JuLY 2019

VOLUME 86 / NUMBER 7

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Á
 First Take BY BOBBY REED

JAZZ
CREDIT
STEVE MUNDINGER/HERBIE HANCOCK INSTITUTE OF
Herbie Hancock in Sydney during
the 2019 International Jazz Day events

Nonstop Hancock
FEW ARTISTS REPRESENT THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF
jazz the way that Herbie Hancock does. As jazz fans, we treasure his rich,
extensive catalog, we eagerly await news on his latest projects, and we
applaud all the work he does as an educator, mentor and jazz ambassador.
In this issue of DownBeat, the iconic pianist/keyboardist pops up a few
places—which is hardly surprising. In our special section We Love Vinyl
(starting on page 46), we have an article detailing the ways that Blue Note
Records is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue
series includes new pressings of Hancock’s Takin’ Off (1962) and Inventions
& Dimensions (1963), and the Tone Poet Audiophile series includes Wayne
Shorter’s Etcetera and Sam Rivers’ Contours, just two of the dozens of clas-
sic albums to which the pianist contributed.
Elsewhere in this issue, we’ve got two articles on International Jazz Day
(in The Beat on page 13 and in Jazz On Campus on page 86). Herbie and
musicians from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz were quite busy
during multiple Jazz Day events in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia,
where they performed, delivered master classes and shared optimistic
messages about the democratic, inclusive nature of jazz. During the trip,
Hancock served as a judge for a young composers competition, where the
winners were ages 9 and 12. This generous act of “paying it forward” helps
ensure that jazz will thrive for generations to come.
Also in The Beat, on page 19, we’ve got coverage of the New Orleans
Jazz & Heritage Festival, where Hancock performed.
So, what’s next for Herbie? First, he’ll tour Australia and New Zealand
from May 31 to June 10. Then, in July and August, he’ll tour North
America with saxophonist Kamasi Washington, in a billing of two artists
from different generations who’ve inspired hordes of rock fans to embrace
jazz. According to his website, some of Hancock’s concerts this summer
will feature an all-star, multigenerational band: drummer Vinnie Colaiuta,
bassist James Genus, guitarist Lionel Loueke and multi-instrumentalist
Terrace Martin. (Plan your travel schedule accordingly.)
Meanwhile, the world awaits a new studio recording from Herbie. We
know that during the past couple of years, he has invited a rotating cast of
musicians to jam and record with him. But as of press time, a release date
had not been set for a new project. Hancock—who’s 79 but treks around
the globe like he’s 29—has shown a knack for connecting with fans and
musicians of all ages. We can’t wait to see (and hear) what he does next. DB

8 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 Chords Discords
Examinations of Originality

DURIMEL
Bobby Reed’s article “Borrowing Ideas” (First
Take, May) caused me to ponder this question:
When is it OK to steal? I would like to ask that
question about jazz saxophonist Kamasi Wash-
ington and, in particular, the track “Change Of
The Guard” on his 2015 album, The Epic.
The influence of John Coltrane on this
piece by Washington is clear to me. Coltrane’s
“Equinox” might have a different tempo, but el-
ements of the harmony and melody are evident
in “Change Of The Guard.” This is the kind of
“stealing” that Branford Marsalis refers to in the
cover story of your May issue. It is not a copy or
an imitation; it is one artist’s use of an idea or
element from the work of another, in order to
create something new.
There is another piece of music that
“Change Of The Guard” brings to mind. The
1985 album The Saxophone Shop by The Ode-
an Pope Saxophone Choir includes the track
“Heavenly.” It was composed by Eddie Green
and arranged here by Pope. I would be keen to
know if anyone else hears similarities between
these two pieces of music. To me, they have sim- Kamasi Washington
ilarities in tempo, melody and harmony. Is this
the same kind of “stealing” that Marsalis spoke case of going beyond the mere “borrowing” of
about, or is it crossing that blurry line between ideas or elements from another artist.
influence and theft? I would love to be proven
MOMO VUCAK
wrong, but it seems to me that this might be a MOMO.VUCAK@GMAIL.COM

The Past Fuels the Future Bassist’s Homeland

In your June issue, the Chords & Discords letter In your June issue, in The Hot Box review of In-
from Lance Martin had this headline: “Is Jazz vincible Nimbus by Anne Mette Iversen’s Ter-
Too Snobbish?” nion Quartet, critic Paul de Barros erroneously
Jazz cannot be snobbish—but perhaps wrote that the bandleader is Dutch. Actually,
a person who plays it can be. To play the old she is Danish.
songs of jazz is like a symphony orchestra play- ALLAN SOMMER
ing Bach, Beethoven or Brahms. One plays it to COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

keep it alive. Not everyone enjoys it, but this

genre deserves to live forever as America’s
music. Perhaps the music of Shaggy, Bruno Corrections
Mars and Cardi B will also live forever.  In the June issue, a student’s name was
L.M. BOURNE misspelled multiple times in the results of
VESTAL, NEW YORK
the DownBeat Student Music Awards. In
the category Engineered Studio Recording,
the Graduate College Winner is Michael
Fond Memories Bevers from Middle Tennessee State Uni-
I enjoyed the DownBeat Jazz Education Hall of versity. Bevers also received an Outstand-
Fame article on master educator Jerry Coker in ing Recording honor in the category Engi-
your June issue. neered Live Recording.
While in the Navy, I was stationed at the  In the May issue, in the Historical column
Army Language School at the Presidio of Mon- of the Reviews section, the sixth paragraph
terey. There, I took a night course in jazz that contains a misspelling of the surname of
was informal and educational. There were of- drummer Franklin Kiermyer.
ten guest musicians who performed and told DOWNBEAT REGRETS THE ERRORS.
stories. I’ll never forget Lee Konitz’s pithy re-
membrances of Charlie Parker.
LARRY HOLLIS
LHOLLIS5@COX.NET
Have a Chord or Discord? Email us at editor@downbeat.com
or find us on Facebook & Twitter.

10 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 News Views From Around The Music World

The
Inside

14 / George Benson
15 / Stephanie Chou
16 / European Scene
18 / Camila Meza
20 / Jazz & Literature
23 / Keystone Korner

Jazz Day’s Cultural Exchange

A
cknowledgments of Australia’s indige-

STEVE MUNDINGER/HERBIE HANCOCK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ

nous Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people were peppered through-
out the 2019 International Jazz Day celebrations
in the host cities of Melbourne and Sydney.
Before beginning several educational work-
shops and cultural tours, Australian spokesper-
sons—regardless of ethnicity—gave voice to spe-
cific indigenous nations, sometimes alluding to
the country’s original sin: the establishment of
Australia as a penal colony by the Dutch, Spanish
and British in 1788, which led to the deaths, dis-
placement and marginalization of indigenous
people who had occupied the land well before
their arrival. James Morrison (left) and William Barton perform
April 30 at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall in Australia.
After the April 30 main concert inside Arts
Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, William and evocative swooshes alongside Morrison’s well as his sublime mid-1990s arrangement of
Barton, a didgeridoo virtuoso of the Kalkadunga equally coruscating passages. Peter Gabriel’s “Mercy Street.”
nation and one of several esteemed Australian Multicultural musical collaborations have Singers Somi and Lizz Wright elevated the
musicians featured on stage, contextualized the been the philosophical anchor for IJD since concert with sets comprising material from more
acknowledgements beyond IJD festivities: “[The its launch in 2011 by UNESCO and the recent albums. Somi channeled much of Miriam
acknowledgements] are becoming more main- Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz (formerly the Makeba’s electricity on “Lady Revisited,” an orig-
stream in Australian culture. [It] lays a new foun- Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz). Musicians inal from her 2014 album, The Lagos Music Salon.
dation for our identity. Our identity is our most at the 2019 main concert also represented Japan, And Wright exhibited Southern gospel roots and
important thing; it’s what keeps our people and Russia, Brazil, Lebanon, Israel, Mexico, England passionate blues-soaked sensuality on her mes-
cultures alive.” and the Netherlands. merizing makeovers of Nina Simone’s “Seems
Much of these newfound official statements Hancock, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Like I’m Never Tired Lovin’ You” and Sister
honoring Australia’s indigenous people and IJD’s other co-artistic director, proclaimed Rosetta Tharpe’s “Singing In My Soul,” both from
were spurred by the 2001 establishment of jazz “the universal language of peace” while con- her 2017 album, Grace.
Reconciliation Australia, a nongovernmen- veying the music’s global appeal, reminding the The concert’s overall feel-good vibe—includ-
tal organization aimed at promoting unity audience that 195 countries around the world ing its closing, all-hands-on-deck reading of
among the country’s indigenous and nonindig- participated in celebrating the event. John Lennon’s “Imagine”—epitomized the hos-
enous communities. During the concert, Barton “For eight years, April 30 is now recognized as pitality that permeated Sydney and Melbourne.
acknowledged his Aboriginal heritage and rec- a day for people of all ages, genders and ethnicities And one could argue that feel-good songs can be
onciliation with Australia’s European citizens to come together and prove that our similarities just as effective at fostering meaningful cultural
through music when he commenced the evening are stronger than our differences,” he enthused. exchange and reconciliations—inside Australia’s
in a duet with trumpeter and trombonist James Unsurprisingly, works from Hancock’s song- multicultural ecosystem and worldwide—as
Morrison, the concert’s co-artistic director. As if book sprang forth: a spirited reading of his 1960s incendiary sociopolitical statements that give
they were summoning ancestral spirits, Barton post-bop classic “One Finger Snap” featuring voice to social change.
crafted slow rhythmic pulses, hypnotic drones organist Joey DeFrancesco instead of piano, as —John Murph

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 13

 C. ANDREW HOVAN
Riffs

MICHAEL PARENTINO/COURTESY YAMAHA

George Benson, shown here at the 2016 Detroit Jazz Festival,

Dave Samuels (1948–2019) performs songs written by Fats Domino and Chuck Berry on his new album.

In Memoriam: Dave Samuels, an

educator and musician whose primary in- Benson Salutes Rock
Pioneers Berry, Domino
struments were vibraphone and marimba,
died April 22 in New York, following a long
illness. He was 70. A recipient of Grammy
and Latin Grammy awards, Samuels had a FOR HIS NEW ALBUM, GEORGE BENSON ing to accomplish, which was to bring back the
long association with Spyro Gyra, and was
turned to the past. On Walking To New Orleans beauty of the ’50s ... . And I didn’t want the audi-
a co-founder of The Caribbean Jazz Project,
as well as Double Image. Samuels taught at
(Provogue), the jazz guitarist/singer pays tribute ence to lose that vibe. They’ve heard me play; they
Berklee College of Music and New England to two rock ’n’ roll icons: Fats Domino and Chuck know what I can do. But to stay somewhere in the
Conservatory. Berry, both of whom died in 2017. Featuring ballpark of the originals would be a major coup.”
Domino classics like 1956’s “Blue Monday” and On his previous recording, 2013’s Inspiration:
Seriously SASSY: The 8th annual Sarah Berry’s 1959 hit “Memphis, Tennessee,” Benson’s A Tribute To Nat King Cole, Benson saluted an
Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Compe- 45th outing as a leader might be his first unabash- artist who began his career as a jazz pianist before
tition, also known as the SASSY awards, is edly rocking album. It also represents his com- earning widespread popularity as a vocalist.
accepting applications through Sept. 9. The ing full circle—back to his rock ’n’ roll roots as a Cole was an obvious role model for Benson, who
competition, which is part of the New Jersey
precociously gifted kid growing up in Pittsburgh. gained notoriety as a hotshot young sideman in
Performing Arts Center’s TD James Moody
Jazz Festival, is open to vocalists 16 years
“I had a band called George Benson & His “Brother” Jack McDuff’s organ group before
old and up who are not signed to a major All-Stars, and we played rock ’n’ roll,” he recalled debuting as a leader, at age 21 on Prestige, with
label. Five finalists (to be announced on Oct. over the phone from his home in the Phoenix 1964’s strictly instrumental The New Boss Guitar
15) will perform for a panel of judges that area. “We played whatever was on the jukebox, Of George Benson. Columbia producer John
includes Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian and both of those guys were on the jukebox all the Hammond then signed Benson to a deal with the
McBride, Jane Monheit, Gary Walker and time. So, making this record was relatively easy, label under the condition that he sing at least two
Matt Pierson on Nov. 24. To compete for the because I remembered so many of those tunes. songs per album. “It was part of my deal,” Benson
$5,000 grand prize, applicants can submit But I also knew better than to try and copy those recalled. “CBS Records told John Hammond,
three songs via the competition website. icons. There’s only one Chuck Berry and only one ‘We don’t need another guitar player.’ So when he
sarahvaughancompetition.com
Fats Domino. Both guys had their own distinctive told them I also sing, they said, ‘If he’s a singer,
Beyond Restrictions: CGI Rochester character, their own vibe, their own sound.” we’ll sign him.’ That’s how that came about.”
International Jazz Festival, which runs June Recorded at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville On the heels of his Columbia signing, the
21–29, reaches well beyond genre restric- with a group of first-call session players, Walking guitar great delivered soulful vocal renditions of
tions as The Steve Miller Band and Patti doesn’t have the typical elements Benson fans “Summertime” and “A Foggy Day” on 1966’s It’s
LaBelle are set to perform. But along with might expect, such as long segments of fiery fret- Uptown and “All Of Me” on 1967’s The George
those rock- and soul-oriented acts, saxo- work with precisely picked 32nd notes. “We tried Benson Cookbook. His singing was prominent-
phonist George Coleman, vocalist Veronica to keep it simple,” he explained. “It’s like each song ly featured on his 1970 Beatles tribute, The Other
Swift, pianist Harold Mabern, guitarist Bill is telling me what I should be playing. My job was Side Of Abbey Road (A&M), and on his 1976
Frisell and rising-star vibraphonist Sasha
to sing the song and not get in the way, because smash, Breezin’ (Warner Bros.), which earned
Berliner are set to perform at the event in
New York State.
this whole project was about storytelling. All I can him three Grammy awards, including a Record
rochesterjazz.com
do is try to create a mat for those stories to rest on, of the Year honor for his rendition of Leon
and that requires a simpler approach to playing.” Russell’s “This Masquerade.”
Final Bar: Eddie Tigner, a Georgia native Benson does, however, get in some of his sig- And Benson still is in particularly good voice
born in 1926 who was a member of The Ink nature solo licks on two tracks—Berry’s 1964 sin- on Walking. “We did the whole session with just
Spots, died April 18 in Atlanta. After Tigner’s gle “Nadine (Is It You?)” and Domino’s hit “Ain’t the band live in the studio, and the atmosphere
stint with the band, he later became That A Shame,” which topped the r&b charts was genuine,” he said. “When you hear them play,
affiliated with the nonprofit Music Maker in 1955. “The bassist on the session, [Alison it’s part of their lifestyle, it’s who they are. They
Foundation, which in 2014 issued a compi-
Prestwood], told me, ‘I was waiting for you to do made me feel so comfortable, man, like this is
lation that included the pianist performing
the classic “Route 66.”
that. Now, I hear George Benson!’ But I was try- what we should be doing. So, I’m going to have
ing to stay away from that because we didn’t want a lot of fun with this record when I go on tour.”
to get the attention away from what we were try- —Bill Milkowski

14 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

Chou Tells Story of ‘Comfort Women’
EVEN THOUGH SHE EXCELLED AS A MATH the 90-minute Comfort Girl on March 29 at Joe’s

©MICHAEL YU
major at Columbia University, Stephanie Chou Pub at the Public Theater in New York with a
had already looked ahead to a saxophone career, five-piece ensemble and plans to release a record-
having played alto and soprano since she was 10. ing of the suite by the end of this year.
The native New Yorker studied the Western clas- The historical background for Comfort Girl
sical canon and then expanded her knowledge largely has been hidden, Chou explained at her
by exploring the city’s competitive improvisa- premiere, saying that about 400,000 women
tional circles. But Chou truly found her voice as were abducted by the Japanese army controlling
a saxophonist and vocalist when she embarked China beginning in 1938. Some tried to escape
on a journey into the rich folkloric music of her but were caught and beaten or killed. Some were
Chinese heritage. killed in camps. Others were released at the end
At the release party last year at Lincoln of the war, but some weren’t accepted by their Stephanie Chou performs
March 29 at Joe’s Pub in New York.
Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium for her soph- families and friends when returning home.
omore album, Asymptote (DouMiao-Haricot), “I didn’t want this piece to be all depressing or lin and then later, erhu accompaniment. At the
Chou sang in English and Mandarin while eas- overly dramatic,” Chou said. “I wanted to tell a wedding celebration, the music turns from joy-
ing into her emotive alto lines. At the end of the story to get a message out there.” ful celebration to horrific clash with Wollesen’s
set, Chou introduced a new piece, “Manchurian During the Comfort Girl premiere, Chou thunderous drums and Chou’s shouting vocals
Girl,” based on a 1938 Japanese hit pop tune that and her band—which included vocalist Orville painting an image of terror.
also was released in China. The song was a part Mendoza, pianist Kelly Lin, drummer Kenny The most powerful piece was a jazz-fueled
of a larger work the bandleader was developing, Wollesen and Andy Lin on erhu, viola and vio- song of escape that Chou sang with a confident
in which she examines the inhumane treatment lin, as well as narrator Peregrine Heard—told urgency: “I’m fighting back, and I’m stronger
of Chinese “comfort women,” who were enslaved the story of a young woman who is excited about than you. ... I won’t be silent anymore.” When the
for sexual pleasure by Japanese soldiers in World her upcoming marriage to a childhood friend; persona escapes and finds her way home, she sees
War II. but then she’s kidnapped by soldiers during her her fiancé in the fields, and is left with the poi-
Thanks in part to a commission from the wedding ceremony. The happier moments of the gnant question: “Who’s the person left in there?”
American Composers Forum, Chou wrote and tale explore young love and feature the lush, har- The suite ends with that question, one that’s
arranged her first long-form suite. She premiered monic intertwining of alto saxophone and vio- echoed through the decades. —Dan Ouellette

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 15

 European Scene / BY PETER MARGASAK

The Business of Listening

“For me, as well as for many other people of

ELEONORA CERRI PECORELLA

my age, a record store has always represent-
ed a meeting place, where besides buying
records you could get in touch with other peo-
ple,” said Italian percussionist Fabrizio Spera.
In the years before he became an internation-
al figure in progressive rock circles, and later,
free-jazz and improvisation, record shops have
been a second home to him.
Beginning in 1992, Spera worked at a se-
ries of iconic, but now shuttered, record shops
in Rome—Disfunzioni Musicali and Rinasci-
ta—as the buyer of jazz and experimental
music, even as his schedule as a performer
grew increasingly busy. By 1995, he cofound-
ed the experimental electro-acoustic trio
Ossatura with guitarist Elio Martusciello and
accordionist Luca Venitucci, a combo heavily
Fabrizio Spera
informed by the Rock in Opposition move-
ment heralded by England’s Henry Cow. Even
in collaboration with Henry Cow’s Tim Hodgk- years—ended in 2007, when the city stopped
inson on its 1998 debut album, Dentro (ReR), contributing funds.
Ossatura has practiced a more abstract strain While Spera grew up attracted to progres-
of exploration, with improvisation exerting a sive rock, his innate curiosity eventually led
greater input. him to a deep engagement with jazz; these
When Rinascita closed its doors in 2009, days, he comfortably straddles multiple disci-
Spera began working for the Italian distribu- plines. Most notable in recent years is his free-
tion company Goodfellas, curating its interna- jazz quartet Roots Magic, whose two excellent
tional free-jazz and experimental music cata- albums on the Clean Feed label explore the
log, but still yearned for the social connection profound connections of early Delta blues
of a record store. So, in 2011, he and a couple of with the music of African-American com-
colleagues opened Blutopia in Rome’s Pigne- posers like Sun Ra, Marion Brown and Henry
to neighborhood, which shared a space with Threadgill.
an upstairs bookstore, Satellite. “After many years of exploring the more
“We considered Blutopia also as a space abstract sides of music, I felt the need to go
for other activities, such as gigs, meetings, back to a more ‘basic’ approach,” the drum-
discussions, workshops and films about mu- mer said. “On the other hand, this is also a
sic and other topics,” Spera said. Indeed, not work of love for the music of people like Julius
only is Blutopia one of Rome’s most import- Hemphill, Marion Brown, John Carter, music
ant retail sources for adventurous music of that I literally grew up with, while my relation-
all stripes, it’s been one of its most crucial live ship with early country blues came later, es-
music venues, albeit on micro level. “Over the pecially through my encounters with [English
years and through these kind of activities, a expat guitarist] Mike Cooper.
community of people began to grow slowly “In fact, it was with him that I first exper-
but gradually around the shop,” he continued. imented a way to connect my experience in
Since Blutopia opened, it’s hosted con- free-jazz and improv with the music of people
certs on a near-weekly basis, cramming lis- like Fred McDowell or Skip James.”
teners into a tiny performance area. During That connection was recognized last year
the last eight years, just about every notable when the group unexpectedly was invited to
Italian improviser has played in the store, as perform at the Juke Joint Festival in Clarks-
well as an impressive roster of international dale, Mississippi.
artists, including Axel Dörner, Tomeka Reid, Spera continues working with Roots Mag-
Ben Goldberg, Michael Moore and Ava Men- ic and Ossatura, which veered toward a more
doza. Although there are Roman venues that melodic direction on its pristine 2016 album
present top-quality jazz, like Casa del Jazz, Maps And Mazes (ReR) and in ad hoc improvi-
musicians outside of the mainstream have sational groupings with Cooper, saxophonist
struggled to find playing opportunities, es- John Butcher and pianist Alberto Braida. But
pecially since the long-running free-jazz fes- when he’s not on the road, adventurous lis-
tival Controindicazioni—started in 1988 by teners still can find him behind the counter at
the legendary saxophonist Mario Schiano Blutopia, eager to share recommendations or
and codirected by Spera during its final eight to listen together, all to fortify community. DB

16 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

On ‘Carib,’ Sánchez
Explores Haitian Rhythms
DAVID SÁNCHEZ’S MUSIC PROJECTED AN

DANIELA MURILLO
immaculate sense of clarity and purpose when
he previewed music from his new album, Carib
(Ropeadope), in mid-February at Washington,
D.C.’s Kennedy Center. He showcased a new
ensemble that featured percussionists Jhan Lee
Aponte and Markus Schwartz, and drummer
Obed Calvaire. They coalesced various folk-
loric Haitian and Puerto Rican rhythms with
modern jazz momentum, while pianist Luis
Perdomo, keyboardist Edward Simon and bass-
ist Ricky Rodriguez augmented Sanchez’s lyrical
tenor saxophone improvisations, which unrav-
eled with astonishing fluidity.
The musicians who performed with Sánchez
at the Kennedy Center (except Simon) contribut-
ed to the recording sessions for Carib, the band-
leader’s first bona fide leader date since 2008’s
Cultural Survival. But a key link to the new
album is Sánchez’s groundbreaking 2000 disc,
Melaza, which explored Puerto Rico’s various
folkloric African music and culture.
David Sánchez investigates folkloric
On the new album, Sánchez shifts his focus music from Haiti on his new album, Carib.
to Haitian music, particularly rhythms like
petwo and kita, then connects the dots in between ries. I can help create greater awareness.”
with rhythms from other Caribbean nations, While Sánchez sensed the pervasiveness of
such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, indigenous music there, he noted that it’s chal-
Colombia and other places in the United States, lenging to hear live music in gig-oriented set-
such as New Orleans and the Sea Islands off the tings. “They don’t play music because they have
coast of South Carolina. He sees Carib as a con- gigs somewhere; they play music because it’s
temporary pan-African project, consisting of important to them. They play music at various
original modern jazz compositions. crucial times in their everyday lives. That alone
“But I wanted to start it with Haiti, because it was inspiring,” he recalled.
was the second sovereign country in the While Sánchez was working on Carib,
Americas,” Sánchez explained backstage at the though, tragedy intervened: Both his wife and
Kennedy Center before his performance. “The his father, Dimas, became ill around the same
African slaves freed themselves in 1803; and in time. His wife passed away in August 2017, and
1804 Haiti became a formal country. Also, Haiti in July 2018, his father died. The impact of losing
has influenced a lot of places throughout the those two people influenced the recording.
Caribbean. Haiti was a way for me to get to my “The project wouldn’t have been the same if
own roots, because slaves were being brought [to we hadn’t gone through that,” Sánchez said. “But
Puerto Rico] almost as the Haitian Revolution even while you’re struggling through some of
was happening.” life’s challenges and changes, music always gives
In part, Sánchez’s late wife, Karla, inspired you refuge. I’m still in the process of losing my
him to investigate Haitian culture. So, in 2016, dad and wife. We carry that grief until our last
the saxophonist visited the country’s capi- days. The grief just changes. But I feel like I’m in
tal, Port-au-Prince, providing him with an a really good place. I have people and family who
eye-opening experience into how Haitians sur- are still here who love me. So, I’m putting more
vive amid devastating poverty. of my energy on that than the loss.”
“I think everyone should take the opportu- With newfound determination, Sanchez
nity to go there to get a greater appreciation of sees his latest recording as the impetus for addi-
some of the things that we have,” Sánchez said. tional pan-African musical explorations.
“A lot of things that we take for granted—like “I’ve been really checking out the culture in
clean water, bathrooms and electricity—people South Carolina and the Sea Islands,” he enthused.
there simply don’t have them. That visit inspired “I don’t know where I’m going next, but Carib is
me to do something to help Haiti, even in small the start of a whole new journey.”
steps, like telling others about their difficult sto- —John Murph
Meza Highlights Human Connections
ly cool, because it’s different at every show.”

CHRISTOPHER DRUKKER
Meza and Wiesenberg each cite eclectic pop
star Björk’s string arrangements as a point of ref-
erence, with Camila adding Nick Drake’s record-
ings and Laura Mvula’s 2013 soul-jazz debut, Sing
To The Moon (RCA).
Ámbar follows the guitarist’s 2016 release,
Traces (Sunnyside), in focusing on her origi-
nal compositions. “Atardecer,” “Fall” and the
title track (a tribute to her late grandfather) were
among the first songs she wrote upon arriving
in New York a decade ago. “They’re explorations
that waited for the right circumstance to bloom,”
Meza said. “I was way more judgmental about my
work back then, but that attitude has changed.”
Pat Metheny is a touchstone for Camila Meza, who covers the guitarist’s These songs, Meza said, speak to the human
collaboration with David Bowie on Ámbar, her latest recording.
connections that might yet redeem us. “All Your
SINGER-SONGWRITER CAMILA MEZA or something, I didn’t want to hear any classical Colors,” the program’s sophisticated jazz-pop
jumped at the opportunity to attempt her own music,” she said. “But now, I really love it.” centerpiece, likewise was “born from the feeling
hybrid when bassist Noam Wiesenberg suggest- A peak moment in Meza and Wiesenberg’s of intense love of a person, but also the acknowl-
ed arranging Elliott Smith’s “Waltz #1” for their collaboration occurs midway through the new edgement that love needs effort, it needs work.
own group, augmented by a string quartet. The album’s opening track, “Kallfu,” which means You can fulfill the potential of really loving when
resulting video worked so well that they decided “blue” in the language of southern Chile’s native you realize that it’s a work of art.”
to record an entire album. Mapuche people. The song was inspired by a trip “All Your Colors” also suggests the
Released on Sony Masterworks, Ámbar con- the singer took to Patagonia as a respite from sense-shifting phenomenon of synesthesia,
centrates on Meza songs alongside material by ongoing political traumas in the States. Meza’s which Meza experiences—“but in a strange and
Antônio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento, clear, cool voice drops out and a string quar- personal way,” she said with a laugh. “Some tonal-
Chico Buarque, Tomás Méndez and others. tet suddenly conjures up birds of various species ities or chords are colors for me: G major is blue,
Over coffee at a Brooklyn cafe, Meza, who bursting into song. D major is orange and B minor is totally yellow.”
first played alongside strings in pianist Fabian “We got that idea from aleatoric writing,” Like her songwriting, Meza’s guitar playing
Almazan’s band, speculates that growing up as a explained Wiesenberg, “which is from the classi- and singing have also been evolving. “My singing
“classical music nerd” in Santiago, Chile, finally cal world, but perfect for jazz. You give each musi- has made my playing more lyrical,” she said, “and
has paid off. “At the beginning of my musical life, cian options to choose from, five notes they can less ‘guitaristic.’ It was important to me to be able
maybe because I was rebelling against my dad use in any order or length. It ended up being real- to reach the same level of expression on guitar as
with my voice.”
On the other hand, her guitar helps her
explore less intuitive musical ideas: “They teach
each other.”
Pat Metheny remains a touchstone for the
bandleader, who, at his invitation, arranged
a medley of his compositions performed last
year by five guitarists at his NEA Jazz Masters
induction ceremony at the Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C. On Ámbar, Meza delivers
an emotionally searing version of Metheny and
David Bowie’s “This Is Not America.”
Playing in trombonist Ryan Keberle’s politi-
cally engaged band Catharsis has “definitely
amplified my own ideas about music and mes-
sage,” the 34-year-old said. As the daughter of
two journalists, she was surrounded by commen-
tary on current affairs as a youth: “I had so much
news in my house as a teenager that I didn’t want
to know anything about the world.”
But nowadays, things definitely have
changed. “It would be easy and comfortable to
not talk about what’s going on in the world,” she
said. “But I feel an inherent responsibility. Let’s
open up our hearts and really heal ourselves as
a society.” —Richard Gehr

18 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 memorable performance, his set focusing on

ERIKA GOLDRING
cerebral funk, turning in tricky rhythms and cas-
cades of deep grooves with a strong assist from
Cliff Hines’ guitar and modular synth oddities.
The first weekend’s top jazz draw was a
Marsalis family reunion, honoring 84-year-old
pianist, composer and educator Ellis Marsalis
and featuring his sons Branford, Wynton,
Delfeayo and Jason alongside their father. Such
reunions and tributes can come off as contrived;
this one was anything but. From the opening
bars of “Crescent City Strut” to the parade the
Branford (left), Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis
perform during a New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival set band led offstage at the end of their performance,
honoring their father, Ellis, who played piano with the ensemble.
the show was a study in blazing-hot horn solos

Locally Focused Spirit

that dovetailed into Ellis’ steady, warm elegance
at the piano.
The final day of the festival served up a hat

of NOLA Fest Persists

trick of sorts, with Irma Thomas echoing the pos-
itive messages of Mahalia Jackson in her annual
gospel set. Herbie Hancock’s like-minded side-
IN 1970, MAHALIA JACKSON SURPRISED seemed somewhat locked in the past, given the men helped update the vibe of their bandleader’s
attendees of the first New Orleans Jazz and event’s current size (12 stages, eight days), scope heady space-fusion bliss and “Chameleon”-era
Heritage Festival by jumping in on vocals when (Katy Perry was among the headliners) and cost hits. And finally, local soul favorites Maze stuck
she found the Eureka Brass Band parading ($85 a day, with a one-day discount for locals). around well past the end of their designated time
across the grounds near the lone stage. It was an But one of the crowning achievements of Jazz on the Congo Square Stage, bringing the day to
organic moment borne of the musicians’ shared Fest, which ran April 26–May 5, is that the inclu- a close with line dances, singalongs and a breeze
cultural heritage. sive, locally focused spirit of that 1970 Eureka swaying beneath pink-and-white clouds—a
As the festival geared up for this year’s 50th parade remained largely intact. proper conclusion to a well-rounded and soulful
anniversary edition, those humble beginnings Trumpeter Nicholas Payton delivered a 50 years of music. —Jennifer Odell

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 19

Tomita, Ratkje Interpret Works of Literature
ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES INFORM ONE ANOTHER, CROSS-POLLINAT-

ELLEN LANDE GOSSNER

ing inspiration and conception. In recent years, poetry has emerged as a pre-
ferred vehicle among musicians who have collaborated with noted contem-
porary writers Dr. Sonia Sanchez, Aja Monet and scores more.
Intrigued by the idea of drawing musical inspiration from literary
works, but finding minimal pull toward poetry, bassist and composer Fumi
Tomita settled on a collection of stories by fiction writer Haruki Murakami.
He’d read The Elephant Vanishes years ago, and envisioned recording an
original album with the same title.
“There were relationship problems—no communication,” Tomita said,
detailing Murakami’s short stories. “There was anger with direction in
life—a feeling of going nowhere. I thought I could turn those [literary]
themes into musical ones.”
Initially, Tomita anticipated creating a musical reference that could bub-
ble up in every tune. But that concept would prove challenging as he sat with Maja S. K. Ratkje uses Knut Hamsun’s
novel Sult as a starting point for her latest recording.
the music. So, he changed trajectory and found that the stories lent them-
selves to “more general themes” he could express just as potently in his positions, opting to have soloing over changes represent the rooms, while
compositions. open sections would serve as the basement or attic. Guitarist Mike Baggetta’s
“For the feeling of desolation, negativity and frustration, for example,” use of whammy bar throughout offered further thematic rumination. “It
the bandleader said, “I used a descending bass line, a descending melody.” was just a reference to the blues,” the bassist said. “I read Murakami’s stories
While Tomita gathered much of his research from the stories them- as being modern blues stories.”
selves, he allowed certain critical responses to infiltrate his creative process. Dreamlike quality among characters also helped shape how Tomita
One passage in particular resonated with the bassist’s own interpretations handled the music, but approaching other facets of Murakami’s style
of the texts: “One guy described [Murakami’s story structure] as a house. proved trickier. “The unusualness—the humor of his works—that was pret-
There was the reality, which was the rooms in the house. But there’s a sub- ty difficult to translate into music,” he said. Tomita found using rhythmic
conscious part of Murakami’s works, and he called that the basement or the motifs helpful in connecting compositional elements in a way that reflect-
attic—you don’t know what’s there, but you can feel its presence.” ed interconnectedness among the stories. “There was a general philosophy
Tomita returned to this interpretation as he worked through his com- that was being communicated.”
Allowing existing works to inspire compositions has the potential to
overwhelm the creative process. In contrast to Tomita’s more literal
translation of Murakami’s works, keyboardist and composer Maja S. K.
Ratkje’s music intentionally departs from the literary inspiration for Sult.
Composing music inspired by Knut Hamsun’s groundbreaking novel of the
same name, originally for the Norwegian National Ballet, the Norway-born
singer and multi-instrumentalist recently translated her compositions into
a full-length album on the Rune Grammofon imprint.
Her intention, and that of choreographer Jo Strømgren, was to value
personal expression throughout the creative process. “Neither Jo nor I
stayed true to Hamsun’s work,” said Ratkje. “The performance of Sult was a
very loose interpretation of the text.”
Use of pump organ, an instrument she mastered specifically for the
project, offered a clear, if dissonant, vehicle for that interpretation.
“It was so charming, the way it was out of tune,” Ratkje said. “I thought
it could give the performance a genuine quality in the music ... that would
relate to the sound-world of the time Sult was written.” To exact the inspired
sound, Ratjke fortified the organ using large PVC tubes, a stool “drum,”
hanging tubes, metal objects, a wind machine and an old butter churn that
functioned as percussion.
Her decision to keep the translation of Hamsun’s narrative open-ended
jibes with Ratjke’s philosophy of craft. A master at balancing struc-
ture and spontaneity, she allowed the work to reveal itself in process and
performance.
“Music as expression is so rich and nuanced,” she said. “I don’t want to
make music that says only one thing, or one thing at a time. I want music to
be ambivalent, and not so clear it its intention.”
Releasing The Elephant Vanishes and Sult, both Ratkje and Tomita
extend an interdisciplinary tradition that ebbs and flows. But wherever
inspiration emerges, ultimately the work’s the thing.
“Most often, my intention is just focused on the musical material
itself,” Ratjke said. “It’s up to the listener to add their own emotional or
intellectual response.” —Stephanie Jones

20 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 CHRISTOPHER DRUKKER
Trombonist John Fedchock leads a
quartet, a sextet and the New York Big Band.

Fedchock Stays in Demand

JOHN FEDCHOCK HAS FORGED A DISTINC- nary. Trombone is not an easy instrument to get
tive career fueled by enormous talent, hard work around on, and he makes it sound stress-free.
and an entrepreneurial spirit. His tunes flow and make a beautiful statement;
The trombonist’s latest album, Reminiscence the changes make sense and it’s something that
(Summit), represents just one facet of his live- audiences can identify with.”
lihood. The new disc is a follow-up to 2015’s Adding to his busy schedule as a touring art-
Fluidity (Summit); both sessions were culled ist, Fedchock has designed trombones in col-
from a live 2013 performance by Fedchock’s laboration with XO Professional Brass. He
quartet with pianist John Toomey, bassist Jimmy described his XO 1632GL-LT model and the
Masters and the late drummer Dave Ratajczak. new XO 1634 model as being “very lightweight,
Fedchock’s 2015 New York Big Band album, warm and relaxed sounding.” He added, “When
Like It Is (MAMA), received a Grammy nomina- I’m playing lead in my big band, I can real-
tion for his arrangement of “You And The Night ly make the horn pop. [These designs have]
And The Music,” adding to an earlier Grammy changed the way people think about how to put a
nod for his arrangement of Joe Henderson’s trombone together.”
“Caribbean Fire Dance” from his 2003 album, Fedchock taught trombone as an adjunct
No Nonsense (Reservoir). A former arranger professor at Temple University (2010–’12) and
and music director for the late clarinetist Woody SUNY Purchase (2006–’14), during which time
Herman and his renowned big band, Fedchock he met his future wife, trombonist Jennifer
now views his work on Herman’s two final Wharton. In addition to producing and mixing
albums—50th Anniversary Tour and Woody’s Wharton’s new album, Bonegasm (Sunnyside),
Gold Star—as particularly formative. Fedchock wrote four arrangements for the proj-
“I was his chief arranger and musical direc- ect, which features a four-trombone front line of
tor from 1980 to ’87, the last seven years of his Alan Ferber, Nate Mayland, Wharton and him-
life,” Fedchock recalled. “After that, my charts self, accompanied by pianist Michael Eckroth,
for big bands, colleges and music professionals bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Don Peretz.
were published. That fueled interest to do clinics “Jennifer has performed in Broadway pits
at universities, talking to students about arrang- and jazz clubs and concert halls for years,”
ing, improvisation and the music business or to Fedchock noted. “With Bonegasm, she’s receiv-
perform with the university ensembles.” ing invitations for new work, such as appear-
Reminiscence and Fluidity are stellar ing with the Bucknell University Jazz Band
examples of Fedchock’s trombone mastery. as a guest soloist. She’ll be featured at the 2019
With a golden tone and powerful delivery, he International Women’s Brass Conference
leads the quartet through standards and orig- and the International Trombone Festival this
inals, delivering a timeless brand of hard-bop summer.”
that’s free of cliché. For all his trombone prowess and demand as
Fedchock’s work ethic has borne fruit in 10 a clinician, Fedchock’s heart remains on the road
albums as a leader, as well as sideman record- at the many small local clubs he still calls home.
ing sessions with Gary Smulyan, the Maria “I really enjoy playing with different musi-
Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Kim Pensyl, Linda cians,” Fedchock said. “That’s the original reason
Eder and others. I wanted to be involved in music. I’ve been chasing
“John is such a unique player,” pianist that my whole life, and I don’t expect to ever stop
Toomey said. “John’s feel, his sound, his tone chasing that. It’s a feeling you can’t get anywhere
and his improvisational ability are extraordi- else but onstage, playing.” —Ken Micallef

22 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

Barkan, Wiedmaier Team

MICHAEL WILDERMAN
for Keystone Korner Baltimore
THE WORLDWIDE CELEBRATION OF when Barkan—then living in New York—trav-
International Jazz Day on April 30 included the eled to Washington for a ceremony marking his
grand opening of a club bearing an iconic name: becoming a NEA Jazz Master. During a ban-
Keystone Korner. Far removed from its origi- quet at Marcel, Wiedmaier’s flagship D.C. restau-
nal location in San Francisco, the new venue and rant, Barkan and the chef met for the first time.
restaurant is perched on the eastern edge of the They became fast friends, and immediately talk-
Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. ed about working together. Tentative plans for a
“It’s a city with a need for a full-time jazz D.C. jazz club fell through, so they began discuss-
venue like this,” said Todd Barkan, the National ing other locations.
Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master fellowship Two weeks prior to the NEA banquet, the
recipient, producer and impresario who owned Baltimore location of Mussel closed for several
the original Keystone Korner from 1972 to 1983. months, due to area construction that had imped-
This new venue is a collaboration between ed access to the restaurant. It was still closed in
Ron Carter performs on April 30
Barkan and Robert Wiedmaier, a Michelin- January, when it occurred to Wiedmaier that he at Keystone Korner Baltimore.
starred chef who owns 10 other seafood-orient- might already have the ideal location for a new
ed restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area. The jazz club on his hands. Barkan was in the mid- “I think [this club] will open the scene up a lot
space formerly housed his Mussel Bar & Grille, dle of a mentoring workshop in New York when more,” said vibraphonist Warren Wolf, a lifelong
which closed in April 2018. the chef called him: “He said, ‘Todd, I’ve got some Baltimorean who played at the venue’s soft open.
Keystone Korner’s grand opening featured great news. I want to turn this place into the new “Artists who talk about playing the East Coast will
veteran bassist Ron Carter, a longtime friend of Keystone Korner,’” Barkan recalled. hit Philadelphia, then skip down to Washington.
Barkan’s, who led his Golden Striker Trio during While forthcoming headliners include Kenny Now, Keystone Korner will give them an opportu-
a three-night run. Barron and Eddie Palmieri, Barkan also plans a nity to play for the people of Baltimore, and maybe
But the venue’s creation began in April 2018, healthy program of area musicians. take a new look at the city.” —Michael J. West
 ing. It’s not that everybody is playing his own

JOHN ABBOTT
thing, no. It’s more like a constant dialogue.”
“I thought this was the most successful
thing that I’ve done with Franco,” added
Scofield, who played on Ambrosetti’s popu-
lar 1987 album, Movies, and the 1988 sequel,
Movies Too, and also on 2018’s Cheers (Enja). “I
have a real affinity with Franco’s playing. The
stuff that he chooses to play, in terms of the
lines and the rhythm, feels like home to me.”
Born in Lugano, Switzerland, on Dec. 10,
1941, Ambrosetti inherited his love of jazz
from his saxophone-playing father, Flavio,
who founded the first jazz club in his home-
John Scofield (left), Jack DeJohnette, Franco Ambrosetti, town, organized the first jazz festival in Lugano
Uri Caine and Scott Colley at the recording session for Long Waves.
and also played opposite Charlie Parker at the

Ambrosetti Recruits
1949 Paris Jazz Festival. “Jazz is in my DNA,”
Ambrosetti said.
Beginning in 1962, when he joined his

Icons for ‘Long Waves’

father’s band, Ambrosetti toured frequently
throughout Europe before playing his first con-
cert in the United States at the 1967 Monterey
IN A 1987 INTERVIEW, MILES DAVIS SAT er. Accompanied by an all-star band—guitar- Jazz Festival with the Flavio Ambrosetti All-
down with a German journalist and discussed ist John Scofield, pianist Uri Caine, bassist Scott Stars, featuring pianist George Gruntz, drum-
the differences between black and white jazz Colley and drummer Jack DeJohnette—the mer Daniel Humair, bassist Niels-Henning
musicians. As expected, Davis had very strong disc is a crowning achievement in Ambrosetti’s Ørsted Pedersen and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.
opinions on the matter of phrasing, while com- long career. Recorded at New York’s Sear Sound Through the ’70s, he led his own groups, while
menting on the merits of Keith Jarrett, David Studio, Ambrosetti’s dream team reveals rare most of his recordings during the ’80s and
Sanborn, Joe Wilder and others. And then he chemistry on a sublime reading of the poignant ’90s were done in New York with a long list of
said, “There’s a good trumpet player in George ballad “Old Folks” and a burning “On Green esteemed players on the Big Apple scene.
Gruntz’s band I heard at the Berlin Jazz Festival. Dolphin Street,” along with Ambrosetti origi- In 2008, Ambrosetti participated in a
He can play his ass off. If I was picking a trumpet nals like his tango-flavored “Milonga” and two Quincy Jones jubilee held at the Montreux Jazz
player, I would pick him. He can play anything.” swinging numbers named for his wife of 22 Festival, where he recreated classic Gil Evans–
Davis was talking about Franco Ambrosetti, years, “Silli’s Waltz” and “Silli’s Long Wave.” Miles Davis collaborations with a sublime take
the renowned Swiss trumpeter, now 76. Still “I felt like I played with this group for the on “My Ship” (from Miles Ahead) and a soul-
swinging after all these years, Ambrosetti’s last five years,” the trumpeter said during a ful muted trumpet reading of “Summertime”
recent projects include a memoir and a new break in the late-January recording session. (from Porgy And Bess). And while he might have
album, Long Waves (Unit), his 28th as a lead- “We are playing together, listening and react- patterned himself after bop trumpeters Clifford
Brown and Lee Morgan in his formative years,
the influence of Davis’ singular trumpet play-
ing was evident in Ambrosetti’s emotive perfor-
mances on these two pieces (captured in multi-
ple formats on Quincy Jones: The 75th Birthday
Celebration), as well as on his lavish orchestral
project from 2018, The Nearness Of You (Unit).
“From listening to Miles, especially on bal-
lads, I learned how to really play a melody,” he
said. “Miles showed me how you stretch the
notes out, like you’re really singing or crying.
And I think I can express my feelings better
that way.”
Though he was engaged for decades in var-
ious aspects of the family business—the
Ambrosetti companies have been involved in
manufacturing steel wheels for cars and land-
ing gear for aircraft—Franco never put his horn
on the shelf. “Trumpet is an instrument that
you have to practice every day or your chops are
gone,” he said. “There are trumpeters who prac-
tice four, five hours a day, which I think this is
too much. But I do manage to play every day of
my life.” —Bill Milkowski
Finding Global Unity at jazzahead!
head! project manager. “Our live recordings do a

FRANK THOMAS KOCH

huge amount of this. They help us promote jazza-
head! worldwide ... . To be honest, our aim is not
to attract more people, but to increase the quality
of people attending.”
During Saturday’s German Jazz Expo, trom-
bonist Janning Trumann assuredly led a sextet
through left-field acoustic groove, and later that
evening at the Schlachthof, bassist Linda May
Han Oh’s New York-based quartet showcased
material from the bandleader’s two most recent
Janning Trumann 6 performs at the jazzahead! festival recordings. Their bands might not have shared
and trade fair in Bremen, Germany, which ran April 25–28.
many sonic similarities, but distinctive personali-
ON A TRAIN TRAVELING FROM HAMBURG gations of the Scandinavian nation’s folk tradi- ties gathering at a single location every year ideal-
to Bremen, Germany, a Scott Joplin rag tumbles tion. But at the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof—a ly enables the music—and the organizations that
out of a passenger’s cell phone, announcing an music venue adjacent to the trade fair and two support it—to be smeared and smudged into new
incoming call. Between April 25 and April 28, the other performance stages—the Hedvig Molstead and surprising colors and shapes.
music almost was inescapable in Bremen during Trio dispensed sludgy jams that sounded a bit “I was working at the Women in Jazz
the 14th annual edition of jazzahead!, a music fes- like Blue Cheer and Cream stuffed into a room Organization table, and there were a lot of
tival and trade fair. with some mid-’70s Miles. women coming up saying, ‘We’re doing this iso-
That kind of connection to the music meshed Traffic picked up considerably Friday at the lated thing in our country. How can we all con-
with the unknown as thousands of people trade fair, as attendees visited scores of booths nect with each other?’” New York saxophonist
poured into the northwestern German city. And dedicated to individual scenes from nations Jessica Jones recounted. After attending her first
on Thursday, the Norwegian Night showcase fea- across Europe (and North America). “We’re jazzahead!, would the bandleader make a return
tured a batch of performers, ranging from The working on attracting new people year-round. We trip to Germany?
Espern Berg Trio’s still-maturing take on the for- go to other conventions ... but [word-of-mouth] is “Definitely,” Jones said. “I feel like I just lifted
mat to avant-garde experimentation and investi- our best friend,” said Sybille Kornitschky, jazza- the corner of the rug.” —Dave Cantor

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 25

By Phillip Lutz | Photo by Jimmy & Dena Katz

Poised at the kitchen counter in her Brooklyn apartment,

Anat Cohen assumed the role of solicitous host. Tall, with
waves of cascading hair softening her otherwise com-
manding presence, the clarinetist reeled off a selection
of teas and coffees in such precise detail it would have
made a barista’s head spin.

he’s like that: an artist given more to abundance than austerity, who,
after 20 years negotiating the chaotic New York scene, is more than
able to juggle a multitude of affairs—musical and nonmusical alike.
By all indications, she’s happiest when doing so.
Pouring the drink—green tea was chosen, with an obligatory
water chaser—she recounted her performance dates of recent weeks:
St. Louis and Detroit with her quartet, Boston and Santo Domingo
with the MIT Wind Ensemble, Ecuador with Trio Brasileiro and São Paulo with
Jazzmin’s Big Band. In between, she squeezed in her regular Tuesday teaching gig
at The New School in New York.
But it was her next stops—Switzerland, Italy and the U.S. West Coast, where
she would be touring with her namesake tentet off and on from April through
August—that seemed to engage her the most. The tentet, she said, was formed in
an effort to “find the most flexible large ensemble,” and it has emerged as a prime
vehicle for expressing Cohen’s eclectic sensibility.
JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 27
 (where it had a follow-up performance in

JIMMY & DENA KATZ

February)—is classical in form, with a slow
movement bounded by two lively movements.
To an extent, the content matches the form, its
heavily notated passages requiring Cohen to
call on her early training with Eva Wasserman,
onetime principal clarinetist with the Haifa
Symphony Orchestra in her native Israel.
At the same time, the piece has long open
sections in which the score intentionally is
spare: Reading a bit like a standard lead sheet
sprinkled with idiosyncratic directives, it
sketches a framework filled by the heavy back-
beat of the drummer, Anthony Pinciotti, and
improvised backgrounds from the rest of the
band—save for the soloist, who is given plen-
ty of space to wail above the churn. At one
point, the score encourages the electric guitar-
ist, Sheryl Bailey, to marshal her rock chops, its
instructions reading: “Shred!”
In other spots, the piece summons harmo-
nies that by turns recall Ravel or Brahms—
conjuring a romanticism weighted with
unabashed emotional intensity. On hearing
the second movement played in rehearsal the
first time—that movement, titled “For Anat,”
is a public declaration of dedication, unlike
the first and third movements, which simply
are titled “first” and “last”—the clarinetist was
brought to tears as the history she shared with
Lev-Ari came rushing back.
“I got so emotional—all those years of
knowing Oded,” she recalled.
Drummer Pinciotti—who has been friends
with Cohen for 20 years and witnessed the
teary moment in Michiko Studios off Times
Square—said that the feelings it conveyed
encapsulated a deep relationship between
player and composer that “goes beyond some
guy writing for an ensemble. It’s about a musi-
cal life spent together.”
Cohen’s long musical relationship with Oded Lev-Ari has resulted in The shared history dates from the early
“Triple Helix: Concerto For Clarinet And Ensemble,” which premiered in January at Carnegie Hall.
1990s, when Cohen and Lev-Ari were stu-
dents in the fledgling jazz program at the
The tentet, which had its debut at New ante—arguably to a career high for Cohen— Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts in Tel
York’s Jazz Standard in April 2016, has since thanks to Lev-Ari’s “Triple Helix: Concerto Aviv. Assigned to school-security duty togeth-
performed at clubs, concert halls and festivals, For Clarinet And Ensemble.” The first concer- er, they quickly developed a personal relation-
from Newport to Monterey. The new dates rep- to written for Cohen, it exceeds in scope, com- ship that turned musical, leading to extra-
resent the ensemble’s most concentrated tour- plexity and, perhaps, emotional impact, any- curricular activities like four-hands piano
ing since its round of shows in support of the thing the tentet previously had tackled. The sessions and restaurant gigs with their combo
group’s first album, 2016’s Happy Song (Anzic). concerto that anchors the new album, Triple So What.
The album revealed a new level of expres- Helix (Anzic), is a model of efficient author- More than 25 years later, the duo’s friend-
sivity for Cohen—bringing fresh colors to her ship—capturing the clarinetist’s wide-rang- ship and musical partnership remain phe-
catholic tastes, on tracks ranging from the ing predilections in one sweeping and power- nomenally strong and fruitful. Lev-Ari—
contemplative “Valsa Para Alice,” a Cohen ful statement. who is married to singer Amy Cervini—has
original influenced by Brazilian rhythms; to “I’ve always played a lot of different things,” established a reputation as a skilled compos-
the upbeat “Oh, Baby!,” a swinger associated Cohen said, “from Brazilian choro to the er, arranger and producer who’s worked on
with Benny Goodman; to the moody “Trills music of Benny Goodman to Louis Armstrong numerous Anzic releases.
And Thrills,” a work by the tentet’s musical to Jason Lindner’s big-band modern jazz. The “Oded knows me,” Cohen said, eagerly
director for the project, Oded Lev-Ari, whose concerto also represents that.” displaying a photo of the two together, smiling
compositional brushstrokes move from the The piece—commissioned jointly by and arm in arm, taken in the spring of 1993
abstract to the concrete with ease. Carnegie Hall (where it had its premiere in for their high-school graduation. “He knows
Now, a new album by the tentet ups the January) and Chicago Symphony Center my playing, how much challenge I can handle,

28 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

how much pressure, when to push me when she was satisfied that the album represented definitely have the courage now.”
needed, when to let go.” who she was at the time, its musical limita- It took some time, in fact, for Cohen to
Describing his enduring simpatico rap- tions, in light of the tentet’s capacities and her muster the courage to concentrate on the clar-
port with Cohen, Lev-Ari said: “We’ve always personal growth, have become clearer. inet. As late as 2007, she still frequently was
had this nucleus of understanding musical- “The way I play,” she said, “I may have playing saxophone—she deployed tenor, alto
ly. In high school, a lot of [our] musical tastes made other choices. I may have gotten bet- and soprano on Noir—though the sense that
were shaped. We both have a wide, inclusive ter as an instrumentalist. With the tentet, she might first and foremost be a clarinetist
view of music. It fits this overall general sensi- there’s more interaction. I’m not afraid of the had dawned on her eight years earlier when,
bility we share.” unknown. There’s more spontaneity. We can at a jazz party in Clearwater, Florida, Stanley
The ties were nurtured when they left play anything. We can play classical, we can Kay, producer of the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, told
Israel for college. Both landed in Boston— rock the house. It’s something I wasn’t explor- her to ditch her tenor and retrieve her clarinet.
she at Berklee College of Music, he at New ing back in 2007. I didn’t have the vision, but I “I ran to my room while the music was
England Conservatory—where they and
Cohen’s two brothers, saxophonist Yuval and
trumpeter Avishai, lived among a larger con-
tingent of Israeli music students sharing loose
communal quarters.
The Israeli connection, it turns out, offered
more than a practical means of securing living
space. It gave rise to deeper principles for orga-
nizing their professional lives and establishing
their aesthetic goals—principles reflected in
the desire to explore, and the need to adjust to,
a wide range of situations.
“I can’t say it for a fact, but in my two cents
of it, there’s something in the history, the DNA
of the Jewish people, that we have no choice,”
she said. “I have the flexibility to be here, or to
be here, or to be here. Not everybody has the
will to be flexible.
“There were always a lot of things I wanted
to do. But then I said, ‘Wait, which one? Who
am I? You know what? Music is music. So, I’m
going to play everything I can. Everything I
learn is going to be part of my music path and
become part of my own DNA.’ And that’s what
I’ve always done.”
For Lev-Ari, cracking Cohen’s genetic
code, musically speaking, came down to
applying a process of “activating and deacti-
vating different parts of your DNA based on
your environment—in this specific case, the
interplay between Anat, the ensemble and
myself, the composer.” They, in other words,
are the constituent elements of the triple helix,
and the concerto’s ecosystem is the metaphor-
ical key that activates the code.
The tentet might be the most robust
expression of that code, but it has something
of a precursor. In 2007, Cohen and Lev-Ari
released Noir on their young label, Anzic. The
album also featured a large ensemble, dubbed
the Anzic Orchestra, populated by like-mind-
ed musicians (Cohen’s brothers among them)
playing material that ranged widely, from a
Luiz Bonfá samba to a Johnny Griffin bebop
number to ballads associated with contrasting
personalities like Frankie Laine and Sun Ra.
On its own terms, the music—arranged
with characteristic stylishness by Lev-Ari—
was a critical success and a favorite with audi-
ences. But, Cohen said, the orchestra was
never intended to be a touring unit, and while

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 29

 “With Benny [Goodman] and the big band, there’s something about knowing

STEVEN SUSSMAN
how to take a song and not be afraid to make it your own,” Cohen said.

Grammy nominations.
Last year saw the release of the duo album
Live At Healdsburg (Anzic), a celebration
of musicality and wit recorded at the 2016
Healdsburg Jazz Festival in California with
pianist Fred Hersch, a prized musical part-
ner. And in March of this year, but in a total-
ly different vein, Cohen marked the premiere
of the second concerto composed for her,
“Concerto For Clarinet And Wind Ensemble.”
Written by Tony award-winning composer/
orchestrator Jamshied Sharifi, the piece was
performed with the MIT Wind Ensemble,
still playing. I came back and played two Critics polls, she realized that the instrument first at the Kresge Auditorium in Cambridge,
choruses with my clarinet. While I’m play- could help feed her penchant for eclecticism. Massachusetts, and later at the National
ing, Kenny Davern taps me on the shoulder. “With the tenor, it’s so iconic with jazz,” she Conservatory of Music in Santo Domingo,
He pulls me back between him and Buddy said. “With the clarinet, I can improvise, but Dominican Republic.
DeFranco. I was a young girl from Israel. it doesn’t have to be called jazz.” She could, As this sampling of her collaborators sug-
What did I know? I think about the swing era she found, move easily from playing the gests, they are a disparate and distinguished
as a style and here I am with these people— music of Louis Armstrong at Birdland to group. But those seeking an antecedent for
they are the swing era, they are the style, and playing the music of folkloric traditions in her artistry might look to DownBeat Hall of
I’m playing this music with them. It’s kind of far-flung spaces. “It was the ease I had with Famer Benny Goodman (1909–’86). Cohen,
like I got a blessing.” the instrument. I realized I can be part of dif- who played the legendary clarinetist and
In the years that followed, the reality of ferent musical settings.” bandleader’s parts in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s
that defining moment became clearer as the Her Brazilian connection in particular has January 2018 recreation of his historic 1938
demand for her clarinet became stronger—not flourished, most recently during a March trip Carnegie Hall concert, cites Goodman as her
least onstage with the the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. to Ecuador Jazz 2019, where she reunited with “first clarinet introduction to jazz.” She con-
Nadje Noordhuis, who plays trumpet with the Trio Brasileiro—percussionist Alexandre siders him a role model of sorts.
tentet, recalled their playing together in DIVA Lora, seven-string guitarist Douglas Lora and “With Benny and the big band, there’s
about a dozen years ago: “She had this big clar- mandolinist Dudu Maia—with whom she something about knowing how to take a song
inet feature that would bring the house down had made the album Rosa Dos Ventos. That and not be afraid to make it your own,” she
every time she played it.” collection and the album Outra Coisa: The said. “You make a song iconic and you play it.
As Cohen raised her profile and eventual- Music Of Moacir Santos with seven-string He could play forever ‘Memories Of You.’ I can
ly became a perennial winner of the Clarinet guitarist Marcello Gonçalves simultaneous- play forever ‘Memories Of You.’ It’s the emo-
category in both the DownBeat Readers and ly were released by Anzic in 2017. Both earned tional goal, not the notes; it’s where it takes

30 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

you and what it expresses.” lead them into improvised background fig- sionalism, positive attitude. You look for the
Echoing Goodman, who also had concerti ures, or she wants them to improvise some- way you feel the music together, the pace—and
written for him, Cohen expresses emotion thing behind her. But she always wants peo- the trust you build with the band.”
with consummate control, her rich timbre ple to solo and play; it’s not just people playing Ultimately, the diligence paid off, yielding
and precise articulation allowing single notes figures for her to solo over and maybe one cat the kind of ensemble—integrated yet con-
to soar and their accumulation to speak vol- gets four bars a night.” sisting of individuals—she hadn’t foreseen.
umes as she pushes the limits of the instru- Such leadership qualities, Cohen argued, “Originally,” Cohen said, “the concept was to
ment. Though Cohen’s musical language are only as successful as the personnel allow. show a lot of the things the clarinet can do, to
draws on the most modern vocabulary, she, So, her search for the right players for the ten- play all the styles from all the regions of the
like Goodman before her, mines a range of tet was a diligent one: “You look for teamwork, world, from klezmer to classical. But it became
sources, invoking specific gestures, like those detail, compatibility; for pushing each other, less a history lesson than what the band could
of klezmer, that Goodman employed through- support, having fun; for excitement, profes- do with these personnel.” DB
out his career.
The big-band leader inspired an entire
Cohen album—Clarinetwork: Live At The
Village Vanguard (Anzic)—a collection of
popular standards recorded on the Goodman
centennial in 2009 and released the follow-
ing year, with Benny Green on piano, Peter
Washington on bass and Lewis Nash on
drums. Goodmn also inspired Cohen to
include vibraphone in the tentet, with James
Shipp holding down the equivalent of the
Lionel Hampton chair.
Shipp and trumpeter Noordhuis have a
duo together, just one of the tentet’s small-
er cells whose existence has helped the larg-
er group coalesce into a living organism with
remarkable ease. According to Noordhuis,
that process began to take hold during the first
engagement, the week at Jazz Standard.
“What was amazing about that run,” she
said, “was that every gig we did, the band
evolved. It only took a week, and we had this
band sound.”
Noordhuis, a native of Sydney, Australia,
also attributed the ease of coalescing partly to
the nature of the sets, which, executed with
interludes between tunes, compelled the musi-
cians to maintain an active stance at all times
to sustain the natural flow.
“We played solidly for an hour, and each
tune morphed into another, even if it was a
completely different genre,” Noordhuis said.
“It sort of seamlessly weaved in and out. So,
by the end of that week it was like, OK, we’re
ready.”
The diverse nature of the musicians and
music also played a part. “Everybody brings
their personality to the table,” Noordhuis
said. “It’s a blend of cultures—Brazilian,
American, Australian, Israeli. The eclecticism
of the repertoire is incredibly unique, a lead-
ing feature. And the way it’s presented—it’s a
one-act show, it hits hard. Onstage, we’re all
laughing. There’s a feeling of togetherness.”
Cohen’s leadership fosters that together-
ness, her cues to the musicians—a raised
clarinet, a fleeting glance, a turn of musical
phrase—subtly sculpting the tentet’s sound
with a mix of assertiveness and generosi-
ty. “There are times,” Pinciotti said, “where
we’ll be playing some open sections and she’ll

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 31

 Roscoe Mitchell

©BARBARA BAREFIELD
Famoudou Don Moye

©BARBARA BAREFIELD
 MICHAEL WILDERMAN
TOM COPI
The Art Ensemble of Chicago in 1979: Lester Bowie (left),
Moye and Mitchell are standing; Malachi Favors and Joseph Jarman are seated. The Art Ensemble of Chicago in concert on Nov. 27, 1982

NATHAN ZUCKER
Mitchell (on saxophone) and Moye (second from right, on percussion)
performed with the AEC at the 2019 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee.

It consists of a three-day studio session and subsequent concert by a album pivots around bassist Favors’ “Tutankhamun”—a band staple since
16-musician edition at Edgefest in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where, at anoth- the Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble recorded it on Congliptious, in 1968, a
er festival 46 years before, the “classic” AEC lineup (Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph year before the members moved en bloc to Paris, consummating the mar-
Jarman, Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors and Famoudou Don Moye) played a riage by renaming themselves the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The song
stunning set that entered the canon on Bap-Tizum. receives a thunderous three-bass treatment from Silvia Bolognesi, Junius
Bowie and Favors passed away in 1999 and 2004, respectively, and Paul and Jaribu Shahid, interacting with a percussion ensemble consisting
Jarman died on Jan. 9; We Are On The Edge is dedicated to their spirits. The of Moye, Congolese drummer Titos Sompa (with whom Moye studied 50
studio album includes Bowie’s elegiac “Villa Tiamo,” on which trumpet- years ago in Paris) and percussionist Enoch Williamson (Moye’s close col-
ers Fred Berry (who played in Mitchell’s quartet circa 1964–’65) and Hugh league in different contexts since Moye moved to Chicago in 1971).
Ragin (a member of various Mitchell units since the late 1970s) refract dif- Channeling Jarman—whose evocative poems, stirring recitations and
ferent elements of Bowie’s ironic, incisive tonal personality. The set’s live theatrical proclivities were an essential component of the Art Ensemble’s

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 33

 er to the point that now we are of one mind.”

©BARBARA BAREFIELD
Establishing that chemistry circa 2018 with-
out three constituent “ingredients,” Moye said
by phone from his home in Marseille, France,
was “a matter of calling the right people who
know what to do in the improvisation. The hard-
est aspect of improvising is dealing with people
you don’t know—or even people you do know.
You can deal off pure talent, but sometimes just
jumping out there isn’t enough. Different impro-
visational elements have to be controlled, to make
sure everyone is on the same page, so they inter-
pret the whole piece and don’t just use a bunch
of licks.”
“Long-lasting musical relationships are
essential to stay on top of what you’re developing,”
Mitchell said from his Oakland home near Mills
College, where he has been on the faculty since
2007. He discussed his contribution to increasing
the pool of people “who know what to do” with
techniques developed over decades of teaching
The Art Ensemble of Chicago collective in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2018.
improvisation to “inexperienced improvisers.”
Row 1: Roscoe Mitchell (left) and Famoudou Don Moye; Row 2: Nicole Mitchell, Jean Cook and “I’ve created cards with information about
Christina Wheeler; Row 3: Jaribu Shahid, Stephen Rush, Fred Berry, Enoch Williamson, Junius Paul,
Hugh Ragin and Tomeka Reid; Row 4: Titos Sompa, Edward Yoon Kwon and Silvia Bolognesi. what’s going to be played, with the possibility of
manipulating that information, so it becomes a
musical production—is Philadelphia-based the level of professionalism, their ability to nego- scored improvisation,” Mitchell explained. “That
poet-soundscape artist Moor Mother, whose tiate Roscoe’s music, which was meticulously gives people an opportunity to create inside the
palimpsestic text provides the album’s title. She arranged and orchestrated and very difficult to improvisation for longer periods, which helps
sustains momentum on “I Greet You With Open play, with improvisation evolving out of what was them develop concentration. I tell people that to
Arms” and “Mama Koko” with an incantatory in the ensemble.” be good improvisers, they need to study compo-
freestyle delivery, at once raw and refined. These attributes (and the ministrations of sition and improvisation in parallel. I have dif-
The other repertoire oscillates, as cellist conductor Stephen Rush) enabled the members ferent cards that address all these different situa-
Tomeka Reid noted, between Mitchell’s “more to deploy the global array of sounds at their dis- tions, so I can pull out a set of cards and generate
through-composed, new-music type pieces in posal with a finesse and musicality that evokes compositions.”
combination with free-improvisation parts” and the extraordinary simpatico that defined phase As an example, Mitchell discussed his M.O.
Moye’s “more riff-like melodies with much more one of the AEC—five virtuosos who, as Bowie for generating the raw materials that guid-
percussion involved—a combination of their once said, “allowed for each other’s egos and ed Moor Mother—whom he’d met when both
personalities.” pulled together to make a cooperative venture, were performing at a festival in Riga, Latvia, in
A third-generation AACM member who musically and socially.” The group was not unlike October 2017—in creating her poem for the Ann
joined the Art Ensemble when the group recon- such 1920s and 1930s “commonwealth” bands Arbor sessions. “I was producing a piece called
vened in 2017 after a long hiatus, Reid is one of as the Blue Devils, who divided proceeds equal- ‘Songs From The Card Catalogue,’” he said.
five female instrumentalists on the project, a first ly and made collective decisions. “When I got to a part on the trumpet, it had a
for the AEC, which, in an earlier era, only includ- “We’ve seen the example of what happens rhythm that went [sings] dee dah, bomp-bah-
ed women in the mix as singers. In addition to when people work together for a long time,” bah, bah. I thought about what I could do with
Reid and Bolognesi, Nicole Mitchell plays various Roscoe Mitchell said. “With the Art Ensemble, that, and decided to turn it into a loop. Then I
flutes; Christina Wheeler plays electronic mbira, it was like going to school every day, because we thought of Moor Mother, sent her that loop, and
theremin, autoharp, Q-chord and sampler—and were all individuals. I’m a big fan of that. I think asked if she would speak over that. She came up
sings; and Jean Cook plays violin. we function better that way. You can’t learn any- with ‘We Are On The Edge.’ The first part is all
“I’ve always been inspired by the Art thing from anybody when everybody is trying to notated, then Moor Mother’s part with the loop,
Ensemble,” Nicole Mitchell said. “The expansive be the same.” and the last part is notated. It carries you on a
representation on this project shows its resilience In a 1978 conversation with a French journal- musical journey by connecting these elements.”
and flexibility to connect with 21st century per- ist cited in Paul Steinbeck’s 2017 book, Message to “My job as a poet was to tap into their quan-
spectives on how people assert their individual Our Folks (University of Chicago Press), Jarman tum reality as a band,” Moor Mother said
concepts of identity and embrace difference with- described the classic AEC using the metaphor of two weeks after performing “We Are On The
in the musical context. In general, gender equity a cake made from five different ingredients—“re- Edge” with the Art Ensemble at the 2019 Big
makes things lighter, more humorous and play- move one of the ingredients and the cake no lon- Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her
ful. There was a very open vibe in the rehearsals, ger exists.” He continued: “The Art Ensemble is Philadelphia-based Irreversible Entanglements
with no sense of hierarchy. Just as an opportunity much more than any one individual whose per- opened for the AEC at the November 2018
to be challenged on all aspects of my own playing sonality you manage to isolate. All of the expe- Berlin Jazz Festival, where she also performed
abilities, it was a positive, satisfying experience.” riences we went through together, our emotional a duo with Roscoe Mitchell on her as-yet unre-
“There was a very high level of musician- experiences, positive or dramatic, all of the situa- corded poem “The Black Drop.” She cited the
ship—incredible players who can play in any tions we found ourselves in collectively and indi- AEC’s drum-centric 1970 album Chi-Congo and
genre,” Berry remarked. “I was impressed by vidually—all of this has brought us closer togeth- Jarman’s poem “Odawalla” on Favors’ “Illistrum”

34 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 35
 how the band’s sound and concept evolved
©BARBARA BAREFIELD

over the years—total encouragement, inclusion

of everybody’s ideas and visions after serious
debate of all the issues, no holds barred. Now,
‘serious debate’ is what we call it. Somebody
else might have said, ‘Man, them cats are gettin’
ready to kill each other.’ I always liked the part
at the end of the day, ‘Hmm, how did we finally
agree to do it like that? Not bad.’”
In moving forward—call it staying on the
edge—within the AEC’s new reality, both Moye
and Mitchell draw inspiration from memories
of their departed brothers. “I always thought
Joseph was much further advanced than I was,”
Mitchell said. “He had a real sound on soprani-
Jean Cook (left), Edward Yoon Kwon, Tomeka Reid and Nicole Mitchell no [saxophone], which influenced me, and is
at a sound check for the concert documented on the double album We Are On The Edge why I’m spending a lot of time on sopranino
now. Lester always wanted you to think out of
from the programmatic Fanfare For The Warriors the incredible amount of energy that Roscoe the box, which also influences what I’m doing
(1973)—“so free and beautiful, dripping with tra- releases—you have to do something to respond now.”
dition and history”—as key signposts in her AEC to that energy,” said Bolognesi. “Moye has given “Jarman was the philosopher,” Moye said.
experience. me a great deal of information—things to listen “Lester was the general, Favors was the spiritu-
“The text has a lot of improv,” she said. “For to, different rhythms and instruments. On stage, al element, Roscoe was the burning force. When
Big Ears, I had to relisten and write down what he’s very clear. His drumming is so melodic, and we traveled, Roscoe and I would be together in
I did. There’s a part where I say the names of tal- as he moves from the drum set to congas to bon- one vehicle. He was always guiding me through
ented people I grew up with whose performance gos to percussion instruments, it changes the different nuances of the way they rolled on the
only came to life at a block party, or a sunny day musical vibe.” road in Europe and the States. When we got back
where everyone’s outside, listening to music, In Ann Arbor, Bolognesi continued, “The to Chicago from Europe, we stayed at his parents’
singing and dancing. The family atmosphere in music was beautiful and difficult. We rehearsed house. His father said, ‘You can eat and you can
the studio made me feel like I was with a bunch the pieces in the studio, and everyone focused on sleep—and you are going to work.’ That was one
of my aunts and uncles—it helped me incorpo- making it work as well as possible. You’re in this month of hard labor. In many ways, that’s part
rate that freeness in the poetry. That’s what the river of music changing—of colors, intention of Roscoe’s character, because he doesn’t miss,
Art Ensemble is—this master class in this freeing and emotion, from jazz to totally improvised, as far as consistency, getting up early, working a
way. So many lessons. with references to African rhythm—like a wave project through to the end. I can see very clearly
“Each time I’ve played with Roscoe or the Art of sound from a single entity. It’s beyond catego- where that aesthetic came from.”
Ensemble, I feel myself growing in this fiery way. ries, which makes me happy when I play with Moye is, however, adamant that nostalgia is
Don Moye is beautiful, too. He’s no-nonsense, them, because it’s exactly what I always wanted not an option.
not trying to dumb anything down, gives you the from music. I can use the skills I grew up with “The worst thing is to be a parody of your-
straight truth.” in my classical conservatory in Italy, and swing self,” he said. “With the shock and then accep-
For Reid, a key lesson gleaned from her AEC at the same time.” tance of our comrades for three decades being
experience is what she described as a sense of The live album captures the Ann Arbor con- gone, we had to evaluate, evolve and pull back
“freedom to explore, of self-determination.” She cert verbatim, while the studio recording was awhile. Also, I had a ruptured Achilles tendon
added, “Their experiments with different tex- sequenced in post-production. Asked about the and hip operations in 2009 and 2012, so I was
tures, forms, instruments, clothing, are a bright, process, Mitchell said, “I let it unfold in its own partially immobile for six or seven years. Roscoe
shining example of possibility. ... Roscoe isn’t let- natural way, going back and forth with Moye and needed space to do his thing at Mills. You say,
ting anyone define what the Art Ensemble is. His trying out different songs in different orders.” ‘Damn, was it that long?’ Time flies, and the
energy and drive are inspiring. He doesn’t want Moye fleshed out the details in ways that music never lies.”
to recreate the past. He’s interested in pushing illuminated the interpersonal dynamics by “I think when people commit to something,
onward, looking forward. No two performances which the AEC has functioned during its then they follow through all the way,” Mitchell
are alike. He and Moye want you to be your true, half-century. “We adjusted, shifted and shuf- said bluntly. “That’s the way it goes. We were
authentic self, to state your own voice.” fled, did a lot of beginnings and endings, and committed to this idea, and we will be commit-
Reid introduced Bolognesi into Mitchell’s then finally, after about a week of talking every ted to it until we can’t do it any more.
orbit in 2014, when Here in Now, their collec- day, came up with the sequence,” he said. “It “It’s a very special period in music, almost
tive string trio with violinist Mazz Swift, joined was a long process, as it always is, but longer this like the ’60s all over, with a different content.
him for lunch at his Oakland home. They stayed time, because there were so many different ele- You’ve got the mature improvisers, people who
in touch, and Mitchell invited Here in Now to ments. In the end, you respect what people are have kept working on their music all these years.
do a short 2017 tour with his sextet, with Junius doing in a given period. We evolved to a conclu- Then you have this brilliant set of young musi-
Paul and drummer Vincent Davis. Then, that sion. Not necessarily an agreement, just a con- cians, coming from all different sides of the
October, Moye invited the trio to play with the clusion. With the five minds of the Art Ensemble music, who want to know more about impro-
Art Ensemble in London at Café Oto, preparing in its classic form, we often came to conclusions visation. It’s a special time for composers who
Reid and Bolognesi to participate in the We Are a lot quicker, just because of the familiarity. can actually write pieces that help these people
On The Edge sessions. Amazingly, we never had major issues. become improvisers. There’s no time to be lay-
“On the first sextet gig, I was impressed with “This record is a continuing extension of ing back dormant.” DB

36 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 37
 ore than a dozen young saxo- trio a curveball with a seemingly straightforward
phonists filed out to the exu- original. Her first two tunes, the Jerome Kern stan-
berant proclamation. That dard “Long Ago (And Far Away)” and Thelonious
year, tenor saxophonist Melissa Monk’s “Ask Me Now,” were delivered with confi-
Aldana, two months shy of 25, dence and maturity. She opened the Monk tune with
eventually would be declared the a solo flight of rapid-fire turns and fluttering filigrees,
winner of the Thelonious Monk leaving her stamp on the day’s proceedings, a burst
Institute of Jazz International of applause encouraging her playful decisions. Her
Saxophone Competition— final tune, “M&M,” was a jagged melody propelled
the heartiest and most soulful of the saxophon- by Thomas’ thundering left hand.
ists battling it out that long September afternoon in “I was the last one to play,” Aldana recalled.
Washington, D.C. “Everybody was tired. I didn’t know what was going
Almost six years later, Aldana tends to downplay to happen, and the trio got lost on the last tune. It
her victory. “It can really get in your head,” she said of brought me back to Earth—just worry about fin-
her experience, sitting in the rec room of a bustling, ishing together.” She could hear the tune was fall-
century-old hotel in downtown Los Angeles a cou- ing apart and commanded the veteran rhythm sec-
ple hours prior to her gig at the Walt Disney Concert tion with unflinching confidence, wielding her horn
Hall as a member of the Monterey Jazz Festival on like a giant brass baton and finishing strong. The lack
Tour all-star sextet. “It’s like checking social media of perfection in the sound was counteracted with a
too much. What I prepared for that day when I sense of determination worthy of the prize.
stepped on the stage was to have fun. That was all I “The judges [included] Jimmy Heath, Wayne
was trying to work on. My performance was a mess, Shorter, Branford Marsalis—people who have seen
but I did have fun.” everything,” she says. “So, I’m not going to go over
The house band (drummer Carl Allen, bassist and bullshit for them.”
Rodney Whitaker and pianist Reggie Thomas) was Raised in Santiago, Chile, Aldana studied
on its 39th tune of the day when Aldana threw the straightahead jazz with a dedicated fervor. Her father,

38 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 39
 ROBERT I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN
Micah Thomas (left), Joel Ross, Rick Rosato, Melissa Aldana and Kush Abadey
perform at SubCulture during Winter Jazzfest in New York on Jan. 5.

Marcos, stoked that passion, having taken a children in Chile, but didn’t really collaborate new album, Visions (Motéma). Joining Aldana
swing at the Monk saxophone competition until they were both working in the States. His and Menares for the sessions were pianist Sam
himself back in 1991, when she was an infant. unwavering support and piquant solo lines pro- Harris, vibraphonist Joel Ross and drummer
(Joshua Redman won that year.) Studying mas- vide the perfect complement to Aldana’s sim- Tommy Crane.
ters like Sonny Rollins and Don Byas, she took mering tone. “I’m used to the space and the free- Aldana feels that Harris—whom she first
off for Berklee College of Music as a teenager dom and the openness of the music,” he said. “I encountered in New York within days of
and never looked back. In Boston, she met saxo- like to have someone who is looking at the big- graduating from Berklee—has helped her
phonist Greg Osby, who offered her a recording ger picture.” artistry evolve.
contract on his Inner Circle record label. Following a win in the 2015 DownBeat “I wanted someone to inspire me and push
A recording contract with Concord Records Critics Poll (Rising Star–Tenor Saxophone) and me to different places,” Aldana said. “I haven’t
was one of the primary perks from the Monk the release of a second trio record, 2016’s Back heard somebody else who sounds like Sam.
competition win. Aldana wasted no time in Home (Wommusic), Aldana shifted her artis- Every time I play, it is an opportunity to grow. If
getting her band into the studio, releasing an tic direction. Her focus on the bigger picture we play something super killing one day, I want
album the next year with her group Crash Trio. entailed a larger band and a deep dive into the him to go the complete opposite direction the
The disc, which opens with “M&M,” highlights work of artist Frida Kahlo (1907–’54). next night. He lets me do my thing and is will-
Aldana’s striding horn amid the authoritative “When I was young, I used to transcribe ing to change it up.”
rhythms of drummer Francisco Mela and the Frida Kahlo’s paintings,” Aldana said. “The Ross is only 23, but already has made a splash
sturdy swing of bassist Pablo Menares. Each thing that always attracted me to her art was as a pliant firebrand on vibraphone. Before light-
member contributed a few tunes to the program, that it was personal. It was related to her expe- ing up the marquee with his Blue Note debut,
which features a subtle take on Harry Warren’s rience, her art, her beauty, her relationships, her KingMaker, earlier this year, he played vibes
1931 song “You’re My Everything.” A high-pro- condition.” alongside Harris for several tracks on Visions.
file release that was smart and spare, the album A commission from The Jazz Gallery in “I’m looking for musicians who will kick my ass
showcased Aldana’s indisputable command of New York further sparked Aldana’s inspira- and make me grow,” Aldana said with a laugh.
her instrument—and she’s become an even bet- tion. With a performance expected in June “Sometimes Joel makes me feel so old.”
ter musician in the ensuing years. 2018, she dug into Kahlo’s work during the Aldana makes room for everybody on “La
Aldana is an old soul behind the micro- yearlong residency, composing a suite, Visions: Madrina,” part of her suite and the third track
phone. “You can really tell how strong a musi- For Frida Kahlo. By the time Aldana premiered on Visions. Harris pushes a steady right hand,
cian is when it comes to ballads,” she said. “You the work, she had expanded her rhythm sec- his left in tandem with Menares. The bandlead-
can hear the depth of musicianship. I’m very tion and added two more horn players: her hus- er shares a unison melody with Ross at times, his
attached to ballads. Maybe when I’m older I’ll band, Jure Pukl, on alto saxophone and trum- grace notes brightening the musical picture. The
do a full trio album of ballads.” peter Philip Dizack. tune’s formidable momentum wouldn’t be pos-
In the trio format conquered by Rollins’ late- “At some point, I started feeling that I want- sible without Crane, who builds patiently along-
1950s strolling excursions without benefit of ed something different,” Aldana recalled. “I side Aldana’s intensifying solo.
chordal support, a lot hinges on the dialogue heard more piano, and vibraphone is an instru- On “Elsewhere,” the quintet gets a little
between the tenor saxophone and upright bass. ment I have always loved. I wanted to develop more jagged. Crane bashes hard on a Latin-
“Playing trio taught me a lot about what I’m my writing more and start incorporating rich- flavored beat, making way for Harris to stretch
looking for as a musician,” she said. “It’s more er harmonies.” out. Again, Aldana and Ross fly in natural tan-
than just having someone who plays well.” Not long after the premiere of the suite, dem, driving toward the same destination, but
Menares has been a reliable anchor through- Aldana spent two days in a New York stu- in different lanes, always meeting at the light.
out Aldana’s professional career. They met as dio, recording nearly a dozen tracks for her There is a lone standard on the album:

40 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

“Never Let Me Go.” Aldana starts alone, breathy and measured. It’s
a delicate, candlelit pace. Aldana floats over the slow-moving ship,
the titular phrase returning with regularity. “My constant struggle is,
‘How can I get better and be myself?’ Consistency. Focus. That’s what
I’m always trying for. Ballads teach that.”
Visions marks the end of one period and the beginning of another
for Aldana, now 30. “All this music is music that we’ve been playing
this last year,” she said. “I wanted to develop and grow and then just
move forward.”
When she met with DownBeat, Aldana and the Monterey Jazz
Festival on Tour band were at their 16th venue in 21 nights. The sex-
tet, under the direction of pianist Christian Sands, spans continents—
bassist Yasushi Nakamura is a native of Tokyo, and trumpeter Bria
Skonberg is from British Columbia—and includes a couple of other
Monk competition winners: drummer Jamison Ross (2012) and vocal-
ist Cécile McLorin Salvant (2010).
“The tour has forced me to focus on practicing,” Aldana explained.
“I can squeeze in two or three hours every day. Even though every-
thing is focused towards that hour-and-a-half that we are playing, if
I have short-term goals, I can really improve and try different things.”
Aldana steadily has been touring the past few years, and is set to
traverse Europe with her Visions band this summer. “I’ve been in dif-
ferent all-star bands,” she said. “It’s just amazing to see how everybody
comes from so many different places. The audience is different, too. It’s
not necessarily my audience. You can have a different point of view, but
how you work it out is where the music starts growing.”
Prior to accepting the invitation to become a part of Monterey
band, Aldana joined what would eventually be dubbed Artemis, a col-
lective that includes Salvant, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, clarinetist Anat
Cohen, pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer
Allison Miller. The bandmates bonded during several festival appear-
ances, vowing to record together when schedules permit.
“She’s not only really dedicated to the music, but creates this
inspiring environment,” said Salvant, who joined Aldana midway
through her interview. “She’s always encouraging us: ‘Let’s try to
make something worthwhile. Let’s put ourselves in risky situations
and listen to each other.’”
That night on the Disney Concert Hall stage, the band huddled in
a tight circle. Following a set by the SFJAZZ Collective—which
stretched from one side of the stage to the other—the Monterey band
appeared quite intimate. They just as easily could have set up in the
freight elevator. But each band member was given ample space to shine,
having first played together on the Monterey Fairgrounds rodeo-ready
stage the previous summer.
At the festival, Aldana was part of a roundtable discussion on gen-
der equity in jazz. “There has been a greater acknowledgement of
women’s contributions to jazz recently,” Aldana told roundtable par-
ticipants and attendees. “Promoters are trying to incorporate it. I
don’t want people to call me because I am a female. As an artist, it is
your essence that you are presenting, the mind. If anything, I’d love
to inspire younger girls to just be strong about what you have to say.”
In addition to being Aldana’s bandmate, Salvant has collaborat-
ed with the saxophonist in a different medium. Aldana commis-
sioned her to create visual artwork for The Jazz Gallery residency,
and one of Salvant’s drawings serves as the cover art for Visions.
Aptly, the work nods to Kahlo’s famous 1939 painting The Two
Fridas. Salvant’s riff on the masterpiece seems to incorporate a cos-
mic flow of energy amid a yellow sunburst, resulting in a bold gem
full of unexplained mystery.
“Melissa pushes us,” Salvant said. “She doesn’t let us get lazy
with our shit. I think it ends up bringing out the best in every-
body that’s around her. She makes us realize how terrible it is to
be complacent.” DB

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 41

42 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019
O
n the walls around and above the song concludes, trumpeter/bandleader Theo
rapt throng are photographs of Croker receives the type of ovation normal-
musicians—Bob Marley, Herbie ly reserved for artists who visit the City of
Hancock, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, even Angels from New York. He lives here now,
Gene Simmons sans makeup. In a corner having paid plenty of professional dues in
are a number of rare prints from famed jazz New York and Shanghai, China, where he
photojournalist Herman Leonard (includ- spent the better part of a decade honing both
ing his iconic shot of Dexter Gordon). his trumpet chops and his business acumen,
Yet the artwork goes unnoticed, because eventually becoming something of an enter-
at this moment, all eyes are drawn to the tainment mogul. That success allowed for a
back of the gallery, where a slender fel- triumphant return to America, thanks in no
low with tinted spectacles is spewing fire small part to singer Dee Dee Bridgewater,
from his trumpet. The tune is “A Shade Of who met Croker while traveling in Asia and
Jade” by Joe Henderson, delivered grace- hired him to be her musical director, and
fully at a brisk tempo by the band, whose whose endorsement of him paved the way for
members all call Los Angeles home. As the a record deal with Sony.
JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 43
 I realized there were a lot of cats living in L.A.
ADRIANO VANNINI

who I thought were still living in New York.

Chris Dave is my neighbor. Gerald Clayton lives
out here. I don’t want to put people on blast who
don’t announce it ... but all of a sudden, we’re like,
“You live in L.A.?” We needed a Rolodex of cats in
L.A. who were living in New York.

IT’S ALMOST LIKE A LITTLE BUBBLE OF NEW YORK

THAT’S HERE NOW.
Exactly. It’s tricky, ’cause once you get embed-
ded in the jazz scene in New York, there’s very few
places on that level, for jazz. So, I didn’t come to
L.A. to be like, “Yeah, I’m going to play in the jazz
scene.” I need something different. I’m interested
in visual arts, in performance art. There’s just a lot
more going on out here.

Theo Croker with Gary Bartz WHAT’S YOUR OVERALL TAKE ON THE SCENE HERE?
Technically, I live here, and I’ve started to
Coker’s performance at Mr. Musichead Overall elaborated, noting that Croker’s perform here. I’m not on the scene, in the sense
included material from Star People Nation (Sony sense of initiative has had an impact on him as that I’m not out here hustling for gigs. If some-
Masterworks), his fifth album overall. Adding to a bandleader, composer and producer: “What thing dope comes about, I’ll do it. [L.A. has] got
the stack of hats the accomplished trumpeter now you bring to music, you have to take that same a vibe. It really started when I met Chris [Dave]
wears are those of a versatile multi-instrumental- creativity and bring it to everything if you’re in China in 2017. His band was playing at the
ist, genre-blending producer, influential entre- going to make it happen ... . I’ve taken a lot away same festival as me, so we were both there for a
preneur and astute commentator on racial iden- from [observing Croker], working with him and week, in the same hotel. [Later, in L.A.] I just ran
tity. The development of the album—the first in watching how he deals with people.” into him at a show. He was like, “You came into
which he has sole producer credit—involved an DownBeat caught up with Croker on a sunny town and didn’t call me!” I was like, “I’m in L.A.;
18-month journey to both U.S. coasts and mul- April afternoon at the Gallery Bar in the I live here!” He was like, “I live here, too.” Find
tiple recording studios, where he played auxilia- Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. out we’re neighbors. He calls me all the time:
ry keyboards and synths, crafted electronic and Below are edited excerpts from the lively, “Yo, we’re goin’ to so-and-so’s studio.” He real-
acoustic beats and other percussion, incorporat- wide-ranging conversation. ly showed me the studio scene. A lot of the hang
ed samples and wrote lyrics to be sung by himself started with people outside of jazz.
and his special guests, Los Angeles-based vocalist LET’S START WITH YOUR FAMOUS GRANDFATHER.
Rose Gold and Jamaican reggae artist Chronixx. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT DOC? SO, CHRIS DAVE KIND OF GOT YOU INTO SOME
The program offers a virtual candy store of sonic I remember him being a really sweet dude. OTHER CIRCLES HERE?
flavor and color, illuminating Croker’s ability Very patient. Always humming and singing. Yeah. I remember I had a conversation with
to blend layers of music and lyrics with the deft He moved very slow; he was so old. Musically, I him once: I was like, “Man, I don’t know if I’m
touch of a hip-hop producer and the spontaneity remember seeing him play six or seven times. I feelin’ L.A. I’m kinda bored.” He was like, “Oh, no,
of a jazz trumpeter. remember seeing him play at Sweet Basil [in New we’re changing that!. The next day he called me
Some of that ability could be genetic: Croker York]. I must have been like 7 or 8 ... . But just at 8:30 or 9 in the morning: “Yo, meet me at this
is the grandson of Adolphus Anthony “Doc” from seeing him play, I remember how flawless time. We’re going to the studio. Pino Palladino’s
Cheatham (1905–’97), a legendary trumpeter he was. He was so crystal clear, his ideas, his tone, working on the record, and it’s being produced
and early jazz pioneer to whom he subtly bears his sound, he was, like, this super old man, super by Blake Mills.” I ended up playing on a song, just
a resemblance. That innate talent was honed slow, skinny, but when he would play, it’s kinda cause I’m there. Those kinds of things started hap-
by Croker as a student at Oberlin College and like that didn’t matter. pening. You know, walking into the studio at 3 in
Conservatory in Ohio. His early mentors includ- the morning, there’s ... Om’Mas Keith, Anderson
ed trumpeters Marcus Belgrave and Donald WHAT GOT YOU TO THINKING ABOUT LEAVING .Paak. It’s like, “Whoa, Chris is pulling me into a
Byrd, as well as saxophonist Gary Bartz. NEW YORK AND MOVING SOMEWHERE ELSE? whole ’nother [scene].” Then, some of those peo-
“Theo’s always been a go-getter—he’s always We would tour so much: One time we toured ple started calling me. That made me stay in L.A.
been a catalyst for action,” said drummer Kassa with Dee Dee for almost four months. So, just
Overall, who met Croker at Oberlin, joined him look at the bills you pay to say you live in New WHERE DID THE TITLE FOR STAR PEOPLE NATION
on tour with Bridgewater and contributed to Star York ... . New York can make you feel like you’re COME FROM?
People Nation. Back in his Oberlin days, Croker barely making it—not the music scene, just New Star People is the legend of—I believe this
called Overall out of the blue months ahead of York itself. Now, I have a rent-control apartment stuff, but some people call it a myth or what-
the start of classes, wanting to ensure his combo in New York, so it wasn’t as bad as it could be, but ever—the sentient beings that come from the
included the best drummer on campus. “You eventually I decided I needed a different type of Sirius Galaxy, that taught the Dogons the stars,
gotta be creative on and off the stage,” Overall lifestyle. I needed a higher-quality lifestyle. the knowledge that spread through all of Africa,
said. “Theo [frequently] was getting ready to throughout North American indigenous peo-
put something out, a project or a band, booking WAS THERE A MUSICAL REASON TO RELOCATE TO ple, the Aztecs, Mayans, all these ancient civili-
shows, making things happen, putting things L.A., TOO? zations, where they learned about the stars. And
together.” Eventually, yeah. When I got here, first of all, they all reference Star People.

44 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 So, that’s the spiritual aspect, the historical Having a father, as a young black man, who myself. “Portrait Of William” is a tribute to my
aspect. But really, it’s meant to be a nation [of art- was present, who raised me, along with a mother. father, but also to my parents in general. “Have
ists]. Justin Emeka [a professor of theater and Having an older brother who was taught to pro- You Come to Stay” is me exploring spirituality.
Africana Studies at Oberlin] wrote poetry to the tect and nurture me as a younger brother, not be I’m speaking to my higher self: We’re going to rock
album. Bob Power, who is one of the sonic archi- put against me. In other words ... being too white from here on out as my higher self, not my lower
tects of hip-hop, mixed and mastered the album. for the black kids and too black for the white kids. self. “Wide Open” is about love and romance.
The photographer, Donna Ferrato, shot the cover Having my light-skinned, very Native American- “Subconscious Flirtations And Titillations” is
and all the photographs involved in the album. looking mother pick me up from school, and hav- about sex. Dealing with sex in jazz. When did jazz
She’s a friend. Jack Harper did all the graph- ing my black father drop me off. You’d get those become this thing that’s not sexual? Jazz used to
ic design, and he works for a company called kinds of looks. be so punk. Jazz used to be so revolutionary. Now,
A-Cold-Wall. It’s a huge brand, a fashion-for- So, when I made this album, I wasn’t going to it’s very safe, watered down. No judgment, just
ward brand. shy away from anything thematically. The inspi- saying that’s kind of been removed from it. I’m
And then, of course, all the musicians ration is [from] a lot of the themes I dealt with like, “Nah, man, this is dirty music.” DB
involved. My normal band—Mike King, Eric
Wheeler, Kassa Overall, Irwin Hall—were the
core musicians who worked on the album. And
that’s the band I assembled to tour with Dee Dee
for years. And then I started pulling in guest
artists who were impactful for me. People like
Anthony Ware, featured on some stuff, tenor
sax player. [Drummer] Eric Harland is featured
on a track. I played him “Alkebulan,” which at
that time was only kalimba. He was like, “How
about me and Kassa do a duo over this with you
and a bass player?” I was like, “Sounds great.” Of
course, that took months to find a date where Eric
was available. I brought in Eric Lewis, ELEW, to
play on “The Messenger,” ’cause I was like, “Man,
this song’s really about Elvin Jones.” [In the 1990s,
ELEW performed with Jones.]

WAS THE FIRST LAYER OF STUFF THAT YOU DID THE

LIVE STUFF?
Yeah, usually what happens is ... I don’t want
to give away too much of my process, but, yeah,
it’s mostly live tracking. And then there’s layers
added later. And then I usually go to another stu-
dio that I work out of a lot, and I block it out for
a week, and I start to choose what to use. I’ll lit-
erally have a band do a take, do another take on
top, do another. Then, I’ll go in and sit down and
turn it up and listen to it, and either use it or take
it out. Whereas most people add a lot of things, I
get as much as possible [first] and take things out
to get the clarity.

IN A PRESS RELEASE FOR THE NEW ALBUM, YOU

SAY, “I’M EMBRACING MY OWN MULTICULTUR-
AL-NESS WITHIN MY BLACKNESS.” CAN YOU TALK
ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES YOU’VE DEALT WITH
REGARDING YOUR CULTURAL IDENTITY?
Growing up—being a musician, and being a
nerd, having parents who were educated, both
with master’s degrees, in social work and psy-
chology—I had advantages, which made me
fit into being more than just being black. My
grandfather was a world-traveling musician who
came out of a black-Native American family, so
of course we were exposed to all sorts of things.
Some of the difficulties are being too nerdy. That’s
not cool in the black community. Reading books
ain’t cool, which is a fallacy. That’s part of a sys-
tematic deterioration of a culture.

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 45

WE LOVE VINYL

Don Was, president of Blue Note Records

TOMO MUSCIONICO
Courtesy Blue Note Records

Alfred Lion (left), Dexter Gordon and Francis Wolff

Blue Note Celebrates

with Vinyl Reissues
The avid resurgence of jazz vinyl continues, and Blue Note Records, which is celebrating its 80th
anniversary this year, is leading the charge.

As label president Don Was told DownBeat in a Joe Henderson, Robert Glasper, Elvin Jones, Lee rious packages worthy of the music. All the ele-
recent phone interview from his office in the Konitz, Jackie McLean, Lee Morgan, Sam Rivers ments combined into what became known as the
Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, Blue and John Scofield. Blue Note aesthetic.
Note’s vinyl revival is two-pronged, involving It took more than great artists, however, to Besides the profusion of vinyl reissues, the
both new products and reissues. make Blue Note a great label. The company was 80th anniversary celebration includes a new doc-
“About half of our new records come out on founded in 1939 by two jazz-loving German umentary, Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes,
vinyl,” he said, noting that other releases are immigrants, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, both by director Sophie Huber; a series of limited-edi-
available digitally and/or on CD. Among the fleeing the Nazis in the late 1930s. They attracted tion canvas art prints of classic album covers; a
label’s recent vinyl releases are albums by Norah and retained the best musicians in New York by limited-edition G-STEEL men’s wristwatch;
Jones, Gregory Porter, José James, Charles Lloyd offering them respect and consideration, work- expanded Blue Note classic playlists on Spotify
& The Marvels, Nels Cline and the all-star collec- ing around their schedules. They also provided and Apple Music; and an U.S. tour this fall by
tive R+R=NOW. great-sounding recordings, with the legendary saxophonist James Carter, pianist James Francies
On the reissue front, Blue Note has launched Rudy Van Gelder engineering many of the ses- and singer/keyboardist Kandace Springs—all
multiple series of reissues to mine gems from its sions between 1953 and 1972, as well as excep- current Blue Note artists
illustrious catalog, which includes titles by Art tional photography (often by Wolff), cover art But why launch four different series of classic
Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Herbie Hancock, (by Reid Miles) and liner notes to produce glo- Blue Note reissues? “Each has a unique purpose,”

46 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 It’s not necessarily the most accurate—there’s

FRANCIS WOLFF
a certain distortion that vinyl brings as well. It
brings the back wall of the mix forward, gives it
more immediacy and presence. It’s not a neutral
color. But people like it. I think we’ll probably sell
100,000 Tone Poet records this year.”
But there’s something else about vinyl, Was
said, that makes the experience of music spe-
cial. “I remember showing the turntable to my
kids for the first time. We sat in a circle looking
at the turntable and listening to music. There’s
action going on—it’s like a fireplace,” he said
with a chuckle. Then, more thoughtfully, “It’s a
very physical experience. And there’s an element
of ritual to it that impacts human behavior at a
really deep, primordial DNA level. You have to
pull it out of the sleeve and treat it right. To be
able to hold something physical, and to be able to
read the print on the back.”
Another fan of vinyl is saxophonist Marcus
Strickland, whose latest Blue Note album, People
Of The Sun, is available as an LP. “I like every-
Art Blakey is among the artists whose work is being reissued on vinyl. thing about vinyl,” he said by phone from his
Brooklyn home. “The sound, the size and shape,
Was explained. it, rather than just licensing the masters. the way it showcases the artwork. And it is still in
The Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl series is “The first two releases, Wayne Shorter’s primary use in DJ culture, which is a great way of
all-analog, curated by Joe Harley, of the audio- Etcetera and Chick Corea’s Now He Sings, Now dispersing the music. ... I feel like most of the peo-
phile vinyl label Music Matters, and mastered He Sobs, are in their third pressings already. They ple who would like the record would be the kind
from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray, of outsold everybody’s wildest guesses. They just who go to hear DJs at a club and like to hear all
Cohearent Audio. The LPs are housed in deluxe sound amazing.” kinds of different sounds. So, I made the record
gatefold packaging. Titles include Introducing Something that Was discovered while work- that way, with short cuts that would fit on two
Kenny Burrell (1956), Andrew Hill’s Black Fire ing on the vinyl reissues was that mastering off sides. And having the vinyl at the gig is very key
(1963), Dexter Gordon’s Clubhouse (1965) and the original analog tapes “makes a huge differ- to selling. They’re great for signing.”
Cassandra Wilson’s Glamoured (2003). ence.” Even in the lower-priced Blue Note 80 Deciding which albums to release in the
The Blue Note 80 Vinyl series, curated by series (about $25), the projects were mastered vinyl format a challenge, though. “It’s a little
Was and Blue Note staffer Cem Kurosman, is using the original masters. arbitrary,” Was conceded. “Ultimately, we have
midpriced, with standard packaging, and it’s The Vinyl Me, Please offering—a 1,000-set to go through a process where we feel it’s going
organized according to themes, like “Blue Note series that aims to present the story of Blue Note to sell enough copies to justify the expense. It’s
Debuts,” “Great Reid Miles Covers” and more. in six albums—sold out a mere three hours after a business; it’s a combination of aesthetics and
Like the Tone Poet series, the BN 80 series is it went on sale, Was said. The series includes practicality.”
pressed on 180-gram vinyl. LPs in this series Horace Silver’s trio debut and projects by Both the label’s decision to manufacture
include Freddie Hubbard’s Hub-Tones (1962), Ambrose Akinmusire, Lou Donaldson, Dexter vinyl and the fans’ decision to buy it comes down
Donald Byrd’s Ethiopian Knights (1971) and Gordon and Bobby Hutcherson. According to to a philosophy that “music is worth owning and
Tony Williams’ Foreign Intrigue (1985). Was, the sales success “shows that if you present it appreciating,” as employees at Vinyl Me, Please
Additionally, there’s an exclusive six-title right, people love this music so much, and there’s like to say. Was and the label share that philos-
series issued by audiophile record company still a great audience for it.” ophy. “I’ve been making records for a long time
Vinyl Me, Please; and the Blue Note Review, a The Blue Note Review, available by subscrip- and have seen every type of goofy situation you
vinyl box set subscription series that includes tion, is a box designed to “step up the tactile can imagine between record companies and
exclusive content. experience” of owning the music, Was said. In artists,” Was said. “The best way to make great
“Joe Harley’s Tone Poet series—that’s just the addition to four LPs, the second volume con- music is to work with artists you believe in and
highest-quality vinyl experience I think you can tains lithographs of Reid Miles covers, a maga- let them be who they are.”
have,” Was said. “When we started doing hi-res zine, a book on drummers, trading cards and a That’s also a good business plan, Was noted.
audio mastering, I kept going back to those Music record-cleaning brush. A third volume, focusing “I’ve never told any artist at Blue Note what to
Matters releases, because I couldn’t figure out on the Blue Note legacy, is in the works. do—ever. If they want an opinion, I’m happy to
what he was doing to make them sound so good. Aesthetically speaking, putting out vinyl on offer one. But if they have something in mind, I
I found out that it’s a little bit of everything, not a Blue Note artist in the digital age is not a hard want them to pursue it. I believe that’s the way
just one thing you do in the mastering. ... I got to decision—but the financial factor is another mat- you build the kind of catalog that Alfred Lion
know Joe while we were working on the Charles ter. “I think the vinyl sounds incredible. I love the built, and Bruce Lundvall continued. Just try to
Lloyd record together. I invited him to come do it sound of it,” Was said. “People my age, that’s how help great musicians make the best music they
at Blue Note and throw our full resources behind we know that music. It’s a warm, pleasing sound. can make.” —Allen Morrison

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 47

WE LOVE VINYL

Los Angeles-based vocalist Dwight Trible connected with London’s One look at Gearbox’s eclectic catalogue

KOTON
CHUCK KOTON
Gearbox Records to release his latest album, Mothership.
and it’s easy to see that the label runs on the
adoration of music, not just the pursuit of

CHUCK
profit.
“The music we release has always had to be
music that I love, because I feel if I love it, some-
one else will too,” Sheinman said. “And luckily,
my tastes have developed organically with what
audiences want now, which is how we’ve found
ourselves—somewhat unwittingly—at the cen-
ter of this London jazz scene. I try to run an
ego-less label, one where we’re all here on pas-
sion and loving what we do.”
This passionate, music-first attitude has
seen Gearbox increasingly pop up on the radar
of new talent, as well as that of established per-
formers—namely, Los Angeles-based vocalist
Dwight Trible, whose latest album, Mothership,
is the imprint’s most recent release.
“I’ve always been a fan of UK music,” Trible
Caption said in a booming baritone over the phone.
“And Gearbox seemed like the perfect embod-

Gearbox Runs on
iment of a fresh sound with an open, non-
jazz-specific ethos, so I sent them an email.
They liked what they heard and the rest wasn’t

Adoration of Music
difficult at all. In fact, it felt incredibly natu-
ral and beautiful, a coming together that was
meant to be.”
The result is one of Trible’s most wide-rang-
ing records to date, encompassing the legacy of
Nestled among the industrial but gentrifying outskirts of Kings his mentor and Pan-Afrikan People’s Arkestra
leader Horace Tapscott, as well as showcasing
Cross, North London, is an audiophile haven: the Gearbox the future generations of West Coast jazz on
Records headquarters. collaborations with Kamasi Washington and
Mark de Clive-Lowe.
“This record is honoring a lot of people I
love,” Trible said, “and I love the fact that we
recorded it all analogue, collaboratively with
Stationed behind an unassuming brick facade Thelonious Monk live set last year, as well as Darrel in L.A. at Sunset Sound studio.”
is the home of the label and analog mastering producing sessions for Butcher Brown and For such an audiophile, recording in the
studio that has helped lead the London jazz Nitin Sawhney. renowned Southern California studio was
resurgence during the past five years, releas- “In the last year, something has changed “a dream come true” for Sheinman, and an
ing the debut record for saxophone-drum duo and we’re not quite sure what,” Sheinman said experience he’s working to recreate at his own
Binker and Moses, as well as recordings from in his London drawl. “People approach us more headquarters.
percussionist Sarathy Korwar and tuba player and we’re selling a hell of a lot more records. It’s “What little labels like us really need is
Theon Cross. nice to be recognized for some of the stuff we’ve more funding,” he said. “We don’t have the
Venture into the studio and you’ll likely been doing; I’ve always been very straight with pockets to do half the stuff we’d want to do:
find its founder, Darrel Sheinman, in a work- the artists: We have a 50/50 profit share and we [We’d like to] give the artists better advances,
man’s coat, tinkering with a reel-to-reel tape were early doing this, so I’m proud now that make better products and make people stars.”
machine, surrounded by vinyl stock and work- we’re making a difference.” With plans underway to celebrate 10 years
ing on at least three things at once. An ex-punk With the vinyl-buying resurgence starting of Gearbox through the release of a box-set, an
drummer, Sheinman founded the label in 2009 to pay dividends for Gearbox, it’s investing fur- exhibition of cover art and a spate of live shows,
with the ethos of “releasing music to create the ther in the local jazz scene, as well as expanding it seems this star-making potential might be
best possible sound.” He believes that “if you into the folk and electronic worlds. ascendant.
record and master something beautifully, you “We have the new Binker Golding Quartet “Music is so subjective, no one really knows
can convince people to enjoy it much more.” record coming, which will be this ‘cool’ Michael what will do well. You just have to follow your
It’s a conviction that’s paid off for Brecker sound, and then we also have a new ear and have hope,” Sheinman said. “But it does
Sheinman, who has taken his label from releas- drum-and-bass producer releasing with us, as feel like we’re at a particularly exciting time
ing a small selection of BBC archival jazz well as the next one from Abdullah Ibrahim,” now, and I can’t wait to see what the next 10
recordings to selling out a newly discovered Sheinman said. years will bring.” —Ammar Kalia

48 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 49
WE LOVE VINYL

Association of America, jazz’s share of the

album market (CDs, LPs, downloads, etc.) last
year was a mere 1.1 percent, a figure that sug-
gests that jazz is hitting well above its weight in
the vinyl market.
But that’s only based on sales of new record-
ings. As Forbes pointed out earlier this year,
the vinyl market is even bigger if used album
sales are included. Of course, the RIAA doesn’t
bother to do that, because, as the magazine’s
Bill Rosenblatt pointed out, “no revenue from
used sales goes to record labels, artists or song-
writers.” But using data provided by eBay and
online retailer Discogs, plus estimates based on
indie retailers and specialty stores like Urban
Outfitters, Hastings and Hot Topic, the finan-
cial magazine estimated that the actual sales
figures for vinyl are “about 2.5 times what the
RIAA reports.”
Jazz’s share of that figure also likely is under-
represented.
“Jazz sells extraordinarily well,” said Blair
Whatmore, an assistant manager and vinyl
buyer for the Toronto record store Sonic Boom.
“We sell an insane amount of used vinyl at this
store. We put out 200 used records every single
day of the year into our ‘Recent Arrivals’ bins,
so there are constantly people hunting for gems
from the past.”
And, he said, the demand for jazz is
unquenchably strong: “If we could get our
hands on more jazz records, we would see more
CHUCK KOTON

sales. There is a bit of, ‘you can only get so much

Smashed Plastic Record Pressings’ of it in.’”
John Lombardo (left), Steve Polutnik and Andy Weber Impressively, this sales surge isn’t driven
solely by collectors’ hankerings for classic vinyl,
but also by fans looking for new albums or
newly reissued rarities. Nor are the hottest titles
always the obvious titles.
“There were a bunch of Japanese jazz reis-
sues that came out last year—really obscure
records that were impossible to find here for
years,” Whatmore said. “And all sorts of peo-
ple were really excited to get pre-orders in for
them.”
But why?
“A lot of that success is based on context,”
Vinyl is back, and that might be the best news jazz recordings said Steve Lowenthal, whose Black Editions
have had in a long time. imprint released those Japanese jazz albums,
as well as a run of heavy psych reissues by folks
like High Rise and Keiji Haino. As he explains it,
when listeners develop a sense of trust for a label
with a clear aesthetic, they’re more likely to take
According to Nielsen Soundscan, 16.8 million ing figure considering that the format widely a chance on a new release.
LPs were sold last year, up from 14.6 million was considered to be nearly extinct at the turn “We just released a record by a guy named
the year before, and marking the 13th consecu- of the century. Makoto Kawashima, who’s a contemporary
tive year of growth for vinyl sales—a figure dou- More significantly, jazz recordings account- saxophone improviser from Japan,” Lowenthal
bly impressive in an industry that generally has ed for 4.3 percent of sales of new vinyl record- said. “He’s a fairly unknown player in the world
seen declines in sales. Overall, LPs counted for ings last year. That might not seem much on the of improvised jazz, but we were able to run
12 percent of album sales last year, an astonish- face of it, but according to the Record Industry through our first pressing almost immediately,

50 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

based on the context of it being in Black Edition, and being placed in
the context of Japanese underground music in general.”
As Lowenthal sees it, part of that interest stems from there being
a desire in “rediscovering a lot of 20th century culture that wasn’t cel-
ebrated the first time around. Like, if you had told me five years ago
that Alice Coltrane would be the biggest thing of 2018, I wouldn’t
have been able to make that call. But here we are, and the Alice
Coltrane catalog is like the hippest thing going.”
It also helps that the manufacturing standards for vinyl are much
higher now than they were in the pre-CD era. Back then, record com-
panies were focused on mass-production and cost-cutting. These
days, the industry is full of small boutique plants that take an almost
artisanal approach to pressing vinyl LPs.
“The amount of care that everybody’s putting in right now is so
much different from what it was,” says Andy Weber, one of the
co-founders of Smashed Plastic, a vinyl pressing company that
opened in late 2018 on Chicago’s West Side. “The consumer’s
demanding it. Vinyl, in our day and age, is a way for someone to slow
down. It’s, ‘I’m going to sit here and listen to this record for the next
45 minutes.’ So, you want to make sure that what’s coming out of my
plant, or any other plant in the country, is going to sound good, and
is going to have that thickness to add longevity to the product.”
From the musician’s side of things, there’s a generation of players
who, until recently, were denied the opportunity to cut LPs.
“I grew up on vinyl,” said saxophonist Gregory Tardy. “My par-
ents were both opera singers, and so our house was always filled with
the sounds of Bizet, Puccini and Saint-Saëns. But we’re also a black
family, so I also heard plenty of James Brown, Otis Redding, any-
thing that was on Stax records. When I became a jazz fan/musician,
my record collection became filled with Monk, Trane, Stitt and all
the greats.” But his own output has been mostly digital. “I’ve heard a
rumor that there is a vinyl copy of my Impulse! release Serendipity,
only available in Europe,” he said. “But I have never seen one myself.”
Things are about to change, however, thanks to an album he
recorded with Bill Frisell for the vinyl-only subscription label
Newvelle. Frisell was booked for a performance with the Knoxville
Jazz Orchestra, and because Tardy had played in the guitarist’s band
years ago, they arranged for a duo recording, which went exception-
ally well.
“Since Bill knew the folks at Newvelle, he introduced me to Elan
Mehler, and it came together very quickly,” Tardy said. “The fact that
this was going to be on vinyl made me even more excited, because I
wanted to make an emotionally deep and heartfelt project. I knew
the vinyl would help take it there.”
How so?
“I have always felt that vinyl sounds deeper, more dynamic and
warmer than digital,” he said. “I know that scientifically digital
is supposed to be better, and digital definitely is clearer. But I have
always felt that vinyl has more of a vibe, and that vibe makes the
music sound more soulful to me. That’s not just for jazz, but for
music in general.”
Tardy isn’t alone in thinking that: “The analog experience in gen-
eral is what listeners use to separate the wheat from the chaff, in terms
of whether you’re a serious listener or a casual listener,” Lowenthal
said. “It’s also about collecting culture, and about tangible items in
the digital world. With digital music and streaming, there’s such an
ephemerality to it. Hard drives crash, passwords get reset, and all of
a sudden you could be locked out of everything.
“That’s not an issue when it comes to records. It’s simpler in a lot
of ways.” —J.D. Considine

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 51

52 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019
 Masterpiece +++++ Excellent ++++ Good +++ Fair ++ Poor +
Inside
58 / Jazz
60 / Blues
64 / Beyond
66 / Historical
68 / Books

DESMOND WHITE
Pianist Fabian Almazan (center) explores
the jazz-classical divide on his latest trio
recording, This Land Abounds With Life.

Fabian Almazan Trio ment, leaving the listener to infer meaning. simplicity. “Forklorism” seesaws modestly
back and forth between two notes, but finds
Almazan toys with dynamics much of the
This Land Abounds With Life time, occasionally in slow, layered climbs; swirling fortissimo power before resolving
BIOPHILIA 0015
other times, in steep downturns of sweep and back into its minimal motif.
++++ tension. The effect is a roller coaster of con- The trio is augmented by a string quartet
Fabian Almazan’s remarkable piano virtuosi- trasts in tempo and intensity, played with the for “Bola De Nieve,” a pre-Castro piece by
ty began to draw attention when he joined fullness of an orchestra. Bassist Linda May Carlos Varela. Its chamber intimacy moves
trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s band in Han Oh weaves comfortably into the piano from sonata-like grace to broad, arching col-
2007, but surfaced with a striking sudden- lines, often achieving a careful contrapuntal umns of authority and back again. “Jaula,”
ness around 2011 with his first trio album. It’s balance, more than just a solo spot. Their dia- an homage to Nelson Mandela, has the lush
a virtuosity that belongs more to a classical logs on “Ella,” “Uncle Tío” and “Folklorism” textures of a piano concerto that conceal its
temperament then to jazz: Rather than swing have a thoughtful equilibrium to them. essential simplicity. Finally, after a whop-
spontaneously, Almazan expresses a roman- But Almazan begins with an uncharacter- ping 85 minutes, Almazan closes with a love-
tic impressionism that is negotiable on both istic bang. “Benjamin” is a fast, finger-bust- ly surprise. “Music On My Mind” by the great
sides of the divide, wherever that might be. er of a ride up and down the keyboard. Played Harlem strider Willie “The Lion” Smith con-
The 12 selections here were inspired, more in a rolling surge of precise eighth notes, bro- veys an old-fashioned elegance of pure mel-
or less, by a recent return to his native Cuba, ken every few bars by dissonant speed bumps, ody that seems at first out of place. But it’s
from which he escaped as a child. They are a it swings with the bracing formality of a fugue. just Almazan’s way of saying he’s a proud
needlepoint of personal memories, cultural “The Everglades” is a lagoon of soft, lyric Harlem resident. —John McDonough
homages and even political allusions—“Ben- chords, swept by winds and waves in the
jamin” refers to a character in George Orwell’s middle, and ends as a still life. “The Poets” This Land Abounds With Life: Benjamin; The Everglades; The
Poets; Ella; Songs Of The Forgotten; The Nomads; Jaula; Bola De
Animal Farm—all explained in notes for those is quietly ruminative with no strong theme, Nieve; Folklorism; Uncle Tío; Pet Steps Sitters Theme Song; Music
On My Mind. (85:32)
who wish to decode the programmatics. But a then gathers a percussive weight and force
Personnel: Fabian Almazan, piano; Linda May Han Oh, bass;
piece of music is not a narrative. It relies on before evaporating. Henry Cole, drums; string quartet (8).
the abstractions of mood, melody and move- Where there is a theme, it tends toward Ordering info: biophiliarecords.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 53

 tion. This all might sound too involved for a sev-
en-track quartet record, but the result is satisfy-
ingly restrained and engaging.
Tracks like “Abbott & Costello,” the names
given to Villeneuve’s two nonverbal aliens, show-
case a playful back-and-forth between Clowes’
ascending lines and pianist Ross Stanley’s inter-
spersed keys—a question-and-answer phras-
ing if ever there was one. While “Free To Fall”
and “Dustlings” are more spacious, each priori-
tizes the silence between phrases as much as the
musical interjections.
When Clowes pushes far into the ether,
though, her compositions become too fluid and
lose their structure, as on “Arise” and “I.F.,” where
the thread of meaning is obscured. Yet, the will
Trish Clowes to “speak” to the listener is ever-present. On John Patitucci
Ninety Degrees Gravity “Lightning Les (Live),” Clowes displays her mea- Soul Of The Bass
BASHO 56 sured intensity, meandering around drummer THREE FACES
+++½ James Maddren’s cymbal strikes and Stanley’s +++½
organ to create a beguiling 12-minute track.
Since poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow claimed Ultimately, listeners might not understand all Amid all the slippery, capricious action of Wayne
that “music is the universal language of all man- of what Clowes tries to communicate on Ninety Shorter’s famous quartet, you might be tempted
kind” in the early 19th century, the phrase has Degrees Gravity, but like any meaning worth to say that John Patitucci’s bass serves as the bal-
struck a chord with musicians and audiences. heeding, it expands during each statement. last. It’s a logical construction: steady bassist, lib-
For tenor saxophonist Trish Clowes, it’s a utopian —Ammar Kalia erated band. But really, it’s the other way around.
idea, a synonym for the act of improvisation itself. It’s precisely Patitucci’s comfort in midair that
For her fifth album, Ninety Degrees Gravity, Ninety Degrees Gravity: Eric’s Tune; Abbott & Costello; Free To allows the rest of the quartet—his main concern
Clowes takes this idea as her inspiration, prompt- Fall; Arise; I.F.; Lightning Les (Live); Dustlings. (50:42) during the past two decades—to fly freely.
Personnel: Trish Clowes, saxophone, vocals; Chris Montague, gui-
ed by Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi film Arrival, tar; Ross Stanley, Hammond organ, piano; James Maddren, drums. Soul Of The Bass is a solo-bass record, with a
which centers around human-alien communica- Ordering info: bashorecords.com few exceptions, but its main assets are the same:
Patitucci’s effortless range of motion, and his
ability to create a feeling of coherency without
Angélique Kidjo staying inside any bounds.
Celia On his earliest leader albums, Patitucci
VERVE 00602577444982 played a broadly sourced fusion, typically on elec-
tric bass, often writing his own tunes. Despite the
++++½ now-dated aesthetic, it was surprisingly convinc-
Some LP-length albums seem incomplete, but ing stuff, drawn from Afro-Latin, Romantic and
Angélique Kidjo’s 36-minute tribute to Celia Cruz post-bop influences. Then, in 1992, he abruptly
is such a delightful dervish of a recording that its went another way with Heart Of The Bass, featur-
runtime seems completely apt. ing a concert orchestra and string quartet play-
Funneling Cruz through Afrobeat guitar, ing Patitucci’s suites and short-form pieces with
vocal choruses and unison brass shouts might indeterminate grace.
seem sacrilegious given the reverence reserved for Some 28 years later, he’s out with Soul Of The
the Queen of Salsa, but Kidjo and arranger David Bass, an album that’s not quite the mirror image
Donatien manage to get at the West African of its predecessor. It seems more personal and,
essence of Cruz’s music without disregarding the ultimately, more engaging. Some of Soul’s most
source material. In fact, Celia succeeds not just memorable moments take place with Patitucci
Rip Rig + Panic. Even when she slows the pace
because it blazes from start to finish, but because alone on upright, playing a winsome, arpeg-
on a sultry version of “Oya Diosa,” the grit in her
it sends you back to Cruz’s originals to under- giated melody on the title track or using a bow
voice and the complementary cello of Clément
stand which elements fueled the transformation. to explore the instrument’s full tonal range on
Petit ensure that this is anything but a mere trib-
A case in point: “Bemba Colora,” Cruz’s 1966 “Mystery Of The Soul.” And his fluency on the
ute to a legend; it’s a complete reimagining of
anti-racist song, which later became her signature electric is a marvel, especially a reading of Bach’s
Cruz’s legacy that carries the Cuban singer back
piece. Cruz’s version is a rumba, heated to be sure, “Allemande In D Minor,” with the six-string bass
to Africa. —James Hale
but nothing approaching where Kidjo takes it in creating entire microclimates of airy harmony
Celia: Cucala; La Vida Es Un Carnaval; Sahara; Baila Yemaja; Toro
league with UK saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings Mata; Elegua; Quimbara; Bemba Colora; Oya Diosa; Yemaja. (36:21) and bubbling melody. —Giovanni Russonello
and his Sons Of Kemet. In their hands, the song Personnel: Angélique Kidjo, vocals; Amen Viana, guitar, backing
vocals (1, 5, 6); Dominic James, guitar (1, 2, 5); Shabaka Hutchings, Soul Of The Bass: Soul Of The Bass; Seeds Of Change; Morning
is a hardcore blast of blatting tuba, skittering per- saxophone (2, 5, 8); Julien Duchet, bass saxophone (5, 7); Gangbé Train (Spiritual); The Call; Mystery Of The Soul; Morocco; Elvin; Earth
Brass Band; Theon Cross, tuba (2, 8); David Donatien, organ (2, 8, Tones; Seeds Of Change Reprise; Allemande In D Minor: Sarab;
cussion and careening tenor that threatens to 9), guitar (1, 2), bass, percussion; Xavier Tribolet, organ (2, 3), piano Trust; Truth. (37:39)
derail at any second. With Kidjo growling out (3); Meshell Ndegeocello, bass (1, 2, 5, 7); Clément Petit, cello (3, 9); Personnel: John Patitucci, six-string electric bass, electric bass,
Tony Allen, Tom Skinner (8), Eddie Hick (8), drums; Crespin Kpitiki, piccolo electric bass, bass; Nate Smith, drums (4, 9); Greisun, vocals
the lyrics, the performance has the slightly woozy agomé (4–7); Benoit Avihoué, shekere (4–7). (11); Isabella Patitucci, vocals (11); Sachi Patitucci, cello (13).
anthemic delirium of the British post-punk band Ordering info: vervelabelgroup.com Ordering info: johnpatitucci.com

54 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

The

John Giovanni
Critics James Hale Ammar Kalia McDonough Russonello

Fabian Almazan Trio +++½ ++++ ++++ ++++

This Land Abounds With Life

Trish Clowes +++½ +++½ +++ +++½

Ninety Degrees Gravity

Angélique Kidjo ++++½ +++ +++½ +++½

Celia

John Patitucci ++++ +++½ +++ +++½

Soul Of The Bass

Critics’ Comments

Fabian Almazan Trio, This Land Abounds With Life

The cinematic scope is broad, but the recording’s aspirations rob it of some needed focus. This
sounds like the “director’s cut”; less of an auteur approach would have sufficed. —James Hale
Almazan charges through this musical anthology of his first trip back to Cuba in 23 years,
resulting in an emotionally charged and fiercely outspoken record on migration and identity.
—Ammar Kalia
Almazan’s Herculean command and supersonic swiftness are well served by a newfound focus
on dynamics and topography, resulting in his most satisfying work yet. —Giovanni Russonello

Trish Clowes, Ninety Degrees Gravity

With crisp drumming and an attractive combination of guitar and organ that nods to The Tony
Williams Lifetime, Clowes’ well-tuned quartet treads a line between vintage sounds and contem-
porary approaches. —James Hale
A generally dry reserve and veiled vibrato give Clowes’ tenor a coolish aura of intellect. It’s an
impression the quirky compositions tend to confirm—sometimes staccato, sometimes twisty.
—John McDonough
This high-intensity, mercurial workout provides further evidence that Clowes is an improviser
to be reckoned with, and a bandleader with original ideas about how to carry forward some
thwarted legacies of the 1960s and ’70s—fusion, free-jazz, Third Stream. —Giovanni Russonello

Angélique Kidjo, Celia

Kidjo takes on the catalog of Cuban legend Cruz with mixed results. Cruz’s vitality is present on
the undulating groove of “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” and channeled through Shabaka Hutchings’
saxophone on “Toro Mata.” Yet, the sanitized production papers over the joyous energy of the
originals. —Ammar Kalia
A lot of Cuban firepower combusts here as Kidjo amplifies Cruz’s Afro-Cuban pop legacy. Her
gritty authority dominates the relentless pump of background vocals, instrumental vamps and
layers of poly-percussion that can turn a concert into a revival meeting. —John McDonough
A testimony of love becomes a parade of joy—and a reminder that Kidjo, like her idol, knows
how to pull an ensemble into transcendent rhythmic repartee. —Giovanni Russonello

John Patitucci, Soul Of The Bass

Patitucci’s bass mastery flows down many paths. The ensemble funk stings and the solo flights
soothe, and they combine for one of the most compelling bass-focused recordings since the
debuts of Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke. —James Hale
Patitucci squeezes in much soul, meandering from the skin-on-strings vibrations of “Seeds Of
Change” to the electric charge of Nate Smith’s drumming on “The Call.” This change of instru-
mentation and genre can be jarring, though; Patitucci is better off sticking to solo compositions.
—Ammar Kalia
An honorable, though indulgent, effort from a great player. Solo bass recitals have their prece-
dents, but Patitiucci sounds isolated and empty on the eight solo pieces here. —John McDonough

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 55

 tronics. Throughout the album, recorded voices
are sprinkled on for added effect, from quotidi-
an one-way phone conversations, to poetic eulo-
gizing and Guiliana’s son spinning cute stories.
It’s almost as though listeners progress through
the levels of ever-changing live and looped music,
traversing landscapes of futurism, euphoria and
the imaginary, the boxy and pixelated lettering of
the album cover underscoring the distinct 8-bit
video game aesthetic.
But the grand scale means that uplifting
anthemic moments find their home in numerous
spots: the handclap soundalikes and anticipato-
ry breaks in the swelling shuffle of “BLOOM”
or in the meticulously laid-back melody of the
dub-inflected “BUD.” The changing frequen-
Mark Guiliana cies of the recorded voices, the textured timbres
of the bass lines, the crunch and pop of the elec-
Mary Stallings
BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! tronics, and the satisfying detail and precision of
Songs Were Made To Sing
BEAT MUSIC! Guiliana’s playing are bolstered by repeated shifts
SMOKE SESSIONS 1903
MOTÉMA 0322
and tweaks of his beats throughout each track.
++++
++++ Sometimes it’s slight and sometimes radical, One of the most accomplished jazz singers of her
The mustard-yellow optics of the cover, the sin- each introducing a new mode, highlighting each generation, Mary Stallings is having a late-career
gle-word track titles in caps and the repeat- work’s own in-the-moment individuality. renaissance that finally should result in the respect
ed exclamations of the album’s name all lead —Tamar Sella and popularity she deserves. At 79, her newest
to the attention-grabbing sonic expanse of recording on Smoke Sessions, like her entire cata-
BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC!: GIRL; BONES;
Mark Guiliana’s BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! BUD; BULLET; HOME; ROAST; HUMAN; BLOOM; STREAM. (45:27) log, embodies time-honored jazz virtues: authen-
BEAT MUSIC! Personnel: Mark Guiliana, drums, synthesizer; Chris Morrissey, ticity, rather than breathless artifice; concise, rath-
Stu Brooks, Jonathan Maron, Tim Lefebvre, electric bass; Jason
On the third release of Guiliana’s dynamic Lindner, BIGYUKI, Jeff Babko, keyboards; Nate Werth, percussion; er than overlong, solos; and a deep immersion in
Troy Zeigler, Steve Wall, electronics; Cole Whittle, Jeff Taylor,
Beat Music, the team assembles dense layers of Gretchen Parlato, Marley Guiliana, vocals. the blues, which never goes out of style.
live drumbeats, bass lines, keyboards and elec- Ordering info: motema.com She’s backed here by an exemplary quintet,
including the impeccable pianist David
Hazeltine, who also arranged; her old friend, vet-
Brian Krock eran trumpeter Eddie Henderson (they went to
liddle high school together in her native San Francisco);
OUTSIDE IN 1902 altoist Vincent Herring; bassist David “Happy”
++++ Williams; and drummer Joe Farnsworth.
Throughout, her voice remains supple and invit-
If you’re a fan of Brian Krock’s inventive and idio- ing, her interpretations deeply informed, and her
syncratic large ensemble debut, Big Heart occasional scatting both natural and inventive.
Machine, it might be tempting to assume that The songs on this outing were chosen to rep-
liddle is just a scaled-down sibling. But it’s not. resent different chapters in her life, and she sings
Not quite. Yes, there are fewer players while the them with conviction and a survivor’s rueful
overall sound is flavored by a similar blend of wisdom. Among the highlights: an exquisitely
metallic guitar and bumpy, oblong rhythms. But torchy, bluesy reading of Harold Arlen and Ted
Krock plucked the name of his group from the Koehler’s “Ill Wind” with a lyrical trumpet turn
opening pages of James Joyce’s magnum opus, by Henderson; an uptempo, deeply swinging ver-
Finnegans Wake, and as Joyce scholars remind sion of Duke Ellington’s “Prelude To A Kiss”;
us, “liddle” is both an approximation of how a and Alec Wilder’s immortal ode to the fleeting
small child might say “little” and an allusion to give players the room they need. Guitarist Olli joys of youth, “While We’re Young.” In the lat-
Alice Liddell, Lewis Carrol’s inspiration for Alice Hirvonen makes particularly good use of his ter, Stallings makes a minor, but telling, modifi-
in Wonderland. space, developing solos texturally in addition cation to the title phrase that utterly changes the
Perhaps that’s why there’s a through-the- to melodic and rhythmically (his long solo on song’s perspective, turning it into a wistful and
looking-glass quality to much of the writing “Knuckle Hair” is a masterpiece of aural mus- moving reminiscence: “Songs were made to sing
here, as Krock and his mates repeatedly take the cle flexing), while pianist Matt Mitchell’s fond- while you’re young/ Every day is spring while
compositional ideas and turn them inside-out. ness for crisp, single-note lines works brilliant- you’re young.” —Allen Morrison
“(Flip),” for example, opens with a six-note alto ly against the drums and bass on Anthony
phrase that, as Krock elaborates on it, has the Braxton’s avant-bop “Opus 23b.”—J.D. Considine Songs Were Made To Sing: Stolen Moments; Lover Man; Blue
Monk; Ill Wind; While We’re Young; Lady Bird; When I Close My
rhythm section stumbling purposefully to match Eyes; Prelude To A Kiss; Third Time Is The Charm; ‘Round Midnight;
liddle: (Flip); Knuckle Hair; Memphis (Intro); Memphis; Saturnine; Soul Mates; Give Me The Simple Life; Sugar. (67:37)
the melody’s rhythmic variations. Heart Machine; Opus 23b; Spondulics; Please Stop. (54:24) Personnel: Mary Stallings, vocals; Eddie Henderson, trumpet; Vin-
That’s the big difference with liddle—as Personnel: Brian Krock, alto saxophone, bass clarinet; Olli cent Herring, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone; David Hazeltine,
Hirvonen, guitar; Marty Kenney, bass; Nathan Ellman-Bell, drums; piano; David “Happy” Williams, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums; Daniel
strong as the writing is, it’s the playing that car- Matt Mitchell, piano; Simon Jermyn, electric bass. Sadownick, percussion (2,6).
ries the album, with arrangements designed to Ordering info: outsideinmusic.com Ordering info: smokesessionsrecords.com

56 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 The idea of Alexander being an adventurer Coltrane’s towering influence on the disc is the
who’ll sometimes explore the outer reach- 13-mintue closer, “Second Impression,” a gen-
es of modern jazz seldom pops up in people’s uflecting homage to Trane’s “Impressions.”
minds. That might change, though, with his But Alexander jumps the furthest from his
absorbing new disc, Leap Of Faith. usual template on the probing “Magyar,” a
As the title suggests, the bandleader for- silhouetting duet with Weiss’ haunting arco
goes a little of his safety net by soaring bass lines, and on “Frenzy” as his saxophone
inside a piano-less trio (except for one track lines dart across the terrain, marked by rum-
where the bandleader adds piano). The lack bling bass and plowing drums. Even after the
of harmonic support certainly frees him up rhythm section establishes a hard-swinging
and allows listeners a greater sense of his forward momentum, a sense of devilish agita-
combustible tone, aggressive rhythmic tion prevails. Then there’s the glowing “Mars,”
attack and near-flawless sense of melodically a slow-moving piece that ebbs and flows with
cogent improvisations. the spiritualized tension and release of a
While there’s nothing on Leap Of Faith Baptist minister.
that immediately recalls Albert Ayler or The best moments on Leap Of Faith occur
Eric Alexander Archie Shepp, this is Alexander at his most on the ballads. Alexander’s “Big Richard” is
avant-garde. Captured live in August 2018 at simply a thing of modern jazz beauty as he
Leap Of Faith New York’s Jazz Gallery, drummer Johnathan unravels a luxurious melody across Blake’s
GIANT STEP ARTS 003
Blake and bassist Doug Weiss create prote- subtle brushstrokes and Weiss’ saunter-
+++½ an spaces for Alexander to roam freely, as ing bass counterpoint. Alexander also stuns
Eric Alexander has established an impressive well as prompting him to engage in more on the reflective “Corazon Perdido,” during
career as one of today’s most solid post-hard- discreet interplay. which he plays brief antiphonic interjections
bop torchbearers. His extensive discogra- Shades of John Coltrane and George on piano alongside a billowing melody atop
phy admirably showcases his improvisational Coleman never are far away when Alexander Blake’s evocative tom work. —John Murph
prowess on the tenor saxophone, his indisput- plays. Influence of the former, though, seems
able command of modern bop’s vocabulary more apparent on Leap Of Faith, particu- Leap Of Faith: Luquitas; Mars; Corazon Perdido; Hard Blues;
Frenzy; Big Richard; Magyar; Second Impression. (57:12)
and his respect for the idiom’s lodestars (most- larly in some of Alexander’s corkscrew pas- Personnel: Eric Alexander, tenor saxophone, piano (3); Doug
ly through his longstanding work with pianist sages, searing wails, atonal cries and barrel- Weiss, bass; Johnathan Blake, drums.
Harold Mabern). ing velocity. The most obvious illustration of Ordering info: giantsteparts.org

The Vampires Gwilym Simcock

Pacifica Near And Now
EARSHIFT 026 ACT 9883
++++ +++½
Those unfamiliar with this Australian Pianist Gwilym Simcock regularly
band might wonder about the origin can be seen on international stages,
of its name. But the mystery’s quickly touring as part of Pat Metheny’s quar-
resolved with a cursory listen: the uti- tet. But he sounds stronger by himself
lization of an array of interesting osti- at his Berlin home, where he recorded
nato bass patterns by Sydney native this self-produced second solo album,
and current Los Angeles stalwart blending modern chamber music’s
Alex Boneham, buoyed by Alex Masso’s crisp grooves, and overlaid with compositional techniques with quick-thinking improvisation.
spacious melodies and harmonies from trumpeter Nick Garbett and saxo- Part of what makes Simcock’s approach so distinctive is how he can
phonist, label-runner and otherwise alpha-bat Jeremy Rose. bring such a broad scope to the keyboard, but then segue into gentle move-
In a head-bopping nod to the obvious, The Vampires play vamps. Yet, ments in ways that never sound abrupt or obvious. His tone and dynamics are
these are no ordinary vamps. Written and improvised melodies are beauti- especially assertive on the two three-part suites, “Beautiful Is Our Moment
ful and flawless, and the harmonies between the three voices (woodwinds, (For Billy Childs)” and “Many Worlds Away (For Egberto Gismonti),” being
brass, bass) ring with pitch-perfect sonority. There is a sublime pacing to built up from a series of contrasts. On “Our Moment,” he plays heavy and
each of the tunes here, with strategic shifts in texture, tonality, rhythm or light passages off one another, as well as dark rumbling chords and light-
intensity twisting the narrative of each hypnotic groove into an ever-un- er high-note lines. The pianist outwardly honors his heroes through each
folding and irresistible arc. For the most part, the band sticks to its chord- piece’s dedications, connections sometimes vividly being made between his
less quartet and judicious use of long-tail reverb. Yet, The Vampires’ greatest work and theirs. But then Simcock takes singular turns during his impro-
appeal is how it manages to be artful, not haughty. Unlike the band’s name- visations, including emphasizing blues phrases and repeating single-note,
sake, these killer players won’t put listeners in mortal peril, choosing instead low-register lines. Ultimately, these tributes serve more as touchstones than
to slay with impeccable wit and relentless congeniality. —Gary Fukushima reflections, since Simcock produces a sound that’s his alone.—Aaron Cohen
Pacifica: Tofik; Little Mountain; Don Pacifico; The View From Fez; Liberty?; West Mass.; Numer Domu Near And Now: Beautiful Is Our Moment (For Billy Childs), Parts I–III; Before The Elegant Hour (For
66; Lahinch; Annica; Overnight; Aeon; Adrianek; Vampage; Little Dip. (44:45) Brad Mehldau); You’re My You (For Les Chisnall); Inveraray Air (For Russell Ferrante); Many Worlds Away
Personnel: Jeremy Rose, saxophone, bass clarinet, piano; Nick Garbett, trumpet; Alex Boneham, bass, (For Egberto Gismonti), Parts I–III. (58:53)
electric bass; Alex Masso, drums, percussion. Personnel: Gwilym Simcock, piano.
Ordering info: earshift.com Ordering info: actmusic.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 57

 Jazz / BY SUZANNE LORGE

Trios, the Fulcrum of Sound

Traditionally, but with clear exceptions, the

VEGARD MELLESDAL BYE

success of a jazz performance depends on
the three musicians at the fulcrum of the
sound—the pianist, bassist and drummer.
Whether as a standalone group or a rhythm
section for a larger band, this unit con-
veys the values that the composing mind
holds dear.
Nowhere are these values more starkly
apparent than in a discrete, three-person en-
semble. Through his eponymous trio, for in-
stance, pianist Ahmad Jamal introduced the
Masha Art & LRK Trio
notion of sound quality over quantity, turn- Anesthesia
ing away from the speedy, complex bebop LOSEN 217
riffing of his day. Later, Bill Evans refined the
BrioTrio
++++
trio sound, setting a new standard for small
The last song on Masha Art & LRK Trio’s
jazz ensembles. And today, contemporary the complacent. On Choc (“shock” in En-
groups like The Bad Plus push the tradition glish), French pianist Cherpitel and his mod- Anesthesia carries the title “Into The Sea (RIP
one step further with its use of modern jazz ern jazz trio barely pause for breath as they My Sister Anya).” Those mourners among us,
idioms and popular music sources. cycle through a decade’s worth of original forever marked by some private tragedy, might
Drawing inspiration and ideas from compositions. recognize in the song’s denouement the lan-
precedents like these, several jazz trios Throughout the album, Cherpitel impels guage of disconsolate grief. Above a wash of
have released albums that add new dimen- his trio in relentless movement—sometimes rolling percussion and listing bass, pianist
sions to the format. Each of these groups— electric, sometimes rolling, but always for- Evgeny Lebedev interlaces a soaring major-scale
all piano-based, though not necessarily ward. While he revels in stunningly sym- harmony with its inverse. For a brief moment,
piano-led—speak with a unique, command- metrical comping, drummer Alexandre Am-
bright hopeful chords clash against discordant
ing voice. broziak and bassist Jean-Luc Déat provide
chaos until the album closes with the low hum
On drummer Jeff William’s fifth record some syncopated contrast.
for Whirlwind, Bloom (4737; 60:28 +++½), Ordering information: guillaume-cherpitel.com
of abandoned strings vacantly vibrating.
he joins with bassist Michael Formanek (a The aptly named Briotrio (drummer It’s a dramatic moment on the group’s third
longtime colleague) and pianist Carmen Sta- Arne Skorpe Sjøen, pianist Ingrid Øygard release, its first widely available outside Russia.
af to turn out 10 originals and one standards Steinkopf and bassist Thomas Linde Lossius) The album, for the most part, offers listeners the
redux. On the record, the group crackles positively sparkles on its debut release, Bri- opportunity to hear a tightknit group nail sax-
with energy, thanks to Williams’ flinty play- otrio (AMP 36; 46:55 +++). The recently ophonist and bandleader Masha Art’s compel-
ing, Staaf’s inventive chord changes and For- formed acoustic group, based in Bergen, ling compositions. However, Lebedev’s contri-
manek’s deep feeling. To hear how assertive- Norway, gravitates toward light, cool swing butions stand out. Like “Into the Sea,” “Painless”
ly the trio tackles a groove, listen to Williams’ and amusing stories—this record contains
displays his uncanny ability to render emotions
“Scrunge/Search Me” with its insistent 7/8 not one somber moment.
that, on impact, feel almost painfully personal.
pulse. For straight-up improvisation and me- The upbeat, simply stated “Første Vals”
lodicism, check out Staaf’s blues tune, “New pokes fun in 3/4 time; “Kor E Du?” bounces It opens with a slow, staccato refrain. Art goes
York Landing.” Then chase all of this down with a Latin vibe; and the unexplained “???” first, articulating notes purposefully, letting
with Formanek’s “Ballad Of The Weak,” the shows off the players’ well-honed ensemble them resonate. Her solo luxuriates in the song’s
most contemplative piece of the lot. skills. In a word: charming. melancholy. Lebedev follows and opens with a
Ordering info: whirlwindrecordings.com Ordering information: ampmusicrecords.com few expansive chords before charting a simple
The Tel Aviv group Shalosh—which At 150 recordings strong, pianist Bill melody that unfolds with the logic of a folksong
means “three” in Hebrew—works as a collec- Mays had no shortage of material for last or a lullaby. Then, as Ignat Kravstov’s percus-
tive, sans leader. Its latest album, Onwards year’s Celebration of the Arts festival in sion tightens around him, he reveals these grey-
And Upwards (ACT 9885; 66:20 +++½), Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. The
washed, pastoral chords. They arrive like the
displays a similarly inclusive attitude toward live recording from that gig, Live At COTA
previous melody’s solemn shadow.
style—its repertoire draws on diverse sources (No Blooze 3; 55:45 ++++), reunites
from the worlds of rock, classical and world Mays with bassist Martin Wind and drum- The writing and performances on
music. This eclecticism plays out intriguingly mer Matt Wilson for their first trio release in Anesthesia make it worth a listen, but Lebedev’s
in their work. Pianist Gadi Stern, bassist Da- a decade. contributions make it an even rarer find. It’s an
vid Michaeli and drummer Matan Assayag As hard-swinging as ever, the three play- album with a lot to say, but even more to show.
give as much attention to form and building ers can displace atoms with their combined —Andrew Jones
tension as their rock and classical brethren, fire. They made room for some poignant
but don’t sacrifice improvisatory ethos. homages, though: “Goodbye, Mr. Evans,” for
Ordering info: actmusic.com Bill Evans; “Sun Of The East” for pianist/com- Anesthesia: Flow; Lavanda’s Dream (Dedicated To My Dog); 8th
Of November; Trees Speech; Painless; Take Him; Into The Sea (RIP
As the translation of its title implies, poser Lennie Tristano; and “Nothing Like My Sister Anya). (36:10)
Guillaume Cherpitel Trio’s Choc (Self You” for pianist/composer Bob Dorough. DB Personnel: Masha Art, alto saxophone; Evgeny Lebedev, piano;
Anton Revnyuk, bass; Ignat Kravstov, drums, metalophone; Maria
Release; 52:39 +++) is about disrupting Ordering info: billmays.net Kulakova, harp (1, 2, 5–7).
Ordering info: losenrecords.no

58 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

Matt Slocum
Sanctuary
SUNNYSIDE 1574
++++
Matt Slocum has been building a rep on the New
York scene during the past decade. And on
Sanctuary, his fifth leader date, Slocum joins bass-
ist Larry Grenadier and the refined and swinging
pianist Gerald Clayton, his onetime USC class-
mate and frequent collaborator. A musical drum-
mer rather than a chopsy basher, Slocum under-
scores the proceedings with a deftly understated
yet highly interactive touch in the spirit of Roy
Haynes’ conversational playing on Chick Corea’s
1968 Now He Sings, Now He Sobs.
Sanctuary kicks off with what sounds like an Best Thing For You,” while his gift for compos-
outtake from Grenadier’s recent solo bass out- ing affecting melodies comes across on the love-
ing, The Gleaner. A minute into his solo-bass ly “Aspen Island” (based on Chopin’s “Prelude In
excursion on the intimate waltz-time open- E-Minor”) and his relaxed brushes ballad, “Star
er, “Romulus,” pianist Clayton enters graceful- Prairie.” The jaunty swinger “Days Of Peace”
ly as Slocum sets the tone with delicate brush- showcases some animated call-and-response
work. The trio’s treatment of this poignant Sufjan between drums and bass, and Slocum’s pen-
Stevens melody recalls the way Keith Jarrett’s chant for probing darker terrain is represented by
Standards Trio treats Gershwin, Kern, Porter or sparse rubato number “A Dissolving Alliance.”
Berlin—alluding to the melody while exploring An exceptional outing.
its unique group-think. —Bill Milkowski
Slocum’s simmering rhythmic presence fuels Sanctuary: Romulus; Consolation Prize; Aspen Island; Star Prairie;
some adventurous stretching by Clayton and A Dissolving Alliance; Days Of Peace; Sanctuary; Anselmo. (42:07)
Personnel: Matt Slocum, drums; Gerald Clayton, piano; Larry
Grenadier on “Consolation Prize,” the drum- Grenadier, bass.
mer’s swinging contrafact of Irving Berlin’s “The Ordering info: sunnysiderecords.com

ant and comforting calm is exuded, some-

thing that’s clearly evident on “Be There When I
Get There.”
By the time the ensemble arrives at “Borders
Without Lines,” Riley takes charge and the rep-
utation he earned during those days in the Jazz
at Lincoln Center Orchestra is showcased: An
extended solo with a variety of shifting tempi
finds the bandleader moving effortlessly from
drum to drum. He’s a master time-keeper and
grooves here—and elsewhere—with an innate
gift for improvisation. His vocal skills surface,
too, on Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle” and
during a little rap repartee on “Twelve’s It.”
Pianist Emmet Cohen brilliantly illuminates
“Stella By Starlight,” and his tender transparency
Herlin Riley is all bassist Russell Hall needs to give the time-
Perpetual Optimism less standard a fresh veneer. Of course, Riley’s
MACK AVENUE 1136 brushwork provides the finishing touches.
+++½ What’s immediately obvious with this
recording is that calls will follow for another
A sumptuous gumbo of melody and rhythm
session or two, so that the quintet can hone the
underscores drummer Herlin Riley’s Perpetual
tones, and rather than filing them down, sharp-
Optimism, an album that, for the most part, can
en their edges. —Herb Boyd
be heard as an encore to the group’s initial offer-
ing, New Direction. Perpetual Optimism: Rush Hour; Be There When I Get There;
Borders Without Lines; You Don’t Know What Love Is; Perpetual
On most of the tunes here, Bruce Harris’ Optimism; Touched; Wings And Roots; Wang Dang Doodle; Stella
trumpet is spicy and spikey, and when it blends By Starlight; Twelve’s It. (60:18)
Personnel: Herlin Riley, drums, vocals; Emmet Cohen, piano; God-
with Godwin Louis’ carefully and soulful- win Louis, alto saxophone; Bruce Harris, trumpet; Russell Hall, bass.
ly phrased tonality on alto saxophone, a pleas- Ordering info: mackavenue.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 59

 Blues / BY FRANK-JOHN HADLEY

Decades of Pain, Pleasure

Mitch Woods, A Tip Of The Hat To Fats

AUSTIN BRITT
(Blind Pig 5170; 40:36 ++++) Woods
holds court as one of the leading exponents
of New Orleans r&b-blues piano, even though
he doesn’t have a permanent address in the
Crescent City. (He hangs his Panama hat in
San Francisco when not touring the world or
visiting Louisiana.) Saluting Fats Domino and
Professor Longhair on his new release, Woods
pounds the 88s to high heaven in front of an
approving crowd at last year’s New Orleans
Jazz & Heritage Festival. Yet, no matter how
Patrick Cornelius
ecstatic he gets with all those triplets and This Should Be Fun
boogie patterns, Woods retains the control POSI-TONE 8195
of a master. As a singer, his robust voice and ++½
strutting, confident style project the lyrics of,
This Should Be Fun, the seventh leader date by alto
for example, “Crawfishin’” and “Jambalaya.” Big Daddy Wilson
The hand-picked local band, brimming with saxophonist Patrick Cornelius, is a departure
joyful pleasure, includes saxophonists Roger American album, produced by Jim Gaines in from his more recent work. The New York-based
Lewis (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) and Amadee Memphis and Muscle Shoals’ FAME Studios. bandleader has spent the majority of his record-
Castenell. Mitch is no Fats, of course, but he’s He sings the words of soul-blues songs with ing career navigating a vision of mainstream and
tons of fun. a warm tone, refined phrasing, good diction modern jazz with a strong bop twist. And his
Ordering info: blindpigrecords.com and an emphasis on natural, levelheaded most recent handful of records have been intrigu-
The Texas Horns, Get Here Quick expression. This graybeard has duende, a ing explorations into thematic works for large
(Severn 0075; 51:35 +++½) Presenting rare cool. Simpatico support, especially at ensembles—like 2016’s While We’re Still Young by
just its second album since forming as an medium tempos, comes from Bay Area gui-
his octet.
Austin-based band in the mid-1990s, Mark tarist Laura Chavez and first-call Memphis
This Should Be Fun finds Cornelius scaling
“Kaz” Kazanoff (tenor saxophone), John Mills studio regulars.
(baritone saxophone) and Al Gomez (trum- Ordering info: rufrecords.de
back to a quartet, bolstered on half the tracks by
pet) render a specialized synthesis of Lone Bob Corritore & Friends, Do The Hip- longtime collaborator Nick Vayenas, a trombon-
Star State blues, Southern soul and jazz. The Shake Baby! (SWMAF 13; 49:26 ++++) ist playing hard-bop in the vein of Art Blakey and
band soulfully imprints its musical personali- The 14th entry in Corritore’s discography his Jazz Messengers dating back to the 1950s and
ty on 10 originals (five of them spirited instru- finds him in the company of 40 friends ’60s, but updated with a bit more modern har-
mentals) and on two by renowned tunesmith from around the country at eight sessions monic sense. Beyond that, there’s the clear rever-
Gary Nicholson (the Texan sings both, de- held during the past three years. Funneling ence for the bandleader and palpable enjoyment
cently). One standout is Mills’ “Guitar Town,” a deep sense of blues harmonica history the performers here seem to get from play-
with Gary Forsyth applying tender strength into his music, while getting the right mix
ing these songs, the ensemble’s giddy physicali-
to his task of singing. Another is “Sundown of bravura and steadiness, is second nature
ty almost audible in the undeniable bounce and
Talkin’,” in which the excellent vocalist Curtis to this Arizonian. Whether in party-hearty
Salgado, recorded remotely from Oregon, or downhearted moods, Corritore and vari- swing of the title track and others like the pen-
reaches the light/dark emotional core of the ous groupings of friends knock the dust off ultimate “One Shy Of A Dozen.” Even when the
Mills opus. well-selected old r&b and blues numbers, mood is less bubbly, there’s still a jovial and note-
Ordering info: severnrecords.com like Jimmy Reed’s “Bitter Seed” and Hank worthy ease when the band slides into the roll-
Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith & The Ballard’s “The Twist.” Not pretending to be a ing bop of “Telescope” or the Caribbean under-
House Bumpers, Drop The Hammer (Big singer, Corritore counts on legit vocal prac- tones of “Restless Willow.” Cornelius’ alto flies
Eye 0005; 51:17 ++) Drummer Smith has titioners Alabama Mike, Mighty Joe Milsap not-so-far overhead, sprightly and spirited,
one foot in modern blues and the other plant- and, among others, Sugaray Rayford. The but still earthy and full in his preference of the
ed in the classic Chicago style championed latter unleashes a ferocity worthy of Howlin’
horn’s midrange.
by his father, “Big Eyes” Willie, of Muddy Wa- Wolf on “Keep The Lord On With You,” a pro-
All of this is to say that, yes, the record is fun.
ters Band fame. Disappointingly, Smith’s al- fane Rayford “prayer.”
bum is of limited interest, more tedious than Ordering info: swmaf.org
But This Should Be Fun almost can’t help coming
intriguing. The bandleader’s voice lacks nu- Yola, Walk Through Fire (Easy Eye off that way; an amusing thought-experiment or a
ances of tone and provides few sparks of ex- Sound 008; 41:17 +++½) On her debut, playful jam session among friends and colleagues.
pression. The tunes are lightweight, so even the ironclad honesty of Yola’s outstanding It’s clear that Cornelius and company do have
skillful playing by Smith, guitarist Billy Flynn voice connects lyrics on heartache to her fun playing this music, but they don’t go much
and other Chicagoans isn’t enough. largeness of spirit. The Brit’s singing has the deeper than that. —Jackson Sinnenberg
Ordering info: bigeyerecords.com personalization and emotional intensity of
Big Daddy Wilson, Deep In My Soul a fine blues singer, even as producer Dan
This Should Be Fun: Big Pictures; Leaving Paradise; This Should
(Ruf 1259; 44:34 ++++) Based in Germa- Auerbach points her in a neo-soul direction. Be Fun; Precious Souls; Telescope; Dissolution; Restless Willow; Like
ny the past quarter century, Wilson only re- Country music touches don’t flatter her. DB Kenny; One Shy Of A Dozen; For Morgan. (57:34)
Personnel: Patrick Cornelius, alto saxophone; John Escreet, piano;
cently returned to the South to make his first Ordering info: easyeyesound.com Ben Allison, bass; Mark Ferber, drums; Nick Vayenas, trombone.
Ordering info: posi-tone.com

60 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 Sheléa
Pretty World: A Tribute To
Alan & Marilyn Bergman
BREATH OF LIFE/BUNGALO 2018015
+++½
Base a first impression of Sheléa on the sonic aes-
thetic of her sophomore album, Pretty World,
and it’d be understandable to think of ’90s r&b
artists like Whitney Houston or Janet Jackson.
When modest Rhodes swings with Sheléa’s care-
free, confident delivery, the expectation of bold
singing akin to these icons only grows.
Yet, the connection dissipates as Pretty World
reveals a variety of tones, rhythms and care-
Karina Corradini ful arrangements that lean toward soulful gos-
Bridge To Infinity pel (“Love Makes The Changes”), swinging jazz ing lyrics on various fourth beats of the chorus to
SELF RELEASE fit for an intimate lounge (“Make Me Rainbows”) create an unexpected rhythmic pull.
+++½ and showtunes best suited to the soundtracks of Ceding control of song selections won’t
classic Disney fare (“What Are You Doing The immediately reveal artistic identity, but Sheléa’s
Before moving to Los Angeles in 1999, Karina performances here still make Pretty World plenty
Rest Of Your Life”). Resonance with Disney’s
Corradini already was one of the best-known worth listening to. —Kira Grunenberg
love-laden musical repertoire isn’t entirely sur-
jazz vocalists in Argentina, a regular at the top
prising, given the creative legacies of songwrit- Pretty World: A Tribute To Alan & Marilyn Bergman:
venues in Buenos Aires. Pretty World; Like A Lover; Will Someone Ever Look At Me That Way;
ers Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Their song What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life; Make Me Rainbows;
But she moved to Los Angeles to learn how
selections for Sheléa here include the likes of an Love Makes The Changes; I Knew I Loved You; Moonlight; I Won’t
to sing like Ella Fitzgerald, and on six of the Believe My Eyes; You’re Not Alone; The Easy Way. (39:34)
emotive Ennio Morricone ballad and the orches- Personnel: Sheléa, Stevie Mackey (7), vocals; Reggie Hamilton,
tracks on Bridge To Infinity, she uses arrange- bass; Gary Novak, drums; Eric Jackson (1), Ramon Stagnaro (2), Rob-
trally lavish confessional “Will Someone Ever ert “Chalo” Ortiz (6), guitar; Raul Ferrando, strings (1); Kirk Wahlum
ments by Erich Bulling, the man who collaborat-
Look At Me That Way.” That said, Sheléa is able (8), Brandon Fields, saxophone (4); Marcus Hodge (6), organ; Faus-
ed with Fizgerald on Ella Abraça Jobim. The oth- to Cuevas III (8), percussion; Justin Wilson (2, 6, 8), Alan Steinberger
to disguise the common time signature of “Like (9), Greg Phillinganes (11), piano; Stevie Wonder, harmonica (1).
ers were arranged by bassist Christian McBride,
A Lover” with the subtlest vocal actions, accent- Ordering info: sheleamusic.com
who co-produced the record with Corradini.
While the singer leaves plenty of room for the
backing band to stretch out, it’s her vocal pres-
ence that captures listeners’ attention.
She plays with tempo on “Until I Met You
(Corner Pocket),” singing new lyrics and adding
grace notes that stretch and compress the words
to make them dance over Mahesh Balasooriya’s
mischievous piano. “What A Difference A Day
Makes” becomes a bolero, with Corradini whis-
pering several verses in Spanish, as Munyungo
Jackson adds percussion accents. Corradini
sings “Doralice,” Dorival Caymmi’s tale of hope-
less love, in Portuguese, against a gentle bossa
nova pulse. Midway through the take, the tempo
accelerates and her vocals turn the lyrics into a
celebration, happy to be leaving the doomed
relationship behind.
The set closes with a wild, double-time read-
ing of “Lover, Come Back to Me,” McBride and
drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith sending the
beat into overdrive. Corradini’s vocals swing
just as hard, breaking the melody into staccato
fragments that match Zane Musa’s blazing saxo-
phone solo with their animated power. —j. poet

Bridge To Infinity: You Turned The Tables On Me; All Of You;

What A Difference A Day Makes; Like Someone In Love; I Could
Have Told You; I’m Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away The
Key); Doralice; Cai Dentro; If You Went Away (Preciso Aprender A
Ser Só); Você E Eu (You And I); É Com Esse Que Eu Vou; Tu Mi Delirio;
Until I Met You (Corner Pocket); When The Time Is Right; Lover,
Come Back To Me. (64:41)
Personnel: Karina Corradini, vocals; Mahesh Balasooriya, piano;
Christian McBride, Rene Camacho (2–4, 5, 10, 13), bass; Marvin
“Smitty” Smith, drums; Munyungo Jackson, percussion; Zane
Musa, saxophone; Nolan Shaheed, trumpet.
Ordering info: karinacorradini.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 61

Fred Frith Jay Anderson
Live At The Stone: All Deepscape
Is Always Now STEEPLECHASE 31870
INTAKT 320 +++½
+++ Humility isn’t a quality jazz musicians
Duos, trios and one quartet are fea- tend to exhibit, encouraged as they are
tured on this retrospective sampling to show off their chops or push their
of 2006–2016 performances by gui- way into the spotlight with a solo.
tarist Fred Frith at iconic New York That’s what makes Jay Anderson’s lat-
venue The Stone. It’s an understate- est album such a rare and precious
ment to say that there’s a lot to pro- thing. The bassist spends the entire-
cess on this three-disc set, and as with any endeavor, some pieces will mes- ty of the liner notes heaping praise upon the players who join him here and
merize or delight more than others. The entirety of the program falls under those who’ve helped him along the way. His humbleness extends to the per-
the free improvisation banner with textures, colors, tones and pitches at the formances, and on the pair of solo bass tunes featured here. The title track is
heart of most of the pieces; electronics and effects dominate. Normal, Frith’s dominated by melodic drones and squalls with the main melody bouncing
duo with junk master Sudhu Tewari, churns out disturbing soundscapes; into view with calm restraint. And his take on Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes”
and “Identity Crisis” finds Jessica Lurie’s lyrical saxophone added to a trio is serene, making great use of the creak and groan of his instrument. When
and pitted against Frith’s liquefied guitar. Interestingly, collaborations with the rest of his ensemble arrives, Anderson happily resides in the shadows,
the best-known artists here usually are not as compelling. But there still are throwing in details and shadings that bring a sense of wholeness to the sonic
moments to savor, including the ominous “Slipping,” which pairs Frith with picture they’re creating. That’s especially remarkable on “Tennessee Waltz,”
avant-gardist Ikue Mori and trumpeter Nate Wooley. —Alain Drouot a country standard played as a duet with Frank Kimbrough on harmonium.
Even as Anderson takes the lead, he finds a way to drift into the ether, com-
Live At The Stone: All Is Always Now: Disc one: Another Ship Moves In; Identity Crisis; A Com-
plicated Path; Strife And Soil; Limited Strike; Silver Lining; Slipping; World Of Grief And Doubt. Disc two: forted by the decades-old melody. In aiming to be little on an album that
Concussion Suit; From The Backstretch; Shrug At Truth; Reasons To Dream; What Gets Left Behind; Like bears his name, Anderson becomes great. —Robert Ham
Animals; A Measure Of Solace. Disc three: Deter And Degrade; Of Finest Silver; Veils; Held Again; Flare;
Hero Of The Space Age; Devoted To A Failed Approach; Evidence. (66:47/65:28/66:32)
Personnel: Fred Frith, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, vocals; Laurie Anderson, violin, keyboards, Deepscape: Deepscape; Shades Of Jazz; Rothko Chapel (5th Movement); Southern Smiles; And So
electronics; Amma Ateria, Ikue Mori, electronics; Sylvie Courvoisier, Annie Lewandowski, Else Olsen It Goes; Time Of The Barracudas; Sweet And Lovely; Momentum; Witchi-Tai-To; The Mighty Sword;
Storesund, piano; Nava Dunkelman, percussion; Jordan Glenn, drums; Shelley Hirsch, Clara Weil, vocals; Tennessee Waltz. (60:59)
Jason Hoopes, bass, electric bass; Jessica Lurie, Evan Parker, saxophone; Miya Masaoka, koto, electron- Personnel: Jay Anderson, bass, Tibetan singing bowl (3); Billy Drewes, alto saxophone, soprano
ics; Pauline Oliveros, accordion; Gyan Riley, electric guitar; Sudhu Tewari, recuperated junk; Theresa saxophone, bass clarinet; Kirk Knuffke, cornet; Matt Wilson, drums; Frank Kimbrough, harmonium (3, 9,
Wong, cello, vocals, electronics; Nate Wooley, trumpet. 11); Rogerio Boccato, percussion (3, 6, 7, 9).
Ordering info: intaktrec.ch Ordering info: steeplechase.dk

Ben Monder Shauli Einav

Day After Day Animi
SUNNYSIDE 1549 BERTHOLD/OUTSIDE IN
++++ +++½
The unpredictable Ben Monder deliv- The instrumentation on Shauli Einav’s
ers a double-disc set of covers, inter- Animi, his sixth album as a lead-
spersing profundity and mischie- er, might put you in mind of Dave
vous curveballs. The guitarist’s wide Holland’s quintet, which features the
breadth of sources almost is amus- unique combination of saxophone,
ing: Jazz standards sit alongside an trombone, vibraphone, bass and
Olivier Messiaen choral interpreta- drums. Einav doesn’t exactly descend
tion, and numbers by Bob Dylan and The Carpenters. But the breathtak- from the bassist’s aesthetic lineage—he seems less interested in repeated
ing solo set is the gem here. Overflowing with ideas, the predominant tone vamps and slick polyrhythms—but seems to have borrowed from Holland in
is meditative and ethereal, colored by Monder’s bold soloing. A highlight at least one way: He treats the band as if it were its own instrument.
is “Emily,” where Monder employs his astonishingly independent finger- The record’s an exercise in smartly arranged group interplay, and Einav,
picking technique, creating restless, layered counterpoints beneath the gen- who plays soprano and tenor, takes advantage of the opportunity to create
tly stated melody. A seismic shift begins to rumble on disc two, beginning interesting new sounds and textures. Drummer Guilhem Flouzat and bassist
with Jimmy Webb’s “Galveston,” when bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Yoni Zelnik keep the music lively with elastic rhythms, but the voicings stand
Ted Poor groove in a satisfying, stripped-down backbeat. By mid-tune, the out the most. On “Premonition” and “Pathways,” saxophone, trombone and
troupe abruptly erupts into distorted power-trio mode for some well-placed vibes all state the quick, twisting melodies in unison—an inspired layering of
shredding. But after things seem to get cozy during the easy bounce of sound. And while this is Einav’s first album with a vibraphonist, Tim Collins
Bread’s “The Guitar Man,” Monder closes the disc with an utterly unrecog- doesn’t disappoint. His splashy chordal accompaniment sometimes recalls
nizable take on Badfinger’s “Day After Day,” reimagined as drone metal. It’s Bobby Hutcherson, but for the most part his touch is distinctly his own—crisp
a rewarding roller coaster, one best experienced in sequence. —Jeff Potter and with a short decay. Across Animi, Einav has created a sturdy group sound,
and hopefully he’ll explore it further on future albums. —Matthew Kassel
Day After Day: Disc one: Dreamsville; Emily; O Sacrum Convivium; My One And Only Love; The
Windows Of The World; Never Let Me Go; The Midnight Sun Will Never Set. Disc two: Galveston; Dust;
Long, Long, Long; The Guitar Man; Goldfinger; Only Yesterday; Just Like A Woman; Day After Day. Animi: Premonition; Pathways; Dodo; Hasela Ha’Adom; One Step Up; Kumzits; Si Lu; Cod Attack;
(45:11/50:54) Circadian Mishap; Healer Sue; Awake. (61:29)
Personnel: Ben Monder, electric guitar, acoustic guitar; Matt Brewer (Disc two: 1, 2, 4–7), bass, electric Personnel: Shauli Einav, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Andy Hunter, trombone; Tim Collins,
bass; Ted Poor (Disc two: 1–7), drums. vibraphone; Yoni Zelnik, bass; Guilhem Flouzat, drums; Fayçal Salhi, oud (5).
Ordering info: sunnysiderecords.com Ordering info: berthold-records.de; outsideinmusic.com

62 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

Ed Partyka
Jazz Orchestra
In The Tradition
NEUKLANG 4181
++++
Originally from Chicago, multi-instrumentalist
Ed Partyka has been based in Europe since the
early 1990s, and has contributed to recordings
by Lalo Schifrin, Bob Brookmeyer’s New Art
Orchestra and Carla Bley. He’s also led his own
orchestra since 2007 and chairs the Jazz Institute
in Graz, Austria. Although Brookmeyer was his
mentor, Partyka’s writing is more conventional
than the elder’s classical-inspired later work. And
on In The Tradition, Partyka’s six charts often fea-
Don Ellis or Buddy Rich orchestras (circa 1970)
ture dense and crowded works played by the 11
could have a fun time with. Oschewsky returns
brass, six reeds and three rhythm musicians.
for a rousing rendition of “The Great City,” and
The music always swings.
the program closes with “3 O’Clock Blues,” a
“Charlie Chan” opens the set with shouts
joyous lowdown piece with muted trumpet and
from the ensemble, some drum breaks and a
preaching alto at the forefront. —Scott Yanow
tenor solo over the band’s stop-time rhythm.
The momentum never slows during the trumpet, In The Tradition: Charlie Chan; Photographs; Sophisticated
Lady; Trouble & Woe; The Great City; 3 O’Clock Blues. (42:28)
trombone and tenor improvisations; unfortunate- Personnel: Ed Partyka, conductor; Felix Meyer, Benny Brown, Ger-
ly, the soloists go unidentified. “Photographs” fea- hard Ornig, Jörg Engels, Martin Auer, trumpet, flugelhorn; Simon
Harrer, Lukas Wyss, trombone; Robert Hedemann, bass trombone;
tures singer Julia Oschewsky, whose voice Partyka Jan Schreiner, bass trombone, tuba; Linus Bernoulli, French horn;
Oliver Leicht, alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, alto clarinet; Florian
surrounds with picturesque colors. “Sophisticated Trübsbach, alto saxophone, alto clarinet; Malte Schiller, tenor
Lady” shows off the leader’s writing at its best, with saxophone, clarinet; Florian Leuschner, baritone saxophone, bass
clarinet; Katharina Thomsen, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone,
the French horn playing the melody and an altoist bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet; Kirsty Wilson (2), English horn;
Hendrik Soll, piano; Paul Imm, bass; Reinhold Schmölzer, drums;
soloing over brass backing. Partyka’s “Trouble & Julia Oschewsky, vocals.
Woe” has a soulful and infectious theme that the Ordering info: neuklangrecords.de

On softer tracks like “Mixed Blessing” and

“Christiania,” the combination of fingerpicked
guitar and Santiago Arias’ bandoneon can feel
like dinner music at a sidewalk café. Other piec-
es, like “Étude” and “Bicycle,” have an intensi-
ty almost worthy of a rock band. Mike Lindup’s
synths are mostly in the background, though
he does take a brief, progish solo on “Bicycle.”
On the two-minute “La Petite Reine,” Manu
Katché’s toms seem to come up from the core of
the earth, booming under a delicately plucked
guitar figure, and on “Ombu,” his playing is
slow and patient, but at times positively thun-
derous. The piece breaks down into something
that’s not quite a drum solo, but definitely puts
him in the lead spot, with the band respond-
Dominic Miller ing to his phrasing. As it all winds down, bassist
Absinthe Nicholas Fiszman heads into a dub zone, lock-
ECM 2614 ing in with Katché for a deep, but tantalizingly
++++ short, groove passage.
It’s doubtful that Miller’s looking to give up
Argentine-born guitarist Dominic Miller is
that Sting gig anytime soon in favor of step-
probably better known as a Sting sideman than
ping out on his own full-time, but an album as
a solo artist, though he has more than a dozen
strong as Absinthe makes it clear that he could.
albums to his name.
—Philip Freeman
His first ECM disc, 2017’s Silent Light, pri-
Absinthe: Absinthe; Mixed Blessing; Verveine; La Petite Reine;
marily was a solo effort, with only a percussion- Christiania; Étude; Bicycle; Ombu; Ténèbres; Saint Vincent. (41:44)
ist joining him on five of its 11 tracks. But for Personnel: Dominic Miller, guitar; Santiago Arias, bandoneon;
Mike Lindup, keyboard; Nicholas Fiszman, bass; Manu Katché,
Absinthe, a collection of pieces that conjure all drums.
sorts of moods, Miller’s assembled a full band. Ordering info: ecmrecords.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 63

 Beyond / BY JAMIE LUDWIG

Elkhorn Twists Psych, Folk

You might not think guitar music informed by

BRENNAN CAVANAUGH
the psychedelic ‘60s and folk traditions orig-
inating a century or more before that could
offer anything new in 2019. But instrumental
duo Elkhorn expands the genres with its lat-
est pair of releases, Sun Cycle and Elk Jam
(Feeding Tube 425; 71:42 ++++).
The group, which is based in New York
and Pennsylvania, is centered around the
decades-long friendship between 12-string
acoustic guitarist Jesse Sheppard and elec-
tric guitarist Drew Gardner, who began mak-
Five Play
ing music together as high school students Live From The
in New Jersey. Gardner relocated to the West Firehouse Stage
Coast after college, where he became en- SELF RELEASE
meshed in San Francisco’s free-jazz scene as +++½
a drummer, but reconnected with Sheppard
when he moved back east in the late ’90s. Recorded at an upstate New York club dear to
In 2013, the pair started performing as drummer and DIVA Jazz Orchestra founder
Elkhorn, and in 2016 released a self-titled Sherrie Maricle, the 10 tunes on Live From The
debut on the Beyond Beyond Is Beyond im- Firehouse Stage are accessible, swinging and even
print. The material reflects the pair’s mutual Jesse Sheppard and Drew Gardner surprising as the orchestra’s rhythm section is
interests in a wide variety of styles, includ- joined by two soloists.
ing American Primitive, roots, jazz, prog, so pleased with the result, that once those Bracketed by Maricle’s roadhouse blues
classic rock and sundry international forms. four songs were complete, they decided to
“T-Bone Special” and her “The Time Being,” a bop-
Elkhorn merges these elements in open- open things up to explore a group-based
pish showcase for Janelle Reichman’s tenor saxo-
ended arrangements grounded by Shep- dynamic.
pard’s acoustic rhythms and layered with “There’s a lot of improvisation through- phone, the album also includes pianist Tomoko
guitar improvisations. out Sun Cycle, but some songs have different Ohno’s dramatic “The Pilot,” Reichmann’s ballad-
“We don’t do pastiche,” Gardner said. parts, where the sense of arrangement has ic “Unexpected” and a heartfelt, improbably fresh
“We just have certain things we like and we been worked out over time, and we’re get- take on “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”
respond to emotionally. And our way of get- ting into different areas we want to explore,” The group also updates Duke Ellington’s rakish
ting a unique sound is based on just trying Gardner said. “But we also have another side “Just Squeeze Me” with verve and just enough
to play the most sincere thing that we can of us, where we like to spontaneously impro- respect. But the originals are noteworthy, partic-
think of.” vise, where there’s no arrangement set be- ularly bassist Noriko Ueda’s “Uneven Pieces,” a
Elkhorn’s music also is steeped in forehand, or it’s minimal, like, ‘Hey, let’s do
tune of shimmering power. Here, Maricle’s cym-
the intuition and trust borne from years this mode’ or ‘Hey, let’s switch from this to
bals lead to a sweet Reichman solo on a song that
of collaboration. this,’ and we compose as we’re improvising.
“The thing about playing with someone So, the tone of Elk Jam is kind of a folk-rock conjures a late-summer rain. Its voicings are sup-
for a long time is that you actually don’t think quartet, but also improvisation.” ple, its melody inviting and ultimately trium-
about it all that much,” Sheppard continued. When the albums are played back to phant as Reichman and trumpeter Jami Dauber
“You start to get to places where thinking is back, these two distinct approaches create wind it down. In a similar vein, “Nancy With The
kind of secondary, and that’s actually a very a striking balance. Where the music on Sun Laughing Face,” a moody Jimmy Van Heusen
musical place.” Cycle is airy, deliberate and reflective, Elk character sketch, highlights Ohno’s understated,
In Elkhorn’s case, it’s also been a very Jam skews toward more full-bodied sounds but pointed, piano and Ueda’s probing bass.
fruitful place: the band followed its debut and urgent pacing. And as far out as Elk- Five Play also can pour it on. Take Ohno’s
with 2017’s The Black River and 2018’s Lion- horn’s experiments take them on either set
“Samba De Sorvete,” which blasts from the
fish, before heading into Black Dirt Studio of songs, there’s always something familiar
start, distinguished by her toughest solo. Then
in southwestern New York to record Sun enough that practically any listener can
Cycle—emerging with a double-disc set, in- find them appealing. (“Our moms like it,” Reichman’s tenor enters in full wail, leading to
stead of just a single album. Gardner quipped.) a virtuosic Maricle turn replete with rimshot
The bandmates described the ses- “When I was first listening back, I blasts. The band eventually restates the hard-bop
sion in terms similar to how they discuss thought the improvised sessions were melody, deconstructing it at the very end to give
their songwriting process: Start with loose sort of like the darker sister of [Sun Cycle],” each soloist—including a downright percussive
structures and concepts, and see what Sheppard said. “But over time, the way the Ohno—one last shot. —Carlo Wolff
naturally evolves. material developed in my mind is sorta like
“Experimentation is an intrinsic part of ‘left brain, right brain.’ One doesn’t stand Live From The Firehouse Stage: T-Bone Special; Samba De
our music,” Sheppard explained. above the other. They’re equal—like two Sorvete; Just Squeeze Me; Uneven Pieces; The Pilot; Nancy With
The Laughing Face; Circles; I Can’t Give You Anything But Love;
They invited fellow guitarist Willie Lane different ways of thinking about the same Unexpected; The Time Being. (67:23)
and percussionist Ryan Jewel to make exact thing.” DB Personnel: Jami Dauber, trumpet, flugelhorn; Sherrie Maricle,
drums; Tomoko Ohno, piano; Janelle Reichman, tenor saxophone,
guest appearances on Sun Cycle, and were Ordering info: feedingtuberecords.com clarinet; Noriko Ueda, bass.
Ordering info: divajazz.com

64 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 Cory Weeds Quintet
Live At Frankie’s Jazz Club
CELLAR LIVE 052618
++++
Hard-bop has proved remarkably resilient, out-
lasting nearly all of its 1950s-generation inno-
vators and standard-bearers. Perhaps it’s sim-
ply because hearing a well-constructed, soulful
phrase come together never goes out of style.
Certainly, the Vancouverite alto saxophon-
ist Cory Weeds seems to have embraced
that philosophy.
On Live At Frankie’s Jazz Club, Weeds brings
in a couple of ringers—trumpeter Terell Stafford
and pianist Harold Mabern—to work with his
Dann Zinn stalwart rhythm section. As expected, they both
add splendor to the music. Mabern is exquisite
hard-chargers, the mutual respect of the three
front-liners also is clear: After Weeds finish-
Day Of Reckoning in both his extended intro and bells-like solo on es on “Formidable,” Stafford pauses, waiting for
ORIGIN 82779
the ballad “Fabienne”; the technical and imagi- applause, then essentially picks up where the
+++½ native brilliance of Stafford’s six blues choruses saxophonist left off. Weeds, meanwhile, doesn’t
Day Of Reckoning is Dan Zinn’s fifth album as on Lee Morgan’s “Bluesanova” is jaw-dropping. try to follow the trumpeter’s valediction on “Up
a leader and lead it he certainly does. The ree- But Weeds’ hard-bop erudition rivals either of Tight’s Creek,” instead forging a new beginning,
dist is very much at the forefront of this music, those two, and he’s ready for them. Listening to leaving Mabern to bridge the solos with his mar-
the band patter for his play. his alto lines come together on “Mood Malody” velous ear for detail. —Michael J. West
There’s a buoyancy to the music here, or “Gypsy Blue” brings the pleasure of watching Live At Frankie’s Jazz Club: Bluesanova; Mood Malody;
Gypsy Blue; Consequence; Fabienne; Formidable; Up Tight’s Creek;
floating along with ease, the players seem- a master sculptor or craftsman at work. Tolypso; The Three Minors. (65:16)
ingly having a good time. Most performanc- There’s a clear chemistry at play in this quin- Personnel: Cory Weeds, alto saxophone; Terell Stafford, trumpet;
Harold Mabern, piano; Michael Glynn, bass; Julian MacDonough,
es, though, are just warm, never scalding hot. tet, apparent in the deep-pocketed “Formidable” drums.
“Continental Divide” gets enjoyably wild early and “Up Tight’s Creek.” On both these Ordering info: cellarlive.com
on, until the tune shifts into a simpler gear,
coasting like a straightahead tune that might
even entice some smooth-jazz fans.
When Zack Ostroff takes his bass solo
one-third of the way through the title track,
it’s a lively moment, but one that feels mathe-
matically placed when contrasted with the rest
of the recording. It’s followed by a Taylor Eigsti
solo, whose piano, too, seems carefully plotted
on the penultimate song, “Don’t Look Back,”
trading barbs back and forth with Zinn.
While the album offers glimpses of
high-energy blowing, the vibe isn’t exact-
ly sustained across the entire 10-track offer-
ing. For the most part, Day Of Reckoning is
pleasant, right down to its easygoing version
of “Blame It On My Youth.” Zinn has a clear-
ly focused intent, a tight batch of composi-
tions and collected the right folks to execute
his ideas, giving the bandleader the backing
necessary to shine.
Unfortunately, it also all feels too much
like one man’s ideas. And while there’s no
need to reinvent the wheel here, perhaps pull-
ing more from the rest of the committee would
have resulted in a more exceptional recording.
—Anthony Dean-Harris

Day Of Reckoning: Day Of Reckoning; Longing; Continental

Divide; Blame It On My Youth; Brave New World; Family Reunion;
Infinity Road; The Journey Home; Don’t Look Back; Time’s Up.
(64:12)
Personnel: Dann Zinn, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone,
wood flute; Taylor Eigsti, piano; Zack Ostroff, bass; Mark Ferber,
drums.
Ordering info: originarts.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 65

 Historical / BY PETER MARGASAK

Lost Gems and Melancholia

COURTESY DOGTOWN RECORDS

Ralph Moore
Three Score
Philadelphia’s Sounds Of Liberation WJ3 1021

treatments—flashing rhythmically fleet flexi-

+++½
Pianist Jack Wilson unfortunately is known
better for his famous protégé, vibist Roy bility on “Get It Straight (Straight No Chaser)” Three Score marks the return of tenor saxophon-
Ayers—whom he first met when they played and levitating sophistication on “The Last ist Ralph Moore to the recording studio as a
together in Gerald Wilson’s Big Band—than Night Of Evening (Blood Count).” His com- bandleader for the first time in years. During
for his own work, including a handful of clas- mand of the blues on “Dark Shadows” con- that hiatus, Moore performed as a member of
sic Blue Note sides. The previously unissued veys plenty of weight, but the performance The Tonight Show band for 15 years and gigged
live quartet performance captured on Call itself is lighter than air. And it’s hard to top
around the United States, Europe and Asia.
Me: Jazz From The Penthouse (Century his gorgeous, string-swaddled take on Nick
Evocative of the “blowing sessions” of the
67 003; 65:41 +++) was taped in Seattle Drake’s “River Man,” which imbues the tune’s
two weeks before most of the same players melancholia with soulful resplendence. 1950s and ’60s, Moore’s quartet here provides
cut his 1966 Something Personal—which Ordering info: andybey.bandcamp.com lively straightahead backing. The four originals
deftly imprinted an introspective gloss on It remains startling that French pianist from the bandleader and three from pianist Eric
soulful grooves. But since the band was work- Michel Petrucciani was only 36 when he Reed are fitting vehicles for individual and group
ing as the opening act for bawdy comedian died in 1999 of a pulmonary infection. From features. The album’s title track, one of the ses-
Redd Foxx, it isn’t surprising that the music a young age, he expressed an incredible ma- sion’s standouts, begins with a Gerald Cannon
reveals a more mainstream vibe, with a pre- turity and sophistication in his playing, and bass solo, the waltz allowing Moore’s quartet to
ponderance of chill midtempo swingers and his 1988 performance on One Night In Karl- engage in dynamic rhythmic interplay. During
ballads. Still, there’s no missing his easy rap- sruhe (SWR JazzHaus 476; 77:35 +++) in
his solo, the bandleader intersperses compel-
port with Ayers, finessing a sound that soon the company of bassist Gary Peacock and
ling melodic development with longer bop-based
would grow more popular in jazz. drummer Roy Haynes is no exception. Earlier
Ordering info: lightintheattic.net that year the same rhythm section appeared lines, while drummer Willie Jones III generates a
Before her ’60s records for Cadet and on the pianist’s Michel Plays Petrucciani, a swirling “3” feel.
Argo became a sampling favorite among collection of original compositions, five of Featuring a greater amount of rhythmic
DJs, Dorothy Ashby masterfully adapted which are included here along with a few diversity, the second half of the album finds
the harp for jazz, laying down sweet vamps, standards. The pianist’s romantic streak is on the quartet demonstrating a wider swath of its
sparkling arpeggios and overtone-rich solos display throughout, with the snap and sen- abilities. “Una Mujer Muy Elegante” demon-
with a guitar-like clarity in post-bop settings. sitivity of Haynes’ playing a bulwark against strates a more subdued approach than previous
In A Minor Groove (Real Gone 0847; sentimentality. tracks, opening with a piano intro by Reed, and
39:43 +++½) is the second of two 1958 Ordering info: swrmusic.de
Moore entering with the bright and joyous bossa
albums she made with famed Count Basie Philadelphia’s Sounds Of Liberation
nova melody. The bandleader’s “Blues Alliance”
reedist and flutist Frank Wess, and the agile toggled between free-jazz, funk and soul
rhythm section of drummer Roy Haynes and during its early-’70s existence, focusing explores other feels, in addition to providing a
bassist Herman Wright. As the title suggests, more on bringing music to underserved more open harmonic environment, reminis-
all eight pieces are minor-key vehicles, mixing parts of the local African-American commu- cent of 1960s post-bop blues performances. All
Ashby originals, like the spry “Rascality” and nity than to career development. The group four band members solo, each with a contrasting
the brisk title track, with standards, like “Yes- included reedist Byard Lancaster, vibist atmosphere: Moore over a straight-eighth Latin-
terdays,” given a shot of lapidary brilliance Khan Jamal and criminally overlooked gui- inflected groove, Reed over a driving swing,
thanks to the harpist’s crisp articulation. tarist Monnette Sudler, and the session fea- Cannon with sparse comping, and finally Jones
Ordering info: realgonemusic.com tured on the previously unissued Untitled trading with Moore and Reed.
Shades Of Bey (Ko Ko 001; 55:49 (Columbia University 1973) (Dogtown/
Though some of the performances on Three
++++) was the second studio transmission Brewerytown Beats 02; 31:04 +++) casts
Score feel a bit restrained, opening up the conver-
from sublimely nuanced singer Andy Bey a broad net, starting with the warmly bub-
after a 22-year absence from recording, part bling grooves and chattering three-way dia- sation showcases the ensemble at its best.
of a stunning late-career revival revealing a logue of “Thoughts” and concluding with the —Jonathan A. Gómez
new strain of contemplative beauty and un- slinky r&b sermonette of “New Horizon (Back
diminished range. Supported by a stellar cast Streets Of Heaven),” as Lancaster comments Three Score: Another Time; Donny; Reflections; Three Score; 623
with choruses of gospelized alto cries. C Street; Una Mujer Muy Elegante; Blues Alliance; Carol. (43:32)
including saxophonist Gary Bartz, the singer DB
Personnel: Ralph Moore, tenor saxophone; Eric Reed, piano;
remakes a couple of standards in vocalese Ordering info: brewerytownbeats.com Gerald Cannon, bass; Willie Jones III, drums.
Ordering info: wj3records.com

66 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 Karl Denson’s
Tiny Universe
Gnomes And Badgers
SEVEN SPHERES 3
+++½
Jazz, funk and rock are at the root of Karl
Denson’s work, whether it was as a member of
The Greyboy Allstars, during tours with the
Rolling Stones or helming his Tiny Universe
ensemble. And on Gnomes And Badgers the ree-
dist hits on a perfect balance.
“What If You Knew”—hosting everything
from Chris Littlefield’s trumpet to David
Veith’s wah-distorted keys, Mike Dillon’s per-
cussive cornucopia and Denson’s emphat-
Sivan Arbel ic lead vocals—is a master class in scrupulous writes about, and the style-enhanced engine
of this lineup make an intriguing pair. One
Change Of Light composing, performing and mixing. Once the
casts the shadow of sadness and frustration,
SELF RELEASE parts come together, the dense combination of
sounds might be contrasted with boldly ornate, while the other bathes listeners in a musically
+++½ gratifying light. —Kira Grunenberg
but smartly designed, architecture: crowded,
Three years after debuting with Broken Lines, yet comprehensible. Gnomes And Badgers: What If You Knew; Gossip; Change My
Israeli-born vocalist, composer and bandlead- Way; I’m Your Biggest Fan; Can We Trade?; Millvale, PA; Something
Conversely, when “Time To Pray” leaves Sweet; Falling Down; Time To Pray; Smart Boy; Just Remembered.
er Sivan Arbel returns with Change Of Light. space for more individual spotlights, the Tiny (60:21)
Personnel: Karl Denson, saxophone, flute, percussion, vocals; DJ
The title itself answers the album’s most soul- Universe’s edginess shines through, as DJ Williams, Anders Osborne (3, 6), Lukas Nelson (7), guitar; Seth Free-
ful questions, shining the sun of fresh melodies, man, guitar, lap steel guitar; Zak Najor, Alan Evans (3, 6), drums;
Williams’ definitively rock-toned guitar solo Chris Stillwell, bass; David Veith, Ivan Neville (3, 6), keyboards; Chris
words and arrangements through the window contrasts with Denson’s improvisatory flute Littlefield, trumpet; Chuck Leavell, piano (10); Adrian Quesaoa (3),
guitar, piano; The Brownout Horns (6, 10); Andy Geib, trombone (5);
of a maturing life. Standing firmly at the cross- solo, a turn that retains a foot in the modern- Gabe Wolf, trumpet (5); Matthew “Sweet Lou” Holmes, percussion
(6); Greg Izor, harmonica (6); Rebecca Jade, Sonya Moore, Elvert
roads of Moroccan, Brazilian, Indian and Israeli jazz world. Waltower, Jervae Anthony, vocals.
influences, Arbel refines a genre-bending array of The delicate political territories that Denson Ordering info: karldenson.com
emotional ore in her image.
The lead-off anthem, “Change,” showcases
Arbel’s songwriting abilities. Between her obser-
vational acuity and varicolored singing, listen-
ers will find plenty to reward repeat listens, dig-
ging through the layers of colorful musicality
laid down by her band. Notable shades abound,
including Shai Portugaly’s azure pianism on
“Homesick” and the ochre pigments of the horn
section, which provides floating accompaniment,
sans rhythm section, on “Solitude.”
“He Sees Her” is life-affirming, and lyrically
moves through phases of light and darkness,
shining a torch on the tenderest facets of the
heart. Such impulses fibrillate even more notice-
ably on “Omri.” Dedicated to her late friend, the
tune balances medium and message as if it were
a spiritual act, before the album closes with “Not
Over Yet.”
But at the heart of all this is “Water Song,” an
Israeli folk tune that speaks as much of branch-
es as of roots, and tells its story in the language of
groove. It’s a brilliant summation of a genuinely
creative spirit, hinting at Arbel’s burgeoning eco-
system of musical ideas.
What starts as a change of light ends up a
light of change. —Tyran Grillo

Change Of Light: Change; Homesick; Solitude; Water Song; He

Sees Her; Omri; Not Over Yet. (46:53)
Personnel: Sivan Arbel, vocals; Shai Portugaly, piano; Pera Krsta-
jic, bass; Ron Warburg: trumpet; Jack Sheehan, alto saxophone;
Ori Jacobson, tenor saxophone; Shai Wetzer, percussion (4, 5, 7);
Meitar Forkosh (5), Audrey Hayes (5), violin; Yumi Oshima: viola (5);
Terrence Thornhill, cello (5).
Ordering info: sivanarbel.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 67

 Books / BY JEFF JOHNSON

Real and Imagined History

He couldn’t read music and struggled with
the written word, but the Chicago blues star
who’s depicted in The Invention and Rein-
vention of Big Bill Broonzy (UNC Press)
possessed uncanny self-promotional skills.
Author Kevin D. Greene hypothesizes that
Broonzy not only was able to constantly
change his music and image to appeal to
new audiences, but spent his entire four-de-
cade career anticipating shifts in the industry
and society at large.
Like many African Americans who rose
Teodross Avery
to prominence in the South during the ear- After The Rain: A
ly 1900s, Broonzy’s backstory was murky Night For Coltrane
enough that he could fill in the gaps as he TOMPKINS SQUARE 5623
saw fit. Even his name was an invention; +++
it was probably Lee Conley Bradley. But
Broonzy claimed he was born in 1893 in the It’s a long-established practice for musicians to
Mississippi Delta, despite researchers citing tackle the challenging compositions of their fore-
evidence that his life began five to 11 years bears, but to adapt the work of John Coltrane
later near Pine Bluff, Arkansas. If true, that takes guts. The legendary saxophonist’s music
would mean that Broonzy, a masterful sto- was complex, sure, but his recordings also were as
ryteller, almost certainly fabricated his Army much about personal fire as compositional rigor.
service in World War I. By 1920, though, he Whether it was hubris or spiritual possession,
joined the Great Migration to Chicago. Once more on genre the repertoire.” Lomax is de-
something drove saxophonist Teodross Avery to
there, Broonzy traded in his fiddle for a gui- picted as an ardent supporter of Broozny’s
music who introduced Big Bill to white audi-
tangle with six Coltrane-associated pieces for
tar and entertained homesick Southerners
at rent parties and social events while toil- ences with a 1938 Carnegie Hall concert and After The Rain: A Night For Coltrane. Luckily,
ing away at day jobs. Greene doesn’t get provided a tremendous late-career boost by Avery and his group take to the music with relish;
bogged down by such details, which were arranging 1950s tours of Europe. But it’s in- it might not touch “the real thing,” but they do the
painstakingly recorded in Bob Riesman’s structive that an ethnomusicologist with no compositions justice, technically and emotively.
2011 biography, I Feel Good: The Life and shared background who helped him “cross The sound from this live date is crisp and
Times of Big Bill Broonzy. Greene, an assis- over” musically became perhaps Broonzy’s clear, the nuances of the space and the perfor-
tant professor of history and director of the most enduring friend. mance is well captured. The players have done
Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage Greene’s argument that Broonzy calcu- their homework: Avery does an admirable job
at the University of Southern Mississippi, latingly changed his image, his music and
conjuring those signature sheets of sound, and
puts the times ahead of the life in his work. his cultural identity to woo new fans would
be more persuasive had he found contem-
while Jeff Chambers tends toward a more thun-
Greene writes, “Quite successfully and
without precedent, Broonzy transformed poraries to corroborate the hypothesis. But dering bass than Jimmy Garrison, it serves the set,
himself from a rural country musician to a he came to the subject matter roughly a especially on the extended take of “Africa.” Adam
black pop musician to a national and inter- half-century after Broonzy’s 1958 death, Shulman’s piano and Darrell Green’s drums are
national icon for folk music enthusiasts and when his old running mates from Chica- reverent to the Tyner/Jones diad without being
jazz aficionados. His career reveals a distinct go’s nascent blues scene were long gone. wholly imitative. The song selection also war-
path for black blues artists who carved out The closest Greene gets to firsthand source rants kudos for playing to this band’s strengths,
their celebrity among white audiences and material is in interviews with Michael van while avoiding obvious choices. Avery dodges the
found national and international acclaim.” Isveldt, the musician’s only confirmed off- dense improvisational thickets of Coltrane’s later
But at what cost? Did the artist feel alienat- spring. The product of Broonzy’s affair with
work, but he also skips the hits: no “My Favorite
ed from those he left behind and, more im- a Dutch woman during a ‘50s tour of Europe,
van Isveldt has only a vague recollection of
Things,” “Giant Steps,” “Impressions.” In lesser
portantly, from his core identity? Broonzy’s
solitary journey surely forced him to forsake the father who returned to Chicago, where hands, his chutzpah might’ve yielded some dis-
his roots, but Greene only hints at the pain- he wasted away from the throat cancer that appointed customers, but it’s hard to imagine dis-
ful toll. Even in Broonzy’s cleverly cultivated killed him. His son does supply tender cor- gruntled listeners walking away from the music
choice of friends and associates, he sought respondence from Broonzy to his mother, here. And while After The Rain isn’t as essential
out those who could aid his quest for suc- Pim van Isveldt, although it was only after as the recordings of its primary composer, the
cess: the music producer J. Mayo “Ink” Wil- Pim’s death in 2006 that Michael showed album pays fitting tribute to a giant. That in itself
liams, the talent scout and publisher Lester interest in preserving his father’s legacy. It’s is no mean feat. —Dustin Krcatovich
Melrose and the folk music pioneers Win fitting, then, that through his rich recorded
Stracke, and John and Alan Lomax. “To Alan legacy of songs like “Big Bill’s Blues,” “Satur-
After The Rain: A Night For Coltrane: Blues Minor; Bakai;
Lomax,” Greene writes, “Broonzy represent- day Night Rub” and “Just a Dream,” Broonzy Afro Blue; After The Rain; Africa; Pursuance. (59:30)
ed a completely new idea of the figure of himself gets the last word. DB Personnel: Teodross Avery, tenor saxophone, soprano saxo-
phone; Adam Shulman, piano; Jeff Chambers, bass; Darrell Green,
the authentic black folk musician that rested Ordering info: uncpress.org drums.
Ordering info: tompkinssquare.com

68 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

Dave Rempis/ Ashley Pezzotti
Brandon Lopez/ We’ve Only Just Begun
Ryan Packard SELF RELEASE
The Early Bird Gets +++½
AEROPHONIC 021 Accompanied by excellent musicians,
++++ adding depth and color to the band-
By expanding his pool of collaborative leader’s whimsical voice, Ashley
constellations, Chicago reedist Dave Pezzotti’s ability to interpret lyrics
Rempis has found a variety of contexts and engage measured and apropos
in which to explore his fiery impro- phrasing make We’ve Only Just Begun
visational aesthetic. And there’s no a noteworthy debut.
shortage of heat produced on The Early Bird Gets, his first recording with Pezzotti masters the art of storytelling with an aloofness that belies the
the trio of New York bassist Brandon Lopez and Chicago percussionist Ryan profundity of the lyrics here, but also beckons us to ponder how with matu-
Packard. On “Archae Opteryx,” upper-register tenor cries braid with pierc- rity her voice eventually will add a needed storehouse of emotion. After the
ing bowed screeches over a distant bed of choppy electronic tones, courtesy of opening bars of Emmet Cohen’s piano on “I Hope You Find Her,” Pezzotti’s
Packard. During his early days in The Vandermark 5, Rempis betrayed a Lee breathy voice sounds like its floating, until it descends to deliver the full
Konitz influence that seemed to vanish over the years, but it pops up here and import of unrequited love. And whether she’s delivering “September In The
there, singing bright-toned, boppish melodies on the closing track, “Gansus.” Rain”—stacked with runs where listeners might not expect them—or min-
And although his baritone lines at the start of “Raho Navis” are wonderful- ing her Dominican roots on “Solo Tu,” the narrative of life, love and prom-
ly brawny and jagged, there are moments of Serge Chaloff’s mentholated ise conjure the sensibilities of a bygone era, something particularly impres-
cool that break through. Frequently, though, the trio privileges a rhythmi- sive for a 23-year-old vocalist.
cally ferocious approach that leaves plenty of room for buoyant exchanges. A sound band, promising voice, and excellent song selection and writ-
On “Confucius Ornis,” the band contracts and expands around the groove, ing mark Pezzotti as a performer to watch.
embracing sleek propulsion and muscular stomp at the drop of a hat, remind- —Michele L. Simms-Burton
ing us that countless attacks are easily within reach. —Peter Margasak We’ve Only Just Begun: It Only Takes A Moment; We’ve Only Just Begun; Solo Tú; That Way; I
Hope You Find Her; Nothing Good Happens After Midnight; September In The Rain; But Not For Me;
The Early Bird Gets: Crypto Vo Lans; Raho Navis; Archae Opteryx; Confucius Ornis; Yan Ornis; Neo Something I Dreamed Last Night; Drunk On Love; Just One Of Those Things; Darn That Dream; Jackie.
Aves; Gansus. (50:55) (59:26)
Personnel: Dave Rempis, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone; Brandon Lopez, Personnel: Ashley Pezzotti, vocals; Emmet Cohen, piano; Alex Weitz, tenor saxophone; Bob Bruya,
bass; Ryan Packard, drums, electronics. bass; Kyle Poole, drums.
Ordering info: aerophonicrecords.com Ordering info: ashleypezzotti.com

Akira Tana & Cathy Segal-Garcia

Otonowa Dreamsville
Ai San San (Love’s DASH HOFFMAN 1023
Radiance) ++½
VEGA 0009 Colorful musings from guitar and
++½ piano take vocalist Cathy Segal-
Beginning his career as a sideman Garcia’s ethereal scatting into highly
and then leading his own ensembles charged emotional territory, but the
for about 25 years, drummer Akira throaty vocalist often strains to reach
Tana now has issued his third album her upper range with ease.
with Otonowa, an outfit formed Tenderly supportive, John
in 2012 to help raise funds to aid Japan in the wake of a 2011 earthquake Nelson’s sinuous piano solos cascade chromatically alongside Larry
and tsunami. Koonse’s gentle guitar arpeggios, sweeping up the opening of the Henry
The opening run of compositions on Ai San San (Love’s Radiance) Mancini title track, where Segal-Garcia emotes as a dramatic translator.
comes off as pretty conventional jazz, Art Hirahara providing functional Vibrato on the baroque “Scarlatti Sonata In B Minor L33” seems standard,
piano comping and Masaru Koga issuing robust tenor solos. The title track but overuse of rubato and vibrato doesn’t translate well on jazzier tracks,
is delicate and tentative, with a shakuhachi flute solo and percussive taiko the interpretations often lacking inventiveness. The bandleader’s vocals
drum detail, but tends toward bland, rather than poignant. are folksy while relating impassioned lyrics about sisterhood, separation
Matters improve with the fourth track, where Shoko Hikage plays koto, and loss on her “The Three Of Us.” And with six slow-tempo tracks on the
flecks of tango being ground into the mix. “Habu No Minato” also is superi- recording taking precedence, “Beyond The Years” extols the album’s rec-
or fare, abruptly speeding up, getting jazzier, invigorated by a flowing sopra- curring lyrical theme of loneliness. Segal-Garcia’s emotional performance
no solo. “Mura Matsuri” has a breezily Caribbean character, but with added is bolstered by poignant guitar on the heartfelt “Canto Triste,” and the jazz
bite, and “Tsunagareta Tairyo-bata” balances jazz and Japanese traditions, waltz “Sometime Ago/Children’s Song” finds the vocalist scatting in scalar
featuring an open-hearted flute solo. —Martin Longley fashion while Koonse tastefully toys with dissonance and Nelson adds play-
ful spice to the trio’s uplifting departure. —Kerilie McDowall

Ai San San (Love’s Radiance): Antagata Dokosa; Ai San San; Hinokuni Ryojo; Habu No Minato;
Mura Matsuri; Hamabe No Uta; Natsu; Taiyo Ni Hoero; Tsunagareta Tairyo-bata; Kando; Peace. (59:13) Dreamsville: Dreamsville; The Three Of Us; Canto Triste; Scarlatti Sonata In B Minor L33; September
Personnel: Akira Tana, drums; Noriyuki Ken Okada, bass; Art Hirahara, piano; Masaru Koga, soprano In The Rain; Lonely Woman; Zingaro; You Are There; Pensativa; Beyond The Years; Sometime Ago/
saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, shakuhachi; Shoko Hikage (4), koto; Kenny Endo, percussion; Children’s Song. (55:44)
Tetsuya Tatsumi (9), cornet. Personnel: Cathy Segal-Garcia, vocals; Larry Koonse, guitar; John Nelson, piano.
Ordering info: akiratana.com Ordering info: cathysegalgarcia.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 69

GUITAR SCHOOL

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 71

Mimi Fox (Photo: Mike Oria)
MIKE ORIA

72 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 73
 the third. This works because the C (fifth) is a

BRIAN MCMILLEN
new note that is introduced and is not found in
either the E 7 chord that precedes it, or the B 7
chord that follows it. While the third makes for
the strongest resolution, other notes can work
when necessary. Generally speaking, half-step
resolutions work best (e.g., D  to D, A to G) but
they are not the only way to navigate the arpeg-
gios. Using your ear is always recommended.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BASS

Once you have begun to play through a B 
blues using arpeggios, the next logical step is
to walk bass lines while simultaneously play-
ing chords. This technique creates the impres-
sion of more than one instrument playing at
the same time and is a necessity not only for
solo jazz guitar playing, but also for backing
up a vocalist or another instrumentalist. See
Example 2 for a basic approach to walking bass
lines over a 12-bar blues. This technique can be
played fingerstyle, or with a hybrid technique
that I use which involves using a pick and my
middle finger to pluck the chords. In measure
2, you’ll notice that the bass line I am playing
with the E 7 chord is simply a descending E 7
arpeggio (E , D , B , G). You’ll also notice that
the chords are played on the upbeats.
Virtuoso guitarist Mimi Fox has earned international The walking bass lines used in this example
renown as a live-wire performer and poised improviser.

P
are merely a starting point. Eventually, you
laying solo guitar is a challenging but will be the further development of your artis- will want to practice playing bass lines without
extremely rewarding pursuit. It’s also an tic voice with enhanced creativity and techni- chords, similar to what an actual bassist might
important aspect of becoming a master- cal mastery. play. This way, you will be able to integrate more
ful jazz guitarist, because all of the skills that For this article, I will use a B  blues of mine sophisticated bass lines with the basic ones in
are required for solo guitar are essential to called “Blues For Two,” as well as a few classics this example. There is a big difference between
developing a complete understanding of the to demonstrate a myriad of devices that I use to what you can do when you are solely walking
harmonic, rhythmic and melodic possibilities create richness, excitement and breadth in my bass lines as opposed to walking bass lines and
of this majestic instrument. solo jazz guitar performances. plucking chords at the same time.
I found studying classical guitar for several For further studies I recommend my Once you can play walking bass lines (with
years to be a great foundation for all of my subse- TrueFire educational course, Flying Solo: The chords) through an entire 12-bar blues in B ,
quent solo jazz guitar development. In my prac- Essential Improvisation Map for the Solo Jazz move this exercise to different keys. Then, try
ticing today, I still spend time playing through Guitarist. walking bass lines (with chords) through the
Bach, Villa Lobos, Vivaldi, Mozart, etc. This changes to standard tunes in the jazz repertoire.
music is highly enjoyable to play, and it’s a great ARPEGGIATE YOUR WAY TO MASTERY The more you do this, the easier it will become
way to develop your ear and your technique, as One of the best ways to begin to generate a and soon you will be adding more chromatic
well as strengthening your sight-reading. compelling solo guitar voice is to outline the passing tones, varying the rhythms in new ways
I have made four solo guitar recordings changes to a piece with arpeggios. The arpeg- and creating fresh musical ideas along the way.
using a variety of guitars (hollowbody electric, gios clearly outline the notes in the chord and
acoustic steel string, 12-string acoustic, bari- help create strong melody lines that can stand PEDAL TO THE METTLE
tone acoustic). Using different instruments for on their own without additional accompani- Pedal notes are another essential harmonic
recording and performance is a great way to ment. (For an in-depth study of arpeggios please device for the solo jazz guitarist. As with walk-
create different aural textures and moods for see my book, Guitar Arpeggio Studies On Jazz ing bass lines, pedal notes create the illusion of
the listener/audience. It’s also a great way to dis- Standards, Mel Bay Publications.) two instruments playing at the same time. They
cover new aspects of your own musicality. I recommend using continual eighth notes also create a nice texture. When the pedal note is
I find switching from my hollowbody jazz and landing on the third of the new chord when an open string, the note can sustain over a num-
guitar to an acoustic steel-string guitar requires possible. See Example 1 on page 76. In this first ber of measures, enhancing the harmony and
a different touch (finesse) and also enhances example, you’ll notice that the last note of the first creating a sense of fullness. Please check out my
my creative palette. More hand/finger strength measure is an A, which leads perfectly to the G arrangement of “Caravan” from my 2006 album
and flexibility is required when playing a steel- (third) of the following chord, E7. The last note Perpetually Hip (Favored Nations Cool). In this
string acoustic guitar, and this, too, influences of the second measure is an E , which again leads arrangement, I use a lot of pedal notes to render
what and how I play. The time spent exploring back to the D (third) of the B7 in measure 3. the melody. A great example of what I think of as
all of the different challenges that various gui- In the fourth measure, you’ll notice that I an inverted pedal note is the Villa Lobos Prelude
tars require is well worth the effort. The reward start on the fifth of the Fm7 chord instead of #1 In E Minor. In this piece, Villa Lobos keeps an

74 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

E minor chord on top as the pedal point (and constant harmony) and the
bass notes below are shifting. In Example 3, I use the open G string as my
pedal note and move the chords on top starting with a C minor. This can
be used in measures 9–10 in the B blues. The chords on top are all from
the key of B major, with the exception of one passing chord (B major) for
color and slight tension. You might notice that these are not full chords,
but rather just the third and fifth of each chord. Because the key area is
pre-established, these two-note voicings work just fine.
Using two-note voicings (double stops) is also an effective technique
for creating fullness within the confines of a solo guitar arrangement.
In my arrangement of “Caravan” (see Example 4), I harmonize the
descending chromatic phrase of the melody with major/minor seconds,
which is a creative way to strengthen the line without cluttering it (by
attempting to play chords with each note). Sometimes, I harmonize this
line with the 5 as well (see Example 5). Even one additional note adds a
lot of texture and color, and helps to reinforce the melody and enlarge
the sonic experience. In the third measure of Example 5, on beat 4, I
change the bottom note from B to C for resolution. Because the top note
(F) is held throughout, the feeling of fullness remains.

HARMONICS TO THE RESCUE

I love exploring all the different ways harmonics (naturally occur-
ring and artificial) can be used to flesh out a song. Harmonics can be
individual notes or entire chords. In Example 6, I am using the natu-
rally occurring harmonics on the seventh fret to demonstrate some of
the ways these notes can be used. In this example, I am using them as
the turnaround chord (and tritone sub) in measures 11–12 of my piece
“Blues For Two” from my 2010 album Live At The Palladium (Favored
Nations). The F7#9 chord is followed by the seventh-fret harmon-
ics that create a B7#9 chord. The notes are a fretted E  bass note fol-
lowed by the harmonic notes A, D, F#, B. This chord is analogous to an
F139#11 chord. The harmonics sustain over several measures, which
adds a nice textural quality and fleshes out the sound. You can use
these very same harmonic notes in myriad ways. For example, A, D, F#
and B could also be used as a B minor chord, D6 chord, Em11 chord,
Cmaj13#11 chord, etc. The possibilities are many and fun to discover.

PARALLEL/SYMMETRICAL MOVEMENT
The last idea I want to draw your attention to is what I call “parallel
harmony.” Simply put, this involves taking one chord type and moving
it into different keys (usually with a pedal tone in the bass for support).
This creates some very hip dissonance. My arrangement of “America”
from my 2019 album, This Bird Still Flies (Origin), makes use of both
these concepts (moving triads and pedal notes). In Example 7 (which
corresponds to measures 18–19 on the recording), I am playing a major
triad that moves from B to C to D, all with a B pedal throughout. The
D chord is played using harmonics (the exact same harmonics used in
Example 60. Instead of serving as an F139#13 chord, it is simply a D
triad. The moving triads and pedal note create a very full and lush sound.

SUMMATION
Decades ago, I approached Joe Pass when he was in San Francisco
for a show. After a fair amount of arm-twisting, he agreed to give me a
lesson the next day at his hotel. Joe spent many hours with me, which
was an honor, and I’d like to share with you two of the most important
things he said to me. First, he encouraged me to listen to string quartets.
He explained that the two low bass notes on the guitar could be thought
of as the cello, the two middle strings a viola and the top strings a violin.
This proved very helpful to me, and I strongly encourage my conserva-
tory students to do this as well. Another thing Joe said to me was that he
was worried that I was practicing too much (yes, there is such a thing).
For many musicians—because of our love of music—we can push our-
selves too hard. So, I encourage all of you to take time to smell the pro-

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 75

 verbial roses in order to avoid burnout. When you return to your studies, you’ll feel refreshed and
benefit more from your practice time. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the
most essential building blocks for solo guitar mastery: Listen to all of the great jazz and classical
guitarists. They are too numerous to mention here, but well worth seeking out. DB

Internationally renowned guitarist, composer and recording artist Mimi Fox was cited in six consecutive DownBeat Critics
Polls and has been recognized as one of the most eloquent guitarists on today’s scene. She has performed/recorded with
fellow guitarists Charlie Byrd, Stanley Jordan and Charlie Hunter; saxophonists Houston Person and Don Lanphere; vocalists
Tierney Sutton, Kevin Mahogany and Janis Siegel; and B-3 organ masters Joey DeFrancesco and Barbara Dennerlein. Fox is
an associate professor of jazz studies at the California Jazz Conservatory. In a nod to her artistry, Heritage Guitars released
the Mimi Fox Artist Signature model in conjunction with its 30th anniversary in 2015. Visit Fox online at mimifoxguitar.com.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

Example 6

Example 7

MUSIC ENGRAVING BY KEITH BAUMANN

76 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 77
 GUITAR SCHOOL Woodshed MASTER CLASS
BY TOM TAYLOR

PATTY HEALY-KELLY
Tom Taylor

Lydian Mode Harmony:

Useful & Versatile
T
ry this: Strike and sustain a C triad on step above the third of the chord, the raised lydian mode, there are no notes situated a half
your guitar or keyboard, and sing the fourth doesn’t obscure the harmony, but adds step above a chord tone, as in the ionian mode
F note that’s a half step above the third a sense of energy and mystery. The overtone with its clash of the fourth scale note against
(E). When I do this, I feel the strength and series indicates a note closer to F sharp, and the third of the underlying chord. As we will
integrity of the C chord dissolve into mush. that F sharp puts us in mode 4 of G major. soon see, the harmony created using the lyd-
The mush is thanks to the dissonance of the Mode 4 is the lydian mode. ian mode also has some very useful properties.
fourth of the major scale (F) slamming up Jazz improvisers often avoid using the Our modes are derived from the basic
against the third (E). That’s mode 1, the ioni- ionian fourth, or place it on a weak part of major scale, also known as the ionian mode.
an mode, for you. the beat, to avoid harmonic muddiness. But Although this system of Western tonality dates
Now, strike that C triad again, but raise the improvisers can and do use the lydian mode back to medieval times, it remains a vital orga-
sung F natural up to an F sharp. At one whole as an alternative to the major scale. With the nizing principle for jazz musicians today.

78 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 By starting a new scale on each tone of What I’ve been describing is a method voicings and inversions on your instrument
the major scale (ionian mode), seven dis- akin to pandiatonicism, another useful orga- for each chord you encounter, you’ll have an
crete scales, each with their own properties, nizing principle. However, pandiatonicism is almost unlimited palette of comping choices
are embedded in every major scale. Major a scalar organizing principle, and my orga- at your disposal, which will prove extremely
and minor scales result from where the nizing principle is chordal—heck, I’m a gui- useful whenever and wherever you perform.
half steps occur. C major is major because tar player. The instrument was built to play DB
it begins with two whole steps, covering the chords, and we guitarists and keyboard play-
distance of a major third: C–D–E. If we start ers have spent years building up a repertoire Tom Taylor is an internationally known recording artist
and guitarist whose music is a hybrid of jazz, classical, rock,
on the second note of C major, a D, we get a of favorite chords, with inversions, texture blues and bluegrass. He studied composition with 20th
scale (the dorian mode) that starts out with and spacing variations that become our own century classical master Lou Harrison and learned jazz guitar
from Joe Pass and Howard Roberts. Taylor has performed
a whole step and a half step: D–E–F. That recognizable style. with such disparate talents as Bob Hope, the Coasters, the
shorter distance is a minor third. That’s why In the heat of battle, on stage in front of an Platters, mandolin virtuosi Tiny Moore and David Grisman,
and jazz artists Phil Woods and Bobby Shew. Taylor’s new
Miles Davis’ “So What” sounds minor: It’s in audience, you use whatever organizing prin- CD, LogRhythm (Membrane Music), features Mark Rose on
saxophone and Marc Neihof on bass; his past album releases
the dorian mode. ciples are at hand. We could call this a device have featured the Kronos Quartet and the Turtle Island String
The classical composers loved the ionian or a trick, but assuming you know multiple Quartet. Taylor is the jazz guitar instructor at Colorado College.
mode for its two symmetrical tetrachords
(meaning four tones): C–D–E–F and G–A–
B–C. Each tetrachord consists of a whole
step, a whole step and a half step, which sat-
isfied the composer’s urge for tonal symme-
try in the development sections of 18th cen-
tury music. Haydn and Mozart used the
organizing principles of the day, centered
on tonic–dominant relationships, to give us
masterful symphonies and sonatas.
Such organizing principles have evolved
significantly over the years. In the realm of
modern jazz, I’d like to show you the useful-
ness and versatility of harmony created with
the lydian mode.
In the key of C, the lydian mode starts on
F, and its sharp fourth is B. The harmonic cli-
mate—an evocative term I first encountered
in a Frank Zappa interview—of the lydian
mode with its characteristic sharp fourth (or
sharp 11th) can be expressed using any of the
chords in the home key, as long as the bass
sounds the tonic (F) of the lydian mode.
For example, the home key of “Take The
A Train” (Ellington/Strayhorn) is C major.
(The chords in the C major modal sequence
are shown in Example 1). The bridge modu-
lates for the first four bars to F; that’s the lyd-
ian mode. In the first four bars of the bridge,
any chord in the C major modal sequence
with an F in the bass can be used for comp-
ing and will provide the harmonic climate of
F lydian. (See Example 2.)
Now, I enjoy the transparency of chords
with no thirds, but missing thirds can be
added with a simple scale color, such as the
sixth on the I chord (Cmaj7), an added 11th
on the iii (Em7) and a ninth on the V (G7),
as shown in Example 3. In a combo, the bass
should provide ample F notes, so the comp-
ing instrument is free to add or leave out the
F. (See Example 4.)
This approach also works well with the
relative minor of the lydian mode, the
dorian mode. Put a D in the bass for all
chords in C, and you get the chords in
Example 5, which all express the harmon-
ic climate of dorian mode.

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 79

 GUITAR SCHOOL Woodshed SOLO
BY JIMI DURSO

MO SUMMERS
Andy Summers

Andy Summers’ Guitar

Solo on ‘Parallels’
H
aving come into prominence as a its beauty. (Playing the changes here is chal- note would be a chord tone with the chord the
member of ’80s pop group The Police, lenging enough as it is, with keys shifting bass note implies, but the second note is an
guitarist Andy Summers has a long every measure or two). But within that, there actual chord tone. He’s obscuring the harmo-
and varied musical history, including experi- are some options. Summers goes from arpeg- ny without sounding “out.” He takes this even
ence in the realm of jazz improvisation. This is gios that state the harmony, to scales related further in the next measure, where against F/
amply demonstrated on his 2004 solo album, to the underlying chord, to some more esoter- B  he plays part of a B  triad, never acknowl-
Earth + Sky (Golden Wire), where his playing ic choices. Measures 12–16 show some of these edging the F chord. Summers revisits this
on the balladesque “Parallels” showcases his in rapid succession. On the E maj7 in bar 12, technique elsewhere in his improvisation, as
skills in this realm. he plays a simple E  triad, strongly stating the in bar 25, where he plays a D triad on the A/D
Soloing on this song is certainly no cake- harmony. In the next measure, rather than chord, making it sound less A-like.
walk. There are enough slash-chords to chal- following the chord down, Summers instead In measure 16, he’s back to observing the
lenge Pat Metheny, and the form is asymmet- moves up and plays an Fm triad. This is espe- harmony, with three-note licks that connect
rical, with four 11-bar phrases followed by a cially effective, as not only does the Fm triad chord tones, but once again Summers does so
seven-bar phrase. Adding to that, the harmo- spell out the upper part of the D maj7 (F, A  in a contrapuntal manner, playing from sev-
ny is nonfunctional, and due to this no key and C are third, fifth, and seventh of D ), but it enth to fifth on the Fm7. When the harmony
signature has been used. Also, as is tradition- creates a counterpoint, with Summers’ arpeg- ascends to Gm7(5), he drops down to con-
al with guitar notation, pitches are written an gios ascending a step while the chord change necting fifth to third, keeping the same idea
octave higher than they sound. goes down a step. but moving in the opposite direction of the
Summers’ playing tends to be inside the The next bar (measure 14) has Summers chord changes, as he had before.
changes—which makes sense, as to play “out- playing more of a scale, but the repeated note Another motif Summers uses to create
side” on a form like this only would obscure pairs he plays are interesting in that the first cohesiveness is rhythmic and simple. When

80 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

Summers plays strings of eighth notes, he leaves room for variation as well (and pre-
exhibits a tendency to start these phrases on vents the improvisation from becoming
the “and” of 1. We hear this in measures 8, either too stale or too scattered).
10, 13, 24, 29, 30, 34, 41 and 45. The rhyth- It’s also nice that he found room to put in
mic material afterward might be quite differ- some bebop phrasing, like the 16th-note
ent, but the way he starts phrases so often on triplets in bars 32 and 43, as well as the turns
the same beat creates a sense of development. in bars 45 and 47, giving a nod to his jazz
The use of rhythmic motifs is a simple roots. In the latter, he displaces the rhythm
way of creating continuity within the vari- by a half beat, another easy means of simul-
ation of note and scale choices. Another taneously producing continuity and varia-
example is the quarter-note triplet that tion. Being able to create in such a manner
Summers tends to place in the second half over a blues can be enough of a task, but for
of the measure, as in measures 5, 10, 28 and Summers to do all the above on this compo-
42, though in this last instance he actually sition’s form and harmonies demonstrates a
keeps the polyrhythm going into the next high level of improvisatory skill. DB
bar. Using the same rhythmic patterns, but
varying the notes and inserting them with- Jimi Durso is a guitarist and bassist based in the New York
in other rhythms, produces coherence, but area. Visit him online at jimidurso.com.

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 81

 GUITAR SCHOOL Toolshed

Godin Multiac Steel

Acoustic Tone, Electric Ease

G
odin’s new Multiac Steel is the latest evolution of the company’s The guitar features two separate amplification systems.
acoustic/electric series. The Multiac line first appeared in 1993 On the acoustic side, there is an undersaddle LR Baggs ele-
with the introduction of the Nylon SA model, a hybrid that ment piezo along with a Baggs Lyric microphone under the
offered classical guitar tone and feel in a thinline body with on-board elec- bridge. These two signals are controlled by a preamp system
tronics, allowing it to be amplified on stage with great tone and a high designed by Fishman. There are sliders for adjusting over-
resistance to feedback. all volume, blend (for mixing the mic and piezo togeth-
The acoustic amplification system was a major step forward in guitar er) and three bands of EQ. A phase switch and a tape sat-
design, and the electronics, along with the guitar’s chambered body design, uration slider are useful for adding warmth to the overall
have become the basic building blocks for the entire Multiac series. Godin tone. The system provides a ton of flexibility in fine-tuning
currently offers 18 guitars in the line, which features nylon-string, steel- the acoustic sound of the guitar and sounds great when
string and gypsy jazz models. Although the options might vary greatly, all output directly to a PA or acoustic amplifier.
these instruments share the common ability to produce an acoustic guitar Godin takes things to a new level with the
tone, but with an electric-guitar feel. addition of a Seymour Duncan Lipstick
According to Andy Dacoulis at Godin, the Multiac Steel model takes pickup, allowing you to add the mag-
its inspiration from the company’s Doyle Dykes model. “The design of netic pickup signal to the mix, expand-
Doyle Dykes was great, but we wanted something that would appeal to a ing the sound palette dramatically.
wider audience,” Dacoulis said. A magnetic pickup was added to the gui- There are two jacks on the Multiac
tar, broadening the sonic options dramatically with the ability to blend Steel, one for the blended electric/acous-
both the acoustic and electric signals together. Godin refers to this as a tic signal and another for the magnet-
“two-voice guitar,” and it even allows you to output each voice separately. ic pickup alone. So, for example,
I could tell the Multiac Steel was a quality guitar the minute I picked it you can send your acoustic signal
up. The workmanship is first-rate all around, and the high-gloss finish through a DI box while rout-
really shows off the mahogany body and spruce top. As with all Godin gui- ing the pickup signal to a gui-
tars, the Multiac Steel is manufactured in Canada using North American tar amp.
woods. Taking it for a spin acoustically, the guitar played smoothly with a The Multiac Steel is built
perfect setup right out of the box. Its chambered body offers up a decent upon a fundamental con-
amount of acoustic resonance, so you can easily play it unplugged when cept shared with its older
practicing. As with Godin’s other Multiacs, the fingerboard is Richlite and brothers in the line, but it
the bridge and nut are made from TUSQ. The guitar is comfortable to hold, shines with a personality all
either standing or sitting, with a body depth of 2.25 inches. Even the tuners its own. —Keith Baumann
are custom designed and add a cool “mod” look to the peghead. godinguitars.com

Apitius J-Model Mandolins

Eight Strings That Really Swing

I
n contrast to its classical European roots, the mandolin has become in numerous styles of music, they’re still basically a “classical” instrument.
best known in America for its appearance in bluegrass, country and Since 1982, Apitius’ main focus has been the bluegrass market, but he
string-band music. Over the years, the mandolin has flirted with jazz, always has held a love for jazz. This started him on a mission to develop an
and a select few players have attained recognition in the genre, but it has instrument specifically designed for jazz. A chance meeting with mando-
never been widely accepted as a jazz instrument. However, a growing inter- linist Don Stiernberg was the final spark of inspiration that put the wheels
est in jazz mandolin is broadening the instrument’s horizons and helping in motion. Stiernberg, who studied and performed with the legendary jazz
it finally earn its jazz credentials. Taking notice of this trend, luthier Oliver mandolinist Jethro Burns, has become one of the world’s most respected
Apitius has introduced his new J-Model mandolins, a departure from tra- performers and teachers of jazz mandolin. Apitius drew inspiration from
ditional design built to meet the needs of the jazz mandolinist. the classic archtops of the 1930s and ’40s and utilized a guitar-shaped body
The mandolin has appeared in various forms throughout the years. instead of the typical A or F mandolin profiles.
Original European bowl-backed designs evolved into the American flat- Apitius offers two versions of his J-Model: The Club Jazz ($6,200) and
backed and carved-top instruments pioneered by Orville Gibson and the Yorkville ($8,200). Both instruments offer the same basic design
refined by Lloyd Loar. One of the main goals in flattening out the instru- and sound, but the Yorkville features highly figured woods and fancier
ment was increased volume, so it could function in ensembles like the man- appointments. The J-Models are tone bar-braced, and beside the shape,
dolin orchestras popular in the early 20th century. Most mandolins built there are several significant variations that set it apart from tradition-
today still are based on Loar’s original designs, and although they’re used al mandolins. The body chamber is 10 percent larger than a standard F5,

82 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

and it has a larger vibrating surface. This provides the instru-
ment with increased warmth and longer sustain, perfect for
the jazz idiom. Apitius also uses a proprietary technique to
carve his tops. “I call it Apitius Arching, and it compensates
for the weakness caused by cutting out the f-holes,” he said.
I had the opportunity to play an Apitius J-Model during a
visit with Stiernberg, who owns a Yorkville. The instrument
is striking in appearance and captures the art deco elegance
of historic archtops. “There’s an awful lot to love about this
instrument,” Stiernberg said. “I was first attracted to the beau-
tiful appointments, but the real surprise was the increased
amount of sustain and great balance across all strings com-
pared to more traditional style mandolins.” This makes the
instrument extremely well-suited to playing chord melo-
dy arrangements. However, it also performs wonderfully on
single-note passages, rhythm work and even can throw out
an impressive bluegrass lick or two. In addition, the J-Model
can suggest the tonal characteristics of oval-hole mandolins,
making it great for classical and Brazilian choro music.
The Apitius J-Model mandolins are impressive instru-
ments that definitely have something to offer jazz mando-
linists, or any player looking for a quality handmade axe. Zoom GCE-3
Although they might depart from tradition, the J-Models still Pocket-Sized, Unlimited Effects

Z
retain the soul of a great mandolin. —Keith Baumann oom’s GCE-3 is a USB audio interface for guitarists to access the compa-
apitiusmandolins.com
ny’s new and improved Guitar Lab 4.0 circuit emulation and effects soft-
ware. The combination of the GCE-3 guitar interface with Guitar Lab
provides the recording or rehearsing guitarist with dozens of amp modeling
emulations, as well as all the effects you can imagine at your scrolling fingertips.
Guitar Lab’s free management tools let you download new sounds and edit/save
custom patches and effects chains to take on the go. Small and light enough to
put in your shirt pocket or the side zip of your gig bag, the GCE-3 is just a bit larg-
er than a deck of cards and weighs only 3 ounces.
The GCE-3 connects to your computer via USB-C and has a standard guitar
instrument input boasting near-zero latency through its own digital signal pro-
cessor, which prevents additional power drag or lag on your CPU. The digital sig-
nal processor in the GCE-3 handles both 24- and 32-bit processing with 44.1kHz
sampling frequency. With a dedicated stereo headphone output and volume
control, as well as an aux input, you can easily play along with music from your
smartphone or external music source while only recording guitar, which is a
great feature for practicing. With a suggested retail price of $99.99, the GCE-3
includes a free license for Cubase LE music production software from Steinberg.
With purchase of the GCE-3 you also get a free download of Mac- or
Windows-compatible Guitar Lab software, which contains and controls all of
the unit’s amp emulation and effects processing. When you patch in the GCE-3,
you gain access to all of the amp modeling and guitar effects that are available in
Zoom’s complete lineup of pedals (G5n, G3n, G3Xn, B3n G1 Four, G1X Four, B1
Four and B1X Four), but without having to tote around bulky hardware.
The GCE-3 includes dozens of amp-and-cabinet emulations and digital
effects, including distortion, overdrive, EQ, compression, delay, reverb, flanger,
phaser and chorus. There are 75 customized “patches” of amp modeling, cabi-
net choice and effects pre-programmed to mimic the tones of popular guitar-
ists, with titles such as “Jimi,” “ZepCat,” “Carlos,” “Hot Twin,” “Brit Grit,” “Texas
Toast,” and even a few that utilize clean amp configurations combined with
reverb and chorus for a suitable jazz tone.
Another 75 empty patch inserts allow you to drag-and-drop your own amp-
and-effects combinations in the editor window of the Guitar Lab software. It is
here that the player looking to hone in on that clean, punchy or smooth-jazz tone
can really utilize the GCE-3 for recording. For rehearsal purposes, once you cre-
ate a few patches that suit your taste, you can utilize the aux input to play along
with Aebersold recordings or other types of chops-building backing tracks.
The GCE-3 is a miniature portal to all of the amp emulations and effects pro-
cessing you’ll ever need for use in your home studio or on the go. —John LaMantia
zoom-na.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 83

 GUITAR SCHOOL Toolshed GEAR BOX

1. Magnetic Pedalboard
Rare Earth Music’s Earthboard is a magnetically
powered effects pedalboard for guitarists and
bassists. The patented Earthboard design
incorporates rare-earth magnets and a sturdy
steel rail system. It features a long-lasting
rechargeable battery that eliminates the need 2
for wall electricity and provides a true isolated
power source that removes noise interference,
hums and grounding issues.
More info: earthboardmusic.com

2. Headstock Tuner
D’Addario Accessories has updated its NS Micro
headstock tuner. With a display that offers
360-degree rotation and 90-degree screen
orientation options, guitarists and bassists 1
can dial in the ideal viewing angle. A full-color
screen makes it easy to read, and the advanced
piezo reduces ambient noise feedback. 3
More info: daddario.com

3. Handcrafted Stands
Solid Ground Stands handcrafts fretted-
instrument stands from premium hardwoods.
Each stand features a stable three-point stance,
a firm but gentle hold and a foldable design.
Models are available in standard, special and
premium designs, all made from a variety of
domestic and exotic hardwoods.
More info: solidgroundstands.com

4. Learning To Walk
Hal Leonard Jazz Bass Method by Matthew
Rybicki includes lessons on walking basics,
chords/scales, blues, “Rhythm” changes, string
raking, soloing technique, chord substitution,
pedal points and ostinato. The 138-page book
includes access to online audio examples that
are available to download and stream.
More info: halleonard.com

5. Pro Switchers
Morley has released the ABY Pro and ABC Pro
selectors, based on the original Morley ABY and
ABC switchers released in 1992. The new Pro
versions include higher enclosures for easier
access on crowded pedalboards, custom Ebtech
transformers, silent switching, a reverse polarity
switch and a ground lift switch to combat hum
that commonly occurs when using switching
devices on multiple amps.
More info: morleyproducts.com

6. Micro Rig 6
IK Multimedia’s iRig micro amp is an ultra-
compact 10-watt unit that combines analog
channels with a high-quality digital connection
for iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC. Analog channels
include clean, drive and lead, with bass, mid,
treble and gain controls to cover a wide range
of tones. Derived from IK Multimedia’s iRig
HD 2 mobile guitar interface, the iRig micro
amp’s iOS/USB connection lets players process
their tone with IK’s AmpliTube Custom Shop
app, in addition to their own favorite practice,
performance and recording apps and software.
The guitar signal is sent to the device for
processing and the return input is sent directly
to the amp’s speaker.
More info: ikmultimedia.com

84 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 85
 Jazz On Campus School Notes

GRASON LITTLES
STEVE MUNDINGER/HERBIE HANCOCK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ
Jeff Denson

Denson Named Dean: Dr. Jeff Denson

Antonio Hart (right) works with students during a big band
officially will take on a new title and role
workshop at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. as dean of instruction at California Jazz
Conservatory in August. In addition to his

Jazz Day Clinics, Workshops duties as dean, the bassist, vocalist, composer
and educator will continue teaching at the

Highlight Power of Listening

conservatory. He will maintain his schedule
of tours and live performances, including a
summer of educational and performance
INTENSE LISTENING THAT RESULTS IN “The most challenging thing for me was activities at CJC, where he will participate in a
piano intensive headed by Susan Muscarella,
meaningful communication and a deep con- getting the dynamic range, because that’s not
a two-day vibraphone and bass boot camp,
nection has been a touchstone for International something that we really factored into our
co-led by Denson and Philadelphia-based vi-
Jazz Day since its inception in 2011. At the rehearsals,” said Charlie Llewellyn, a 15-year- braphonist Tony Miceli, and a guitar intensive
2019 edition in the host cities of Sydney and old alto saxophonist who took Hart’s workshop. headed by Mimi Fox. cjc.edu
Melbourne, the event’s co-artistic directors— While deconstructing a big band chart with
pianist Herbie Hancock and trumpeter/trom- the students, Hart told them that jazz was orig- Film Scoring Master’s: Berklee Online’s
bonist James Morrison—participated in work- inally designed for dancing and that it often has new Master of Music in Film Scoring program
shops that emphasized the importance of active an explicit or implied 6/8 feel. “The 6/8 meter officially will start in January 2020. Instructors
listening and cross-cultural dialogue. comes from Africa, so jazz has a triplet feel,” are slated to include Jon Kull, John Whynot
and Sean McMahon, and applications now
“The fundamental thing about jazz—more Hart explained after his workshop. “When peo-
are being accepted. The Master of Music in
than any other art form—is listening to the ple look at sheet music, they see eighth notes.
Film Scoring degree was preceded by Berklee
other person, then accept what they bring,” In early jazz, they played the dotted-eighth/six- Online’s Master of Music in Music Produc-
Morrison said at Melbourne Conservatorium teenth. That’s all music notation. But it’s all felt tion and Master of Arts in Music Business
of Music before engaging in a workshop co-led by the triplet 6/8 meter.” programs. online.berklee.edu
with Australian didgeridoo master William Hancock participated in several workshops
Barton titled “Improvisation: A Meeting Point in Australia as well. At the Sydney Opera Honorary Doctorates: During com-
for Jazz and Indigenous Culture.” House, he led a class on the development and mencement ceremonies held this spring,
Bassist Emma Dayhuff, one of the visiting evolution of jazz, starting with Scott Joplin and Butler University School of Music in Indianap-
olis presented saxophonist/composer Benny
Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Louis Armstrong, and concluding with his
Golson with an honorary doctorate degree,
Fellows, guided a group of the conservatorium’s 1970s jazz-fusion staple “Actual Proof.”
and pianist Barry Harris received an honorary
first-year jazz students in ensemble playing. Other events included a Generations in Jazz doctorate degree from Manhattan School of
“Listening is about being selfless in the youth festival in Mount Gambier, South Music. butler.edu; msmnyc.edu
music,” Dayhuff said. “If 99 percent of your Australia, which featured Morrison, Lizz
focus is listening to what everyone else is say- Wright, Kurt Elling and Joey DeFrancesco. Final Bar: Pianist/keyboardist Frank Caruso,
ing on their instrument, then what you say will Organizers hosted a competition for young an in-demand performer and educator in the
make more sense. Whereas, if you’re only play- composers, with Hancock and Morrison serv- Chicago area, died April 22 at age 70. Caruso
ing and listening to and for yourself, you just ing as judges. The winners were trumpet- taught private lessons and served on the jazz
studies faculty at Elmhurst College in Elm-
get inside your world and are no longer part er Flynn Poppleton, 12, and violinist Naomi
hurst, Illinois, for the past 15 years. His résumé
of the conversation. The conversation is what Nogawa-Lewy, 9. The New South Wales Public
also included stints teaching at Roosevelt
makes jazz music a collective art.” Schools Jazz Orchestra performed a melodic University and the American Conservatory of
Alto saxophonist Antonio Hart imparted hybrid of Poppleton’s and Nogawa-Lewy’s win- Music in Chicago, and North Central College
similar wisdom during a big band workshop ning pieces. Hancock and Morrison not only in Naperville, Illinois. Caruso graduated from
with the New South Wales Public Schools wrote a big band arrangement of the music, but DePaul University in 1968, then served in
Stage Band inside the Sydney Opera House. each of them had a role as a featured soloist. the U.S. Navy Band for four years. While in
Hart drilled the students on several concepts, “I’ve always loved every sort of music,” an the Navy, he was a featured performer in
including phrasing and tempo. He taught them ecstatic Nogawa-Lewy said following the per- Washington, D.C., at the White House’s 70th
how to make pianissimos softer, fortissimos formance. “But jazz really brings out my Birthday Party for Duke Ellington. elmhurst.edu
louder and crescendos more dramatic. inner soul.” —John Murph

86 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019

 For Rates: call (630) 941-2030. All ads are prepaid, no agency commission. Check, money order, and all major
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 DB Buyers Guide
ACT Music ........................................... 63 Litchfield Jazz Festival........................ 45
actmusic.com litchfieldjazzfest.org

Air Artist Agency ....................................19 Marantz Mouthpieces ........................ 41

airartistagency.com marantzcustommouthpieces.com

American Pianists Association ...........49 Mark Campellone ............................... 41

americanpianists.org mcampellone.com

Antigua ................................................ 2 Music Dispatch .................................... 11

antiguawinds.com musicdispatch.com

North Coast Brewing .......................... 67

Anzic Records ....................................... 61
northcoastbrewing.com/jazz
anzicrecords.com
NS Design .............................................8
Apitius Mandolins .............................. 81 thinkns.com
apitiusmandolins.com
Obsessions Music ................................ 22
ArkivJazz .............................................15 obsessionsmusic.com
arkivjazz.com
P. Mauriat .............................................9
Bari...................................................... 65 pmauriatmusic.com
bariwoodwind.com
Pete Coco ............................................ 81
Bauer Studios ..................................... 24 bassistpetecoco.com
neuklangrecords.de
Pureum Jin ......................................... 23
Blessing .............................................. 91 pureumjin.com
blessingbrass.com
Ravinia ............................................... 52
Blue Note Records ................................ 5 ravinia.org
bluenote.com
RC Williams ......................................... 76
Cannonball Music ................................. 7 rcwilliamsco.com
cannonballmusic.com
The Realist .......................................... 75
Chicago Jazz Festival .......................... 70 realistacoustic.com
chicagojazzfestival.us Reed Geek ........................................... 76
reedgeek.com
Chicago Symphony Center ..................12
cso.org Rovner ................................................ 16
rovnerproducts.com
Dave Rivello .........................................31
bobbrookmeyer.com Sadowsky Guitars .................................4
sadowsky.com
Detroit Jazz Festival ........................... 77
detroitjazzfest.com Sam Ash .............................................. 10
samash.com
Doug MacDonald ................................ 75
dougmacdonald.net San Jose Jazz ...................................... 37
summerfest.sanjosejazz.org
Eastman Strings.................................. 35
eastmanstrings.com Sheetminder......................................... 20
sheetminder.com
Fishman .............................................. 85
fishman.com SteepleChase Productions ....................4
steeplechase.dk
Guitars Over Guns................................51
guitarsoverguns.org Summit Records...................................17
summitrecords.com
Ibanez ..................................................21
Sunnyside Records ............................. 56
ibanez.com
sunnysiderecords.com
Jamey Aebersold ................................ 18 Tom Taylor .......................................... 16
summerjazzworshops.com tom-taylor.com
JEN–Jazz Education Network ............. 87 Vandoren .............................................31
jazzednet.org dansr.com
JodyJazz ............................................. 92 WFL III Drums ...................................... 25
jodyjazz.com wfliiidrums.com

Karin Plato.......................................... 29 WJ3 Records ....................................... 59

karinplato.com wj3records.com

JULY 2019 DOWNBEAT 89

 COURTESY OF ARTIST
Blindfold Test TED PANKEN

Mike Clark
S ometimes called the “Godfather of Linear Funk” for his work with
Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters in 1975–’77, Mike Clark describes
himself as a “bebop and post-bebop drummer.” In addition to co-lead-
ing the band Wolff & Clark Expedition (with pianist Michael Wolff), he
has appeared on albums by pianist Vince Guaraldi, trumpeter Eddie
Henderson and drummer Lenny White. This is his first Blindfold Test.

Joris Teepe
“Multi-Kulti” (In The Spirit Of Rashied Ali, Jazz Tribes, 2018) Teepe, bass; John Betsch,
drums; Johannes Enders, tenor saxophone. Mike Clark
Coltrane-esque. Was it Charles Lloyd? It’s out of time, and I can’t tell
from the drum sound who it is, but I was thinking of Brian Blade. a lost art. He took some killin’ trades—great ideas. Soul, in the pock-
Tyshawn Sorey? I would approach it similarly. They were listening and et and funky. The piano player was killin’ me just as hard as the drum-
playing together. I enjoyed it. I don’t listen to much stuff like this, but I mer was. The drummer isn’t from New Orleans? I don’t know who it is.
did a lot during the ’60s. 3½ stars.
Günter Baby Sommer
Jared Gold “Special Guest #1–Danny Boy” (Baby’s Party, Intakt, 2018) Sommer, drums; Till Brönner,
“It Ain’t Necessarily So” (Reemergence, Strikezone, 2018) Gold, Hammond B-3; Dave trumpet.
Stryker, guitar; Billy Hart, drums.
I don’t know who it is, but they were playing with soulfulness, living the
That’s Jabali—Billy Hart—on drums. He’s one of our greatest improvis- moment. It was heartfelt and expressive, and it got me. At one point, it
ers. Dave Stryker always has the blues in his sound; he sounds great. Jared sounded like a percussionist stepped in. The drummer had a great sound,
Gold sounds great, too. 5 stars. Billy’s musical conversation—the way he a great flow, and wasn’t overdoing it. 4 stars.
orchestrates his ideas according to what others are playing—is of the
highest order. His feel is completely his own, and it swings. He listens to Donny McCaslin
every note, and responds—or doesn’t respond—accordingly. He’s very “Beast” (Blow., Motéma, 2019) McCaslin, tenor saxophone; Jason Lindner, Wurlitzer,
centered, very grounded. You hear that he comes from Max Roach, but synthesizers; Tim Lefebvre, electric bass; Mark Guiliana, drums.

it’s like Max Roach on Neptune. He’s steeped in the tradition, and can The musicians were very good. Great drummer. 2½ stars. It didn’t knock
take it to whatever degree one needs it to be taken to. me out. There were some elaborate moments as far as arrangement; they
had some real drama going on. There wasn’t much interplay going on
Dave Liebman between the rhythm section and the soloist. Well done, but not particu-
“Inferno” (Fire, Jazzline, 2018) Liebman, soprano saxophone; Dave Holland, bass; Ken- larly my cup of tea.
ny Werner, piano; Jack DeJohnette, drums.
Dave Liebman. I played some with him many years ago in the Bay Area The Chick Corea + Steve Gadd Band
with Eddie Henderson, and his sound is in my brain. I like the drummer, “Like I Was Sayin’” (Chinese Butterfly, Concord, 2017) Corea, keyboards; Carlitos Del
who really digs Elvin, but I can hear by the drum sound and other things Puerto, electric bass; Steve Gadd, drums.

that it’s not. I have no idea who the bassist and pianist are. I know some The drummer is a nasty dog. I mean that with a lot of love. He sounds like
of the drummers Liebman plays with, and I could take a wild stab, but I Lenny White, but it’s not. Peter Erskine? Gary Novak? I like the phras-
won’t. They were playing together, and understood the concept they were ing. I like the vocabulary. A high-level musician. Being a nasty dog in
playing, where it was coming from. 5 stars. this style is not the easiest thing to do, because the music doesn’t really
lend itself to that. The drumming speaks to me more than anything else
Azar Lawrence that’s going on. Was it Chick on keyboards? So, I was in the ballpark with
“Elementals” (Elementals, High Note, 2018) Lawrence, tenor saxophone; Benito Gonza- Novak. 4 stars. [after] I never heard Steve Gadd play like that before. He’s
lez, piano; Jeff Littleton, bass; Marvin “Smitty” Smith, drums; Munyongo Jackson, per-
the last person I would have thought of.
cussion.
They sure like Trane and McCoy, and the drummer was swingin’ his ass
off. Of course, he reminds me somewhat of Elvin. At first I thought it
Emmett Cohen
“Concerto For Cobb” (Masters Legacy Series, Vol. 1, Cellar Live, 2017) Cohen, piano; Ya-
was Tain, but as it unfolded, it was different. The cymbal was killing, the sushi Nakamura, bass; Jimmy Cobb, drums.
groove was killing. ... I loved it, man. It emotionally moved me right in It sounded a bit hesitant sometimes, like there was some pull on the
my heart. I feel energized. 5 stars. groove—though it was groovin’ pretty good. 3½ stars. I don’t know who
the drummer was. Kenny Washington? Rodney Green? It’s great to hear
Larry Fuller younger guys, especially the drummer, playing the tradition like that,
“Got My Mojo Workin’” (Overjoyed, Capri, 2019) Fuller, piano; Hassan Shakur, bass;
coming out of bebop. These are certainly good players, but it didn’t floor
Lewis Nash, drums.
me. [after] I’m glad I got that “young drummer” right. Glad I could give
Hell, yeah! 5 stars. Johnny Vidacovich? Herlin Riley? Jason Marsalis?
him some advice! DB
Idris? No? Then I’m out the door. I love it—all of it. [Why do you men-
tion those New Orleans drummers?] Well, the marching thing, the New
Orleans beat, out-front to kick it off. I tried to think of guys I know who The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify
the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate
can play that style and also swing. The drummer was swinging great 4/4, each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.

90 DOWNBEAT JULY 2019