped though such songs as “Careless Love,” “Cow Cow
Blues,” Albert Ammons’ “Shout For Joy” and “Oh Baby.”
Sister Swing, featuring singers Paula Chafey Merrill, Leigh Hannah and
Valerie Marston, performed music from such groups as the Andrews Sisters
and the Boswell Sisters without overly copying their predecessors. While the
improvising was fairly basic, the trio’s good humor, attractive voices and tight
yet spontaneous show was fun to see, and their backup sextet was excellent.
The Jumpin’ Joz Band would have benefited from more jammed rather than
arranged ensembles but their brand of small group swing was pleasing. The
singing of Ginger Bergland, guitarist Barry Robinson and drummer-leader
Rick Joswick worked well and trombonist Paul Young distinguished himself
among the soloists. The High Sierra Jazz Band performed hot jazz from the
1920s and ‘30s including several Sidney Bechet songs, greatly benefiting
from the playing of leader-clarinetist Pieter Meijers and the hot trumpeter
Corey Gemme. The Jurbena Jazz Band from the Netherlands performed
music inspired by the South Frisco Jazz Band, Lu Watters and Turk Murphy,
featuring two driving cornetists. Pianist-singer Yve Evans played two sets in
the lobby of the Holiday Inn, tying together unrelated songs in eccentric and
fun medleys. Wally’s Warehouse Waifs featured solid horn soloists and a
good singer in Charlie Morris although their rhythm section seemed to turn
every ballad into stripper music! The Crazy Rhythm Hot Society Orchestra,
directed by saxophonist Mike Henebry, brought back the sound of a late
1920s dance band although without room for any hot solos. Ginger Pauley
and band alumnus Kelly Fletcher were fine on vocals. The Night Blooming
Jazzmen, always a festival favorite, played their hard-driving renditions of
dixieland tunes with fine playing from veteran cornetist Chet Jaeger and Jim
Richardson who often harmonized on two saxophones at once. The Titanic
Jazz Band sounded a bit worn out and out-of-tune in spots but featured
good-time vocals and spirited ensembles. Always a festival favorite, Igor’s
Jazz Cowboys played their unusual mixture of folk songs, country classics,
Western swing and tradjazz. Ron Rutowski’s fiddle playing was impressive
and Buddy Apfel on tuba distinguished himself on “Sugar Blues,” expertly
imitating Clyde McCoy.
Few groups can compete with the Titan Hot 7 in combining together heated
ensembles, colorful solos and outlandish humor. The group’s lead voices
are pianist Jeff Barnhart, clarinetist Bob Drago and cornetist Flip Oakes who
hit many impressive high notes. Barnhart, who appeared with quite a few
groups throughout the festival, was also featured in a slightly more sober
setting as part of Ivory & Gold which had his wife Anne Barnhart on classical
flute along with drummer Daniel Coots, emphasizing beautiful melodies.
However a lengthy and rather spontaneous Gershwin medley was quite
funny as Barnhart constantly challenged Coots with rhythm, tempo and
mood changes, all of which the drummer managed to catch.
While a jam session led by Neville Dickie did not come off (too few pros
showed up), other all-star collaborations were more successful. Clarinetists
Joe Midiri, Dan Levinson and Larry Okmin (from High Society) challenged
each other while backed by the Midiri Brothers rhythm section. Mixing
together competitiveness with mutual respect, the clarinetists jammed on
“Lady Be Good,” “’Deed I Do,” “Avalon” and other swing tunes with Midiri
winning honors in a close battle. The Titan Hot 7 brought out the best in the
Jurbena Jazz Band when they combined forces. The wacky humor of the
Titan group also combined well with Sister Swing including a hilarious
version of “Daddy” which found the sisters “taking advantage” of Bob Drago.
The arguable highpoint of it all was a duet set by pianists Neville Dickie and
Jeff Barnhart that was full of joy, dazzling technique and spontaneous
excitement, including “Nobody’s Sweetheart,” “Wild Cat Blues,” “Wolverine
Blues” and “Handful Of Keys.”
It was great fun. Every jazz fan should attend the Orange County Classic
Jazz Festival in the future.
The 2007 Playboy Jazz Festival
For the 29th straight year, the arrival of June meant that the Playboy Jazz
Festival for a weekend would make the historic Hollywood Bowl the
temporary home for 18,000 partygoers. For many of the regular attendees,
it almost does not matter what groups are playing just so long as the party
continues. While some of the more serious jazz fans get bothered by the
constant crowd noise, the erratic sound (why doesn’t Playboy at this point
have superior sound engineers who know what an acoustic bass is?) and
the fact that quiet ballads are drowned out, those with a sense of humor and
a strong tolerance streak can enjoy a wide variety of music, most of it jazz.
This year’s festival, even with its ups and downs, was one of the strongest in
years, particularly on Sunday.
Though relatively few saw it, Saturday’s 8 1/2 hour marathon began with one
of the highpoints. The Eagle Rock High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by
Greg Samuel, featured Tyrie Levels, a talented young trumpeter. He
recreated Rex Stewart’s solo on Duke Ellington’s “Boy Meets Horn” (one of
the strongest opening numbers ever in Playboy history) and took a fine spot
on “All Blues.” Remember his name for the future. Also, it was unusual
getting to hear a high school band that included three violins in its
instrumentation.
Johnny Polanco Y Su Conjunto Amistad was a definite surprise. Polanco,
who alternated between trombone, the tres guitar, vibes and percussion in
addition to joining in with the vocalists, mixed together salsa singing with Afro-
Cuban jazz in a very effective show. Comprised of two trumpets (including
one who screamed out high notes), two trombonists including Arturo
Velasco, three saxophonists, flutist Artie Webb, piano, bass, congas,
timbales and bongos plus two singers and Polanco, the ensemble lived up to
its great potential. “Mambo Inn” and Tito Puente’s “Picadillo” were highlights.
James Carter has long had the ability to play any reed instrument in any
style. His trio with organist Gerard Gibbs and drummer Leonard King, was
passionate and intense although somewhat limiting, putting Carter much of
the time in a soul jazz/hard bop bag. The bad sound (with the bass drum
often being louder than the saxophonist) was unfortunate but James Carter
took some roaring solos on tenor and sopranino, really digging into John
Lewis’ “Rouge.” Still, I’d rather hear Carter with a piano trio so he can really
display his versatility.
Carter returned for the next set, a performance by a thrown-together all-star
group headed by Playboy’s emcee, Bill Cosby, called the Cos Of Good
Music. Trumpeter Jeremy Pelto and altoist Vincent Herring joined Carter
along with a rhythm section that included pianist Larry Willis. Cosby’s
conducting was a bit ridiculous and the group’s lack of rehearsal resulted in
some messy moments but Willis did well on an Ellington ballad, Pelt played
beautifully on Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count,” Herring created some heated
bop lines that uplifted a dull funk pattern, and Carter’s ensemble work was
often humorous.
The Randy Brecker-Bill Evans Soulbop Band could be one of the great
bands due to the brilliance of trumpeter Brecker and saxophonist Evans.
However their set excessively featured the rhythm section, guitarist Hiram
Bullock made the mistake of singing, and the funk overwhelmed the jazz.
Musically, the Phil Woods Quintet, with the leader-altoist, trumpeter Brian
Lynch, pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Steve Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin,
was among the finest groups of the weekend. But they essentially served as
background music for the partiers, often only inspiring applause from
perhaps 18 out of the 18,000 people. Despite being ignored, Woods and
particularly Lynch were in excellent form on “All Bird’s Children” and “Bus
Stop Serenade,” with the altoist sounding exquisite on his ballad feature,
Benny Carter’s “Summer Serenade.”
The jazz festival was nearly finished for the day even though there were still
five groups to go. Singer Angelique Kidjo gained praise from many listeners,
but since her music is essentially Afropop dance music with touches of
African salsa, I’m not qualified to comment.
The Count Basie Orchestra, under the direction of their longtime bass
trombonist Bill Hughes, was in better-than-usual form. They came out
swinging and never stopped, inspiring some dancers with “Down For The
Count,” “’Lil Darling” and “Shiny Stockings.” The orchestra backed singer
Melba Joyce on “I’ll Close My Eyes” (the first jazz vocal of the day) and “All
Of Me,” and really burned on “Basie” and an extended “One O’Clock Jump”
even if it is long overdue to retire “April In Paris.” No more “one more once”
please. Tenor-saxophonist Doug Lawrence was the most impressive soloist
while drummer Butch Miles was typically exciting.
Cuban singer Issac Delgardo showed potential on one song when his band
started out a blues like it was dixieland and later added rock and roll in a
surprising mix. Otherwise his excellent 11-piece band (four brass, one sax,
two keyboards, bass and three percussionists) was mostly confined to
accompanying rhythmically interesting but ultimately repetitious and dull
salsa vocals. The audience did enjoy dancing to this group.
The lowpoint to this year’s festival had to be Chris Botti. Botti has a nice tone
on the trumpet and excellent technique but he alternates between treating
every note in the melodies of ballads as if they are precious and jamming
over mindless funk rhythms. Although guitarist Mark Whitfield did what he
could and Botti’s band was fine, the constant posing by Botti was very
difficult to sit through. He is to the jazz trumpet what Rod Stewart is to jazz
singing.
But Saturday ended up on a much higher level with the performance by
veteran bluesman Buddy Guy. Guy, who took consistently explosive guitar
solos, was often very funny in his singing and talking to the audience, and it
was a pleasure to watch a true master at work. Whether singing humorous
stanzas to “Hootchie Cootchie Man,” screaming “Damn Right I’ve Got The
Blues” or playing a long minor blues while out in the audience, he was
entertaining, creative and quite fun.
Sunday’s program, other than a weak start and a tedious finale, was mostly
very rewarding. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played one of the Cosby kids in
the Bill Cosby Show, is a fine bassist but thinks he is a spoken word artist.
While his band Miles Long is excellent and includes a powerful saxophonist
in Darren Gholston, Warner’s angry talking/shouting/rapping was jarring and
very out-of-place, rapping about the low quality of current rappers as if that
is relevant.
Things greatly improved with pianist Taylor Eigsti’s Quartet. Eigsti and
guitarist Julian Lage worked together very well, assisted by bassist Reuben
Rogers and drummer Eric Harland. “Love For Sale,” a complex reworking of
“Caravan” and Bjork’s “I’ve Sent It All” (taken as a sensitive ballad) were
among the songs that they explored.
Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, with Nathan Williams on accordion and
vocals and Mark Williams on rubboard, performed blues, blues ballads and a
lengthy one-chord romp that had many dancing to the infectious music.
Zydeco is always quite fun to see live.
Arguably the highpoint of the date was a set by the great tenor and alto-
saxophonist Red Holloway. With fine work from a returning Taylor Eigsti,
bassist Richard Reid and drummer Gerryck King, Holloway was roaring from
the start, grabbing on to the audience with a hard-charging version of Blue
Mitchell’s “Fungii Mama,” digging into “You’ve Changed” and romping on
“The Way You Look Tonight.” Kevin Mahogany joined up (with pianist Doug
Bickel replacing Eigsti) and was in better-than-usual form. His vocalizing on
“Times Are Getting Tougher,” “Yardbird Suite” and “Route 66” contained
some virtuosic scat singing. Holloway’s interaction with the singer was quite
exciting. It was a great hour that was celebrated Red Holloway’s 80th
birthday although that event was never announced.
Bassist-singer Richard Bona followed with an intriguing performance that
included his quiet African pop singing but also Afro-Cuban jazz and fine
solos including from trumpeter Taylor Haskins and Bona. The wide-ranging
repertoire kept one constantly guessing what was going to happen next.
Trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s quintet with the passionate saxophonist
Brice Winston, pianist Fabian Almazan, bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer
Kendrick Scott, mostly played themes that were written for the Spike Lee
New Orleans Katrina documentary When The Levees Broke. Melancholy
themes alternated with ecstatic solos. When the performance ended, the
ever-alert Bill Cosby announced that we had just listened to Nicholas
Payton, and he repeated that mistake three times.
Marcus Miller’s band displayed a lot of potential, featuring trumpeter Patches
Stewart (who has greatly widened his range during the past few years),
altoist Keith Anderson and Gregoire Maret on harmonica. Most of the music
was funk-oriented and there were a few too many electric bass solos from
Miller, but his spot on bass clarinet on “When I Fall In Love” worked well and
the band really caught fire during their rendition of the Beatles’ “Together.”
Hundreds if not thousands of partiers spontaneously started to dance and
Miller wisely kept the song going as long as possible, featuring plenty of
explosive ensembles from the unusual frontline.
Miller would be a tough act to follow, but Dianne Reeves wisely emphasized
funky rhythms during her first couple of numbers, holding on to most of the
audience. Her set, which included “One For The Road” and a swinging
“Social Call,” eventually slipped into autobiographical r&b/folk and got corny
with “Just My Imagination” but no one can musically introduce a band like
she can. And when she sings jazz, few can compete with Dianne Reeves.
One of the most enjoyable performances of the weekend was the debut of
Arturo Sandoval’s Mambo Mania Big Band. Emphasizing 1950s mambos
including pieces made famous by Perez Prado, Sandoval was very much in
his element, playing completely impossible trumpet solos and outbursts on
timbales while leading a raging big band. On one song, Sandoval took a
trumpet break that started on his highest screaming note, gradually working
his way down. His trumpet section, which included Wayne Bergeron on lead,
powered the ensembles and two colorful couples performed some
impressive dance numbers onstage. Ed Calle took some heated tenor solos,
such songs as “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White,” “Mam Bop,” “How
Good Is Mambo” and “Mambo Caliente” were performed, and Arturo’s
occasional vocal breaks were hilarious. It seemed as if the entire audience
at the Hollywood Bowl was dancing and this set could have continued for
hours.
Next, Etta James surprised many of her fans by now being about 1/3 the size
that she was a few years ago. Instead of finding it difficult to walk as had
been true earlier, she prowled the stage confidently and belted out songs
with her familiar voice. Her self-groping and single entendre songs can be a
bit over-the-top, but when she sang “At Last,” it was difficult not to cheer.
Other numbers included “I’d Rather Be A Blind Girl,” “A Lover Is Forever,”
“They Don’t Know What Love Is” and “Feel Like Sugar On The Floor.”
Guitarist Norman Brown’s Summer Storm was scheduled last, and few in the
audience felt the slightest bit guilty leaving during his lightweight show.
Brown was particularly hyper and gave it his all, but the smooth pop music
was not worth it. Marion Meadows sounded as weak as ever on soprano and
Peabo Bryson, despite displaying strong vocal chops, mostly sang about
corny trivialities.
But overall it was a very enjoyable weekend, one of the best Playboy Jazz
Festivals in a decade.
The 2007 IAJE Convention
The International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) put on their annual
convention this year in New York City. The world’s greatest jazz
schmoozeathon, the IAJE convention is the only jazz festival that I know of
where jazz is often very much in the background in favor of passionate 30-
second conversations. Whether it be reuniting with old friends, hobnobbing
with famous and accessible musicians (“look, there’s Billy Taylor!”), trying to
pick up important information in seminars and panel discussions, going out
of one’s way to snag free sampler CDs or begging for work, many of the
7,000 attendees at the IAJE have their own strategy.
It is always a bit entertaining visiting New York City, particularly when one is
a foreigner from Los Angeles. While New Yorkers seem to speak a similar
language, there are differences in the cultures. They actually think that
when it is 50 degrees in January, it is a heat wave; we in L.A. know that when
it is under 70, it is freezing. New Yorkers were bragging about their summer
weather when by a fluke it was actually two degrees warmer one day than in
Southern California. But when I woke up my first morning and noticed these
white things dropping from the sky that someone called snow, I laughed for
five minutes.
Unlike in L.A., New Yorkers do not jump in their cars every time they have to
travel more than a block. Cabs, buses and trains actually have riders and
are not just props for the movies. Driving in NYC would be suicidal and a bit
fruitless anyway since there are no parking spaces, buses go faster than
cars, cabs go faster than buses and jaywalkers completely rule the city. It is
easy to separate the tourists from the natives. When the traffic light turns
red, only the tourists hesitate about crossing the street, knowing that if they
jaywalked in Los Angeles, they would be run over with the blessings of the
police.
Also different about NYC is that restaurants have places to check one’s
coat, many people wear hats, scarves and gloves, the food tastes better in
NYC, hotels and restaurants have their heat on so high that one completely
thaws out from freezing weather within three seconds, and the entire
population of Glendale can fit into one of the 80-story buildings. Also
unusual is that jazz clubs tend to be filled on most nights, and that listed in
the local jazz paper Hot House are 176 establishments in NYC (147 in
Manhattan) that feature jazz on a regular basis. 176!
The night before the convention began, I saw the Mingus Big Band during
their regular Tuesday night engagement at the Iridium. With altoist Vincent
Herring acting as a witty emcee, the band romped on such numbers as “Gun
Slinging Bird,” the obscure and dramatic “Pinky,” “Passions Of A Woman
Loved,” “Sweet Sucker Dance” and “Song With Orange.” The personnel for
this version of the big band included such notables as baritonist Ronnie
Cuber, altoist Dave Binney, pianist Orrin Evans, tenors Craig Handy and
Wayne Escoffery and trombonist Conrad Herwig, with Ralph Bowen sitting in
on tenor during “Song With Orange.” Seeing the Mingus Big Band digging
into such complex and colorful material (with 11 horns often playing different
parts) makes most other jazz orchestras sound straight-laced in comparison.
The IAJE Convention included such notable events as performances by One
For All (with Eric Alexander), Double Image, Ingrid Jensen, the Charles
Tolliver Big Band, a highly rated set by singer Anne Ducros, Peter
Apfelbaum, Dave Liebman, singer Julia Dollison, the Anita Brown Orchestra
and debuts of new commissioned pieces. There were also extensive radio
seminars, a panel discussion on jazz on TV, a talk on Jazz and Politics with
Dave Douglas, Charlie Haden and Loren Schoenberg, a discussion of
producing Miles Davis albums (with George Avakian, Bob Belden, Teo
Macero, George Duke and Marcus Miller), a talk by this year’s NEA Jazz
Masters, a discussion of the Monterey Jazz Festival, an interview on stage of
Ornette Coleman by Greg Osby, Nat Hentoff reminiscing with Phil Woods,
and a Downbeat Blindfold test of Ron Carter. Despite my best efforts, I
missed all of these along with dozens of other potentially worthy events. One
just cannot be in eight places at once and still visit the extensive Exposition
Hall, not to mention engaging in a countless number of conversations.
Among the many people who I enjoyed talking to and seeing along the way
were the legendary singer Carol Leigh, Brooke Vigoda, Madeline Eastman,
Corina Bartra, Janet Lawson (a major vocalist who is making a comeback
after a serious bout with bad health that temporarily took away her voice),
Barbara Paris, Ken Dryden, Jim Snowden, Joan Bender, Al Julian, Herb
Wong, Frank Tiberi, Mike Brignola, Jane Burnett, Larry Cramer, Alexis Cole,
Rick Stone, Tim Jackson, Kendra Shank, Kellye Gray, Ellen Johnson and Ali
Ryerson plus quite a few others.
I did catch quite a few events. Bassist Wayne Roberts led a sextet that paid
tribute to the John Kirby Sextet of 1939-43, with arrangements transcribed
directly from records and solos that were based on but not exact duplicates
of the original statements of trumpeter Charlie Shavers, altoist Russell
Procope and clarinetist Buster Bailey. The band (which included clarinetist
Dan Blcok, altoist Andy Farber and trumpeter Charlie Caranicas) really
knows the music as they showed on “The Peanut Vendor” and Chopin’s
“Polynaise.” Bassist John Patitucci led a fairly quiet trio that featured guitarist
Adam Rogers and drummer Antonio Sanchez while trumpeter Sean Jones
played some heated hard bop with his quintet (featuring altoist Brian
Hogans) that kept the audience awake at 1 a.m.
At the Jazz Standard one night, singer Nancy King was in superb form.
Joined by pianist Geoff Keezer, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer John
Wikan, Ms. King was boppish, consistently inventive and witty. Sometimes
her lowest notes sounded a bit like Bob Dorough and she sang with the
freedom of Mark Murphy but with her own approach. Fred Hersch sat in
during a heartfelt “I Fall In Love Too Easily” and a rare vocal version of “St.
Thomas,” proving once again that he is one of the masters.
Sheila Jordan gave a very entertaining and informative talk one morning
about “Singing From Your Soul.” Joined by pianist Steve Kuhn, she stressed
the importance of dedication and not giving up, and she humbly admitted, “I
never expected to get this far. I’m shocked that I’m up here talking to you.” At
one point she asked “Am I rambling?” and then scatted Ornette Coleman’s
“Ramblin’.” Jordan and Kuhn agreed that there was a scat virus infecting the
jazz world which the pianist called “Scatitis.” As if to show the value of lyrics,
Jordan sang a slow version of “Look For the Silver Lining” that was full of
feeling.
After seeing a humorous, episodic and somewhat nutty original band called
the Industrial Jazz Group, I pretended I was at the Monterey Jazz Festival
and caught three groups in an hour. Miles Griffith displayed his highly
original and eccentric scatting style. Pianist Taylor Eigsti collaborated with
guitarist Julian Lage in a quartet that created an explosive version of
“Caravan.” And the Miami Saxophone Quartet (with Gary Keller on soprano,
altoist Gary Lindsay, tenor-saxophonist Ed Calle and baritonist Mike
Brignola) performed the three movements of “The Iberia Suite” plus other
rhythmic originals, both with and without a rhythm section. Later that day
altoist Jerry Dodgion led a five-sax octet that included Bill Easley, Jay
Branford and, during its second half, Frank Wess playing in his prime.
Singer Rhiannon proved to be a colorful improviser but one I will have to see
again to truly figure out. A few of her high notes were a little reminiscent of
Janis Joplin, some of her singing bordered on performance art, she
displayed a very expressive and strong voice and was quite witty on “In The
Wee Small Hours Of The Morning.”
Trombonist Conrad Herwig and trumpeter Brian Lynch joined with baritonist
Mario Rivera and pianist Edsel Gomez in a septet to present “The Latin Side
Of Miles Davis.” Their set, which included Latinized versions of “Seven Steps
To Heaven,” and “Solar,” was highlighted by a 25-minute “Sketches Of Spain
Suite” that was brilliant played and constructed. Randy Brecker and
saxophonist Bill Evans combined to co-lead the Soulbop Band, playing
creative funk/jazz while pianist Joanne Brackeen’s quartet with an
unidentified Coltrane-inspired tenor-saxophonist performed high-quality post
bop. Trumpeter Marvin Stamm in a quartet with pianist Bill Mays performed
advanced hard bop, an explorative version of “Alone Together” and a very
slow “The Shadow Of Your Smile.” Impressive sets were put on by Sara
Gazarek (who said “My brother’s a poet, I’m a jazz singer and my mother is
worried”), the Jeff Gardner Trio (performing exquisite music with plenty of
sensitive ballads), and an all-star group with altoists George Robert and Phil
Woods plus Bob Mintzer on tenor. Woods’ showcase on “You Must Believe
In Spring” was a highlight. An advanced student jam gave one the
opportunity to hear the young and brilliant tenor-saxophonist Meilana Gillard
tearing into “Equinox.” She is a name to remember for the future.
A panel on trad jazz featured Leslie Johnson (editor of the Mississippi Rag),
John Shoup of the Dukes of Dixieland, cornetist Jim Cullum, trombonist
Wycliffe Gordon and Matt Domber from Arbors Records. Unfortunately their
talking about the business was so downbeat that it lacked the joy of the
music they work with. Cheer up guys and put on a hot CD; the music is very
much alive!
Kate McGarry, who lived for years in the Los Angeles area before moving to
NY, has really grown as a singer. Before an overflowing crowd one
afternoon, she was both charming and very musical during a memorable set
with guitarist Keith Ganz (her husband), Gary Versace (who switched
between accordion, piano and organ), bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer
Greg Hutchinson. Whether it was a sly “Nobody Else But Me,” a duet with
Versace on “Heather On The Hill,” a witty and Anita O’Day-inspired “Do
Something” or her original “The Target” (which had the many singers in the
audience joining in), this was one of the musical highpoints of the
convention. Kate McGarry is really developing into a major voice.
The NEA Jazz Master Awards concert had awards given to Toshiko Akiyoshi,
Curtis Fuller, Ramsey Lewis, Dan Morgenstern, Jimmy Scott, Frank Wess
and Phil Woods. Each honoree was presented the award by a notable, there
was a five-minute film of their life and they had an opportunity to give a
speech. While Curtis Fuller and Jimmy Scott were touching and emotional,
Phil Woods was hilarious, telling jokes including several about Al Cohn.
Once Woods asked Cohn what the score of a baseball game was. “Nine to
one,” he replied. Woods asked, “Who’s winning?” Cohn responded, “Nine.”
Music for this marathon evening was provided in two mini sets apiece by the
Clayton Brothers (trumpeter Terrell Stafford was in top form) and the Dizzy
Gillespie All-Star Big Band directed by Slide Hampton. The latter ensemble,
in addition to featuring such soloists as trumpeter Roy Hargrove and both
James Moody and Jimmy Heath on tenors, had a pair of vocals by Nancy
Wilson and two by Roberta Gambarini (a beautiful rendition of “Stardust”
and some heated scatting with Moody on “Blue ‘N Boogie”).
The final night’s big concert at IAJE mostly featured jazz from France. Michel
Legrand played a few songs with an orchestra, violinist Didier Lockwood
ranged from swing to Latin jazz during a dazzling set and Richard Gaillano’s
accordion playing both in an unaccompanied solo piece and in a trio was
remarkable. Before the evening’s closing performance by Charlie Haden’s
Liberation Music Orchestra, it was announced that both Michael Brecker and
Alice Coltrane had passed away. Haden, who was close friends with both,
looked as if he were in shock and was quite emotional in paying tribute to
them before his ensemble played “Goin’ Home” and Carla Bley’s “This Is Not
America.”
Even though the convention was over and the Hilton Hotel seemed like a
ghost town by Sunday afternoon, jazz still lives on in New York. I had the
opportunity to see trumpeter Nicholas Payton and his quartet with guitarist
Mike Moreno at the Iridium that night. Payton played one standard after
another virtually nonstop, separated by unaccompanied trumpet passages.
Among the tunes were Lee Morgan’s “Ceora,” “Straight No Chaser,” “Days
Of Wine And Roses” and “But Not For Me.”
It made me want to stay in New York, but instead I vowed to return again
soon. In the meantime, next year’s IAJE (2008) will take place in Toronto,
where no one will be bragging about their summer weather in January!
THE 2006 MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL (an article printed in the August
issue of the Los Angeles Jazz Scene)
Founded in 1970, the Festival International De Jazz De Montreal has grown
into one of the largest and most prestigious jazz festivals in the world. A
countless number of music fans attend the numerous free outdoor concerts
and thousands pack a variety of attractive venues to see the ticketed indoor
events.
Being an American visiting Montreal can be an odd experience at times.
Montreal is very much a French-speaking city, unlike Toronto which I visited
six weeks earlier. Most of its natives know English but many prefer not to
speak it, even when conducting business, so ordering food can sometimes
be a bewildering experience. At one point I went to an Orange Julius stand
and said, “I’d like a large Orange Julius.” The employee acted like she had
no idea what I was asking for so I pointed to a large cup, saying, “Large,
large.” She responded with “Large what?” I pointed at the sign of the place,
“Orange Julius.” It’s not like there were more than three things on the
menu! At the indoor concerts, the warnings about turning off cell phones
and not smoking were spoken in both French and English, but the musicians
were introduced only in French, even when they were Americans.
The strangest aspect to my Montreal visit was that the weather seemed to
be different every block. In one spot it was hot and muggy, a block away it
was cold and windy, a three-minute walk brought one to a rainstorm but then
a block over it was perfect spring weather without a cloud in the sky. The
best advice when leaving the hotel room was to wear a short-sleeved shirt
and bring a heavy coat!
Once one becomes used to the culture shock, it is easier to enjoy Montreal,
a beautiful city that puts on a huge festival. Strangely enough, very little
music takes place before 5 p.m. even though tens of thousands of people
mill around the main outside area for hours before. All that they get to hear
that early is one of several occasional mediocre dixieland bands (operating
under the rather anonymous names of Le Dixieband, Sweet Dixie and L’
Espirit De La Nouvelle-Orleans), endless sound checks for some of the later
groups, and some barely audible strolling world music bands. It is surprising
that the afternoon is not utilized to showcase top local groups.
This year’s festival was 12 days long (from June 28 through July 9). One
wishes that American jazz festivals could compare length-wise. In
comparison, the Monterey Jazz Festival is just three days. Montreal has
never been 100% jazz, always keeping its roster open to blues, r&b, pop and
various uncategorizable groups from Canada, Europe and the U.S., but
there is quite a bit of worthwhile jazz to be experienced, particularly in the
inside concerts. I was at Montreal for most of its first half and enjoyed 11
sets of music that ranged from excellent to truly memorable, just a small
sampling of the music that took place.
John Zorn’s Masada, comprised of the altoist-leader, trumpeter Dave
Douglas, bassist Greg Cohen and drummer Joey Baron, utilizes ancient
Jewish melodies and Eastern European folk songs as the basis for its often-
wild improvisations. Zorn’s playing is sometimes so violent as to be
purposely humorous, but he knows when to curtail the squeaks and
squawks, always serving the music. His passionate playing made Douglas
sound like a straight man in comparison but the trumpeter got in his
inventive ideas along with some witty song quotes (including “I’ll Get By”
during a particularly heated exchange). Cohen and an assertive Baron
drove the two lead voices, making this an exciting and consistently intriguing
performance, one that gained so much applause from the enthusiastic
audience that the band played two encores and had two additional curtain
calls.
Following Zorn, John Pizzarelli’s tribute to Frank Sinatra could not help
sounding conservative. However Pizzarelli, who mostly sang and only played
guitar in small stretches, is so charming and witty that he had no difficulty
winning everyone over. Backed by an excellent band comprised of Montreal
players that mostly played arrangements by Don Sebesky, Pizz was in fine
form on such standards as “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “Come
Rain Or Come Shine” and “Pick Yourself Up.”
Tenor-saxophonist Yannick Rieu (doubling on soprano) utilized a two-bass
quintet that co-starred pianist Francois Bourassa. Part of the time he and
his group improvised off of a peaceful pre-recorded soundscape and in
other spots he played a la Sonny Rollins on “Like Someone In Love” and
part of Rollins’ “Freedom Suite.”
The musical highpoint of the week for me was a trio performance by guitarist
Bireli Lagrene, organist Joey DeFrancesco and drummer Andre Ceccarelli.
Lagrene, who was honored during this festival and featured in five different
groups, originally came to fame over 25 years ago as a 13-year old who
sounded just like Django Reinhardt. He has since evolved through many
phases and in this soul jazz/hard bop setting he sounded closer to Wes
Montgomery and early George Benson, except often playing at triple their
speed. Lagrene and DeFrancesco (the king of his instrument) consistently
impressed, challenged and cracked up each other, and the guitarist’s
unaccompanied feature was miraculous. The material was basic including a
pair of lengthy medium-tempo blues, “Summertime,” “What Is This Thing
Called Love,” “Sunny,” “I Wish You Love” and a rapid “All The Things You
Are,” but the playing was quite inventive and full of spirit and joy.
Pianist Julie LaMontagne, unknown in the United States but popular in
Montreal, has a style reminiscent of Keith Jarrett and early Herbie Hancock.
Her writing for her trio, which utilizes tricky time signatures and unexpected
rhythms, is particularly original.
E.S.T., a very popular European trio comprised of pianist Esbjorn Svensson,
bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Ostrom, plays music that is very
difficult to categorize. Although influenced by jazz, pop, folk, fusion and
classical musics while often emphasizing the groove, their performances are
quite unpredictable. One-chord vamps hint at Keith Jarrett but only slightly
and, whether they are playing a mournful piece, utilizing a synthesizer that
makes Berglund’s bass sound like a rock guitar, or romping acoustically, E.S.
T. has its own approach to improvised music.
The great pianist McCoy Tyner led a septet for what was billed as “The Story
Of Impulse Records.” Actually nothing much was said about Impulse and the
group, which included trumpeter Wallace Roney, trombonist Steve Turre,
tenor-saxophonist Eric Alexander, altoist Donald Harrison, the brilliant
bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Eric Gravatt, used the occasion as an
excuse to jam such pieces as “Stolen Moments,” “Will You Still Be Mine” (a
feature for the trio), “The Promised Land” and some originals. Harrison and
Tyner frequently took solo honors.
I was only able to attend the first half of a concert that teamed Bireli Lagrene
with the Alain Caron Big Band. Lagrene was absent from the first part, which
mostly featured swinging arrangements by Michael Abene, who was present
to conduct the band. Instead of staying for the second half, I opted to see
how Kenny Garrett sounded in Canada. The altoist was as intense and
blazing as ever, hard-driving from the start on a furious uptempo tune. His
young but sadly unidentified quartet kept up with him as he displayed plenty
of fire, making one wish that he had had the opportunity to record with the
late and equally intense Jackie McLean. A pair of soprano-piano duets on
moody ballads offered a bit of contrast during a stirring set that solidified
Kenny Garrett’s reputation as one of the most vital of all current jazz
musicians.
Altoist Christine Jensen is at this point best known as the sister of the great
trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, but she is rapidly developing into a major force
herself, both as a player and as a writer. Joined by guitarist Ken Bibece,
pianist Dave Restivo, bassist Fraser Hollins and drummer Greg Ritchie,
Jensen (who doubled on soprano) played originals (“For Tom Harrell,”
“Cedar,” “Kapers Capers,” “Promenade,” “Keeping Up Appearances” and
“Upper Fargo”) that ranged from a cooking augmented blues to pieces built
around complex time signatures.
The final set that I saw in Montreal was a particularly intriguing performance
by drummer Aldo Romano (who, like Lagrene, was the star of five concerts),
bassist Henri Texier and Louis Sclavis on clarinet, bass clarinet and
soprano. This was the type of music I most wanted to hear while in Canada,
highly original performances from musicians who never seem to pass
through Los Angeles. Whether it was rambunctious free bop, folkish
melodies, episodic improvisations, a mysterious Near Eastern ballad or a
drunken comical march, the trio was consistently inventive and colorful. It
was a particular treat getting to hear Louis Sclavis, an underrated player on
each of his instruments.
Other performers at this year’s festival who I did not get to see, either
because they were on the same time as the concerts I attended or because
they were featured during the festival’s second half, included B.B. King, Badi
Assad, Brad Mehldau, Chris Botti, Chris Potter, Dave Brubeck, Dave
Liebman, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Don Byron, Enrico Pieranunzi, Gonzalo
Rubalcaba, Jamie Cullum, Joe Lovano, Matthew Shipp, Pat Martino, Patricia
Barbara, Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Sara Gazarek, Stefan Harris,
Susie Arioli, Wayne Shorter and Yusef Lateef.
Obviously the Montreal Jazz Festival, even with its wild eclecticism and crazy
weather, is well worth attending. For more information about next year’s
marathon, take a look at www.montrealjazzfest.com.
THE 2006 ART OF JAZZ CELEBRATION
Recently I had the good fortune to attend the first annual Art Of Jazz
Celebration in Toronto. Two suggestions I would make for future festivals is
having a schedule for the local groups playing at the outdoor venues since
one never knew who was performing where beyond the major acts, and
better and less expensive food. However, as you can see from my narrative,
this was a great and memorable festival, and a very impressive start for what
will hopefully be a continuing series.
Here is the article I wrote for the June issue of the Los Angeles Jazz scene:
It started with an idea by Jane Bunnett (a major soprano-saxophonist and
flutist), her husband trumpeter Larry Cramer, pianist-educator Howard Rees
and jazz advocate Bonnie Lester. Together they formed the Art Of Jazz, a
nonprofit organization in Toronto, Canada whose goal is to help jazz through
educational events, the formation of the Art Of Jazz Orchestra, concerts,
clinics and an annual five-day festival. I was fortunate enough to attend the
first annual Art Of Jazz Celebration.
Held in the historic Distillery District in Toronto, the main events took place at
an attractive theater (the Young Center for the Performing Arts), there were
jam sessions at a large hall (the Fermenting Cellar) and clinics were
conducted in a smaller venue (the Gibsone Jessop Gallery). Although many
of the musicians stayed at the Delta Hotel East in distant Scarborough (so
far away that it was referred to as Scarberia), all of the events took place on
time with the constant driving being undertaken by a small and hardworking
crew of volunteers.
Adjusting to Canada is very easy for Americans. The main differences seem
to be that Canadians use $1 and $2 coins (there are no longer any $1 bills),
measure the temperature in Celsius (so 11 degrees is not quite as cold as it
sounds) and cars often go 110 because speedometers are in kilometers.
Some of us joked about coming to Toronto to enjoy its summer weather for it
was cold, windy and often rainy during the entire week in late May. No
matter, the jazz was worth it.
Due to a series of bizarre mishaps (when traveling to Canada, always have a
passport or at least your birth certificate!), I missed the Art Of Jazz’s opening
Wednesday night party which featured singer Ranee Lee and many of the
other participants. Thursday’s main event was a tribute to the great bebop
pianist Barry Harris. 87-year old pianist Hank Jones started the first of the
two concerts with a solo version of “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” that was
both complex and melodic, a bit reminiscent of Art Tatum. Joined by bassist
Earl May and drummer Leroy Williams, Jones encored with “On Green
Dolphin Street.” Next, the guest of honor performed an original ballad and
an inventive medley that included a waltz, a classical-type piece and
“Prelude To A Kiss.” When Harris started “Easy To Love,” Jimmy Slyde tap-
danced in the audience. Slyde, who is 79, seeing that there were no steps
directly to the stage, lifted himself onstage with his hand so he could join
Harris, quite a feat. Jimmy Slyde’s constantly changing and witty dance
steps would have been remarkable if performed by someone who was 49
much less 79, and he easily stole the show. Jones returned to be part of a
two-piano quartet with Harris on “What Is This Thing Called Love” and,
halfway through the song, altoist Charles McPherson joined in, turning the
piece into “Hot House.” “All The Things You Are” featured McPherson and
Jones in a quartet, with the alto sounding at his most passionate. The
closing number, which had all six musicians on stage (and Leroy Williams
sounding a lot like Max Roach in the 1940s), started out as “I Remember
April” before somehow returning to “All The Things You Are.”
The second show used the same format but an almost completely different
repertoire. Jones played “Polka Dots And Moonbeams” as his solo number
and performed “Woody’n You” with the trio. Harris was featured on “The
Summer Knows” and played “Perdido” behind Jimmy Slyde who really tore
the place apart. An out-of-tempo duet by Harris and Slyde on “My Ideal” was
quite humorous, featuring tap-dancing on the ballad which was turned into a
waltz. Harris sang/talked his own lyrics to “Embraceable You” while backed
by pianist David Virelles (a fine talent from Cuba), Jones and Harris
collaborated on “Star Eyes” with McPherson making an entrance and the
quartet dug into “I’ll Remember April” and “Darn That Dream” with Jones
sounding close to Bud Powell. Charlie Parker’s “Au Privave” closed the
show in heated fashion.
The next night’s tribute to Don Thompson was also very impressive.
Thompson, a Canadian jazz treasure, is equally skilled on vibes, piano and
bass. In these two shows, he was featured on all three of his axes.
Thompson and drummer Terry Clarke were part of John Handy’s famous
group that was the hit of the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival and they were
both long-time members of the Jim Hall Trio. Both altoist Handy and guitarist
Hall were part of the festivities (this was the first time they had ever played
together), along with bassist Dave Holland and Phil Dwyer (heard on tenor
and piano). As with the Barry Harris show, the personnel changed with each
song although in this case the repertoire was very similar on both sets.
While the first half was more emotional, Handy had trouble with a sticking
key on his alto, which was completely fixed in time for the slightly superior
second set. “Birdbath,” Thompson’s original minor blues with a bridge,
featured all of the players with Dwyer on piano, Thompson on vibes and
Holland’s thunderous solo taking honors. “Basin Street Blues” had Handy
playing soulfully while the Handy-Thompson-Clarke trio swung “It Could
Happen To You.” “Groovin’ High” had the opening lineup (without Dwyer)
but was overshadowed by an unaccompanied solo showcase for Dave
Holland that was quite outstanding. Jim Hall was heard in a duet with Holland
on “Skylark” and with Thompson and Clarke on “My Funny Valentine,”
showing that he is still one of the most adventurous (and quietest) guitarists
on the scene. Phil Dwyer stood in for Sonny Rollins, purposely sounding
just like him on “Without A Song,” a song that Rollins had recorded with Jim
Hall 44 years ago for the famous The Bridge album. During “In A
Sentimental Mood” and an uptempo “If I Were A Bell,” Dwyer sounded closer
to Michael Brecker and the closing “Just Friends” featured the full sextet.
The second set had “It Could Happen To You” replaced by “St. Louis Blues”
and dropped “In A Sentimental Mood” and “If I Were A Bell.” In both cases,
the performances ended with a long-standing ovation for Don Thompson,
who was constantly given applause by the other musicians during the heart-
warming performances.
Saturday and Sunday had four very different duos. Altoist Sonny Fortune
and drummer Rashied Ali played a truly remarkable version of “Impressions”
which lasted 108 minutes without ever slowing down. Fortune’s opening solo
was 89 minutes, the longest improvisation I’ve ever seen. He never ran out
of ideas, passion, logic or intensity, using circular breathing now and then
along with complex patterns. At the end of the piece when Fortune and Ali
talked to the audience, neither one was out of breath!
Sheila Jordan is one of the most beloved singers in jazz for she gives so
much of herself to audiences. Teamed with the brilliant and hard-working
bassist Cameron Brown, her voice was heard in prime form on such
numbers as Oscar Brown Jr.’s “Hum Drum Blues,” “Mood Indigo,” a medley
of tunes inspired by Fred Astaire, “Baltimore Oriole,” “You Must Believe In
Spring, ” “Better Than Anything,” “Dat Dere,” “Confirmation” and a medley of
“Blue Skies,” “All Blues” and “Freddie Freeloader.” A constant improviser,
Sheila Jordan also sang about needing to get a good meal, her appreciation
of the string bass (on “I’ve Grown Accustomed To the Bass”), her life and
Barry Harris (who was in the audience) in addition to doing a brief imitation
of Julie Andrews on “I Could Have Danced All Night.” She was visibly touched
by the long, enthusiastic and well-deserved standing ovation.
Pianist Kenny Barron and trumpeter Eddie Henderson were a logical
matchup. On their first few numbers, Henderson was mostly muted and,
since the repertoire included “On Green Dolphin Street,” “All Blues” and “’
Round Midnight,” the set seemed in danger of being merely a Miles Davis
tribute. However Henderson finally took the mute out of his horn, sounding
more like Freddie Hubbard, and Barron was in wondrous form on such
numbers as “Infant Eyes,” “Well You Needn’t,” “The Very Thought Of You,”
an uptempo “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise” and “Blue Monk.”
The final duet performance was by Ravi Coltrane and pianist Luis Perdomo.
Coltrane, playing tenor other than one appearance on soprano, has really
evolved and grown through the years. His complex solos on originals and a
few standards (Ornette Coleman’s “Blues Connotation,” “Soul Eyes,”
“Epistrophy” and “Evidence”), were quite original while Perdomo showed that
he is a rather masterful player himself. Their duets had the most advanced
music of the festival.
Other events that took place throughout the festival included late-night jam
sessions by local players, outside concerts (which were quickly moved inside
due to the wind and rain) from unannounced local groups, fine moments
from blues singer-harmonicat-accordionist Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, Sunday
afternoon performances of Slim Gaillard songs for children, and clinics
conducted by Hank Jones, Barry Harris, Sheila Jordan, pianist Hilario Duran
and percussionist Francisco Mela. There was also a Saturday night salsa
party with the New Orleans Soul Rebels (similar to the Dirty Dozen Brass
Band), Jane Bunnett’s Radio Guantanamo and two long sets from Ricky
Franco’s Salsa Orchestra, with guest appearances from the dazzling trumpet
of Ray Vega. The erratic sound quality, a few overly loud singers and an
excess of non-jazz material kept this “Salsa Meets Jazz” night from reaching
its potential although it did attract an overflow crowd.
The final major concert of the weekend was the debut of the Art Of Jazz
Orchestra. Conducted by John McLeod (whose flugelhorn solos recalled
Kenny Wheeler), the 17-piece big band performed modern mainstream
originals from a variety of top Canadians. Its lineup included such notables
as Ray Vega, tenor-saxophonist Kirk MacDonald, altoists Campbell Ryga
and Luis Deniz, trombonist Tom Walsh, Howard Johnson (featured on both
baritone sax and tuba), bassist Keiran Overs, drummer Ted Warner and
guests Barry Harris (who played his “Nascimento”), Jane Bunnett (in the
spotlight for Don Pullen’s “Big Alice”) and Don Thompson. As impressive as
the two sets were, the emotional highpoint was performed by a sextet (with
trumpeter Larry Cramer, trombonist Tom Walsh, Thompson and bassist
Cameron Brown); a recreation of George Russell’s radical reworking of “You
Are My Sunshine” with Sheila Jordan which was last performed in 1962.
All in all, it made for a memorable festival. The first Art Of Jazz Celebration
ranked favorably with the much larger and more established Canadian jazz
festivals. For more information on future events, contact www.artofjazz.org.
Note to below review:
I was in New York in 1998 to attend one of the final Jazz Times conventions
(notice where it took place) before Jazz Times gave it up and chose to
become buried in IAJE's much larger convention. It served as a good
excuse to compare LA with NY. It seems like just yesterday, or perhaps a
century ago.
THE 1998 JAZZ TIMES CONVENTION
(printed in the Dec. 1998 issue of the Los Angeles Jazz Scene)
The Jazz Times convention is an annual schmoozathon that is accurately
described by jazz presenter Yvonne Ervin as "one of the world's largest jazz
job fairs." Held this year at the New York Marriott World Trade Center, the
four-day event had panel discussions, a few speeches of varying quality,
some live performances by both established and emerging artists, a nightly
jam session, and an exhibit hall in which various vendors and labels could
publicize their projects. More importantly, it gave jazz journalists, publicists,
managers, musicians, radio programmers, producers, presenters and others
in the biz an opportunity to see each other, gab and make deals; it always
helps that everyone wears name tags!
Coming from Los Angeles and visiting New York for only the third time in 30
years, I had the opportunity during my five days in the Big Apple to observe
a few differences in the customs and lifestyles of residents of the two cities.
New York has quite a few real strong points along with a few major flaws that
simply cannot be fixed. The traffic in NY is quite remarkable in several
ways. It took a five-hour plane flight to go the 3,000 miles from LAX to
Newark Airport, and two hours on a shuttle to travel from Newark to
Manhattan (which is maybe 20 miles) even though there were no obvious
accidents along the way.
Since the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels have just two lanes in either direction
and there is no escape after entering a tunnel, one can only imagine the
mess that must occur when a car or a truck gets stalled. In the city itself, it
makes no sense to own a car (unless one is venturing outside New York)
due to the very dense traffic, the lack of parking spaces and the many
illogical one-way streets. There are few blocks in New York where two or
three extra lanes are not needed but, since much of the city was built over
100 years ago and there are these 80-story skyscrapers in the way, the
problem will never be solved.
Unlike L.A. where buses travel 20 miles an hour and are therefore always
empty, and where cabs have to be called by phone, in NY individual
automobiles are sometimes the slowest means of transportation. Buses
travel faster than cars (and are therefore often full) and the cabs are
manned by some of the world's greatest virtuosic drivers who zoom along at
the maximum speed and yet never seem to have any dents on their cabs.
To make matters even more confusing, everyone jaywalks. When the light
turns red and the signs say "Don't Walk," the only people who hesitate to
cross the streets are tourists.
In L.A. if one jaywalks, they will either get a ticket or be enthusiastically run
over, but in N.Y. the pedestrians seem to rule and do not even think of
crossing a busy street until there is a red light. On the other hand, in Los
Angeles every time it drizzles, people forget how to drive and the local news
trumpets "Storm Watch!"
Even at 3 in the morning on a weekday, NYC is very much alive with honking
horns, sirens, all-night pizza places and people constantly rushing from one
place to another. For reasons that everyone seems unable to definitively
answer, the food is much better in New York than anywhere on the West
Coast and possibly the country One can eat at a rather average hot dog
stand in New York and the quality of the food will be much higher than at the
best establishments in Los Angeles; in fact there is no comparison.
This is not only true of such NY specialties as bagels and pizza but of simple
foods such as hamburgers and french fries. One cab driver speculated that
this was because in New York Italians actually run the Italian restaurants,
Greeks own Greek restaurants,etc, and that each culture keeps their
original timeless recipes alive without watering down the spices of their food.
Still, if that is the reason, one wonders why New York chefs have not moved
to Los Angeles and made a killing. A more likely explanation for the
improved food on the East Coast is the quality of the water. For whatever
reason, everything tastes better in New York, whether it be expensive meals
or $1.25 hot dogs purchased from vendors.
And unlike Los Angeles, where one has to drive everywhere (including
the grocery store), in most areas of New York City, one can find practically
everything within two or three blocks, including restaurants that are at their
most crowded at 2 a.m. The city gives the impression of never sleeping,
making one wonder how the average person ever gets around to getting
enough rest to go to work!
From the jazz standpoint, if one shakes a tree in New York, three jazz
musicians will fall out. Although Los Angeles has a fertile and underrated
jazz community, New York has it beat in quantity and intensity. Perhaps the
edginess to the typical New York band is due to the extreme weather (on
Halloween night it was windy and 40 degrees, colder than at any time of the
year in L.A., and it was not even winter yet) or maybe it is due to the pure
competitiveness. There are many more jazz clubs in NY than in LA but, due
to the large number of world class musicians, there is less work for the
average player.
The Jazz Times Convention (which took place from Friday through Monday)
had some interesting panels along the way, including a critics forum
featuring Bob Blumenthal, Bill Milkowski, Neil Tesser, Gene Seymour and
Zan Stewart, a discussion focusing on guitarists (with Leni Stern, John
Abercrombie and Jim Hall) and a surprisingly entertaining panel featuring
lawyers involved in the jazz business.
In addition, Nat Hentoff talked about his career, the Heath Brothers (Jimmy,
Percy and Tootie) were honored in humorous and loving fashion during the
convention's closing event (with comments from Roy Haynes, John Lewis,
Kenny Barron, Ray Bryant, Randy Brecker, Orrin Keepnews and Billy Taylor)
and Amiri Baraka gave the keynote address. The latter was a disaster as
Baraka (who sounded as if it were 1965) ranted and raved about racism in
jazz without offering any coherent solutions or ideas. Many of his comments
bordered on the nonsensical, such as one claiming that jazz magazine
editors were keeping blacks from writing about jazz!
There were some musical highlights along the way. An opening press
conference held at Birdland to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Blue Note
Records had vibraphonist Stefan Harris and pianist Renee Rosnes teamed
up in a quartet that served as background music for the schmoozers. After
the official party ended, Los Angeles' Tierney Sutton had an opportunity to
sing for the stragglers (which included some record company execs) and
she fared quite well as did her backup trio (which included pianist Eric Reed).
At the conference itself, tenor-saxophonist Don Braden teamed up wit the
intriguing singer Dominique Eade for some swinging and occasionally quite
modern music. Nnenna Freelon mostly performed music from her latest
album, there were sets by pianist-vocalist Loston Harris, Paul Tobey's big
band, pianist Lynne Arriale's Trio, Jerome Richardson and singer Terri
Thornton, and trumpeter Mark Morganelli led the nightly jam session.
The best music of the convention was undoubtedly a set by Anthony
Wilson's Nonet featuring Bennie Wallace on tenor and a variety of top East
Coast musicians (including trumpeter John D'Earth and trombonist Art
Baron). During three of the afternoons, several "emerging artists" had
opportunities to play but, due to being placed in the lobby, they often
functioned as background music. It was particularly humorous seeing hotel
guests' reactions to George Garzone's Shulldogs, a two-saxophone avant-
garde quartet. It made one wish that there was a circuit for free jazz hotel
bands and that adventurous jazz was pumped into hotel lobbies coast-to-
coast instead of the usual muzak.
Also seen at the convention were such notables as Blue Note's Bruce
Lundvall, producer Bob Belden, pianist Lamont Johnson, guitarists Mark Elf,
Vic Juris and Rick Stone, cellist David Eyges, saxophonist Bob Kirchner and
singers Kitty Margolis, Sherri Roberts, Kendra Shank and Carol Welsman
among many others.
On two nights I had the opportunity to go to clubs in the city. Cyrus
Chestnut was at the Village Vanguard with his trio and, although he threw
everything he knew into the first couple of songs (his technique is very
impressive), Chestnut showed more restraint on other selections including
some originals, a stride piece ("That Man's Invention #2") and a few ballads.
After his performance I did something that cannot be done in Los Angeles. I
walked to five other jazz clubs! Grover Washington Jr. was at the Blue Note
(by visiting the gift shop, I was able to hear a couple songs), Small's was
having their nightly jam session (which typically goes until 6 a.m.) and John
Abercrombie and Tom Harrell were part of the quintet at Sweet Basil.
On another night, flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny, pianist Darrell Grant and
bassist Doug White performed melodic standards at Weill Recital Hall (next
door to Carnegie Hall) and the trio of pianist James Williams, bassist
Christian McBride and drummer Tony Reedus (with occasional vocals from
Miles Griffith) were at Zinno, an Italian restaurant that had the best mashed
potatoes I've had in a decade! Milt Hinton was in the audience watching
McBride closely.
Perhaps the highlight of my New York visit took place between the latter two
performances when I listened to Jim Cullum's hot New Orleans jazz band on
the Riverwalk radio series while riding in a cab that was cruising at a
ridiculously fast speed through the streets of New York.
The review included below was originally written for the Los Angeles
Jazz Scene back in 1985 but was never published.
It is an interesting time capsule that covers one of the very best Playboy Jazz
Festivals. Some of the comments are a bit dated (Monterey has greatly
improved in the years since then), but I think it has its interesting moments
and the atmosphere at the Playboy Festival has not changed in the years
since. It includes a review of a performance I still consider the most exciting
I've ever seen; a set by the vocal quartet Sing Sing Sing. Of course I was
only three years old at the time. Or, as I sometimes tell people when they
ask my age, I'm just 23 but I've had an awful hard life!
THE 1985 PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL
No jazz concert in Los Angeles compares to the Playboy Jazz Festival.
Founded in 1979, this 2-day 17-hour weekend marathon at the Hollywood
Bowl is remarkable not only for its quantity of music (18 groups this year) but
for the many diverse styles of jazz represented. Unlike New York's Kool
Festival, where one has to spend many hours commuting from place to
place, or the five-concert three-day Monterey tradition which specializes in
bop and the blues, the Playboy Jazz Festival offers a tremendous variety of
styles and sounds in one place. A party atmosphere pervades the Bowl
during this special weekend. Fellow ticket holders become neighbors and
friends, food and drink (and artificial substances) are shared openly, and
the music at times seems relegated to being a special attraction or a
distraction. The constant din from the audience poses a challenge to the
musicians, who must first get the attention of the crowd before working on
obtaining their approval. The advantage is naturally with larger groups but
even a solo pianist, if he shows creativity and a certain amount of
showmanship, can emerge as a hit.
It is advisable for ticket holders to bring their own supplies since the
concessions (the unfortunate new Coke, bits of junk food, T-shirts, etc.) are
vastly overpriced. The $5 program has a schedule and a few interesting if
irrelevant jazz articles but it lacks the most important information it could
supply: a complete listing of personnel.
Happily Steve Allen was the emcee this year. His often-hilarious
commentary on the proceedings kept the show moving (along with Playboy's
revolving stage) and was in striking contrast to Bill Cosby in previous years.
Cosby, whose idea of ad-libbing is to announce "and now Weather Report,"
would disappear for hours and repeat the same joke eight times over a
weekend; no exaggeration. Steve Allen, on the other hand, was prepared.
"I could tell this is a jazz audience, you're so much better behaved than a
rock crowd. Not that all rock is bad. In fact, there are some members of a
famous rock group here today. Take a bow, Scum of the Earth!" He then
pointed at some innocent bystanders and had them acknowledge the
applause. Later when the crowd was getting rowdier, he said, "I was wrong,
this is a rock audience. I can tell by the smell of the smoke. There's a fellow
smoking a Camel in the 4th row. Not a cigarette; a real Camel that he
roasted in the pit." After Miles Davis finished a set in which he mostly faced
his drummer, Allen commented, "That last song was from the new Miles
Davis album, Pardon My Back."
Here's what you probably missed, in chronological order:
The Saturday concert (June 15) started a few minutes before 2:30 with Ann
Patterson's Maiden Voyage Orchestra playing a modernized version of "In
The Mood." Then out came the vocal trio "Full Swing" (Lorraine Feather,
Bruce Scott and Charlotte Crossley), an excellent unit in the vein of Lambert,
Hendricks & Ross although not yet of that stature. They sounded fine on
songs like "The Right Idea," "Bijou" and a Basie tribute but there was little for
the orchestra to do. Worse yet, Full Swing brought along their own electric
rhythm section which proceeded to play every possible cliche since they did
not understand this idiom of music. At one point on "Creole Love Call,"
Bubber Miley's famous 1927 trumpet solo was played on a synthesizer. Why
not use one of the trumpeters instead?
After the vocalists left, the all-female big band Maiden Voyage got to cut
loose. A Hank Levy arrangement of "There'll Never Be Another You," Stacy
Rowles' trumpet feature on "Blue" (for Blue Mitchell) and an uptempo blues
original were quite good. In addition to Rowles, the standout soloists were
altoist Ann Patterson and Betty O'Hara on trumpet, valve trombone and
double-belled euphonium.
Next up was the fascinating Dirty Dozen Brass Band. While the two
drummers (snare and bass drum) swung parade rhythms, Joseph Kirk's
amazingly fluid tuba playing performed electric bass lines and the five horns
combined equal mixtures of r&b, funk and bop. A snappy staccato
"Sidewinder" and a lowdown version of "Blue Monk" were unique. The group
closed their set by marching offstage, playing in the aisles for some dancers
and continuing to jam into the parking lot. That's the true spirit of jazz.
Makoto Ozone emerged to play some romantic solo piano on "A Crystal
Love" and to pay tribute to Chick Corea on "Coreaology." After Michel
Petruccianni explored "Someday My Prince Will Come," the two young piano
masters joined forces for several selections, and they blended together
perfectly.
The obvious low point of the day was the lightweight pop/funk of Lee
Ritenour, who does not belong at a jazz festival. Of more significance to the
audience was a sudden flood of beach balls (numbering 101) contributed by
a mischievous ticket holder. The beach balls, especially one huge one,
created havoc and joy for hours; some lasted through the following day's
concert. At one point you could look in any direction at the crowd and see
people trying desperately to eat while being bombarded by two dozen beach
balls. It was a rather unique and hilarious scene. It did succeed in making
Ritenour's dull music more tolerable. Steve Allen followed "Captain Fingers"
by announcing that the first real rock musicians were the boogie-woogie
pianists of the 1920s, and he demonstrated by playing some fine boogie-
woogie piano with a trio.
Beach balls weren't necessary to help the J.J. Johnson All-Stars. Each of
the six musicians had their features. The immortal trombonist J.J. played a
delightful duet with bassist Richard Davis on "Bud's Blues." Nat Adderley
cooked on "Misterioso," Harold Land was explorative on "Invitation" and the
Cedar Walton Trio (with very supportive drumming from Roy McCurdy) was
brilliant on "Without A Song." Luckily this was a fairly long set and the music
was inspiring; some in the audience were even caught listening. Nancy
Wilson eventually joined the group, alternating some good jazz ("A Sleeping
Bee") with some more mundane soul ballads.
J.J. Johnson's former employer Miles Davis emerged next, wearing the same
black outfit and evil-looking black hat which he had used to pose for his
album You're Under Arrest (but sans machine gun). Many of his older fans
have given up on Miles since he began using electronics; they have missed
quite a bit. As his excellent rhythm section hit various grooves, Miles Davis
wandered around the stage, his trumpet easily audible due to a cordless
mike. He was in remarkable form, hitting high notes with ease, making every
sound and punctuation count. Whenever a groove reached a climax, Miles
would play a few odd notes and suddenly the rhythm changed. Bob Berg on
tenor and soprano and guitarist John Scofield had a few excellent solos but
Miles Davis was the main force. The music was much closer to jazz than
rock and, when Miles played a pure blues, it was like leaping back 30 years.
The next group figured to be anticlimatic but Joe Williams managed to win
the audience over. He dedicated an odd rendition of "All Blues" to Miles,
singing the lyrics to "Everyday I Have The Blues" over the 6/4 rhythm. The
risque "In The Evening" got a great deal of applause as did a duet of "Alright
OK You Win" with Nancy Wilson. Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson's alto and Red
Holloway's tenor helped to keep the place jumping. The final band of the
day, Pieces Of A Dream, played some nice soul jazz, a bit reminiscent of the
Ramsey Lewis Trio of the 1960s. For many, it was perfect background
music as they left the Bowl to rest up for part two.
Sunday's concert began at 2 p.m. with a pair of contest winners. The
Timothy Horner Quintet, winner of the Hennessey Jazz Search over 400
other contestants, was superb. The music leaned towards the avant-garde
and was quite driving. Horner's tenor was strong as was pianist Ed Howard
but it was the four-mallet vibes work of the young Joe Locke that stole the
show. This group should be recorded; there's lots of potential here.
Also quite worthy was the Fullerton College Jazz Band, winner of the J.P.
Jazz Festival. A colorful and melodically distorting Lex Hooper arrangement
of "Sweet Georgia Brown," the superior tenor battle (Edmond Velasco and
Doug Graydon) on another modernized version of "In The Mood," and a
guest appearance by the recently ill Ashley Alexander on his slide/valve
superbone were the highpoints, as were the solo work of altoist Sarah
Underwood and Steve Page on baritone.
Chico Freeman followed with a solid set. His quartet included bassist Cecil
McBee, drummer Freddie Waits and a fine pianist whose name I missed.
After playing originals such as "Each One, Teach One" and "Hisstory,'
Freeman woke up the crowd with an emotional blues a la Gene Ammons.
When the revolving stage turned to make way for Horace Silver, Chico
continued playing the blues, displaying true showmanship as the crowd
waved farewell. Silver's quintet, featuring trumpeter Brian Lynch and Ralph
Moore's tenor, sounded a lot like his 1960's group, swinging and funky.
"Gregory Is Here" had a great trumpet solo, "Nutville" and "Senor Blues"
were near-classic and Horace Silver was in a happy mood. Unfortunately his
set was cut short (the concert was behind schedule) so Silver's logical closer
"Song For My Father" (it was Father's Day) was not performed.
After four straight hits, it was time for a couple of misses. Stevie Ray
Vaughan's Double Trouble rhythm section was strong and driving but his
own screaming wa-wa rock/blues guitar was monotonous after a chorus. He
stuck to the blues but his unintelligible lyrics and lack of dynamics were quite
dull. And why was Ronnie Laws at this festival? His pleasant and
unimaginative saxophone shared the spotlight with his vocals and that of his
sister Debra Laws. The music was soul rather than jazz and quite out-of-
place. I'd rather have heard David Sanborn or, better yet, the World
Saxophone Quartet.
But then came the highpoint of the festival, the vocal quartet Sing Sing
Sing. Imagine a group with the frontline consisting of the genius of vocalese
Jon Hendricks, the incredible Bobby McFerrin, Manhattan Transfer's Janis
Siegel (what a range!) and Dianne Reeves, backed by an excellent rhythm
section. Every moment the singers shared on stage was magical. On