Ralph Peterson 35th Annual Student Music Awards

DownBeat

Kenny
Kenny Garrett // Ralph Peterson // The Fringe // 35th Annual Student Music Awards

Garrett
Digs Deep
40 Years on
The Fringe
Grégoire
Maret
Mats
Gustafsson
Blindfolded

Seamus
Blake
Transcribed

JUNE 2012 U.K. £3.50

JUNE 2012

downbeat.com
 JUNE 2012
Volume 79 – Number 6

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Á
 JUNE 2012

On the Cover

Kenny Garrett

26
26
Digs Deep
By dan ouellette

The Detroit-bred, New York-

based alto and soprano
saxophonist talks about his
deep-rooted artistic cultivation,
specifically as it relates to Seeds
From The Underground, his new
CD on Mack Avenue Records.

Features

34 The Fringe Cover photography and image above shot by Jimmy and Dena Katz at The Iridium in New York City.
40 Years on The Fringe
By claire daly

40 Ralph Peterson
Protecting the Truth
By ted panken

46 Grégoire Maret
Close to the Human Voice 64 Jeff Parker Trio 66 Eri Yamamoto Trio 70 Sidi Touré 80 Kat Edmonson

By ken micallef

Departments
50 Indie Life
91 35th Annual Student 8 First Take 22 Players 84 Transcription
Music Awards Tom Kennedy
10 Chords & 86 Toolshed
Scott Tixier
112 Jazz Education Discords Mike LeDonne 118 Jazz On Campus
Hall of Fame 13 The Beat Kresten Osgood
122 Blindfold Test
14 Riffs 57 Reviews Mats Gustafsson
114 Jazz Education
Achievement 16 European 82 Master Class
Awards Scene by Dan Wilensky

6 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 First Take | By bobby reed

Musical Roots
A
rtists respond to the sights Ralph Peterson
and sounds they observe in
nature. Evidence of this can
be found throughout history, from
Paleolithic cave paintings to Web-
based sitcoms. Images from nature
influence every type of artist working
in every kind of medium today, and
jazz musicians are no exception.
Many people think of jazz as
music of the city—an urban art form
resulting from streets and steel, brass
and glass, bricks and sidewalks, sub-
ways and buses. That is certainly
true, but jazz players in cities like
New York, Chicago, New Orleans
and Los Angeles are sensitive to the
natural wonders in their environment: bodies tracted by the fruit, the root will teach you what
of water, clouds, rain, birds, soil, flowers and the fruit means.”
trees. Nature surrounds us. Watering a jade The Duality Perspective contains a song
plant on a high-rise windowsill isn’t the same called “Bamboo Bends In A Storm,” which is
as hiking through the Rocky Mountains, but yet another example of how art can use imag-
it’s still an interaction with the natural world. es from nature to help us gain a greater under-
This issue of DownBeat includes features standing of our place in the universe.
on saxophonist Kenny Garrett and drummer As these features on Garrett and Peterson
Ralph Peterson—two artists who utilize imag- demonstrate, a magazine profile of a musician
es from nature. Garrett, who is our cover sub- can be about much more than merely the tracks
ject (page 26), has a new Mack Avenue album on his or her latest album.
titled Seeds From The Underground. This pow- Month after month, in print and online,
erful collection of 10 original compositions was DownBeat provides insight on “Jazz, Blues &
inspired by people who have shaped Garrett, Beyond” and examines the personalities of the
both personally and musically. Writer Dan creative artists who make improvised music.
Ouellette discussed the concept with Garrett at So how are we doing? Let us know by send-
The Iridium, a club where the saxophonist has ing an email to editor@downbeat.com, and
performed many times. Garrett told Ouellette, please put the word Chords or Discords in the
“This is an album about the planting of seeds subject line. Tell us what we’re doing right, and
and how that’s impacted me.” where we could improve. Be sure to visit our
Garrett landed on the cover of DownBeat’s website, downbeat.com, which has exclusive
Sept. 1997 issue, and 15 years later, he’s still content. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter,
making fantastic music. We’re proud to present which contains reviews, news, Toolshed and a
an article on such a thoughtful, brilliant musi- Classic Interview—all free of charge. One of
cian. (Fans can catch Garrett at Blues Alley in the most popular pages on our website is the
Washington, D.C., on June 8–10.) monthly Editors’ Picks album reviews, which
For our profile of Peterson (page 40), writer also appear in our e-newsletter (but not in our
Ted Panken conducted a wide-ranging inter- print edition). This is another forum for us to
view in which the drummer made a few refer- provide commentary on albums that we feel are
ences to botanical imagery. The cover illustra- worthy of your attention.
tion for his new album, The Duality Perspective, As you read a print or digital edition of
depicts a tree with branches, each of which is DownBeat, or a story on our website, take a
labeled with the name of a musician with whom moment to send us your reaction. Like us on
Peterson has collaborated. Just as important- Facebook and follow us on Twitter. We’re eager
ly, the illustration contains six tree roots, and to read your thoughts, and we love publish-
they represent the people who were mentors to ing your emails (or old-fashioned letters). It’s
Peterson in his formative years. always rewarding and informative to interact
In a discussion about how one musical form with readers, musicians and educators who are
can influence another, Peterson said, “Don’t just as passionate about jazz as we are.
check out the thinnest, newest branch on the Thanks for your support, and please keep
tree. If you dig into the root instead of being dis- on reading.DB

8 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 Chords Discords 

Creativity at 70
I am a longtime reader of
DownBeat, and I hadn’t seen
many articles on members
of the Association for the
Advancement of Creative
Musicians (AACM) in recent
issues. So I was delighted to
read the feature on Anthony
Braxton in your March issue
(“Music as Spiritual Commit-
ment”), and writer/photog-
rapher Michael Jackson’s
in-depth article on Ishmael
Wadada Leo Smith in your
April issue (“Looking for the
Diamond Fields”). The interview with Smith en route to an engagement in 1974.
and the quotes from his colleagues were Adolphus B. Williams
revealing. Plus, I enjoyed the photographs. ABWill1701@aol.com
What an outpouring of creativity from a man
turning 70! Please keep featuring artists of this The Value of Criticism
caliber—who are often little known outside the John Ephland’s 4½ star review of The
mainstream but who deserve our attention. Dave Brubeck Quartet’s The Columbia
Regina Jenkins Studio Albums Collection 1955–1966
Hauppauge, N.Y. (Historical column, May) was as re-
freshing as a free full tank of gas.
Memories of Chase Dennis Hendley
In response to your question “Does anyone Milwaukee, Wis.

out there remember Chase?” (First Take,

March), yes, of course I remember Chase. Corrections
Lately I’ve been listening to 1974’s Pure „„ In the April issue, a photo caption in our
Music—on which Bill Chase plays electric Wes Montgomery feature misidentified
horn with wah-wah and other effects—be- the drummer Sonny Johnson as Paul
cause I recently resurrected my Barcus-Berry Parker. Also, we misspelled the name
pickup for trumpet for a ’70s fusion revival of photographer Duncan Schiedt.
with my band, The Naked Ear. If fusion is „„ On page 15 of the May issue, the photo cap-
now retro, what does that make swing? tion misidentified drummer Michael Griener.
I also appreciated the article on trumpeter „„ In the May issue, a review of the album
Enrico Rava (“Cosmic Balance,” March). Prime Of Life by Pete Zimmer did not list
Rava is 72, which gives me renewed hope the correct catalog number. It is Tippin’
for my future, since I hit 70 this year. Records TIP1108 (tippinrecords.com).
Gordon Leigh „„ Also in the May issue, the personnel list-
realjazzerwocky@hotmail.com ing for the review of All Ya Needs That
Negrocity by Burnt Sugar omitted the
Editor’s note: Chase’s self-titled album was
names of bassists Jared Michael Nicker-
voted the pop album of the year in the 1971
son, Jason DiMatteo and Michael Veal.
DownBeat Readers Poll. Below is a letter
„„ Our Festival Guide (in May) correctly indi-
from another reader who remembers Chase.
cated that Terence Blanchard is the artist
in residence for the 33rd annual Detroit
Chasing History International Jazz Festival, but this text
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, several horn was omitted: This year’s festival highlights
groups that had roots in straightahead the roots of traditional jazz. To unite the
jazz appeared, but they were an amalgam jazz community and honor Detroit’s jazz
of jazz and rock music. The main groups heritage, the 2012 event brings together
like this were Chicago; Blood, Sweat & world-renowned artists who have performed
Tears; Chase; and Ten Wheel Drive. across the globe (detroitjazzfest.com).
Chase’s bandleader, trumpeter Bill Chase, Downbeat regrets the errors.
had been a member of Woody Herman’s
band and worked with Maynard Ferguson.
have a chord or discord?
Bill and three other members of Chase E-mail us at editor@downbeat.com
were killed in an airplane accident while or visit us on Facebook and twitter

10 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 News & Views From Around The Music World

The
Inside 
14 I Riffs
16 I European Scene
18 I Julian Lage
20 I AUM Fidelity
22 I Players

Jazz Bakery
Rises Again
Moveable Feast Finds a
Permanent Venue
R uth Price was playing a constant waiting game when it came to
securing a second site for her suspended Jazz Bakery.
The waiting game entered a new phase after Price received two gen-
erous gifts: an unsolicited $2 million donation from the Annenberg
Foundation and a permanent venue site within the limits of Culver
City, Calif.
Price’s hand is also strengthened by the recent addition of the
Bakery’s new Executive Director, violinist Jeff Gauthier. Gauthier, who
Earl Gibson III

helms the esteemed West Coast jazz label Cryptogramophone, also

works with artistically ambitious Angel City Arts organization, which
books cutting-edge musicians and the forward-thinking Angel City know who he was. He was usually with Herbie Hancock and he didn’t
Jazz Festival. say much. He told me later that when he heard we lost our lease, that he
Price is unequivocal in her praise for Gauthier. “I love having him thought about helping us in some way.”
aboard,” Price said. “I’ve known him for a long time and I’ve always “It was almost a shock,” she added, “when he came to us and offered
respected him as a musician. We did a paid search for an executive his services on the first of the year. He said, ‘I’m doing this for two peo-
director and he was the choice; I was thrilled.” ple—Sydney Pollack and my wife, Berta.’ It turns out she was a frequent
In 2009, Price’s landlord unceremoniously terminated the lease on visitor to the Bakery, as was Sydney.”
her club’s original Culver City home, and she’s since been an impresa- The Jazz Bakery will co-produce the Angel City Jazz Festival this
rio without a permanent venue. Price was far from idle during this set- year. Though Gauthier will be stepping away from his position at Angel
back and managed to book an ongoing schedule of tantalizing shows at City Arts, he will participate in the programming of the festival with
various locations around Southern California, all under the Bakery ban- Price and ACA founder Rocco Somazzi.
ner of “Moveable Feast.” Gauther is extremely enthusiastic about the collaboration between
Even during this limbo-like holding period, Price has fulfilled the the Bakery and the Angel City Jazz Festival. “I saw this as an oppor-
important role of presenting quality artists in Los Angeles: Trio M tunity to bring the two organizations closer together and help realize
(with Myra Melford, Mark Dresser and Matt Wilson), guitarist Kurt the Bakery’s vision for a beautiful new center for jazz in Culver City,”
Rosenwinkle, pianist Chano Domínguez, guitarist Pat Martino with he said. “I’ve been creating opportunities for music and musicians for
pianist Eldar Djangirov, violinist Regina Carter’s Reverse Thread a long time in L.A., and I saw this as a once in a lifetime opportuni-
band and singer-guitarist Dori Caymmi. ty to really make an impact and advocate for jazz and creative music
Still, the frustrations of booking—inclimate weather, venues with in Los Angeles.”
subpar equipment—are magnified as Price continuously deals with Gehry’s involvement already has Price and Gauthier’s artistic
these many sets of variables while also keeping n eye on the ongoing wheels turning. “Frank has asked to consult with several musicians
progress of the Bakery’s new Culver City home. But as nerve-wrack- before putting the finishing touches on the room,” he reveals, “so he
ing as her post-eviction life has been, Price counts the great blessings really wants to have a dialogue with musicians. We’d like to ask four
that have come to her, including renowned architect Frank Gehry’s different jazz composers to write a suite inspired by the new building
offer to design the forthcoming building. and have it performed by an all-star group of L.A. players during the
“He came to the Bakery a couple of times,” Price recalled. “I didn’t first season. Wouldn’t that be something?” —Kirk Silsbee

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 13

 Riffs  L’Orchestre de Contrebasses du Québec

Norah Jones

Sharonne Cohen
Caught Bass Fest Embraces Roots
I t was all about bass at Jazz en Rafale, a
Montreal festival spanning March 21–24
his Dick Cheney suite. The temperamental
Man Size Safe built from a hushed bassline to
Noah Abrams

and March 29–31. full-on instrumental explosion. Allison jumped

The 12th edition featured more than 100 and danced with his bass as guitars thrashed
bassists over 24 concerts. Headliners includ- and Royston unleashed an incendiary solo.
Norah’s Return: Norah Jones recently ed several Canadian bassists—Alain Caron, At the famed Upstairs jazz club, Avital
premiered a series of music videos off her Brandi Disterheft, Alain Bédard and Fraser presented his superb quartet of saxophonist
latest album, Little Broken Hearts, a col- Hollins—and saxophonist Remi Bolduc’s quar- Joel Frahm, pianist Jason Lindner and drum-
laboration with producer Danger Mouse that tet featured longtime Oscar Peterson collabora- mer Johnathan Blake, who brought their own
was released on May 1. The video for the tor Dave Young. Opening night act L’Orchestre flavor to Avital’s sumptuous compositions.
song “Happy Pills” was broadcast on VH1 de Contrabasses de France employed not only The memorable tune “Free Forever” illus-
on April 7, and the song “Say Goodbye” dazzling pizzicato, bowing, tapping and occa- trated the Israeli-born bassist’s unique way of
was featured on the NPR weekly podcast sional vocals, but also choreography, including coalescing jazz with his Moroccan-Yemenite
“All Things Considered.” Jones also made tunes with upside-down basses. roots. The burning “Blues For Tardy” blazed
several TV appearances in support of her The most rewarding, eclectic night as the band’s spirited synergy permeated
album release. included two very different bassists: Omer the audience.
Avital and Ben Allison, whose band featured L’Orchestre de Contrebasses du Québec—
Axe Auction: The Les Paul Foundation
Steve Cardenas and Brandon Seabrook on six of the province’s best bassists—closed with
partnered with Julien’s Auctions for an
guitars and Rudy Royston on drums. Creating pieces by Montreal trombonist/composer Jean-
auction of guitars, equipment and musical
intriguing soundscapes, the group explored Nicolas Trottier, and Rufus Reid’s Out Front
artifacts that belonged to the late Les Paul.
The sale is set to take place on June 8–9—
Allison’s distinctive compositions, including trio offered a poignant finale of Eubie Blake’s
the weekend of the guitarist’s birthday—and the infectious “Platypus” and installments of “Memories Of You.”  —Sharonne Cohen
will include memorabilia spanning Paul’s
expansive career, from his days as Rhubarb
Red to his Monday night residency at The
Iridium Jazz Club. The Meeting of the Secret Society
Leaving Leon: Jazz organist and com-
poser Leon Spencer Jr. passed away on
March 11 at age 66. Spencer joined lifelong
friend Melvin Sparks as the rhythm section
at Prestige Records in the 1970s, and he
also performed and recorded with Gene
Ammons, Sonny Stitt, and Lou Donaldson.
He also spent his later years as a music
promoter and writer.

Hail the King: Concord Music plans to

release Albert King’s I’ll Play The Blues For
You as part of its Stax Remasters series on
May 22. Enhanced by 24-bit remastering,
four previously unreleased bonus tracks, and
Scott Friedlander

newly written liner notes by music journalist

and roots music historian Bill Dahl, the reis-
sue spotlights one of the most entertaining
and influential blues recordings of the 1970s Darcy James Argue returned home to Brooklyn to conduct his esteemed big band Secret Society at the multi-
disciplinary Galapagos Art Space. The March 6 program combined traditional and contemporary compositions
four decades after its release. from Argue’s 2009 New Amsterdam release Infernal Machines and a suite from his latest album, Brooklyn Babylon.

14 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 European Scene | By Peter Margasak

Umlaut Founder’s Career Punctuated by World Travels

Swedish bassist Joel Grip didn’t Joel Grip
opened up Grip’s musical hori- improvisation is just happening by
grow up in a musical household, zons, and the first Umlaut record- itself. Your presence is important,
but he says both of his parents en- ings included musicians that he the audience is important, your
couraged him to pursue his instru- met there. The label’s first release playmates are important, and it’s
ment when he first picked up the was a trio recording featuring Grip, collective work, just like running
bass as a teenager. But when one saxophonist Gary Thomas and this label.”
examines Grip’s accomplishments drummer Devin Gray. Grip left in In addition to releasing new
over the last decade or so, it’s his 2005 and spent the next three music—including Grip’s new solo
mother’s organizational skills that years traveling the globe with his bass album Pickelhaube and A
become clear. bass. Nest At The Junction Of Paths,
Patrick DesMedt

“I think I learned that from “I think it was the most im- a superb collection by the New
her,” Grip said. “From a young portant part of my education—al- Songs which features singer So-
age I realized that if you want though I think I’m still learning and I fia Jernberg and guitarist David
something to be made, you better ing music, a practice he remains hope I always will be,” Grip said. He Stackenäs from Sweden, pianist
do it yourself. You can’t sit around deeply involved in by playing regu- spent time in Japan, China, Costa Eve Risser from France, and gui-
and wait for someone to call you.” larly in numerous configurations. Rica, across the United States and tarist Kim Myhr from Norway—
In 2002, at the mere age of 20, As a teenager, he said he in Eastern Europe. Many of the Umlaut has also started issuing
Grip started Hagenfesten, a jazz struggled with the rigid orthodox- people he met remain close col- some archival titles, including
and improvised music festival in ies of music education but he laborators, whether they are butoh a brilliant four-CD box of music
the rustic Swedish village of Dala- experienced a sense of liberation dancers or noise musicians. by pianist Per Henrik Wallin and
Floda (population: 90). The event after encountering the music of In 2008, Grip finally settled Sven-Åke Johansson, and a forth-
will celebrate its 11th edition in Au- Swedish reedist Mats Gustafsson in Paris, where he eventually de- coming set by Johansson and
gust of this year. A few years later, when he was 16. veloped a large-enough cast of German pianist Alexander von
while studying at the Peabody In- “I felt a joy and a freedom in his collaborators to run Umlaut as a Schlippenbach.
stitute in Baltimore, he launched playing that really opposed what I collective. Umlaut boasts bases in Despite the growing notice—
Umlaut Records, which has quietly had been taught in school,” Grip Paris, Stockholm, and Berlin, has both for the label and his play-
become one of Europe’s most in- said. Not long after finishing high presented festivals in each loca- ing—Grip refuses to take it easy.
teresting free-jazz labels. Grip also school, Grip heard a solo album by tion and has produced two dozen “We like to play in places where
founded Public Health Music, a fellow bassist Michael Formanek. releases thus far. this music usually isn’t played,”
social initiative aimed at using the After an initial email exchange with “When I play, and it feels very he said. “I’ve noticed people are
arts to save homeless kids from a Formanek, Grip decided to head good, it’s the feeling of just tak- so much more receptive in places
life of crime and drugs. to Baltimore to study with him. ing part in something,” Grip said. like Serbia, Kosovo, Ukraine or Po-
For Grip, it all started with play- Spending two years in Baltimore “You’re not controlling and the land, with an energetic audience.”

Caught Bold Risk-taking Elevates Vossa Jazz

V oss, a lovely and humble lakefront- and
fjord-hugging town in western Norway,
remains a critical feature on the Norwegian
Vossa Jazz Festival

jazz cultural landscape.

In this year’s Vossa Jazz program, the
fifth run by director Trude Storheim, mat-
ters of artistic balance, of carefully blend-
ing commerciality and artistic chance-tak-
ing, were in typical high form. This festival
doesn’t always have a strong American jazz
Sigvor Mala

presence, and this year’s New York link rest-

ed solely on Marc Ribot’s feisty, tough and
riffy band Really the Blues. What Vossa Jazz goes-Nordic sonic canvas. Norway’s bassist-of-note Arild Andersen
does specialize in is Scandinavian jazz offer- For this year’s commissioned work, saxo- and drummer Jon Christensen. If there was
ings hard to catch stateside. The high points phonist-composer Karl Seglem unveiled his a prominent unsung-hero performance this
from that geo-cultural quarter this year long, impressionistic-waxing suite Tingings- year, it had to be the rare appearance of sea-
included the electro-acoustic ambience of verket ‘Som Spor,’ which massaged the ear soned and mysterious Finnish saxophone leg-
Norwegian trumpeter-texturalist Nils Petter nicely but lacked much substance. end Juhani Aaltonen, whose show in the inti-
Molvær. Molvær’s trio (with guitarist Stian Opening the festival proper was another mate Osasalen room (in Voss’ Ole Bull Music
Westerhus and drummer Erland Dahlen) cre- Scandinavian admixture, with fine and flex- Academy) was a stunner, in ways cathartic
ated an epically atmospheric, voodoo-Miles- ible Danish pianist Carsten Dahl joined by and contemplative.  —Josef Woodard

16 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 Julian Lage
Julian Lage

Circa 2012:
New Connections,
New Collaborations

T
he year 2011 was a good one for guitarist
Julian Lage. His innovative album
Gladwell, which garnered an Editor’s
Pick at DownBeat.com, was hailed as one
of the year’s best. Lage, 24, also made some
noise throughout the year and across the
globe in the New Gary Burton Quartet, which
also featured bassist Scott Colley and drum-
mer Antonio Sanchez. And his trio with bass-
ist Larry Grenadier and drummer Eric Harland
had some celebrated concert dates, including
one at his alma mater, Berklee College of Music,
for NPR’s “Toast Of The Nation.” Speaking of
NPR, he appeared in January with new “Piano
Jazz” host Jon Weber. The biggest news, though,
comes from the formation of his new group, with
Grenadier and Harland as well as saxist Dan
Blake. More on that below. This year also prom-
ises to see more touring with the Burton group,
dates with pianist Fred Hersch and guitarist Jim
Hall, and Lage serving as artist in residence
for the 2012 Crown of the Continent Guitar
Foundation Workshops in late August.

Ingrid Hertfelder
How’s the new group with Larry Grenadier,
Eric Harland and surprise guest Dan Blake
coming along?
We’ve done two shows together already. I’ve but we played together in Taylor Eigsti’s quartet
tively engaged with Gary Burton, and now
stayed away from a more traditional jazz band and quintet. Yeah, it’s all about grounding, sup-
Fred Hersch and Jim Hall.
orchestration in the past, more unorthodox, you port, unconditional love ... anything you want to Gary, he’s been by far the most the influential
know, like with cello and percussion. So, I had do, he’ll put the fire behind you. He so’s sensitive,
musical force in my life, from a professional
an opportunity to put together a different band, and that’s really important for the kind of music
point of view and from a studying point of view.
and I was thinking of bass, drums and sax. And we’re doing. And Dan, he’s like my musical soul-
Working with Gary, it’s something that it’s not
those guys are each very important to me. I don’t mate. He joined the Lage group about two or exactly what it was when we first started. When
know, it feels very straightforward compared to three years ago, at a time when we were transi-I started out, it was like, “OK, now I’m play-
what I’m used to, but it packs a different kind of tioning from a kind of old paradigm of the banding with Gary.” And then it kind of evolved into
energy that I’m really kind of fond of. The plans to a new one that was more composition-based being partners in crime, contributing different
for that band are still in the baby stages, but my and more ensemble-specific. A certain incarna- ideas. With Fred, there’s a conversational chem-
hope is to work more and do a record. As for tion, with a little more “Here I am and I want istry that exists that I’ve never felt with anybody.
playing, we were doing mostly my tunes from to put some stuff around me.” Dan is one of theIt’s very liberating, very in tune with where I see
my recent albums, some of the more folk-based most brilliant musical minds I’ve ever encoun- the direction of jazz guitar going. And Jim Hall
music; there’s a lot of crossover from my band, tered, from an improvising point of view, defi-... Jim Hall, he’s my hero, since I was 8 years old.
but there’s also more straightahead jazz and play- nitely, but equally compositionally from a musi-
I still feel the awe, in a way, maybe with a little
ing standards. cal scholar point of view. He brings to the band a
bit more perspective. We just started last week,
kind of co-leadership in that sense. playing duets at his house. It’s a bit unreal, play-
In a related vein, what is it about each ing some of his stuff and some of mine. I think
member that made them your picks to What was it like being on the new “Piano at our core, Jim and I both have a real fond-
form this new group? Jazz” program, with Jon Weber? Had you ness for tweaked-out guitar, you know, whatev-
Larry, I first played with him when I was been on with Marian McPartland before? er you think is normal ... two or three degrees
about 12. It was a benefit for Billy Higgins at Yeah, I did it with Marian when I was about left of that.
Yoshi’s. He’s always looked out for me, been 17. Jon’s great. You couldn’t say anything wrong. Finally, I want to mention that the project
very kind and generous with his time. And, over It was like the best interview, and he gets you that’s kind of a through-line for this year is a solo-
the years we’ve been able to play together. He’s inspired to say things you wouldn’t normally guitar project. I’ve been playing shows in New
been very supportive, and that comes through in articulate. Jon has that ability. I’m so happy he’s York, solo guitar maybe every couple weeks, just
his playing, in his conception of tone and I think doing that show. to work out new material, with the intent on mak-
the acoustic quality. Harland, he’s also family; I ing a record this year. With everything going on,
don’t know when I first started playing with him, In terms of collaborations, you’ve been ac- I love it. I feel very lucky.  —John Ephland

18 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 Caught Frisell Dreams Up Personalized Disney Program
S everal times a season, the Los Angeles
Philharmonic kindly opens the portals
of its grand home base, Walt Disney Concert
Eyvind Kang (left) and Bill Frisell

Hall, to jazz programming. On March 11, pro-

grammers served up a hearty and varied gath-
ering of artists who tilted away from the moth-
ership of jazz in any mainstream sensibility.
Pianist Billy Childs’ quartet collaborated
with new music group Kronos Quartet on
“Music For Two Quartets,” a 2010 commis-
sioned work for the Monterey Jazz Festival.
It’s another brave attempt in the pitfall-prone
business of bridging jazz and classical worlds,
though not entirely successful or fluid.
Earl Gibson III

Though Bill Frisell’s lean-yet-rich Beauti-

ful Dreamers were the opening act, in some
ways they were more assured and artistical- playing to fill the space and handily shifting notch quartet with drummer Brian Blade,
ly focused than Childs’ group. Frisell, violist between timekeeper and coloristic accentuator. bassist Scott Colley and saxist/flutist Steve
Eyvind Kang and drummer Rudy Royston Frisell managed to personalize and revise Wilson offered the closest thing to text-
boasted an advancing maturity, suggesting this everything he touched, including a few origi- book-approved jazz with “Aaron’s Song”
is one of the guitarist’s more intriguing groups. nals, the folk classic “Hard Times,” a surreal- and “Hope In The Face Of Despair.” Having
Frisell’s trio is a familial extension of his ly jaunty “Tea For Two,” and, from his recent already heard Childs’ “chamber jazz” exper-
genuinely gossamer and irrepeatable years John Lennon project, “Strawberry Fields For- iment Music for Two Quartets in an al fres-
with Paul Motian and Joe Lovano. Though ever” and “Give Peace A Chance.” co context, it was interesting to note the war-
Kang leaned lower in range than most violin- Pop snuck into the night’s mix when the ring factors of jazz and classical thinking
ists and Frisell sometimes kicked in an octave Kronos Quartet delivered the chugging, shifted in a new setting. Here, the classical
divider for phantom bass tones, the lack of minimalism-meets-rhythm-section boiler factor nudged its way higher in the aesthetic
bass presence is part of this group’s definition. room brawl in the alluring piece “Ahem” by mix, perhaps partly due to the environmen-
Royston applies the perfect touch, never over- Bryce Dessner of The National. Childs’ top- tal association. —Josef Woodard

AUM Fidelity Artists Take the Stage as Label Turns 15

T he Charles Mingus album Mingus Ah Um
stands as a landmark where the bassist inte-
grated adventuresome concepts and spiritual-
ly fired practices. Brooklyn-based label AUM
Fidelity does not invoke this precedent lightly.
Since its inception, it has advocated for a small
cadre of mostly New York-based musicians with
evangelical fervor, and in June, will celebrate its
15th year at two major festivals.
John rOGERS/jOHNROGERSNYC.COM
Bassist William Parker, one of the label’s
original artists, will present three of his ensem-
bles, including his new big band Essence Of
Ellington, at Montreal’s Suoni Per Il Popolo fes-
tival, and saxophonist Darius Jones will also From left: Muhammad Ali, William Parker,
David S. Ware and Cooper-Moore
perform with his quartet. Jones, Parker and sax-
ophonist David S. Ware’s Planetary Unknown the Knitting Factory venue. Latin folk music on Long Hidden: The Olmec
quartet will convene on June 12 at New York’s “I was utterly transported,” he said. “No other Series are among the label’s most rewarding and
Vision Festival for the fest’s first-ever label band in the world that I’d ever heard made affecting releases. Little Women, another collec-
showcase. And AUM Fidelity’s forthcoming music close to this.” Joerg released records on tive that features Jones, Travis Laplante, Andrew
summer releases by Planetary Unknown and the Homestead by Ware and Morris, who followed Smiley and Jason Nazary, fuses free-jazz and hard
trio of Joe Morris, William Parker and Gerald him to AUM Fidelity in 1997. His collaborative, rock at their most aggressive.
Cleaver will brings the label’s history full-circle. profit-splitting business model is similar to small- ”I believe in the idea of focus, quality over
AUM Fidelity is essentially a one-man er rock labels, resulting in open but enduring rela- quantity,” Joerg said. “I’ve remained devoted to
operation. Owner Steven Joerg moved to tionships with musicians. Though they work with artists that I’ve worked with since launching the
New York after college in 1989 to work for other labels, they keep coming to AUM Fidelity. label because they are on the top tier of creators
the indie-rock label Bar/None. He took over AUM Fidelity enables its musicians to prac- of this music. For a man to spend most of his time
the management of another underground rock tice ecstatic free-jazz, but also branch out. Parker’s and money over the past 15 years on an endeav-
label, Homestead, around the same time that explorations of the Curtis Mayfield songbook on I or, the work that is created must mean something
he began encountering free-jazz musicians at Plan To Stay A Believer and ancient African and very special to him.” —Bill Meyer

20 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 Players 

Tom Kennedy
It’s All Swing

T om Kennedy opens his third album as a

leader, Just For The Record, by running his
electric bass in dizzying circles around Dave
Weckl’s bouncy drums. “Breakneck” is a short,
bubbly exercise in speed, the musicians play-
fully sparring with their instruments. It show-
cases Kennedy’s prodigious abilities, but also
highlights the friendships and strong musical
relationships that have defined his career.
Weckl and Kennedy first met at a summer
camp in 1975 when they were both high-school
freshmen. Another childhood friend, Jay Oliver,
splits keyboard duties on the album with Charles
Blenzig. The session’s guitarist, the iconic Mike
Stern, is a newer acquaintance who has nonethe-
less counted Kennedy as a musical ally for years.
These associations, both new and old, are an
inexorable part of music-making that Kennedy
views counterintuitively as a way to keep his
music sounding new. The musicians on his lat-
est disc have performed in varied configura-
tions countless times, but they don’t find them-
selves navigating the same ideas or re-treading
tired territory.
“It’s fresh, and I can count on it at the same
time,” Kennedy says, his demeanor echoing
the unbridled energy in his bass playing. “It’s
not about being old or stale. I base my favorite
musical relationships with people who keep it
new—that are always advancing, trying differ-
ent things.”
Weckl counts the relative easy of recording
as one of the benefits of musical kinship with
Kennedy. When laying down tracks on Just and serving in the house rhythm section on the Kennedy first glimpsed the acoustic bass at
For The Record, the two didn’t have to navi- 2012 Jazz Cruise in early February, Kennedy age 8, when his older brother lugged the instru-
gate through a belabored setup of the music and never played staid walking patterns on his acous- ment home from school band practice. His
instead simply started playing. “When you’ve tic bass. He injected his own carefree style into attraction to the bass’s resonance was immedi-
spent so much time listening, talking and play- each accompaniment, creating musical lines that ate and unrelenting. A decade later, Kennedy
ing together, it all just happens so much quick- bounded up and down the neck. became just as fascinated by the electric when
er,” Weckl says. “[Friendship] generally adds to Playing both electric and acoustic has helped a patron tested out an instrument at his father’s
the overall vibe—unless there’s a spat going on!” inform his approach to jazz, he says. This man- music shop. Ever since, he’s been performing
As a bassist, Kennedy has spent a lot of time ifests itself in his walking bass playing on elec- double duty in a range of musical contexts.
playing for other people. He spent three years tric, which is derived directly from his expe- His next project, in fact, will be on the
backing up guitarist Al Di Meola, and lately he’s rience on the acoustic instrument. As he was upright, he says. Since Just For The Record is an
been working with Stern and Lee Ritenour’s playing acoustic on the cruise, many of his solos electric album, he wants to balance out his cata-
bands. Kennedy is so busy, in fact, that it’s hard to sounded as if they were first mapped out on an log with a collection of swing tunes on acoustic
catch him at a hometown gig in New York City. electric fretboard. The bassist has no preference bass. Additionally, Kennedy is considering put-
This frenzied work schedule was developed by as to which instrument he’d rather use on any ting a touring band together.
expanding his circle of friends and never burn- given day; it simply depends on his mood and the Kennedy’s childhood connections, mixed
ing a bridge. “So much of it in this business is demands of the individual session. with newer professional allegiances, mean that
about networking—just knowing as many play- “Usually when I’m playing one type of the bassist is busier than ever. In fact, even in this
ers as you can in as many parts of the world as thing, I long for the other, which is normal. I down economy, he thinks there’s more demand
you can,” he says. love the feeling of an acoustic hard swing when for musicians in general, and he’s found him-
Kennedy plays electric bass on his latest you’re playing a straightahead kind of thing, as self working more often. And when the next gig
recording, but in his mind, electric and acous- well as a real intense fusion groove or a funky comes, chances are Kennedy will have a solid
tic are almost interchangeable. During a hectic kind of thing [on the electric],” he says. “It’s all relationship with at least one of the members of
week spent backing numerous all-star groups swing to me.” the band.  —Jon Ross

22 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Scott Tixier
Feeling Rhythms

F or someone who demonstrates such a

strong acumen for penning compositions
bursting with singable melodies, sly counter-
points, vivacious rhythms and sterling har-
monies, 26-year-old violinist Scott Tixier says
that he doesn’t overthink his tunes. If fact, he
argues that for his music, improvisation ranks
above compositional guile in terms of impor-
tance. “Improvisation is something that I real-
ly like to put up front,” he explains. “So when
I compose, I think about the same things while
I’m improvising, except that I can go back and
change things. The main thing is that I use my
ears first. When I try to analyze too much, the
music usually isn’t anything that I want.”
On a blustery late-February Saturday after-
noon at Colson Patisserie in the Brooklyn
Chris Drukker

neighborhood Park Slope, Tixier, with vio-

lin case in hand, has to rehearse later in the
day for a weekly burlesque show at the supper
club Duane Park. Since arriving in Brooklyn to play those rhythms because I want to sound
from Paris in 2008, Tixier has made the most smart; it’s because I feel them. When I feel the
of his new home. His debut, Brooklyn Bazaar rhythmic flow of a song, I feel really free to
(Sunnyside), deftly captures the cosmopoli- improvise in any key.”
tan character of the borough with a set of nine Tixier grew up in Montreuil, a suburb east
original compositions that optimize gripping of Paris. Along with his brother, Tixier began
grooves and sophisticated interplay. He fronts studying classical music when he was 5 years
an emphatic quintet of Brooklyn-based musi- old. But it wasn’t until he was 13—when he
cians, whom he says he recruited because they attended a music festival in southern France—
lived in his Prospect Park neighborhood. that the jazz bug bit him. Soon after, Tixier
Some of standout selections include the absorbed a lot of Stéphane Grappelli and even-
Afrocentric “Bushwick Party,” on which tually discovered Stuff Smith and Jean-Luc
Tixier’s violin dances across Arthur Vint’s Ponty. When Tixier was 14, he met Ponty, who
jubilant drum patterns and Jesse Elder’s encouraged him to leave Paris for the United
punchy piano accompaniments; the mesmer- States in hopes of gaining more performance
izing “Arawaks,” where guest vocalist Emile opportunities. “He was my sponsor; he wrote
Weibel applies her ghostly wordless vocaliza- the letter for immigration,” Tixier says. Ponty
tions parallel to Douglas Bradford’s feather- then suggested Tixier to a litany of jazz stars
light guitar lines; and the r&b-laden “Elephant such as Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Pat
Rose,” in which Massimo Biolcati’s initial bass Metheny and Chick Corea.
line resembles that of Stevie Wonder’s “I Can’t Before Tixier got settled in New York, he
Help It” (made famous by Michael Jackson and stayed with another leading violinist, Mark
recently recorded by Esperanza Spalding). Feldman, to whom Tixier pays homage on
Tixier recalls that when he first penned “Shopping With Mark F.” Tixier crashed in
“Elephant Rose,” his piano-playing twin broth- Feldman’s office room for two days upon his
er, Tony, told him that the song sounded too arrival in the States; he now says that it was a
much like the 1979 Jackson recording. The great learning experience. “I heard him prac-
violinist theorizes that because he and his tice from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day,” Tixier
mother, a modern jazz dancer, used to dance remembers.
to Jackson’s material, the bass part probably Tixier is still delving deeper inside the New
came to him by osmosis. When he speaks of York jazz scene, playing frequently with the
his mother’s profession as well as his own ten- likes of Lonnie Plaxico, Anthony Braxton and
ure as a modern dancer, the rhythmic spark in Sheila Jordan. In addition to that and promot-
his material makes all the more sense. ing Brooklyn Bazaar, he has his sights on the
“Rhythm is something that I really dig but follow-up disc, one that’ll involve his twin
not in an intellectual way,” Tixier explains. brother as they’ll investigate a batch of jazz
“Even for the song that’s in 7/8, I’m not trying standards.  —John Murph

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 23

 Players 

Mike LeDonne
Smokin’ in NYC
A s any veteran musician knows, you
have to learn how to play the house.
“We had a lot of empty tables with
candles on them,” says keyboard vet
Mike LeDonne, commenting on his
early career gigs. “I was just hitting and
missing, trying to figure out what my
direction was gonna be. But that club
really solidified my direction playing
live and making it on this record.”
The club in question is the historic
Smoke Jazz Club in Manhattan; the
record is LeDonne’s latest, the verita-
bly smokin’ Keep The Faith (his sixth
for Savant). It features his “Groover
Quartet” with tenorist Eric Alexander,
guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer
Joe Farnsworth. “Now, I know that if it

mark sheldon
works at Smoke,” LeDonne adds, “it’s
gonna work with the general public.
That’s the beauty of having a gig like
that. Some of the things I bring in, I only play on the occasion of a tribute concert to organist
it once, and you never hear it again. But some Charles Earland, not long after his death in late
of them, first time, you can tell right away, that 1999. LeDonne played one tune, and the reac-
it’s a keeper. So, when I make these records, tion was so positive that he landed a series of
they’re all keepers.” Tuesday night gigs and put his band together.
Although LeDonne started recording in He’s been there since 2000. The regular nature
1988, he wasn’t playing organ in the studio of the gig solidified the group, which has since
back then. “On organ as a leader, this is only toured worldwide.
my fourth organ/leader date,” he notes. “Keep The Faith was kind of a ‘part-two’
Which brings us to LeDonne’s backstory. for me, because The Groover came out in
We sit at his dining room table, with an expan- 2010, and that was the same format,” LeDonne
sive view from his Midtown high-rise liv- explains. “It’s what I do at Smoke, basically. I
ing-room window, a view that winds upward try to include tunes that are from the pop rep-
toward Harlem, and beyond. LeDonne is the ertoire, but I don’t know if I’d call them cov-
quintessence of a man on the musical make, ers because I work hard on not making them
ready to take on all comers, a hustler in the covers. I work hard at making them vehicles
best sense of the word. A graduate of the New for jazz, and they swing. And that’s not easy. It
England Conservatory of Music, he grew up in means not losing the personality of the tune. I
a musical household—his father was a guitar- work on that because when I work at Smoke, I
ist (with whom LeDonne played gigs starting at know it’s not all jazz aficionados who come in
age 10) and owner of a music store. After mov- there. It’s a lot of young kids from Columbia
ing to New York City, the Bridgeport, Conn., [University] and places like that. They’re not
native started as a pianist playing with, among gonna be listening to me play ‘All The Things
others, Benny Goodman, Sonny Rollins, Art You Are’; but if you play ‘The Way You Make
Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Panama Francis and Me Feel’ by Michael Jackson, they suddenly
the Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra. An say, ‘I know this.’ And then you’re swinging
eventual gig with Milt Jackson proved particu- and they’re listening to the solos and next thing
larly formative, and he developed a long rela- you know, they’re coming back every week.
tionship with Benny Golson, which is ongoing. That’s how we’ve lasted there all these years.”
LeDonne was working strictly as a pianist Indeed, playing the house means working
in 1990, when saxophonist Jim Snidero got him the house. “When I made The Groover,”
to sit in on organ with Brother Jack McDuff at a LeDonne says, “I thought, ‘What kind of organ
place called Dude’s Bar in Harlem. From there, record would I want to buy and listen to?’ I’m
it was just a matter of time before LeDonne not trying to reinvent the wheel. But I do want
formed his own band around his Hammond B3 to put my stamp down. And it’s all over these
organ. The real beginning took place at Smoke records.”  —John Ephland

24 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Kresten Osgood
The Energy of the Situation

P erforming deep in the twilight hours of last

year’s Copenhagen Jazz Festival, at the
city’s rebel enclave of Freetown Christiania,
we found no one was even close to this type
of expression. We were limited in certain play-
ing skills, but we were very abstract. We could
drummer/composer Kresten Osgood led a play something that sounded like Wynton
rowdy crowd of drug abusers and aging hippies Marsalis in 1992, but when we ran out of abil-
through a torrid drum solo. But he wasn’t play- ity, we would go into avant-garde theater. We’d
ing it. Germany’s Günter Baby Sommer bashed run around the room or throw things at the
the skins while Osgood gleefully agitated the audience.”
crowd, one minute ripping the electric bass, One of the most prolific musicians in
the next approximating a Zoot Sims saxophone Denmark, Osgood’s lengthy discography
solo, the next beating the floor with mallets includes such diverse recordings as Violet
and metal drumsticks. Through a cloudy haze Violets (with bassist Ben Street and the late “Sometimes in my groups, we compose
of (legal) herbal smoke, Osgood and Sommer reedist Sam Rivers), Florida (a duo record- music that is too hard for us to play,” Osgood
worked the room like it was the veritable gate- ing with pianist Paul Bley), Tattoos And laughs. “But we always go for the spirituality
way to hell. But this was a typical performance Mushrooms (with trumpeter Steven Bernstein or the energy of the situation more than play-
for the 35-year-old Danish musician. and tuba player Marcus Rojas) and Hammond ing it right. When playing with my friends in
“My approach developed when I was a Rens, an ongoing project with organist Dr. New York, they usually try to show that they
teenager,” Osgood recalls. “Me and my cous- Lonnie Smith that reinvents the organ trio as a know what they’re doing—to keep the gig or
in, who was a piano player, were isolated on time-traveling vehicle hitting Mach 5.0. to impress the bandleader. That mentality, we
the west coast of Denmark. So we developed Osgood never lets ego, or his own personal- don’t have so much in Denmark. We don’t have
a post-Dada way of improvising that was com- ity, obscure the music. Even if it’s working, be to survive the same way; we’re not depending on
pletely our own. When we came to the city, sure to break it—that seems to be his motto. a good reputation to sustain us.” —Ken Micallef
Kenny Garrett at The Iridium in New York
Kenny Garrett
Digs Deep
By Dan Ouellette | Photography by Jimmy and Dena Katz at The Iridium

Saxophonist Kenny Garrett is back with a new disc, seeds from the underground,
back in the spotlight and back on the cover of downbeat

B
y Kenny Garrett’s own account, it was spirit, grip and grit leading the way, he assem- Haynes’ triumphant salute to Bird, 2001’s Birds
preordained that he would become a bled the quintet of pianist Benito Gonzalez, Of A Feather: A Tribute To Charlie Parker—he
jazz saxophonist. “I tell people that I bassist Nat Reeves, drummer Ronald Bruner is careful to point out the different intent of the
didn’t choose the sax,” he says. “It chose me.” and percussionist Rudy Bird, plus vocalist wide-ranging Seeds. “I like to think of every-
Sitting in The Iridium in New York—the Nedelka Prescod on a couple of these 10 orig- thing on this album as seeds,” he explains. “They
setting of his 2008 live album, Sketches Of inal compositions. All these musicians com- could have been small, could have been big.
MD, and the club where he’d play a four-night plement Garrett’s beautiful work on alto and People were planting these seeds all along the
stint with his quintet a couple months hence— soprano sax. It’s his first studio and acoustic way—the musicians I played with and the musi-
Garrett laughs at his fate, which has placed him recording in six years, and arguably the most cians I talked with a lot, like Roy, who I give a
in the upper tier of alto saxophonist leaders and melodic outing of his career. nod of thanks to on the song ‘Haynes Here,’ and
made him a go-to sideman who, in recent years, And Garrett is proud of it. “You want to see Jackie McLean, who I pay respect to on the tune
spent a long stretch in Chick Corea’s Five Peace growth in each album you record,” he says. ‘J. Mac.’ This is an album about the planting of
Band and in his Freedom Band. “There was a time when I was playing for secu- seeds and how that’s impacted me.”
Garrett has a concise answer as to why he rity, doing gigs with different musicians and In scientific terms, a seed is the fertilized,
has become such a force in the jazz world—espe- playing in Broadway shows. But then one day ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing
cially with young saxophonists who emulate his I decided, ‘I want to play.’ Before you know it, an embryo and capable normally of germina-
sound in their aspirations to jazz prowess—and 20 years have gone by, and you’re trying to play tion to produce a new plant.
how he found his way: “I was always in the right this music you always dreamed of playing.” By using this botanical metaphor, Garrett
place at the right time.” Donning one of his trademark African expands the concept of acknowledging respect
On a spring-like afternoon in the midst of a caps (a subtle, print style today), a dark-green in a rich way while simultaneously testifying
mild Northeastern winter, it feels more like shirt, and matching jacket and slacks, Garrett about how talent is nurtured. Just like the asso-
planting time than digging out from the cold. speaks shyly, yet he’s eager to fill in the his- ciations of the word seed—fertilized, flowering,
And today that’s what the 51-year-old Detroit- torical gaps in his touring biography—from embryonic, germinating—Garrett’s new album
bred, New York-based artist is eager to talk Mercer Ellington to Art Blakey to Miles Davis. is indeed an inspired new creation steeped in
about: his deep-rooted artistic cultivation, Although Garrett’s discography includes a the saxophonist’s historical pathways. It’s a field
specifically as it relates to Seeds From The couple of tributes—an homage to Trane on of dreams made manifest.
Underground, his 18th album as leader and his 1995’s stunning Pursuance: The Music Of John Plus, it’s indelible music, with a verdant
sophomore CD for Mack Avenue Records. With Coltrane, and contributions as a sideman on Roy crop of shout-outs to a rich array of sowers,

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 27

KENNY GARRETT

ranging from Garrett’s high school mentor Bill comes from the sound of quick-clopping
Wiggins (“Wiggins,” which starts in the ballad- Musical childhood horse hooves, which he heard when watching
ic zone before revving up, with the alto saxo-
phonist dancing in the grooves) to a musician he
has only met briefly twice but has long admired
T he new album opens with the spirited
“Boogety Boogety,” buoyed by a catchy
melodic head, clipping percussion and Garrett
Westerns with his father. “I like melodies,” he
says. “When I played with Miles, we played
melodies every night. I like to write melodies
for his lyricism, Keith Jarrett (“Ballad Jarrett,” playing rhythms on his saxophone toward the that people can remember. ‘Boogety Boogety’
with its quiet melody played on soprano sax- charged close. If Top 40 AM radio were still is a different kind of melody for me, but when I
ophone). Also in the mix are Duke Ellington, around, this would be an instrumental hit. The wrote it, it reminded me of the galloping hors-
Woody Shaw and Thelonious Monk, together, seed? Garrett’s father, who drew his son in es. And I was thinking about dancing. There
on “Do-Wo-Mo” (“I heard all of their voices close to the magical wonders of the saxophone. are harmonic things going on in this song, but
when I was writing this,” says Garrett) and his “This comes from way back,” he says, not- it’s basically about having fun.”
hero Joe Henderson, on an iTunes-only track, ing that his father (actually, his stepfather) was When Garrett started his secondary edu-
“Joe Hen’s Waltz.” a tenor saxophonist who practiced regularly. cation at Detroit’s Mackenzie High School,
A more nuanced influence is on exhibit via “The strongest thing about me being interest- athletics was a focus for him. He was inter-
John McLaughlin, with whom Garrett played ed in the saxophone was that I loved the smell ested in playing his saxophone on the side
in the Five Peace Band. Seeds features a flur- of my father’s case. It was an old case with a and practicing on his own, but he devoted a
ry of odd time meters. “I’m always challeng- velvet cover. I’d sit and listen to him practice. lot of time to football, tennis and track. He
ing myself,” says Garrett. “I started to play with I loved the sound of the saxophone, but it was would carry his alto saxophone to school in
that band, and John would be playing in 15. A the smell that kept me there.” its case, which one of the teachers noticed.
minute later he’s playing in 6. So that influenced Garrett’s dad recognized his son’s interest “Mr. Wiggins was a friend of my father’s,”
my writing, which I’ve been doing more on the and gave him a plastic sax for Christmas when Garrett says. “Our school didn’t have a band,
piano. On the saxophone, the odd times allow me he was 7 years old. Seeing that little Kenny was so Mr. Wiggins was determined to start a stage
to phrase differently. I figure, if you don’t usually expressing more than a fleeting desire to play band and a concert band. He’d always ask me,
play in odd meters, well, go ahead and try that.” the instrument, his dad upgraded him with ‘When are you going to join the band?’ I told
To illustrate the point, Garrett singles out his first alto saxophone. “Someone had shot it him I wasn’t interested.”
his odd-meter deliveries on the title track (which with a bullet,” Garrett laughingly recalls. “But But one day in the school hallway, Wiggins
features him quoting from Nat Adderley’s the hole was soldered and it played well. My approached Garrett again and pushed him.
“Work Song”), “Haynes Here” and “Laviso, father taught me the G scale, and that was the “When are you going to join the band?” he
I Bon?” (inspired by Guadeloupean guitarist beginning.” asked. Garrett resisted, and Wiggins pushed
Christian Laviso). As for “Boogety Boogety,” Garrett says it him again. “The next thing I knew I was in

Garrett inside The Iridium on Feb. 26, with photos of Les Paul in the background

28 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

KENNY GARRETT

the band,” Garrett says with a smile. “And we heard about me, and so they called me to play subway, went to Brooklyn, got my saxophone
became the best of friends. It was his way of a couple of gigs. That turned into three-and- and ran back just as he was finishing the tune.
saying, ‘I need a saxophone player.’” a-half years of touring around the world and That was good because I only knew the song in
While Garrett was tempted to transfer to opening my mind to all kinds of things. I had two keys: C and D-flat.”
Cass Tech because of its rich jazz legacy never been out of Detroit up to that point. If you Garrett played on a couple of other songs
(“That was the prestigious place to be,” he don’t travel, it really limits you. I was young and with Coleman that night and realized that the
says, “with its history of Ron Carter and Geri going all over the place, even if I didn’t quite players in the band were far more technically
Allen and others graduating from there”), know what was going on.” accomplished than he was. “To get to that level,
Wiggins convinced him to stay at Mackenzie. The Ellington gig, starting in 1978, ran its I knew I had a lot of growing to do,” he recalls.
“He had gone to Cass Tech and assured me course when many musicians from the big “When you encounter George Coleman, you
that he could teach me whatever I needed to band settled into New York to perform in the realize you have to step up and start practicing.”
know,” says Garrett. “Mr. Wiggins was real- Broadway play celebrating Duke, Sophisticated Garrett took some lessons from Coleman
ly the first person who realized I had talent.” Ladies, which ran from 1981 to ’83. Garrett had and then gradually began to make acquaintanc-
A veteran saxophone sideman with the likes a choice: move home or try his hand in New es around town, which led to more gigs. He had
of soulsters Aretha Franklin and Jerry Butler, York, rooming with pianist Mulgrew Miller— already met Freddie Hubbard through Belgrave
Wiggins fed Garrett a wide range of music. also an member of the Ellington band who had in Detroit and worked with him, as well as
“He would invite me to listen to [Franklin’s left in 1980 to join up with Betty Carter—in his Dizzy Gillespie; he took clarinet lessons from
and Butler’s] rehearsals because he wanted me Brooklyn apartment in Flatbush. classical player Leon Russianoff; and he landed
to know that part of the music,” says Garrett. a saxophone chair in the Mel Lewis Orchestra.
“He wanted me to listen to classical music, and Playing with Hubbard was particularly
he introduced me to the music of Keith Jarrett important. “Freddie inspired me to want
playing with Jan Garbarek. I had never heard of to play,” Garrett says. “He was a character,
them, so Mr. Wiggins said, ‘Check it out.’” but when we got to the stage and played, he
Wiggins gave Garrett daily exercises for never had to say anything; it was all about the
the saxophone and instilled in him the joy of music. To hear someone play at that level every
playing. He also encouraged his young student night….” He shakes his head and smiles.
to explore the richness of the city’s club scene. By the time he was 24, Garrett had devel-
“Mr. Wiggins was so instrumental in my oped a strong enough reputation to record his
development,” he says. “The song [“Wiggins”] debut as a leader. Criss Cross Jazz released
on Seeds gives me the chance to say goodbye Introducing Kenny Garrett in 1984, with a
to him. He passed away when I was on the quintet comprising Miller, bassist Nat Reeves,
road. That’s why the song goes into a groove, trumpeter Woody Shaw and drummer Tony
but then there’s melancholia. It gives me clo- Reedus. Garrett 5, on the Japanese label Paddle
sure with him.” Wheel, followed in 1988.
One of the key players Wiggins introduced In 1987, Garrett got the call from Miles
him to on the Detroit scene was trumpeter Davis to join his electric band. This invitation
Marcus Belgrave, who was fronting a big band. happened partially because of a film audition.
Garrett joined in. “They already had five top While he was playing with Art Blakey,
saxophone players in the section,” he recalls. Garrett auditioned for a French movie about a
“So I had to sit in the trombone section, play- saxophonist; his friend Gary Thomas was also
ing my sax but reading the trombone parts.” Garrett on the cover of the Sept. 1997 DownBeat trying out. Thomas told him that Davis was
Belgrave, who enlisted Garrett to also play in looking for an alto player and encouraged him
his smaller bands, proved to be another men- “Kenny and I have a long history,” Miller to get in touch with the trumpeter. “I decided
tor—and a seed sower. There’s a nod to him says. “When I was with the Ellington band in to call, of course, because it was Miles Davis,”
on another Seeds melodic beauty, “Detroit,” Detroit, we all went to see Marcus Belgrave, Garrett says. “I called, and I think it was his
with wordless vocals by Prescod and a back- who had also spent time with the Ellington valet who answered. He said Miles was out but
ground scratch of an LP that is skipping. “I band, at Cobb’s Corner. Kenny was just out of would call back. Later that day, Miles called. I
was trying to put in my thanks to Marcus as high school, and we noticed him right off and actually thought it was Mulgrew Miller because
well as tenor saxophonist Lamont Hamilton were impressed. Certain things were already he’s good at [imitating] Miles’ voice. I thought,
and David Swain’s 2-5-1 Band, which I played in place in his playing. He had an unbelievable ‘OK, he’s playing a good game with me.’ But
in,” he says. “But I also wanted people to hear sense of time and was already playing with an then I realized it was Miles, and he asked me
the pain and the suffering of the city today.” assuredness. So, the next day, I got on the bus to send him some music. I sent him some music
and there was Kenny. I said, ‘Aren’t you that from my Blakey shows.”
guy from last night?’ He didn’t talk very much. Within a week, Davis called Garrett back
Graduation from Detroit He just nodded. We ended up often rooming and told him, “Kenny, you sound like you’re

V arious short biographies of Garrett cite his

playing with the Duke Ellington Band,
then directed by Mercer Ellington, but they
together on the road.”
Once Garrett had sunk his roots into New
York, one of the first people to befriend him was
wearing Sonny Stitt’s dirty drawers.” Garrett
chuckles and says, “That was the start.”
There’s another layer of intrigue to the
rarely explain how he scored that gig. While saxophonist George Coleman, who was playing anecdote: Garrett has heard that Davis had been
Garrett had plans to attend Berklee College of at the Tin Palace in the Bowery. secretly looking for him after hearing him per-
Music to further his career, the Ellington band “I was a newcomer, so I didn’t know that form at the Berlin Jazz Festival in a band that
trumped that. As it turns out, the 18-piece jazz whenever you went out to a club you should included Hubbard and Shaw, with Gillespie
orchestra was in Detroit and its alto saxophon- have your horn with you,” Garrett says. “I talk- sitting in. “Somebody told me that Miles was
ist disappeared. It needed a replacement tout ed with George, and he asked me if I wanted watching,” he says. “He was looking for me, but
de suite. “By that time, I was an up-and-com- to sit in. He was in the midst of playing ‘Green ended up finding me through another direction.”
ing alto player in Detroit,” Garrett says. “They Dolphin Street’—in all the keys. So I ran to the Garrett was still playing with Blakey, but

30 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

KENNY GARRETT

went out with Davis for three gigs in Chicago,

Minneapolis and Ann Arbor, Mich. The lead-
er sent him a tape and asked him to learn the
melodies of the songs in the set. There were no
rehearsals and only a short sound check before
the first show.
Garrett wore sunglasses in his attempt at
looking hip like Davis. For his first two gigs
with the icon, he believes that the microphone
he was using wasn’t working. By the third night,
Garrett was audible.
He recalls, “After my first solo, Miles came
up to me, took off my glasses and said, ‘What?’
It was like he couldn’t believe what I had played.
He put my glasses back on and that was it. The
rest is history.”
A three-night tryout ended up lasting five-
and-a-half years. Was the experience initially
intimidating? “No, not at all,” Garrett says. “I
had been playing with Art, so, of course, I had
heard all the Miles Davis stories. It was interest-
ing playing in the style that Miles was into then,
the J.B. and Prince stuff that had nothing to do
with what he heard me playing with Freddie or
Art. With Miles, I never tried to play anything
more than what the music demanded, except
after a few years I worked in some harmonic
devices. But it was a great experience for me—
this kid from Detroit playing with Miles, and it
was all good.”

Solo Career
On Seeds, Garrett
plays alto and

D
soprano saxophone
uring his tenure with Davis, Garrett gradu-
ated to the big time as a recording art- as Kenny. And as a composer, I wish I had writ- a real genius. I wish people knew how much
ist of his own, signing with Atlantic Jazz and ten a couple of the tunes Kenny did on the new time he spends working on the music before he
releasing Prisoner Of Love in 1989 and African album, like ‘Ballad Jarrett’ and ‘Detroit.’” records.”
Exchange Student in 1990. (I reviewed the lat- Garrett’s praise of Brown has to do with his “Kenny always had a great sound from the
ter in the January 1991 issue of DownBeat, ears—and his compositions. “Donald’s been an very beginning,” Miller adds. “He had his own
giving it a four-and-half-stars and noting that inspiration for a long time,” he says. “I aspire to unique sound, but now, that sound has trans-
“there’s not a cliche within earshot in Garrett’s be able to write like him. So I’d present to him formed to a more captivating and lyrical voice.
playing as he expressively sputters, screeches, new songs I had written to see what he thought, I dare say, Kenny Garrett is one of the most
wails, pouts and squeaks unusual sax tones.”) because he understands where I’m coming imitated alto saxophonists. I hear little Kenny
Pianist Donald Brown, also a Blakey alum from. I want him to listen and talk to me about Garretts everywhere I go on the planet.”
during Garrett’s run, produced African Exchange what he’s hearing.” So it’s no wonder that Berklee bestowed
Student, resulting in another longtime musi- Also along for the Seeds adventure is anoth- upon Garrett an honorary doctorate and asked
cal friendship that continues today. Seeds was er longtime friend and bandmate, Nat Reeves, him to give the commencement address at its
co-produced by Brown and Garrett. “When we who has known and performed with Garrett May 2011 graduation ceremony. Four thousand
first start working together, we formed a mutu- since the early ’80s, including working in people attended the event, which honored the
al admirers’ society,” says Brown, who has been Shaw’s band. Based in Connecticut, where he school’s largest graduating class (908 students).
teaching music for 23 years at the University of teaches at The Hartt School at the University Garrett did his own planting of seeds in his
Tennessee, Knoxville. “Kenny and I talked all of Hartford, Reeves says that he continues to commencement speech, telling graduates, “I’m
the time and had wide-open conversations about be impressed with Garrett’s ability to push for- hear to testify that dreams are possible, but
all kinds of music—not just jazz but music from ward as a creative artist. “I can’t stop listening there’s work that has to be done to accomplish
our backgrounds, because he was from Detroit to the new record,” Reeves says. “There’s so those dreams. As you stand on the shoulders of
and I was from Memphis. We were into jazz, much variety in the music. He’s always draw- our forefathers, try to raise the bar as high as
r&b, funk.” ing from different types of music, from differ- you can.”
Over the years, the two produced other ent cultures. He’s not just playing jazz.” In reflecting back on the speech, Garrett
albums together (including Garrett’s Warner Reeves says that Garrett called him up often smiles and says, “All I told them was my own
Bros. debut, Black Hope, in 1992 and Trilogy during the embryonic stage of Seeds to play story, which is [that] no one ever told me what I
in 1995), so it pleased Brown that he was once him a song on the piano that illustrated the bass couldn’t do. If someone tells you that you can’t
again brought on board for Seeds. “I can hear lines. “When Kenny writes, he keeps his band do something, you go out and do it. There are
so much growth in Kenny, harmonically and in mind,” says Reeves. “In my case, it’s making all types of possibilities. It’s not just rhetoric.
melodically,” Brown says. “He has such a great, sure that the bass fits in with the melody. He’s If someone is telling you that you can’t do it,
unique voice on the saxophone, and there are not only been a dear friend over the years, but they’ve already planted a seed. And that kind of
few musicians as excited about life and music I’ve learned so much from him as well. Kenny’s seed is an obstacle.”DB

32 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 By Claire Daly | Photography by Kelly Davidson

A
n avant-garde chordless trio with a steady gig for 40 years? Nearly unimaginable,
yet this Boston-based trio has maintained a remarkable dedication to the music
for four decades—with only a single personnel change. Each member is a vir-
tuoso musician and formidable educator, and the three of them come together
weekly to embark on a sonic adventure.
“I think what has made the band survive so Fans of The Fringe are plentiful, from teen- Cambridge, sharing the night with saxophonist
long is that we aren’t doing tunes and we aren’t age students to the biggest names in jazz. In a Jerry Bergonzi’s quintet.
responsible for writing tunes to keep the band conference call with DownBeat on March 30, At times, The Fringe has even shared the
fresh,” said saxophonist George Garzone. “The bassist/singer Esperanza Spalding (who graduat- bandstand with Bergonzi’s band, creating a mas-
‘fresh’ is just the improvisation, and that’s what ed from and taught at Berklee) talked about the sive collective dubbed “Gargonz,” which includes
keeps it alive. We go there and play whatever trio: “The Fringe really are an institution of the two bassists, two drummers and two tenor play-
we want. That’s what developed the sound. You avant-garde. They represent the epitome of culti- ers. The last time this occurred, the group played
never know what’s going to happen.” vating something because you believe in it. They two different tunes at the same time.
Garzone has taught at New England all have to be there for the music, and I know they “The Fringe has created history,” Bergonzi
Conservatory, New York University, Man- don’t get what they deserve. I love The Fringe. said. “Everybody who’s been in this city—every
hattan School of Music, The New School They’re just so important in that they’ve existed student, every musician—has heard The Fringe,
and is now exclusively at Berklee College of for 40 years. When music students are in Boston, and when they have, they’ve had their minds
Music. Drummer Bob Gullotti and bassist John they know they can hear the real avant-garde.” blown. Every time I hear them, I have a belly
Lockwood (who joined The Fringe in 1984) are The trio is driven by pure musicality. There laugh and I very rarely get that. It’s outrageous—
on the Berklee faculty. The Fringe’s original has been no business plan. They are on a life mis- the audacity—I can’t believe it. I get so inspired
bassist, Rich Appleman, will retire this year as sion to serve the music, and what happens around when I hear these guys. They’re my heroes.”
the head of Berklee’s bass department. The trio that seems almost incidental to them. If there is Garzone, Gullotti and Lockwood sat down
has worked all over the world in various settings, a festival audience, or a small room with a few for an interview at Garzone’s house on Super
but Monday nights are an event that is never pre- listeners, they go to the same edge of the music. Bowl Sunday.
dictable. Like any long-term relationship, the Always searching. Their work has been docu-
dynamics shift and grow, but their dedication to mented on nine albums, including 2005’s The DownBeat: What do you remember
the music overrides any problems that arise. Fringe Live At The Zeitgeist, with guest saxo- about the beginning of The Fringe?
Describing the music of The Fringe is chal- phonist Joe Lovano. Gullotti: Junior year at Berklee, I met
lenging. Yes, it’s avant-garde, but it’s also remark- Examining my life as I packed up to move George on an r&b gig. We played together in that
ably accessible. At times, the music will soar. All from Boston back to New York in 1985, I wrote band for about a year. I had a nice little apartment
three players will stop and restart together on a that one of my main reasons for being in Boston with a deaf landlord, so we could play at my apart-
dime, astounding listeners. The music breathes, was to experience the music of The Fringe. ment and I’d have sessions all the time. That’s
races, pushes, pulls, screams, seduces, taunts They had, at that time, been playing together at how The Fringe started. A lot of times there’d be
and heals—all on its own terms. Seasoned musi- Michael’s Pub every Monday for about a decade. piano players and guitar players, and vibraphon-
cians and guys in business suits can be heard As a young saxophonist, I had heard the band for ist Tom van der Geld would come quite often. A
screaming to the primal call of The Fringe. Any many of those years. In fact, I took the bartend- few times we couldn’t get a chordal instrument,
style of music can weave its way into the set and ing job after having been there every week for a so we would just play trio. It just started to get a
take over. Acclaimed musicians such as pianist year. When Michael’s closed, they moved to The sound of its own, so I stopped inviting others and
Kenny Werner, saxophonist Dave Liebman or Willow in Somerville, where they played for 17 we developed this trio. We ended up playing on
reedist Frank Tiberi might sit in or just hang in years, followed by a stint at the Lizard Lounge. WBUR radio. Saturday night late, like midnight
the audience to listen. They currently play Mondays at the Lily Pad in to 4 a.m. on Rob Battles’ show.

34 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

The Fringe at the Lily Pad in Cambridge, Mass., March 26

George Garzone John Lockwood Bob Gullotti

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 35

the Fringe

Garzone: When I met Bob, I was 22 or 23. From left: Garzone, Gullotti and Lockwood

I would drive down to Rich Appleman’s house in

Jamaica Plain, and we’d jump in his Checker cab
and drive to Waltham to play at Bobby’s house.
They were a year ahead of me, but this whole
youthful thing was about following these guys
and seeing what they did. I’m pretty good at pick-
ing things up, so what they’d play, I would play.
Bobby knew more about the history of jazz than I
did, so I learned a lot from the records that he lis-
tened to. Rich was the valedictorian of our class.
He became the head of the bass department [at
Berklee] like the moment he graduated, and he’s
retiring this year. You’ve got to have your own
thing together, but if you’re around people who
know what’s going on, it’s easy to grow.
Those cats literally taught me that there was
a whole other thing out there. We went from Lockwood: One thing that was strange
like nothing I’d ever heard. I knew that’s what I
playing “Blue Bossa” and “Recordame” to tak- about growing up in South Africa was we had
wanted to sound like. Something in that pocket.
ing a hard left into the outside world, and it was three radio stations and no TV. The hit parade
So we started to hang and Frank liked me, which
just something that happened. We didn’t decide, would have something like the Supremes, then
was great. I’ve spent [the years from when] I was
“Let’s play free.” The music just took us. We you’d have Frank Sinatra singing “My Way,”
28 until the present hanging out with him, just
never talked about it or questioned it. These guys then Booker T & the MGs playing “Green
trying to understand what that sound was about.
were so connected to everything—intuitive— Onions,” then the Vanilla Fudge. There was one
Lockwood: I was always into playing a lit-
they just went with it. Then we got the gig at hit parade, so we listened to everything. After I
tle different. Rich Appleman was the original
Michael’s. Once we started playing there, all the got into the bass, we’d listen to a lot of the Miles
bass player, and he was starting to do a lot of
cats in town felt the place was cool, so the likes stuff. Someone gave me a reel-to-reel tape at slow
shows so often that they’d call me to sub. That’s
of Mike Stern, Jerry Bergonzi, Alan Dawson, speed, so I got to know all this stuff but I didn’t
how it evolved. Then Rich got so busy with the
James Williams, Bill Pierce started playing there. know who it was. I came here and people were
shows and teaching, he didn’t want to travel too
When I met Frank Tiberi, it was the first time like, “Do you know this?” I’d say, “I don’t think
much, I guess. Around ’84 he decided to cut out,
I had ever heard anyone play something that was so,” but then I’d hear it and go, “Oh, I know that.”
and that’s when I became the official bass player.
completely unrelated. He actually came and sat I was listening to everything. Classical music,
in with The Fringe in the late ’70s. Frank comes What did you listen to before The Shostakovich, you name it, across the board.
down and we’re playing free. I said, “Frank, what Fringe that prepared you for it?
do you want to play?” He said, “Let’s play ‘Giant Gullotti: I was listening to a lot of the avant Before you joined the band, you were
Steps.’” I couldn’t play it at that time, so I said, players of the period—Air, The Art Ensemble, gigging a lot?
“Frank, you go up and play it.” He went up and Sun Ra, late Coltrane, Ornette, of course—but Lockwood: I’d been pretty lucky because
played ‘Steps’ and laid this content over that tune also straightahead stuff. I’d done some tours with Joe Henderson, Gary

R
ich Appleman, the original could go in the Navy band and ed the every-Monday-night thing.
bassist of The Fringe, will play music.’ From 1964–’68 I was I was doing a lot of theater work
retire this year as the head in the Navy, so when I got to Berk- at that time. We had kids in ’74
of the Bass Department at Berklee lee, I was a little older and met my and ’77. Many times, the theater
College of Music, where he has wife. I decided to stay in Boston. gig was six nights a week and I’d
taught since 1972. “The vibes player Tom van der be at Michael’s on Monday, so my
Appleman started playing Geld had a group called Children wife really raised the kids.
trumpet after seeing Louis Arm- At Play. I went to sub there, and “I’d always go away with the
strong perform on “The Ed Sulli- he put some notes in front of me family in August for two weeks. All
van Show.” When he was in junior and said, ‘This is the tune.’ I said, of a sudden, this two-week gig in
high, the band director gave Ap- ‘What’s the form or the changes?’ the Azores came up at the same
pleman a sousaphone because He goes, ‘No, no, we just play.’ time. We had to do it. I did it, but I
he was big enough to carry it. By That led me to Ornette Coleman, felt it tore me between everything
high school, he had picked up the and I loved Charlie Haden in those else that was going on. But it was
upright bass. In a conversation ’60s groups where he was just time for a change. It just got to the
with saxophonist and educator sort of walking. No real changes, point where we said it was a mu-
Claire Daly, he reminisced about but it was definitely swinging, and while we were sessioning there. tual agreement to find someone
his younger days: no piano. “My first apartment was near else [to play bass for The Fringe].
“I got out of high school in ’64 “I remember listening to Col- Michael’s Pub. I remember seeing It was definitely a hard time leav-
and the Vietnam War was going trane, Roland Kirk and Albert Ay- posters of people playing there. ing it because it was family. We’ve
on. My band director said, ‘You ler [records] at Bob’s [apartment] We talked to [the venue] and start- all been through things like that.”

36 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

the Fringe

Burton, stuff like that. Then Alan Dawson and in a way. It’s difficult for some people, but I think Few bands other than the MJQ or the
I were the rhythm section for a lot of names that if people let themselves go, they can get into it. Rolling Stones have been together [this long].
came through town—Eddie Harris, Herb Ellis I’m sure they can attest and agree to what I’m
and others. We played with Joe Williams, Toots The rapport that you guys have seems saying about what you go through when you’ve
Thielemans. It was a much bigger scene in those effortless. I say “seems” because it’s been together for 40 years: We’ve experienced
days. I’d been playing and traveling a lot. When from 40 years of gigging together. everything, like the deaths of our parents,
I joined The Fringe, I was doing some stuff with Garzone: You’ve got to tough it out. It’s not divorces, ups and downs within ourselves. But
Freddie Hubbard, too. It’s always been like that— easy because musical development—to develop we still hang because the music is so powerful.
if you have other gigs on the road, you’d go off things from nothing—you’ve got to look inside We know it would never break us, and we know
and someone else will come in, but that core your soul to find it. Sometimes you’ve got to dig that no matter whom we play with—which is
group is always there. Most of us teach all day it out, flush it out, then you work at it and you’re great, we play with everyone out there—there
on a Monday, and you go [to the evening gig] and stuck—and you’re stuck and you’re stuck—and would never be anything as powerful as this
that’s your relief. then all of a sudden, it explodes and then it comes force that we have now.
across. Then you’re cool for another hour. It’s Sometimes this band scares people because
Let’s talk about the experience of be- interesting how many nights I’d go down there when they go see us play it’s like seeing a reflec-
ing in The Fringe. and be so tired from teaching and we’d start tion of themselves. It reflects who you really are,
Gullotti: The group sound has gotten real playing and [suddenly] I’d just re-energize. Over and some people don’t want to know who they
strong by such constant, steady work. We’ve had those 40 years of doing that every week after really are for their own reasons. Even myself,
some big gigs, real big, so called, but for me, teaching, it’s a lot of stamina and a lot of input sometimes if I’m not in the right reflection, this
if we’re playing for 25 or 2,000 people, it’s the and output. shit brings it right up.
same once you start playing. When I start to play Gullotti: The aspect of how we’ve kept this
and we get into our thing, it really doesn’t mat- group together is two main reasons: One, the
ter where or how much of an audience is there, as friendship. We are really close friends and there’s
long as we can help the music grow. That’s why no negative ego on the bandstand. Secondly, I’ve
for this band, steady employment has been one developed my individual voice by way of a col-
of the keys to keeping it together. Now, it’s like lective. During one period in my career, I had a
going to a shrink. Monday nights—whew—and lot of styles I could emulate. Someone would say,
I’m cool for the whole week. I can get everything “Bob, this is kind of Elvin-ish” or “Bob, this is
out in a non-ego environment, so I can deal with kind of Tony-ish.” I was pretty good at emulating
anything I have to deal with, physically and per- those feels because I studied those guys so much.
sonally. It’s very important. At some point, you have to play just yourself and
in your own way: allowing your influences to be
It’s funny—I always said the same heard without copying.
thing about hearing you. I would go With The Fringe, I had the opportunity to
home feeling that everything was develop [without] having to worry about wheth-
going to be OK. er someone liked it or not. If George or John
Garzone: Reflex time is really important, doesn’t like what I’m playing, they let it be
especially when you’re playing free because you known musically but without any verbal abuse.
don’t have anything that you’re drawing off of, George will put his horn up to my nose and
except the rhythm of the moment. Sometimes a blow “Wwwwhhhhaaaa” in my face, and I’m
lot of that gets missed because people are just like “OK, I’ll change.” Garzone and I have done
too busy thinking about what they want to play thousands of duets over the years just working on
and then get out. But with these cats, from play- Photo session for aspects of the music: “Let’s play some uptempo
ing together so long, the phrasing and breathing the 1989 CD The
Return Of The
until your arm falls off or my lip breaks.” For me,
together is what mystifies people. Sometimes Neanderthal Man that’s the main thing about the group—the close
the shit just stops in midair, and you don’t get friendship and the fact that we’ve grown individ-
that with young bands unless they write music What strikes me is the level of com- ually because of the collective.
that sounds free; whereas with those guys, mitment that you’ve all had to the Lockwood: When I first got in there, for
they’re creating and writing the music right group for all these years, through all some reason I was playing with a lot of electron-
there. That’s hard to do unless you’ve been play- of life’s challenges. No matter what ics and stuff. That kind of drifted in a little bit
ing together a long time. else is happening, you guys come but it got to be a pain carrying it around. Then
Lockwood: It’s a marriage. It’s the same— together once a week and do this it went almost—I don’t want to say straighta-
you get over those plateaus and dips. There are thing. It’s extraordinary. head—but a little bit more that way. It’s hard
certain things you do together and you think, Garzone: I think the big thing is that we to say, but it went in that zone more. Now, it’s
even after this amount of time, “Wow, how did all play with enough people and enough groups kind of a mix. It’s constantly changing. There
that happen?” When you have those kinds of to know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. are certain things we might fall into for a while.
nights, it’s beyond explanation. We never talk When this band is gone, there’s never going to There was a time we were almost playing three
about anything. For me, that’s the great thing be another Fringe. What keeps it together is the different times running parallel. It wasn’t con-
because I hate rehashing gigs. It’s history, so I’d fact that we know that if we don’t do it and it scious; it just evolved. That’s how it felt. When
rather leave it alone. We’ve gone through a lot ends, that’s the end of it. I’m not getting on my you know people well, it adds to the mix.
of changes over the years musically. It’s gone to horse about it—I’m just saying there’s nothing There’s a certain comfort zone. It’s like when
different areas, and you just play. You become like it out there. you go home: You know the smells, you know
almost like the audience in a sense because you I credit The Fringe with helping me to fur- the food and all that. There’s a certain comfort
don’t know what’s going to happen. It could be ther what I do and what I’m about. Without that to all that—it’s great.
pretty raw sometimes, and it can sound like a band and without playing with them, my life and Once I was in Switzerland, and there was
tune. We’re as much the listeners as the audience the way I play would be much different. this river. I love swimming and I’m pretty good.

38 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

But everyone said it’s dangerous because it’s got pen down the road. I’ll always credit them for England Conservatory and The New School
these little whirlpools, but every day I wanted to keeping me under their wing until I could get and NYU and Manhattan School, and every-
go in. Finally, I jumped in, and it was amazing. I going because guys like Tiberi, Joe [Lovano], one was great, but my gut feeling was that
got carried way the hell down and there were all Jerry—they were blowing back then. toward the end, when you need to start cutting
these rapids and it was freezing, but I came out down teaching, I knew Berklee would be the
euphoric. I think of The Fringe in the same way When were you a student at Berklee? one to take care of me.
in that you kind of jump in—you just rely on your Garzone: We all graduated in ’72. I start-
instinct and hope for the best and you’re in there. ed teaching there in ’75 and I never left. It just You’ve carried on the work done by
If you have an idea of what you’re going to do, felt like a good place to be. They took care master teacher Joe Viola, with whom
maybe it’s not as much fun. of me right from the beginning. No one ever you started studying at age 15.
Gullotti: If a film scorer gets a call to do said, “You’re teaching some crazy shit and you Garzone: That’s a heavy statement for me
music, he watches the film and creates. He writes need to water it down.” They never hassled to hear because he’s still a god to all of us. I mean,
music. An improviser should be able to do the me about it. I wanted to stay. I enjoyed New even to walk in his footsteps—that’s deep. DB
same. A lot of times, what I do with students and
myself is to visualize something and try to be the
soundtrack to it. That has helped me open up. If
you have a specific story: “What if there was a
soundtrack to that?” I try to be that soundtrack.
That can open people up from getting away
from playing “right” or “wrong” creatively. But
again, with more background, more stuff behind
it, knowledge behind it, it solidifies it more. I
used to turn the sound off on movies, especial-
ly Alfred Hitchcock movies, and I’d try to play
the soundtrack. Try to make sounds that would
make sense, especially if I knew the film. That
opened me up somewhat, and I have my students
do that. I tell them, “Here’s your assignment for
this week: You’re gonna follow a river. Be the
soundtrack to that. It helps, but then work on a
Charlie Parker head. Cover both ends and you’ll
find your way.”
I really study straightahead. I work with the
Charlie Parker Omnibook. I have students and
myself play Bird solos on the drum set. I also use
the whole Coltrane transcription book, playing
Trane stuff because I’m trying to be as melod-
ic as possible. I don’t try to emulate the pitches,
but the rhythmic aspect of those guys was ridic-
ulous! You learn the tunes. I really study “inside”
because that helps my “outside,” and I think
when we’re really on, we don’t even sound like
we’re playing free. Some people ask, “What was
that tune you played?” No tune.
John has such [great] ears that he can hear
where George is going harmonically. I can
hear where George is going rhythmically, and
it sounds like we’re playing straightahead,
but we’re improvising completely. I think one
helps the other. The more I know about com-
positions, the more I know about forms, then
I have more of a way of not doing it, of play-
ing around it or implying form; therefore, form
gets created on its own. We make our own
compositions as we go.
Garzone: It’s a good atmosphere because
everyone’s really friendly and it’s high level. I go
to hear Jerry because he is one of the masters. I
sit there and I know my ears are getting refueled.
I’m into what he does and he’s into what I do, and
sometimes he gets up to play with The Fringe.
I’ve always felt lucky to be around these players.
There was a time when I was still learning, and
I was amazed that these guys would [even] talk
to me because I couldn’t hang the way they could
hang. But they could sense what was gonna hap-

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 39

 By Ted Panken | Photo by Veronika Morscher

T
oward the end of the ’80s, Ralph Peterson related, Art Blakey—who first employed
him as second drummer in the Jazz Messengers Big Band in 1983—came to his
house repeatedly for dinner and a chance to bounce Peterson’s daughter, Sonora,
on his lap.
“He liked my curry,” Peterson recalled. Dressed in sweats and sneak- sion). Six roots at the bottom are for mentors from Peterson’s early years—
ers, he sat on a piano bench in a compact Times Square rehearsal studio, Blakey, Jones, Michael Carvin, Paul Jeffrey, Walter Davis and Bill Fielder.
directly opposite the former karate champion Anthony “Mafia” Holloway, “You could lend either color to either band,” Peterson remarked. “I’m
his companion on the ride in from the Boston suburbs. They would con- the common element that binds them—the solid high-impact of the sex-
tinue on to Philadelphia, where, the next morning, Peterson—who recent- tet and the almost translucent sound of the Fo’tet, which someone once
ly earned his third-degree black belt—would referee and Holloway would described as a steel fist in a velvet glove.”
senior-arbitrate a sport karate tournament. Both sounds entered the jazz lexicon via five individualistic albums
Peterson cupped his belly. “You can see I’m still good at cooking,” he recorded between April 1988 and August 1990 for the Japanese label
joked. He has a Thanksgiving custom of inviting students at Berklee Somethin’ Else and issued domestically by Blue Note, which, as part of
College of Music, where he is professor of percussion, to his house for din- its mid-decade relaunch, assembled the hand-picked “young lion” sextet
ner. “I cook for days in advance,” he said. “Last time, after we played, I OTB (Out Of The Blue), for which Peterson propelled three dates with a
started wondering why I was looking to New York for the next crop of tal- big beat so evocative of Blakey’s that insiders dubbed him “Baby Bu.” (A
ent. I’m sitting here in the incubator! The apprenticeship system in New decade later, Jones himself cosigned Peterson’s authoritative assimilation
York is different than when I got here, when you could still develop in of his language when, coming off surgery, he called the acolyte to cover for
bands and clubs. That’s fine—God gives you lemons and you have to make him—“just in case”—during a week at Manhattan’s Blue Note.)
lemonade. You’ve got to try to carry on this tradition and protect the truth On V and Volition, Peterson presented his quintet music with trumpet-
about what the music is from wherever you are on the playing field of life.” er Terence Blanchard, saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist Geri Allen and
To demonstrate his thoughts on the subject, he opened a MacBook and bassist Phil Bowler. The songs contained striking melodies and meaty har-
pulled up the artwork for The Duality Perspective, the second release on monic structures that inferred the most progressive thinking of the ’60s.
Onyx, his imprint. It follows Outer Reaches, an organ-and-two-horns pro- Peterson animated them with a host of rhythmic strategies, articulating
gram that’s a fresh, ferocious-to-reflective meditation on the legacies of thick, four-to-the-floor swing, asymmetrical meters at once highbrow and
organ visionary Larry Young and trumpet prophet Woody Shaw and the elemental, ebullient Afro-Beats and an unorthodox conception of the sec-
drummers who propelled them—Elvin Jones and Tony Williams, in partic- ond line groove—Peterson calls it “funk with a limp”—that he’d devel-
ular—refracted through Peterson’s across-the-timeline drum conception. oped prior to OTB with the Harrison-Blanchard Quintet. Throughout the
The Duality cover features the yin-yang symbol—one side black, the proceedings, he displayed high musical acumen, sustaining consistent dia-
other white—with Peterson’s profile nestled in the crook of a tree amid logue with the soloists, responding to their twists and turns while also
branches that spread out, tagged with names of the current personnel for anticipating their next moves.
the two primary groups that he has used for decades. The branches shoot- These albums were influential amongst Generation X-ers, as was
ing rightward represent his sporadically working sextet (Sean Jones, trum- Triangular, an interactive trio recital with Allen and bassist Essiet Okon
pet; Tia Fuller, alto and soprano saxophone; Walter Smith III, tenor sax- Essiet that Peterson describes as “part Monk, part Bud Powell and part Eric
ophone; Zaccai Curtis, piano; Luques Curtis, bass); the sprigs on the left Dolphy, while reflecting my love for Jaki Byard and Andrew Hill.”
signify his Fo’tet, comprising Berklee wunderkinds Felix Peikli on clar- “They profoundly affected me and a lot of people I was coming up
inets, Joseph Doubleday on vibraphone and Alexander Toth on bass, plus with,” said bassist Eric Revis, who played in Peterson’s quintet between
special guests Bryan Carrott (marimba) and Reinaldo De Jesus (percus- 2001 and 2003 with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, saxophonist Jimmy Greene and

40 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

ralph peterson

pianist Orrin Evans. “The seminal record of that time had been [Wynton swing. It doesn’t have to be based on ding-ding, da-ding-ding, da-ding.
Marsalis’] Black Codes (From The Underground), but this was different, “An element of the ultra-conservative approach was too pristine for me.
with all these different time signatures, beautiful melodies and an attitude It didn’t have the energy of the motherland and the fire and fury of what
that was so in-your-face. A lot of records then had not-very-good tunes and we’ve survived as people in the Middle Passage. On the other hand, while
cats who could play the hell out of their instruments. This was one of the I appreciated having no holds barred, I was also taught the importance of
few where everything fell together.” being able to express that level of freedom within the harmonic construct. I
“That quintet was the next sound,” said drummer Eric Harland. “I was looking for something that would be a little bit of both.”
liked the way Ralph and Geri would weave in and out of odd meters with- As this period of creative efflorescence was unfolding, Peterson was
out it feeling as if you were counting to, say, an Indian raga or tal. He was beginning to unravel. As he puts it, his use of mind-altering substances
just allowing himself to exist within the music. On those OTB records, he “stopped being cute” and “the darkness of it accelerated.” He made several
was playing over the stuff like a piano player. I loved Ralph’s fluidness, that attempts to reverse the implosion, documenting his recovery efforts via the
he wasn’t bound by the theory of jazz drumming. His approach sounded Fo’tet—with Wilson playing soprano sax—on The Reclamation Project,
organic, not patternistic; he was playing what he heard.” a 1994 session consisting of original music, and 1995’s The Fo’tet Plays
In 1989 and 1990, Peterson established the sonic template he would Monk, comprising creative treatments of nine of the pianist’s gnarlier lines.
chase for the next decade with Presents The Fo’tet and Ornettology. Joined “I don’t hide my addiction and what I’ve overcome from my students,”
by Don Byron on clarinet and bass clarinet, Bryan Carrott on vibes and said Peterson, who traces his sobriety to May 24, 1996. “Students have come
marimba and Melissa Slocum on bass, he drew on lessons learned during to me because they feel safe. Once you build that kind of trust, you can teach
late-’80s engagements with older experimentalists like Henry Threadgill something about music, too. That’s the way I trusted Walter Davis.”
and David Murray, constructing programs that involved “looser interpre- A contemporary of Sonny Rollins, Walter Davis Jr. was a pianist who
tation, less harmonic constraint and giving free rein to the primal elements was close to Bud Powell, and whose tunes were staples of the Messengers’
of music.” Toward that end, Peterson orchestrated the interpretations—the book. Davis hired Peterson soon after he’d graduated from Rutgers
repertoire mixed venturesome tunes by Fo’tet personnel with challenging University. “Walter taught me the tradition of Bud and Monk,” Peterson
items by Billy Strayhorn, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk and Ornette said. “He thought of trio in a triangular manner, not that the bass and drums
Coleman—with rubato drums-and-cymbals tone poems and, as he puts lay down a carpet, but always a three-way conversation.”
it, “deep grooves that make you want to dance but you trip over yourself Peterson also garnered bandstand experience on gigs with Davis and
because it’s not quite symmetrical.” Rutgers professor Paul Jeffrey, a saxophonist who music-directed for Monk
“Within my generation was this notion that swing only moved a certain in the ’70s. (Peterson played Monk’s funeral with him in 1982.) The young
way, in a certain time signature, with a certain feel,” Peterson said. “People drummer took full advantage of Rutgers’ superior music faculty. “All the
who said that didn’t know jack about the way music swung in Trinidad, music from V and Triangular were writing assignments from my keyboard
Haiti, the Dominican Republic, or Brazil. If you listen and your body starts harmony class with Kenny Barron,” he recalled. “Through Bill Fielder I
moving beyond your conscious control, you are under the influence of gained a fascination for how McCoy Tyner seemed to speak in a language
all his own, for how could I get all of my music to sound different and the
same at the same time. Certain harmonic passages were therapeutic. They
could change the way I feel. Whenever I found something like that at the
piano, I wrote it down, and it became part of a composition.”
The son of a police officer who rose to be mayor of Pleasantville, N.J.,
Peterson took up trumpet in fourth grade. He describes his early drum-
ming personality as a self-taught “basement experience.”
Peterson initially was a trumpet student at Rutgers, but he quickly per-
suaded drum professor Michael “Thabo” Carvin to take him on, beginning
a profound master-apprentice relationship.
“Michael told me to pick someone and make him my guy,” Peterson
said. “He’d watch me sit in their space as long as I could, as deep as I could
go. Then he’d tell me to divorce myself—‘Don’t play that anymore when
you come into my room.’ That forced me to learn somebody else. When
I came back to my guy, the two were connected. It’s the process Tony
Williams referred to in his 1979 Zildjian Day interview, when he was asked
if he had his own style. He said that he was just playing what he thought
Max Roach and Art and Elvin would be playing if he were them.
“That’s what I teach my drummers now. They name guys who are
younger than me, and I say, ‘OK, but do you know who they listened to?
How can you effectively copy them if you don’t know where they came
from? Then you’re tracing a lineage.’ That’s what some young players don’t
understand about the importance of music as art, as opposed to as popular-
ity and product. One is not going to be around in 50 years.”
Reinforcing that sensibility were components of Carvin’s pedagogy
that transcended technical particulars. “Thabo taught me that all drum-
ming is sleight of hand, like a magic show. If you watch videos of Papa Jo
Jones, it doesn’t look like he’s playing the things he’s playing. Before I knew
who Papa Jo was, Carvin took me to his apartment—we’d clean it, and he’d
fix some eggs. Later, it registered how important those moments were.”
Closing in on his 50th birthday and his 16th year of sobriety, Peterson
talked the talk of someone comfortable in his own skin.
“I almost killed myself trying to be somebody else,” he said. “I failed
miserably in every conceivable aspect. Trying to figure out how not to be
completely swallowed by my love for Art Blakey. Having the same experi-
ence with Elvin. Where do I fit in? Am I swinging hard enough?
“Now I’m not making things happen; I’m letting them happen. I’ve
stopped trying to be the mighty oak. There’s a tune on my new record
called ‘Bamboo Bends In A Storm.’ I’ve started to fold my arms and let
storms in life blow over. As my musical IQ increased, my desperate need to
cover shit up with velocity and pyrotechnics has rolled out like the tide. The
dialogue is multi-directional within the group, not binary with soloists. It’s
more thoughtful. It’s more considerate. But I still push music to the edge of
the energy envelope, because I believe that’s where creativity is.”
Those dynamics mark Peterson’s playing with Zaccai and Luques
Curtis on the sextet tracks of Duality Perspective and on their 2011 release
The Completion Project (Truth/Revolution), which offers him the oppor-
tunity to lock in with percussionists Pedro Martinez, Rogerio Boccato and
Reinaldo De Jesus. It’s evident that the drummer—who played alongside
percussionist Pernell Saturnino during a 1999 engagement with David
Sánchez—has devoted much energy toward assimilating the fundamentals
of Afro-Caribbean drum dialects.
“Pernell pointed out that the first word in ‘Afro-Caribbean’ is not
‘Caribbean,’” Peterson said. “I started to feel clarity—that I have a relation-
ship to timbales and music of the Afro-Caribbean culture because I was
born into it. Instead of trying to be the African American who was attached
to the Caribbean piece, it’s OK that my grandmother was born in Trinidad
and raised in Barbados. A thread runs through the music of that region
back to West Africa. I may not play the Afro-Cuban grooves in 7 and clave
the way the Cuban purists believe it should be done. But it didn’t start in
Cuba. It actually started in Guinea and Senegal. My affinity for loving Art
and Elvin is born of that same thread. So I’m accepting me.
“Why you play something is more important than what you play. Don’t
check out the thinnest, newest branch on the tree. If you dig into the root
instead of being distracted by the fruit, the root will teach you what the fruit
means. Then you can push forward.” DB
 By Ken Micallef | Photo by Ingrid Hertfelder

J
azz is an art form that has always adopted and adapted instruments associated
with other, older, musical styles. The xylophone and marimba are centuries-old
orchestral instruments, as are the saxophone, concert snare drum and violin.
But the harmonica, with its roots in German beer-hall bands, has only recently
been considered a true jazz instrument.
Toots Thielemans, Larry Adler and of the micro aspect of the mechanism itself,” sion that recalls Weather Report’s Manolo
Howard Levy brought the harmonica to pub- Milne adds. “It’s not a big instrument, and Badrena and Alex Acuña, stylized Brazilian
lic consciousness working in the realms of the slightest movement, and different ways rhythms and compositional references to the
jazz, pop and soundtracks. Beginning in of playing it, call upon the musician to listen music of Argentina, Cuba and American
the late 1990s, Grégoire Maret infiltrat- closely. Grégoire can be almost quiet in his jazz. Like his harmonica playing, Maret’s
ed New York jazz circles, bringing flaw- observation of what he’s going to contribute music is lush, rich and heartfelt.
less technique, emotional weight and unique because he is thinking about how he’s going Entering a Brooklyn diner, the Swiss-
style to the recordings and performances of to transport that into the moment. There born Maret appears almost slight, his
Cassandra Wilson, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Pat aren’t so many examples of how to contrib- small, athletic frame, shaved skull and soft
Metheny, Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, ute to the music on his instrument.” demeanor giving him the air of a Sufi mystic.
George Benson, Lionel Loueke and Meshell After some 50 recordings as an accom- Deep-set eyes and a placid smile further the
Ndegeocello, to name a few. Whether he’s panist, Maret’s self-titled debut on eOne impression that Maret is a reflective musi-
creating warm textures, improvising at an Music is a mature musical statement, as indi- cian. His harmonica playing—which is often
almost telepathic level or performing blaz- vidualistic, soulful and thematically con- greeted with surprise, given its context—is
ing solos, Maret is a master musician, and cise as his contributions to the many musi- equally thoughtful.
practically without peer on his instrument. cians who stock his resume. Some of those “I think I was almost made to play har-
“I wouldn’t draw a direct comparison, musicians appear on his debut in vari- monica,” he says. “I have a real connection to
but the contours of some of the things ous forms: Maret covers Pat Metheny’s it, and it feels like it’s my voice. It’s really my
Grégoire likes to do are reminiscent of the “Travels,” he creates a brilliant arrange- instrument. There’s nothing else that I feel so
twists and turns of line favored by Steve ment of “The Man I Love” for guest vocal- close to.”
Coleman, whom we have both worked with,” ist Cassandra Wilson, and an equally unique Maret, 37, thinks he knows why the har-
pianist Andy Milne says. Milne and Maret version of Stevie Wonder’s “The Secret Life monica touches everyone, regardless of their
recorded the duo album Scenarios in 2007. Of Plants.” Maret includes bassist Marcus musical tastes.
“But the flip side that is slightly different is Miller in “Crepuscule Suite,” and duets with “The harmonica is very, very close to the
that Grégoire has this strong thread of lyri- his hero Toots Thielemans on Ivan Lins’ “O human voice,” Maret says. “In the womb, the
cism that goes all the way through his play- Amor E O Meu Pais.” A thread of world first thing you hear is the heartbeat of your
ing to someone like Toots Thielemans. music romanticism is interwoven through- mother and the sound of her voice. The har-
“The harmonica is so complex in terms out Maret’s music: warm-blooded percus- monica resonates in everyone’s soul; it’s

46 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 47
grégoire maret

really deep. I’ll see the reaction of the audience and raised. When not traveling to his father’s not in standard tuning on the B-flat harmoni-
to my solos and it’s always different. It’s the Dixieland gigs where he played banjo, Maret was ca, you’ve got to bend the notes and work on
same reaction when you get close to the drums: listening to his large record collection, which the reeds,” Maret explains. “You have to force
People get really excited. It’s going back to their included Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, King the harmonica to give you those notes. With
core. The harmonica is very close to the voice Oliver, the Beatles and the Eagles. By the time he the chromatic harmonica, you have every note
so it goes to that same very sensitive spot.” arrived in high school, Maret was playing har- available. Then you can also bend the notes, but
Maret’s style is often sweet and soulful, but monica, mostly the blues. Luther Allison, Junior it’s already chromatically tuned. With the dia-
as can be heard on other artists’ albums, and on Wells, James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson, tonic harmonica, with each key you basically
his leader debut, the harmonica can also be a and eventually, Thielemans and Stevie Wonder, change the harmonica. On the chromatic, you
bold improvisational instrument—light years all became his heroes. can automatically play all 12 keys.”
removed from the folk, easy-listening and “Stevie and Toots created a world that didn’t After conservatory, Maret attended New
campfire tunes that some people associate with exist before on the harmonica,” he says. “I love York’s New School. Often practicing his tone
the instrument. In the hands of a virtuoso like Stevie’s ‘Fingertips, [Parts] 1 and 2.’ That was for two or three hours a day (typically play-
Maret, the harmonica is by turns sorrowful, his first hit when he was 12, just him and his ing one note), he also devoted a year to learn-
mysterious, intense and inspirational. harmonica and an orchestra. His harmonica is ing John Coltrane’s “26-2,” a combination of
“The most important part of jazz improvi- so close to his voice, the way he sings. So what- Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation” and the chang-
sation is to have a solid rhythmic base,” Maret ever he plays, I just love. Toots is the same. Now es to “Giant Steps.”
says. “If your rhythm is weak—no matter how he’s got less chops and he’s older, but he can “I practiced exercises that I created just to
sophisticated you are harmonically and melodi- play one note and it’s the only note that’s essen- have fluidity on the instrument,” Maret recalls.
cally—it’s not going to sound that good. tial, and it will be way more meaningful than if “I studied with George Garzone, Gary Dial
“The problem with the harmonica,” he con- he’d played 10 notes.” and Steve Coleman. I also practiced for spe-
tinues, “is the delay between the note that you When Maret enrolled at the Conservatoire cific gigs. When Steve Coleman called me
play and when that note comes out. It doesn’t Supérieur de Musique de Genève, he was to record, I had to find a way of playing with
come out right away sometimes. That’s really required to learn the classical repertoire. With him that made sense for his music. I was basi-
challenging to master in terms of being able to no precedent or method for translating dense cally relearning each gig to find new ways to
play solos and to be precise rhythmically. It’s orchestral scores to the harmonica, Maret spent play each time. With Charlie Hunter, I had to
quite a skill. That was the most difficult thing to a year learning single pieces of music by Bach learn how to fit into a horn section, and with Pat
master. Then it was just about finding the free- and Chopin. In doing so, he also had to mas- Metheny, you have to fit his aesthetic. Herbie
dom where I could play whatever I heard.” ter the chromatic harmonica, replacing his stan- Hancock never said anything. I felt totally at
Maret’s mother is from Harlem, and his dard B-flat, or blues, harmonica. home. I had grown up with Herbie [by] listen-
father is from Geneva, where he was born “If you want to get to other notes that are ing to Miles Davis.”
 At the beginning of his recording career, “I wanted to express how much I admire tra and harmonica recording, the other a more
Maret appeared on albums by Leon Parker, and love Toots, but at the same time, it was song-focused work.
Jimmy Scott and Jacky Terrasson, as well as on important to make sure you can hear our sep- Maret’s description of “Children’s Suite”
Jeff “Tain” Watts’ 2002 disc Bar Talk. arate identities. It’s an arrangement that I didn’t from his current record is an apt depiction of
“On my early records I put together a core try to force; you can hear that we are our- the feeling one gets listening to his warm-heart-
band, then I wanted to include other people, and selves. I recorded the piece with an orchestra in ed music: “It’s about that time between day and
Grégoire was everywhere then,” Watts recalls. Warsaw, then Toots recorded later in Belgium. night. Dusk to dawn. To me it’s a magical time.
“He definitely made Bar Talk special for me. He did it pretty quickly, interacting with me It’s not the day, it’s not the night, it’s this mysti-
There’s a certain natural friendliness to the har- in an amazing way. I was impressed with his cal crazy time. It’s not clear or defined. I want-
monica that is universal. I hadn’t thought of counter-lines.” ed to look at that song almost as a period of 25
using harmonica, because it’s so rare that some- Maret constantly composes music, and he hours where you get the whole night, and then
one has a great sound and great phrasing but already has enough material for two more the moment where it’s the exact opposite. You
can also improvise so it’s not just a gimmick. albums. The next record will be an orches- see the day, but not quite.” DB
There aren’t many people who’ve really mas-
tered the chromatic harmonica and dealt with
chord changes. Grégoire is one of that handful,
and he has this beautiful energy off the stand
that makes him so cool.”
The buzz on Maret led to work with the jazz
elite, and he repays the privilege with an album
of virtual tributes. But far from a simple hom-
age, he weaves his aesthetic through the guest
commentaries and cover material. Throughout
his album, his unique voice and personality per-
meate the music. The album’s lineup includes
Watts and Clarence Penn on drums, produc-
er and keyboardist Frederico G. Peña, bassist
James Genus, guitarist Brandon Ross and per-
cussionists Bashiri Johnson, Alfredo Mojica
and Mino Cinelu.
“I thought about the album for a long time,”
Maret comments. “I wanted to explore the idea
that the harmonica is so close to the voice, and
also using the voice as an instrument rather than
like a singer singing a song. That’s why I have
the song ‘Prayer’ with Take 6, where they sing
chords, and again on ‘Children’s Song,’ where
Gretchen Parlato sings a counter-line with the
harmonica. There are beautiful textures that I
wanted to explore. People will talk about world
music, but I don’t think like that. I love certain
African music from Senegal, from Brazil, from
places in Northern Africa. I love all the beau-
tiful ways people play percussion in different
parts of the world, and I wanted to bring that to
this record. That’s a major part of the composi-
tions and the arrangements.”
Maret’s arrangement of “The Man I Love”
for Cassandra Wilson blends a simmering Latin
groove with an unusual bridge delivered via a
string section and change of tempo.
“I wrote that arrangement for Cassandra
before I played with her, when I was still in
school. I always loved the way she sang and her
arrangements and compositions. I really heard
her singing that song. It’s very simple; she’s fol-
lowing the leading tones of the harmony. But
the song doesn’t resolve; it keeps vamping on
E-flat. I set up a totally different tempo for the
bridge, so it’s a real shock. I wanted something
that sounded almost opposite so I went with a
slower tempo. There is a mathematical relation-
ship—it’s not random.”
“O Amor E O Meu Pais” contrasts Maret’s
and Thielemans’ differing styles against a lush
orchestra and percolating Latin percussion.

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 49

INDIE LIFE

Hailey Niswanger
The Right Direction
By Michael J. West

A
lto saxophonist Hailey Niswanger didn’t have a regular gig, or even a one-off date, waiting
for her when she moved to New York in January. Relocating was, she says, “just the natural
progression of things.”
Niswanger, 22, came to the Big was that Mary Lou Williams show,” she
Apple from Boston after graduating recalls. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got
from Berklee College of Music in 2011. this headlining gig. I guess I should have
By any measure, she’s at the beginning something—not so much to sell, but to
of her career, but she’s by no means unac- show for myself and to have people take
complished. Niswanger, who was born in away from that performance.’”
Houston but grew up in Portland, Ore., If necessity breeds invention, it also
won the saxophone competition at the breeds speed. Niswanger, by then a
2008 Mary Lou Williams Women in freshman at Berklee, decided to make
Jazz Festival. The next year she became a CD in January 2009; she recorded it
the first-ever female member of the in March with some classmates, and in
acclaimed Either/Orchestra, which she is May, with the help of her parents, had
only now departing. Last fall she record- Confeddie pressed, packaged and ready
ed The Keeper, her second album, for for sale. It became available that month
an April 24 release on her own Calmit on the Internet (through Niswanger’s
Productions record label. website as well as Amazon, iTunes and
Coming to New York simply made CD Baby) and at the Mary Lou Williams
sense after that—even without work lined Festival concert.
up, she explains over coffee at Linger, a Confeddie was never meant to be a
brunch spot in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill revenue stream, but rather something to
neighborhood. “I didn’t want to stay in break her to the jazz audience. “I didn’t
Boston,” she says. “It’s a good city for make a whole lot,” she admits, “but I
education, but not for gigging. Moving sold a lot.” In fact, before 2009 ended,
back to Portland wasn’t an option; not the teenager’s self-produced venture had
enough people to play with. And I’m not cracked the Billboard, JazzWeek and
an L.A. girl. A lot of people who gradu- CMJ jazz charts, gotten airplay on more
ated from Berklee had moved here, and than 100 radio stations and received
they were people I wanted to play with. glowing critical acclaim that even extend-
So this is the place to be.” ed to some year-end top 10 lists. Among
It’s no coincidence, then, that The those who heard it was Either/Orchestra
Keeper is entirely populated with leader Russ Gershon. At the time, he was
friends from Berklee. Accompanying looking to replace the departing Godwin
Niswanger (who plays soprano sax in Louis as his ensemble’s alto saxophonist.
addition to alto on the disc) are pianist (E/O’s alto chair is something of a star-
Takeshi Ohbayashi, bassist Max Moran and derful composer who writes beautiful tunes,” maker: Occupants have included Miguel Zenón,
drummer Mark Whitfield Jr., all of whom grad- says Barrett. Andrew D’Angelo and Jaleel Shaw.)
uated in 2010 or 2011. Also appearing on three “There’s something about having your own “I said, ‘Hmm, interesting—a girl!’” Gershon
tracks is trumpeter Darren Barrett, not only a writing that really brings about your own voice chuckles. “We’d never had one of those in the
graduate of Berklee, but currently an associate in jazz,” adds Niswanger. band before!”
professor in its Ensemble department who taught The path to that voice has been short, but He sent Niswanger an e-mail expressing
Niswanger in a quintet context. eventful. A former student of music educa- interest. She responded favorably, and Gershon
“Hailey’s a great talent, and very dedicated,” tor Thara Memory (who also mentored anoth- gave her some music to study and invited her to
says Barrett. “And since we’d already learned er Portlander, Esperanza Spalding), Niswanger audition. “It was the first and last audition,” he
how to phrase together, she left it up to me to was an 18-year-old high school senior when says. “She did her homework, played the stuff
phrase it how I heard it. It’s beautiful when she won the Mary Lou Williams competition great. There was nothing meek about her play-
there’s that trust in playing her music.” in Washington, D.C. That victory earned her a ing; she went for it all the way. And so, she was
Her music, indeed. Niswanger’s first album, featured artist spot at the following year’s fes- in the band.”
2009’s Confeddie, comprised seven standards tival. From Niswanger’s perspective, it also lit It was a steady enough gig that Niswanger
and the self-composed title track, but eight of the a fire under her, in terms of artistic ambition. held it for two-and-a-half years, remaining in
11 tunes on The Keeper are hers. “She’s a won- “My whole purpose for getting Confeddie out Boston after graduating from Berklee. It was

50 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

during those first months out of school, however,
that she decided to make her second solo record-
ing—this time with mostly original tunes and
without her parents’ financial assistance.
That meant taking more time, planning care-
fully and finding inexpensive methods. For start-
ers, she made use of her comrades-in-arms. “It
was an all-friend project,” Niswanger explains.
“The musicians who played on it were friends.
The recording engineer was actually one of my
friends from Berklee as well, so he gave me a
good deal.” In addition, she planned to do the
recording session in a small room at Emerson
College that was mostly used for live audio and
video broadcasts. Using that room, without stu-
dio separation, allowed the musicians to get 12
hours of recording time for less than $200. They
paid $300 for the engineer.
Still, there were the costs associated with
pressing, packaging and distributing the disc,
including a distribution arrangement with CD
Baby. She also hired publicists for radio and
press, which significantly increased her expens-
es. To help cover the costs, Niswanger initiat-
ed an online Kickstarter campaign, aiming to
raise $16,500 in donations just to break even
on the venture. According to a posting on her
Kickstarter page, she met the funding goal in
early April, thanks to 206 backers.
Niswanger has little concern for making a
big paycheck from CD sales. Like Confeddie
before it, the purpose of The Keeper is to gen-
erate name recognition, this time as a compos-
er as well as a player, and perhaps attract some-
one other than Calmit Productions (Niswanger’s
“corporate” alter ego) to finance the next project.
“Who knows? Maybe it’s a better deal for me to
have it on my own label than it would be to have
it on Concord or whatever,” she notes. “I’m not
saying that if I ever were approached by some-
one that I’d turn it down, but I’d definitely think
about it, and [ask myself], ‘Is this actually the
best thing?’”
Those who know her have no doubt that
she’ll find the best thing. “She has the power to
be one of the best female alto saxophonists in
the country, if not the world,” says Barrett. “She
knows what she wants to do, and all the talent
and the drive is there for success. She works her
butt off. If you’ve got that work ethic, nothing’s
going to stop you.”
In the meantime, Niswanger is working to
establish herself in New York in a time-honored
fashion: going to jam sessions, making friends
and building personal connections. Her con-
nection with Esperanza Spalding recently land-
ed her an opportunity to sub on a rehearsal for
Spalding’s upcoming tour. That rehearsal sub-
sequently led to an invitation to perform with
Spalding on TV. “I am, in a sense, doing work
just by going out,” she says. “That’s part of it: get-
ting the scene, going out to these clubs and get-
ting to know the people. So I’m taking a step in
the right direction.” DB

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 51

INDIE LIFE

Evan Cobb
Nashville Know-how
By Bob Doerschuk

F
our years ago, Evan Cobb moved from New York City to Nashville, Tenn. His reason was as
valid as any could be for a guy in his mid-twenties: He was dating a woman at Vanderbilt
University. Nowadays he’s happy to call Music City home.
“When I got here, people immediately start- “I did hire a publicist, who distributed
ed taking me under their wings,” says the sax- [Falling Up] to a good radio list,” he notes. “It’s
ophonist and oboist, relaxing on the veranda of gotten some radio play, which is nice. Yes, the
the Crema coffee shop, the downtown Nashville business is changing, but just about everybody
skyline towering a few blocks away. “It seemed you’re going to want to have your music is going
like it was pretty easy to get along in this city. to want your CD. Just last night, I went out to
There were lots of musical opportunities. The [bassist] Victor Wooten’s camp to observe and
community seemed to be more welcoming than hang. Bob Franceschini, this big-time saxophon-
in the great jazz world of New York, so I figured ist, was there, and I was ready with a copy of the
I might as well go for it.” CD to give him. I’m not going to say, ‘Give me
Cobb, 31, has put together a steady routine your email and I’ll send you a link.’ You don’t
both playing and teaching music. He admits he want to make anybody do any extra work.”
couldn’t have done it without the training he With teaching providing a significant part of
received as an oboe student at Northwestern his income, Cobb built his other activities around
University and later at SUNY Purchase, where its seasonal nature. “You know you’ll have spring
he received his master’s degree. At least as breaks and when they come, depending on which
important was the time he spent away from the county the school is,” he says. “And my [number
campus, learning about professionalism, com- of] lessons goes from about 30 to six in the sum-
portment onstage and other essentials by observ- mer, so I’ve really got to budget. Luckily, most
ing his teachers at their gigs. of these schools also do band camps, so I’ll get
“The faculty at Purchase was great, but hired for a week or two as an instructor. I’ll also
everything was happening in New York City,” he book more funk band road stuff in the summer
recalls. “That’s where they conducted their busi- and plan to get more of my own creative projects
ness. I would see everything: how they dressed, done at that time.”
their stage manner, how they treated the crowd While conceding that jazz gigs are scarcer in
and the employees at the bar. You could see when Nashville than in many larger cities, Cobb points
Jeff Coffin

bands were happy and when they just treated it out that there’s a flip side to that situation. “There
as a job.” are fewer places to play in the standard jazz quin-
Even earlier, while touring with a Chicago- Dynamites for a couple weeks,” Cobb remem- tet mode, but there aren’t fewer musical oppor-
based jam band called Buddha’s Belly before bers. “He got my name from Don and called me, tunities,” he observes. “For example, I play with
enrolling at Purchase, Cobb had been thinking and I did all his teaching during that time. He the Nashville Symphony. I would never, ever get
about how to prepare for a full-time career in probably had about 20 students, and I was think- called to play with the New York Philharmonic.
music. Once he’d settled in Nashville, he assessed ing, ‘Wow, this is the way to go!’” But here, I’ve gotten to play classical concerts.
what the scene had to offer and did what had to So Cobb got some business cards printed up I played the Bolero solo this summer under
be done to make sure he would survive and even and dropped in on a meeting of the Middle Giancarlo [Guerrero, musical director of the
prosper there, personally and creatively. Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Nashville Symphony], which was incredible. I
“I was lucky not to have college debt,” he Association. “I swallowed my pride, introduced even played Jazz at Lincoln Center just this past
says. “If I had to write $450 checks every month, myself and got a bevy of my own schools where winter, and that wouldn’t have happened while I
with my credit going way down, it would have I could teach,” he says. was living there.”
put me under almost insurmountable pressure. Cobb’s website and his CD, Falling Up, also If there’s one lesson to draw from Cobb’s
But it really took me just a couple of months to function as calling cards for peers as well as varied accomplishments in Nashville, that would
get on my feet here.” audiences. A tech-savvy friend helped him set be to put a huge amount of energy into network-
He began by setting up shop as a freelance up the elegantly designed EvanCobbJazz.com, ing. “Playing well is such a small part of the gig,”
teacher. Step one involved getting to know some which provides easy access to his blog, biog- he reflects. “Getting on people’s call lists isn’t
local players who were already established in raphy and photos. Cobb updates it periodically just about, ‘Hey, listen to me play “Giant Steps.”’
that area, including saxophonists Don Aliquo, through WordPress and calls his friend no more You might be an incredible player, but you have
Jeff Coffin, Matt Davich and Denis Solee. Word than once or twice a year for technical help. And to earn your way onto the list by being a strong
of Cobb’s arrival and capabilities spread through Falling Up was released physically as well as musician, well-rounded and approachable—
the network quickly. “The second month I was digitally for specific business reasons, paid for somebody who’s not just a soloist but who knows
here, Chris West was going to Europe with the with about $4,000 raised at Kickstarter.com. how to make the whole band better.” DB

52 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 53
INDIE LIFE

Valuable Art
By Bobby Reed

L
uke Kaven is a one-man record company, which means that multitasking is a way of life for
him. “There are cases where I wore every hat, from being the recording engineer to the pho-
tographer to writing the liner notes and designing the packaging,” said Kaven, president of
Smalls Records. “There are other projects in which a few close associates offer up their services
at a good rate for the sake of getting great music out there.”

Kaven founded Smalls Records in 2000 Luke Kaven at Fat Cat in New York
and released the label’s first CD four years
later. Today, its catalog includes 52 titles from
artists such as drummer Dan Aran, bass-
ist Omer Avital, saxophonist Alex Hoffman,
bassist Neal Caine and the late pianist Frank
Hewitt, whom Kaven credits as being one of
his key inspirations for starting the label.
In the 1990s, Kaven spent many late nights
at the New York jazz venue Smalls. Amazed
by the music he heard, and sensing how fertile
the scene was, Kaven felt it was important to
document the work of Hewitt and other artists
who performed regularly at the West Village
venue. Through negotiation with the owner of
the club, Kaven was given permission to use
the name Smalls for the label Smalls Records.
(The label Smalls Records predates the forma-
tion of a different label, SmallsLIVE, which is
run by the current ownership of the venue.)
One of the most popular titles in the Smalls
Records catalog is guitarist Gilad Hekselman’s

Frank Alkyer
Split Life, which was recorded over the course
of two nights in 2006 at the New York club Fat
Cat. Smalls Records has released studio dates raise the level of social awareness, particular- al photographer, has shot numerous covers for
as well, including Harold O’Neal’s solo piano ly among buyers, and encourage them to take Smalls Records, but he had something special
album Marvelous Fantasy. on these independent labels as arts projects that in mind for Marvelous Fantasy. He enlisted the
Running a label with limited resources is a need their support in order to survive.” renowned photographer Larry Fink—whose
challenge, and Kaven has considered the possi- Kaven, a graduate of Hampshire College books include Social Graces and Somewhere
bility of changing to become a 501(c)(3) orga- who studied music theory with Dr. Roland There’s Music—to shoot the album cover and
nization. Despite the obstacles of running Wiggins, added that Smalls Records has images for the CD booklet.
an indie label in a troubled economy, Kaven released titles using both approaches: orig- Bassist Ari Roland, who has appeared on
remains deeply committed to nurturing jazz. inal productions and recordings that were many Smalls Records albums as a side-
“Most labels that undertake original pro- licensed to the label. man and as a leader, is adamant about setting
ductions have either shrunken or folded,” he For the recording session for Marvelous up recording sessions with all the musicians
said. “The only profitable model that I know of Fantasy, Kaven obtained use of a rare instru- in a single room, with no booths or dividers
these days is licensing, which involves taking ment, which he described as “a Civil War–era between them—a request that Haven gladly
recordings that artists have already made and Steinway in perfect regulation.” O’Neal was accommodated.
produced on their own, and licensing them for thrilled to play the instrument, and he enjoyed “There has not been a single thing that I
a positive cash outcome. In a case like that, the working with Kaven, who produced the album. wanted to do where Luke said, ‘No, I can’t do
label takes very little risk, does real work, and “It’s not what Luke necessarily did with the that’ or ‘I don’t want to do it that way,’” Roland
assures itself that it gets paid. There’s a bene- label; it’s what he didn’t do,” O’Neal said. “He recalled. “It comes from having the same vision
fit to that kind of a label, but it creates an envi- didn’t get in the way of the artistic approaches, about music. Luke has ideas about jazz that are
ronment in which the most promising artists— as far as what takes or what songs would go on much more hardcore than most people in the
who are not necessarily the ones with money the album. I had the freedom to do what I want- recording industry. He believes that if the music
to fund their own productions, or the ones who ed to do. With that kind of label, that’s one thing is really good, it will attract an audience. It may
are technically or otherwise adept enough to I greatly appreciate—an opportunity where not attract as huge an audience as some other
undertake that as a project—are going unre- they say, ‘We’re going to provide a vehicle for kind of jazz, but if it’s really great, it will always
corded and unheard. That is stifling the devel- you to create, but it’s your say, your choice.’” attract some audience—and historically, it will
opment of the music. What I want to do is to Kaven, who is an accomplished profession- become more and more valuable.” DB

54 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 55
 Masterpiece ★★★★★ Excellent ★★★★ Good ★★★ Fair ★★ Poor ★
Inside 
61 I Jazz
65 I Blues
67 I Beyond
72 I Historical
76 I Books

Ted Nash
courtesy ted nash

Ted Nash sensibility even better). The proj- double stops from bassist Paul spirit, especially on Nash’s “Minor
The Creep ect, he explains in his liner notes, Sikivie and a melody whose uni- Adjustment,” where Horton’s fat
Plastic Sax Records 1 is a spinoff from a stage role in son horn line, angular trajectory middle register and randomly linear
HHH1/2 which he composed and played and rhythmic change-ups suggest ideas are unpredictable and logical.
music by a character loosely based Coleman, as does the combina- Still, a pleasure of Coleman’s
Saxophonist Ted Nash has forged a on Coleman. Though Nash doesn’t tion of tension and blues crying in music is the feeling that everything
compelling identity as a leader out- project the darkness and fire at the Nash’s full, throaty tone. The jaunty might suddenly teeter over the edge
side his more familiar role as utili- heart of this inspiration, his piano- line of “Plastic Sax” lands square- at any moment. By contrast, this
ty man in the Jazz at Lincoln Center less quartet produces swinging ly on a fat, half-step dissonance music is a bit tidy and reserved.
Orchestra. His most recent album music of startling clarity and force. upstairs, and Nash, in his solo, gets “Cabin Fever,” a potentially scary
takes him further afield. It’s a sur- Listening to the sequence of nine off a spinning, curlicue phrase wor- mystery, comes off more like noir
prising disc, since the hallmark of tunes is a bit like viewing a series thy of Dolphy himself. Alto saxo- lite. That said, there is still plenty to
Nash’s playing is dazzling accura- of black-and-white abstract paint- phonist Sherman Irby’s “Twilight like here. —Paul de Barros
cy and immaculate execution. Here, ings that employ the same primal Sounds,” a clever mashup of “Hot
Nash plunges into territory iden- elements in different combinations. House” and “Yardbird Suite,” is also
The Creep: Organized Crime; Burnt Toast And
Avocado; The Creep; Plastic Sax Rumble; Plastic
tified with Ornette Coleman (and, Among the most compelling a highlight, projecting the cacoph- Sax Lullaby; Cabin Fever; Twilight Sounds; Minor
Adjustment; Kaleidoscope. (53:59)
peripherally, Eric Dolphy, who in tracks is the opener, with its under- ony of the urban night. Trumpeter Personnel: Ted Nash, alto saxophone; Ron Horton,
trumpet; Paul Sikivie, bass; Ulysses Owens, drums.
some ways seems to suit Nash’s pinning of nervous, thrumming Ron Horton falls easily into the Ordering info: tednash.com

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 57

 Jamal’s own. But the flashes of familiar melo-
dy, while providing occasional signposts of ori-
entations, don’t matter that much. Restraint is
only one of his gambits, used mainly to make
more striking the breach of dynamics between
the restrained Jamal and the more magnified
one. “Autumn Rain,” which he recorded in 1986,
begins with an ascending crescendo of chords
that thunder, then atomize into a dewy spacious-
ness and make way for the main theme. After a
few bars of quick, sparse chords, the arpeggios
roll out like a lava flow, then stop as Jamal pounds
out a rigid, percussive bass figure and starts mix-
ing in more swirling right-handed mayhem. That
dissolves into a lyrical reverie, interspersed with
more terse percussion.
His “Blue Moon” introduces a little four-note
Ahmad Jamal riff (C–D–C–E) that becomes an insidious- Jeff Hamilton Trio
Blue Moon ly catchy recurring refrain, in a way not unlike Red Sparkle
Jazz Village 570001 the device that made “Poinciana” so beguiling Capri 74114
HHHH many years ago. It brings a measure of unity to HHH
the many contrasting moods, all of which are
If you could illustrate Ahmad Jamal’s latest, ambitious but few of which really swing much. Don’t give up on the “straightahead” approach
Blue Moon, as a map, it would be a lunar land- But then that’s not really his purpose. He swings to piano trio just yet. If the trend of ever-shift-
scape of mansion-sized mountains adjoin- when he chooses. “Laura” (originally recorded in ing time signatures that has cropped up in the
ing sudden little outcroppings small enough to 1992) is relatively straight-forward and intimate last few years is feeling a bit too mathy for you,
trip over, booming valleys and oases of florid in its reserve and never becomes unnecessarily there’s a refreshing focus found in blues-based
rain forests. Jamal moves through these attrac- overloaded with ambition.  —John McDonough romps and instantly catchy melodies. Usually
tive scenic contrasts on roads paved with clear crisp, occasionally sassy and often stressing
intentions and a sense of direction. ber Italy; Laura; Morning Mist; This Is The Life; Woody’n You. (76:02) pith, this is the turf that Jeff Hamilton’s trio
Blue Moon: Autumn Rain; Blue Moon; Gypsy; Invitation; I Remem-

The selections are pulled from movies, the Personnel: Ahmad Jamal, piano; Reginald Veal, bass; Herlin Riley, works on a regular basis.
drums; Manolo Badrena, percussion.
stage and the early bebop songbook, as well as Ordering info: jazzvillagemusic.com Red Sparkle picks up where 2009’s
Symbiosis left off. Hamilton and associates—
pianist Tamir Hendelmen and bassist Christoph
Marlene Rosenberg Quartet Luty—arrive with well-polished arrangements
Bassprint in their pockets, and breeze through them with
Origin 82604 a contagious oomph. A certain obviousness
HHHH marks the leader’s work: There’s always a bit
of tail-wagging going on in these tunes. But
A stalwart member of the Chicago scene, that has its perks, too. The hard bustle of “Too
Marlene Rosenberg has made infrequent trips Marvelous For Words” may sound a tad anach-
to the studio as a leader. Bassprint is her first ronistic, but it generates an entertainment vibe
CD in a decade, but it’s well worth waiting for, that deserves cachet forever. Brushing his way
and perhaps it shows the value of patience and through the piece, the drummer exudes grace
persistence. Rosenberg is assured at the helm, and animation.
nothing to prove, no chip on her shoulder. The trio also likes to wax clever. Their
Aside from two tasty tunes by Kenny romp through “Bye-Ya” alludes to rumba while
Barron, all the music is original, showing keeping Thelonious Monk’s ingenious coun-
the bassist’s interest in oblique, harmonically terpoint alive. Hendelman is a facile mechan-
intriguing material. Several titles—“Wayne- ic with a nice touch for dynamics. Hamilton
ish,” “Eyes For Shorter”—wink openly at gestive and unexpected colors, sometimes spi- himself knows about texture. His reclamation
their source inspiration, the latter a lovely dery, fingered chords; when he cuts loose, his of Stephen Bishop’s schmaltzy “On And On”
ballad that reworks Wayne Shorter’s “Infant lines can be thrilling. Bradfield is one of the starts the same way Ed Blackwell’s might: a
Eyes.” Rosenberg knows how to get juices few tenor players who don’t make me cringe tender tom-tom pattern milking pulse for all
flowing without using harsh or edgy materi- when heading for the soprano. He’s sensi- it’s worth. The drummer never gets heavy-
als. “L.J.” is a buoyant, mid-tempo tune with tive without being florid or icy, playing with handed. A revered brush man, his nuances
the leader’s beefy bass and a funky undertow grit over the funky, sunny beat on Barron’s speak volumes. The first few moments of “A
providing a springboard, urging on Geoff “Sunshower” (marred only by the unwelcome Sleepin’ Bee”—a curt exchange with Luty—set
Bradfield’s probing, prehensile tenor. The idea of multi-tracking arco and pizz bass) or the tone for the entire track. Innovative it’s not,
spring-like “Tale Of Two Monk Keys” fea- laying a gentle line over the urgent rimshots but when there’s this much finesse in the air,
tures a sweet, lithe, skipping line that’s glee- of “Spare Parts.”  —John Corbett some kind of ground is being gained. 
ful grist for both Bradfield and guitarist Scott  —Jim Macnie
Hesse, a contemplative counter-line casting
Bassprint: Tale Of Two Monk Keys; Almost April; Wayne-Ish;
Spare Parts; L.J.; Prelude–Bassprint; Lullaby; Sunshower; Eyes For Red Sparkle: Ain’t That A Peach; Bye Ya; On And On; Hat’s
things in a darker shade. Shorter; Thus And So; One False Move. (66:47)
Personnel: Marlene Rosenberg, bass; Geoff Bradfield, tenor and
Dance; Too Marvelous; Laura; A Sleepin’ Bee; Red Sparkle; I Know
You Oh So Well; In An Ellingtone. (57:35)
Hesse is terrific: great ears and crazy soprano saxophone; Scott Hesse, guitar; Makaya McCraven,
drums.
Personnel: Jeff Hamilton, drums; Tamir Hendelmen, piano; Chris-
toph Luty, bass.
chops. Comping, he’s inventive, offering sug- Ordering info: origin-records.com Ordering info: caprirecords.com

58 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Hot Box
The

CD Critics 

Ted Nash
John McDonough John Corbett Jim Macnie Paul de Barros

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★½

The Creep

Ahmad Jamal ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★

Blue Moon

Marlene Rosenberg Quartet ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★ ★★½

Bassprint

Jeff Hamilton Trio ★★★½ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★

Red Sparkle

Critics’ Comments

Ted Nash, The Creep

Nash serves a quirky, strutting, sometimes surprising dish here, whose message may be, “while the pianist’s
away, the cats will play.” No chords, no safety nets. It’s been done before, of course, but Nash’s talent makes
such flings safe for a bit of self-indulgence. Horton is an invigorating foil.  —John McDonough
Freebop in Ornette quartet mode (sans harmonic comp), though more tightly choreographed. Lots and lots
to chew on, including Horton’s infinitely flexible trumpet and the rollicking Owens on drums. Like James
Carter, Nash can do anything on the horn, here alto only. Superhero pantheon-wise, he’s more Elastic Man
than Creep.  —John Corbett
At some points it seems like an Old And New Dreams nod, and we can always use that. But singularity
emerges thanks to Nash’s writing and playing. His personae are many, but this freebop character is really
compelling. Secret weapon: Ron Horton!  —Jim Macnie

Ahmad Jamal, Blue Moon

Maestro of ostinato and denizen of deep dynamics, Jamal continues to make killer CDs. Here the presence
of Badrena on percussion has more than just a coloristic effect on the proceedings. It makes things denser,
sometimes a thicket, but also gives Veal and Riley lots of ideas to bounce off of. Jamal can go from sensual
to stark in a heartbeat.  —John Corbett
The way he splashes over a vamp is genius, and this enticing date finds him challenging his nimble rhythm
section’s every move. A formula is intact: A parade of singular phrases do battle with their surroundings. But
the music is so vital that hardly matters.  —Jim Macnie
Yes, that “Blue Moon,” which almost feels like a parody of Jamal’s pretentious penchant for investing triviality
with gravitas. All the faux classical runs in the world won’t make his florid octaves, portentous vamps and
melodramatic tremolos less clichéd, though “Invitation” builds some honest interest. —Paul de Barros

Marlene Rosenberg Quartet, Bassprint

Nicely crafted, low-key quartet, led softly from behind, or beneath as it were. Bassist and composer-in-chief
takes a front line position without displacing the main horns, who carry the lead positions with a warm,
thoroughly adept restraint on tenor/soprano and guitar within the standard post-bop syntax. A practiced but
not standout foursome.  —John McDonough
I like the way they treat classicism with a bit of daring, meaning their sideways glance at “I Remember April”
is a joy. The bassist and her crew mess around with each other; a little push ’n’ shove, a little hide ’n’ seek. A
minor disc, but fun nonetheless.  —Jim Macnie
I hope Rosenberg’s sound isn’t as rubberband-y live as it is on this album, but either way her solo ideas are
uninspiring. Her tune “Lullaby” has a quietly mysterious appeal, though. Solid mainstream guitarist Mark
Hesse steals the show.  —Paul de Barros

Jeff Hamilton Trio, Red Sparkle

Leader’s rhythms flutter, swish, snap and crack in a sung, effervescent patter within this tightly knit, well-
traveled trio. Group’s hard swinging, middle-of-the-road center pretty much belongs to Handelman, who
delivers an agile take on the Peterson tradition. Not a lot of surprises, but style and authority are their own
pleasures.  —John McDonough
Hamilton leads this taut trio from the kit through a mostly keen, swinging, no-nonsense set. With locked
hand runs, Hendelman is a bit flamboyant sometimes, but enjoyably so in this context. Top-shelf piano bar
music is interrupted by “On And On,” a window on the ’70s I’d hoped would stay shut.  —John Corbett
Though Hamilton’s outlook is deeply conservative, his muscular, little-big-band approach to the piano trio
builds a groove so deep you could get the bends coming up out of it. As on the previous album, pianist Tamir
Hendelman is particularly emotive on ballads, in this case, one by the trio’s inspiration, Ray Brown, “I Know
You Oh So Well.”  —Paul de Barros

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 59

 nist Aaron Goldberg’s pleasantly distracting
piano playing. It seems that on each tune there
is something new to discover, even on the early,
brief “Interlude/Wind,” which seems to sug-
gest things to come.
New York Elements plays like something
from the ’60s, when hard-bop had become
a tad more angular, more in control of its
emotions even as it spoke more ferociously.
Kronkvist must know it’s always been more
than just about chops, shedding. That’s where
Goldberg comes in. Partway through the robust
swinger “Woody’s World,” he slows everything
down, his cool solo a kind of artful shift away
from the leader’s bold, preceding solo state-
ments. Goldberg has bassist Reuben Rogers
Fredrik Kronkvist and drummer Gregory Hutchinson in his
New York Elements back pocket, providing just the right amount Brian Charette
Connective 36528 of kick and swagger to suggest an element of Music For Organ Sextette
HHHH danger as well as surprise and musical cohe- SteepleChase 31731
sion. Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” is the only HHH1/2
By all appearances, another straightahead jazz non-original here, and it’s arranged and played
date is something to (hopefully) enjoy but not as if Kronkvist’s taking his cue from Tony Brian Charette is out to prove that the
something you expect to be blown away by Williams’ original freeing rhythm, which veers Hammond B3 ain’t just for flexing your
or even impressed with nowadays. Especially off from its stated waltz figure into a more driv- funk chops. His latest CD, Music For Organ
when it’s somebody you’ve never heard of ing straight-four feel. Sextette, serves as a demo reel of the divergent
before, with the kind of undramatic look that On the one hand, this is complex music, and directions the soul-jazz standby can explore.
suggests recital more than statement. Alto sax- alien from today’s more straightforward sounds. Charette has assembled an ensemble with
ophonist Fredrik Kronkvist doesn’t look the On the other hand, its straightahead message is four horns fronting the rhythm section of
part of a jazz upstart, but he plays it. simple, almost unadorned and innocent.  himself and drummer Joechen Rueckert.
Perhaps New York Elements is a case study  —John Ephland “Computer God” offers each member the
in how to get name players and make some- opportunity to introduce himself, the angular
thing happen. The disc isn’t about reinventing head opening into their solo spaces. The album
New York Elements: Connected Souls; Interlude/Wind; Woody’s
World; Piece Of Time; Earthtones; Interlude/Earth; Footprints; Di-
the wheel, but it is honest, spirited and some- vine; First Sight; Interlude/Writer; Perspectives; Instant Bag; Outro/
Fire. (69:31) then takes its first swerve, beginning “Fugue
times quite inspired. Apart from Kronkvist’s Personnel: Fredrik Kronkvist, alto saxophone; Aaron Goldberg,
piano; Reuben Rogers, bass; Gregory Hutchinson, drums.
For Kathleen Anne/Ex Girlfriend Variations”
lyrical and usually expressive wailing is pia- Ordering info: connectiverecords.com with a mock-Bach flute/tenor miniature that
then transposes the idea of interlacing voices
into a modern context, as the ensemble impro-
Mark Weinstein vises in flowing, overlapping lines.
El Cumbanchero The reggae riddims of “The Elvira Pacifier”
Jazzheads 1187 at first seems a cute step too far on the path
HHH1/2 toward genre-hopping for genre-hopping’s
sake, but it’s pulled back by Jay Collins’ mys-
Flutist and former trombonist Mark Wenstein’s teriously intoxicating flute solo and John Ellis’
1967 game-changer Cuban Roots marked a sinuous bass clarinet insinuations. “Prayer
turning point in Latin jazz in the way it used For An Agnostic” puts scare quotes around
Cuban folk rhythms. Four-and-a-half decades its gospel feel but proves that the spirit is pos-
later, Weinstein sets his sights on 1940s-era sible even without the faith. “Mode For Sean
Cuban charanga. Here, he sculpts the tradi- Wayland” reaches into even less familiar direc-
tional form to accommodate his own interests tions, a discordant nod in the direction of avant-
and strengths as a player and serious student of garde composition with a collage of ideas and
Cuban music’s history. areas of free improvisation.
Weinstein eschews the wooden, five- or Charette’s deviation from the B3 tradition
six-holed flute that supports the high-regis- tesy of Aruán Ortiz, who was responsible for isn’t complete, however. “Late Night TV” is
ter notes traditionally associated with charan- the difficult harmonies that make much of this a funk burner, while “Equal Opportunity”
ga. Instead, he sticks to his usual assortment album so compelling. Weinstein and his band is a Lennie Tristano-inspired swinger and
of instruments with magical results. Case in also shine within slower tempos, such as on “Tambourine” is a deceptively bubbly pop
point: Weinstein’s extended solo on the title “Dona Olga,” which brims with romantic emo- anthem that hides within it another example of
track. Fast and dramatic, the conga number tion and a swaying melody.  —Jennifer Odell the horns’ contrapuntal possibilities. 
turns on a tension between the breakneck- El Cumbanchero: El Cumbanchero; La Mulata Rumbera; Dona  —Shaun Brady
speed percussion rhythms and the classically Olga; Aruanco; Av. Pintor Tapiro; Perla Marina; Armoniosos De
Amalia; Danzon De Liz; Contigo En La Distancia. (53:52). Music For Organ Sextette: Computer God; Fugue For Kathleen
minded string section. Personnel: Mark Weinstein, concert, alto, bass flutes; Aruán Ortiz, Anne/Ex Girlfriend Variations; Risk; The Elvira Pacifier; Equal Oppor-
Weinstein's post-bop-rooted solo burns
piano; Yunior Terry, bass; Mauricio Herrera, timbales, conga, guiro; tunity; Prayer For An Agnostic; Late Night TV; French Birds; Mode
Yusnier Sanchez Bustamante, conga (1, 2, 4); Marc Szammer, For Sean Wayland; Tambourine. (67:32)
away the chasm between the two, deftly bal- violin (3, 7, 8, 9); Elena Rojas Crocker, violin (3, 7, 8, 9); Francisco
Salazar, violin (1, 2, 6); Everhard Parades, violin (1, 2, 6); Samuel
Personnel: Brian Charette, Hammond B3 organ; Jay Collins, flute,
baritone saxophone, tambourine; Mike DiRubbo, alto and soprano
ancing the agility of one with the theatricali- Marchan, viola; Aristides Rivas, cello (3, 5, 7, 8, 9); Brian Sanders,
cello (1, 2, 6).
saxophone; Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone; John Ellis, bass clarinet;
Jochen Rueckert, drums.
ty of the other. The arrangements come cour- Ordering info: jazzheads.com Ordering info: steeplechase.dk

60 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Jazz | By james hale

Michael Gibbs and the NDR Big Band

steven haberland
New Big Bands Recharge Traditions
While some people might believe that starting cated to black leaders from Marcus Garvey to
a big band with the economy and the record- Huey Newton, and while it displays the influ-
ing industry in the doldrums might be foolhar- ence of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, it
dy, Angelinos Pete Christlieb and Linda Small also highlights Massey’s breadth and rhythmic
are bucking the tide. And, with arrangements variety. Trombonist Frank Lacy is particularly
by Bill Holman and some of the most expe- expressive on Massey’s tribute to Malcolm X.
rienced section players in California onboard, Ordering info: mutablemusic.com
who’s to argue with them? High On You (Bos- A brassy big band might be the last place
co Records; 53:06 HHHH) swings hard and you’d expect to find firebrand alto player Jon
glides with style on nine pieces by the likes of Irabagon, but his presence here is a reflection
Bob Brookmeyer, Billy Strayhorn and Holman. of the level of musicianship that has passed
Ordering info: petechristlieb.com through jazz educator Bob Lark’s hands dur-
Recorded with the NDR Big Band be- ing his 20-plus years at DePaul University.
tween 1995 and 2003, Back In The Days Reunion (Jazzed Media 1057; 68:47 HHH)
(Cuneiform 322; 65:42 HHHH) provides a brings together 20 DePaul alumni for a session
broad look at Michael Gibbs’ songbook and that stresses relaxed swing and breezy cama-
arranging talent. Three pieces from the earliest raderie over complexity. Nine of the players
date—recorded at a Herb Pomeroy tribute— split the task of arranging Lark’s 11 buoyant
feature Gary Burton, Gibbs’ best-known stu- compositions, adding variety to the program.
dent. The other standout player is the superb Ordering info: jazzedmedia.com
German tenor saxophonist Christof Lauer, who The focus of On The Sammy Side Of The
gets three feature spots. Street (Self Release; 72:03 HHH1/2)—fea-
Ordering info: cuneiformrecords.com turing Sammy Nestico’s all-star cast of musi-
If you believe that free music is greatly en- cians—is squarely on standards. With Vinnie
hanced by watching the interaction between Colaiuta on drums, every piece has a crisp,
the players, this film of Barry Guy’s Harmos: precise foundation, accentuating Nestico’s
Live At Schaffhausen (Intakt DVD 151; 46:28 style of squaring every corner of his arrange-
HHHH), shot in 2008, will be a welcome treat. ments. If you like a bit more of a flow, it’s likely
Performed by the London Jazz Composers you’ll find pieces like “Rose Room” and “Sur-
Orchestra—with the cream of British and Euro- rey With A Fringe On Top” overdone; they’re
pean improvisers—Guy’s anthemic 1989 suite packed with flourishes without much nuance.
is powerful and moving. The photography is Ordering info: sammynesticomusic.com
affected by dodgy lighting, but it captures the Trombonist Michael Treni assembled his
physicality of players as well as the passion big band relatively late in his career but Boy’s
Guy demonstrates in conducting his music. Night Out (Self Release; 58:54 HHH) shows
Ordering info: intaktrec.ch that he’s been thinking about how he wants his
Centered around the recording debut of unit to sound. Influenced by Oliver Nelson, he
the nine-part “Black Liberation Movement keeps his tempos lively and his orchestrations
Suite,” The Music Of Cal Massey: A Trib- relatively spare. With only 16 players, the band
ute (Mutable/Big Red Media 004; 62:51 is light enough on its feet not to overpower
HHHH1/2) represents a much-welcome un- Leonard Bernstein’s “Something Coming,”
dertaking by bandleader Fred Ho. Commis- yet Treni also likes to layer colors to generate
sioned by Eldridge Cleaver in 1969, the suite gauzy depth. DB
is a fiery, expansive collection of pieces dedi- Ordering info: bellproductionco.com

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 61

 with the Willem Breuker Kollektief and Bik
Bent Braam has buttressed his versatility. He
can play fast and take bluesy riffing and tri-
ple tonguing into squalling abstraction, as on
the punchy “A Serious Lack Of Humour,” or
stubbornly peck out simple rhythmic figures.
Vermeulen’s outing on the latter takes charge
in a similar manner, a complete familiarity
with the material is evident, and despite Yonga
Sun’s frantic tambourine and Nijland’s nudg-
ing bass, the pianist rides back on the tempo
between fleet runs.
“A Stroll For Gonso” is all Duke Ellington-
Ben Webster, fluttery-breathy-twinkly, Sun
suggesting Vernell Fournier’s mallets in back.
Talking Cows Vermeeresen reminds of new fogey Bennie
Almost Human Wallace, sans Hawk-like arpeggios. During
Morvin Records 5049 “Dinner Is Served,” “I’m Getting Sentimental” Jeff Lorber Fusion
HHHH1/2 meets Thelonious Monk-ish angularity, Galaxy
Vermeerssen growling and vocalizing through Heads Up 33173
The Dutch have a canny way of marrying schol- the horn before a swinging bass release and HHH
arly analysis of tradition with playful, open- prancing ambidextrous piano herald audience
ended reinvention. Broad tastes are catered applause (one of two live cuts). “Hang Glider” Far too often fusion and its bastard offspring
for with this digestible menu of 10 originals, hovers cliff edge before Vermeulen finds a smooth jazz are dismissed out of hand with-
the writing split between the rangy talents of thermal and Sun cuts loose. out being given the benefit of a fair hearing.
tenorist Frans Vermeeresen and pianist Robert “Mooing Around” has a “Straight No Prejudice can cloud the critical faculties to
Vermeulen. An amusing YouTube video featur- Chaser” vibe, Vermeulen comping circuitously the point where players are written off entire-
ing rival farmers riffs on the band name (this before a sparkling solo driven by the hard-swing- ly—regardless of their abilities. Jazz purists
group has been together since 2004). One farm- ing rhythm section. “Two Guys And A Beer” should note the presence of trumpeter Randy
er hates the CD, the other plays it in the cow- smacks of a clean-cut Billy Taylor anthem, but Brecker, altoist Eric Marienthal and guitarist
shed to increase the dairy yield. with Dutch courage.  —Michael Jackson Larry Koonse before turning their noses up at
Vermeessen’s opening solo reveals an Almost Human: Hurdles In Three; Serious Lack Of Humor; A Stroll this release.
unfussy articulation, rather like Wayne For Gonso; Dinner Is Served; Not Yet; Most Def!; Hang Glider; Moo-
ing Around; Two Guys And A Beer; Hop On, Hop Off. (61:35). Keyboard/guitar polymath Jeff Lorber
Shorter’s in its service to fresh ideas above Personnel: Frans Vermeerssen, tenor saxophone; Robert Ver-
meulen, piano; Dion Nijland, bass; Yonga Sun, drums.
might not win any new converts with this
involuntary phraseology. Vermeesen’s history Ordering info: morvinrecords.nl release, a Jimmy Haslip production. His tunes
are long on tight dance rhythms and inter-
locked instrumental riffing, short on com-
Tom Wetmore positional arc, breathing space and dynam-
The Desired Effect ic variety. Dave Mann’s horn charts and their
Crosstown Records electronic realizations add judicious washes of
HH color. “Horace” doesn’t touch on the sanctified
church funk of Horace Silver’s essence, though
It’s an interesting that Tom Wetmore restricts it bops along nicely. “Montserrat” is an uptem-
himself to Rhodes electric piano on his debut. po funk groover, with whiplash horn lines wor-
Maybe he just digs that old-school Rhodes thy of Tower Of Power.
tone. For listeners who share that enthusiasm, The soloists are on short leashes here, but
The Desired Effect celebrates it generously. showing out nonetheless. Haslip’s short bass
For all the beauty that this vintage instru- break on “Rapids” could’ve gone longer to bet-
ment offers, the Rhodes sus pedal is basical- ter effect. Marienthal’s swaggering alto has
ly either on or off. As a result, one has to think the run of “City,” one of the more interesting
carefully about moving chords on it with the tunes for its ascending and descending writing.
pedal down, to avoid turning everything to Marienthal’s soprano sax and Lorber’s Rhodes
mud. This becomes an issue in Wetmore’s trade engaging fours at the end of “Singaraja.”
unaccompanied intro to “With Woven Wings.” Koonse’s compact and well-considered con-
He handles these issues adroitly through- ment. Still, while Brad Williams and Justin tributions brighten like sunshine, especially
out this brief extemporization, particularly in Sabaj turn the last moments of “Falling” into a his nylon-string outing on “The Samba.” One
terms of pedal release. Still, there’s no sense charming interplay, evoking the tiny chimes of wishes that Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl
of dynamic contrast here or elsewhere through- a wind-up ballerina toy, most of the time every- could momentarily step away from timekeep-
out the album. His keyboard limits the band’s one seems more bent on complementing the ing duties.  —Kirk Silsbee
range, except when one of the guitarists steps Rhodes, which as a result casts the album in a Galaxy: Live Wire; Big Brother; Montserrat; Singaraja; Galaxy; City;
out for a chorus, as on “The Rub,” where drum- gray sonic mist. —Bob Doerschuk Horace; The Samba; Rapids; Wizard Island; The Underground.
(54:44)
mer Garrett Brown ups his aggressiveness at Personnel: Jeff Lorber, Fender Rhodes, guitars, piano, Mini Moog,
the end of Wetmore’s solo to mirror the attack
The Desired Effect: Red Lights; Wild Card; Good And Plenty; A synth bass, loops; Randy Brecker, trumpet (4, 11); Eric Marienthal,
Blessing; The Desired Effect; With Woven Wings; Falling; The Rub; soprano saxophone (11), alto saxophone; Michael Thompson (1,
of the guitar’s entrance. More Matter. (52:10)
Personnel: Tom Wetmore, electric piano; Jaleel Shaw, alto sax;
2, 3), Andree Theander (1, 4), Larry Koonse (1, 4, 8), Paul Jackson
Jr. (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11), guitars; Jimmy Haslip, bass, percussion (8);
With two sax players and two guitarists, Eric Neveloff, alto and tenor saxophones; Brad Williams, guitar;
Justin Sabaj, guitar; Michael League, bass; Garrett Brown, drums.
Vinnie Colaiuta, drums; Dave Weckl, drum engineering (5); Lenny
Castro, percussion; Dave Mann, horn arranger (6, 7, 9, 10).
there’s some potential for contrast and arrange- Ordering info: crosstownrecords.com Ordering info: concordmusicgroup.com

62 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 by polyrhythmic grooves, marked by ease
and oomph. The bassist and electric guitar-
ist—along with two other guitars, a drummer
and Ghanaian percussionists—lays danceable
bedrocks while various horn players, includ-
ing the incomparable soprano saxophonist
Sam Newsome and baritone saxophonist Alex
Harding, blow passionate improvisations. At
times, Aqua Ife recalls David Murray’s excur-
sions into the music of Guadeloupe and Senegal,
but somehow Veal’s music yields fresher, less
over-cooked results.
Veal not only effectively switches gears on
Anyscape by playing just soprano saxophone;
with his comparatively scaled-down Armillary
Sphere, he ventures into realms mapped out by
Michael Veal & Aqua Ife Sun Ra and George Russell. The music often
Michael Veal & Aqua Ife, Vol. 1 takes on celestial cinematic qualities as Veal Jeff Parker Trio           
Nektonic NKCD 001 powers his coiling saxophone lines through Bright Light In Winter
HHH1/2 soundscapes that sometimes hint at electroni- Delmark 2015
ca. Yet the music retains the bristle of hands-on HHHH
Michael Veal’s Armillary Sphere acoustic instrumentation. Like the other disc,
Anyscape Veal also displays a smartness to inch away It had been six years since the remarkable trio
Nektonic NKCD 002 from his obvious influences.  —John Murph that produced Jeff Parker’s now-classic 2003
HHH1/2 Michael Veal & Aqua Ife, Vol. 1: Djerma New Drum Chant; Late debut Like-Coping had played together, but on
General (Chief Odapa). (20:34)
Personnel: Michael Veal, electric bass, electric guitar, talking Bright Light In Winter it’s clear that they’ve
Fascinating is the best way to describe the musi- drums; Mike Rodriguez, trumpet; Albert Leusink, trumpet; Brad lost none of their intuitive connection. The
Mason, trumpet; Sam Newsome, soprano saxophone; Matthew
cality of Michael Veal. On these two distinct Clayton, alto saxophone; Avram Fefer, tenor saxophone; Lauren group reunited for a concert in the 10th anni-
discs, he plays mostly electric bass and guitar versary series of Chicago’s Hungry Brain last
Sevian, baritone saxophone; Alex Harding, baritone saxophone;
Steve Lantner, rhythm piano; Bennett Paster, electric organ; Trevor
on one then showcases his skills on the soprano Holder, drums; Felix Sanabria, congas and percussion; Kwaku
Kwaakye Obeng, Ghanaian hand percussion. November, and Parker decided to use the occa-
saxophone on the other. More revealing, though, Anyscape: HLB-SR (short version); Impluvium; Curls; Dune; Ange-
sion to take bassist Chris Lopes and drummer
is his knack for writing evocative compositions lus Novus; Oculus I. (26:11) Chad Taylor into the studio.
that contain a wealth of global perspectives. All three musicians brought compositions
Personnel: Michael Veal, soprano saxophone; Bennett Paster,
electric piano; Nika Workman, 5-string electric bass; Trevor Holder,
With the two-song EP, featuring Aqua Ife, drums; Rene Akhan, electric guitar (4); Chris Lightcap, acoustic
bass (4). to the sessions, but there’s a stunning cohesion
Veal delves into Ghanaian music, bolstered Ordering info: cduniverse.com and group identity to the album, with its lean,
deceptive simplicity: Each track is sparked by
an air of spontaneity, whether the trio is riding
out a preset plan or shape-shifting on the fly.                      
Mary Stallings Taylor’s “Mainz” features a typically beau-
Don’t Look Back tiful melody, deeply etched by Parker within
HighNote 7224 several discrete groove schemes, with the gui-
HHHH tarist shifting from elegant, cleanly articulated
single-note melodies to effects-controlled tone
These days the jazz audience seems to have a masses sculpted like clay to splatters of nicely
bottomless appetite for female jazz sing- dubbed-out pointillism.
ers—seemingly the younger, the better. Mary A piece like Parker’s “Freakadelic” is more
Stallings is a senior whose professionalism indicative of the general course, where the
and assurance affirm a place for elders. She’s rhythms stick to a relatively consistent feel with
secure in who she is and what works for her, subtle yet steady accents and pattern tweaks
with unshakable comfort. supporting masterfully constructed solos by
She has a scoped contralto whose timbre Parker, which build not only as melodical-
brings to mind Carmen McRae. But where ly sophisticated marvels but also as ingenious
McRae often isolated her words on slow tem- narratives. On “The Morning Of The 5th,”
pos, Stallings always retains the connective Lopes sets aside the bass and shapes his pretty
tissue of the music in her phrasing. They also not a note of scat on this album. Stallings melody on the flute, as his partners deftly cra-
share the ability to find out-of-the-way mate- invests the songs with feeling, avoiding histri- dle his gentle lines, while on “Istvan” he subs in
rial. Stallings also cleverly conjoins two great onics. A held note here, a behind-the-beat take- a Korg MS-20 synthesizer. While the trio may
pieces: Cole Porter’s “Every Time We Say off there, a little sassy blues feeling, or a judi- have convened as if it was a pickup gig without
Goodbye” and Gordon Jenkins’ “Goodbye.” ciously placed octave jump—she knows just a lot of preparation or planning, there’s noth-
Her faithful pianist, Eric Reed (who pro- what each song needs and where to place it.  ing boilerplate nor conventional about the way
duced the album), is so spare in his accompa-  —Kirk Silsbee they rip through each piece. —Peter Margasak
niment that they must communicate telepathi- Don’t Look Back: When Lights Are Low; The Way You Love Me;
cally. He suggests with a chord, waits for her to
Night Mist Blues; Goodbye Medley: Every Time We Say Goodbye/ Bright Light In Winter: Mainz; Swept Out To Sea; Change; Freak-
Goodbye; Is That...? (This Love); Don’t Look Back; Love Me Or adelic; The Morning Of The 5th; Occidental Tourist; Bright Light
sing and underlines or maybe rests. Then he’ll Leave Me; Don’t Misunderstand; Key Largo; Soul Eyes; Nappy’
Blues; People Time (Forever Mine). (55:13)
Black Site; Istvan; Good Days. (48:25)
Personnel: Jeff Parker, electric guitar and effects, Korg MS-20
play a discreet comment on her phrase. Personnel: Mary Stallings, vocals; Eric Reed, piano; Reuben Rog-
ers, bass; Carl Allen drums.
monophonic synthesizer; Chris Lopes, acoustic bass, flute, Korg
MS-20; Chad Taylor, drums.
Would-be jazz singers should know there’s Ordering info: jazzdepot.com Ordering info: delmark.com

64 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Blues | By frank-john hadley

International Lisa Mills

Relations
Luca Giordano: My Kind Of Blues (Audacia
8034; 76:13 HHHH) There’s something en-
thralling in the way Italian guitarist Luca Gior-
dano has internalized the playing of Otis Rush,
Ronnie Earl and other masters to summon up
his own personal distillation of those sources.
An occasional visitor to Chicago clubs, he’s
become a talisman of tone, discipline, phras-
ing and swinging spirit. A listener can almost
reach out and touch the intimate feeling the
30-year-old injects into his mentor Carlos
Johnson’s ballad “Hello There,” Marvin Gaye’s
“What’s Going On?” and a dozen more sturdy
tunes. Tradition goes hand-in-hand with inspi-
ration. Comporting themselves well in the front
line are Pippo Guarnera (piano, organ) and
American guests Chris Cain (vocals, guitar),
Bob Stroger (vocals, bass) and Gordon Beadle
(saxophone, horn arrangements).
Ordering info: lucagiordanoband.com
Lisa Mills: Tempered In Fire (Really ’n’
Truly; 49:31 HHH1/2) A native of Mississippi
long now located in England, Lisa Mills is a
solid belter who offers up genuine excitement
by being confident about her understanding of
lyrics. This bluesy album, her second with wide
vincent lawson

distribution, hooks her ample spirit to flatter-

ing songs she wrote herself or borrowed from
Welshman George Borowski and several Ala-
bama good ol’ boys, the band Wet Willie and Hound Dog Taylor (“Give Me Back My Wig”),
ex-Gatemouth Brown guitarist Robbie Flem- Jimi Hendrix (“Little Wing”) and the Isley Broth-
ing. She even succeeds in locating the pain ers (“Testify”). Vocally, Goose has occasional
and longing of the Otis Redding opus “These problems with intonation.
Arms Of Mine.” The supporting musicians, in- Ordering info: music-avenue.net
cluding her regular sidekick Ian Jennings on The Blues Band: Few Short Lines (Rep-
basses and guest Andy Fairweather-Low on ertoire 1149; 57:48 HHH) Performing mostly
guitar, creditably mix grit and suavity. mediocre material like the moldy zydeco nov-
Ordering info: lisamills.com elty “My Toot Toot,” these long-in-the-tooth
Layla Zoe: Sleep Little Girl (Cable Car British bluesmen amplify the generic bland-
0311-36; 47:33 HHH1/2) In a German studio, ness of their name with unexceptional singing
Layla Zoe lets loose her unsparing lust for life on their latest record. But there’s an upside:
on tunes with apt titles like “Let’s Get Crazy,” Dave Kelly’s slide guitar flares with vitality, and
“Give It To Me” and “Singing My Blues.” In the the group hits its stride reconditioning Kim Wil-
latter, the Canadian emotes, “But I always lis- son’s “I Believe I’m In Love With You.”
ten to my heart and the voice down deep in Ordering info: thebluesband.com
my soul.” Don’t doubt this contemporary blues Various Artists: African Blues (Putu-
Amazon for an instant. Despite hollowly ardent mayo 317; 41:51 HHHH) The label’s head
blues-rock guitar by Henrik Freischlader, Zoe’s man Dan Stroper gets the artist selection and
album gets to places others can’t reach. the song flow right in this showcase of modern
Ordering info: layla.ca storytellers whose singing of tribal life com-
Ramon Goose: Uptown Blues (Blues bines with irresistible grooves to conjure the
Boulevard 250300; 56:17 HHH) Ramon benign specter of John Lee Hooker…wearing
Goose’s best creative outlets are his un- a Tuareg traditional desert robe. Adama Ya-
conventional NuBlues band (new album out lomba and Issa Bagayogo are among the Mali-
soon) and his collaboration with West African ans represented. From the sands of the Sahara
griot Diabel Cissokho. Still, the Brit’s solo al- come Tinariwen and Koudede. The soulmates
bum merits listening for his solid guitar work from outside the continent are Taj Mahal and
in respective straightahead blues, blues-rock Ramon Goose. Cause for complaint—just 10
and swinging jazz grooves. He’s a serviceable tracks. DB
songwriter, and for outside material he goes to Ordering info: putumayo.com
 Pick any bit of music on The Next Page.
Odds are it will be built around a simple theme,
sometimes involving just three or four notes
played in the midrange of the piano by Eri
Yamamoto. This theme is written to be repeat-
ed, like a fragment from a familiar nursery
rhyme. On the verses it will be consonant, most
often in a major mode. Then, on the bridge, the
theme, while still elementary, wanders through
a few gentle dissonances. These feel more like
Erik Satie than post-bop jazz. And everything
resolves with a return to the opening structure in
the next verse.
Yamamoto and her group use this approach
to great effect. They play with thoughtful delib-
eration yet communicate easily with each other. Toronzo Cannon
There’s something cerebral about their execution Leaving Mood
Eri Yamamoto Trio but not to the extent that it ever sounds unemo- Delmark 817
The Next Page tional. Truthfully, they conjure delicacy and HHH1/2
AUM Fidelity 071 beauty, qualities enhanced by the sensitive mik-
HHH1/2 ing of their instruments. Now and then they heat These days, audiences can almost take it for
things up, generating small crescendi on “Up granted that contemporary blues is influ-
There’s an interesting twist to the Eri Yama- And Down” and “Dark Blue Sky,” for instance. enced by ’60s/’70s-era classic rock and
moto Trio’s track sequence on The Next Page. If there’s any down side to The Next Page, it’s funk. It’s not rare to hear a blues bar band
Between the sixth and eighth selections, there’s a that there doesn’t seem to be a next page. Aside whip out a Jimi Hendrix cover version in
stretch of silence with its own title: “Thank you, from time signatures, which range from standard mid-set, or the bass player in said band to
we’ll be right back for the second act.” to a funk-flavored 15/8 on “Waver,” Yamamoto start thumping his axe with his thumbs.
While not essential and arguably kind of offers no dramatic changes in mood. She plays Unfortunately, this has resulted in some of
gimmicky, this pause does serve a purpose. pretty much in the midrange of her instrument, the most tired music on the market.
Much of the music that precedes and follows never indulges in thick chord movement or even But Chicago native Toronzo Cannon is
it includes ample empty space. Except for the thick chords that much.  —Bob Doerschuk better than all that. While the rock/funk is
closing track, a simmering 6/8 finale named The Next Page: Sparkle Song; Whiskey River; Just Walking; Night clearly audible in his music, Cannon has
“Swimming Song” featuring a fluid solo by Shadows; Green Grows; The Next Page; Up And Down; Dark Blue
Sky; Waver; Catch The Clouds; Swimming Song. (70:40) a little something called “taste,” which is
drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, silence is arguably an Personnel: Eri Yamamoto, piano; David Ambrosio, bass; Ikuo
Takeuchi, drums.
in too short supply these days. Drummer
indispensible element of each composition. Ordering info: aumfidelity.com Marty Binder and bassist Larry Williams
set up some solid, smart rhythm pockets
that never let Cannon and company down.
It helps that Cannon, an adept songwriter
Steve Lehman Trio as well as singer/guitarist, gave them some
Dialect Fluorescent great songs.
Pi Recordings 42 Cannon came up through the usual sys-
HHHH tem, playing behind local musicians and
showing his face at jam sessions, steadi-
Steve Lehman’s gotten plenty of notice for the ly working his way up to being a headlin-
outside ideas that he has imported into er. After a self-released debut in 2007, this
jazz. On his last recording for Pi, Travail, followup also features a sound reminiscent
Transformation, And Flow, he made both the of mid-period Son Seals. The funk and the
rhythmic notions of the Wu-Tang Clan and rock are meeting the straight blues sound
the timbral and harmonic advances of spec- head-on, but not enough to hurt.
tral composition fit with Swiss-watch precision The highlight is the spooky “Open
into the template of little big band jazz. Dialect Letter (To Whom It May Concern).” With
Fluorescent is an inside move. his voice distorted as if he were coming in
Working within the confines of the trio for- over the phone, Cannon sings not of love
mat, Lehman has turned his tart tone and groove. Bassist Matt Brewer shines through- lost, but of blues-club politics, complete
probing attack to standard material by John out, contributing astute counterpoint without with false friends and shady club owners
Coltrane, Duke Pearson and Gene Wilder. ever dropping that essential pulse, no matter making cameo appearances.
The utter security with which he negotiates how elaborately Reid drums around the beat. Another exceptional original is “Leaving
fiendishly convoluted variations on “Pure Lehman also brings some of his own composi- Mood,” which sounds like a more earth-
Imagination,” a tune once voiced by Willie tions, and it’s telling that his “Foster Brothers,” bound Hendrix, just wallowing in paranoia.
Wonka, establishes Lehman as a true 21st with its succinct progressions and unpredict-  —James Porter
century bebopper. Likewise, he brings adroit ably dimensioned silences, is as compelling as Leaving Mood: She Loved Me; Chico’s Song; Come On; I Be-
lieve; Hard Luck; Open Letter (To Whom It May Concern);
muscularity and nimble mobility to “Mr. E,” any of the standards.  —Bill Meyer I Can’t Take Her Nowhere; Leaving Mood; She’s Too Much;
which he took from the book of his early men-
You’re A Good Woman; Earnestine; Do I Move You?; Baby
Dialect Fluorescent: Allocentric (Intro); Allocentric; Moment’s No- Girl; Not Gonna Worry. (60:17)
tor Jackie McLean. He references McLean’s tice; Foster Brothers; Jeannine; Alloy; Pure Imagination; Fumba
Rebel; Mr. E. (45:30)
Personnel: Toronzo Cannon, vocals, guitar; Lawrence Glad-
ney, rhythm guitar; Roosevelt Purifoy, piano, organ, Rhodes
pinched sound, but makes it his own by giv- Personnel: Steve Lehman, alto saxophone; Matt Brewer, bass;
Damion Reid, drums.
electric piano; Carl Weathersby, guitar (5, 11); Matthew Skoller,
harmonica (2, 6, 9); Larry Williams, bass; Marty Binder, drums.
ing it a strongly centered but ever-changing Ordering info: pirecordings.com Ordering info: delmark.com

66 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Beyond | By Peter margasak

Classical Anna Clyne

Innovators
Chris Brown is a veteran of the Bay Area new
music scene and a co-founder of the computer
network band the Hub, but the three pieces on
Iconicities (New World 80723; 52:14 HHH1/2)
explore a heightened interaction between per-
cussion and electronics/live processing; the
great William Winant is featured on all of them.
“Stupa” is richly resonant dialogue between
piano and vibraphone, “Gangsa”—named for
the Filipino gong—features ringing and pinging
metallic figures performed by Winant’s four-

todd rosenberg
member group processed in hall-of-mirrors
digital refractions by Brown, and on “Iceberg”
Brown does something similar with Winant’s
crotales, glockenspiel and hi-hat. The pieces lantly displays her easy virtuosity and empa-
are rooted in heavy theoretical ideas, but the thetic approach. Kaija Saariaho’s swooping
results speak for themselves. title piece finds Chase breathlessly interweav-
Ordering info: newworldrecords.org ing vocal interjections and fluid flute lines
There’s little wonder why the Chicago without seams, backed deftly by a quartet of
Symphony Orchestra just signed on London ICE members with translucent brilliance. The
native Anna Clyne to her second two-year middle of the album features two duets with
term as Mead Composer-In-Residence. On pianist Jacob Greenberg and one with clarinet-
her first collection, Blue Moth (Tzadik 8084; ist Joshua Rubin on works by Donatoni, Carter
60:09 HHHH), she showcases a vibrant en- and Boulez, while the collection closes with the
gagement with sound, colliding noise and pro- premiere of Dai Fujikura’s bass flute meditation
cessed samples with deft melodic shapes and “Glacier.”
texture-rich abstractions. Although she’s cre- Ordering info: newfocusrecordings.com
ated purely acoustic work elsewhere, each of The spectral Japanese mouth organ called
the seven pieces here feature inventive electro- the shô is at the center of the four composi-
acoustic elements, whether brittle whooshes tions by Toshio Hosokawa on Landscapes
tangle with the upper-register clarinet squalls (ECM 2095; 55:52 HHHH), where the instru-
of Eileen Mack on “Rapture” or the way the ment’s slow-moving lines and rich harmonics
sweet murmurs and gasping breaths of Caleb are both presented as sole voice on “Sakura
Burhans and Martha Culver and the violent Für Otto Tomek” and are simulated by hy-
machinations of the string quartet Ethel are droplaning strings on “Ceremonial Dance.”
fused electronically on “Roulette.” On the opening and closing pieces the shô,
Ordering info: tzadik.com played throughout by the brilliant Mayumi Mi-
Soviet composer Galina Ustvolskaya, a yata, echoes and refracts lines shaped by the
student of Shostakovich who began working Müchener Kammerochester. Perhaps due to
as a freelancer in the midst of an official em- the shô’s restricted mobility, these pieces oc-
phasis on populist music, didn’t end up pub- cupy a narrow sonic range, but within that pal-
lishing many works before dying in 2006, but ette the sounds are ethereal, haunting and rich.
those she shared with the world demonstrated Ordering info: ecmrecords.com
an austere, steely vision. Composition No. 2 The music of Polish composer Joanna
“Dies Irae” (Wergo 67392; 52:01 HHHH) is Wozny, who studied under Beat Furrer in Aus-
one of three dramatic pieces included here, as tria, achieves a thrilling dynamism on her re-
eight massed contrabasses engage with piano cent collection As In A Mirror, Darkly (Kairos
and a struck wooden cube in jarring collision 0013192; 62:41 HHHH), where micro ideas
of darkness and light. “Sonata No. 6” is one provide the starting point for her writing. The
of her last works, from 1988, but it’s just as title piece, for example, was derived from the
dynamic as the earliest piece, “Grand Duet,” notion of how tiny particles or “impurities” can
performed magnificently by cellist Rohan de affect how we see things, like a speck of dust
Saram and pianist Marino Formenti. on a film print, while “Loses” is concerned with
Ordering info: wergo.de how isolated sound ideas change nature when
Claire Chase is known as the founder of put through various collaged permutations.
International Contemporary Ensemble, one of Five different ensembles are featured, includ-
the world’s best and most adventurous new ing the superb Klanforum Wien, conducted by
music groups, but she’s also a striking flutist. Enno Pope, on the title piece, and each brings
Terrestre (New Focus 122; 48:54 HHHH) is a stunning clarity to her abstract ideas. DB
a stunning second solo album, and it noncha- Ordering info: kairos-music.com
 counterpoints.
Bassist Drew Gress functions as the pro-
pulsive glue between Perdomo and DeJohnette.
It helps that Gress has already established win-
ning rapport with them in separate ensembles.
And while invigorating improvisations dis-
tinguish much of Universal Mind, Perdomo
doesn’t rely upon that alone. He comes with
a solid collection of originals and two keen-
ly chosen standards. The disc blasts off with
a quicksilver rendition of Joe Henderson’s
“Tetragon” that finds the trio developing a joy-
ous, elastic swing that propels Perdomo’s gran-
ite-hard melody and labyrinthine improvisa-
tions. The trio also refurbishes DeJohnette’s
“Tin Can Alley” marvelously. Its 1980-record-
Luis Perdomo ed version showcased a slower tempo with
Universal Mind saxophones, clarinets and cello. Perdomo’s
RKM 1164 scaled-down makeover is decidedly leaner and
HHHH swifter, with Perdomo’s nimble piano improvi-
sations racing across DeJohnette’s lacerating
Pianist Luis Perdomo raises the bar significant- polyrhythms and Gress’ jutting bass lines.
ly on this scintillating trio outing by connect- Perdomo delivers some noteworthy origi-
ing with one of his all-time heroes—Jack nals, too, particularly the lovely “Langnau,”
DeJohnette. Throughout the disc, the two which discreetly shows both his Latin roots
exhibit a flinty accord that suggests that they’ve and his debt to McCoy Tyner, the danceable
been playing together for at least two consec- yet adventurous “Just Before,” and “Above The
utive decades. Nevertheless, this is their first Storm,” a gorgeous ballad that comes with an
meeting. And what a spectacular one, best illus- instantly singable melody. On the latter tune,
trated on “Unified Path I” and “Unified Path Perdomo also reveals that he can elicit musical
II.” Both cuts are completely spot-on improvi- sparks while lowering all the feisty friction to a
sations with Perdomo pecking out a fetching glimmer.  —John Murph
melody that blossoms into a wondrous explora- Universal Mind: Tetragon; Langnau; Rebellious Contemplation;
tions filled with jarring harmonies and dramat- United Path I; Just Before; United Path II; Tin Can Alley; Above The
Storm; Gene’s Crown; Dance Of The Elephants; Doppio. (60:13)
ic momentum underneath DeJohnette’s equal- Personnel: Luis Perdomo, piano; Drew Gress, bass; Jack De-
Johnette, drums.
ly inventive and melodically cogent rhythmic Ordering info: rkmmusic.com

Roscoe Mitchell
Numbers
Rogue Art 0036
HHH1/2
In Bill Shoemaker’s liner notes, he argues that
music appreciation is a matter of context. It is
also a question of experience and references.
Therefore, Numbers should not be viewed as a
new chamber work for the reason that most of
the musicians performing these solo and duo
pieces by reed player Roscoe Mitchell come
from a particular musical sphere. They have also
tested the improvised music and jazz waters.
In the jazz realm, Mitchell has developed a
reputation for pushing the envelope. As a
result, this collection of works can appear
fairly academic. Still, their relative classicism
should not overshadow the pure pleasure they three poems by e.e. cummings expressively
provide. Moreover, the composer’s musical sung by baritone Thomas Buckner find their
idiosyncrasies still transpire through pianist roots in the Lied tradition.  —Alain Drouot
Stephen Rush’s rendition of the three move-
ments of “8/8/88” that can be best described Numbers: Bells For New Orleans (prelude); 9/9/99; Sketches; Be-
cause It’s; This; Dim; Bells For New Orleans; WR/C 2A Opus I;
as dissonant boogie; or through the sorrow- 8/8/88 1st Movement; 8/8/88 2nd Movement; 8/8/88 3rd Move-
ful “Sketches,” whose romantic aspirations are
ment; 9/9/09; Bells For New Orleans (postlude). (65:10)
Personnel: Roscoe Mitchell, alto sax (8); Thomas Buckner, bari-
torpedoed by bass player Hans Strum. tone (4, 5, 6); Joseph Kubera, piano (2, 4, 5, 6); Stephen Rush,
piano (9, 10, 11); Joan Wildman, piano (3); Nils Bultmann, viola (12);
The three-part “Bells For New Orleans” Vartan Manoogian, violin (2); Hans Sturm, bass (3); William Winant,
tubular bells (1, 13), orchestra bells (7), vibraphone (8).
provides an unexpected sonic diversion while Ordering info: roguart.com

68 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Marisa Monte
O Que Você Quer Saber
De Verdade
Blue Note 27208
HHH1/2
The last time we heard from Brazilian vocalist
Marisa Monte, she gave us two full albums.
That was six years ago, and now she’s returned
with a more modest but no less compulsively
listenable offering that finds her working with
a large cast of collaborators.
The album’s title means “What You Really
Want To Know” and any language barrier
melts for the music. Though she’s classical-
ly trained, Monte has become one of the most
significant inheritors of the legacy of Música
Popular Brasileira, the strain of pop that grew
out of bossa nova in the late ’60s. Here, her
take on the genre is elastic, incorporating lush
orchestration from three different arrangers,
backing from Argentinian tango group Café
de los Maestros on the cinematic “Lencinho
Querido (El Panuelito)” and a bit of clavinet
from Bernie Worrell.
It always sounds and feels fundamentally
Brazilian, though, and a little samba slips into
the rhythm of the accordion-driven “O Que Se
Quer.” If the record has a flaw, it’s that it is fair-
ly uniform in tone—the tidy production could
stand a few woolier edges.  —Joe Tangari
O Que Você Quer Saber De Verdade: O Que Você Quer Saber
de Verdade; Descalço No Parque; Depois; Amar Alguém; O Que
Se Quer; Nada Tudo; Verdade, Uma Ilusão; Lencinho Querido (El
Panuelito); Ainda Bem; Aquela Velha Canção; Era Óbvio; Hoje Eu
Não Saio Não; Seja Feliz; Bem Aqui. (45:19)
Personnel: Marisa Monte, vocals, percussion, ukelele, guitar, me-
lodica, harmonica, Hammond organ, steel drums; Dadi, ukelele,
percussion, bass, electric piano, guitar, Hammond organ, pignose
guitar, Rhodes, vibraphone, mandolin; Thomas Bartlett, piano,
Rhodes, keyboards (1, 3, 4); Pupillo, drums; Lucio Maia, guitar;
Dengue, bass; Waldonys, accordion (5, 6, 12), percussion (5);
Bernie Worrell, Hammond organ (2, 3), Clavinet (2), Moog (2);
Gustavo Santaolalla, ronroco (9, 12), nylon string guitar (9, 14),
sitar guitar (12), pump harmonica (14); Miguel Atwood-Ferguson,
violin (2, 3, 7), viola (2, 3); Marty Ehrlich, bass clarinet (1), alto flute
(11); Joyce Hammann, violin (1, 10, 11); Cornelius Dufallo, violin
(1, 10, 11); Lois E. Martin, viola (1, 10, 11); Erik Friedlander, cello
(1, 10, 11); Domenico Lancellotti, drums (2); Vinicius Cantuária,
percussion (2); Money Marc, Wurlitzer (10), Rhodes (11), Ham-
mond organ (11); Andricka Hall, backing vocals (3); Renee Ternier,
backing vocals (3); John James, backing vocals (3); Jesse Harris,
guitar (4); Rodrigo Amarante, guitar, keyboards, bass, drum ma-
chine, percussion (5); Robby Marshall, clarinet (7); Cezar Mendes,
nylon string guitar (7, 12); Fernando Suárez Paz, violin (8); Raúl
di Renzo, violin (8), Sergio Polizzi, violin (8); Cláudio Melone, viola
(8); Miguel Angel Vervelo, bandoneon (8); Aníbal Kerkel, keyboards
(9); Maico Lopes, trumpet (9, 13); Adriana Morejon, bassoon (11);
Arnaldo Antunes, lead vocal (12); Pedro Baby,shaker (13); Daniel
Jobim, piano (14).
Ordering info: bluenote.com

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 69

 Joel Harrison 7 Harrison wrote in the liner notes that he
Search included the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping
Sunnyside 1300 Post,” for which Gary Versace breaks out the
HHHH Hammond B3, as a way to break up the severi-
ty of the album. Here the tune gets a rock drum
Joel Harrison/ beat and some more bluesy playing by Harrison,
Lorenzo Feliciati but the piece is still in keeping with the blend of
Holy Abyss classical and jazz that carries the album.
Cuneiform Records 334 Search ends with a short solo piano coda,
HHH heavy on the sustain pedal, by Versace. The
disjunct melody moves rapidly over the key-
Search begins with minimalism. Cello board in a simple sendoff to a hamornically rich
and violin saw eighth notes like lum- album. Versace never stops to take a breath,
berjacks cut logs, creating a rough constantly moving forward, echoing the under-
aural plane for a chordal piano intro lying pace of “Search.”
on “Grass Valley And Beyond.” When Holy Abyss, on the other hand, is much
Donny McCaslin comes in for the more of a combo record and is billed as a col-
saxophone melody, the background drops to a whisper, but the strings, laboration between Harrison and bassist Lorenzo Feliciati. The guitar-
beefed up by offbeat chords on the guitar, remain a constant pulsing ist is on equal footing with the rest of the band—and his guitar, distort-
presence. And just like that, any pretext toward minimalism is gone, and ed or with a clean tone, leads the way, usually mimicking Cuong Vu’s
guitarist Joel Harrison moves to layering dense sections of interlocking, muted brass. Compositionally, Harrison also is an equal player, offering
moving sound on top of one another. three tunes out of the eight total tracks (Feliciati and Vu also write a few
It is, of course, no surprise that guitar plays a major role in Harrison’s tunes). The songs are much less dense than on Search, and many of them
latest classical/jazz compositional exploration—he wrote most of the are imbued with an atmospheric, dreamscape quality.  —Jon Ross
tunes himself—but the guitar’s timbre is usually wrapped into the entire Search: Grass Valley And Beyond; A Magnificent Death; All The Previous Pages Are Gone; The Beauty
sonic picture, beneath interlocking textures of violin and cello. Of Failure; Whipping Post; O Sacrum Convivium; Search. (58:08)
“Grass Valley And Beyond” and the 15-minute “A Magnificent
Personnel: Joel Harrison, guitar; Donny McCaslin, tenor saxophone; Gary Versace, piano, organ;
Christian Howes, violin; Dana Leong, cello; Stephan Crump, bass; Clarence Penn, drums.
Death” start the record on a somber note, with lugubrious strings and Ordering info: sunnysiderecords.com

pondering melodies. “Magnificent Death” is a tribute to a friend who Holy Abyss: Requiem For An Unknown Soldier; Saturday Night In Pendleton; Small Table Rules; Faith;
Solos; North Wind (Mistral); Old And New; That Evening. (53:22)
passed away from cancer, and Harrison even uses the friend’s voice in Personnel: Joel Harrison, guitar; Lorenzo Felicati, bass; Cuong Vu, trumpet; Roy Powell, piano; Dan
the middle of the piece, amid thorny music that demands an active ear.
Weiss, drums.
Ordering info: cuneiformrecords.com

Josh Ginsburg Sidi Touré

Zembla Variations Koïma
Brooklyn Jazz Thrill Jockey 301
Underground 030
HHHH
HHH1/2
On last year’s Sahel Folk, Mali’s
The title of bassist Josh Gins- Sidi Touré took an exceeding-
burg’s debut CD pays tribute ly simple approach, pairing him-
to his Brooklyn neighborhood self with friends for each song and
by way of a Valdimir Nabokov recording everything in a house in
novel set in a strange, not- one take.
quite-real country. The eight For Koïma, Touré takes a dif-
original compositions don’t deviate from the known in quite such a radi- ferent course, assembling a band with two guitars, bass, percussion, the
cal manner, but Ginsburg discovers ways to rethink the familiar in much violin-like sokou and a female backing vocalist. With a consistent cast
the same way that the constantly self-reinventing borough does. in place for every song, the album is definitely a band record, with a dis-
“PushBar (For Emergency Exit)” begins the disc with Ginsburg’s tinctive sound.
distantly pulsing bass and an introspective statement of the melody Touré’s voice and cycling rhythm guitar are still at the heart of the
by saxophonist Eli Degibri; this dream-like introduction dissipates as group’s music, but the band is dynamic. Lead guitarist Oumar Konaté
quickly as it appeared, replaced by a much more forceful and surging plays acoustic, but his style is often reminiscent of the electric players
restatement of the same basic material. of Mali’s great dance orchestras, with fluid phrasing and complementa-
Ginsburg writes in a way that asserts himself as leader while main- ry rhythm playing that bounces cleanly off Touré’s solid ostinatos. The
taining a group identity for the quartet. He doubles Degibri’s tenor with rhythm section’s main job is to hypnotize, and they lock into patterns
bowed bass on the slinky lines of “Koan” and supplies an elastic bounce early in each song that are rarely broken.
to “Gently,” complementing George Colligan’s shimmering Rhodes and One of the most interesting elements of the band is the interplay
Rudy Royston’s subtle rhythmic buoyancy. The bassist leaps into a mus- between Touré and backing singer Leïla Ahimidi Gobbi, whose pinched
cular walk on the penultimate track, “Red Giant,” a welcome accelera- vocals add a tart rejoinder to his dusty leads. Touré can really sing, too.
tion given the mid-tempo concentration of much of the disc. Still, this When he cuts loose near the end of “Ishi Tanmaha,” showing off vocal
disc veers away from the visceral in favor of the cerebral, revealing itself power he usually plays down, it’s shocking how much volume he can
in gradually unfolding layers. —Shaun Brady summon seemingly from nowhere.  —Joe Tangari
Zembla Variations: PushBar (For Emergency Exit); Zembla Variations; 10,000 Leagues; Koan; Gently; Koïma: Ni See Ay Ga Done; Maïmouna; Aïy Faadji; Woy Tiladio; Koïma; Ishi Tanmaha; À Chacun Sa
Oxygen; Red Giant; Jakewalk. (58:47) Chance; Kalaa Ay Makoïy; Tondi Karaa; Euzo. (52:18)
Personnel: Eli Degibri, tenor and soprano saxophone; George Colligan, piano, Fender Rhodes; Josh Personnel: Sidi Touré, guitar, lead vocals; Oumar Konaté, lead guitar; Charles-Éric Charrier, bass; Alex
Ginsburg, bass; Rudy Royston, drums. Baba, calabash; Zumana Téreta, sokou; Leïla Ahimidi Gobbi, backing vocals; Douma Maïga, kurbu (1).
Ordering info: bjurecords.com Ordering info: thrilljockey.com

70 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Chicago Ehud Asherie
Underground Duo Upper West Side
Age Of Energy Posi-Tone 8092
Northern Spy 020 HHHH1/2
HHH
If an artist is going to explore an
The latest Chicago Underground older style that’s been mined
Duo venture is a homecoming extensively, then he or she had bet-
and a departure. Not only is it ter be able to work with that style’s
the first record that Rob Mazurek progenitors. On Upper West Side,
and Chad Taylor have recorded in pianist Ehud Asherie and tenor
Chicago in half a decade, it’s the saxophonist Harry Allen dem-
first that they have made together since Mazurek moved back to the onstrate that they can more than just hang. Both men have taken cer-
Midwest after an extended sojourn in Brazil. But it also represents a long tain aspects from the music’s heavyweights to forge their own approach.
stride away from the open-ended but jazz-rooted improvisational lan- Allen comes out of the Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins school of
guage that the two men have shared since the mid-’90s. Both musicians husky, swinging and sensual tenor players. Employing a breathy sub-
have wielded electronics on other Chicago Underground records, but tone and subtle vibrato, Allen is an expert balladeer. His first few utter-
the thick textures, cycling arpeggios and stolid cadences they employ ances of “Our Love Is Here To Stay” are pure butter, and he coos and
during the first 15 minutes of the lengthy suite “Winds And Sweeping caresses the melody, whispering sweet nothings into the listener’s ear.
Pines” have more in common with analog underground outfits like Pulse Allen is at his softest and most delicate on Strayhorn’s “Passion Flower”
Emitter than the Don Cherry-steeped horn-and-percussion exchanges of and Jimmy McHugh’s “I’m In The Mood For Love,” where he rarely
yore. There’s nothing wrong with the Chicago Underground giving jazz plays above a whisper. He uses various growls and scoops in an upt-
the slip; they’ve made some enduring music during their forays on the empo and swinging take of “I Want To Be Happy,” which also features
uncharted waters between genres. But this record lacks the variety of Asherie’s excellent stride playing. Asherie, who has appropriated and
their last record (Boca Negra) and the sustained improvisational fire of combined elements from Basie, Ellington and Hank Jones, is equally
Mazurek’s fiery Starlicker ensemble. It could use a few more flare-ups impressive, whether soloing or backing Allen. His sense of swing and
to balance the passages of colorful but low-wattage atmospherics.  time are impeccable.  —Chris Robinson
 —Bill Meyer
Upper West Side: Learnin’ The Blues; It Had To Be You; O Pato; Our Love Is Here To Stay; Have You
Age Of Energy: Winds And Sweeping Pines; It’s Alright; Castle In Your Heart; Age Of Energy. (42:29) Met Miss Jones?; Passion Flower; I Want To Be Happy; Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams; I’m In The
Personnel: Rob Mazurek, cornet, electronics, voice; Chad Taylor, drums, mbira, electronics, drum Mood For Love; Love Will Find A Way; My Blue Heaven. (59:39)
machine. Personnel: Ehud Asherie, piano; Harry Allen, tenor saxophone.
Ordering info: northern-spy.com Ordering info: posi-tone.com
 Historical | By john ephland

George Duke’s George Duke

Steamrolling ’70s
George Duke, in his revealing, honest liner
notes to From Me To You, says, “The idea for
this album was to merge the styles I love into
one album.” With a much bigger budget and
more time, Duke’s wide palette and far-rang-
ing talents were clearly on display for this, his
first record for Epic. Perhaps stemming from
his earlier roots, working with, among others,
Cannonball Adderley and Frank Zappa, and on
the heels of a string of strong releases for MPS,
these six titles are a mixed bag, hot stuff one
moment, predictable pablum the next.
Duke’s prolific pen and studio wiz-

Courtesy Legacy Recordings

ardry as a producer, along with being one
funky player and singer, run through all of
The George Duke Band: The Complete
1970s Epic Albums Collection (Epic/
Legacy 88697930322; 41:25/46:41/42:39/
43:17/42:17/44:15 HHH1/2). As for From Me atmosphere of singers and talkers. The zesty
To You, Duke notes his favorite cuts are the “Morning Sun,” the title-track workout and
instrumentals, one of which echoes the ’70s- “The Way I Feel,” which kicks in and out of
era dance vibe throughout but with all those percussive high-gear, contrast with sappy love
interesting signature touches that only Duke songs lacking harmonic grit.
could muster. “’Scuse Me Miss” is fun, and Follow The Rainbow is another big party
“Up With It” showcases both the leader’s and with lots of extra horns, inspired by Earth,
Clarke’s solo prowess on the album’s fusion Wind & Fire. “Party Down” says it all, as much
tour de force. The acoustic, lyrical “Seasons,” a dance tune as anything. Ricky Lawson re-
with Clarke and guitarist Mike Sembello, places Ndugu at drums and the feel is felt:
registers, hearkening back to Duke’s Zappa more disco, less funk, less kick. The shared
days. Throughout, regular drummer Leon vocals and slow, steady beats of “Say That
“Ndugu” Chancler keeps it all moving amidst You Will” and “Sunrise” echo EWF big-time,
the firepower of horns and a vocal ensemble. the emphasis on radio-friendly music taking
Reach For It, Duke’s best seller, contin- over this release. Vestiges of Latin and the oc-
ues the love and dance feel with even more casional instrumental surface with the peppy,
funkiness, more focus and more percussion. percussion-heavy “Festival.”
“Lemme At It” is a spirited romp, tuneful with Master Of The Game, while modeled on
a serious kick, a keeper that features Charles Follow The Rainbow’s personnel and vibe, has
Johnson’s sizzling electric guitar. “Hot Fire” more bite. The opener “Look What You Find”
raises the temp with Latin flavors and a dis- uses the horn section, a spirited call-and-
co beat with help from percussionist Manolo response vocal and hot percussion overlay
Badrena. The title track was a stereo store fa- to boot. Likewise, there is more EWF energy
vorite, the song’s seductive, slow-and-slinky with “Every Little Step I Take” and more banter
beat amidst a chest-thumping electronic dy- and squishy synth with the bouncy “Games.”
namic range (via Duke’s keyboards and Miller’s Disco breezes in with new singer Lynn Davis
boss bass) and a bunch of sassy (mostly) fe- and her feathery, soulful falsetto (Duke solos
male foreground/background vocals. The vo- on piano). More interesting keyboard atmo-
cal “Just For You” is classic Duke ballad ter- spherics come in with the quickie “In The Dis-
ritory, sweet and utterly soulful. The Latin vibe tance,” and bubble-gum fluff makes up “I Love
returns with “Omi,” featuring trombonist Raul You More.”
de Souza (and an uncredited Flora Purim join- A Brazilian Love Affair takes his love of
ing the background vocals) on this grinding, Latin music and puts it front and center, re-
uptempo waltz. corded in Rio and Los Angeles with Airto
Don’t Let Go tried to maintain Reach For Moreira, Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta,
It’s success, adding singers Josie James and Roberto Silva, Flora Purim and Simone. Duke’s
Napoleon Murphy Brock along with percus- love of harmonic twists, funky beats and lots
sionist Sheila Escovedo. While this album of percussive kick combine on the engaging,
does include nice pit stops with “Percussion disco-flavored title track, Milton’s gorgeous
Subscribe Interlude” and the violin/viola duo “Preface”
is more pop, the big hit “Dukey Stick” loaded
“Cravo E Canela” and the haunting “Ao Que
Vai Nascer.” DB
877-904-JAZZ up with a plodding, slinky beat and a party Ordering info: legacyrecordings.com

72 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Darius Jones Quartet
Book Of Mæ’bul
Aum Fidelity 072
HHHH
Over the last couple of years, the galvanic sax-
ophonist Darius Jones has made serious waves
in New York, and his latest salvo reinforces
why.
Not only is Book Of Mæ’bul another pow-
erful addition to a body of work that he cumu-
latively calls a “sonic tone poem” of his life—
this collection wordlessly essays the women in
his life whom he’s loved and had relationships
with—but it shows his smarts as a bandlead-
er. Each recording under his name has fea-
tured a different band or instrumental context,
and each offered a discrete musical approach.
Considering the subject material, it’s hard-
ly surprising that Book Of Mæ’bul is ballad-
heavy, but the results are necessarily romantic.
Pianist Matt Mitchell employs an impres-
sively light touch on the proceedings, a perfect
counter to the way the leader’s heavy vibrato
streaks his astringent tone and sorrowful, ten-
der melodies with an emotional weight. The
rhythm section of Trevor Dunn and Ches Smith
is exceptionally nimble, but that doesn’t pre-
vent it from engaging in some well-placed tur-
bulence. In fact, many of Jones’ compositions
here evolve through shifting emotional states—
apropos of the subject matter—without losing
the thread. There are moments when the influ-
ence of David S. Ware shines through, as on
“Be Patient With Me,” but Jones channels such
inspirations through his own sensibility; his
playing doesn’t sound at all like Ware’s, but the
gravity of his writing and the band’s kaleido-
scopic emotional intensity reminds of the teno-
rist’s classic quartet. I think the full picture of
Jones’ talent and vision has yet to emerge, but
with each new recording we’re seeing another
facet of a magnificently gifted musician. Here’s
hoping the denouement takes a while.
 —Peter Margasak
Book Of Mæ’bul: The Enjoli Moon; The Fagley Blues; Winkie; Be
Patient With Me; My Baby; You Have Me Seeing Red; So Sad;
Roosevelt. (55:49)
Personnel: Darius Jones, alto saxophone; Matt Mitchell, piano;
Trevor Dunn, bass; Ches Smith, drums.
Ordering info: aumfidelity.com

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 73

 low haven of Perth beckons, Stephens’ tenor
gliding over Almazan’s bouyant Rhodes—a
kite in the wind. The writing cuts across a wide
emotional range with fine pace, ebb and flow.
“Thicker Than Water” is a haunting tribute to
the leader’s Chinese forbears, Jen Shyu recall-
ing the vocal purity of Esperanza Spalding
when English lyrics kick in over Oh’s harmo-
nizing bassoon, perfectly in synch with over-
dubbed arco bass. “Mr M” is too balmy to con-
jure the turbulent Charles Mingus (Oh sounds
more like Mingus on the Duke Ellington stan-
dard “Come Sunday”), but elsewhere, during
“No.1 Hit” and “Deeper Than Sad,” the pro-
pulsive time and ideas of bassist Avishai Cohen
spring to mind. Royston splashes polyrhythms
before the fade of “No.1 Hit” and contributes
Linda Oh hip cymbal placements on the gloriously dole- Eric Alexander/Vincent Herring
Initial Here ful closer. Friendly Fire
Greenleaf Music 1024 Weary melismas from tenor and bowed High Note Records 7232
HHHH bass over a shackled, spent piano figure on HHH1/2
“Deeper Than Sad” set the tone, pendulous
The sophomore disc from bassist/bassoonist backing vocals the oarsmen on a slave ship. Friendly Fire, the new live recording from sax-
Linda Oh features a tight quartet including Stephens pipes through up top with the intense ophonists Eric Alexander and Vincent Herring,
in-demand drummer Rudy Royston, rangy gravitas of Jan Gabarek and goes textural, sounds like it could have been placed in a time
saxophonist Dayna Stephens and Cuban pia- inspiring bristling atonality from Almazan, capsule that was buried in the late ’50s. Joining
nist Fabian Almazan, whom Oh met at the interspersed with melodica. It’s a powerful the saxophonists on this excellent hard-bop
Manhattan School of Music. diminuendo, bearing a heavy weight and a date are pianist Mike Ledonne, bassist John
Oh is equally strong on acoustic and elec- heavy heart, an a propos contrast to the playful Webber and drummer Carl Allen. Recorded in
tric: Check her ferocious thrust on Leonard sister track “Deeper Than Happy.”  August 2011 at New York’s Smoke, Friendly
Bernstein’s “Something Coming,” then her  —Michael Jackson Fire is aptly named, given that the soloists
nimble plugged-in playing on “Little House.” Initial Here: Ultimate Persona; Something’s Coming/Les Cinq bring out their big guns, but rather than point
Oh’s compositions are affecting, with convinc- Doigts; Mr M; No.1 Hit; Thicker Than Water; Little House; Deeper
Than Happy; Desert Island Dream; Come Sunday; Deeper Than them at each other they aim their sights toward
ing narratives. “Desert Island Dream” relives Sad. (56:03)
Personnel: Linda Oh, acoustic/electric bass, bassoon; Dayna Ste-
making a scintillating and fun spirited album.
her family’s emigration from Malaysia to phens, tenor sax; Fabian Almazan, piano, Rhodes, melodica; Rudy Herring has an amazing and powerful alto
Australia. After a queasy sea voyage, the mel- sound, and his approach is soulful and blues-
Royston, drums; Jen Shyu, vocals (5); Christian Howes, strings (6).
Ordering info: greenleafmusic.com
drenched. He sounds a bit like Cannonball
Adderley, but his tone has a little more edge,
Jake Saslow it’s a little grainier, and his phrasing is slight-
Crosby Street ly more relaxed and laid-back than Adderley’s.
14th Street Records 1101 Alexander has a somewhat bright tenor
HHH1/2 sound, amazing technique, and rips off virtu-
osic lines at will. McCoy Tyner’s “Inception”
Crosby Street runs from Howard north to is a perfect vehicle for Alexander’s Coltrane-
Bleecker Street, through Manhattan’s SoHo inspired pyrotechnics, which Herring com-
neighborhood. Tenor saxophonist Jake Saslow plements nicely with long lyrical phrases.
lived in SoHo as a young boy, before it became The tuneful “Sukiyaki,” which has a quasi-
a high-rent district, but spent the rest of his two-beat feel, is one of the disc’s highlights,
childhood on Long Island. From its title to as are Hank Mobley’s “Pat ’N’ Chat” and
cover painting, Saslow’s debut album finds him “Dig Dis.” Each saxophonist has a brief bal-
reaching back to see what he can grasp of a lad feature where they are the only soloist—
world that no longer exists. Herring on “You’ve Changed” and Alexander
He does it mostly through the lens of wind- on “Mona Lisa.” Friendly Fire concludes with
ing original compositions that make subtle use Herring’s “Timothy,” the album’s lone orig-
of unusual meters and inventive phrasing to bass patterns move things along when they get inal. Beginning with a tender ballad section
knock the cadence of his melodies slightly off too thick in the middle. by Herring, the tune goes to a medium swing
balance. The technique is most effective on the It’s interesting that Saslow chose to make for the solos and features Alexander slalom-
effervescently reflective pair of songs that close most of his debut with a guitarist and pianist, ing through the changes. The rhythm section
the album, “How Things Were” and “Until given his club experience in a bass/drums/sax- is solid and Ledonne contributes nice solos
Next Time.” He and his band weave through ophone setting, but he only tries that approach throughout, but Friendly Fire’s focus is placed
the open spaces of these compositions, thread- on one song, rather boldly choosing Horace almost solely on Herring and Alexander.
ing melodies together in sensitive interplay as Silver’s “Lonely Woman.”  —Joe Tangari  —Chris Robinson
drummer Marcus Gilmore exhibits his impres- Friendly Fire: Pat ’N’ Chat; Sukiyaki; Inception; Dig Dis; You’ve
sive textural range. At the other end of the LP, Crosby Street: Early Riser; Taiga Forest; Lonely Woman; Lucky
13; Crosby Street; How Things Were; Until Next Time. (52:07)
Changed; Here’s That Rainy Day; Mona Lisa; Timothy. (60:44)
Personnel: Eric Alexander, tenor saxophone; Vincent Herring, alto
faster tempos make this delicate balance hard- Personnel: Jake Saslow, tenor saxophone; Mike Moreno, guitar;
Fabian Almazan, piano; Joe Martin, bass; Marcus Gilmore, drums.
saxophone; Mike Ledonne, piano; John Webber, bass; Carl Allen,
drums.
er to achieve, but Saslow’s strongly written Ordering info: jakesaslow.com Ordering info: jazzdepot.com

74 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Jim Black Trio
Somatic
Winter & Winter 910 184
HHHH
After five albums with his dynamic, rock-
driven quartet Alasnoaxis, drummer Jim
Black redirects himself with this beautifully
austere piano trio that scurries at the edges of
swing-based jazz. Supported by the sublime-
ly flexible and deeply musical bassist Thomas
Morgan and the young, largely unknown
Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder, Black can’t
help but summon the spirit of the late Paul
Motian, both in his wonderfully diffuse com-
positional slant and the melodic drive of his
drumming.
With the exception of the bruising, force-
ful “Beariere,” most of the music is lyric and
gentle, but that doesn’t mean the drummer
has suddenly surrendered his singular, pre-
cise lopsidedness. In fact, one of the most
rewarding qualities of this trio is the way it
subverts the ballad-heavy program by playing
just slightly out of register in the most elastic,
empathetic way possible.
By playing just ahead of or behind the
beat, or occasionally pulling the rug out from
under it, the music gains an exquisite tension
that masterfully complements the ruminative
melodies. At times the music recalls a scaled-
down Bad Plus, replacing muscular structures
and bravado with more malleable form and
wistfulness.
Yet even at its most hushed and romantic,
there’s a rigor that keeps this from becoming
cloying or arch. Each performance progress-
es according to its own idiosyncratic heartbeat,
rolling gracefully through peaks and valleys
that seem to appear spontaneously, according to
the plugged-in whims of the musicians. Black
has assembled a remarkably intuitive group
here that brings an effective mixture of acces-
sibility and elusiveness to his compositions,
a combination that keep the listener engaged,
guessing and surprised.  —Peter Margasak
Somatic: Tahre; Terrotow; Hestbak; Sure Are You; Willbee; Beari-
ere; Somatic; Protection; Chibi Jones; Uglysnug. (51:29)
Personnel: Jim Black, drums; Thomas Morgan, bass; Elias
Stemeseder, piano.
Ordering info: winterandwinter.com

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 75

 Books | By Jon Ross

American–African Connections Forged Through Jazz

African American musicians throughout and African culture.
jazz history have had a deep fascination Taking a historical view of jazz in Africa,
with Africa, but in two new books on jazz Kelley notes that even Africans themselves
on the continent, Steven Feld and Robin didn’t at first think they had the ears for
D.G. Kelley have found that this cultural modern jazz. When Louis Armstrong came
attraction is a two-way flow. Much like the to the continent in the ’60s, he writes that
exchange of goods from one country to an- the audience didn’t fully appreciate what
other, musicians from Africa import Ameri- Armstrong was playing. An African musi-
can ideas into their own music, and Ameri- cian at the time said, “Jazz is not the music
can jazz musicians journey to Africa to add of West Africans.”
a deeper meaning to their music. Kelley’s book starts with a more cur-
In Jazz Cosmopolitanism In Accra sory discussion of Ghanaba, moves on to
(Duke University Press), Feld—a pro- explorations of Randy Weston and Ahmed
fessor of anthropology and music at the Adbul-Malik, and ends his focus on Afri-
University of New Mexico, musician and can musicians with the historically under-
filmmaker—explores this cultural give-and- appreciated Samantha Bea Benjamin. Due
take from the perspective of three African to his subjects, Kelley’s book is more politi-
musicians and a group of lorry drivers who cal at its core than Feld’s anthropological-
play music on their squeeze horns. His aca- based research. Kelley writes, “Perhaps
demic research is intimate and experiential, with the growth of trans-Atlantic collabora-
written as a friend and a collaborator. Kel- tions and dissemination of culture, we can
ley’s Africa Speaks, America Answers no longer speak so confidently about jazz
(Harvard University Press) takes a differ- as an American art form, or render African
ent tactic. His book serves as a journalis- jazz musicians outside the pale of the mu-
tic biography of two American musicians sic’s history.”
who came to Africa to connect with their With the 2010 publication of Randy
homeland and an African drummer and a Weston’s autobiography (African Rhythms),
vocalist who both looked for greater ac- much of his voice is fresh on the minds of
knowledgement in the United States. Kelley readers, but Kelley digs a little deeper here,
also approaches his subject from a differ- and his distance from his subject—Kelley
ent background than Feld. A professor of mostly uses secondary sources through-
United States history at the University of out the book—makes mentioning issues
California, Los Angeles, Kelley is also the glossed over in Weston’s autobiography
author of the widely celebrated biography, easier. As for Weston’s identification with
Thelonious Monk: The Life And Times Of An Africa, Kelley writes that he looked to Af-
American Original. rica to instill a pride and heritage into his
Feld’s book is a collection of the re- music. His quest was also about bringing
search he gathered while living in Accra, about a difference, and his work went hand
Ghana, sitting down with African musi- in hand with the politics of the time. One
cians over the course of a few years and of the most significant parts of the book is
performing in the band Accra Trane Station the chapter on Benjamin, a musician look-
with two of his subjects, drummer Nii Otoo ing to leave Africa to realize her full musi-
Annan and saxophonist Nii Noi Nortey. The cal potential. She grew up under apartheid,
book starts, though, with a detailed portrait and when she came to the United States,
of Guy Warren. The drummer immigrated she experienced the same thing as Ghana-
from Africa to the United States in the mid- ba—she was at the same time not African
1950s, became frustrated with the racism enough to be a tribal singer, but too Afri-
he encountered—his sound and his look can to be taken seriously as a jazz singer.
were never African enough for American Praise from Duke Ellington gave her career
audiences—and ran back to Africa, chang- a push in the right direction, but for most of
ing his name to Ghanaba in the process. her life, she lived in the background, sup-
Feld’s explorations into the complicated porting her husband Abdullah Ibrahim. She
lives of these musicians is colored by his own impressions and opin- finally broke through with records of her own and eventually became
ions formed after working professionally with them for an extended a celebrated vocalist.
period. Ultimately, in Jazz Cosmopolitanism, Nortey discussed his near
This fascinating book opens up jazz from the African perspective. obsession with Coltrane, in the process summing up perfectly how
Whether he’s discussing with Nortey the Africanization of his saxo- African cosmopolitanism itself connects with American jazz. He’s not,
phones and his absolute dedication to the music of John Coltrane as he said, “an African playing what people think of as jazz on stan-
or explaining Ghanaba’s musical relationship with Max Roach, Feld dard jazz instruments.” Nii Nortey performs African music “informed
brings a full picture to the broadening cultural aspects of Africans by the history of jazz and especially the sprit of Coltrane, and the
playing their own type of jazz. He sees these musicians as true resi- politics of those times.” DB
dents of the world and their music as a cosmopolitan blend of jazz Ordering info: dukeupress.edu; hup.harvard.edu

76 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 Erik Charlston JazzBrasil
Essentially Hermeto
Sunnyside Records 1288
HHH1/2
Oscar Castro-Neves
Live At Blue Note Tokyo
Zoho 201201
HHH1/2
In the United States, Hermeto Pascoal’s music is not
celebrated enough. Although he ranks high in his
homeland of Brazil, Pascoal remains an enig-
matic footnote in the U.S. compared to Antonio
Carlos Jobim, Gilberto Gil or Caetano Veloso.
Vibraphonist Erik Charlston aims to rectify the situation on his win- wealth of Brazilian standards, the performances take on an elegant-
ning debut. ly breezy nature, especially on Castro-Neves’ soaring “Rio Dawning,”
Charlston was savvy enough to recruit the rhythmic team of percus- Edu Lobo’s sexy “Ponteio” and Marco Bosco’s atmospheric “Tatiando.”
sionist Café and drummer and percussionist Rogerio Boccato—two Castro-Neves’ spidery guitar gets ample room to shine but it doesn’t
musicians who have worked with Pascoal. Their sublime work does overwhelm the concert; it’s truly an ensemble effort that’s best illustrat-
magic on “Vale De Riberia” and the stunning “Essa Foi Demais.” ed on the ebullient rendering of Jobim’s classic “Waters Of March” and
On the front line, Charlston pairs vibraphone with reedist Ted Nash, on the Castro-Neves ballad “My Sweet Sweetie Pie.”  —John Murph
who often unleashes serpentine lines that writhe and float across Mark
Soskin’s orchestral piano accompaniment and Jay Anderson’s emphat-
Essentially Hermeto: Vale da Ribeira; Rebuilço; Santo Antonio; Essa Foi Demais; Hermeto; Paraiba;
Frevo Rasgado; Viva O Rio De Janerio. (50:58).
ic bass lines. Even though the emphasis is on compositions, Charlston’s Personnel: Erik Charlston, vibraphone, marimba, vocals (6); Ted Nash, saxophones, flute and clarinet;
Mark Soskin, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Rogério Boccato, drums and percussion; Café, percussion.
prowess as instrumentalist leaps forward on “Essa Foi Demais,” the Ordering info: sunnysiderecords.com

transfixing beginning of “Hermeto” and the dazzling “Frevo Rasgado.” Live At Blue Note Tokyo: Ela é Carioca, Ponteio; My Sweet Sweetie Pie; Domingo Azul Do Mar/
Guitarist and bossa nova co-architect Oscar Castro-Neves paid
Fotografia; Waters Of March; Rio; Caninana; Rio Dawning; Tatiando; Misturada/Tombo; Chora Tua
Tristeza; Canto De Ossanha; Manhá De Carnival; Deixa. (59:37)
homage to Brazilian composers on this engaging live date. He certain- Personnel: Oscar Castro-Neves, acoustic guitar, synthesizer guitar, vocals; Airto Moreira, drums, cax-
ixís (3), pandeiro and vocal solo (7), pandeiro and vocals (13); Leila Pinherio, vocals; Marco Bosco, per-
ly brought firepower to the stage with the all-star lineup, which includes cussion, voice effects, birds, kalimba (9); Paulo Calasans, acoustic piano, keyboards; Marcelo Mariano,
electric bass.
percussionist Airto Moreira and vocalist Leila Pinheiro. Covering a Ordering info: zohomusic.com

Calvin Keys
Shawn-Neeq
Tompkins Square 2646
HHHH
When guitarist Calvin Keys
recorded his 1971 debut for
Black Jazz, he was still near
the beginning of a long career
that saw him pass through the
bands of Pharoah Sanders,
Ray Charles, Sonny Stitt and a
long list of others, including a
few you might not have predicted (M.C. Hammer). All across this newly
reissued record, Keys displays the fluid technical dexterity and disci-
plined melodicism of a man who’s already played with (almost) all those
people and learned well from the experience.
Shawn-Neeq was made when the free crowd was pushing further out
and fusion was in full bloom, but this record swings, especially on side
one. It begins with a feint toward the cosmic frontier, with Keys’ acid-
tinged guitar leading the band as it plays out of time, but it quickly set-
tles into a breezy funk groove that sets the tone for the record that fol-
lows. Keys’ finger-picking is precise and direct, drawing from blues as
well as psychedelia, and his clear-eyed approach is nicely contrasted by
electric pianist Larry Nash’s billowy, cloud-like soloing.
Keys takes things further into funk and rock on side two without los-
ing his footing and keeps everything focused with tight writing—his
original compositions are memorable and reveal unexpected complexi-
ty when revisited. None more so than the title track, the weightless waltz
that floats at the heart of the record.  —Joe Tangari
Shawn-Neeq: B.E.; Criss Cross; Shawn-Neeq; Gee-Gee; B.K. (37:20)
Personnel: Calvin Keys, guitar; Bob Braye, drums; Lawrence Evans, bass; Larry Nash, electric piano;
Owen Marshall, flute, hose-a-phone, miscellaneous instruments.
Ordering info: tompkinssquare.com

78 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Jon Gold
Bossa Of Possibility
BluJazz 3386
HHHH1/2
Former Cornell chemist Jon
Gold turned his attention to
music years ago, and it’s our
good fortune in the form of this
sonically rich album. Gold uses
mostly Brazilian devices but
puts an individual jazz stamp on the finished product. His writing is at
least as interesting for the combinations of instruments as it is for the
melodies and compositional arcs. But the instrumental writing always
enhances the pieces, rather than call attention to itself.
He’s assembled fine combinations of players and soloists: Dave
Liebman alternates lyricism and angularity on “Buster”; Howard Levy’s
harmonica has a foro element in his foray on the title cut; Gold himself is
an understated soloist, preferring to add color and nuance to the ensem-
ble, though he gives a lovely, tender reading of “Impermanence.”
Gold is capable of complex writing. “P’butu” sounds bitonal with its
ongoing dissonance and overlaid linear voices. He also knows when
to give the musicians room to create. The rhythm section—especial-
ly drummer Mauricio Zotarelli—foments beautifully under Howard
Levy’s harmonica feature on the aching ballad “AOC.”  —Kirk Silsbee
Bossa Of Possibility: Ora Bolas; Bossa Of Possibility; Bugalu 2-6-3; Theme For Impermanence;
Buster; Caroline Dance; AOC; P’bubu; Mineira; Mainstay; Samba Ballet; Stanley. (46:00)
Personnel: Jon Gold, keyboards; Zack Brock, violin (1, 8, 10); Lauren Riley Rigby, cello (5); Howard
Levy, harmonica (2, 3, 7, 11); Tom Malone, horn; Jackie Coleman, horn (2); Jorge Continentino, flute (1,
3, 8, 9); Dave Liebman, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone (5, 12); Jon Ibragon, alto saxophone (1,
2, 8, 9); Bryan Murray, tenor saxophone (1, 3, 6, 8, 9); Scott Anderson, guitars; Rob Curto, accordion
(1, 8); Harvie S, bass; Jeff Hanley, electric bass (3, 6); Mauricio Zottarelli, drums; Adriano Santos, per-
cussion (1, 2, 3, 10); Zé Mauricio, percussion, Bríyana Martin, vocals (6, 8, 9, 11).
Ordering info: blujazz.com

Charles Gayle Trio

Streets
Northern Spy Records 018
HHH1/2
An arresting picture of saxo-
phonist Charles Gayle, in semi-
whiteface with Pagliacci tears
graces the cover of Streets. This
minstrel alter-ego has been par-
cel of Gayle’s persona for years.
Back in the ’90s he said: “When
you live in the street, it isn’t like
you can play at a street corner and then pack up and go home.”
Gayle is also known for his solo piano, and given this self-sufficien-
cy, it is often a matter of rhythm sections paralleling his whim. “Whim”
doesn’t do justice to Gayle’s sonic onslaught, however, which is a won-
derful ongoing catharsis, much like Albert Ayler with its quavering
vibrato and refracted textures.
The central statement of this session, recorded at the fabulously
named Seizures Palace studio in May 2011, the title track offers breathing
space for bassist Larry Roland to play on his own, since on “Compassion
I” he and Gayle seem poles apart. For a minute Gayle follows Roland
rather than plowing his own furrow, and the two coincide for a demure
decrescendo. A more extended phase of quietude with Roland lowing
and Thompson’s cymbals shimmering concludes “Doxology.” “March
Of April” begins with martial beats and something of an Afro-funk riff
from Roland. Gayle’s head is elsewhere, but there is no misinterpreting
his imploring shriek at the outset of “Tribulations,” which the trio takes
out with a tour de force.  —Michael Jackson
Streets: Compassion 1; Compassion II; Glory And Jesus; Streets; March Of April; Doxology; Tribula-
tions. (59:11)
Personnel: Charles Gayle, tenor saxophone; Larry Roland, bass; Michael TA Thompson, drums.
Ordering info: northern-spy.com

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 79

 Kat Edmonson
Way Down Low
Spinnerette 1202
HHHHH
Melissa Stylianou
Silent Movie
Anzic 0036
HHHH1/2
When listening to singers who move in and out
of jazz, pop and the kitchen sink, one ques-
tion always lingers: Are we talking standards,
or something else? In the case of singers Kat
Edmonson and Melissa Stylianou, the answer
for each on their new discs is somewhere in
between. On Edmonson’s Way Down Low and
Stylianou’s Silent Movie they tilt towards origi-
nals played in unconventional ways.
In Houston native Edmonson’s case, don’t
let her pixieish, almost child-like singing fool
you: Her vibe is sophisticated and unique. Her
Take To The Sky (2009) featured a more con-
ventional jazz personnel and mostly covers.
The self-produced Way Down Low is loaded
with varied instrumentation, occasional back-
ground vocals and acute interpretations. The
attention to detail can be mesmerizing, as on her
exquisite, rarified take of Brian Wilson’s “I Just
Wasn’t Made For These Times.” Edmonson’s
voice is on the verge of tears amidst subdued,
shimmering horn charts, piano sprinklings and
a gentle sway in 3/4. This song follows on the
heels of three more spritely or Latin-flavored Folks Who Live On The Hill” and Mancini/
confections that suggest love and being in love. Mercer’s “Moon River” all suggest a familiar-
“Lucky,” “I Don’t Know” and “What Else Can ity, a genuine connection, Stylianou’s delivery
I Do” celebrate, whereas Wilson’s lament finds at times recalling, among others, Joni Mitchell
Edmonson venturing into more difficult terrain. when she plays with intervals in a more natu-
“Whispering Grass” finds the singer in the ral, less affected way.
middle of a breezy meadow of sound, the emo- It’s too bad we don’t get more of her own
tional currents once again uneven, the song material, the title track a narrative rich with
full of space, a very slow gait and moments allusions to heartbreak, the melody so sweet
for pianist, bassist and drummer to move in yet suggesting the pain that can come from inti-
and out of the song’s seemingly endless open mate relationships, her voice sounding hopeful
sky. Edmonson’s voice, too, drops down a bit but filled with uncertainty. And her “Hearing
to reflect the song’s mysterious gaze. Strings, Your Voice” (written with Vince Mendoza)
celeste and a slithering organ accompany and “First Impressions” (with Edgar Meyer)
Edmonson on the sweetly sour waltz “I’m Not reinforce the impression that original material
In Love”; while in a playful duet with well-fit- suits her. The slow and sad “Today I Sing The
ted guest Lyle Lovett, “The Long Way Home” Blues” covers similar territory, but is delivered
is a whimsical, swinging ode to love, and, like with less conviction, suggesting less regret.
everything else here, once again features the  —John Ephland
odd instrumental touch. A reprise/redo via a Way Down Low: Lucky; I Don’t Know; What Else Can I Do; I Just
whispering crawl with “I Don’t Know” could
Wasn’t Made For These Times; This Was The One; Champagne;
Whispering Grass; I’m Not In Love; Long Way Home; Nobody
take your breath away. Knows That; Hopelessly Blue; I Don’t Know (Reprise). (55:40)
Personnel: Kat Edmonson, Lyle Lovett (9), vocals; Kevin Lovejoy,
Stylianou’s Silent Movie begins with an keyboards, organ, whistle; Larry Goldings, organ; Danton Boller,
bass, vibraphone, vocals; Matt Munisteri, Pete Smith, guitar; Frank
incredibly slow take of her own, this time with LoCrasto, piano, glockenspiel; Matt Rey, piano; Brian Wolfe, Jere-
the standard “Smile.” She’s close-in, too, her
my Carlstedt, drums; Chris Lovejoy, percussion, bass, vibraphone;
Kathleen Sloan, Ina Veli, Kathleen Sloan, violin; Andrew Duckles,
own version of delicate delivery disarming as viola; Timothy Loo, cello; James R. Atkinson, French horn; Bob
McChesney, Martin Sullivan, trombone; John Ellis, bass clarinet.
she almost whispers her lines to this famous Ordering info: katedmonson.com

tune, accompanied by a sympathetic and sup- Silent Movie: Smile; Something In The Way She Moves; Silent
Movie; Onde Ir; Hearts And Bones; Today, I Sing The Blues; Hear-
portive group. While she relies more on the ing Your Voice; I Still Miss Someone; The Folks Who Live On The
occasional standard, her takes are so original
Hill; First Impressions; Swansea; Moon River. (54:63)
Personnel: Melissa Stylianou, vocals; Pete McCann, electric and
you’re inclined to forget who wrote it. James acoustic guitars; Gary Wang, bass; Rodney Green, drums; Jamie
Reynolds, piano; Anat Cohen, soprano saxophone (2, 5), bass
Taylor’s “Something In The Way She Moves,” clarinet (4, 11), clarinet (9); James Shipp, percussion (2, 4, 5, 10,
11); Yoed Nir, cello (4, 10, 11).
Paul Simon’s “Hearts And Bones,” “The Ordering info: anzicrecords.com

80 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 Woodshed | Master Class
By Dan Wilensky

Style-Hopping
How to Be All You Can Be

M ost modern musicians tend to not be very specialized. The prolifera-

tion of music on the Internet has reinforced this trend because every-
one everywhere hears everything. Studio, Broadway and club-date/jobbing
musicians have always had to master multiple styles, and most bandlead-
ers demand tremendous versatility from their backup musicians. There are
still plenty of clarinet players who live for polka music, but they’re probably
thinking about branching out. There’s no question that you should know
your strengths and seek your own musical identity. But your musical pal-
ette and your marketability will be greatly enhanced if you’re at least famil-
iar with music from many cultures, past and present.
Musicians are notoriously opinionated about what they hear—occa-
sionally because they have discriminating taste, frequently out of igno-
rance. I know too many “jazz musicians” who hate rock and can’t play it
to save their lives. I’m not suggesting that you should be all things to all
people; a narrowed focus can help, especially when you make your own
recordings. But the well-rounded musician listens to everything. Who is
playing is more important than the type of music being played. And each
musical form requires slightly different “ear criteria.”
One must study a musical genre in order to truly appreciate it, and this
takes more time than most people have. Think of how few Americans com-
prehend jazz. You must be more thorough than your audience. Read music
history. Talk to club owners, producers, engineers, DJs, students and fans
about what they listen to. Utilize the Internet to hear music from all over the Dan Wilensky
world. You’ll probably be surprised at what you don’t know.
There’s nothing quite like studio work to test your musical fluency. You The following are eight simple but important reminders that will help
must be prepared for anything. Each producer, contractor, conductor, you to develop and deepen your musical fluency:
arranger, writer and recording artist has a unique way of getting the job
done. Some of them will play reference material for you and ask you to 1) D o not confuse “don’t like” with “can’t do.” If you don’t know it, learn
sound as close to the original as possible. Some write everything out; others it. At least try to understand it.
assume that you will “write” or improvise the melodic lines. The definition 2) The song rules.
of “in tune” may vary. One producer will demand clean, precise ensemble 3) It’s never all about you; even if you wrote the song, you are a cog, albe-
work; another will go for vibe before accuracy, or may even want you to it an important cog, in the wheel. So make sure you’re working con-
play “badly” to achieve a certain effect. Sometimes you’ll have to translate structively with the other cogs. Defer to and learn from colleagues,
ridiculously vague or inarticulate verbal instructions into a perfect musical bosses and employees who know more than you about a particular
phrase that will help sell soap. At minimum, you must be musically aware. musical style.
I frequently hear friends and colleagues complain about the dearth of 4) Know the role of every instrument in various contexts.
great music on the radio and in the record stores. What planet are they 5) Learn to coax “extra-musical” sounds from your instrument. Make
referring to? I don’t even have time to keep up with all the great stuff in it speak.
my own collection, or on satellite radio and the Web. I believe that there’s 6) If you find yourself playing music you don’t understand intellectually
an unwritten cultural and artistic “90/10” rule: that 90 percent of all art is or viscerally, or if you’re simply not playing well, stop thinking! Consult
merely OK, functional or downright pathetic; that 10 percent is either good the vast void of your subconscious. Play from the heart. Stretch, medi-
or magnificent; and that this ratio has been maintained since the beginning tate, go outside—do anything to get off of the cerebral hamster wheel.
of time. The only fundamental differences between the present and the past 7) When you style-hop, be the music. Copy the attitude, pace, language,
are that everything moves faster now and, more importantly, that there’s clothes and dance styles of the best musicians and singers who define
much more to choose from. Sorting through the rabble to get to the crème the genre. Try to play only what is specific to the musical idiom. When
de la crème can be a challenge. One more thing: A great deal of today’s you play the blues, do as the blues men do.
music is so unashamedly derivative that it takes disciplined research to 8) “Avant-garde” music becomes “cutting-edge” music, which becomes
uncover its superior source(s) of inspiration. “normal” music faster than you can say “Igor Stravinsky.” Challenge
Regardless of musical quality, find the intrinsic value in every record- your ears. Draw inspiration from unconventional “new” music. Be all
ing or performance you come across. Does one musician stand out as being that you can be. DB
superior? Does it swing, even if the melody doesn’t ring your bell? If the
music stinks, how about the lyrics? Is there anything you can learn from Dan Wilensky has toured and recorded with hundreds of artists, includ-
the arrangement, or from the production? If nothing else, does it remind ing Ray Charles, Jack McDuff, Slickaphonics, Steve Winwood, Joan Baez,
Cornell Dupree, Mark Murphy, R. Kelly, Manhattan Transfer, James Brown
you of something else you should hear? Finally, great music sounds inevi- and David Bowie. He has played on numerous jingles, film soundtracks and
table. Listen for this inevitability before you fulminate against a repetitive TV themes, and can be heard on more than 250 records. His books, Musician!
and Advanced Sax, as well as his three CDs as a leader, are available at
r&b groove or lambaste the simplicity of a heavy metal chord progression. danwilensky.com and other channels.

82 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 Woodshed | solo
byjonathan rowden

Seamus Blake’s Seamus Blake

Tenor Saxophone
Solo on ‘Amuse
Bouche’
“A muse Bouche,” from tenor saxophonist
Seamus Blake’s 2010 CD Live At
Smalls (SmallsLIVE), is a long-form, up-tem-
po jazz waltz that consists of a series of chord-
al vamps bridged by chord progressions based
on descending and ascending root movements.
The melody is sweet and simple, and solos are
over the form of the tune (with open vamps).
The arc of Blake’s solo is genuinely motivic,
with multiple themes and variations emerging
from his voice, each one leading to the next, cre-
ating a cohesive, organic whole. This brief anal-
ysis describes the arc of the solo and touches
upon the harmonic, rhythmic and melodic con-
tent of the various points of reference, such as
rhythmic cycles, chromatic approach notes to
triadic harmony and flurries/sheets of sound.
Blake’s solo lasts about 281 measures, the first
90 of which are shown on the next page.
The first vamp consists of the changes

Juan-Carlos Hernandez
Gmin7–C/E–Gmin7–C/E. Blake’s opening
phrase begins a rhythmic phrase (measure 1)
based in the C mixolydian mode. The melody is
almost static, pedaling back and forth between
C and Csus4 sounds, focusing on developing similar harmonic and scalar material as the
the rhythm. Around bar 12 he begins pedaling lines that led up to them. The flurries are rhyth-
the note C. Measures 17–19 feel like a 5/4 rhyth- mically free, according to Blake, and he is only
mic idea over 3/4, moving the top notes high- really paying attention to the starting and end-
er. The melody further develops, moving inter- ing points of these.
vallically in fourths and fifths, creating shapes The third section or bridge is a root-based
that pedal on a Bb (bars 20–23). In bar 31, he chord progression that modulates from E b
introduces and develops a new rhythmic idea major to F# minor. During this phase of the
that makes use of the upbeat, moving into a sca- solo, Blake seems to build to a climax, climbing
lar melody that extends into the altissimo range into the altissimo register with a lyrical melod-
of the tenor (bars 41–45). The line then grows ic line that bookends earlier material (from bars
and expands into chromatic approach notes to 41–49).
triadic harmonies (bars 46–66). This harmon- The final vamp alternates between F#min7
ic approach introduces another element that he and B/D#, mirroring the initial vamp down
utilizes throughout the rest of the solo, and is a half step. Blake shouts in the extreme regis-
even present in the blistering flurries of notes ter of the horn, using familiar rhythmic materi-
he plays (bars 59–61) and on chordal substitu- al but beginning on the upbeat of 3, stretching
tions (bars 75, 77). across the bar lines and adding rhythmic ten-
The second vamp consists of the changes sion. Blake then moves into the final stretch of
E b maj7–B b 6–E b maj7–B b 6–F6–F6/C–F6– the solo, using extended dominant harmonies to
F6/C. Starting at measure 105, Blake introduces create tension over the vamp. Blake brilliantly
a string of eighth notes in groupings of four that ends the solo with an augmented reiteration of
stretch across the bar lines (occasionally inter- the original improvised melody. DB
rupted), casting a fog over the meter. He uses
this technique extensively across this vamp Jonathan Rowden is a professional saxophon-
while still at times harkening back to his earlier ist and educator in the Orange County/Los
rhythmic motif and using chromatic approach Angeles area. He received his B.A. in saxophone
performance and M.M. in Jazz Studies at CSU
notes to triadic harmonies within each mode, Fullerton, and performs and teaches regu-
including upper extensions. Blake also makes larly. Email jrowdenmusic@gmail.com or visit
jonathanrowden.com for bookings, lessons
use of “flurries” that interestingly utilize very and jazz blog.

84 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

solo continues…
 Toolshed 

Avid Pro Tools 10

Snappy, Aggressive Update
up fader. This can dramatically improve

A vid has continued its more

aggressive update pattern with
the release of Pro Tools 10. This
the way you ride a track to make it sit in
the mix. This is a real-time adjustment
with some nice visual feedback, so you
release is not as revolutionary as ver- can immediately listen and adjust. Clip
sion 9 was, but it still offers some sig- gain settings are pre-fader, so they will
nificant new capability and lays the affect the way your plug-ins react, too.
groundwork for future upgrades. Speaking of plug-ins, there are a
Many users were expecting this to few new ones in version 10, but the
be the long-awaited 64-bit release of nicest is the new channel strip. This
Pro Tools, but it was not to be. Avid is based on Avid’s own Euphonix 5
assures us that Pro Tools 11 will be console, and it sounds great. It does
64-bit, and although I am disappoint- dynamics, EQ and filtering, and you
ed that we’re still waiting, I can under- can drag things around to change the
stand why this is. Pro Tools is a huge order. It’s also really lightweight: I
and complex code base with decades threw it on every track in a couple of
of legacy support built in, and the 32-track sessions and only got about
move to 64-bit will require a complete a 10 percent bump in CPU. If you’re
rewrite of all of that code. using a lot of Audiosuite plugs, you’ll
But enough about what Pro Tools 10 be thrilled to know that you can now
is not. Let’s get to what it is—an incred- have multiple windows open and pre-
ibly snappy update. I was excited to see serve those layouts in saved sessions.
Avid move away from proprietary hardware Some of this speed increase is due to new Fades are now real-time, and are rendered
requirements in version 9, but the software was architecture that Avid is implementing here. No directly to the audio file. No more lost fade fold-
somewhat sluggish and tended to be a resource longer will you find any “Digidesign” referenc- ers when you archive your sessions, and it’s a
hog. Not so in the new version: Pro Tools 10 es in your file system—this is all Avid. There’s a much more intuitive and speedy way to work.
feels extremely light, and you will notice the dif- new file format (.ptx) and a new plug-in architec- Pro Tools 10 also supports 32-bit floating point
ference immediately. All facets of the software ture (AAX), all aimed at fostering a more solid sessions, and you can have files of differing types
and interface respond dramatically faster than experience moving forward. and even bit-depth in the same session—without
the previous version. Avid has vastly improved There is also some new terminology: regions converting them!
automatic delay compensation in version 10, are now called “clips.” This is pretty standard in If you are still using Pro Tools 8 or anything
too. The HDX version includes disk caching, other DAW packages, so if you use other plat- before that, this upgrade is a must. If you are
which can load the audio you are working with forms, this will be familiar. Clips carry a new using version 9, a lot of the changes will be under
into RAM for incredibly fast response times, but feature that is going to change the way you work: the hood rather than in new features, but I would
at this time, you cannot get it in the software- clip gain. Individual clips now carry their own say it is still well worth it for the performance
only version unless you also buy the Complete gain settings, which you can manipulate on a boost alone. —Chris Neville
Production Toolkit. per-clip basis right on the timeline using a pop- Ordering info: avid.com

Vic Firth Chameleon Sticks

Harvey Mason’s Second Signature

I t’s no stretch to call Harvey Mason a “cha-

meleon.” How else would you refer to a first-
call drummer who has been performing jazz,
Before play-testing a few pairs of Chame-
leons, I’d been using Vic Firth’s 8D stick for my
big band gig, where I am continuously switch-
ferent styles of music I was playing.
Also new from Vic Firth is the Essentials
Stick Bag, which is just big enough to hold exact-
funk, fusion, pop and classical music with top ing between small group and large ensemble ly what you need: no more and no less. It has
artists for almost five decades? Not to mention passages (with some funk grooves thrown in for room for four to five pairs of sticks, brushes or
the fact that Mason just happened to co-write a good measure). I had also been playing a 5A for mallets; a little elastic holder for your drum key;
tune of the same name with Herbie Hancock. a while but had just switched to the 8D, which a tiny internal pocket; and a hook-and-strap sys-
The Chameleon is Mason’s second signa- is a close cousin to the 7A. Stats-wise, a 7A has tem that lets you suspend the bag from your floor
ture stick with Vic Firth, and it has some notice- a length of 15½ inches, and the 8D has a length tom. It’s a perfect item for those of us who have
able differences from his first signature stick. of 16 inches. They both have the same .540-inch “kitchen sink”-type gig bags and have sworn to
The Chameleon has a diameter of .540 inch- diameter. The Chameleon has a considerable clean them out but haven’t quite gotten around to
es (compared to .605 inches), and the length is edge on those two sticks lengthwise, and I found it yet.  —Matt Kern
16 3/8 inches (compared to 157/8 inches). they provided an instant advantage with the dif- Ordering info: vicfirth.com

86 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Toca Traditional Series Congas
Old-school Look, Precision Craftsmanship
T oca’s Traditional series congas include an
11-inch Quinto, 11¾-inch Conga and 12½-
inch Tumba. Featuring brushed chrome hard-
Guaguanco patterns with the full set. To do this,
I sat in the traditional style with the Quinto in
my lap. At this point, I could really appreciate its
ware, each drum is 30 inches tall, with six lugs extended collar and traditional shape.
on a traditional-style hoop with extended collar. Since I left the drums tuned overnight (usu-
These new congas came with top-grade ally it’s recommended on any real skin drum
bison heads that snugly mounted with barely two to detune after usage), day 4 was time to really
full turns on the tension lugs. Out of the box, the crank up the Quinto head high and to tune even
drums already were showing deep resonance, higher pitches for the Conga and Tumba. These
rich tone and recognizable pitch when I gently drums have the capacity to go unusually high to
tapped each of them. I decided to wait another 24 support open- and close-slap sounds, while the
hours before I tuned or played the drums so the tone and bass sounds of each drum remain in the
heads could “settle” into my music room. warm, resonating range. Mute sounds and finger
My second day with the Traditional series sounds came through evenly on any part of the
congas began with applying one or two quar- head, and the heads had a good ringing sound all
ter turns on each lug while playing bass strokes the way to the edge of the drums.
to keep the head tension even. I noticed that the For the next three days, I played these drums
drums came alive immediately: I could feel the with recordings of various styles. From tradition-
shell resonance kicking in, and each drum had a al rhumba to salsa, jazz, modern rock and pop,
unique tone and pitch corresponding to its size. they sounded great across all styles with a few
Since the Tumba head was pretty much in its tuning adjustments. I was able to go from the
range already, I played on it more than the other warm and tonal sounds of bass- and tone-orient-
two drums; I waited another day before I cranked ed grooves to crisp slaps and high-volume play- balance of traditional conga drum tone, feel and
up the Conga and the Quinto heads. ing without exerting much energy. I detuned the looks, with precision-engineered hardware and
On day 3, the heads were really settled, and I drums after every usage. design. Crafted from high-grade, two-ply Asian
tightened up the tuning on each drum and played When I mounted them on a stand in the oak, they benefit from having a perfect tradi-
each drum by itself. By messing around with tun- Afro-pop percussionist style, I found that these tional curve and premium matched bison heads.
ing (up and down by a semitone or whole tone), I drums cut through just fine in terms of volume, With appropriate tuning and playing techniques,
checked the head response time, and the results as the open slap sound was sharp enough and these drums can match any musical situation that
were great. Next, I matched the pitches of the still had fat, midsy tone underneath the highs. today’s pros might face.  —Kalyan Pathak
drums as one melodic instrument in order to play Toca Traditional series congas are a great Ordering info: tocapercussion.com

Zildjian K Constantinoples
Dark, Dry & Dirty

S ometimes you have to go back into the vault

to move forward. That’s what Zildjian has
done with its line of K Constantinople cymbals.
down on the cymbal, it’s almost as if the cymbal
is giving the stick some bounce-back after being
struck. The smooth, dark tones will not overpow-
The updated K Constantinoples use cluster er in a quiet setting, and there’s enough definition
hammers similar to the company’s K Symphonic and grit to project in medium to loud settings.
line to introduce some “dirt” into the final sound. The new 20-inch K Constantinople Bounce
The 22-inch K Zildjian Constantinople was Ride is made in conjunction with Kenny
developed by bringing together aspects of dif- Washington and is the natural followup to the
ferent cymbals, with assistance from Adam 22-inch version. The cymbal is fully lathed with
Nussbaum. Visually, the first thing you notice eight hammer clusters. This cymbal has more
is the multiple rows of over-hammering. These dirt and trash than the 22-inch K Constantinople
are spots on the top of the cymbal that have been due to the increase in hammer clusters. When
hammered in a uniform pattern in three rows you dig into this cymbal with the shoulder of the
across the entire cymbal. In addition, there are stick, the trashiness is exquisite and can really
four distinct cluster hammers. Each cluster has add some fire into the musical setting.
multiple hammer marks in a small radius. This Rounding out the new additions are a 19-inch
helps to introduce some trash and dark overtones. sides, giving it excellent stick definition. crash/ride, 14-inch hi-hats, and 15- and 17-inch
The bell is unlathed underneath, while the The actual playability of this cymbal is noth- crashes. —Matt Kern
rest of the cymbal has a smoother lathing on both ing short of remarkable. As the stick comes Ordering info: zildjian.com

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 87

 Toolshed | Gear Box

The ‘X’ Factor

System-X instrument stands from Hamilton
are so flexible and versatile, they can be cus-
tom fit to perfectly suit your instrument. Each
saxophone stand has an adjustable bell rest and
body rest and features tracked legs that let you
turn it into a double, triple or even a quad setup
(connectors sold separately). System-X brass
instrument stands combine an adjustable bell
rest with customizable bore fitting to secure
the instrument. The modular stands fold
small enough to fit any gig bag, and even
some instrument cases. Different
models have been designed to ac-
commodate alto/tenor sax, baritone iPad Gig Bag
sax, trumpet/cornet/flugelhorn/soprano Gator Cases’ Tablet/Mix bag provides
sax and trombone. More info: dansr.com an all-in-one carry solution for musi-
cians with iPads. Made of lightweight
nylon, the bag has a fitted sleeve that fits
an iPad, and its see-through cover allows full use of the tablet
without removing it. The larger main compartment features a
thick padding and is designed to hold a compact mixer or the
iPad while mounted in a docking station. More info: gatorcases.com

Riding the Bass

The Bass Rider from Waves is a plug-in
that rides bass levels automatically. A
companion to the Vocal Rider plug-in,
Jazz Essentials Bass Rider delivers ideal bass levels
Alfred has published Jazz Real without changing the natural sound of
Book: Essential Jazz Standards, electric, acoustic and synth basses.
created for individuals, teach- Unlike a compressor, Bass Rider works
ers and instrumental/vocal note by note without disturbing any in-
groups. A professional-quality ner dynamics, so bass sounds sustain
resource, it’s suitable for work- and decay naturally. More info: waves.com
ing musicians and students
of jazz. Titles include such
tunes as “Giant Steps,” “Lester
Leaps In” and “Take Five.” The
book includes rehearsal letters
to assist with understand-
ing the form of every song,
and suggested substitute
chord progressions are also
provided. More info: alfred.com

Versatile Stick Shock Absorber

Pro-Mark has introduced the Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez Signature drum stick, named Shure has created a new shock mount for
for one of today’s most versatile players. Measuring 16 inches long by ½ inch in diameter, its KSM353 ribbon microphone. The mount
the stick features a wood tip that’s small and versatile enough to make it suitable for jazz, threads onto the bottom of the KSM353 and
fusion, pop and r&b. Known for his stylistic diversity, El Negro has played with a wide holds the mic securely, regardless of orienta-
range of leading artists, from McCoy Tyner to Carlos Santana. More info: promark.com tion or stand movement. More info: shure.com

88 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

The Greatest
Performances
& Brightest Stars
of 2012

The Golden
Achievements of
Dr. Steve Zegree
PAGE 112

Mary Jo Papich
& Dr. Lou Fischer
Revive Jazz
Education
PAGE 114

Brian Clancy
35th annual student music awards

Booker T. Washington Jazz Trio I New World School of the Arts Jazz Combo I

Jazz Soloist Doug Tidaback

Tucson, AZ
Kim Pensyl
Cincinnati, OH
Benjamin Haugland,
piano
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
University of Northern
WINNERS Antonio Madruga, piano Guy Mintus, piano Colorado
New World School of the Arts Tel Aviv Conservatory Dana Landry
Pete Miller, piano Jim Gasior Harel Shachal Greeley, CO
John Jay Middle School Miami, FL Tel Aviv, Israel
Jeff Richardson Adam Rongo,
Cross River, NY PERFORMING ARTS HIGH Jory Tindall, alto saxophone
SCHOOL OUTSTANDING alto saxophone Michigan State University
PERFORMANCES
Matthew Richards, University of Northern Diego Rivera
alto saxophone Colorado
Max Goldschmid, East Lansing, MI
Walnut Creek Intermediate Dr. Andrew Dahlke
tenor saxophone
Mary Fettig Greeley, CO
Tucson Jazz Institute
Walnut Creek, CA Doug Tidaback
Brian Scarborough,
Tucson, AZ
HIGH SCHOOL WINNERS trombone
University of Kansas
Jazz Group/
Julian Lee, alto saxophone
David Leon, Dan Gailey Combo
alto saxophone Lawrence, KS
Montclair High School New World School of the Arts HIGH SCHOOL WINNER
James Wasko Jim Gasior
Montclair, NJ GRADUATE COLLEGE
Miami, FL WINNERS Combo A
Berkeley High School
Coleman Hughes, Lucas Del Calvo, guitar Michael Shults, Sarah Cline
trombone Colburn School of alto saxophone
Newark Academy Berkeley, CA
Performing Arts University of Cincinnati
Julius Tolentino Lee Secard Kim Pensyl HIGH SCHOOL OUTSTANDING
Livingston, NJ Los Angeles, CA Cincinnati, OH PERFORMANCE

HIGH SCHOOL OUTSTANDING

PERFORMANCES
UNDERGRADUATE José Valentino Ruiz, flute Jazz Combo
COLLEGE WINNERs University of Miami Folsom High School
Emery Mesich, Frost School of Music Curtis Gaesser
Brian Clancy, Steve Rucker Folsom, CA
alto saxophone tenor saxophone Coral Gables, FL
Rio Americano High School University of North Texas PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
Josh Murray Bradford Leali SCHOOL WINNERS
GRADUATE COLLEGE
Sacramento, CA Denton, TX OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCES
BTW Jazz Trio I
Lake Jiroudek, guitar David Meder, piano Booker T. Washington
Idyllwild Arts Academy Quentin Angus, guitar
Florida State University Purchase College HSPVA
Marshall Hawkins Bill Peterson Bart Marantz
Idyllwild, CA Todd Coolman
Tallahassee, FL Purchase, NY Dallas, TX
PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
SCHOOL WINNERS
UNDERGRADUATE
COLLEGE OUTSTANDING
Karl Stabnau, Advanced Jazz
PERFORMANCES baritone saxophone Workshop
Max Goldschmid, Eastman School of Music The Jazzschool
soprano saxophone Max Acree, trombone Jeff Campbell Michael Zilber
Tucson Jazz Institute University of Cincinnati Rochester, NY Berkeley, CA

92 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
SCHOOL OUTSTANDING Large Jazz Jazz Band A
Buchanan High School
UNDERGRADUATE
COLLEGE OUTSTANDING

Ensemble
PERFORMANCES PERFORMANCES
Paul Lucckesi
BTW Jazz Combo I Clovis, CA NIU Jazz Lab Band
Booker T. Washington HSPVA JUNIOR HIGH
Northern Illinois University
Bart Marantz SCHOOL WINNER PERFORMING ARTS HIGH Rodrigo Villanueva
SCHOOL WINNER
Dallas, TX Dekalb, IL
Caleb Chapman’s
Jazz Combo I Little Big Band Ellington Big Band Get Jazz Orchestra
New World School of the Arts Tucson Jazz Institute Senzokugakuen College of
Caleb Chapman Music
Jim Gasior Doug Tidaback Music
Caleb Chapman
Miami, FL Tucson, AZ Yoshihiko Katori
Salt Lake City, UT
Kanagawa, Japan
PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
MSM Precollege Combo JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL OUTSTANDING
Precollege at Manhattan OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCES
PERFORMANCES Elmhurst College
School of Music Jazz Band
Jeremy Manasia Caleb Chapman’s Elmhurst College
Folsom Middle School Crescent Super Band
New York, NY Jazz Band Doug Beach
Caleb Chapman Music Elmhurst, IL
Folsom Middle School
UNDERGRADUATE Caleb Chapman
John Zimny
COLLEGE WINNER Salt Lake City, UT GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER
Folsom, CA
Tuomo Uusitalo Trio Monday Night Studio Band Two O’Clock Lab Band
University of Music and Sutter Middle School The Jazzschool University of North Texas
Performing Arts, Graz Jazz Band Keith Johnson Jay Saunders
Wayne Darling Sutter Middle School Berkeley, CA Denton, TX
Graz, Austria John Zimny
Folsom, CA UNDERGRADUATE GRADUATE COLLEGE
GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER COLLEGE WINNER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
HIGH SCHOOL WINNERS
Zebras University of Central UNC Jazz Lab Band I
University of North Texas Jazz Band I Oklahoma Jazz Ensemble I University of Northern
Stefan Karlsson & Folsom High School University of Central Oklahoma Colorado
Richard DeRosa Curtis Gaesser Brian Gorrell Dana Landry
Denton, TX Folsom, CA Edmond, OK Greeley, CO

94 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

35th annual student music awards

Sarah Kervin

Vocal Jazz Soloist

HIGH SCHOOL WINNER

Claire Dickson
Home-Schooled Student
Aubrey Johnson
Medford, MA

HIGH SCHOOL OUTSTANDING

PERFORMANCE

Taylor Zickefoose
Meadowdale High School
Jeff Horenstein
Lynnwood, WA

Thank You!
PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
SCHOOL WINNER

Sekayi Sumbureru
Artswest School
Jeff Baker
DownBeat would like to thank Eagle, ID

the following people in helping to PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOL

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES

make the 35th Annual Student Laila Smith

Music Awards a success. Marin School of the Arts
Kerry Marsh
Novato, CA
Adjudicators Elliott Skinner
Booker T. Washington HSPVA
Jim Anderson Orbert Davis JOHN SANTOS Kent Ellingson
Dallas, TX
David Baker David Demsey ROGER TREECE
UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Bob Belden Les Hooper James warrick Trenton Hull

University of North Texas
JANICE BORLA Kevin Mahogany David Weiss Rosana Eckert
Denton, TX
DON BRADEN Miles Osland Phil Wilson
UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES
35 th Annual
Kaela Bratcher
Since 1934
University of North Texas
Jennifer Barnes
Where to Study Jazz 2013
Denton, TX

96 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Ashleigh Smith
University of North Texas
Jennifer Barnes
Denton, TX

GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNERS

Kavita Shah
Manhattan School of Music
Theo Bleckmann
New York, NY

Sarah Kervin
University of North Texas
Rosana Eckert
Denton, TX

GRADUATE COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES

Kathryn Christie (Stachitus)

University of North Texas
Rosana Eckert
Denton, TX

Kelly Garner
University of Miami
Frost School of Music
Dr. Lisanne Lyons
Coral Gables, FL

Vocal Jazz Group

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WINNER

Panache 8
Corte Madera School
Juliet Green
Portola Valley, CA

HIGH SCHOOL WINNER

Vocal Jazz Workshop

St. Charles North High School
Michael Molloy
St. Charles, IL

HIGH SCHOOL OUTSTANDING

PERFORMANCE

Vocal Jazz Ensemble

Royal High School
Bonnie Graeve
Simi Valley, CA

PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOL

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

BTW Lab Singers

Booker T. Washington HSPVA
Bart Marantz
Dallas, TX

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Synchronicity
West Valley College
Michelle Hawkins
Saratoga, CA

continued on page 100

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 97

35th annual student music awards

Jazz Instrumental Soloist

Michael Shults Coleman Hughes

Inspiration Wide for Today’s

Best Instrumental Soloists
T
he names of John Coltrane, Miles Da- Growing up in Hannibal, Mo., Michael
vis and Bill Evans are still on the lips Shults played alto saxophone without the
of young jazz players a generation af- luxury of a private teacher. “I’d read DownBeat
ter their passing, but eager ears are drawing to discover players,” says Schults, “then look
ideas from wider arenas. And most credit fam- them up online. That’s how I first heard saxo-
ily members for actively fostering interest. phonists like Branford Marsalis, my former
Pete Miller, pianist from John Jay Middle teacher Bobby Watson, Seamus Blake, Chris
School, credits his teachers Rusty Cloud and Potter, Jaleel Shaw.” Schults quotes eminently
Nigel Hall for motivation, but says, “I’m in- quotable home-boy Mark Twain, who said, “All
spired by many jazz and soul musicians. I’m of us contain music and truth, but most of us
lucky that my family believes in live music. My can’t get it out.”
favorite concerts, so far, were my first Lettuce/ “If you’re serious about jazz, you’re your
Soulive show at the Highline Ballroom and own toughest critic, and it’s difficult to evalu-
Brad Mehldau at the Village Vanguard.” ate your own playing,” Shults says. “It’s very
Julian Lee, Montclair High School’s alto special for me to get a mention in DownBeat.”
saxophonist, learns plenty from family, peers Some players might have a hard time
and pros. “I’m schooled in the jazz language pinning influences to a few names. Take Max
by communicating with my friends, my fa- Goldschmid, who placed first on soprano sax
ther and brother, all jazz musicians,” explains at Tucson Jazz Institute this year. His instruc-
Lee. “The sense of community in all aspects tor, Doug Tidaback, shook his head. “In thirty
of my jazz life produces an indescribable joy. years teaching, I’ve never seen a talent like
Christian McBride, Bruce Williams, Freddie Max,” Tidaback says. “He’ll learn a piece on
Hendrix, Dave Stryker and Billy Hart are musi- one instrument and immediately translate it to
cians I play with and learn from. I feel lucky to seven different instruments, playing all equally
be a young musician able to travel and per- well. He was first chair all-state orchestra each
form with high-caliber bands like the Grammy of the last four years on different instruments:
Band, Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation trumpet, tenor sax, alto sax, trombone. He’s
Orchestra and Jazz House Kids Big Band.” also a fine pianist. But he hasn’t decided yet
David Meder, pianist at Florida State Uni- whether he wants to go into music.”
versity, listens with delight to pianists Keith Brad Leali openly praises the talent, heart
Jarrett and Ahmad Jamal as well as Trane. and dedication of his student, tenor saxo-
“Jarrett has an incredible ability to do anything, phonist Brian Clancy. “I had to be really up
technical or lyrical. Jamal has a great sense of for his lessons,” Leali says. “He’d come back
space. And they both choose precisely when with all the work done and more. What he
to use their technical abilities.” Meder plans seeks, he can’t download as an app or see on
to focus in his final year on composing and YouTube: He haunts record shops, buys CDs,
arranging (citing Bob Brookmeyer and Mike knows all the personnel.”
Abene as favorites), then move to New York. Steve Rucker shares similar sentiments
“My goal is to make my living playing jazz, about multi-award winner José Valentino Ruiz.
though l expect I’ll have to master other skills “He’s one of the most passionate, energetic
within music—teach, compose, arrange.” His and devoted musicians I’ve been associated
instructor Bill Peterson reports that Meder re- with,” Rucker says. “He’s inspired and elevat-
cently performed in an FSU student combo at ed the entire group to a new level.”
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in Manhattan.  —Fred Bouchard

98 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

35th annual student music awards

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

Vocal Jazz Ensemble

American River College
Dr. Art Lapierre
Sacramento, CA

GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Gold Company Sextet

Western Michigan University
Dr. Steve Zegree
Kalamazoo, MI

GRADUATE COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCES
Folsom High School Jazz Choir I
CircleSong
University of North Texas
Sarah Kervin
Denton, TX Large JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WINNER
Portola Valley, CA

Vocal Jazz Panache 7 Celebration

Corte Madera School
Extensions
University of Miami
Ensemble Juliet Green
King’s Junior High
Darla Pumphrey
Frost School of Music Portola Valley, CA Seattle, WA
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Dr. Lisanne Lyons SPECIAL JUDGE’S AWARD
Coral Gables, FL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL WINNER
Grass Valley Vocal Jazz PERFORMANCES
Zebras Grass Valley Jazz Choir I
University of North Texas Elementary School Panache 6 Folsom High School
Stefan Karlsson Natalie Wilson Corte Madera School Curtis Gaesser
Denton, TX Camas, WA Juliet Green Folsom, CA

100 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

 Vocal Jazz Group
Synchronicity, West Valley College

Taking Cues from the Pros

R
egardless of age, they all take their the best we can be, while giving us opportu-
cues from the pros. And the results nities to meet artists and fellow students with
show in this year’s best small group the same appreciation that we have.”
vocal ensemble category. As for Synchronicity—this year’s under-
According to music teacher Juliet Green, grad (repeat) winners from West Valley Col-
from Corte Madera School, her 4th through lege—music teacher Michelle Hawkins had
8th graders are fearless. “The great thing a unique challenge for her students. “This
about kids that age,” she says, “is that if you year,” she notes, “I had a student from Japan,
don’t let on how hard the music is, they just and I thought it would be different and spe-
do it. I love introducing the kids to the music of cial for her to write a Japanese lyric to Bobby
Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Middle-school McFerrin’s ‘Freedom Is A Voice,’ which was
kids and bebop are a really great combina- originally sung in a made-up language. The
tion—if you can get them to sing ‘Anthropol- horrible tsunami occurred the day after she
ogy’ or ‘Oleo’ accurately, and with great jazz wrote it, and the song evolved into an emo-
phrasing, they’re ready for anything.” tional tribute to the people of Japan that the
Two of Green’s students reflect their dedi- entire group embraced.”
cation directly. “I love having a middle-school That student, Masako Okada, had this to
jazz choir,” says Shane Turner. “I love singing say: “This year’s group was able to perform
and playing the music that we do.” Ana White and synchronize not only harmonically but
adds, “I like that it’s an opportunity that we also emotionally. I’m grateful and proud to
have that most schools don’t have.” be part of such a wonderful group who put
St. Charles North High School’s Michael so much effort to deliver the emotion inside
Molloy feeds his students a steady diet of the song.”
the best. “The repertoire of Vocal Jazz Work- Steve Zegree, who leads Western Michi-
shop,” he notes, “comes almost entirely from gan University’s Gold Company, proudly
the professional literature: The Hi-Los, Singers points to why his groups keep winning when
Unlimited, New York Voices, Swingle Singers, he notes, “The Gold Company Sextet is a
The Real Group, Take 6, Groove Society, The select group of the most advanced and ex-
Idea of North. This challenges the students’ perienced students from within the Gold
musicianship to the utmost and requires a Company program. Their repertoire usually
large amount of individual work. We’re also consists of original compositions or arrange-
very fortunate to have forged a partnership ments written by students in the ensemble,
with the New York Voices and recently hosted or written especially for The GC Sextet. And
our Third Annual New York Voices Jazz Festi- the last two years, the group has performed
val here at the school.” at Jazz at Lincoln Center.”
St. Charles North student Hannah Allison “The most important lesson I have
Ressinger echoes these sentiments when learned from this program,” says Gold Com-
she says, “Vocal Jazz Workshop has really pany member Richard Baskin, “is that noth-
opened up a whole new world of music for ing in this profession is given to you. It must
me, and made me fall in love with jazz. It really be earned through hard work, and only hard
pushes all of us to work our hardest and be work. And it feels good.”  —John Ephland

102 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

HIGH SCHOOL
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES Classical Soloist Tyler Sapsford

Kaleidescope JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WINNER

Kirkwood High School
David Cannon Tyler Sapsford, guitar
Kirkwood, MO American School in Japan
Randy Wanless
Impressions Tokyo, Japan
Meadowdale High School
HIGH SCHOOL WINNER
Jeff Horenstein
Lynnwood, WA Eunghee Cho, cello
Davis Senior High School
The Brearley B-Naturals Angelo Moreno
The Brearley School Davis, CA
Karyn Joaquino
New York, NY

PERFORMING ARTS HIGH

SCHOOL WINNER

Vocal Jazz Collective

Artswest School
Jeff Baker
Eagle, ID

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Gold Company
Western Michigan University
Dr. Steve Zegree
Kalamazoo, MI

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES

Singcopation
Mt. San Antonio College
Bruce Rogers
Walnut, CA

Jazzmin
Belmont University
Kathryn Paradise
Nashville, TN

GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Pacific Standard Time

California State University
Bob Cole Conservatory of Music
Christine Helferich Guter
Long Beach, CA

GRADUATE COLLEGE OUTSTANDING

PERFORMANCES

UNT Jazz Singers I

University of North Texas
Jennifer Barnes
Denton, TX

Afro Blue
Howard University
Connaitre Miller
Washington, DC

Frost Jazz Vocal Ensemble I

University of Miami
Frost School of Music
Larry Lapin
Coral Gables, FL
35th annual student music awards

Large Jazz Ensemble

Buchanan High School Jazz Band A

No Challenge Too Great

M
embers of this year’s winners for Best rehearsals. With junior high students who list
Large Ensemble pay homage to the artists Joshua Redman and Roy Hargrove as
past, while keeping an open ear to sources of inspiration, it is little wonder why
both the present and the future. this band enjoys continued success.
When you think of America’s jazz centers, The Ellington Big Band from Tucson (Ariz.)
you might not immediately think of Oklaho- Jazz Institute was selected as this year’s win-
ma. But this year’s undergraduate big band ner at the performing arts high school level.
winners are making a case for it. “The mem- Having taught in a myriad of educational set-
bers of the University of Central Oklahoma tings over the years, director Doug Tidaback
Jazz Ensemble I understand this group is the has developed a keen eye for identifying talent
premier music ensemble at our university— early. Recent graduates of Tidaback’s program
in any genre,” says director Brian Gorrell. A have gone on to pursue degrees from colleg-
majority of the ensemble members are up- es like Manhattan School of Music, The New
perclassmen, although it is not uncommon School and several others.
for standout freshmen and sophomores to be Best Large Ensemble honors were shared
involved in the ensemble, too. Students this by Folsom and Buchanan high schools, both
year have been exposed to varying repertoire, in California. Folsom’s Curtis Gaesser has
including pieces by classic arranger Bill Hol- his band perform at least 25 times a year—
man as well as modern arrangers Alan Bay- impressive for any big band, but particularly
lock and Toshiko Akiyoshi. for a high school ensemble. “I love the chal-
The University of North Texas Two lenging music that Mr. Gaesser chose for us;
O’Clock Jazz Band took home the award for every song is a different style,” says band
the graduate division. Under the tutelage of member Molly Redfield. Behind seasoned
Jay Saunders, students of this famed ensem- experience from the band’s 10 seniors, the
ble are held to the highest of expectations: group has worked on the music of compos-
enforcing a no-nonsense type of attitude that ers Maria Schneider and Jim McNeely.
demands the members act as consummate Buchanan High School Jazz Band A, di-
professionals at all times. rected by Paul Lucckesi, also boasts an im-
At the other end of the age range are pressive diversity in its programming. Senior
members of Caleb Chapman’s Little Big Band saxophonist Jim Nakamura attributes much
in American Fork, Utah. Dedicated to the of his love for being a band member to the
roots, Chapman’s youngsters are entrenched plethora of visiting artists the band has the
in the big band styling of such icons as Benny chance to work with, including David Binney
Goodman and Woody Herman. Beyond mu- and John Hollenbeck. “We don’t just play two
sical expectations, each member is afforded festivals,” says vibraphonist Aaron Grisez.
an early glimpse at what it means to be a pro- “We play for just about anyone that asks.”
fessional musician. “Students are expected to Musicians in each ensemble are seriously
be at rehearsals 100 percent of the time, in involved with the music and with the band.
addition to having their music prepared,” says Perhaps what rings true for everyone can be
Chapman. “If they can’t make a rehearsal, found in a single statement by Buchannan
they must find a sub.” Furthermore, students High School saxophonist Josh Locher: “It’s
in the ensemble are required to study private- wonderful to be a part of something special.”
ly, as well as take part in frequent sectional  —Adam Larson

104 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
SCHOOL WINNER

Ana Miranda, soprano

Los Angeles County High School
for the Arts
Stephanie Vlahos
Los Angeles, CA

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Melissa Taddie, violin

Western Michigan University
Renata Artman Knific
Kalamazoo, MI Wind Symphony, Wheeling High School

GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNERS

David Crider, percussion

Ohio University
Roger Braun
Athens, OH

José Valentino Ruiz, flute

University of Miami
Frost School of Music
Trudy Kane
Coral Gables, FL

Classical Group
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WINNER

Advanced Orchestra
Holmes Junior High School
Angelo Moreno
Davis, CA

HIGH SCHOOL WINNERs

Symphony Orchestra
Davis Senior High School
Angelo Moreno
Davis, CA

Wind Symphony
Wheeling High School
Brian Logan
Wheeling, IL

PERFORMING ARTS HIGH

SCHOOL WINNERS

LVA Senior Guitar Quartet

Las Vegas Academy
Bill Swick
Las Vegas, NV

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Lamont Symphony Orchestra

University of Denver
Lamont School of Music
Lawrence Golan
Denver, CO

GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Symphony Orchestra
University of Northern Colorado
Russell Guyver
Greeley, CO

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 105

 Lo-Fi Riot, Caleb Chapman Music

Blues/Pop/ UNDERGRADUATE
COLLEGE WINNER

Rock Soloist Matthew Landon, guitar

JUNIOR HIGH
Western Michigan University
SCHOOL WINNER Tom Knific
Kalamazoo, MI
Hannah State, guitar
Brearley School UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE
Matt Aiken OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
New York, NY
Olga Kulchytska, vocalist
HIGH SCHOOL WINNER California State University
Christine Helferich Guter
Claire Dickson, vocalist Long Beach, CA
Home-Schooled Student
Aubrey Johnson GRADUATE COLLEGE
Medford, MA WINNERS

HIGH SCHOOL OUTSTANDING Dieter Rice,

PERFORMANCE tenor saxophone
University of Kentucky
CJ Dorsey, vocalist Raleigh Dailey
Kent Denver School Lexington, KY
Steve Holley
Englewood, CO José Valentino Ruiz,
fretless bass & vocalist
PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
SCHOOL WINNER University of Miami
Frost School of Music
Laila Smith, vocalist Steve Rucker
Marin School of the Arts Coral Gables, FL
Kerry Marsh
Novato, CA GRADUATE COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

PERFORMING ARTS HIGH

SCHOOL OUTSTANDING Roland R. Davis, vocalist
PERFORMANCES
New York University
Dr. David Schroeder
Christine Baird, vocalist
New York, NY
Caleb Chapman Music
Caleb Chapman
Salt Lake City, UT

Austin Allen, vibes

Blues/Pop/
Booker T. Washington HSPVA Rock Group
Bart Marantz
Dallas, TX JUNIOR HIGH WINNER

Adam Call, vocalist Charm School

Caleb Chapman Music The Brearley School
Caleb Chapman Matt Aiken
Salt Lake City, UT New York, NY
35th annual student music awards

Latin Group
José Valentino Ruiz Latin Ensemble

Cultural Immersion, Foreign

Exchange Foster Fluency
W
hen learning a language, it’s impor- often complements the group’s intensive Latin
tant to immerse yourself in the cul- jazz listening sessions with artist-led work-
ture, listen with an open ear and be shops.
perceptive of the people around you. With that Mary Funk, a junior trumpeter in the group,
in mind, the winners of the Best Latin Group travels hours across the state of Utah to prac-
category have fully grasped these concepts tice. “We make sure to make this a priority in
to master the style and flavor of Latin jazz. But our lives,” Funk says. “If someone has to miss,
with such a wide range of backgrounds and they are expected to get a sub just like any
influences, each group also develops fluency professional group.”
in a second, more important language: the For the members of the José Valentino
language of collaboration. Latin Jazz Ensemble, this year’s graduate
The groups are surprisingly vast, and winner from the Frost School of Music at the
many members hail from countries outside of University of Miami, the most important in-
the United States and Latin America. Some strument in mastering the art of Latin jazz per-
are bilingual or even trilingual, but most have formance is their ears. “Listening is the key,”
been performing together for at least two to says bassist José Valentino Ruiz. “We listen
three years. In that time, they’ve taken it upon so we can communicate properly. No matter
themselves to incorporate their vast cultural what style of music we play, our mission is to
differences into a universal musical language. perform it as authentically as possible.”
“We are all very busy musicians,” says In addition to absorbing individual tastes
Marco Antonio da Costa, whose self-titled and personalities, as well as various Latin
group at the University of Music and Perform- rhythms and textures, many of the musicians
ing Arts, Graz in Austria took home the Best are also seasoned arrangers and composers,
Latin Group prize in the undergraduate catego- which are crucial components toward their
ry. “We play in different projects, have different mutual connection.
personal tastes, come from different countries “Respect is the basis of the partnership,”
and cultural backgrounds. The best way to says Sergio Palmies of his University of North
overcome those differences is by focusing on Texas Latin Project. “Rhythm section players
what we have in common.” help each other lock up, and horn players al-
That common ground is often a shared ways help arrangers with their writing.”
sense of discipline. Despite busy schedules Ruiz adds that it’s not only about con-
crammed with after-school gigs, other forma- necting with the ensemble, but translating
tions and assignments, many groups meet that same unspoken connection and Latin
weekly, and each member is expected to ar- spirit into their live performances.
rive with a professional mindset. “The music serves as a medium for
“It is impossible to dive into an unfamiliar which we can communicate with the au-
style of music without paying serious dues by dience through playing and dialogue,” he
listening and studying,” says Caleb Chapman, says, highlighing the equal importance of
director of performing arts high school catego- stage presence and enthusiasm. “We want
ry winner La Onda Caribena at Caleb Chap- people to hear, feel and immerse them-
man Music in American Fork, Utah. Chapman selves in the music.” —Hilary Brown

108 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

HIGH SCHOOL WINNER
Kalamazoo, MI
Cary-Grove Jazz Choir Goodnight Mr. Max
Cary-Grove High School Western Michigan University
Patrick Whalen Dr. David Little
Cary, IL Kalamazoo, MI
HIGH SCHOOL OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCE GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Quincy Avenue José Valentino Ruiz

Rhythm Band World-Fusion Group
Kent Denver School University of Miami
Steve Holley Frost School of Music
Englewood, CO Steve Rucker
Coral Gables, FL
PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
SCHOOL WINNER GRADUATE COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

Lo-Fi Riot
Caleb Chapman Music Fusion Ensemble
Caleb Chapman University of Miami
Salt Lake City, UT Frost School of Music
Steve Rucker
PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
Coral Gables, FL
Cary-Grove Jazz Choir
SCHOOL OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCES

Salt Lake City, UT Coral Gables, FL

Midi Ensemble Latin Group
Booker T. Washington HSPVA UNDERGRADUATE UNDERGRADUATE
Bart Marantz COLLEGE WINNER COLLEGE OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL WINNER
Dallas, TX PERFORMANCES
Funk Ensemble Cuerdas del Mar
The Voodoo Orchestra University of Miami Desolation Row Palos Verdes High School
Caleb Chapman Music Frost School of Music Western Michigan University Shellie Parkinson
Caleb Chapman Steve Rucker Tom Knific Palos Verdes, CA

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 109

35th annual student music awards

PERFORMING ARTS
HIGH SCHOOL Original Alec Goldfarb,
“Pendulum”
WINNER
Composition – Lenape High School
La Onda Caribena Lead Sheet Leonard Nicholas
Lenape, NJ
Caleb Chapman Music
Caleb Chapman JUNIOR HIGH
SCHOOL WINNER PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
Salt Lake City, UT SCHOOL WINNERS

Carter Brodkorb,
UNDERGRADUATE
“Red Candy” Max Goldschmid,
COLLEGE WINNER
Bayview Glen School
“Omar’s Enlightenment”
Tucson Jazz Institute
Marco Antonio da Darren Sigesmund
Doug Tidaback
Costa Group Toronto, Ontario Canada
Tucson, AZ
University of Music
& Performing HIGH SCHOOL WINNERS
Jeremy Corren, “Tunnel”
Arts, Graz Colburn School of
Guido Jeszensky Nicholas Lamb, “Angst”
Performing Arts
Graz, Austria Berkeley High School
Lee Secard
Sarah Cline
Los Angeles, CA
GRADUATE COLLEGE
Berkeley, CA
WINNERS PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
Aaron Reihs, SCHOOL OUTSTANDING
Sergio Pamies “Mr. Inquisitor” PERFORMANCES

Latin Project Metro East Early College

University of North Texas Academy Micah Stevens,
Alan Jones, Alan Jones
Quentin Angus “Reconnaissance”
Stefan Karlsson
Academy of Music Artswest School
Denton, TX Patrick Bowen Jeff Baker
Gresham, OR
Las Vegas, NV Eagle, ID
José Valentino Latin
HIGH SCHOOL OUTSTANDING
Jazz Ensemble PERFORMANCES Liam Werner, “Have You Sapphire Adizes,
University of Miami Met Dow Jones?” “Without NORI”
Frost School of Music Brandon Tulli, Montclair High School Interlochen Academy
Steve Rucker “Tell It To The Sun” James Wasko Bill Sears
Coral Gables, FL Las Vegas Academy Montclair, NJ Interlochen, MI

110 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

35th annual student music awards

Scott Bevins,
Jazz Education Hall of Fame “Surrealist Algebra”
Greater Hartford Academy
of the Arts
Kris Allen

Steve Zegree: Hartford, CT

True Passion,
UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Jimmy Macbride,
Dedication “Short Stop”
The Juilliard School

P
ianist and choral director Dr. Steve Ze- Carl Allen
gree seems to run in five directions at New York, NY
once. On the penultimate weekend in
March, Zegree, who is the Bobby McFerrin UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES
Distinguished Professor of Jazz at Western
Michigan University, welcomed 25 vocal en- Drew Zaremba,
sembles on campus for WMU’s annual vocal “A Happy Song”
jazz festival. In June, he hosted a weeklong University of North Texas
summer vocal camp. In addition to these com- Richard DeRosa
mitments, Zegree was traveling around the Denton, TX
world—in Mozambique one week, China the
next—and, of course, teaching private lessons Dillon Baiocchi, “Mountain Road”
at the university and coaching his heralded vo- The New School
cal ensemble, Gold Company. Dan Greenblatt
“I work hard; I put in a lot of hours, and I New York, NY
have a lot of energy,” Zegree says. “If I aver-
age four or five hours a night, I’m feeling pretty Tree Palmedo, “The Strangler”
good. I always feel chronically under-slept, but The Brubeck Institute
I try not to act that way.” from his commitment to excellence. When Dr. Joe Gilman
Zegree stumbled into the job in the fall of aspiring musicians say there isn’t enough time Stockton, CA
1978, inheriting a vocal ensemble called the to practice as much as he demands, Zegree
Varsity Vagabonds from a retiring professor gives them a lesson in time management with GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER
and being tasked to teach piano. Zegree al- himself as the prime example. Though he may
ready had a performing career, and he wasn’t get disappointed with the amount of dedica- Quentin Angus, “Coltrane Matrix”
necessarily looking to give that up, but mold- tion his students give to their studies, he never Purchase College
ing a glee club that dealt in show tunes into a gets mad at the students themselves. Todd Coolman
respected vocal jazz ensemble grew on him. “It’s not about them; it’s always about the Purchase, NY
“Being a college professor wasn’t some- music,” he says. “If I’m saying, ‘Hey, guys, this
thing that I had aspired to or was part of my isn’t meeting the standard,’ I’m not saying, ‘I GRADUATE COLLEGE OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCES
life script. The opportunity came up and ini- don’t like you.’ I’m not saying, ‘You’re bad boys
tially I thought, ‘I’ll try this out for a year,’” Ze- and girls.’” Samuel Prather, “On My Good Days”
gree says. Nich Mueller, a third-year member of Gold Howard University
He soon learned he had a true passion for Company and a junior in the jazz studies pro- Fred Irby III
teaching and that he enjoyed sharing his pro- gram, first heard the vocal ensemble when Washington, DC
fessional experiences with students. Over his he was in high school. He was drawn to the
30-plus years in the WMU jazz department, he polished presentation and the tight sound of Rafael De Lima,
has seen students graduate into well-known Gold Company, and he knew right then that he “Transfigurações Brasileiras”
performers and respected educators. wanted to be in the group. While he has en- University of Miami
Trent Kynaston, WMU’s saxophone pro- joyed spending three years singing and sharing Frost School of Music
fessor, said Gold Company and other tradi- a sense of community with the other ensemble Gary Lindsay
tions Zegree has developed have boosted the members, he said it takes a serious amount of Miami, FL
school’s international cache. It’s also important work to perform at the required level.
for the students, however, that Zegree maintain “It’s never easy being a student of Dr. Ze- Greg Johnson, “Unconscious Lee”
an active performance and clinician schedule. gree. Rising to his challenges and expectations University of Southern California
“We all feel that if we don’t do what we’re is a constant battle, but that’s what makes him Bob Mintzer
professing, then we’re not going to be very such a great educator,” Mueller says. “Though Los Angeles, CA
successful,” Kynaston says. “I don’t know of it is tough, when the time is right, ‘Doc’ is a
anybody throughout the university who ends source of support, compassion and humor.”
up traveling and doing as much as he does.” WMU faculty member Tom Knific has
For all the performing he does, Zegree is seen Zegree’s methods consistently yield re- Original Composition
dedicated to teaching. “I could walk away from sults. The broader university administration Orchestrated Work
my performing career in a minute,” he says. “I acknowledges Zegree’s work as well, and
wouldn’t want to give up my commitment to appreciates the prestige he brings to the pro- UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER
students and to preparing the future genera- gram. “He’s popular and famous,” Knific says.
tions of educators and performers.” “Sometimes I think about him in terms of some Andrew LeCoche, “Solstice”
Much of his success training musicians of the legendary coaches: He gets to be bigger Purchase College
comes from his tireless personality, but also than life at some point.” —Jon Ross Todd Coolman
Purchase, NY

112 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNERS

David von Kampen, “Sneak Out”

University of Kansas
Dan Gailey
Lawrence, KS

Michelle Alonso/Sergio Pamies,

“Desabafo”
University of North Texas
Stefan Karlsson
Denton, TX

Jazz Arrangement
HIGH SCHOOL WINNER

Cody Morace, “Butterfly”

Vidor High School
Ronald Touchstone
Vidor, TX

HIGH SCHOOL OUTSTANDING

PERFORMANCE

Omree Gal-Oz,
“I Didn’t Know What Time It Was”
Henry M. Gunn High School
Dann Zinn
Palo Alto, CA

PERFORMING ARTS HIGH

SCHOOL WINNER

Lucas Del Calvo, “Summertime”

Colburn School of the Arts
Lee Secard
Los Angeles, CA

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNERS

Mica Bethea, “Outskirts”

University of North Florida
Dennis Marks & Dr. Clarence Hines
Jacksonville, FL

Levi Saelua, “Allegretto from

Symphony No. 7”
Eastman School of Music
Bill Dobbins
Rochester, NY

Chase Morrin, “Valse Hot”

Harvard University/New England
Conservatory of Music
Ken Shaphorst
Cambridge, MA

Antonio Castro-Ossorio,
“Nica’s Dream”
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program
Steve Haines
Greensboro, NC

Matthew Franke,
“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”
Texas State University
Freddie Mendoza
San Marcos, TX

continued on page 116

35th annual student music awards

Jazz Education Achievement Awards

Christopher Dorsey | Dillard Center for the Arts, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Teaching from the Ground Up

F
or Christopher Dorsey, teaching is about road, teaching found its way in. “I learned all the
having a goal. “Know what you want,” parts in the play, and when people came to me
he says emphatically. “You can’t ask with questions, it was really just like teaching
anything of your students until you’ve given elementary school.” Within a year Dorsey was
them a target.” back in the classroom, teaching at the Ameri-
After 26 years of teaching, Dorsey is cur- can Senior High School in Hialeah, Fla.
rently the instrumental music director for the Since then, he’s built programs all over the
two jazz ensembles and orchestra at Dillard state, and now after the better part of three de-
Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. cades and rigorous experience at every grade
“It all starts with listening, hearing the sound level, there is one thing that Dorsey knows for
you want before you teach your students to sure: A teacher’s most important role is that
make it,” Dorsey explains. “I used to listen of motivator. “No great musician will tell you
to Count Basie religiously, then Ellington be- they’ve arrived,” Dorsey explains. “Neither will
came my model.” a great teacher. You’re always tweaking and
This makes sense knowing that under changing and re-establishing, because motivat-
Dorsey’s watch the Dillard Jazz Ensemble has ing students changes every day.”
consistently brought home gold medals from But students also need a strong foundation
the Essentially Ellington competition. “I want from which to grow, and there is no substitute
to know what’s going on all over the country.” for raw material. “In 1992 I made a vow,” says
Dorsey says. “If you don’t get outside your back After earning a bachelor’s degree in music Dorsey. “I would teach my students to play their
yard, you won’t have any idea what’s around education from Jackson State University and a instruments before I taught them to play jazz.”
you. Ellington’s given me a lot of perspective, master’s in instrumental music education from Finally, a teacher needs to know where he’s
and the students get the opportunity to talk to the University of Florida, Dorsey’s life as a mu- going. “It’s not only about conceptualizing a
people like Wynton Marsalis and Vincent Gard- sician took a turn and a new love challenged sound; it’s about conceptualizing a communi-
ner and see first-hand just how beautiful the his dedication to the trombone. Dorsey found ty,” Dorsey says. “We’re trying to produce per-
jazz community can be.” himself at a crossroads—to spend the rest of formers for the next generation, people who will
But there are a few more steps between his life teaching or throw himself into playing listen to and support this music. I’m tired of go-
studying the greats and turning a group of his horn. ing to concerts and seeing audiences that are
teenagers into a big band that swings like it’s “It was 1989 when I got the call,” he says. mostly over 65.” In this respect, Dorsey looks
1935, and Dorsey’s path to success was less “I was at Edison Park Elementary School, and to his work for hope as well as fulfillment. “I try
of a straight line. “When I started out, my high just like that they invited me to play on the Euro- to show my students how to love this music
school band director talked me into playing the pean tour of Ain’t Misbehavin’.” Dorsey took the whether or not they stay in it. And teaching has
tuba, but once I learned to play trombone, that job with the Off Broadway show, an experience helped me to love this music in ways I never
became my primary instrument.” that took him all over Europe. But even on the thought I would.”  —Zoe Young

Mary Jo Papich and Dr. Lou Fischer | Jazz Education Network

Finding Purpose, Defying the Odds

M
any in the jazz world were personal stock in evaluating what
puzzled and wondering could be done. They soon went on
what would be the fate to form a completely new organiza-
of jazz education after Interna- tion called Jazz Education Network
tional Association for Jazz Educa- (JEN) in 2009.
tion (IAJE) board president Chuck But how did JEN evolve, and
Owen announced the 40-year-old what was the driving force in Fischer
jazz conference was filing for bank- and Papich that prompted them to
ruptcy in April 2008. spearhead such an endeavor? Fisch-
Two individuals this news was er has been Professor of Music and
certainly not lost on were Dr. Lou Jazz Studies at Capital University in
Fischer and Mary Jo Papich. Fisch- Columbus, Ohio, for 18 years. Prior to
er and Papich are lifelong jazz edu- his years in education, he had toured
cators who were regular attendees as a bassist with such luminaries as
of IAJE functions and, with several Red Rodney, The Crusaders, Airto,
decades of service to the impro- Charlie Byrd, Andy Williams, Woody
vised arts between them, took Herman, Bobby Shew and Louie

114 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Bellson. He was also an entrepreneur, hav-
ing ran a music publishing company for
13 years, owned a nightclub, worked as a
booking agent and headed an event pro-
duction company. But, as diversified as he
was, he seemed to always have a calling
in the back of his mind. “As long as I can
remember, I’ve always enjoyed the interac-
tion between my teachers and me,” recalls
Fischer of his days as a blossoming mu-
sician/educator. “Without their mentorship
and people encouraging me to move for-
ward and do well, I might still be in San An-
tonio, Texas, playing salsa and r&b in club
bands. Not that that would be a bad thing,
but I was told to go to college, and I was
the first in my family to do that.”
Papich is currently the Director of Fine
Arts Curriculum for Niles (Ill.) District 219
and has been a band and music instructor
in public schools for more than 30 years.
She served eight years as Fine Arts Chair
at Highland Park (Ill.) High School and
coordinated Focus On The Arts, working
with 400-plus volunteers and 270 artists.
When these two friends, colleagues
and dedicated servants to the jazz me-
dium got the news in 2008 about the de-
mise of IAJE, it took an emotional toll.
“I had attended 37 of those 40 con-
ferences,” Fischer says. “Everybody I
know in my life—my extended family was
a part of that community. I got sick and
had some serious health issues in 2006.
It took me about a year-and-a-half to re-
cover. About six months later, I realized
there’s a reason I’m still here, but I [didn’t]
know what it [was]. There was a huge void
when IAJE went down. I said to Mary Jo,
‘We can continue to cry in our beer, or we
can do something.’”
Fischer found his purpose and,
along with Papich, proceeded to create
a brand-new organization that was fresh,
inventive and had no association with
IAJE in any way, shape or form. They
came up with a sound nonprofit business
plan modeled after the Percussive Arts
Society (PASIC) and have been operating
in the black since their inception almost
four years ago.
JEN has a series of initiatives includ-
ing student scholarships, mentoring pro-
grams with kids on all aspects of the jazz
industry and school outreach programs
for students of all ages.
“The future for JEN looks very bright,”
says Papich. “We’ve gotten a lot of sup-
port from the jazz community, and getting
ready for our fourth conference in 2013
is pretty exciting. We are a very inclusive
organization, and I love reaching new peo-
ple who want to be a part of this.”
 —Eric Harabadian

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 115

35th annual student music awards

Gregory Blair, “Autumn Leaves” GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNERS Greg Johnson,

University of Massachusetts “My Shining Hour”
Jeffrey Holmes Reinhold Schmoelzer, University of Southern California
Amherst, MA “Lotus Flower by Radiohead” Bob Mintzer
University of Music &
Los Angeles, CA
Cody Fry, “Wonderwall” Performing Arts, Graz
Belmont University Ed Partyka
GRADUATE COLLEGE
Kathryn Paradise Graz, Austria OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Nashville, TN
Ryan Andrews, “Butterfly” Gerd Hermann Ortler,
Guy Mintus, “Countdown” University of Miami “Weird Nightmare”
Tel Aviv Conservatory Frost School of Music University of Music &
Harel Shachal Gary Lindsay Performing Arts, Graz
Tel Aviv, Israel Coral Gables, FL Ed Partyka
Graz, Austria
Kevin Jenson, “Jealousy” Tyler Mire, “Confirmation”
Brigham Young University University of North Texas
Dr. Ray Smith Richard DeRosa
Provo, UT Denton, TX Engineered Live
Jesse Kramer, Paul Krueger, Recording
“Chameleon/Tony Williams” “Wish You Were Here”
PERFORMING ARTS HIGH
University of Michigan University of Oregon SCHOOL WINNER
Ellen Rowe Steve Owen
Ann Arbor, MI Eugene, OR Paul Schoen
New Orleans Center for
the Creative Arts
Steve Reynolds
New Orleans, LA

GRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Ryan Andrews
University of Miami
Frost School of Music
Gary Lindsay
Coral Gables, FL

Engineered Studio
Recording
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WINNER

Jesse Pitts
Lighthouse Christian Academy
Karmen Hendry
Temple Terrace, FL

HIGH SCHOOL WINNER

Jack Higgins
St. Benedict at Auburndale
J. Thomas Link
Cordova, TN

PERFORMING ARTS HIGH

SCHOOL WINNER

Paul Schoen
New Orleans Center for
the Creative Arts
Steve Reynolds
New Orleans, LA

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE WINNER

Shane Dale Pilgrim

Brubeck Institute
Jeff Crawford
Stockton, CA

116 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

Judging criteria

Performance Criteria
1) Overall sound
2) Presence or authority
3) Proper interpretation of idiom
4) Improvisation or creativity
5) Technique
6) Intonation
7) Phrasing
8) Dynamics
9) Accurate rhythm/time
10) Material
Engineering Criteria
1) Perspective: balance of channels;
amount and type of reverb; blend (Do all
sounds seem to have been performed
at the same time and place? Do solos
seem natural or do they stick out?).
2) Levels: tape saturation or other overload,
undermodulation resulting in excessive hiss,
consistency of levels, left/right balance, etc.
3) Transparency and appar-
ent transient response.
4) Special effects: Are they appropriate?
Do they add or detract?
5) Extraneous noises, clicks, hum, etc.
(for a non-live performance, any
non-musical sound).
6) Professional etiquette: labeling of box
for tape speed and format, labeling of
cuts, leadering.
Awards & Prizes
DB Award Plaque is awarded to the
music department of each winning middle
school, high school and college.
DB Award Certificate is awarded to each indi-
vidual winner and director of winning ensembles.
Judges
Jim Anderson: Recording engineer and
producer; Former chair of the Clive
Davis Department of Recorded Mu-
sic at New York University.
David Baker: Professor of Music and
Chairman of the Jazz Department, Indi-
ana U., Bloomington; author/composer/
arranger/multi-instrumentalist.
Bob Belden: Saxophonist, composer, bandlead-
er and producer of new albums and reissues.
Janice Borla: Vocalist; Director of Vocal Jazz at
North Central College; vocal jazz camp founder.
Don Braden: Saxophonist; Coordinator of
Jazz Studies at Montclair State University;
Music Director of Litchfield Jazz Camp.
Orbert Davis: Trumpeter/clinician; professor
at University of Illinois at Chicago.
David Demsey: Saxophonist; William Paterson
University Coordinator of Jazz Studies.
Les Hooper: Composer/arranger for films, TV,
commercials, orchestras and records; clinician.
Kevin Mahogany: Vocalist, record label
owner and educator.
Miles Osland: Saxophonist; University of
Kentucky Director of Jazz Studies.
John Santos: Percussionist/clinician; U.S.
Artists Fontanals Fellow; writer/historian.
Roger Treece: Arranger/composer;
UNC Jazz Press author; educator.
James Warrick: Clinician; former Director of
Jazz Studies at New Trier High School.
David Weiss: Trumpeter, leader of the New
Jazz Composers Octet, winner of Cham-
ber Music America composition grant.
Phil Wilson: Trombonist; member of
Berklee College faculty.

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 117

 Jazz On Campus  School Notes 
Bob Mintzer

Donaldson, Gomez, Calazans Teach

Louisville Students the Art of the Tribute
T he Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies
Program at the University of
Louisville School of Music pre-
Eddie Gomez

sented its 18th Annual Jazz Festival

from Feb. 23–25. Veteran saxophon-
ist Lou Donaldson, renowned bassist
Eddie Gomez and Brazilian guitarist

Albert Oreina
Fábio Calazans presented workshops
and concerts to both students and the
public. Gomez noted that jazz edu-
California Concert: Saxophonist Bob Mint-
cation has come a long way since he zer delivered a collaborative performance
was in high school, when he and flut- with students from the Los Angeles County
ist Jeremy Steig had to sneak away to High School for the Arts at Hollywood jazz
practice jazz. club Catalina’s on April 10. Presented by
U of L’s strong international jazz the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, the
program was highlighted the first night evening highlighted combo and big band
of the festival. The U of L Brazilian performances as well as a repertoire of
Ensemble, directed by graduate stu- standards and contemporary jazz.
dent Lourenço Vasconcellos, opened Details: monkinstitute.org
with a choro, followed by the Hermeto
Pascoal composition “Suite North, New Year: The New School of Jazz and
South, East, West,” which featured Contemporary Music rounded out its silver
saxophonist and Jazz Studies Director
Michael Tracy

anniversary year with a special Legacy

Mike Tracy on tenor sax. They con- concert on April 25. The event featured
cluded with a maracatu by Moacir performances from pioneering jazz artists,
Santos and “Rio In The Summer.” Calazans, wry humor that “age ain’t nothing but a num- including NEA Jazz Masters Jimmy Owens
accompanied by bass, cello and percussion, and Frank Wess. Other highlights included
ber.” He joined JEI for “Moose The Mooche,”
a student-lead tribute to Frank Foster and
entranced the audience with his light touch in receiving an ovation as he walked onstage,
Benny Powell.
a program that included his interpretations of and wrapped the audience around his fin-
“Cinnamon And Clove” and Egberto Gismonti’s ger with his classic “Blues Walk,” followed
Details: newschool.edu

“Frevo.” His originals included a lullaby for his by soulful workouts on “Yardbird Suite” and Havana Beats: KOSA Cuba presented
daughter, “Flowers To Laura.” more. Donaldson then upped the ante with its annual percussion workshop on March
Gomez performed the second night, first his own band—organist Akiko Tsuruga, gui- 4–11. The one-week intensive study
with his longtime pianist, Stefan Karlsson, tarist Randy Johnston and drummer Joe program offered series of jam sessions,
and drummer Jason Tiemann, then with the Farnsworth—burning through Nat “King” private lessons and conferences, including
17-piece Jazz Ensemble I (JEI), directed by Cole’s “Love.” The 70-minute set included his a discussion led by ethnomusicologist Dr.
John LaBarbera. After opening with “All Satchmo tribute, “What A Wonderful World,” Olavo Alén. Details: kosamusic.com
Blues,” the trio performed Gomez’s “Love a long, slow blues medley and a 90-miles-per-
Letter To My Mother And Father,” rendered hour “Cherokee,” which Donaldson introduced Friendly Affair: The first University of
especially poignant by his comment that his by saying when he could no longer play it, he Manitoba Jazz Orchestra and Friends
mother had recently passed away at age 94. The was going to throw his saxophone off a bridge. concert was held on April 14 at the West
arco solo introduction was gorgeous, and the His encore, “Things Ain’t What They Used To End Cultural Centre. The evening spotlighted
switch to pizzicato when the other musicians Be/Give Me Back My Wig,” closed the festival Winnipeg’s most talented high school jazz
joined in was flawless. They played Bill Evans’ in grand style. musicians, including the University of Mani-
“We Will Meet Again” and closed with a Miles Graduate student Christopher Clark said of toba Jazz Collective, the Vincent Massey
Davis song, “Solar.” JEI then took the stage for Donaldson: “It’s great to see someone in his Jazz Orchestra and the Collège-Jeanne
Sauvé Jazz Orchestra.
one song before Gomez returned, performing eighties still playing so well. For him to play
Thad Jones’ bluesy “Mean What You Say” and with us was a great experience.”
Details: umanitoba.ca

the gentle “Quietude.” Dizzy Gillespie’s early Fellow student Brandon Coleman added:
Hoosier Music: The Indiana University
arrangement of “’Round Midnight” provided “It was tremendous to have musicians of Jacobs School of Music celebrated Jazz
both musicality and historicity. Gomez and the such high caliber as Eddie Gomez and Lou Appreciation Month with a “Jazz Celebration”
students closed with an incandescent “Fables Donaldson come and share their wealth of concert on April 21 at the school’s Musical
Of Faubus,” a nod to fellow bassist Charles musical knowledge with us. Their positive Arts Center. The event featured performances
Mingus. Throughout, Gomez displayed an energy and powerful music not only enlight- by alumni trumpeter Randy Brecker, pianist
unassuming virtuosity. ened the students, it captivated and entertained Alan Pasqua, bassist Robert Hurst and drum-
On the final day of the festival, Donaldson, the audience to a degree you don’t often find in mer Peter Erskine. Details: indiana.edu
at 85, demonstrated with strong playing and music schools.” —Martin Z. Kasdan Jr.

118 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

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120 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012

INSTRUMENTS & ACCESSORIES DB Buyers Guide 
3 Sixteen Records................53 Hamilton Stands...................19 RS Berkeley..........................84
3sixteenrecords.com dansr.com rsberkeley.com
Adams.....................................5 Howard University..............106 Sam Ash...............................80
pearldrum.com howard.edu samash.com
Afrasia Productions..............55 Interlochen Center Samson...............................124
carmenlundy.com For Arts...............................117 samsontech.com
interlochen.org
Andy Lalasis Music...............51 Sax Dakota Company..........39
myspace.com/alalasis J Mood Records...................51 saxdakota.com
jmoodrecords.com
Antigua Winds......................31 Schilke Music
antiguapro-one.com J.J. Babbitt............................49
jjbabbitt.com Products.............................100
Ark Ovrutski Music...............55 schilkemusic.com
arkovrutski.com Jamey Abersold....................83
jazzbooks.com Shirley Crabbe Music...........51
Arts App................................90 shirleycrabbe.com
artsapp.com Jamie Ousley Music.............55
myspace.com/jamieousley Sunnyside Records........59, 61
Bari Mouthpieces...............104 sunnysiderecords.com
bariwoodwind.com Jazz Cruises...........................7
thejazzcruise.com Telluride Jazz Festival...........48
Bell Production Jazzschool..........................116
telluridejazz.org
Company..............................55 jazzschool.com Theo Wanne
bellproductionco.com
JazzSet/WBGO....................81 Mouthpieces.........................24
Berklee College of jazzset.org theowanne.com
Music....................................37 Toca.......................................17
berklee.edu/downbeat JodyJazz Mouthpieces........33
jodyjazz.com tocapercussion.com
Billy Bauer Music..................84
billybauersmusic.com Juilliard School of Music......97 Two For The Show
juilliard.edu/jazz Media....................................56
Bosphorus Cymbals.............42 twofortheshowmedia.com
bosphoruscymbals.com Jupiter.....................................2
jupitermusic.com UMASS...............................117
Brubeck Institute..................98 umass.edu/music
brubeckinstitute.org Laser Records......................53
laserrecords.com University of
Butman Music......................63 Central Oklahoma...............113
igorbutman.com Lisa Hilton Music..................75
lisahiltonmusic.com ucojazzlab.com
Cannonball Music.................21 University of Kansas...........107
cannonballmusic.com Litchfield Jazz Festival.........75
litchfieldjazzfest.com music.ku.edu
Capri Records.......................68
caprirecords.com Local 802..............................78 University of Kentucky.......115
justiceforjazzartists.org uky.edu
Chad Coe Music...................53 Mack Avenue Records.........25
chadcoe.com
mackavenue.com
University of Miami—
Chicago Sessions.................53 Frost School of Music..........99
chicagosessions.com Motéma Records............65, 67 music.miami.edu
motema.com
Columbia College University of Music &
National Trumpet Performing Arts Graz..........102
ETC. Chicago...................................4 Competition..........................94
colum.edu/music kug.ac.at/en/home.html
nationaltrumpetcomp.org
Concord Music Group..........23 New School .........................93 University of North
concordmusicgroup.com newschool.edu/jazz11 Carolina—Greensboro.......117
uncg.edu/mus
Czech Ease...........................73 New York Jazz
czech-ease.com
Academy.............................110 University of
Dafnison Music.....................53 nyjazzacademy.com North Texas...........................95
dafnisprieto.com jazz.unt.edu
Newport Jazz Festival..........79
DC Jazz Festival...................11 newportjazzfest.net University of
dcjazzfest.org Northern Colorado.............101
North Central College.........103 uncjazz.com
Detroit Jazz Festival.............77 northcentralcollege.edu/major/music
detroitjazzfest.com
NS Designs...........................10 University of the
thinkns.com Pacific Library.....................115
Dick Brewer Music...............73 library.pacific.edu/ha/brubeck
cdbaby.com/artist/ Ohio University...................110
DickBrewerAndChrisVadala finearts.ohio.edu/music University of Southern
Dream Cymbals....................85 Ottawa Jazz Festival..............8 California—Thornton
dreamcymbals.com ottawajazzfestival.com School of Music..................108
usc.edu/music/jazz
Eastman Music Company....15 P. Mauriat Saxophones..........9
eastmanmusiccompany.com pmauriatmusic.com Vandoren.................................3
wearevandoren.com
Eastman School of Music....96 Planet Arts Recording..........55
esm.rochester.edu planetarts.org Vic Firth...........................44, 45
vicfirth.com
ECM Records.......................69 Playscape Recordings.........69
ecmrecords.com playscape-recordings.com Western Michigan
Edict Records.................53, 72 Princeton University...........109 University............................111
edictrecords.com wmujazz.com

Subscribe
princeton.edu/~puje
Elmhurst College................116 Purchase College.................94 William Paterson
elmhurst.edu/music purchase.edu University............................105
DownBeat.com
wpunj.edu/
Five Towns College............115 Rebecca Ungerman
ftc.edu Music....................................51 Yamaha...............................123
877-904-JAZZ (U.S.) rebeccaungerman.com usa.yamaha.com
Frank Walton Music..............73
han-walproductions.com Rico Reeds...........................29 Zildjian...................................89
651-251-9682 (Outside U.S.) ricoreeds.com zildjian.com
George Breinschmid
Music....................................55 Rochester Jazz Festival.......43 Zoho Music...........................71
georgbreinschmid.com rochesterjazz.com zohomusic.com

JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT 121

 caption

Blindfold Test | By peter margasak

Mats Gustafsson
S wedish reedist Mats Gustafsson has been one of improvised music’s
most restless and energetic figures for the last two decades, wheth-
er in ad hoc settings or with hard-hitting working bands like the Thing
and Fire! He’s a close collaborator of fellow reedists Peter Brötzmann
and Ken Vandermark. Recent albums include Live At The South Bank
(Smalltown Superjazz), an improvised session with the late drummer
Steve Reid and laptop musician Kieran Hebden, and Barrel Fire, a col-
laboration with the Gord Grdina Trio. This is his first Blindfold Test,
conducted during the 2011 Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Julius Hemphill
“Dogon A.D.” (Dogon A.D., International Phonograph, 2011, rec’d 1972) Hemphill,
alto saxophone; Abdul Wadud, cello; Phillip Wilson, drums; Baikida Carroll, trumpet.
[Instantly] Julius Hemphill. The drumming is genius—he’s like the
Zigaboo Modeliste of free-jazz. There’s so many grooves and standards
for how to play jazz and free-jazz, and the simple fact of using the saxo-
phone or the cello as a kind of bass—why not? It’s so obvious. Any musi-
cian who doesn’t like this should just stop—this is what it’s all about. It’s
such a raw sound, right up in your face. This is the perfect introduction to
someone who’s never heard free-jazz before. I wouldn’t mind if this piece
went on for a couple of hours.

Yosuke Yamashita Trio

“Chiasma” (Chiasma, MPS, 1976) Yamashita, piano; Akira Sakata, alto saxophone; the scene. They took their instruments in totally new directions, and that
Takeo Moriyama, drums. doesn’t happen so often in jazz. I couldn’t believe it the first time I heard
I’ve played this piece with the Thing. It’s Yosuke Yamashita. Yeah, it’s him. He’s a super great improviser, but I have to say I think I most enjoy
“Chiasma.” This is, perhaps, the least known supergroup of jazz. This trio him solo. Let’s be mean to Peter and give this 41/2 stars, saying that he will
made a name for themselves in Europe, but the influence they had on the make his masterpiece next year.
Japanese scene at the time was huge. The first time I heard this, it was like
I was flying out of the window. The intensity. But it’s totally jazz-based. Steve Lacy
I probably heard about this from working for [Stockholm record shop “Stamps” (Blinks, Hat Hut, 1997, rec’d 1983) Lacy, soprano saxophone; Steve Potts,
owner] Harald Hult. That was my school. I still help him. I’ve played with alto saxophone; Irene Aebi, cello; Jean-Jacques Avenel, bass; Oliver Johnson, drums.
Sakata in Japan with the Thing, and we played with Yamashita, too. It was That took a while. Lacy, of course. My brain is working so slow!
through the ceiling. Immediately I thought 5 stars, but I knew I had to figure out what it was
first. Must be Steve Potts, Irene and Oliver Johnson. This is about the time
Lars Gullin I first heard Lacy live, I think, in New York in 1981. It was this group with
“Fedja” (Baritone Sax, Collectables, 1999, rec’d 1956) Gullin, baritone saxophone; Bobby Few and George Lewis. I had heard Lacy’s name before, but not his
Carl-Henrik Norin, tenor saxophone; Arne Domnerus, alto saxophone; George Ver- music. It was one of the concerts that changed my life. I played with him
non, trombone; Rune Ofweman, piano; George Riedel, bass; Nils-Bertil Dahlander, once at the old Velvet Lounge [in Chicago]. Another of those unreal expe-
drums; Rune Falk, baritone saxophone. riences. I was so nervous. When we got up on stage he whispered in my ear
Ah, Gullin. You have to change the rating to 7 or something. Classic and he said, “To tune or not to tune,” and it scared the shit out of me. He’s
Swedish shit, “Fedja.” Maybe no one can hear it in my playing, but this is one of the few people I would consider a genius, the way he was thinking
my main inspiration for my baritone. I heard Gullin around the first time about stuff and connecting the wide perspective with poetry, art and dance.
I heard Brötzmann for the first time, on record. It’s a real shame he could
never go to the States to play. He had some minor drug thing, so he could Magnus Broo
never get in. He is totally a lyrical player, with long melodic lines. For the “Thoughts Are Things” (Swedish Wood, Moserobie, 2010) Broo, trumpet; Torbjörn
two extremes in jazz baritone, you have Gullin on one side and then you Zetterberg, bass; Joe Williamson, bass; Håkon Mjåset Johansen, drums.
have someone like Serge Chaloff on the other side, all rough and like, pow! [Laughs] Surprising. I have not heard this before. It’s contemporary. Stupid
They call this the golden era of Swedish jazz, and it’s really true. theme. Really good trumpet player. To compare Jason Moran and this,
since it’s contemporary—I like the sound of this more. I really like the two
Peter Evans bassists. Oh, it’s Magnus Broo! This is Magnus at his best. Fantastic. This
“Wa” (Nature/Culture, Psi, 2008) Evans, trumpet. is as close to 5 stars as you can get. I’m glad not to make a fool of myself. It
[About one minute in] It’s Peter Evans. I thought it was a saxophone, doing is a stupid theme, it’s a little cheesy, but it makes complete sense. Magnus is
multiphonics and really pushing it hard. I know a lot of musicians who such an amazing human being, and he can pull off a theme like that. I love
don’t like Peter’s playing because they think it’s too technical. But for me, that it’s just his trumpet without saxophone or piano. DB
what he’s doing, what he’s exploring, it’s because of his technique he can
push it so far. If you don’t have the technique, you can’t reach for where you The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured art-
want to go. This is so filthy, so dirty. I think in the past 10 years Peter and ist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on
selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using
[saxophonist] Christine Sehnaoui are the best things that have happened to a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.

122 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012