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POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: DownBeat, P.O. Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688.CABLE ADDRESS: DownBeat (on sale April 20, 2010) Magazine Publishers Association

May 2010VOLUME 77 – NUMBER 5

President Kevin Maher

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Austin: Michael Point; Boston: Fred Bouchard, Frank-John Hadley;Chicago: John Corbett, Alain Drouot, Michael Jackson, Peter Margasak,Bill Meyer, Mitch Myers, Paul Natkin, Howard Reich; Denver: NormanProvizer; Indiana: Mark Sheldon; Iowa: Will Smith; Los Angeles: EarlGibson, Todd Jenkins, Kirk Silsbee, Chris Walker, Joe Woodard; Michigan:John Ephland; Minneapolis: Robin James; Nashville: Robert Doerschuk;New Orleans: Erika Goldring, David Kunian; New York: Alan Bergman,Herb Boyd, Bill Douthart, Ira Gitler, Eugene Gologursky, Norm Harris, D.D.Jackson, Jimmy Katz, Jim Macnie, Ken Micallef, Jennifer Odell, DanOuellette, Ted Panken, Richard Seidel, Tom Staudter, Jack Vartoogian,Michael Weintrob, Kevin Whitehead; North Carolina: Robin Tolleson;Philadelphia: David Adler, Shaun Brady, Eric Fine; San Francisco: MarsBreslow, Forrest Bryant, Clayton Call, Yoshi Kato; Seattle: Paul de Barros;Tampa Bay: Philip Booth; Washington, D.C.: Willard Jenkins, John Murph,Bill Shoemaker, Michael Wilderman; Belgium: Jos Knaepen; Canada:Greg Buium, James Hale, Diane Moon; Denmark: Jan Persson; France:Jean Szlamowicz; Germany: Detlev Schilke, Hyou Vielz; Great Britain:Brian Priestley; Japan: Kiyoshi Koyama; Portugal: Antonio Rubio;Romania: Virgil Mihaiu; Russia: Cyril Moshkow; South Africa: Don Albert.

Jack Maher, President 1970-2003John Maher, President 1950-1969

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6 DOWNBEAT May 2010

Departments

Features

8 First Take

10 Chords & Discords

13 The Beat

14 The Insider

20 Caught

22 Players

Ali Jackson Jr.

Carolina Chocolate Drops

Brandon Seabrook

Joey Pero

51 Reviews

110 Toolshed

114 Master Class

116 Transcription

118 Jazz On Campus

122 Blindfold Test

Jim Hall

54 Mostly Other People Do The Killing 60 Brian Lynch 64 Buddy DeFranco/Martin Taylor 64 Al Di Meola

DB Inside

34 Ramsey Lewis& Kirk WhalumThe NaturalsBy Frank Alkyer

38 Evan ParkerExtraordinaryEncountersBy Ted Panken

26 Miguel ZenónPliability & Thrust | By Jim Macnie

It seems like everywhere you go, Miguel Zenón is somehow involved with dance.But the Puerto-Rico born alto saxophonist and recent recipient of a MacArthur“genius” grant doesn’t play dance music per se. His horn is better known for itsagility, flying at breakneck speed and stressing his fluency in the bebop tradition.The dance elements bubble up because Zenón controls the music’s temperamentby gracefully thrusting himself into his rhythm section’s agitation, blending acuteteamwork and killer chops while riding his band’s very intricate grooves.

Cover photography by Jimmy Katz. Special thanks to Jazz Gallery in New York City for their generosity in letting DownBeat shoot on location.

42 Manfred EicherDownBeat LifetimeAchievement AwardBy Dan Ouellette

46 Gerry MulliganBefore & AfterBy Leonard Feather //May 26 & June 9, 1960

69 SPECIAL SECTION

2010InternationalSummerFestival Guide

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8 DOWNBEAT May 2010

Miguel Zenón didn’t getto be Miguel Zenón—recipient of Guggenheimand MacArthur grants,six-year veteran of theacclaimed SFJAZZ Col-lective and one of thebrightest rising-star altosaxophonists/composersto emerge in the pastdecade—by resting onhis laurels and relying onhis native talents alone.He got there by wood-shedding, setting goals,taking risks, giving birthto dozens of originalcompositions … andtranscribing jazz solos from classic recordings.

The act of writing out somebody else’s solo note-for-note is particu-larly hard work; it requires lots of time and keen attention to detail (plus atape machine with playback speed control), not to mention sheer determi-nation. But transcribing solos as part of a regular pratice/study regimenhas serious benefits for the development of any jazz artist. Just askZenón, who spent considerable time during his interview with DownBeatwriter Jim Macnie talking enthusiastically about the educational experi-ence of putting some of his favorite jazz solos down on paper. The weekthey got together, the saxophonist had been working on a Sonny Rollinsspin from “52nd Street Theme” recorded with Don Cherry.

Recalling his own formative years, Zenón told Macnie that transcrib-ing was his first step towards learning the jazz language. The first solohe ever scrutinized was Cannonball Adderly’s flight on “FreddyFreeloader.” He said that Charlie Parker was his main man, though:“Embraceable You” is one of his favorites; “Warming Up A Riff,” too.“I’d transcribe one guy for an entire year, dig into someone,” Zenónsaid. “Joe [Henderson], Rollins, Lee Konitz.”

Zenón noted that when he got to Berklee at age 19, he met other stu-dents who studied their heroes’ work by absorbing the trajectory of theirsolos. Jaleel Shaw, Jeremy Pelt and Avishai Cohen all enjoyed engagingin animated conversations about their forebears, from Johnny Hodges toFreddie Hubbard.

Shaw, who’s now in New York and has worked with Roy Haynesamong many others, recalled those school days. “We checked out differ-ent people and then shared what we learned,” he told Macnie. “The factthat Miguel was transcribing didn’t surprise me—I knew that’s what youhad to do. That’s one of the reasons we got along. That, and talkingabout the things that were important: practicing, learning, developingyour own sound. One of my earliest teachers in Philly had me transcrib-ing Miles Davis solos. I’ve always felt it was something that would helpme understand vocabulary—just like learning how to talk. When youhear people talk, you pick up new words, formulate sentences. It’simportant to check out the masters—Kenny Garrett was on the list forsure. Donald Harrison, too. My biggest hero growing up was BobbyWatson. I never transcribed him, but I could sing you lots of his solos.The more open you were to everyone, the more you knew.”

Taking down transcriptions is a process of discovery, one that teach-es discipline and develops the ear while revealing the thought-processesand creative genius of jazz’s sagest improvisers. The more you do it, themore enlightened you will be, and the more eloquent your self-expres-sion will ultimately become. DB

First Take

Gateway To EleganceMiguel Zenón: the transcriber

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10 DOWNBEAT May 2010

InterventionsI’ve noticed that Man-fred Eicher’s interven-tions on his recordingscan be too strong(“Jazz Producers: ANew Reality,” March).I know how some ofthe Italian musicianshe has producedsound when they playlive sets: StefanoBollani or Enrico Rava,for example. On therecordings all of themhave been deprived oftheir joyful and ener-getic features. I prefer Jordi Pujol’s statementabout how each musician has his backgroundand way of thinking. Maybe the truth is in themiddle. As a producer you need to be presentand give suggestions when needed, but mostof the time you don’t need to say anythingbecause musicians have clear ideas.Marco [email protected]

Satchmo Not FirstIn his review of Terry Teachout’s Pops, EricFine calls Armstrong “the first virtuoso to per-form popular music rather than classical”(“Reviews,” April). That simply is not correct.If any individual can lay claim to that distinc-tion, it is Sidney Bechet, whose fluidity andpower on the clarinet and soprano saxophonewas established before Armstrong came onthe scene. Teachout himself notes, on page12 of his book: “It is not even right to call[Armstrong] the first great jazz soloist, asmany critics and scholars have done. SidneyBechet, the New Orleans clarinetist who wasfour years his senior, preceded him by adecade.”Michael WestonEvanston, Ill.

Where’s Akiyoshi?I was disappointed with your “My FavoriteBig Band Album” article (April). When 12 ofyour list of 25 essential big band albums arefrom the same three artists (Duke Ellington,Count Basie and Miles Davis), it makes havinga list rather pointless. Also, I was shocked notto find any mention of Toshiko Akiyoshi. TheAkiyoshi–Tabackin big band ruled the ’70sand beyond, with Akiyoshi becoming the firstwoman and first Asian to win a DownBeataward. It’s no coincidence that she was com-missioned to compose and debut three newsongs at the 1999 Monterey Jazz Festival, incelebration of the 100th anniversary ofEllington’s birth. Akiyoshi and Ellington were

arguably the two most original big band com-posers of all time.Gordon WebbSanta Clara, Calif.

Hodges’ Last JamI loved the “My Favorite Big Band Album”article. All due respect to Roy Nathanson, but…And His Mother Called Him Bill was notJohnny Hodges’ last recording. Hodgesplayed some nasty blues on his very lastrecording: April 27, 1970’s “Blues For NewOrleans.” This incredible song, with Wild BillDavis on organ, can be heard on DukeEllington’s New Orleans Suite. Sadly, Hodgesdied two weeks later, on May 11, 1970. Mick CarlonCenterville, Mass.

Longo Deserves PraiseRobert L. Doerschuk’s review of Mike Longo’sSting Like A Bee (“Reviews,” April) was offthe mark. Even though he is a respected jour-nalist, his remarks have all the earmarks of afrustrated musician with an axe to grind. Iconfess I may be a bit prejudiced, having metMike at a concert and found him to be friendlyand a wealth of jazz knowledge.Henry LloydLancaster, Pa.

Corrections• The story about Columbia College’s blues

camp (“Summer Camp Guide,” March)misstated Fernando Jones’ title. He is thecollege’s blues ensemble director, and GaryYerkins is the director of Columbia’sContemporary Urban and Pop Musicdegree program.

• Drummer Paul F. Murphy and pianist LarryWillis were misidentified in the review oftheir Foundations (April).

DownBeat regrets the errors.

Have a chord or discord? E-mail us at [email protected].

Chords & Discords

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May 2010 DOWNBEAT 13

Monarch’s BrushesMusicians valued Ed Thigpen’sremarkable taste, classIf ever a drummer could be likened to a ballet dancer, a king, a regal race-horse and a perfectionist artist all at once, it would be Ed Thigpen, whodied on Jan. 13 at age 79 in Copenhagen, his home since 1972.

Best known as one of the driving forces behind Oscar Peterson’s great1960s trio (with Ray Brown), Thigpen was a drummer of extreme tasteand timbral diversity, executing crystalline figures with relaxed but pro-found poise, control and rhythmic beauty. A brilliant brush player (heardto great delight on “Thag’s Dance,” from Peterson’s The Sound Of TheTrio), Thigpen gave each note equal importance, like an orchestral percus-sionist mapping out the perfect performance.

Thigpen popped straightahead rhythms behind everyone from JohnColtrane, Dexter Gordon and Bud Powell to Billy Taylor, Lee Morganand Charlie Rouse—and many more on over 600 albums. Where manyjazz musicians of his era were dogged by various vices, Thigpen was adevout Christian, beloved family man, celebrated educator and lifelongstudent of the instrument. And as filmmaker Don McGlynn, who madethe documentary Ed Thigpen: Master Of Rhythm, Time and Taste, said,“Ed wasn’t stuck in doing a Jo Jones thing, or an Oscar Peterson thing, ora swing thing. He was always looking somewhere else.”

Born in Chicago in 1930, Thigpen was raised in St. Louis. When hisparents separated, he and his mother relocated to Los Angeles. He studiedmusic and played drums at Thomas Jefferson High School, and workedhis way to New York, playing with Cootie Williams and Buddy Colletteuntil, in 1951, he was drafted into the army. Upon Thigpen’s return toNew York in 1954, he worked with Dinah Washington, Oscar Pettiford,Paul Quinichette, Johnny Hodges, Jutta Hipp, Toshiko Akiyoshi, LennieTristano and Ernie Wilkins. In 1959, he joined the Oscar Peterson Trio.

“What attracted me to Oscar Peterson’s Trio was the way Ed Thigpenplayed the ensembles,” drummer Kenny Washington said. “Ed reallymade those three guys sound as one. It’s all in the way Ed played thearrangements. He understood playing long notes and short notes, he knewhow to translate those values on the drum set.”

Thigpen’s drum set mastery was particularly evident in his glisteningbrushwork, which he eventually explained in one of his many instructionalbooks, The Sound Of The Brushes, and in the video The Essence Of TheBrushes.

“Ed was like a ballet dancer behind the set,” Monty Alexander saidof Thigpen, who played on his record The River. “He played the airsometimes: You could hear the brushes shimmering in the air. Heharkened back to how the older cats played the drums when it was ashow in itself. Like Jo Jones, Ed sat at the drum set like he was presid-ing over his kingdom.”

“Ed was beautiful to watch,” said Jeff Hamilton, who often tradedbrush information with Thigpen. “Sometimes in solos Ed used a glidingstroke where he would mash both brushes down, and both hands wouldmove left, then right, in a unison direction from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock andthen return. That enabled him to get a long, legato sound. Ed exploredwhat the brushes had to offer; he really delved into what he could create.

Playing time, Ed had a smooth sound with his left hand but he could createa very stinging sound with staccato notes playing straight over the head toget that precision you needed with Oscar and Ray.”

After a six-and-a-half-year run (and nearly 50 albums) with Peterson,Thigpen joined Ella Fitzgerald from 1968 to 1972, then settled inDenmark, where he continued to perform and teach nearly until his death.Like Ben Webster, Duke Jordan and Kenny Drew, Thigpen was visitingjazz royalty in Copenhagen, holding court first at the famed MontmartreClub, then the Copenhagen Jazz House. Ed joined the Jazz House triowith pianists Horace Parlan or Kenny Drew and bassist Jesper Lundberg.The trio accompanied visiting artists including Benny Carter, TeddyWilson, Harry “Sweets” Edison and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis.

“He really used dynamics,” Lundberg said. “You could have theselong quiet passages, then Ed would explode and play really loud for a briefamount of time then return to more normal volume. ”

Thigpen continued to freelance and record solo projects, such as hisown Young Men And Olds (1990, Timeless), Mr. Taste (1992, JustinTime), It’s Entertainment (1998, Stunt), Three Impact (2002, Crown) and2002’s Element Of Swing with Joe Lovano.

“The music that we played together was pretty expansive,” Lovanosaid. “Ed was all about swinging and heavy groove, but he played veryfree and could execute ideas within any form. He was a very creativeimproviser and he had beautiful control and sound.” —Ken Micallef

INSIDE THE BEAT

14 Riffs

14 The Insider

20 Caught

22 Players

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Riffs

Nina Memorial: Singer Lisa SimoneKelly kisses the statue of her mother,Nina Simone, at its dedication ceremonyin Tryon, N.C., on Feb. 21. Details: ninasimoneproject.org

Last Lights: After 37 years, presenterJack Kleinsinger will stage his final“Highlights In Jazz” event with a BillyTaylor Trio concert at New York’sTribeca Performing Arts Center on May 13. Details: tribecapac.org

Blues Ambassador: Blues guitarist LittleJoe McLerran’s quartet is touring theMiddle East this spring to promote cul-tural exchange as part of the U.S. StateDepartment and Jazz at Lincoln Center’sRhythm Road program. McLerran willalso perform at the GrosvenorAuditorium in Washington, D.C., onJune 3 and New York’s Dizzy’s ClubCoca-Cola on June 5. Details: jalc.org

Marsalis’ Honor: Wynton Marsalisreceived the NAACP Image Award forOutstanding Jazz Album for He And She(Blue Note) on Feb. 26. Details: wyntonmarsalis.com

WBGO To Go: Newark, N.J.-based jazzradio station WBGO/Jazz 88.3FM haslaunched an iPhone application todownload broadcasts through theiTunes Music Store. The application willalso include images from Francis Wolff’sphotographs of classic Blue Note artists.Details: wbgo.org

RIP, Johnny Alf: Singer/pianist JohnnyAlf died in Santo André, Brazil, on March4 of prostate cancer. He was 80. Alfbegan combining Brazilian music withAmerican jazz in the 1950s, and hehelped spark the movement that wouldbecome internationally known as bossanova. His 1990 disc Olhos Negros fea-tured him in duets with Caetano Velosoand Gilberto Gil.

One of the most exciting andenlightening moments for a jazz

singer is when a master vocalistmakes time to talk with a colleague.Over the course of my recent conver-sation with Andy Bey, I received in-depth answers to my questionsabout repertoire, harmony, perfor-mance and the voice itself.

When Andy and I discussed hisvoice, I asked him where in his widerange he enjoys singing today. Afterhis time with Horace Silver, markedby regular use of a full, high voice,he wanted to showcase another sideof his singing. “It’s not just aboutsinging the high note because youcan sing high,” he said.

This decision yielded Ballads,Blues & Bey in 1996 and has influenced themood on other albums since. To this day, Beycan put his voice wherever he needs, and hestill has complete ownership of the “chestmix” of head and chest voice, often a technicalchallenge for singers. The unique character ofAndy’s “chest mix” or pasagio is one of thethings I love most about his voice.

Nowadays, Andy performs repertoire inkeys that allows him to sing in the rich, lowerregister of his voice, particularly during the firstchorus. He has made some drastic adjustments-a third or fourth down from stock male keysover the years. If I were performing with pianoalone, I might consider such a move, but with afull trio I’m reluctant to focus the register toolow, because the voice may compete with theband’s volume. Andy consistently prefers thelower key, even with his trio. However, heplans specifically so that, he says, “On that sec-ond chorus, I can kind of stretch it. I used to do‘But Not For Me’ in the key of E-flat. I do it inB-flat now, a fourth down, and I can still useenough gusto in the second chorus withoutscreeching.”

Along with the great jazz and r&b singers,Andy noted his connection to Schoenberg,Indian classical music and even the AACM.Even within the most standard of standards,Andy’s performances seem to be defined byrelentless harmonic exploration.

Andy generally plays piano for himselfwhen he sings. When singing a dissonant note,

be it written or improvised, he often chooses notto voice the note on the piano. This alwaystakes me by surprise. Many musicians, especial-ly singers, intuitively expect a comping instru-ment to catch dissonant melodic turns. Withoutthe piano’s support, the voice lacks a solid floor.There is a danger that it may slip away from itsintended note. But it is also free.

“I wanna be that free to explore harmonical-ly, in any way that I want to,” he said. “I like thesubtly polytonal. I’m not bringing that muchattention to the voice in a sense. The vocal lineis kind of dynamic ... but I’m singing it lowenough. I always think of it as a dialogue. Voiceand piano. Not like me playing for myself, butcall and response.”

Andy’s exploration continues, and I amparticularly inspired by his commitment toimprovisation.

“If you got a muse in you, that’s strong,” hesaid. “It takes years—I’m 70 years old, I’m stilllooking for something, I’m still inspired bysomething. The most important thing is that youcan keep your mind open, and you can stillswing with the best of them and you can dowhatever you wanna do, and you do it in a waythat can reach. If it communicates, good. Someare gonna like it, some hate it, but you can’tworry ’bout who’s gonna like it.” DB

Singer Sachal Vasandani’s latest CD is We Move(Mack Avenue); he can be reached at his Web site,svjazz.com.

THEINSIDER:ANDY BEYStrengthening The MuseBy Sachal Vasandani

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The Village Vanguard’s 75th birthday cele-bration in New York on Feb. 22 was anunderstated, hip affair. An assortment ofmusicians (among them Jimmy Heath, PaulMotian, Joe Lovano, Cedar Walton, RaviColtrane, Bill Charlap, Renee Rosnes, AnatCohen, Peter Washington), writers (a host of

prominent jazz critics as well as novelistAntonio Muñoz Molina), industry luminaries,employees past and present and friends ofproprietor Lorraine Gordon, 86, munched onbarbecue, rice-and-peas and slaw, drank fromthe open bar, gossiped, networked and remi-nisced. The Vanguard Orchestra, now in the

New York’s Village Vanguard 75-YearAnniversary A Cause For Celebration

45th year of its continuous Monday residencein this acoustic miracle of a basement, had arare night off.

On this evening, the only performer wasProfessor Irwin Corey, still billing himself asthe World’s Foremost Authority at 96. Theplanet’s oldest standup comic (he first playedthe Vanguard in 1942) delivered an im-promptu lecture as the staff activated thesoundtrack for a brief film by DeborahGordon about her father, Max, who—from thevisual evidence in the documentary—threwmuch wilder parties than this during theVanguard’s early years. Using rare perfor-mance footage and testimony from such back-in-the-day Vanguard habitues as Corey,Lenny Bruce, Pete Seeger, Betty Comden,Adolph Green, the Duke of Iron, Eartha Kitt,Wally Cox and Max Gordon himself, Gordonimparted the flavor of the Vanguard’s forma-tive years when jazz was part of a broadertasting menu comprising blues, folk, comedy,Caribbean and poetry.

“Television took all the artists away thatMax could employ,” Lorraine Gordon said.“So Max switched to jazz in the early ’50s.”

Seeger’s soundbyte in the film focused onthe importance of privileging perseverence,the daily grind, over the fleeting inspiration ofindividual genius. Perhaps Gordon was think-ing of this during her closing remarks, whenshe shed her crusty veneer and cried at themiracle of her club’s “longravity,” as JimmyHeath punned it. She first set foot in theVanguard around 1940 to hear Leadbelly,married Max Gordon in 1950 and throughoutthe two decades since his death has guided theVanguard into 21st century cutting edge.

“I love to play at the Vanguard,” Heathsaid. “The intimacy, the clientele. The soundpeople are knowledgeable—it’s not a placewhere everything’s blowing your head off, butyou can hear everything. When I’m not play-ing, I like to go because of the atmosphere. Iliked Max Gordon and the way he treatedpeople. It’s a different period, things havechanged, but the feeling of the Vanguard isstill about the same.” —Ted Panken

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HBO Drama ‘Tremé’ Brings NewOrleans Musicians To Prime TimeNew Orleans trumpeter Kermit Ruffins is an enthusiastic improviseronstage, but he doesn’t mind sticking to a tight script as he plays himselfin the new HBO series “Tremé.” The drama, which begins airing onApril 11, takes place in his city during the months after HurricaneKatrina and focuses on neighborhood musical communities. Ruffins isone of many musicians who play themselves, alongside actors portray-ing their fictional counterparts.

“This is such a big plus for the city,” Ruffins said. “And to get ourmusic on TV is really big-time. I’m always asked, ‘How can we getNew Orleans music back in the mainstream?’ I always say we have tobe on MTV or BET, and now it’s going to happen on HBO. It’s crazyhow much music they’re using in this.”

The series’ creators, David Simon and Eric Overmyer, had previous-ly worked on the network’s hit crime drama “The Wire.” They’ve drawnon talent from that series for “Tremé,” including writer GeorgePelecanos and actor Wendell Pierce, who plays trombonist AntoineBatiste. Pelecanos says, “The whole message of the show is that this is atown worth saving and there’s no place like it in the world. We can’tafford to let it go away.”

“People are still fighting to get things done, and we’re still trying tokeep people’s interest up,” Pelecanos said. “Shining a light on these peo-ple’s lives and also showing their struggles is hopefully going to helpthem out. That’s part of the deal, part of what we’re trying to do.”

Along with filming “Tremé” on location, the series’ producers andwriters’ insistence on fully representing the city’s musical depth isanother mark of authenticity. Pelecanos, who also weaves telling musi-cal references into his own crime novels, is well aware of New Orleans’musical strengths.

“We’re trying to show the diversity in the music and where every-thing comes from,” Pelecanos said. “That it’s not just ‘When The SaintsGo Marching In.’ I’m a big lover of soul music, so I’ve been trying topush Irma Thomas in the show, or Johnny Adams. Because NewOrleans has this rich soul tradition.”

Musician cast members have also been enlisted as advisors.“When the show was about to happen, I went to the hotel room and

sat down with the writers and just brainstormed while drinking BloodyMarys,” Ruffins said. “They’re encouraging me to call anytime, changethe script, and giving us a lot of hands-on. They totally get it. We’vebeen living in this city our entire lives.”

Now that Ruffins has proven himself onscreen, he adds that “Tremé”may just mark the beginning of a new career.

“I always wanted to have my own show and have New Orleansmusic once a week, just for an hour,” Ruffins said. “Maybe we canmake that happen now.” —Aaron Cohen

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Portland Jazz Festival Connects WithKnockout Norwegian Improvisers

Creative Sparks Light Up Umbria JazzWinter in Orvieto

Artistic director Bill Royston has distinguishedthe Portland Jazz Festival by regularly shakingup its focus. By changing its emphasis fromyear to year it thrives as one of the country’smore unpredictable soirees. In 2007 artistsaffiliated with ECM Records were spotlighted,in 2008 free-jazz heavies like Ornette Colemanand Cecil Taylor were feted, and in 2009 thefest tipped its hat to the 70th anniversary ofBlue Note Records.

Because of the shoddy economy (whichalmost cancelled the festival in 2009 untilAlaska Airlines offered sponsorship), thisyear’s edition, which ran Feb. 21–28, was con-siderably smaller than in previous years. Sturdybookings like Luciana Souza, Pharoah Sandersand Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy were among aslate of concerts representing what’s good, ifnot always progressive, in mainstream jazz.But Royston still scored an artistic coup byprogramming a careful mini-fest of cutting-edge musicians from Norway. It says some-thing about the reputation of the Portland JazzFestival with the local population that seven ofthe eight headline concerts were sold out—there were dozens of other admission-free setsby local musicians around town—including allthree shows by the Norwegians.

Reedist Trygve Seim and accordionistFrode Haltli played at the festival in 2007 in adifferent configuration, but they’re hardlyhousehold names in Portland. Their stunningduets at Norse Hall—a quaint Norwegian com-munity center about a mile from downtown—kept the audience rapt, with meditative compo-sitions that borrowed musical language fromArmenia. On a piece called “Yeraz” Trygve’sgorgeous tenor tone meticulously borrowed thesorrowful timbre of the duduk, the trademarkArmenian wooden flute. The crowd in the hall

was equally silent and attentivefor the Christian WallumrødEnsemble’s knockout U.S. debut.The peculiarly configured sex-tet—with the leader on piano andharmonium, Eivind Lønning ontrumpet, Gjermund Larsen onviolin and Hardanger fiddle,Tanja Orning on cello, GiovannaPessi on baroque harp, and PålHausken, on loan from the trio Inthe Country, on percussion—played music from its superbrecent Fabula Lugano Suite, astriking mixture of baroque com-position, Scandinavian folkmelodies, and contemporary clas-sical harmonies and dynamics.The group played with no ampli-fication, allowing the gorgeoussonorities to wash over the audi-ence with startling purity. In The Country’s setrevealed a different yet equally sumptuousthread in contemporary Norwegian music,greatly intensifying and stretching out thepieces from its latest album, Whiteout. PianistMorten Qvenild appended his elegant, spaciouspost-Paul Bley piano playing with electronics,triggering melodic and harmonic shadows viacomputer, but the real joy of the performancecame from watching the group—which alsoincludes bassist Roger Arntzen and drummerHausken—rip into the material, bringing animmediacy and visceral quality that’s notalways apparent in its studio work. Like somany Norwegian musicians, In The Countrypays little heed to jazz purity, singing melodiclines that might’ve come from an indie rockband in another universe.

The crowd ate up the Dave Holland Quintet

and the Mingus Big Band at the 1,000-seatNewmark Theatre. Individual soloists in eachgroup transcended somewhat predictable mate-rial. True, there’s nothing predictable inMingus’ music, but the group’s arrangementssometimes sap the raw power in the bassist’soriginal recordings. Inspired improvising fromsaxophonist Seamus Blake, trumpeter BrandonLee and drummer Justin Faulkner brought thehouse down a couple of times, althoughFaulkner’s flash tended to overwhelm hisimpeccable timing and deep sense of swing.While Holland long ago carved out a warm,wonderful aesthetic with his durable quintet,his compositions too often follow a regulartemplate. Luckily, his killer band can imbuethem with more than enough fire and intellec-tual rigor to overcome a certain predictability.

—Peter Margasak

Belying Italy’s deep recession and tumultouspolitics, the 17th edition of Umbria Jazz Winterin Orvieto, which ran Dec. 30–Jan. 3, was afinancial success—every concert was sold out.The festival proved to be an aesthetic triumph aswell, as artistic director Carlo Pagnotta and aidede camp Enzo Capua booked a cohort of world-class musicians for a full week’s residence andprovided acoustically up-to-snuff venues, excel-lent sound systems and good instruments—arecipe for inspired musical production. U

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Intimate California Theater Ideal Setting For Creative Mehldau Solo PerformanceFor most of Brad Mehldau’s nearly 15 years inthe jazz spotlight, the pianist has been workingout his creative energies through his celebratedtrio. Meanwhile, though, one of the more periph-eral and intriguing projects-in-progress inMehldau’s evolution is his solo setting.

Mehldau went solo, and beautifully so, in theideal ambience of the Lobero Theatre in SantaBarbara, Calif., on Jan. 22. Although it generallyonly presents a handful of jazz concerts eachyear, the Lobero—a historic and intimate 19thcentury former opera house—might be consid-ered one of America’s best kept secrets as a jazzroom: Charles Lloyd premiered and recordedSangam with Zakir Hussain and Eric Harlandhere. Perched center stage before a Steinwaygrand, Mehldau’s pristine, yet creatively wild,solo concert at the Lobero conjured up theimpression of an inspired convergence of site,sound and artistic vision.

As is often the case with Mehldau, repertoireis a rubbery thing. It was both surprising andexpected to hear him move seamlessly from aNick Drake shoe-gaze anthem to the jazz stan-dard patrol of a mad-minimalist-revisionist “ICover The Waterfront” and “My FavoriteThings” (played in a polygonal, sweeping andexploratory fashion very different from JohnColtrane’s take), and back to popular songs ofmore recent vintage. Mehldau worked up anespecially compelling new version of NeilYoung’s “The Needle And The Damage Done,”with Baroque-like contrapuntal lines surging in

the pianist’s famously active left hand. Late inthe show, Mehldau summoned up a dense,buzzing nest of notes, out of which the familiarstrains of Nirvana’s “Lithium” emerged, fallingbackwards into a more dissonant and vulnerablepassage for the telling refrain “I love you/I’mnot gonna’ crack.”

Little of Mehldau’s musical approach duringthe concert tapped into garden variety showpiecesoloing. His restraint was so notable that whenthe pianist finally did lay out a virtuosic righthand solo in an encore, it seemed a bit startling:The audience had been lured into his persuasivevoice as a texture maker and variation spinner,often accenting intricate-while-ruffian pianisticthickets and thrumming sonic fabrics.

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Kurt Elling kept it creative, took chances andnever repeated himself. Neither did octogenarianguitarist Jim Hall, who played with unfailinglydeep intelligence and wit, eliciting barely ampli-fied four-way conversations with the person-nel—Bill Frisell, Scott Colley and Joey Baron—on challenging repertoire from his 2009 releaseHemispheres (Artist Share).

Amplification was raised only slightly onduo concerts by John Scofield and LarryGoldings, who eschewed groove and paid closeattention to melodic imperatives. TheRosenberg Trio (Nonnie, Nous’che andStochelo Rosenberg) swung through DjangoReinhardt repertoire with staggering facility andjoie de vivre. Brazilian guitar master RomeroLubambo provided intuitive countermelodiesand elegant harmonic support for vocalist LenyAndrade, who has no peer at evokingsaudade—her soulful timbre and just-so phras-ing reduced several seasoned musicians in theaudience to tears.

Bassist John Clayton played four telepathicduos with John Patitucci that addressed a longtimeline of contrabass expression, and anotherfour with his pianist son, Gerald, whose off-the-

hook chops and fresh approach to mainstem jazzpiano vocabulary mark him as a singular voicein his generation.

Monty Alexander presented his refined con-cept of groove with the recent Harlem-KingstonExpress project, blending a jazz trio (bassistHassan Shakur and drummer George Fludas)and a steaming reggae unit, weaving back andforth between the idioms with orchestral finesse.Representing the northern border of Afro-Caribbean expression, New Orleans pianistJonathan Batiste presented his informed roots-to-the-future concept on a series of after-hours sets.

Piano maestro Renato Sellani and an all-star“Trio Di Roma” represented Italy, along withpianist Danilo Rea, bassist Enzo Pietropaoli anddrummer Roberto Gatto. But no single artistmore palpably represented the festival’s animat-ing imperatives than singer-guitarist AllenHarris, who helmed a hard-swinging quintet thatfeatured drummer Alvester Garnett. Harris put iton the line every set, conveying the songbookand the blues with intelligence and soul, triangu-lating elements from Billy Eckstine, Nat Cole,Joe Williams and Tony Bennett into his ownargot. —Ted Panken

Brad Mehldau

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Players

Ali Jackson Jr. ;;Tapestry MasteringNo active jazz musician faces a more challeng-ing job description than Ali Jackson Jr.

As the Jazz at Lincoln Center drummer since2006, his mandate is to idiomatically articulatea lexicon of beats that span the entire timelineof jazz expression. And he has to do so with afresh approach. These rhythms carry names:“rag two,” “a New Orleans two (stingy with thefourth beat),” “old church two,” “modernswing,” “chain gang stomp,” various iterationsof “valse” meter and swing meter (“swinging3/4,” “Elvin Jones 3/4,” “refined burn-outswing,” “modern 3/4 swing,” “4/4 swing”), theLatin tinge, “church 6/4,” “4 in 6,” “free,”“slow 3” and “rubato, colors and textures.”Jackson catches them all in inventive, subtleways, orchestrating apropos melodic, motivicand timbral designs from the drumkit.

“Grooves and songs have meaning,”Jackson said, encapsulating the core aestheticunderpinning of his 2007 self-released CD,Wheelz Keep Rollin’ (Bigwenzee), and his morerecent show, “Beats Of New York City,” a self-described “tapestry of disciplines” that he hadpresented over four sets the previous weekendat Lincoln Center’s Allen Room. For the occa-sion, he convened guitarist Lionel Loueke,pianist Marc Cary, bassist Ben Williams, handdrummers Andrew Daniels and Adewole Love,gospel pianist Damien Snead, a sermonizingpreacher, three female poets, two tap dancers,four dancers from the Alvin Ailey Co. and anAfrican dancer.

With so many moving parts and potentiallydissonant genres in play, the concert could havebeen a train wreck. Instead, Jackson drew on hisrhythmic connoisseurship and a leitmotif ofblues expression to connect the threads.

“Over time, we’ve lost the meaning of whatthe groove is,” Jackson said. “Then you start tolose your identity. In a subtle way, this showwas about not losing that identity.”

Originally from Detroit, Jackson, 33, doesnot identify with the hip-hop culture that sur-rounded his formative years. “I’m informed byhip-hop, and respect it, but my objectives aredifferent,” he said. “In jazz you have to dealwith more variables to be successful.”

Jackson traces his immersion in the jazz time-line to grade school, when, in addition to study-ing classical piano and African drums, he beganto gig on drumset with his namesake father, abassist. He also played with such slightly olderDetroit jazz musicians as Rodney Whitaker,James Carter and J.D. Allen. His father helpedprovide opportunities to see Philly Joe Jones,Tony Williams and Art Blakey. More hands-oninformation came from his uncle, veteran drum-

mer Oliver Jackson. Max Roach and Elvin Jonesalso befriended Ali Jackson when he moved toNew York in 1994 to attend the New School.

“In Detroit, I was exposed to lots of differentcultures,” Jackson said. “I was encouraged toplay African drums, classical music and experi-mental music. I played r&b and top-40 gigs. Iplayed in Catholic church, in Baptist church, inPentecostal church. My father had a saying,‘Don’t be set, you’re walking on eggshells.’Always be aware of what’s happening in themoment: Your preparation will cause you tomake good decisions.”

“The more pressure there is on a gig, the bet-ter Ali is,” Wynton Marsalis said. “In the studio,he is unbelievably firm. We recorded a piece byChano Dominguez, with complex flamencorhythms, 18 to 20 minutes long. He learned hisentire part from memory.”

Marsalis met Jackson as a 12-year-old,tracked him during his teens and began hiring

him as a sub during his twenties, including anemergency call a few days after Sept. 11, 2001—directly after the band had recorded All Rise—tofly to Seattle for the first concert of a tour.

“We had no rehearsal, just got up on thebandstand and played the gig,” Jackson said. “Ihad most of the music in advance, and I studiedhard. It was noticeable that I came prepared.

I have a family, and this is one of the moststable jobs in jazz,” he continued. “But it’s alsoan opportunity to play music you’d never playelsewhere and gain a clear understanding of jazzhistory. I can sound like Big Sid Catlett in onemeasure and like Jeff Watts in the next. If weplay Duke Ellington, I might think of SamWoodyard on the record, then how it wouldsound to play something like Buhaina, and thenadd something of my own. I’m not going tosound like any of these people; my diction mightnot be exactly the same, but I’ll be in the samevocabulary. All jazz is modern.” —Ted Panken

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The Carolina Chocolate Drops look modern:With their colorful hip clothes they could passfor a knock-off of the Black-Eyed Peas. Andthey know the contemporary scene well. OnGenuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch), the trio’s thirddisc, they remake Blu Cantrell’s 2001 hit “Hit’Em Up Style,” a hip-hop-laced r&b song thathelped define “the dirty South” sound. But theirmusical vision draws from an earlier time.

The group makes “Hit ’Em Up Style” evenmore Southern and dirtier—replacing the hi-techpow of the original with fiddle, banjo, guitar,percussion and human beatbox. While RhiannonGiddens’ soprano keeps the hip-hop lingo intact,her voice seems more appropriate at the GrandOle Opry than at BET’s Hip-Hop Awards.

Each member of the group sings lead andindividually plays such instruments as the banjo,jug, bones, guitar, fiddle and kazoo. They alsohave a serious mission, which is to unveil theoft-ignored black American roots of string-bandmusic, more commonly known as Appalachianmusic, a misnomer that group member JustinRobinson wants to squash.

“We don’t really play Appalachian music,”Robinson said. “Some of the music comes fromthe Appalachian, but that is one of the big mis-conceptions: This music was all over the South,in the Midwest and in New England—basicallyanywhere Europeans and blacks met. Anotherreason why a lot of people don’t realize thatthere were blacks playing this music is becauseit’s not sexy. Most folklorists have an agenda, sothat’s where that notion started that this amazingstuff was only going on in Appalachia.”

When Robinson mentioned the “sexy” fac-tor, he’s speaking on the issue of how the musicindustry has historically marketed music basedon color lines.

“A lot of this string band music was out ofthe black community long enough where whitepeople had an interest in it but black peopledidn’t,” said group member Dom Flemons.

Giddens adds that they’ve seen someAmericans resist accepting the banjo as anAfrican instrument.

“It goes back to the romanticization and thefeeling of the white American majority that theydon’t have a culture,” she said. “It’s all wrappedinto that idea that string band is something that‘we’—meaning white people—came up with,this is ‘our’ music, this is ‘our’ ethnicity.”

She then tells of an Internet listserv dedicatedto the banjo and how heated the discussion got atthe mentioning of Africa. “If you even men-tioned the idea of the banjo being African, yougot flamed,” she said. “This guy named TonyThomas was having a hard time talking about theAfrican roots of the banjo without gettingflamed. So he started an alternate listserv calledBlack Banjo Then & Now.”

The Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, N.C.,in April 2005 stemmed from that listserv. Thatgathering was where the Carolina ChocolateDrops met, as they sought to learn from leg-endary musician Joe Thompson.

“We still have access to people who havethese memories,” Giddens said. “That’s why it’sso important to get this stuff out here now whilewe still have people like Joe Thompson.”

At the group’s Martin Luther King Jr. Dayconcert at Virginia’s Birchmere, the audiencewas packed, yet speckled with notably few blackfaces in the crowd. While that turnout couldindicate that attracting a sizable black audiencecontinues to be a challenge, the fight isn’t hope-less. Since the Carolina Chocolate Drops havereceived high-profile kudos from the likes ofOprah Winfrey and Denzel Washington, theymight just turn more blacks to their favor.

“Those are names that make black people situp and take notice,” Giddens said. “These areestablished names that told people to be a part ofwhat we are doing and let people know that weare not just these musical anomalies.”

—John Murph

Carolina Chocolate Drops ;;Beyond Appalachia

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Brandon Seabrook ;;Banjo PunkThe banjo hasn’t been a com-mon instrument in jazz sincethe music’s earliest days in the1910s and ’20s, and whilebluegrass-oriented players likeBéla Fleck and Tony Trischkahave experimented with thefive-string version of theinstrument in fusion projects,the old four-string model haslargely been left by the side ofthe road. It would be hard tohear the legacy of old masterslike Eddie Peabody or BanjoIkey Robinson in New YorkerBrandon Seabrook’s playing,but he’s been wholeheartedlyreinventing the instrument. Themusic on the superb, epony-mous debut album by his trioSeabrook Power Plant (LoyalLabel)—named after a contro-versial nuclear facility in NewHampshire—has nothing to do with traditionaljazz, but Seabrook has revitalized the forgottenpredecessor of bluegrass’s five-string.

“I didn’t really listen to banjo music at all,”Seabrook said. “Most of what I did was intuitive.I liked its percussive quality: It was kind of adrum set, and that’s how I approached it at first.”

Seabrook first picked up the instrument whilehe attended the New England Conservatory ofMusic, where he studied jazz guitar. A professorasked him if he’d ever played the banjo, whichled him to borrow one from the school’s instru-ment library. He took a few casual lessons andtoyed around with it in his spare time, and beforelong he was bringing it, along with his guitar, togigs in Boston. The school’s environment ledSeabrook to all kinds of different music, even ashe initially suppressed his original loves—hardrock and punk. Visits from bassist WilliamParker and experiences with the late GeorgeRussell especially encouraged him to open up,whether it involved playing Scottish folk musicor klezmer.

He moved to New York in 2003, and after acouple of years of hustling for gigs he began tofind a community. He played in trumpeter PeterEvans’ quartet among lots of short-term projects,but as the banjo increasingly rivaled the guitarfor his attention his desire to create a new con-text grew. He started Seabrook Power Plant inNovember 2007.

“I wanted to compose or write some riffs on[the banjo], but soon after I mixed guitar into it,”

he said. “I had the idea of putting together frag-ments that didn’t necessarily relate to one anoth-er that much—this was coming from metal stuffthat I was listening to—like this part happensand then it never happens again, and it doesn’treally relate to the next part.”

Indeed, there is an appealingly disjointed,herky-jerk quality to some of the music on thetrio’s disc with bassist Tom Blancarte andSeabrook’s brother Jared on drums. On thevicious stop-start of “Peter Dennis BlanfordTownshend” Seabrook uses manic tremolo toimitate sustain on an instrument notorious forhaving none, while his trio lurches, grinds andexplodes in precise lockstep. “Waltz Of TheNuke Workers” delivers its crescendos moresmoothly, veering from an almost pastoralcalm to pure chaos. “Ho Chi Minh Trail,” onthe other hand, uses some five-string tech-niques like arpeggios (as well as bowing) tointimate Eastern scales and graceful melodicelucidation. He uses amplification, ambientmics and effects pedals to enhance the banjo’scapabilities, but the pure sound of the instru-ment is never compromised.

“I’m not one of those prolific people whowrites tons of stuff,” he said. “It takes me awhile to write these pieces, and I work on it allof the time. The band is becoming more struc-tured, but within that it’s pretty loose and wecan come up with different ways of playing.We’re improvising with material more than freeimprovising.” —Peter Margasak

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Joey Pero ;; From Bach To BrownBy the time trumpeter Joey Pero entered theJuilliard School—in the days before it offeredjazz studies—he appeared headed for the life ofa classical musician. A decade and a few detourslater, Pero continues to play his classical reper-toire—his live set often begins with a straight-forward reading of a Bach partita—but he alsochannels jazz players like Clifford Brown andMaynard Ferguson with such facility that a clas-sical-only life now seems unthinkable.

“I went to Juilliard to learn to play the trum-pet, not jazz trumpet or classical trumpet mutual-ly exclusive,” Pero said. “I had thoughts of audi-tioning for orchestras, but I always had a differ-ent kind of solo career in the back of my mind.”

That ambition is now front and center. Perohas a new album, Resonance (Resonance MusicGroup), which has both jazz and classical offer-ings and is garnering praise from people likeWynton Marsalis, who said Pero “plays the hellout of the trumpet and has a unique conception.”

The clarity and range of Pero’s playing havestood out since he was a preteen member ofGenesee Quest, a drum and bugle corps in hisnative Batavia, N.Y. “I was so enthralled withperforming, got such a buzz from doing it,” Perosaid. “It felt so natural that I knew this is whatI’m supposed to do.”

As he grew up, his father filled the housewith classical and jazz records, and taughthim that they were of equal worth. “I wasexposed to both at a young age and then kindof put them together,” he said.

But his desire to pursue jazz along withhis classical studies did not go down welleverywhere. At Juilliard in those days, hesaid, there was little enthusiasm for venturesoutside the circumscribed curriculum.Occasionally, he admits, he rebelled, saying,“I was a black sheep at Juilliard in many ways.”

After two years, Pero left Juilliard forBoston and the New England Conservatory,where he was able to integrate jazz formallyinto his studies. He also played with the BerkleeTower of Power ensemble, which gave vent tohis remarkable upper-register blowing. That, inturn, provided a kind of entrée to Ferguson’sBig Bop Nouveau band, with which he spentmost of 2005.

When the Ferguson tour ended, Peroreturned home to Batavia, eventually circlingback to New York City, where he renewed rela-tionships with artists like percussionist SimonBoyar, who studied and taught at Juilliard andnow teaches at New York University.

Boyar played on and arranged two cuts on

Pero’s album. “I don’t think you’re going to heara classical track he does and say, ‘Oh, he’s reallymore of a jazz guy,’” he said. “In that sense, Ithink you can compare him more to an artist likeWynton Marsalis.”

Marsalis, who had become something of amentor after meeting Pero in high school, com-pares him to “charismatic” trumpeters likeRafael Mendez and Doc Severinsen. But Perocites Marsalis as a model.

“He is someone with absolute devotion toexpressing your voice, and having a voice toexpress,” he said. “Once you allow an instru-ment to be an extension of your voice, you canstart speaking your mind. There are no technicalbarriers that stop you from doing that.”

—Phil Lutz

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By Jim Macnie // Photos by Jimmy Katz

Seems like everywhere you go, MiguelZenón is somehow involved with dance.Last summer at the Newport Jazz Festival,

the saxophonist was tearing up an outdoor stagewith a storm of alto lines. Lots of audiencemembers were swaying in their seats, but oneparticular fan at the edge of the tent was liftinghis heels in a truly committed way—turns outJoe Lovano likes to get his bounce on. No onecan blame him; Zenón’s quartet can be a fiercelittle swing machine when it gets going, stretch-ing a post-bop lingo to fit some wildly propul-sive time signatures.

The Puerto Rico native has no problem mov-ing his body to music that he’s stimulated by,either. On stage he renders a clockwork bob ’n’weave motion while flashing out those horn flur-ries. He even rocks when he’s part of an audi-ence. On a January night at New York’s JazzStandard, Zenón was spotted doing some shoul-der-shaking while sitting in the front row of ashow by Fly—drummer Jeff Ballard’s snarecommanding everyone to have some kind ofrhythmic reaction.

But it’s the rotund guy in an aisle seat at arecent Zenón show who’s top dog when itcomes to shimmying. Sporting a ski parka in awarm New Jersey concert hall, he couldn’t resistthe thrust of the plena drummers the bandleaderhad by his side. With pianist Luis Perdomoadding extra depth to the percussive attack byswooping his right hand up and down the keys,there was plenty of tension in the air. Mr. SkiParka was a dude who—quite correctly—sawlittle reason to stay still. Finally, during anexclamatory conclusion to “Despedida” fromZenón’s Esta Plena, he had to let go, leapingforward and bellowing “Puerto Rico!” The

woman behind him didn’t follow suit, but shelooked like she wanted to.

“It happens,” says Zenón. “It’s not our intentto make dance music, but yeah, some peoplereally get excited. I can’t ever remember seeingpeople actually dancing while we were play-ing—maybe at Newport—but if they were, I’mtotally cool with it. If we can do what we do andstill tap that feeling, fantastic.”

Nope, the 31-year-old saxophonist doesn’tplay dance music per se. Esta Plena is a reeds-piano-bass-drums jazz disc bolstered by a trio ofhand drummers—pleneros. Its feisty tunes arethe result of cultural pride, a curious mind and aGuggenheim grant. Zenón’s horn is known forits agility; there are solos on the album that fly atbreakneck speed, stressing his fluency in bopidioms that stretch from Charlie Parker’s frenzyto Cannonball Adderley’s sensuousness. Thedance elements bubble up because he controlsthe music’s temperament by gracefully thrustinghimself into the rhythm section’s agitation. Theroller-coaster pas de deux he performs withPerdomo on the opening of “Residencial LlorensTorres” is a jaw-dropper, blending acute team-work and killer chops while riding the band’svery intricate groove. The Boston Globe deemedit a “kind of Latin accent we haven’t heardbefore.” For Zenón, it’s a present-tense approachto Afro-Caribbean cadences that lets listenersknow he appreciates the traditions of his home-land but lives in a fully modern realm when itcomes to musical design—even if the result doesput a few butts in gear.

“I remember that day at Newport,” laughsLovano, “it was beautiful. Miguel has a joyousway of playing, and his rhythmic sense is pow-erful; it captures you. He was really letting loose,

and hey, I’ve been known to dance a bit. Whenyou let the situation you’re in completely be apart of what you’re creating, then you’re work-ing in the moment, spontaneously creating ideasfrom the feeling in the band. If you let that hap-pen, you will dance, and people will dancearound you.”

Esta Plena is Zenón’s fifth album as aleader and second to investigate a PuertoRican folkloric music; 2005’s Jibaro

applied itself to the comparatively rural stylethat comes from the island’s central mountainregion. Plena, built on a rhythm made by threedistinct tub-less drums called panderos (thinkoversized tambourine), is a street beat prevalentin the barrios in the southern city of Ponce.Nurtured by non-professional musicians bothblack and poor, plena is often considered vul-gar. These days it’s everywhere, especially onthe corners of San Juan, where lyrics about sexand politics are threaded through its cadences.Thanks to pliability and thrust it’s become abedrock rhythm for all sorts of party music.

You can catch its essence in Zenón’s“Despedida,” a rocking piece of reportage aboutan annual New Year’s Eve bash that he and hisfriends attend at plenero Hector “Tito” Matos’Puerto Rico home. The lyrics contain lovinggibes at pals who want to quit their revelry earlyor get too tipsy too fast. “Whatever happens atthe party is in that song,” says Zenón. “That’sthe spirit of the whole thing: working in themoment. A guy tries to leave? Sing about it. Aguy falls down? Sing about it. You want some-one to break out his instrument? Make up asong. It’s all about improvising.”

Zenón’s not bad on the drums himself.

Miguel ZenónPLIABILITY & THRUST

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Chatting in his Manhattan apartment, he breaksout his own set of hand-made panderos andquickly sets up a rhythm. He’s spending aFebruary afternoon explaining some of theinsights he brought back from his 2008 tripthrough Puerto Rico; it was there, on theGuggenheim’s dime, he learned the nuances ofplena—its musical particulars and its culturalimpact. The island is 100 miles wide and 35miles deep; thick mountains are in the middle.The saxophonist went everywhere from thelibraries of San Juan to the back alleys of Ponceto absorb plena first hand. Reactions to hisdetective work were varied.

“Some people said, ‘Man, I’m so glad you’redoing this, because plena needs more respect; itshould be in the symphony.’ Other guys weremore wary. ‘What do you want, why do youneed to know this stuff?’ I went through peoplewho would call the real-deal guys on my behalf.I’d go hear them—just incredible players—but Iwas still an outsider. They knew I played jazz,but some were still tough to crack.”

Spinning some ancient tracks from the bandLos Reyes de Plena and new things from moremodern outfits, Zenón becomes genuinelyexcited in his living room. “This music is filledwith all kinds of stories. A lot of people whowrote it weren’t true musicians, just street play-ers, grooving and gossiping. There’s this onefamous plena song about a new priest that

comes to town—he’s a really good-lookingguy, and all the ladies like him. The lyrics areslick about describing how he’s got two or threegirlfriends on the side. That’s risqué stuff in the1920s or ’30s.”

“This next song is by another group,” hesays, scrolling his iPod. “It’s about a guy bettingon a cockfight. If the rooster doesn’t win hesays he’s going to cook it and eat it.”

Matos was a crucial source when it came toZenón’s edification. Onstage with him at theNew Jersey college gig, the respected drummeris a sparkplug; the same energy he uses to leadhis Viento De Agua group is evident in his per-cussion work. Between Zenón’s quartet and theplenero team of Matos, Juan Gutiérrez-Rodriguez and Obanilú Allende, the bandmoves through several passages that raise theroof. Even during the ballad “Progresso” there’sa simmering intensity.

“Miguel’s fun to watch,” says BranfordMarsalis. “I just saw him play in NorthCarolina. He doesn’t feel the need to call atten-tion to himself. So when he finishes a solo, hewalks off to the back, and gives everyone someroom. Look at the turnover ratio in his band.He’s had one personnel change in 10 years.That means the dudes that are working withhim like to work with him. Important stuff. Andno disrespect intended toward [previous drum-mer] Antonio Sanchez, but when Henry Cole

came in the band, it really clicked. Antonio isfrom Mexico City—he learned the music.Henry is from the island. With him it’s internal-ized. And he basically doesn’t call any attentionto himself during the entire show; his shit is justgrooving. This is a band’s band. It has all thesubtle things I want to hear.”

The esteemed tenor player is the boss ofZenón’s label, Marsalis Music. But he’s not theonly person who believes in the younger musi-cian’s ensemble (bassist Hans Glawischnigrounds out the quartet). Esta Plena was nominat-ed for two Grammys this year: Best Latin JazzAlbum, and Best Improvised Jazz Solo (for“Villa Palmeras”). Though neither won, bothnods made sense. “While it’s a full-blown jazzproject, Zenón has managed to maintain theplena-like spontaneity, drive and street quality,”said Descarga.com in its review of the disc.Miguel’s former SFJAZZ Collective cohortJoshua Redman has been a fan for some time aswell. He first heard Zenón playing in the bandsof David Sanchez and Guillermo Klein.“Though it’s complex, his music truly grooves,”enthuses the saxophonist. “He may write some-thing in 21/8 or whatever, but it’s really lyrical.In jazz, the emotional content resides in rhythmand melody and the way they intersect. All theintricacy needs to serve a feeling. When I hearhim play, I’m impressed technically, but moreimportant, it moves me. You have to have thator you’re lost. He definitely has it.”

Marsalis has produced most of Zenón’srecords. “He made the mistake of sending me ademo tape of the first album, which I didn’t lis-ten to,” he chuckles. “He said, ‘What do youthink about the music?’ I said, ‘I think it’s great,man. I’ll see you in the studio.’ We get to thestudio he says, ‘You know that song such ’n’such?’ And I said, ‘No, how does it go?’ Helooked at me sideways and I said, ‘I didn’t listento that stuff, man. You don’t need me second-guessing you. To me, the musician playing hasto have a style and a personality. If I’ve gottainvent it for ’em, I don’t want no part of it. Myjob is to find a studio that makes me adequatelyrecreate what they sound like in their live set.I’m not going to have an Alfred Lion formula—funky tune here, blues tune there. Just come inand do your shit. I don’t believe in micro-man-aging artists—I’d rather hire people who knowwhat they’re doing and trust ’em. Matter of fact,Esta Plena I had nothing to do with. The guy didit all on his own.”

The Guggenheim isn’t the only founda-tion that sees value in Zenón’s musicalscholarship. In 2008 a representative

from the mighty MacArthur machine dialedhim up. The saxophonist was taking a nap, andwhen he awoke, though still a tad groggy, he hitthe phone to check his messages. MacArthurwas part of the parade. It was Sept. 16, thebirthday of Zenón’s wife, Elga. “My first reac-tion was that it was the Guggenheim guys—I’dalready gotten that grant and I thought I might


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not have heard the message right and they were calling meto find out what I’d been doing on the project. But when Irealized it was the MacArthur folks for sure, I thoughtmaybe they wanted to ask me about a potential candidate.So I called him back and he says, ‘Do you know about us,do you know about our grants?’ I said, ‘Yes, sort of.’ Hesaid, ‘Are you sitting down?’ That’s when I started getting a‘wow’ feeling. He said, ‘You’ve won.’”

Half a million dollars and the term “genius” were nowpart of Zenón’s life. The rep explained the mechanics of it,how there were no strings attached. When the saxophonisttold his wife she began jumping and crying, but they couldn’tlet anyone else know until the MacArthur folks formallyannounced it—which was cool, because Zenón was definite-ly in shock for a few days. His family struggled financiallywhen he was growing up in San Juan. They lived in the pro-jects and were a large brood. He was without the funds to getto Berklee College of Music until a scholarship from thePuerto Rico Heineken Jazz Festival helped secure his tuition. The so-called “genius grant” is sweet for obvious reasons like the eradication ofbills, but Zenón believes it’s also a nice validation that presents an array ofopportunities as well.

“If I want to teach, I teach,” he explains. “Take a break? Go ahead.Write and practice? Sure. Plus, having that money buffer gives me con-fidence to try things. Maybe I’ll write something and try it out. Pay theguys and not worry—I sure couldn’t do that before. We went to Cubalast year, and the money wasn’t right, but we wanted to go, so we did.And it was incredible, one of the greatest experiences of my life.” Ofcourse, Perdomo, Glawischnig and Cole tease him mercilessly. “I’llbring in a new tune to rehearse, and they’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, genius, thissong structure is really intellectual.’ But all kidding aside, I feel like I’ve

got a new responsibility. Like this has been put on my shoulder and Ineed to do it right.”

Marsalis thinks the grant won’t change Zenón at all. He compares hispal to a previous MacArthur recipient, Ken Vandermark. “All Kenwants to do is play music. Same with Miguel. It’s like that old joke: Thefarmer wins the million-dollar lottery and they ask him, ‘What are yougoing to do with all this money?’ He says, ‘I’m just going to keep feed-ing these cows until the money runs out.’ That’s what Miguel is going todo with his, that’s what Ken did with his. He paid off his debts and start-ed making records. I wouldn’t be surprised that when our contract is up,Miguel just walks away and makes records on his own, because thebusiness of music is occasionally frustrating to him. When he gets anidea, he wants to record it immediately. If he does split, I applaud that.



He’s in it for the long haul. For him it will be record after record, gigafter gig, and some time, maybe when he’s 40 or so, he’s going to hitcritical mass. Everyone will know.”

T he SFJAZZ Collective has begun its 2010 season, and Zenón hasbeen part of the ever-changing team since its 2004 inception,spending a chunk of time each year in San Francisco. Members

such as Brian Blade, Renee Rosnes and Dave Douglas have come andgone, the transitions speaking to the Collective’s goals of fluidity andsteady revitalization. Indeed, this year Zenón is the last of the originalmembers to still be on board. The octet has conceived a formula thatblends original compositions with arrangements of pieces by living mas-ters such as Ornette Coleman and Wayne Shorter. This time ’roundthey’re saluting the work of Horace Silver. And this time ’round there areseveral new faces surrounding Zenón. Edward Simon is the pianist. MarkTurner has been added on tenor saxophone. Avishai Cohen is in the trum-pet chair. They join vets Stefon Harris, Eric Harland, Robin Eubanks andMatt Penman.

In the days before our interview, Zenón was checking his computerfor mp3s and charts of tunes being composed and arranged by his mates.He likes to arrive in the Bay Area with good grip on what lies ahead. JoeLovano, who spent three seasons working in the Collective, knowsZenón is up to the task of being the group elder.

“When I was there Miguel would lead us through his pieces, and theywould turn out incredible because he had such a full scope of everyone’spart. We all had different backgrounds as far as orchestration and compo-sition goes. His organizational approach came to the forefront in a situa-tion like that. I learned a lot. As a player, he’s not just feeding off of oneaspect of the piece. He’s inside the piece, which is crucial for a leader.You’ve got to know everything around you. For a young cat, Miguel’s areal natural at that.”

Zenón is working up a spin on “Lonely Woman,” a tune he knew hewanted to claim as soon as he learned that Silver was the master beingcelebrated. He credits Berklee for his arrangement skills, explaining thatit took him a while to feel comfortable scoring charts, but the fact that theschool demanded it definitely was a plus. “They made you write inBoston. You’ve got to develop that skill, because it helps you know therange of the instruments. For me, writing wasn’t a priority early on; I justwanted to play well. Now it’s definitely 50/50, it’s really important.”

Redman, who was the SFJC’s initial artistic director, recalls just howrigorous Zenón’s charts are. “If I had to pick one member of theCollective that I learned the most from, both as a player and composer, itwould probably be Miguel. I don’t know if I’ve met a musician morefocused about his art. He’s meticulous, methodical and conceptual, but hehas the patience and skills to follow those concepts through to the mostbeautiful conclusions. Now he’s the old vet on stage.”

Turning chestnuts of the past into items with a personal perspective isthe arranging job at hand, and Zenón’s helped reassess the classic canonwith luminous spins on Herbie Hancock’s “Armageddon,” McCoyTyner’s “Four By Five” and Thelonious Monk’s “San FranciscoHoliday.” He enjoys reminding audiences about an iconic artist’s stature.“You can never get enough of the stuff that came before you. When I geta chance to update a chart of a record that I love, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ And ifthe audience knows the piece, there’s certainly more of a reaction thanthere is to one of my originals.”

But it takes more than great chops to account for the past while stillkeeping an eye toward the future … and keeping those bodies shimmyingin the seats. Seems like Zenón is a craftsman with a vision.

“We’ve got a lot of great trumpeters, saxophonists and drummersaround right now,” concludes Marsalis, “but very few musicians. Youknow a guy who can parlay all that technical know-how into actual musi-cianship? Shit, let him do whatever he wants—just as long as he keepsmaking those records. People react to Miguel because for all of that right-brain stuff he has, he’s got this counterweight of the left side that a lot ofthe modern cats are without. That’s what really hit me about him.Ultimately, that’s why I said, ‘Man, I love this guy.’” DB


THE NATURALSRamsey Lewis and Kirk Whalum on theJazz-Pop Continuum and Why YouCan’t Contrive a Hit Record By Frank Alkyer

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Kirk Whalum (left) and Ramsey Lewis



New for 2009 was the inaugural Midwest Jazz Interview, conducted byDownBeat publisher Frank Alkyer. The guests for the event were twoartists known more for their connection to gold records than music educa-tion. But the legendary pianist and Ramsey Lewis and the soulful saxo-phonist Kirk Whalum came prepared to entertain, inform and inspire aroomful of teachers and students.

One of Chicago’s favorite sons, Lewis recently released Songs FromThe Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey (Concord). It’s the first time that Lewis,soon to be 75, has done a recording consisting entirely of his originalmusic. He recently ended his long-time side project as a morning drive-time radio DJ after WNUA, Chicago’s smooth jazz station, went off theair. But he has found plenty to keep him busy. Last summer, RaviniaFestival in Highland Park, Ill., presented the world premiere of Lewis’large-ensemble composition Proclamation Of Hope: A Symphonic Poem,commissioned by Ravinia in honor of the Abraham Lincoln bicentennial.

Following in the Midwestern soul tradition, Memphis-born Whalum isworking on a recording dedicated to the music of the late singer DonnyHathaway, scheduled to come out later this year on Rendezvous Records.His last recording, The Gospel According To Jazz, Chapter III(Rendezvous), serves as a testament that Whalum knows the reason forthis holiday season.

In fact, both he and Lewis got their musical starts in the church.Whalum’s father was a minister, and Lewis’, a choral director. Both haverecorded and performed live on the gospel side of jazz.

Alkyer: Let’s start with your own musical educations.Lewis: I started studying the piano at four years old. I didn’t know youwere supposed to practice. I thought you just went once a week for 20minutes and then come out and say, “I play piano.” The practice part disil-lusioned me, but my dad said, “You started it, you finish it. Get in thereand practice.” So, I did. Then, at nine years old, he said, “Now, you’ll startplaying for our church.” And I did that. It wasn’t until I was 12, 13 yearsold that our neighborhood piano teacher, Ernestine Bruce, said, “I’vetaught him all I can. You’d better take him downtown.”

They did.They took me to Chicago Musical College, which is now part of

Roosevelt University. And I met a lady named Dorothy Mendelsohn. Shewould say things like, “Make the piano sing.” I’m 12 years old, how am Isupposed to make the piano sing? [laughs] But it touched something, andshe said, “Listen with your inner ear.” Now, all these years of playing inour church, it was all about your inner self. But I hadn’t connected withwhat that meant until Dorothy Mendelsohn said, “Listen from inside.”

At that moment, something said, “That’s your life. I’m going to playpiano.” I did not see Grammys. I did not see gold records. I did not see myname in lights. I did not see radio or television. I only saw 88 keys. And Ifigured, “Well, this is me.” And, here I am.Alkyer: Kirk, how about you?Whalum: Definitely some parallels. I’ll play this melody. It’s the firstmelody I played in public. I’m going to play it like I probably played itthen. [he plays a choppy, beginner-like version of “Amazing Grace”; the

audience laughs and applauds]Alkyer: And you got a hand for that!Whalum: It’s funny that you should applaud, because that’s exactly whathappened. My dad was a pastor. So, the first place I was going to play anyinstrument was going to be in church. And the first song I was going toplay was “Amazing Grace.”

So, I did it, and it sounded great to me. Thinking back, it couldn’t havesounded good, but what did happen was exactly what just happened here.Some really kind people applauded, and that interchange impacted me for-ever. I think there was part of the thing that you band directors have identi-fied: that you have to latch onto something to inspire and encourage thestudent, the idea of giving the child something to go with—“Now take thatand make it even better.”

Well, that song, I was fortunate enough to play it many times sincethen. I’ve even heard Ramsey Lewis play it so beautifully. But I played itstanding next to this lady who I worked for at the time, Whitney Houston.And I did not work with her; I worked for her, just to set the recordstraight. It was a great job.

I stood next to her in South Africa, in front of 70,000 people, in 1994,the year that apartheid fell. [It was an experience] to be there, as it hap-pened, and to look out on a mixed audience in South Africa and to knowthat it was live on HBO with seven million or so other folks watching.And I played … [at this point, Whalum plays a beautiful verse of“Amazing Grace,” complete with fills and improvisation; the audienceapplauds]. That song is the story of how I got started.Alkyer: Playing in church. Did either of you play in your school musicprograms?Whalum: Absolutely. Going right for the junior high band, 12 years old,in the seventh grade. But when I got to high school, the band director said,“OK, I heard you were doing pretty good over there at Sherwood JuniorHigh. How would you like to be in the jazz band?” And I said, “I don’treally want to be in the jazz band.” And he said, “Well, let me rephrasethat. You’re are now in the jazz band.” [laughs] You know, it’s like sweetpotatoes or something, where you say, “I don’t like that.” Next thing youknow, you’re loving you some sweet potatoes.Lewis: Wells High School was an exceptional school, a public highschool in the middle of the inner city. We had marching band, jazz band,concert band, orchestra, ballet, creative dancing, fine arts class, industrialarts. And all the instruments were provided. In every instance, they didn’tneed a piano. In orchestra, they didn’t need a piano. So, I got to play tubaand trombone. And sousaphone.

About once a year, the students would produce their own extravaganza.The fine arts class would draw the scenery, the various bands would per-form, the dancers would dance. It served its purpose, not only for those ofus going to school there, but also for those guys that thought they wantedto drop out. I know of two or three guys who came back to school becausethey were musically inclined, and they wanted to be part of this.Alkyer: Both of you are talking about what you consider to be a bygoneera. In those high schools today, what are the music programs like?Lewis: Well, I don’t know if they even have one at Wells High School

It’s a few days before Christmas in Chicago. The giant evergreen tree in Daley Center Plaza has beendecked out and glowing—all 90 feet of it—for weeks. Shoppers bundle up and bustle down State Streetin search of last-minute presents. And it’s cold, Chicago-style cold.It’s also time for an annual rite of passage for music education: the Midwest Clinic. After 64 years,

Midwest (as it’s commonly known) has become one of the largest gatherings of music educators in theworld, drawing some 18,000 teachers and their students into Chicago for several days to meet, greet,share, perform and learn. Last December, Midwest moved into new digs at McCormick Center West—abig, beautiful space that gives the clinic the opportunity to take on an expanded mission, one that includesa lot more jazz programming.



right now.Alkyer: That’s one of the great traditions of Chicago music and Chicagomusicians. Think of how many [artists] came through those fantasticschool music programs [such as the one led by Walter Dyett, the leg-endary band director from the 1930s to the 1960s at DuSable HighSchool]. The job that these folks [music educators] do out here is the jobthat we need to fight to put back into our schools, correct?Whalum: Absolutely. Just thinking about Chicago and Memphis, there’sthis natural connection there. For instance, Ramsey Lewis played with ayoung musician—actually, he kind of trained a young musician—by thename of Maurice White, who went on to make this group called Earth,Wind & Fire. He was a young kid who got part of his musical shaping inChicago and part in Memphis because he was there as a three-year-oldwith folks like David Porter and other great soul musicians. It’s somethingthat I don’t think Maurice White [forgot] after hanging out here inChicago with Ramsey and then studying the jazz masters, and then beingright there on Beale Street in Memphis, McLemore Avenue, making soulmusic. He had a big enough vision to incorporate a lot of those things.

But it took those kind of mentoring relationships with Ramsey Lewis.It took those band directors struggling to get the resources and get the sup-port in the community and with the school organizations and the board ofeducation in order to provide the world with a Maurice White and anEarth, Wind & Fire.Lewis: Maurice White, you know him as the soul-pop-jazz guy. But myadvice to young people coming up today is to get a well-rounded educa-tion. Before Maurice played with me, he had played with Sonny Stitt,Gene Ammons and Johnny Griffin. Then, he played with Howlin’ Wolf.He played with the blues guys at Chess [Records]. Muddy Waters.

Maurice was the house drummer for Chess. And before he came withme, he’d stop me in the hallway and say, “Ramsey, you’ve got a publish-ing company, right? What’s that?” “Hey Ramsey, you’ve got a manager,

right?” He had all these questions. So finally, I said, “I need a drummer.Would you like to play with me?” Of course, he would. In the three orfour years that he played with me, he was always asking, “So what is this?What is that?”

After three or four years, he said, “Ramsey, I’m going to be leaving inthe next few months because I’m going to be forming my own group.”Well, I knew he had been immersed in jazz, so I figured he was going todo a quintet or whatever. And he said, “No, we’re going to do some jazz,but we’re gonna do rock ’n’ roll, blues, r&b. We’re gonna dance. We’regonna do magic.”

I told him, “Take a couple aspirin. Take a nap. And I’ll talk to youtomorrow.” [laughs] Well, as you know, the rest is history.

What I’m trying to say is that fundamentals come first. Thank God myparents bought me up in such a way that I was more involved in funda-mentals than I was in a record contract.Alkyer: Each of you are very gifted instrumentalists, and you have some-thing in common that most instrumentalists never see: hit records.Ramsey, let’s start with you. A few years ago I sheepishly asked you aquestion about a little song you made in 1966 called “The In Crowd.”Can you tell the audience about your feelings toward “The In Crowd”?Lewis: I’m very blessed in that I have had several hit records, goldrecords, platinum and all that stuff. You won’t believe this, but none ofthem were planned. There was no time where we went into the studio andsaid, “This is going to be the single.”

Eldee Young, Red Holt and I [the Ramsey Lewis Trio] were mostinterested in putting out a good, well-balanced album in those days. Afterdoing some Duke Ellington, a couple of originals, some blues and aCharlie Parker tune, we had what we called a fun song, something easy.We recorded it only because it fit the rest of the programming, just like weprogrammed our show. You end with something happy and up.

We put the album out, and I think it came out in June. So, by August or



September, we got a call from the Chess brothers saying, “We think youguys have a hit record.” To tell you where we were coming from, we said,“Which one?” Because “The In Crowd” was not put on there for that rea-son. And “Wade In The Water,” “Hang On Sloopy” and “Sun Goddess”[weren’t either].

I can tell you a great story about “Sun Goddess.” By now, Maurice hasformed a group called Earth, Wind & Fire. And I’ll never forget, he calledme and said, “I’ve got a record that’s gonna be so baaad. Do you want meto stop in Chicago and show you what I’ve got?” And I said, “OK."

He brought Verdine [White], Phillip Bailey and some of the guys withhim. We worked three days on that song because he wanted it to be just sobecause it was going to be a million-seller.

We got through recording it and mixed it. And I said, “What’s thename of it?” And he said, “‘Hot Doggit.’” And that’s that. But as he waspacking up, he said, “Oh, there’s this other melody. It’s just a 12-barmelody, and it’s got sort of an r&b, Brazilian beat to it. We don’t evenhave any words to it. We just kind of say, ‘Way-o, Waaay-o.’ You wannado that?” I said, “Yeah, why not?” So it took about two or three hours, nottwo or three days, to put that song together. On his way out the door, Isaid, “What are you going to name it?” And he said, “I don’t know, call it‘Sun Goddess.’ You’ve already got your hit.” Well, the rest is history.Alkyer: And that’s the way it goes. You never know.Lewis: I think that’s the worst thing that ever happened to music: whenpeople thought you could plan a hit record. They started looking for thecatchy songs before they looked for the meat and potatoes. And I thinkthat it had to do with the downfall of pop music.Whalum: It’s about you being who you really are …Lewis: Amen.Whalum: … not about trying to accomplish some type of marketing goal.In fact, I have a pet peeve about that. We’re in an age where we’re doingeverything. We have this expectation that I’m not only going to be theartist, I’m going to produce the record, play all the instruments, program it,mix it, master it, market it. I’ll be out there networking.

But I like when somebody else comes around and listens and says,“Hey, what’s that song? Oh, ‘In Crowd’? That sounds like somethingeverybody’s going to love.” Well, that’s a perspective that we don’t have.We don’t go into the studio with that perspective. We just go into the stu-dio and be who we are. We say, “Yes, I can make that melody work.That’s something I can play and really feel good about.” And it’s a part ofwho I am, as opposed to saying, “Play this because it’s going to be a hit.” Ilike the idea of having marketing people do their thing, and let us do themusic. That way, we can put our heart and soul into the music and stoptrying to contrive something.Alkyer: I asked you both about pop music and having hits because Iwanted to ask you this question: What is, or what should be, the role ofpop music in jazz education today?Whalum: It’s really invaluable for us to approach exposing young andaspiring musicians to something that they’re going to be passionate aboutin the context of where they are already.

In fact, James Moody sat me down. I begged for a lesson when I was19 with James Moody. And he taught me that day, in an hour, what I’vebeen working on for the rest of my life. And that is, start where you are.Figure out a way to make that thing more difficult. And then accomplishthat. In other words, you don’t run and jump up eight steps at a time. Younormally take a step at a time. And I think the concept of meeting kids intheir culture, especially musically, where they already are, takes a littlehomework. Because we can’t just come to them and say, “Well, this is theway I did it.” No, the more important thing is for them to be passionateabout it. Those of us who are parents do this all the time. What you’ve gotto do is find where they’re passionate and work your way backwards.

I remember when I told my uncle, Mickey Tucker, a great jazz pianistwho moved to Australia, that I was playing the saxophone. The first thinghe did when he came by from New York, he handed me a John Coltranerecord. Now, I’m 12. [audience laughs] I wasn’t ready for John Coltrane.But I was ready for The Crusaders. Again, we’re talking about back in theearly ’70s. I was ready for Ronnie Laws. I was ready for Grover


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Washington Jr. I was listening to The Jackson 5.There was a representation in jazz that caught my eye of the overall

place where the culture was, where the music and the pop radio was.That’s got to be the case today. Some might say, “Well, I don’t like rap.”Well, guess what? You need to get your head around what that music isabout. Not necessarily all of it, but try to find a way to make a connectionwhere you can present this profound music called jazz. Because there is aconnection with rap and every other kind of music. Lewis: I’ve have some thoughts about hip hop and rap. And this goesback to 20 or 25 years ago, when music was taken away from the schools.Well, when we took the instruments away from the kids, they resorted towhat was left. Rhythm, right? And the ability to make up prose or poetry. Whalum: And sample Ramsey Lewis records! [laughs]Lewis: They sampled all of us. You have to admire them for turning totheir own resources, what’s available to them, and coming up with thismusic. I dare say there’s some genius in there somewhere.

If some of these kids had the opportunity to study the fundamentals ofmusic, I don’t know—Duke Ellington Jr., maybe? Gershwin Jr.? So, I’mstill fighting the good fight in terms of getting instruments back in theschool, getting music back in the school.

We have to come up with a way to allow these youngsters as they fin-ish high school, as they go into college, and they leave college with theirperformance degrees, with their education degrees … How do you get toCarnegie Hall? How do you get to Ravinia? The joke in the old days was,“Practice, man, practice.” Well, that’s still the truth, but there’s one morething that we didn’t think about because it was so available to us when wewere growing up: Practice in front of folk.

You’ve gotta learn to play in front of people. But they don’t have theplaces like when I was coming up. That’s one of the things that we need toapproach. And I’ve started some conversations with coffee houses andother retail places throughout the country that might open such a place

where youngsters can go play. That’s how you find yourself. You don’tfind yourself in your closet, your living room, in the practice room. Youtake that and you go in front of people.

You play wherever you can. You play at church, at fashion shows. Thewhole idea is to have two or more people in front of you to bounce yourmusic off of. These are hard times. There are not the two or three dozenclubs around Chicago that there used to be. You have to make your way.If you’re serious, you’ll find some places.Whalum: In Chicago, there are homeless shelters. There’s old folkshomes. I think the problem is that we want to be featured in such a waythat we’re at this “Razzle Dazzle Club” or something. There’s plenty ofplaces where you can bless people with what you have, and at the sametime, something begins to happen. Lewis: You’ve just piqued my imagination. Whatever schools you go to,why can’t you approach the school and say, “Every Tuesday andThursday afternoon from 4 to 6, why can’t a group of us get together andstart a music thing?” Why not go to your minister and say, “What aboutSaturday afternoon, can we use the basement and start a music event?”Whalum: Or the sanctuary.Lewis: The whole idea at this point is to play for people, to see whatyou’re really about. And these performing arts centers all around the coun-try, they get money from the states and the federal government. If theyhave an educational community outreach program—hello? You’ve got totalk to them, too!

The discussion comes to a close after a few quick questions from theaudience. Whalum stands, raises his soprano saxophone to his lipsand plays a little “Wade On The Water,” a parting tribute to Lewis,

who listens and smiles. Cold outside? Yeah, but on this December day inthe Windy City, two commercially successful jazz artists hardly takenotice as they warm the passions of their audience. DB


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EVAN PARKERExtraordinary Encounters Forty-five years into his career as a pro-

fessional improviser, saxophonist EvanShaw Parker remains a road warrior,

pursuing a lifestyle—on the move at least sixmonths a year, long rides in cars or trains orairplanes from one destination to another,irregular sleep and meals, less than stellaraccommodations—that could wear down mostartists half his age. Yet Parker, who turns 66this year, embraces the sacrifice of itinerancywith the enthusiastic attitude of a circuit-ridingpreacher or union organizer of days gone bywhose imperative it was to deliver the messagein person.

Parker travels neither to praise the Lord nororganize the masses, but to present his suigeneris conception of the saxophone in asmany contexts as possible. He has refined hislanguage with micronic precision, developinghis ability to articulate and develop two orthree simultaneous lines in a sort of musiqueconcrete counterpoint.

Even by his standards, Parker took on, as heput it, “an exceptional schedule” over the lastthree months of 2009, bringing his tenor andsoprano saxophones to an extraordinary array ofencounters. There was an October duo inBarcelona with Catalan pianist AgustiFernandez and workshops and concerts withBarry Guy and Paul Lytton in Cannes and Paris.A two-week tour with the Schlippenbach-Lovens trio included engagements in Berlin,Ulrichsberg, Prague and Brataslava, whereParker also found time to play a recital withAlvin Lucier, a concert with the Globe UnityOrchestra and a gig with the electronic unitGroovetronic. He guested with the out-trioMarteau Rouge in Tours, Paris and Brussels;navigated composer-cellist-electronicist WalterPrati’s processed structures with a medium-sizedensemble in Milan; triologued with regular

mates John Edwards and Tony Marsh atLondon’s Vortex, where he has a monthly hit,and with keyboardist Stephen Gruen and drum-mer Philip Marks in Liverpool.

Prior to all of these events, Parker presidedover an audacious two-week residence at theStone, John Zorn’s Lower East Side venue, dur-ing early October. Hunkered down three blocksaway in a small flat on Avenue D, he took on allcomers, two shows a night of one-shots withpartners representing vastly different predisposi-tions and ways of thinking about music. After along drive from Montreal, where the nightbefore he had concluded a 3,000-mile, seven-gig/seven-night driving tour with extended-tech-niques sax master Ned Rothenberg, he launchedthe proceedings with a solo recital, executedwith characteristic derring-do. After an hour’sinterlude, Parker entered an avuncular duo withsynthesist Richard Teitelbaum; playing sopranosaxophone, he created instantaneous acousticresponses to Teitelbaum’s assorted burbles, bird-calls, critter onomatopoeia, virtual percussion,swoopy waves, Bachian cello, celestial harmon-ics and prepared piano pings—they ended spon-taneously on the same pitch.

Such energy and acuity belied whateverexhaustion Parker may have felt, and he delin-eated the harmonics with such precision thatonly the most educated ear could discern that hewas playing with a stock mouthpiece, havingrecently left his three painstakingly customizedones on a train. But to wallow in self-pity wasnot an option, and Parker would carry on.

In the opening stages of a meeting with FredFrith, Parker projected droll tenor responses toFrith’s Dadaesque antics on lap guitar, then sud-denly unleashed a jaw-dropping a capella inter-lude on soprano that led to a duo section markedby vertiginous intervals and audacious unisons.

Earlier in the run, Parker and Milford Graves,

performing together for the first time before ahouse so jammed that the fire marshals cleared itbefore they were done, played a five-part suitemarked by incessant rhythmic modulation andtension-and-release. Later, with George Lewison trombone, laptop and interactive electronicswith which to modify and manipulate the pitchqualities of Parker’s soprano saxophone lines,Parker—his face beet-red, his embouchure visi-ble as a dimple-line running 45 degrees fromnose to jaw—went with the flow, circular-breathing to create a feedback loop of chirps,crackles and waves.

To honor Thelonious Monk’s birthday afew nights later, Parker, pianist Matthew Shippand bassist William Parker played an informed55-minute abstraction of “Shuffle Boil,” inter-polated with other Monk fragments. “If they’djumped on the tune at the very outset, well, itwould have gone another way—but theyplayed ambiguously in relation to it,” Parkersaid two days later over lunch on Avenue C.Salt-bearded and bespectacled, he carried acopy of Robin Kelley’s new Monk biography.

“The point is to do it so it’s there if youwant to hear it, and not there if you don’t,” hecontinued. “It’s raw material. It’s a free choice.To play freely also means freedom to playthings that you absolutely know and things thatare rather predictable.”

Parker mentioned that for his 60th birthday,outcat pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach(an ongoing colleague since the latter ’60s) pre-sented him with a handwritten folio of Monktunes, transposed for saxophone.

“I’ve since got the official book, whichSteve Lacy told me was accurate, and I’ve beentrying to memorize them all as an homage toSteve,” Parker said. “Monk had a rigorousapproach to constructing a line, which Stevedistilled in his own work—systematic combi-

By Ted Panken



natorics of limited interval types in order tobring out their inherent characters. The materialgoes beyond scales and arpeggios—the idea isto get it to fall under your fingers so you’re notsimply playing from the riff book. You have tohear your way through, know what is theunderlying cliche and how to disguise it. Imake the analogy with the armature in a sculp-ture. A sculptor uses a steel frame underneathto hold the clay in certain positions which oth-erwise it wouldn’t hold. But it’s not the arma-ture that’s interesting. It’s the form of the clay.Without those things it’s just ... lacking instructural integrity.”

The weekend after Parker left town, theAbrons Arts Center, a few blocks southof the Stone, hosted a two-day festival

dedicated to the legacy of Incus Records, thelabel that Parker, Bailey and Tony Oxley co-founded in 1970. After Oxley departed a fewyears later, Parker and Bailey—who died in2005—functioned as co-directors, producingsome of the seminal documents of Europeanfree improvisation. They split on acrimoniousterms in 1985, with Parker keeping possessionof his own copyrights and master tapes. Since2001, he has been bringing them back intoprint—along with new material by himself andvarious associates—on Psi, his imprint, whichnow boasts a catalog of more than 60 items.

Parker discerned crucial differences in theways in which his and Bailey’s respective per-sonalities influenced their musical production.“I’m interested in a more adaptive language, amore flexible sense of musical persona,” he said.“The material with which I represent myself, themusic masks that I use to play behind, orthrough, vary with the context much more thanDerek’s did. ‘Mask’ is a more complicated ideathan simply a disguise, something to hidebehind. The mask is a particular chosen projec-tion of identity.”

Unlike Bailey and most of his contempo-raries from the first generation of Europeanexperimental improvisers, Parker has embracedAmerican jazz as a lineal, if often hidden, influ-ence. “It’s where I come from,” he said. “Itdoesn’t mean I don’t know about Boulez andStockhausen and Xenakis. But in shaping theidea of personal direction, the point that Coltranegot to, especially in Interstellar Space, is adefined place. Even the idea of a multi-linearapproach to soprano is derived from thinkingabout certain things Coltrane was doing on thelonger solos on “My Favorite Things,” wherehe’s hinting at keeping two lines going.Thinking you can do anything past that involvesan enormous lack of modesty, and you have tobe aware of this. But through practice and effortand concentration on what makes your directionyour direction, there are some corners left towork in.”

Told that Rothenberg had remarked on his“whirling” time feel, “with a pulse that tends tobreathe in an ebb-and-flow,” Parker described it

as his default mode, citing “the constellation” ofthe New York Art Quartet with John Tchicaiand Milford Graves, Graves’ duos with DonPullen, the Coltrane-Rashied Ali duos, and theJimmy Giuffre Trio. “These were the very lastbits of concerted influence, where you feel,‘These are the materials that I must learn to dealwith,’” he said. “After that, it became essentialto deal with what John Stevens (the Britishdrummer with whom partnered frequently in the’60s and ’70s) was doing, what Derek, PaulRutherford, Paul Lytton, Barry Guy, and all thepeople associated with that first generation ofLondon-based free improvisers were doing.”

Parker’s simpatico for the New York con-text stems from the summers of 1962 and 1963,when, by dint of a free flight enabled by hisfather’s position with BOAC (predecessor ofBritish Airlines), he was able to see hisheroes—the aforementioned encounter withLacy, Eric Dolphy with Herbie Hancock atBirdland, Cecil Taylor with Jimmy Lyons andSunny Murray on Bleecker Street, Carla Bleyin duo with Gary Peacock—on their home turf.

“Coltrane was always out of town, thoughI’d heard him in England in 1961,” Parker said.“But I’m not going to forget those things. Fromthat point, New York was the center of the worldas far as the music I was interested in.”

‘I’m ready for a break,” Parker said at thebeginning of February from his home inKent, reviewing his recent travels. Over a

month or so of down time, he would work on“thinking about how to practice, practicing,organizing for the label and for events comingup.” Most important among the latter were aseries of spring concerts with his Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, a project that he has docu-mented since 1997 on five ECM CDs, increas-ing the participants from six to 14 on the mostrecent iteration, The Moment’s Energy, a six-part suite that incorporates an orchestra’s worthof real-time electronic processing instruments. Indistinction to the prior dates, Parker deployedthe studio as another instrument, remixing andrealigning the materials of the real-time versionto construct a final document. It’s the latestdevelopment in Parker’s ongoing investigationof digital media as a tool to transcend the limitsof what he can do with the saxophone.

“What works for a concert doesn’t necessari-ly work for a record,” Parker said. “It’s partly todo with dynamic range, partly with whatManfred Eicher calls dramaturgie. You don’tquite know the circumstances under which therecord will be played. So the idea of modifyingsomething in response to that is no longer aheresy for me. It’s just part of the work, and ifpeople want to discuss it and take positions foror against, well, that’s fine.”

Parker is no stranger to being on the receiv-ing end of slings and arrows—for all the auda-ciousness and fire that he projects through hishorn, his incendiary chops have sparked thewrath of some members of the “avant-garde

police,” who critique him as an overly technical,non-interactive Johnny-one-note more con-cerned with attaining individual transcendencethan dialogic interplay.

George Lewis addressed this issue in a morenuanced way. “Derek liked to smash genrestogether, people from different traditions andpractices,” he said. “Evan was starting to do thisas well, but then he broke away from it. Now it’sreached a new level where he is more content tobe at the center of his own world than everbefore; he’s found ways to make music thatbears his stamp, through the medium of impro-visation. It’s not being an improviser that’simportant. It’s what Evan’s music is.”

For Parker, an Anarcho-Socialist during uni-versity days, philosophical materialism coexistsin pragmatic equipoise with his investigationsinto the mysteries of shamanism, as he denoteswith his label’s name.

“I juggle those things every day,” he said.“I’m encouraged by developments that relate tofinding consensus on solving specific problems,rather than building an overarching ideology thatpurports to solve all problems at a stroke.Shamanism is one way that you can solve someof those small problems. It’s metaphysics, butit’s also practical. Spiritual is material, too. Ifyou define materialism as to recognize the waythings work, then we have to include psi phe-nomena, the things physicists can’t explain.”

Parker himself found it difficult to explainconcretely the criteria he uses to decide whatconstitutes a successful performance, what torelease or not release. He had not yet found timeto evaluate his massive output at the Stone,which was professionally recorded and line-mixed. “It would be crazy not to release some ofit, but I want to make sure I do it properly.

“Sometimes it’s a good idea to wait a year ormore before you listen, otherwise you reinforcethe memories of the struggle that was involved,which may affect your objectivity and have noimportance in the bigger picture,” he said. “It’seasier to be positive about some solo thing thatcame out well. Everything else is complicatedabout expectations about what other people mayor may not do. If I think that the thing is a fail-ure, I have no problem leaving it on the shelf.”

Parker observed that Time Lapse, his 2006release for Zorn’s Tzadik imprint, took a decadeto whip into shape. He noted that he took similarpains toward conceptualizing 2009’s House FullOf Floors.

Parker was looking forward to the next stageof his New York investigations, which wouldtranspire this spring. “Every time I come back, Iget a feeling unlike anywhere else in theworld,” he said. “There’s an incredible commu-nity of players to draw on. John [Zorn]’s sup-port for this venture allowed me to be amongfriends. The Stone is absolutely my kind ofspace, like a non-denominational chapel ofmusic. There’s no frills. It’s a room where youcan play some music and some people cancome and listen.” DB



DOWNBEAT LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: MANFRED EICHER

COMMITMENT

CREATIVE

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By Dan Ouellette



Launched in November 1969 with Mal Waldron’s album Free AtLast, ECM boasts more than 1,200 titles in its genre-resistant catalog,with a steady flow of 30 to 40 new releases each year, featuring border-crossing jazz, improvisational music, transcultural collaborations andclassical (specifically in his ECM New Series, begun in 1984 to recordthe music of Arvo Pärt). With a track record of scoring million-sellinghits such as Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert and Jan Garbarek and theHilliard Ensemble’s Officium, ECM continues to forge ahead as theprime purveyor of the luminous art of jazz. For this pursuit of excel-lence, Eicher this year is honored with the DownBeat LifetimeAchievement Award, which recognizes his momentous—and unortho-dox—contribution to the history of jazz.

Eicher wrote in his “The Periphery and the Centre” essay in the bookHorizons Touched: The Music Of ECM, edited by Steve Lake and PaulGriffiths (Granta Books, London, 2007), that music—his passionatevocation—forms his life’s “essential core.” He noted: “The atmosphereproduced at a recording session should be inimitable and awaken thedesire to make changes or, when necessary, to improve and perfect ...[tocreate] an atmosphere that sincerely expresses what one wishes to con-vey of oneself and one’s emotions. Music is the art that speaks directlyto the soul.”

With ECM, which celebrates its 40th anniversary throughout 2010,this soul-stirring music is expressed in the image of Eicher, who is fullyimmersed in all aspects of the albums on his label, from the recordingand mixing to the careful attention to the artwork that adorns the covers.

In New York last November at the conclusion of recording MeredithMonk’s latest album, Songs Of Ascension, Eicher settles into ECM’sManhattan offices for a conversation on his philosophy of music andthe evolution of the label. He’s a serious man, soft spoken and articu-late, yet you sense that he feels much more at home in the studio thanbehind a desk fielding questions about his successes. Still, he possessesan agreeable demeanor, proud of the art he has created and still fullyengaged in discovering music that intrigues him. His empathy has notwaned, he insists.

“Music is my driving force,” he says. “Music has no location and nonationality. In the early days of ECM, we recorded mostly American artists.Then for many years, I concentrated on Europeans in the North and then tothe East. Today I go to Greece and Spain. I go anywhere I have to to findmusic that interests me.”

This exploration started early thanks to his mother’s passion for classi-cal music. She sang chamber music and treated Eicher—born in Lindau,Germany, in 1943—to a steady diet of Schubert, Schumann andBeethoven. While he wanted to learn the piano, he was forced to take vio-lin lessons at the age of 6 because the house he grew up in wasn’t bigenough for even an upright. However, when he turned 14, he switched tobass after he heard Birth Of The Cool and followed Miles Davis’ thread towhen Paul Chambers held the bass chair. (A contrabass wouldn’t fit in theEicher family home, either, so he frequently practiced on one at theQuartier du Jazz in Lindau.) Even though he gravitated to jazz, Eicherstudied classical at the Academy of Music in Berlin. He commented in his

Horizons Touched essay that he was dedicated to mastering the bass andthat “it even looked as if I would spend my life in the back row of a sym-phony orchestra.”

But that wasn’t meant to be. He stopped playing in the BerlinPhilharmonic and moved to Munich. There he continued performing butalso became fascinated with the sonic possibilities of music productionwhile working as a program assistant for Deutsche Grammophon andother labels. It was during this time, as Horizons Touched co-author Lakerecounted in his introduction, that Eicher realized that “more care wasinvested in the recording of classical music than in … jazz. This was one‘injustice’ he could set about correcting, with an attention to detail thatKeith Jarrett would approvingly call ‘fanatical.’”

Meanwhile, Eicher was buying records at a shop that also had a mail-order service. He became friendly with the clerk, who suggested that heproduce his own music that he liked. Eicher took a gamble, plunked downDM 16,000 (the equivalent of $4,000) and contacted Waldron to record analbum that the pianist later commented on as representing his “meetingwith free-jazz.” ECM was born. “This wasn’t some idea that I had for along time. I didn’t have a plan,” Eicher says, with a laugh. “It was a spon-taneous gesture. It took off. Overnight I needed to come up with a namefor my label, so I called it Edition of Contemporary Music. I had no expe-rience. I was a musician and had been involved in music my whole life. Ihad some contacts with musicians in New York, so I reached out to themto make albums for me.”

Important early U.S. musicians included Jarrett (he’s recorded exclu-sively on ECM since 1971), Chick Corea (beginning in 1971 and includ-ing Return To Forever), Gary Burton (beginning with his 1972 Corea duoalbum, Crystal Silence) and Dave Holland (beginning in 1971). Eicher’ssigning of Norwegian saxophonist Garbarek opened the door to ECM’sexplorations with several Scandinavian musicians (ushering in the so-called Nordic sound that Eicher today scoffs at: “I’m so tired of this term.It’s so cliched. It’s nonsense.”). The breadth of the ECM catalog broad-ened with musicians from England (Evan Parker), Italy (Enrico Rava) andPoland (Tomasz Stanko). Burton has noted that ECM expanded his jazzvision because of the label’s documentation of important European impro-visers largely unknown to American musicians and listeners.

“But American music of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s was imprinted on ourmusical lives. That’s where our roots are.”

Over the last four decades, jazz labels have buzzed with a flurry of inventive activity and thenseemingly overnight have fizzled in vitality and importance—silenced either by bankruptcy inthe case of independent endeavors or imprints being phased out of the new-release sched-

ules of major recording companies that crave fluff-like commercial “hits” and despise spirituallyattuned artistic “misses.” During this woefully sober upheaval in the jazz marketplace—no longer ananomaly but a given—there has been one constant of creative music commitment: the Germany-based ECM label founded and piloted by producer Manfred Eicher. Its credo is summed up quite suc-cinctly in the label’s 2009–’10 catalogue: “ECM has maintained the most old-fashioned of businesspractices while staying in tune with what is newest and most alive in music.”

1981 John Hammond1982 George Wein1983 Leonard Feather1984 Dr. Billy Taylor1985 Dr. Lawrence Berk1986 Orrin Keepnews1987 David Baker1988 John Conyers Jr.1989 Norman Granz1990 Rudy Van Gelder

1991 Bill Cosby1992 Rich Matteson1993 Gunther Schuller1994 Marian McPartland1995 Willis Conover1996 Chuck Suber1997 Bill Gottlieb1998 Bruce Lundvall1999 Sheldon Meyer2000 George Avakian

2001 Milt Gabler2002 Emilio Lyons2003 Joe Segal2004 Herman Leonard2005 Creed Taylor2006 Claude Nobs2007 Dan Morgenstern2010 Manfred Eicher

DOWNBEAT LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD



Pat Metheny proved to be a significant sign-ing. After hearing him play in Burton’s band,Eicher offered the 21-year-old guitarist theopportunity to join the ECM roster. From 1975to 1984, Metheny recorded 11 albums (arguablysome of his best recordings, including suchhighlights as American Garage, 80/81, As FallsWichita, So Falls Wichita Falls and Offramp)and became a star. Metheny left the fold to signwith Geffen. Bill Frisell also got his start atECM before leaving for Nonesuch. “Of course,it’s a disappointment when musicians decide torecord for another label,” says Eicher, who

doesn’t ink artists to long-term deals. “It’s a bittough, but you learn to accept it. Pat told me hehad another offer that would allow him to get hismusic better distributed around the world. Iunderstood. Working with Bill was wonderful,but he had so many ideas that I wasn’t able togrant him more recordings.”

But, Eicher hastens to note, the percentage ofartists who leave ECM is relatively small. Moststay on, which pleases him. “It’s wonderful tosee artists like Keith, Jan and Ralph Townercontinue to record for ECM,” he says. “They’vewritten their musical biographies with us. We

still discuss the music like we did in the olddays. We all still have the commitment to thequality of the music and to good production.”

Plus, Eicher often uses his stable of artists tospark collaborative projects. Cases in point: hissuggestion to Jarrett to work with Garbarek,which resulted in one of ECM’s most artisticallycelebrated albums (Belonging, 1974); and theensemble he encouraged Garbarek to form withCharlie Haden and Egberto Gismonti (FolkSongs, 1979). Recently, Eicher facilitated a mag-ical West-East musical balance when he pro-posed to Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem torecord with German bass clarinetist KlausGesing, a superb sonic experiment that resultedin The Astounding Eyes Of Rita, one of ECM’sbest CDs of the past year.

As owner and producer, Eicher is in fullcharge of all aspects of ECM. Although he cred-its his staff, Eicher runs the show—and sets thetone, both professionally and sonically. “Since Ihear the way I hear, our records sound the waythey sound,” he says. “Of course, you have thepreconceived idea of the project that depends onthe type of music an artist will record. ButECM’s albums have a lot of very poetic, lyricalmusic. The tempo is often slow. There are moreballads than presto. There’s a certain kind ofaffinity for the music that we define with myidea of the sound.”

So, does Eicher’s personality serve as theumbrella for the music he records? “I would sayso,” he replies, “because I make the decision onwho records for the label. I’m looking for verypersonal, original music that reflects my musicaltaste, and that’s the way it is.”

Many ECM artists often factor in Eicher as amusician in their band. With the producer in thestudio behind the glass, a trio becomes a quartet;a quartet morphs into a quintet. “Actually, I am amusician,” he says. “The idea of a record pro-ducer is very undefined. I’m a musician in thesense that I once worked as such and have thecapacity to communicate in that way with peo-ple. I’m a bit like the director of a film. Youhave to be able to understand the sensitivity andthe psychological aspects of creating somethingtogether. You have to inspire the musician aswell as to correct him, to say no to something, tounderstand when it’s important to stop the musicor to go on. You can’t train someone to learnthis. You have to have an artistic instinct for it.”

Eicher’s role as a producer involves makingchoices as to where to record (a studio or musichall, for example) as well as how to capture themusic in the best possible way. “I’m a partner onthe other side of the microphone,” he says. “Imay make a gesture or have a discussion. I maygive metaphoric advice or ask a metaphoricalquestion. It all depends on the artist. But overall,you just make the musicians feel that you’re withthem, that you are alert to all the nuances anddetails, that you’re willing to talk about dynam-ics, phrasing, dialogues, colors.” As for the mix-ing process, Eicher chooses to describe it with ametaphor: “Once we capture the music, the mix-

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ing is all about making a sculpture of sound.”Eicher largely determines the sequencing of

all of ECM’s music. “When I’m recording andmixing, I get the sequencing ideas,” he says.“It’s an important aspect of making a record inhow you introduce the music dramatically to thelistener for the first time. I’m thinking about howthe music speaks to me, to see if there is a com-positional context. It’s a compositional approachso that the music travels from the beginning tothe end, just like a movie or a novel. You see thefirst frames, you read the first page or chapterand it draws you in.”

Norwegian pianist Christian Wallumrød’sexcellent new album Fabula Suite Lugano origi-nally had an entirely different opening. Eicherchanged it. “I had a fixed order that had workedwell in rehearsal and concert,” Wallumrød said.“But the whole opening sequence was puttogether by Manfred during the mix—to quiteastounding results. We never would havethought of starting the record with ‘SolemnMosquitoes,’ but this piece proved to be theideal opener.”

Wallumrød represents how Eicher, instead ofresting on the laurels of past successes, is striv-ing forward, showcasing new and promisingartists. “Christian’s album is one of myfavorites,” Eicher says. “It has the quality ofvivid, energetic chamber music that I haven’theard before. There’s lyrical beauty and intensemelancholy that speaks of life to me. It’s like themomentum of waves. At the right moments, youemerge from the [tumultuous] waves and arriveon an island.” He pauses again, then continues:“Actually the best way to describe Christian’salbum is that it’s a record of episodes.”

Given Eicher’s high aspiration for choosingart over commercial success, does he worryabout the bottom line? After all, releasing up to50 albums a year must take a toll. “I’m not fol-lowing the struggles at other record labels,” hesays. “That doesn’t concern me too much,although I am encouraged by new, small labelsthat are doing something different. They’re pre-senting some interesting ideas. But I’m focusedon ECM. There’s a lot still to do to fulfill the planwe have to record improvised music that is art,especially today with bringing together differentcultures, which fits with the influences of ourtime. I continue to make records out of musicalinstinct and drive even though you can neverforesee how many copies a record will sell. So,as far as reaching the bottom line, we have neverreached a panic yet. We go on as long as we can.Even though it’s more difficult to sell musictoday because there are fewer outlets (other thanAmazon), I feel there’s an enormous interest inmusic. There is a need to record music. I’ve beeninspired this year by how much good music wehave recorded. My instinct tells me to continue todo what I’ve been doing and do more.”

But with living such a rich musical life, doesEicher sometimes tire of the aural stimulation?He admits that after working on a recording (onaverage, he records two days, mixes the third)

he needs down time to “sharpen my ears andregain my hunger for music.” He also rarely ifever checks out the hundreds of demos thatarrive on his desk. “I cannot listen to them any-more,” he says. “Maybe I’ll miss somethingthat could be recorded on ECM, but I alreadyhave too much to listen to just with the pro-grams we’re working on.”

On a typical day, Eicher rises at 5 a.m. andlistens to the edits he has to make from therecording sessions of the previous night. That isthe focus. As for casual listening, he avoids thesoundtrack of the all-music-all-the-time every-

day life. He has no CD player in his car. Whenhe makes his semifrequent cross-Atlanticjaunts, he doesn’t plug into an airplane’splaylist. He has no music in his hotel room. “Idon’t listen to any music when I’m traveling,”he says. “When I listen to music, I want to do sowith full concentration and with silence aroundme. To do justice to music you have to be atten-tive. It’s like reading a book, which requires fullconcentration to get into the text and have anexperience of contemplation. The most impor-tant thing to do with music is to take your timeand discover.” DB



Gerry Mulligan: Before & AfterBy Leonard Feather

The following DownBeat classic interview is

an abridged version of a two-part feature

article published 50 years ago in our May 26

and June 9, 1960, issues.

It was St. Patrick’s Day. A jazz fan who hap-pened to stop in at a bar near YankeeStadium glanced idly at the jukebox. This

was a typical Irish bar—nothing on the piccolobut songs of old Erin, plenty of Bing Crosby’sIrish efforts and, of course, the customary quotaof Carmel Quinn. But the box was not 100 per-cent square: Nestled like a jewel in one slot wasa card announcing a side by Gerry Mulligan.

That Mulligan today is at a zenith of esteem,among both Irish and non-Irish fromHollywood to Helsinki, is a source of astonish-ment to many of those who observed his arrivalin Los Angeles in the summer of 1951, whenhis fortunes were at their nadir. Mulligan hadspent most of his 24 years escaping—fromsocial and religious problems, from conformity,from reality, and finally from the musical mael-strom of Manhattan in which he had found nofirm path to tread.

Mulligan’s first Hollywood job of any con-sequence was an assignment to write somearrangements for Stan Kenton. Though themusic he wrote (10 charts in all) was not quitestartingly colorful enough to elicit the unbound-ed enthusiasm of Kenton himself, many musi-cians both in and out of the band felt that theMulligan contributions were among theswingingest pieces ever inserted in the Kentonbooks. Some of them were used only as throw-aways on dance dates. But Kenton did recordtwo of Mulligan’s originals, “Swing House”and “Young Blood,” and continued to play thelatter frequently long after Mulligan stoppedwriting for the band.

During the Kenton period, Mulligan becamefriendly with a young man named RichardBock, then a student at Los Angeles CityCollege with a side job doing publicity andorganizing Monday night sessions at the Haig.One day, at the Laurel Canyon home of hisfriend Phil Turetsky, Bock produced some tapeswith Mulligan, and without a piano. It had notbeen scheduled as a pianoless session. “JimmyRowles was supposed to be there,” Bock relat-ed, “but couldn’t make it at the last moment. So

we did it with just Gerry, Red Mitchell andChico Hamilton.” This was in July of 1952, andthe records were never released.

Soon afterwards, Bock began to useMulligan on the Monday nights at the Haig.Only a couple of these gigs had taken placewhen, said Bock, “One afternoon in Septemberwe went up to Phil’s home again—he had somefine sound equipment—and made ‘Bernie’sTune’ and ‘Lullabye Of The Leaves,’ withGerry and Chet [Baker] and Chico and BobWhitlock. This started the Pacific Jazz label,with a single 78 disc. Later, we went into theGold Star studios on Santa Monica Boulevardand did the other tunes for the first 10-incher,LP-1. This was how the company got started.”

By year’s end, the LP had been released,lines were forming all around the block at theHaig and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet was put towork on a full-week basis. Before long, Gerryhad reached what is usually the vital point inany artist’s career: People needed him morethan he needed them.

During the first half of 1953, Mulligan andBaker had a parternship that seemed as historic,in its way, as Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang in the1920s, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey in the ’30s,and Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker in the’40s. “Gerry’s musical communion with Chetwas a fantastic and beautiful thing,” said a girlwho knew them well. “But as a person, Gerrywanted Chet to be so much more sensitive thanhe was capable of being.”

“The group really came off until Gerry andChet started hating each other,” Hamilton said.“They’d come on the stand and Gerry wouldface one way and Chet another. A couple oftimes I had to pull them apart.”

The breakup that resulted was inevitable.But, though it seemed to augur disaster,Mulligan turned it to advantage: DuringChristmas week of 1953 he organized a newquartet featuring the valve trombone of BobBrookmeyer instead of trumpet.

This group represented the second of sixmajor phases in Mulligan’s career as a leadingjazz figure. The third was a sextet he led in1955–’56, with Zoot Sims, Brookmeyer andJon Eardley or Don Ferrara; the fourth was the1958–’59 quartet with Art Farmer; the fifth wasa period of movie-making, during most of 1959,

when he had no organized group; and the sixthbegan a few weeks ago when he formed a 13-piece band in New York.

“Each of my groups has had an entirelydifferent sound, and a different effect onme,” Mulligan said. “It’s misleading to talkabout ‘the quartet’ as if there’d been onlyone. And the septet was completely differentagain—there we had the first leaningstoward a big band sound, a more concertedthing, getting away from the strictly sponta-neous counterpoint.”

Along with Mulligan’s musical growth,there has been a striking development in hispersonality. Musicians who once saw in him anair of belligerent intolerance, a garrulity, a lackof direction, now observe that the intolerance isdirected against stupidity, racial prejudice andnarrowmindedness. And the talkativeness—based on sensitivity, a keen concern for music,the theater, politics and a broad range of generalinterests—is leavened with humor and a refusalto accept pompousness on any level.

Mulligan is very much wrapped up in hisnew band, which played its first date in April atBasin Street East. So far, the reaction amongmusicians both in and out of the orchestra, andamong critics and the more attentive listeners atBasin Street, has been uniformly enthusiastic.During several visits I found enough excite-ment, both in the writing and in the spirit thatformed the interpretation, to produce some ofthe most genuine and unpretentious swingingbig-band jazz this town has heard in years.

Just before he opened at the club I inter-viewed Mulligan in an hour-long session overWNCN-FM, New York.

Feather: Let’s talk about the new band, yourpersonnel and your plans.Mulligan: Well, first and foremost, let’s say wehave Bob Brookmeyer and Bob Brookmeyerand Bob Brookmeyer … playing valve trom-bone and writing; Wayne Andre on tromboneand Allan Raph on bass trombone; on trumpetsPhil Sunkel, Danny Styles, and most of thesolos are taken by Don Ferrara. The reeds areEddie Wasserman on clarinet; Bill Holman ontenor—he came east to do a lot of writing forus. We also have arrangments by Al Cohn, andsome by Johnny Mandel of themes from his I



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Want To Live score. The alto is Dick Meldonian,the baritone is Gene Allen, bass is Bill Takas,and on drums another old face from quartet-sex-tet days, Dave Bailey.

The instrumentation problem was, I think,one of the things that kept me from getting aband together. I started one a couple of yearsago, and I was thinking in terms of four trum-pets, three trombones and five saxes, and I wrotearrangements and even started on an album. Butafter I got halfway through, I decided it was bot-tom-heavy, too full, and didn’t allow the kind offreedom I’d come to enjoy with the small bands.Also it didn’t have that kind of clarity of soundthat I liked, with the interplay of lines, in thesmall groups.

Now the present band gives us most of thepossibilities that we had with the other one, but italso allows for a great deal more clarity. And ofcourse a practical consideration is, if you’ve gotpeople sitting on the bandstand, you’ve got tohave them playing. If they don’t play enough it’sbad for their lips and their horns get cold; theytire of not playing, they lose interest, and con-tribute nothing.Feather: Are you using the clarinet a lot in thereed voicing?Mulligan: We’ve used it not so much as a reedsection sound, but rather as a sound that con-tributes to the ensemble as a whole. We’ve beentrying to avoid the clarinet lead effect.Feather: Are you aiming this band purely at lis-tening audiences, or do you think it might beadaptable to dance dates if you’re interested inplaying any?Mulligan: What I’m really building is a concertband. It’s a jazz band for listening, and there areonly a handful of clubs in the country that canhandle a band like that. I don’t want to thinkabout dance dates yet, until we’ve establishedourselves and are working the way we want to.But it’s fun to play dances occasionally, fun toplay a prom. When we get to feeling like the oldfolks sitting up on the stand watching the kidshave a good time, we play differently. You getvery sentimental and all that sort of thing.Feather: The reason I asked is that JohnHammond said recently he feels jazz is essential-ly a functional music and is coming back to that.Mulligan: I’m really not too concerned aboutwhere jazz is going, what it’s doing. I’m con-cerned about the entity that I’ve tried to puttogether, which is really quite separate from theentire field of jazz. My answer to John is, thereare jazz musicians who have never gotten awayfrom that. Now if you’re talking about jazz interms of what the avant garde has been doing, orwhat’s the most influential thing with theyounger musicians now, that’s not what I’m bas-ing my ideas on.

But anyhow, by taking the band out ondances now, I would dissipate the band’s poweras a jazz band, a listening band, as a show band.The bands in the ’30s and ’40s did it the otherway around. They were basically dance bands;then the theater shows came along, and the

bands that could put on a good show were suc-cessful. But at this point there would seem to bea good field for a real out-and-out jazz band,which is what I want. Most bands that have beenput together lately have been trying to reach ahappy medium, and this doesn’t exist; they spoilthe possibilities in both directions.Feather: Do you find it easier to get sidementhan it was years ago? That the level of musi-cianship has advanced a lot?Mulligan: Well, they cost more! But there havealways been good players around. In fact, sever-al in this band are guys I played in bands with inyears past. There were always plenty of guyswho had technical proficiency, but it took some-one like Lester Young to come along and turneverybody around and show them a new way touse their technique; and then the same withCharlie Parker. So the kind of technical facilitythat these people brought into jazz has come tobe an accepted thing—you either play that wayor you can’t play.Feather: How about your soloists?Mulligan: Well, I’ve approached this band on avery strict premise, which possibly doesn’talways meet with the complete happiness of allthe fellows in the band. In the sextet there werefour soloists. To simplify our own problem andthat of the audience, in this band, too, we havefour basic solo chairs: I’m one, Brookmeyer isanother, the trumpet and tenor are the others. Toa great extent we restrict solos to these fourchairs; as time goes on we’ll find things that willprovide a solo outlet for others. But first wewant to establish some sort of basic approach tothe band.

I’ve seen a lot of bands fall into a trap ofspreading the solos around so everybody canplay. Now these are known as musicians’ bands,and one of the reasons they can never establishthemselves with an audience is that the audiencetakes time to be able to understand the playingof each man, and so many players go by thatthey never really have a chance to hear anybody,so nothing really sticks in their minds.Feather: Did you want to have Art Farmer onthe band?Mulligan: Well, all I can say is, I hope Art’sband is a big failure so he has to come back withmy band! No, actually, of course, Art’s bandwas just wonderful when I heard it.Feather: About your movies. Do you think IWant To Live got the recognition it deserved forits musical achievements?Mulligan: Listen, the fact that they not onlydidn’t give Johnny Mandel an Oscar, but didn’teven nominate him, just convinces me of theclosed doors, the private little club that themovie composers have. And they say this is thefirst movie music Johnny wrote. Actually it’sjust the first he ever got credit for—a good partof the good jazz music that was heard in seg-ments of other pictures was written by Johnny.They call that ghosting.Feather: You did a little ghosting yourself,didn’t you, I mean ghost playing?



Mulligan: Yes, in The Rat Race, they told me Iwas to play a bandleader on a cruise ship, but itturned out they were just throwing me a bone. Itwas a very small acting role and they reallywanted me to play baritone for Tony Curtis—aghost baritone voice. Well, I like Tony and Ididn’t want to be a bad guy, so I wound updoing it anyway.

In The Bells Are Ringing, my scene withJudy [Holliday] comes right at the beginning ofthe picture and the whole thing is slapstick. Shetold me she’d had no experience with this kindof thing, and I’d had less than none, so it’s awonder we didn’t kill ourselves! Hitting eachother in the head and breaking glasses and catch-ing on fire. ... But this opening is supposed to bebuilding to a love story, and it should be a gentlebuildup to her first love song, which she singsbeautifully. But coming right after this comedysequence really kills it for her, so I asked, “Well,it’s nice and everything, but please cut it out ofthe picture.” So they cut out one of her songsand they cut this scene and that scene. But ourown scene, the one that was the root of the trou-ble, they left in!Feather: Gerry, let’s project a little into thefuture. What would you like to be doing whenyou’re, say, 50 years old?Mulligan: When I’m 50? Well, I’d like to bedoing some of the same things as now—but I’dlike to double on other horns, and play a lotmore piano than I’m playing now. And I’d liketo be a producer in various other fields besidesjazz. I’d love to do some television production,with jazz used on a popular level.

As far as the immediate future is concerned,I’m glad to be getting into the position where Ifeel I’m able to call my own shots. I want to takethis band out on the same level of prestige as mysmall bands. I’d like to package my own showbuilt around the band; I’m sick of being bookedon these miscellaneous package shows, and Ifeel my name has drawing power enough to filla hall.

T he powerful sound-wave on the crest ofwhich Gerald Joseph Mulligan is cur-rently riding seems unlikely to diminish

in intensity in the foreseeable future. After along siege of hard times, he has found the artisticand economic security that for so many yearsseemed hopelessly out of reach.

Perhaps the best summation of Mulligan’sstory, during the weeks I spent talking abouthim to friends and associates, was offered byChubby Jackson, who knew Jeru (as MilesDavis nicknamed him) back in the hungry ’40s.

“Some people,” said Jackson, “would sayGerry was stupid in his attitude, but in so manyways it was the most commendable thing hecould do. Gerry wouldn’t conform, would nevergive up his musical principles, even when itmeant starvation. He played true to life the defi-ance that every musician of a creative naturefeels. And he’s finally made it. And I say, morepower to him.” DB


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Pat MethenyOrchestrionNONESUCH 516668

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The most recognizable jazz guitarist in the world has joked thateither “vacuum cleaners or garage-door openers” helped drivehis latest project’s retro-futurism, which finds him not onlywielding six strings, but a Rube Goldberg array of orchestralinstruments that are triggered by a solenoid here or a toggleswitch there. Guess Pat Metheny, responsible for some of themusic’s most heartfelt moments, loves himself some robots. Butwhat can they do for his music?

The answer coming from Orchestrion is, “Not as much asone might hope.” The process of connecting the marimbas,bells, vibes and other instruments to a metaphoric motherboardof old-school mechanics fits snuggly into Metheny’s progres-sive persona—the guy’s always had an itch to move the concep-tual needle forward, and creating five very elaborate new tunescontrolled by a blend of real-time and pre-programmed maneu-vers is an interesting approach. But it doesn’t take long for theprocedural rigmarole of his postmodern music box to drift intothe background, and as Orchestrion’s program unfolds, itbecomes unimportant whether a gaggle of pneumatics or a hard-driving rhythm section is at the rudder: We’re heading for famil-iar territory.

The dewy guitar notes that spell out the melody of “EntryPoint,” the galloping beats that bolster the liftoff of“Expansion,” the capital-P poignancy that’s at the center of“Soul Search”—Metheny may surround himself with the whizand whirr of experimental bells and whistles, but there’s a gooddeal of business as usual in the air. That doesn’t rob the music ofsingularity, however. The pulse that enlivens “Spirit In The Air”is effective and refreshing, almost brokering a gamelan vibe.The unique orchestral attitude that he introduced around thetime of Still Life (Talking) remains in play (one critic hasdeemed Orchestrion “several classic Pat Metheny Groupalbums rolled into one”); rather than a human voice swoopingaround to approximate a string section, a series of cross-hatchedstrummings help decorate things quite nicely. My favorite partis when a passage that echoes the Beach Boys’ “Let’s Go AwayFor Awhile” bubbles up in “Entry Point.” There may be some-thing slightly stiff about the disc’s clatter, but this effervescentmusic has plenty of high-flying moments.

In a YouTube explanation as to why he conceived the pro-ject, Metheny paraphrases Ray Kurzweil, saying that there’s a“basic human desire to extend our reach through tools.” Whoknows, after the insight picked up on his current Orchestriontour, this one-man band might be a mere vacuum cleaner awayfrom the next “Body And Soul.” —Jim Macnie

Orchestrion: Orchestrion; Entry Point; Expansion; Soul Search; Spirit Of The Air. (52:06)Personnel: Pat Metheny, guitar and orchestrionics (pianos, marimba, vibraphone,orchestra bells, percussion, cymbals, blown bottles, custom-fabricated acousticmechanical instruments, keyboard).

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RamonaBorthwickOne Of UsLETIMOTIF 002

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I begin on a petty noteof impatience beforeproceeding to the high-er substantive groundof this generally fineCD. It is this: Must allmusic be about some-thing? Must every CD,especially when instrumental, become a con-cept album? It seems almost obligatory todaythat an album must attach itself to some higher,more noble mission in order to justify what, infact, needs no programmatic pretext at all. Towit, the skillfully sculpted, abstract contoursthat Ramona Borthwick has crafted here areoffered, by rather arbitrary fiat, as a paean to thelarger and fashionable concerns of ecology—topay “homage to our wonderful planet, recogniz-ing … that we bear the responsibility to be pro-tectors of Earth’s bounties.” Fine. Except thereis really nothing in this music that would other-wise lead us to infer in it a homily to the earth’swonders.

What it does offer is 10 original titles thatcombine the well-tempered fundamentals of

contemporary hardbop with splashes ofNew Age spiritual-ism, all framedwithin carefullyassembled struc-tures. The bop feelis provided by theclean and cool pre-cision of IngridJensen, whose trum-pet and flugelhornseem a logicaldescendent from the

’50s lyricism of Miles Davis and especially ArtFarmer. She navigates her solo courses with hertypical poise and aplomb and proves herself asuperb partner in the often refined ensemblebalances.

Borthwick, who authored all the pieces inthis self-produced and self-released CD, walksboth sides of the street, playing excellent, if notquite distinctive, straightahead piano through-out, while adding her shimmering, wordlesssoprano lines to selected ensembles along theway. She does this sparingly, sometimes subtle-ty, and frequently hauntingly, never scatting orsoloing but instead embedding and camouflag-ing herself deep into meticulously orchestratedunison lines in which her voice seems to floaton piano, guitar (“Listening To Love”) and horn

(“Gaia”). Sometimes the blends make hersound overdubbed on herself. You can’t alwaysbe sure. The craft is impressive in any case.

The first track, “Who’s Your Mama,” willmake any listener of NPR’s “All ThingsConsidered” feel right at home. The program’slittle eight-note signature scale forms the piece’smain theme. (Film buffs may also note that itfigured prominently in the 1944 FredMacMurray comedy Murder, He Says.) It alsointroduces the other main solos voices, especial-ly guitarist Noel Borthwick, who swings hardwith the best of them and shows us where he’scoming from with a fleeting quote from “SaltPeanuts.” He and the leader fit one anotherhand-in-glove throughout.

For a work intended to be personal and per-haps introspective, the music is unusually alive,frisky and free from brooding pensiveness. Onthe other hand, the all-original program requirestime to absorb and make friends with. The titletrack, strictly piano and rhythm, is the most self-consciously romantic piece, and perhaps atouch florid. —John McDonough

One Of Us: Who’s Your Mama; Chinese Whispers; ListeningTo Love; One Of Us; Resident Alien; Gaia; Eight Winds; GardenOf The Gods; Retro Speak; Rio Alegre. (70:12) Personnel: Ramona Borthwick, piano, voice; Ingrid Jensen,trumpet, flugelhorn; Noel Borthwick, guitar; JohannesWeidenmuller, bass; Adam, Cruz, drums.

Don Braden/Mark RappThe Strayhorn ProjectPREMIUM MUSIC SOLUTIONS 1400

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Tenor saxophone veteran Don Braden andtrumpet up-and-comer Mark Rapp take a cre-ative, freewheeling approach to BillyStrayhorn’s enchanting compositions here, withthe accent on lively group interplay, rich tex-tures, spiky rhythms and some funky strutting.The inclusion of three vocals by SachalVasandani suggests the relaxed feeling of a liveclub set, which some listeners may find distract-ing, though I enjoyed hearing Strayhorn’ssophisticated lyrics as part of the package. I’mnot crazy about some of the musical turns theband takes, but there’s no arguing this albumtranscends run of the mill “tribute projects” by awide margin.

The band steps out first with a crisp, double-clutching, New Orleans-tinged version of “RainCheck” that puts one in the mind of Blood,Sweat and Tears. When the band chops “JohnnyCome Lately” into pieces then tosses them backtogether with gleeful elan, Braden’s allusion toMonk’s “Nutty” in his solo fits the mood per-fectly. The deconstruction of the ballad“Isfahan” is less attractive—gratuitous, even—as that slinky and mysterious melody tumblesout so fast it loses its charm. Modern big band

writing comes to mind again, but of thepyrotechnical sort that, in its desire to do some-thing flashy, loses sight of the beauty of thematerial.

The hoary lounge classic “Satin Doll” gets acelebratory makeover, with cool new chords,and Braden sounds easy with the material,swinging and soulful. Young pianist GeraldClayton provides a churning backdrop underBraden and offers one of his best solos, shapelyat the same time it is explosive and eruptive. Hisplaying is very strong throughout, and his give-and-take interludes with the horns keep the for-mat charged. Rapp’s scoops to high notes andsoldierly, intentional focus show the influence of

Wynton Marsalis.On ballads, Braden shimmers coolly on alto

flute as the rhythm section pushes a HerbieHancock-like pulse under a lushly wovenarrangement of “A Flower Is A LovesomeThing.” Of the ballads sung by Vasandani,whose plain but pathos-packed style works wellon this material, “Something To Live For” isespecially effective, drawing attention toStrayhorn’s deft use of internal rhymes.“Daydream” delivers the listener directly intothe musing spirit of the song; the tender waltz“Pretty Girl (Star Crossed Lovers)” renews therhythmic vitality characteristic of the album as awhole. But Clayton’s “Chelsea Bridge” feelsparenthetical, at best, and the seldom-played“Lament For Javanette,” a Barney Bigard clar-inet feature from the old Ellington book, wasn’tvery interesting to start with. It comes off asgeneric Iberianism.

I have a feeling a lot of cuts from thisthoughtfully crafted disc are going to turn up onradio, and they should. But as an album, itdoesn’t completely cohere. —Paul de Barros

The Strayhorn Project: Rain Check; Isfahan; A Flower Is ALovesome Thing; Something To Live For; Satin Doll; Daydream;Johnny Come Lately; Lament For Javanette; Chelsea Bridge;Pretty Girl/Star Crossed Lovers. (51:03)Personnel: Don Braden, tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute; MarkRapp, trumpet; Sachal Vasandani, vocal (4, 6, 10); GeraldClayton, piano; Rene Hart, bass; Greg Gonzalez, drums.


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CCDDss CCRRIITTIICCSS »»

Pat Metheny, Orchestrion

Metheny’s account of the concept—a modern-day electro-acoustic “player piano” orchestra—is more interesting than the result, though the percolating, gamelan-ish percussion tickles me and Metheny showsadmirable restraint with his new toys. Ironically, the most engaging interludes feature Metheny just plainplaying, especially on the kind of subdued and mysterious ballad he patented long ago (“Entry Point”) or caressing the piano on “Soul Search.” —Paul de Barros

Preference for acoustic robotics over the synthesizer, desire to completely control instruments (using solenoids and physical manipulation) rather than simulate or dismiss them. Esthetic proof is in the pudding, of course, and Metheny’s futuristic one-man band, past the gimmick, is dreamy and dramatic but has the palpability of real resonating objects, even if it lacks the social dynamics of group interplay. —John Corbett

Orchestrion is like a hot dog. You might like it better if your didn’t know how it was made. Metheny surelyloves challenges, even when he has to find his own. Still, this is Metheny, after all. But when he’s not frontand center, the music seems lost in its method. Result, smooth jazz. —John McDonough

Ramona Borthwick, One of Us

On one side, the straightforward mainstream piano-led jazz, not without cliche but not without juice; on theother, wordless vocal themes with compositional ambitions. In the balance, the latter, sappy and numbing,outweighs the former. —John Corbett

I like the warm, spiritual vibe, especially pianist Borthwick’s wordless vocals, a la Flora Purim. But as a soloistthe leader here is overshadowed by her husband, guitarist Noel Borthwick, and the sublime Ingrid Jensen.

—Paul de Barros

Perfect example of a disc that rambles on and on and on. Lithe grooves, lilting solos, light textures.Competent stuff, but after three spins I couldn’t tell what was supposed to be grabbing my ears. Perhapsnovel because it seems to be an acoustic version of fusion. —Jim Macnie

Don Braden/Mark Rapp, The Strayhorn Project

By and large, a welcome measure of mainstream freshness for a classic book. Braden and Rapp make a full-figured front line and enjoy a nice interlocking rapport on “Isfahan.” Nothing strikingly unexpected, buthandsomely done. —John McDonough

Perfect example of a simply adequate disc. I dig Braden’s invention, but find Rapp to be a tad perfunctoryand the program to be wagging its tail a bit too much. And when you come down to it, the singer doesn’tgenerate sparks or drama. —Jim Macnie

Strayhorn’s elegant, indelible lines poke their heads out here and there in a program with a slick, contempo-rary r&b infused sound. Sometimes (“Satin Doll”) those sensibilities clash, sometimes they’re happily wed.Braden sounds solid throughout. —John Corbett

Scott DuBois, Black Hawk Dance

Perfect example of an evocative listening experience. Like the Eric Dolphy allusions, like the lush mood of“Illinois Procession Train,” like the rhythm section’s buoyancy, but most of all I like way the songs flow intoeach other. Not groundbreaking, but definitely compelling. —Jim Macnie

By the time you exorcize the more misbehaved spirits from this seance, you’re left with about half an album.The music ranges from near catatonic (“Isolate”) to livid, especially when Ullmann is in the feral grip of a“spiritual ascension.” In between lies a measure of welcome warmth, though (“Illinois”), and DuBois seemsto keep his head at all times. —John McDonough

Wonderful, evocative album with guitarist DuBois and reed wizard Gebhard Ullman digging deep into aPlains Indian vibe, from spirit quest to ghost dance. DuBois’ lickety-split picking suggests the obsessivetrances of John McLaughlin, while Ullmann references Albert Ayler-like ecstasy without falling off the edgeinto pure sound. The folk simplicity of “Illinois Procession Rain” put me in the mind of the best of DonCherry’s old group, Codona. But every track on this album is a profound delight. —Paul de Barros

Critics’ Comments

Pat MethenyOrchestrion

Ramona BorthwickOne of Us

Don Braden/Mark RappThe Strayhorn Project

Scott DuBoisBlack Hawk Dance

John John Jim PaulMcDonough Corbett Macnie de Barros

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Scott DuBoisBlack Hawk DanceSUNNYSIDE 1252

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With guitarists, it is tempting—often all tooeasy—to play the name game. Sounds like so-and-so; uses the same pedals as him or her. Butif the player is worth their salt, then it should bepossible to assess their music without such refer-ences. Scott DuBois is not without points ofcomparison, but on Black Hawk Dance he’s puttogether a disc well worth listening to withoutthoughts of lurking precursors.

DuBois prefers a sound with rolled off treble,a tad muted, and occasionally excessive echo,otherwise quite straightforward andunprocessed, which is in itself somewhat unusu-al these days. He moves fluidly from sprightlychords, almost soul jazz in punch (if not in con-text), and expertly unsprung intervals to knottedthreads of slurred notes, and he’s comfortablerumbling a drone or creating gradually shiftingwebs of harmony, using the volume knob orpedal to soften the attack. All quite familiarstuff, but beautifully handled in service to thegreater musical good.

The material DuBois writes has a slightAmericana touch, as in the slow-motion build of“Isolate,” but never turns too wagon-train orhodown. On the loosely harvested themes,which don’t dominate the pieces but give themcharacter, the guitarist plays in tandem (or, on“Souls,” in hocket) with versatile German multi-ple reed player Gebhard Ullmann, long familiaron the New York scene for his quite special bassclarinet sound. Thomas Morgan is a bassist I’vebeen hearing more lately, and his interactiveskills are extremely impressive, likewise drum-mer Kresten Osgood, who plays a bit understat-edly, which in this case means just right.Nobody’s grandstanding here, just playing close-ly, carefully, collaboratively. —John Corbett

Black Hawk Dance: Black Hawk Dance; Illinois Procession Rain;Dust Celebration; Isolate; River Life; Souls; Louis Frederic. (53:39)Personnel: Scott DuBois, guitar; Gebhard Ullmann, tenor saxo-phone, soprano saxophone; bass clarinet; Thomas Morgan,bass; Kresten Osgood, drums.

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Mostly Other People Do The KillingForty FortHOT CUP 091

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Over the last couple of years I don’t think there’sbeen a “jazz” band as divisive and button-push-ing as the New York quartet Mostly OtherPeople Do The Killing, and I doubt that thegroup’s fourth album will change that situation.

Sandwiched between retro-leaning tunes issome of the most exciting improvisation hap-pening today, but detractors accuse the band ofbeing an irritating novelty or refusing to takeitself seriously. Both are kind of true, but whenleveled as charges, they miss the point. Thecover art is a spot-on send-up of the Roy Haynesclassic Out Of The Afternoon, but the liner notesby “Leonard Featherweight” only discuss thefashion choices of the musicians in the sleeveart. Leader, bassist and composer Moppa Elliotthas claimed that MOPDTK perpetually questionthe validity of jazz—a rather silly pursuit if youask me—but its music definitely refuses to treatany style or approach as sacred.

While Elliott’s appealing tunes tap stronglyinto various ’60s post-bop flavors—from theblues to boogaloo to bossa nova to soul jazz—the pieces ricochet wildly between disparateepisodes, and while the new record is typical inits arch referentiality, the inherent humor andabsurdity no longer overwhelm the fierce,downright spellbinding musical power.Trumpeter Peter Evans and saxophonist JonIrabagon form a fearsome frontline and they’venever sounded so locked in, leaping nonchalant-ly from funky charts to fiery cacophony as natu-rally as drawing breath.

Drummer Kevin Shea remains the group’smusical prankster—the troublemaker, a la HanBennink, on steroids—but he’s expanded hisarsenal, from ridiculous electronic beats andtabla machine rhythms to precise cymbal splatterand knotty displacements. —Peter Margasak

Forty Fort: Pen Argyl; Rough And Ready; Blue Ball; NanticokeCoke; Little Hope; Forty Fort; Round Bottom, Square Top; St.Mary’s Proctor; Cute. (60:25)Personnel: Peter Evans, trumpet; Jon Irabagon, alto, tenor sax-ophone; Moppa Elliott, bass; Kevin Shea, drums, electronics.

ChicagoUndergroundDuoBoca NegraTHRILL JOCKEY 228

AAA1/2

Although the ChicagoUnderground Duo hascovered a lot of musicalterritory since their firstrecording in 1997, they seem particularly rest-less on Boca Negra. Some tracks express thiscondition quite literally by beginning in onestyle and ending in another.

“Green Ants,” the album’s first track,begins with an homage to the prototypicalworld music/free-jazz hybrid of the similarlyconfigured duo of Don Cherry and EdBlackwell and ends with a dialogue for echoingbrass and agitated percussion that distills RobMazurek’s recent work with Bill Dixon.“Confliction” opens with an implacable pro-gression of stark digital piano chords; thisswitches to sprightly synth theme that wouldn’tsound wrong on a Tortoise album. And whilethey are faithful to the melody of OrnetteColeman’s “Broken Shadows,” it’s played on a

vibraphone and subjected to arelentless pure-sound barrage.

Mazurek’s cornet playingnever sounds better than whenhe’s extrapolating from a sturdymelody, and he does so to greateffect on the loping “Spy OnThe Floor.” And the duo arenearly as lyrical wielding glassysynth and mallet tones on“Vergence.” But Boca Negra’s

most absorbing moments come when the twomen abandon tunes in favor of electronicmanipulation of metallic sounds. Mbira andcornet tones flake and corrode as though theywere iron rusting in salt air on “Laughing WithThe Sun,” and “Left Hand Of Darkness” hasthe rough tactile qualities of ’60s-vintagemusique concrete. The record may not stay inone place long, but everywhere it goes seemsworth the visit. —Bill Meyer

Boca Negra: Green Ants; Left Hand Of Darkness; BrokenShadows; Quantum Eye; Confliction; Hermeto; Spy On TheFloor; Laughing With The Sun; Roots And Shooting Stars;Vergence. (55:51)Personnel: Rob Mazurek, cornet, electronics; Chad Taylor,drums, vibraphone, mbira, computer, electronics.

Ordering info: thrilljockey.com»

Tomasz StankoQuintetDark EyesECM 2115

AAAA1/2

Tomasz Stanko is a gener-ous man. Whether it’s arecording or a live perfor-mance, this notable trum-peter must realize that hisstrengths are magnified bythe company he keeps. This is this reviewer’sfirst visit with the new Stanko group post hismarvelous trio of pianist Marcin Wasilewski,bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummerMichal Miskiewicz. Indeed, for those familiarwith Stanko’s intricacies—his love of melodyand harmony, his occasional outbursts, all theunconventional ways he structures his tunes—Dark Eyes is yet another chapter, and one thatshould satisfy if not inspire.

With a new band of yet more young recruits,the moodiness and heightened lyricism emergeon another level. Not necessarily better, but thewriting is still so damn good and fresh, Stankoseems to have carved out a style that is uniquelyhis own. Going from a quartet to a quintet,Stanko adds luster with a pianist in AlexiTuomarila, and a guitarist in Jakob Bro. Therichness is felt early on with “Terminal 7,” amedium-tempo modal piece that finds bothchordal artists dreamily amplifying Stanko’spurring melody lines. And with electric bassistAnders Christensen and drummer Olavi

Louhivuori, the band findstwo rhythmists extremelycapable of sensitive, eloquentsupport, of being both sereneand surprising.

This is Stanko’s music,save for two written by his for-mer boss Krzysztof Komedaand rearranged by Stanko (herevisits his “Last Song” as acreative reinterpretation). AndManfred Eicher’s production

brings everything so close, you can almost hearChristensen’s fingers caress his metal strings asthey meander through the graceful, softly urgentswing of “The Dark Eyes Of Martha Hirsch.”

Stanko likes to draw his inspirations fromvarious artistic corners. And that is good toknow. But one can just listen to this storytellerand imagine his or her own fantasy, draw fromthis music what one would like that relates totheir own life or lives. It is a continuing marvelto realize how this veteran of the European jazzscene keeps coming up with new (and usuallyyounger) players to help him realize his evoca-tive and truly different musical visions, visionsthat combine the freewheeling jazz aestheticwith his more composerly, mysterious elementsof composition. —John Ephland

Dark Eyes: So Nice; Terminal 7; The Dark Eyes Of MarthaHirsch; Grand Central; Amsterdam Avenue; Samba Nova; DirgeFor Europe; May Sun; Last Song; Etiuda Baletowa No. 3. (61:44)Personnel: Tomasz Stanko, trumpet; Alexi Tuomarila, piano; JakobBro, guitar; Anders Christensen, bass; Olavi Louhivuori drums.

Ordering info: ecmrecords.com» Ordering info: hotcuprecords.com»

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Jakob BroBalladeeringLOVELAND 011

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Not so long ago I heard a musician opine thatCDs are like business cards, handy to pass out atgigs but bereft of significance. And has thereever been a format better suited to reduceephemerality than the digital download? Danishguitarist swims against the stream with his newrelease, Balladeering, available not only as a CDbut as a deluxe set with CD and LP versions ofthe music, a making-of documentary on DVD,and a 12-inch square book that presents photosfrom the session and liner notes by Jørgen Leth,a former jazz critic lured out of retirement justfor this occasion.

Such monument-building attests to the sig-nificance this project holds for Bro. Just 30 yearsold when the album was recorded in 2008, herecruited a band including his former teacherBen Street, erstwhile employer Paul Motian, andall-time heroes Bill Frisell and Lee Konitz.

But it must be said that the record’s heftseems at odds with the airiness of the material.Bro’s tunes are extremely simple, his tonebright, his touch feather-light. Frisell’s contribu-tions are quite empathetic to Bro’s approach; it’soften hard to tell who is playing what. Motianand Street’s playing confirm the adage that bal-lads are the true proof of a seasoned player; theystrike an easy balance between motion and sta-sis, never rushing or overwhelming the music,but never letting it stall, either. Even so, withoutKonitz, Bro’s music could float away like blownbubbles on a summer breeze.

Konitz’s note placement is supremely ele-gant, but it’s the sentiment he projects that givesthe music backbone. His melodic elaborationsare tinged with melancholy and tenderness thatis quite at odds with his salty demeanor on theDVD. And despite his 81 years, he plays with aclarity and certitude that wipes out any notionsthat you’re hearing a lion in winter. No, he’s justa musician at the top of his game. —Bill Meyer

Balladeering: Weightless; Evening Song; Vraa; StartingPoint/Acoustic Version; Greenland; Terrace Place; Sort; StartingPoint/Electric Version. (44:14)Personnel: Jakob Bro, guitar; Bill Frisell, guitar; Lee Konitz, altosaxophone; Paul Motian, drums; Ben Street, bass.

Ordering info: jakobbro.com»

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Dave KingIndelicateSUNNYSIDE 1229

AAA1/2

A bold release from Sunnyside, this is the TheBad Plus drummer recorded solo in his hometown of Minneapolis. Dave King’s affinity forpiano is surprising, notwithstanding the instru-ment’s percussive essence. Don’t expect drumsolos: King is into obtuse grooves and broaderconcepts; this is a microcosm of an inquiringartist balancing rough with less-than-rough.

“Highly Varnished Academic Realism” sug-gests the old chafe of art college vs. conservato-ry, but often elements of each institution cleaveto the other. On “Arts High Boogie” King actslike a piano tuner nagging a tapping phrase, allthe while balancing an array of overlapped pianolines, then breaks free with Thelonious Monk-like investigations of the piano’s dynamicresponse before fuzzing out with backbeats. Thisdistortion he also uses on the jaunty “Homage:Young People,” and it makes you fear a blownspeaker or negligent with mastering.

It’s King’s ploy to downplay expectations ofgrandeur, though just as graph paper underliesthe hamfisted, late Picasso/Philip Guston-styledrawings on the sleeve, King’s reliable timelends the most fractured and quizzical explo-rations solid shoes. “Bees” is a feature for dead-ened drum sounds and spasmodic pad triggers,King curating his sound. The brief ballad “TheShell” is welcome after this epileptic drum-gymworkout, with King switching to brushes andbass drum, knowing just what accompanimenthe wants from his alter ego. The classical equi-librium and restraint of “I See You, You SeeMe” is King peering glass-eyed at his reflectionin the wellspring.

The title track states the brazen ethos thatearned The Bad Plus’ reputation as loudestacoustic piano trio. But as the somber, reverber-ant minimalism of “The Black Dial Tone OfNight” suggests, King has more natural facetsthan we may have realized. —Michael Jackson

Indelicate: The Werewolf And The Silver Bullet; Homage:Young People; Bees; The Shell; Arts High Boogie; Herman ZeGerman Cassette Redux; Highly Varnished Academic Realism;I See You, You See Me; Indelicate; The Great Hammer; TheBlack Dial Tone Of Night; I Want To Feel Good. (37:31)Personnel: Dave King, drums, piano.

Ordering info: sunnysiderecords.com»

by Ted PankenJAZZ

Big SmallsLaunchRun by pianist SpikeWilner, smallsLIVE,which launched inJanuary with six releas-es, is not to be confusedwith Smalls Records,Luke Kaven’s estimable,highly curated labeldedicated to document-ing consequential musi-cians, famous andobscure, associatedwith the two iterationsof the GreenwichVillage club that openedin 1994. Instead, Wilner,who also books theroom (Smalls presentsas many as three bands a night, sevennights a week, video-streaming each setand archiving all content on its Web site), isconcerned with showcasing Smalls in thehere-and-now. He writes, “Jazz is bestheard in a live context, with minimal edit-ing, captured in the full spontaneousmoment in which it was created,” addingthat artists choose all takes and face no“constraints in terms of material, length ofcuts, or personnel.” Each disc also carriesthe Live At Smalls subtitle.

Wilner’s admirable imperative plays outwith mixed results. Although all membersare in fine form on The Ryan Kisor Quartet

(SL0001; 55:44 AAA), featuring the trumpetvirtuoso in erudite dialogue with strongpost-bop pianist Peter Zak and Jazz atLincoln Center colleagues Sherman Irby onalto saxophone, Carlos Henriquez on bassand Ali Jackson on drums, the proceedingsnever elevate to the exalted heights thatKisor has attained on his studio recordingsfor Criss Cross. Similarly, on The David

Kikoski Trio (SL0003; 59:26 AAA), the mas-ter pianist, joined by young A-listers HansGlawischnig and Obed Calvaire, seemsuncomfortable with the mildly detunedpiano and out of sync with his partners—his playing here, though intense and cer-tainly high-level, lacks the dynamic nuanceand overall flow of his eight excellent CrissCross trio and quartet studio dates.

On the other hand, on The Kevin Hays

Trio (SL00270:09 AAAA), the pianist—spurred by bassist Doug Weiss and drum-mer Bill Stewart—displays consistentlyhigh intensity, harmonic imagination andcontrapuntal derring-do not evident on his

recent recordings, revealing a tonal person-ality informed by the Bud Powell tributarythat flows through Paul Bley, Keith Jarrettand Chick Corea.

Similarly intense energies define The

Steve Davis Quintet Featuring Larry Willis

(SL0005; 66:34 AAAA), which documentsa well-constructed set. The trombonistand pianist, each a Jackie McLean alum,and former McLean student Mike DiRubboon alto saxophone (hear him channel lateJohn Coltrane on Davis’ “Spirit Waltz”)swing relentlessly. Bassist Gerald Cannonand drummer Willie Jones also channelhip swagger and street-inflected tender-ness on four long numbers that go by in aheartbeat.

New Orleans-born tenor saxophonist Ian

Hendrickson-Smith (SL0006; 48:38 AAA), asideman in recent years with soul-stirrerslike Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and AlGreen, offers an extroverted, blues-suf-fused set with a hardbop attitude, drawingon pop performance strategies whiledeploying vocabulary from the lexicon oftop-shelf soul jazz (Charles Mingus andAhmad Jamal). Some of the on-stageexcitement comes through, but pianist RickGermanson is the only soloist to transcendcliche.

Sophisticated blues connotations per-meate The Peter Bernstein Quartet

(SL0004; 74:25 AAAA), on which the guitarmaster uncorks a series of high-content,don’t-let-them-see-you-sweat solos onsmooth-as-silk swing beats from pianistRichard Wyands, bassist John Webber anddrum-master Jimmy Cobb. DB

Ordering info: smallslive.com/inner.cfm

Steve Davis: Hip swagger

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Elephant9Walk The NileRUNE GRAMMOFON 2095

AAAA

Espen Erikson TrioYou Had Me At GoodbyeRUNE GRAMMOFON 2096

AA1/2

Perhaps no record label bet-ter represents the sprawlingeclecticism and range ofNorwegian contemporarycreative music than RuneGrammofon, an imprintwith decidedly catholic sen-sibilities. That aesthetic isclearly mirrored in its twolatest releases by very dif-ferent keyboard-led trios.

Elephant9 is an explosive organ trio frontedby Ståle Storløkken, who’s best known as amember of the idiom-smashing Supersilent. Onthe group’s powerful second album, its jazz-rockattack has gotten tighter and more ferocious,smashing together an unlikely mix of DeepPurple-style hard rock with the jazz-inflectedsounds of Tony Williams’ Lifetime and early’70s Miles Davis. Drummer Torstein Lofthus(of the jazz-turned-metal combo Shining) drives

the music with hard-hittingpolyrhythms that fracture likeglass and spread out like lava,while electric bassist NikolaiHængsle Eilertsen maintains thickgrooves to give the band its sturdyfoundation.

That blend of freneticism andsolidity proves perfect forStorløkken’s rangy improvisa-tions, which create distortedshapes and angular lines onHammond organ and FenderRhodes to explode riff-orientedrock melody and elaborate sin-gle-note flurries into dramaticsupernovas. Despite the group’ssonic antecedents, Elephant9avoids prog-rock bombast; itssound is huge, but there are no

empty displays of technical virtuosity. Onlonger pieces like the title track and “HabaneraRocket,” the trio reveals a keen dynamism,making effective use of space and lighter syn-thesizer textures to let some air into its mono-lithic, grinding vehicles.

The debut album by the trio led by pianistEspen Eriksen couldn’t be more different thanElephant9. The all-acoustic music on You HadMe At Goodbye favors ECM-style introspection

grafted onto gently melodic compositions thatdraw from rock and classical shapes more thanjazz; the concision of the performances gives theimprovisations, both by the pianist and the nim-ble bassist Lars Tormond Jenset, a pop-likefocus. Veteran Scandinavian piano trios likeE.S.T. and the one led by Tord Gustavsen areclear predecessors for what Eriksen is tacklinghere, but his sound is more streamlined than theformer and less heady than the latter. Some ofthe ballads are a bit florid and sentimentaldespite their sparseness, but on a piece like “NotEven In Brazil,” which seems to draw more thana touch of inspiration from the music ofRadiohead, the trio finds a simpatico balance ofmelodic moodiness and harmonic richness, astheir flexible drummer Andreas Bye unleashesever-shifting accents with strong results. If theycould ditch some of their politeness they couldmake a real splash. —Peter Margasak

Walk The Nile: Fugl Fønix; Aviation; Walk The Nile; HardcoreOrientale; Habanera Rocket; John Tinnick. (44:56)Personnel: Ståle Storløkken, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ,synthesizer; Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen, electric bass; TorsteinLofthus, drums.

You Had Me At Goodbye: Anthem; Grinde; In The Woods;Masaka Tsara; Not Even In Brazil; Intermezzo; On The Jar; ToWhom It May Concern. (37:33)Personnel: Espen Eriksen, piano; Lars Tormod Jenset, bass;Andreas Bye, drums.

Ordering info: runegrammofon.com»

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by Frank-John HadleyBLUES

Slides, Joysand WhiskeyTas Cru: Grizzle n’ Bone

(Crustee Tees 0901; 58:52)

AAAA Cru, in upstate NewYork, makes his third albummemorable, using the richtone of his voice and thesharp edge of his slide guitarto give his melodic blues-rock songs a robust fix onthe tangle of emotions pre-sent. He has the soul of apoet crafting the slow,sad/happy rumination “Let’sPretend” and a stark soloblues fittingly called “MakeMy Woman Cry.” His crack-erjack arrangement of JackieWilson’s “Higher And Higher” takes himinto a slide guitar-induced state of joy onlyDerek Trucks a few others reach these days.Beyond blues, “The Prophet Of Lynchburg”is his perfectly acceptable digression intoAppalachian folk music. Like LeonardCohen, Cru seems to have cultivated a per-sonal musical vision growing up along thegrand Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, hisMississippi. Keyboards player Chip Lamsonand the Slow Happy Boys rhythm sectionhave presence without drawing attentionaway from the bandleader. But no thanksfor his chirpy female backup singers.Ordering info: tascru.com

T-Model Ford: The Ladies Man (Alive

Naturalsound 0103; 57:30) AAA The 88-year-old whiskey-swilling hero to the alter-native/punk blues mob sounds more coher-ent and competent singing and twiddlingguitar here in 2008 than he did during hisrabid, unruly Fat Possum days. Ford’s stillobsessed with chicken heads, hip-shakingwomen and “kick[ing] yer asses.” And he’sno more original than he ever was, repro-cessing material swiped from MuddyWaters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, anyone.Ordering info: aliveenergy.com

Willem Maker: New Moon Hand (Big

Legal Mess 0212; 50:38) AAAA Singer-gui-tarist Maker forges a muddy sort of electric-blues that carries in its bones the raw emo-tionalism of a deep-thinking Deep Southmusician who suffered 10 years with toxicmetal poisoning (hear his breathtaking“Lead & Mercury”). He’s plenty self-con-scious and all the better for it, singing lyricsof rare imagery with an inimitable voice thatsuggests a small mass of acrid phlegm islodged in the back of his throat. This

Alabaman, in his 30s, benefits from theferocious musical clarity of his free-spiritedfriends, among them Mississippi hill coun-try drummer Cedric Burnside and stringsspecialist Alvin Youngblood.Ordering info: biglegalmessrecords.com

Mark Nomad: Soul Proprietor (Blue Star

71509; 66:20) AAA Each of the 10 songsthis talented vocalist and guitarist offers onhis first concert album—three originals,Chicago blues standards, classics fromSmiley Lewis, B. B. King and JamesBrown—holds a kind of suspense that off-sets the predictability of familiar melodiesand rhythms. Tenorman Doug Jones has afresh voice, more influenced by GroverWashington Jr. and David Sanborn than thehonkers and bar-walkers of yesteryear. WithRonnie Earl’s Broadcasters seldom activeanymore, Nomad leads as entertaining ablues band as you’ll find in southern NewEngland.Ordering info: marknomad.com

Billy Lavender: Memphis Livin’ (I55

Productions 0200; 57:38) AAA Lavender, alefty playing a right-handed guitar upsidedown, brings the unlearned expressivequality known as Memphis soul to a mix ofblues, rock and funk on a session with otherlocal stars like guitarist Brad Webb, drum-mer Tony Adams and singers Ken Dinkinsand Reba Russell (she’s worked with U2).This is a good album, despite hot, flamboy-ant production that incinerates a few tunes;even an exceptional one for the five min-utes of Lavender and Webb’s slow-sizzling“Tonight,” where Dinkins and Lavendermake mesmerizing pleas for the rightnessof sweet romance. DB

Ordering info: memphislivin.com

Willem Maker: DeepSouthern clarity

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SUBSCRIBE!877-904-JAZZ

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Fred Ho AndThe GreenMonster BigBandCelestial GreenMonsterMUTABLE/BIG RED MEDIA001

AAA1/2

The cover to thisalbum says it all. Or most of it, anyway. Onemight be given a pass for mistaking the title ofthis album for the man himself, who graces itsfront: Fred Ho is one musical monster who justhappens to be green. Green from head to toe butnot green in the sense of being wet behind theears. Rather, the man’s resume with big bandmusic is quite impressive, and Celestial GreenMonster is just another chapter in what’s been asuccess-filled run since the 1980s when heformed the Afro Asian Music Ensemble.

The baritonist leader of the 18-memberGreen Monster Big Band uses his band as aninstrument expressing his personal and profes-sional vigor. It’s an outsized personality, at leastwhen it comes to playing a music that evokesthe bold colors of a Stan Kenton band with occa-sional Ellingtonian subtle nuances. Indeed, thisis music written and performed as large forms,

weighted heavily by the 16-minute“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” and thesprawling “The Struggle For ANew World Suite,” which clocks inat over 38 minutes. Featuringaltoists Bobby Zankel and JimHobbs, along with tenorists HafezModirzadeh and SalimWashington, the band also includesan assortment of trombonists andtrumpeters, all ably supported by a

rhythm section of keyboardist Art Hirahara,bassist Wes Brown and drummer RoyalHartigan.

While the inclusion of pop fodder“Spiderman Theme” and “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” are novel touches, ultimately they detractfrom the more significant “Liberation Genesis”(from 1975), “Blues To The Freedom Fighters”(1974) and the “New World Suite,” all of whichwere written by Ho. The contrasts between theplayful covers and Ho’s music point, in part, tohis more significant political and philosophicaldrives, e.g., the theme undergirding the “NewWorld Suite” entailing the message: “The mod-ern world worships the gods of speed and quan-tity, and of the quick and easy profit, and out ofthis idolatry monstrous evils have arisen.”

Needless to say, the music is at times dense,multi-layered, most often intense, driven by

alternating rock and swing rhythms, with manysolos and many moods (dig Brown’s funky elec-tric playing amidst the slithering horns on “NewWorld Suite”). And, apart from the titles, itcould mean anything. “Liberation Suite,” forexample, begins with an a capella saxophonicdiscussion that combines both lyricism and theoccasional atonal shriek only to be followed bysmooth-talking choruses of horns that set thestage for some very fine medium-tempo swing,punctuated by solos (e.g., Ho’s beefy baritoneplaying is both fleet and full of feeling) andmore choruses. Like an augmented, more pol-ished Sun Ra Arkestra, “Freedom Fighters”weaves in and out of, well, being “in” and “out,”stylistically. It’s a trait that suggests The GreenMonster Big Band is not only a conversant band,but a band that seems to creep, crawl and cavortas an 18-legged one. —John Ephland

Celestial Green Monster: Spiderman Theme; In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (In The Garden Of Eden); Liberation Genesis; Blues To TheFreedom Fighters; Struggle For A New World Suite. (73:26)Personnel:Fred Ho: baritone saxophone; Bobby Zankel, Jim Hobbs,alto saxophone; Hafez Modirzadeh, Salim Washington, tenor saxo-phone; Stanton Davis, Brian Kilpatrick, Samir El-Amin, trumpet; TaylorHo Bynum, cornet; Robert Pilkington, Marty Wehner, RichardHarper, trombone; Earl MacIntyre, David Harris, contrabass trom-bone; Art Hirahara, piano, keyboard; Wes Brown, electric, acousticbass; Royal Hartigan, drums; Abraham Gomez-Delgado, HalehAbghari, vocals (2); Mary Halverson, electric guitar (2).

Ordering info: mutablemusic.com»

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The Les Hooper BandLive At TyphoonHOOPERMAN RECORDS 1010

AAA1/2

Alternately slick and hard swinging, the LosAngeles-based Les Hooper Band is led by apianist with extensive credits as a composer andarranger for film and television, and packed withtop-notch Southern California players. In con-cert, the 17-piece big band, fueled by Hooper’ssmart and sometimes surprising charts of origi-nals and standards, packs a wallop, as demon-strated by this live disc, capturing the group infull flight at a restaurant in the Santa MonicaAirport.

The band strolls through a sweet and breezy“Freddie Freeloader,” and creatively inserts anod to Miles Davis’ “So What” into the start of“Summertime,” a showcase for bassist KennyWild. Simmering funk defines the AverageWhite Band’s “Pick Up The Pieces,” and“Rocky & Bullwinkle” is a gear-shifting wildride through a manic rethink of the theme fromthe animated television series.

But the most intriguing pieces are Hooper’soriginals: The zippy lines and well-lubricatedswing of “Barnburner,” which offers ample solospace to alto saxophonist Jeff Driskill and trom-bonist Jacques Voyemant, among others, is rem-iniscent of prime Count Basie. “Too MuchCoffee” thrives on caffeinated, cross-cutting uni-son and harmony figures, while the aptly titled“Intersecting Lines” is a moody ballad thatopens up for extended solos by Voyemant, tenorsaxophonist Kevin Garren and drummer SinclairLott. Latin jazz is in the mix, too, courtesy of thebright and shiny “Ricky’s Hot Salsa,” featuringstratosphere-scraping trumpeter Rick Baptist.

—Philip Booth

Live At Typhoon: Freddie Freeloader; Pick Up The Pieces;Cupcake; Summertime; Barnburner; Guy Noir’s Brother; Hip &Cool; Too Much Coffee; Falling; Intersecting Lines; Ricky’s HotSalsa; Rocky & Bullwinkle. (64:50)Personnel: Rick Baptist, Robbie Schaer, Ron King, Dave Pittel,trumpets; Bruce Otto, Dave Ryan, Jacques Voyemant, MikeMillar, trombones; Jeff Driskill, Mark Hollingsworth, Kevin Garren,Mark Visher, John Mitchell, saxophones; Les Hooper, piano; NickBrown, guitar; Kenny Wild, bass; Sinclair Lott, drums.

Sherman IrbyQuartetLive At The Otto ClubBLACK WARRIOR 1004

AAA

Altoman ShermanIrby and his quartetrecorded this set inNaples, Italy, duringthe group’s 2008European tour. Live AtThe Otto Club swings, burns and smolders fromstart to finish. Irby, who plays with the LincolnCenter Jazz Orchestra, is joined on this date bypianist Nico Menci, bassist Marco Marzola anddrummer Darrell Green. Irby swings from thefirst notes of Oscar Pettiford’s “Bohemia AfterDark,” which opens the disc. His playing ishighly melodic, inventive, bluesy, soulful and isstraight out of Cannonball Adderley. He leavesenough space between phrases to let the listenerconsider what he’s saying without being blud-geoned senseless by a relentless onslaught ofnotes.

What’s particularly striking is the set list,which includes four jazz standards, RoyHargrove’s “Depth” and the lovely bossa

“Laura’s Love Song,” whichIrby wrote for his wife. I wouldhave never thought that MilesDavis’ “Four” would work as aballad; it lends itself well to thebittersweet treatment Irby andcompany give it. Irby doesn’t flyquite as fleetly on “Countdown”as John Coltrane did on the orig-inal, as Irby’s tone has more heftto it, but he is killing despite thetempo and Green is right with

him. Thelonious Monk’s under-recorded “InWalked Bud” closes the album with bounce,energy and excellent solos from all four players.

Being a live recording, there are a few soundissues: Irby is sometimes too far back in themix, the piano is slightly out of tune, and it’s abit too prominent, especially when Mencicomps. Live At The Otto Club isn’t essential lis-tening, but those who are searching for greatplayers deserving of more recognition shouldcheck it out. —Chris Robinson

Live At The Otto Club: Bohemia After Dark; Depth; Laura’sLove Song; Countdown; Four; In Walked Bud. (61:53)Personnel: Sherman Irby, alto saxophone; Nico Menci, piano;Marco Marzola, bass; Darrell Green, drums.

Ordering info: shermanirby.com»

Brian LynchAfro Cuban JazzOrchestraBolero Nights ForBillie HolidayVENUS 1029

AAAA

So easy to recommendalmost all of the 15albums Brian Lynch hasmade under his ownname since turning heads with the release of hisstrong hard-bop launch, Peer Pressure, in 1986.(Exceptions: 1989’s Back Room Blues and2007’s fusion fluke Fuschia/Red.) His newestrelease, Bolero Nights For Billie Holiday, comesfilled with perhaps his most expressive trumpetand flugelhorn playing to date.

This time out, recording for a Japanese labelin late 2008, he shares the New York studio withspecial guest Phil Woods and eight other col-leagues, all of whom confidently mix Afro-Cuban rhythms and African-American jazz.Confused by the album title? Don’t be. Lynch isa fan of Lady Day, and he delights in bringingLatin musical components to a few of the songsshe sang at the controversial finish of her record-ing career in 1958. Also here are songs recordedby other jazz worthies of that era plus his own“Afinque” and Raphael Lopez Gonzalez’s “LaSitiera.”

It is a privilege to listen to Lynch for his richtone and exquisite time, his command of instru-ments, his imagination and his conviction.

Folding together heartache andrapture, he plumbs the emotionsat the core of “You’ve Changed”and “I’m A Fool To Want You,”both famously or infamously partof Holiday’s Lady In Satinrecord. Like Holiday, Lynch is nostranger to musical intimacy. TheNew Yorker imparts an easy-rip-pling urgency to “Fire Waltz” andthere’s a special life-affirmingquality to his playing throughout

“La Sitiera.” Every bit the esteemed elder statesman,

Woods brings his clear and personal aesthetic tothe Lady In Satin material and Charles Mingus’“Celia.” Ivan Renta provides evidence in soloshere and there why Lynch’s collaborator-friendEddie Palmieri has dubbed the young PuertoRican alto player “the new Caribbean phenom.”Still, Lynch rules the roost. Benefiting from acalmly intelligent, soulful Latin rhythm section,and never predisposed to mawkishness or flam-boyance, he’s the one whose work invites returnlistens. Art and the pursuit of mastery are thetwin engines of what he does here. Lynchinspires superlatives. —Frank-John Hadley

Bolero Nights For Billie Holiday: Afinque; La Sitiera; Celia; FireWaltz; Delilah; I’m A Fool To Want You; You’ve Changed. (54:16)Personnel: Brian Lynch, trumpet, flugelhorn; Phil Woods (3, 6,7), Ivan Renta, alto saxophone; Alan Hoffman, tenor saxophone;Ron Blake, baritone saxophone; Marshall Gilkes, trombone;Zaccai Curtis, piano; Boris Kozlov, string bass; Marvin Diz, tim-bales, drums; Little Johnny Rivero, conga, bongo, percussion.

Orfdering info: venusrecord.com» Ordering info: leshooper.com»

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by Peter MargasakBEYOND

SpontaneousAbstractionsOn Decentred (Another Timbre 18; 68:57)

AAA1/2 Tom Chant (reeds), Angharad Davies

(violins, objects), Benedict Drew (electronics,objects) and John Edwards (bass) deal withcompositions that demand improvisationalacumen. Three works by Michael Pisaro,aural interpretations of specific poems, areduets serving up hovering long tones ofvarying density, while “Four 6”—one ofJohn Cage’s late “number” pieces—directsthe musicians to use 12 pre-determinedsounds of their own choosing within time-brackets Cage had determined randomlywith a computer program. Needless to say,these works, as well as two superb groupimprovisations, rely heavily on the sponta-neous invention of the performers.Ordering info: anothertimbre.com

The French duo of reedist Marc Baronand bassist Loic Blairon—performing underthe name Narthex—subject their abstractimprovisations to some rigorous process-ing, both editorial and electronic on theirFormnction (Potlatch 209: 60:00) AA

1/2.Baron and Blairon recorded six 30-minuteimprovisations and selected five-minuteexcerpts from each. These snippets werecombined to form a new 30-minute piece,where background noise holds togetherterse saxophone blurts and cries, thornybass sounds and bits of high frequencyfeedback. The duo created a digital interpre-tation of the piece, where all saxophone andbass sounds were replaced, respectively,with 1,000 and 500 Hz frequencies, withbackground noise edited out. The ideas areinteresting, but it doesn’t necessarily makefor pleasurable listening.Ordering info: potlatch.fr

Triptych (Important 260: 61:38) AAAA isone of two recently unearthed works by thebrilliant French electronic music composerEliane Radigue. The first of this three-partopus was commissioned for a dance piecein 1978, but all of the sections work gor-geously together, a dreamy, austere medita-tion on nature’s four basic elements createdon an ARP 2500 synthesizer. As with most ofher work, the development of warm, quietlyenveloping drones is lavishly unhurried,with gently undulating sound waves throb-bing at the edge of audibility and, indeed,suggesting an electronic translation ofsounds of the outdoors. Floating over thesumptuous low-end are upper register flur-ries that give the music an uncanny 3-D feel.Ordering info: importantrecords.com

Katherine Young, a member of the cham-ber group Till By Turning and AnthonyBraxton’s Falling River Quartet, makes seri-ously bold leaps for the bassoon on Further

Secret Origins (Porter 4039; 46:22) AAA1/2.

Although a few tracks employ minor over-dubs and some vinyl surface noise, Youngproduced most of the sounds live, usingmultiple mics to capture different facets ofher notoriously difficult double reed. Shemakes the most of its unwieldy low-end,using quavering long tones, extreme poly-phonics, percussive breath manipulation,and wonderfully striated, sour phrases toconstruct a music of surprising diversity andrichness.Ordering info: porterrecords.com

The compositions of Austrian guitaristBurkhard Stangl, a former member ofPolwechsel, and German clarinetist KaiFagaschinski arrive at a stunning nexus ofpretty lyricism and pure abstraction onMusik: Ein Porträt In Sehnsucht (Erstwhile

57: 46:57) AAAA. They complement theirmain instruments with piano, vibraphoneand evocative environmental recordings,but even at its most minimal and gesture-based the duo manage to spin melody fromlong tones, variegated drones, variousextended techniques and gorgeouslyabstruse harmony. Ordering info: erstwhilerecords.com

On Backchats (Creative Sources 149:

53:46) AAAA the European quartet SpeakEasy uses the quicksilver analog synthesizersquiggles and stabs of Thomas Lehn andthe scrabbling percussion of Martin Blumeto sandwich the otherworldly vocal acrobat-ics of Phil Minton and Ute Wassermann.Here the singers produce sounds just asabstract and unidentifiable as any instru-mentalist, interacting and prodding not justone another, but their other two cohorts, ina dazzling rise-and-fall blowout. DB

Ordering info: creativesourcesrec.com

Katherine Young:Polyphonic

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by Bill MeyerHISTORICAL

Two decades ago filmmakerToby Byron produced a series ofjazz and blues documentaries.Although they were released onvideotape in the mid-’90s, thatformat’s eclipse left them mostlyin the domain of arts-orientedcable channels until their recentreissue on DVD from Medici Arts.

The Story Of Jazz (2057158,

98:00) AAA1/2 delivers many of

the same pleasures as Ken Burns’ Jazz,and stumbles into some of the same pit-falls. Since it runs just over an hour-and-a-half, one can forgive its ruthless simplifica-tions: It’s supposed to be a primer. And it’seasy to enjoy classic tunes by LouisArmstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holidayand Charlie Parker playing along withfootage of vintage cars, fashions and per-formance clips. Voice-over narration stitch-es together sound bites by a panoply ofmusicians, from Jay McShann to TonyBennett to Lester Bowie, who discuss jazz’sAfrican roots, episodes of nation-wide pop-ularity and essential qualities of swing andspontaneity. But the film’s great-figuretimeline goes awry when it tries to addressthe music’s post-bop development andquerulous when discussing fusion and theavant-garde.

Bluesland (95410 85:00) AAAA makesup for a lack of original interview materialwith the complementary perspectives oftwo historians: the genial, appreciativeAlbert Murray and more analytical, some-times contentious Robert Palmer. Thislends a dialectical quality to the discussionof the blues’ mundane and transcendentalimpulses and the music’s evolution from avariety of regional dialects into a nationallanguage with global impact. It has evenless time for post-’60s developments thanThe Story Of Jazz, essentially capping thetimeline with an all-star jam led by MuddyWaters. But like its companion, it’ll ropean audience into its missions of educationand appreciation with a killer soundtrack.

The segments that focus on individualartists mirror the spirits of their subjects.Thus just as it’s impossible to feel too bluewhen you’re listening to the Count Basieband, you’ll likely come away from Count

Basie: Swing The Blues (95397 59:00)

AAAA with its story of artistic innovation,commercial success and long-term sur-vival feeling uplifted and believing that itcouldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.There’s not much live footage of the band

in their 1930s pomp, but a gathering ofsurvivors Jimmy Lewis, Harry “Sweets”Edison, Buddy Tate and Earl Warren addsa warm glow of reminiscence to theband’s hot sounds. Celebrating Bird: The

Triumph Of Charlie Parker (2057078 59:00)

AAAA and Lady Day: The Many Faces Of

Billie Holiday (2057098 59:00) AAAA aresomewhat over-laden with superlatives,but they effectively explain each musi-cian’s artistic merits. Both put the bestpossible face on their subjects’ disastrouspersonal problems by acknowledgingthem, considering the contributions ofracism and cultural condescension to eachone’s decline, and then moving on. But it’sstill painful to see the contrast betweenthe beauty of the well-fed younger Holidaycaptured in ’30s-era photographs and thewasted wraith filmed a couple yearsbefore her death. The Parker set leavesone with an equally great sense of frustra-tion over pointlessly lost potential. Sarah

Vaughan: The Divine One (95328 59:00)

AAA shows what a fine singer she was,but never really makes a case for her as aparadigm-shifter on the level of the otherprofiled individuals.

The excellent Thelonious Monk:

American Composer (2057118 59:00)AAAA

1/2 demonstrates the pianist’s meritsmore through music than hyperbole.There’s a fair amount of live material fromthe ’60s that shows Monk still in fine form,and the pairing of ’50s studio recordingswith still images ensures that his best mate-rial gets heard. Randy Weston deserves hisown award for his commentary, which bal-ances an acolyte’s worship with a master’sutter security with his own wisdom. WhileWorld According To John Coltrane (95393

59:00) AAAA1/2 has incisive commentary

from Rashied Ali, Jimmy Heath and LaMonte Young, the generous helping of TVfootage featuring his incendiary chemistrywith drummer Elvin Jones shows howutterly thrilling his music was. DB

Ordering info: medici.tv

Masters’ Return

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Paul Motian/Chris Potter/Jason MoranLost In A DreamECM 2128

AAA1/2

The most thrilling mo-ments of this live disc(recorded at the VillageVanguard in February2009) essentially arrive in two tracks: “DrumMusic” and its immediate follower, “Abacus.”Now the idea of “best,” “better,” or “mostthrilling” may seem a childish rating system tosome, but every live performance has its peak.

Lost In A Dream explores the composite

cerebral nature of this trio,which, by its very lineup, leadsin an analytical, if freewheel-ing, direction. “Drum Music”and “Abacus,” conversely (oris that perversely?) throw offthe meditative brow for a sim-ple, good- hearted bash. Andthat bash is largely due to themaster himself, Paul Motian.

As is often the case, theyounger players on this date seek to fill them-selves up with Motian’s world (and he did com-pose all the material here, save one track). Butwhen Motian decides to kick in the jams, thesparks fly in less than equal proportions. “DrumMusic” is all plonk, punch and pow, Motian

channeling Zutty Singleton, Chick Webb andperhaps Baby Dodds as Potter and Moran raceto keep up. It’s New Orleans, Kansas City and adrunken child’s playpen rolled into one. Motiansends tom toms reeling: kerplunk! Cymbalssmash, drum rolls dart and dive-bomb in afanatical street parade. The pure drum solovehicle “Abacus” follows suite, Motian jug-gling ideas like planets colliding and crashing,then soaring into deep space—fresh orbits cre-ated at every turn. —Ken Micallef

Lost In A Dream: Mode VI, Casino, Lost In A Dream, BlueMidnight, Be Careful It’s My Heart, Birdsong, Ten, Drum Music,Abacus, Cathedral Song. (57:20)Personnel: Paul Motian, drums; Chris Potter, tenor saxophone;Jason Moran, piano.

Ordering info: emcrecords.com»

Amir ElSaffar/Hafiz Modirzadeh Radif SuitePI RECORDINGS 32

AAAA

The relationships that AmirElSaffar and Hafez Modirzadehhave with Middle Eastern tradi-tions are simultaneously morecomplex and more natural than, say, DukeEllington or John Coltrane’s. ElSaffar, who is inhis early 30s, is Iraqi-American, whileModirzadeh, who is more than a decade older,has roots in Iran. Both men have mixed Westernacademic training with traditional apprentice-ship, and each has found ways to adapt his hornto the demands of a musical system whosescales and pitches are outside its intended range.

With Radif Suite, ElSaffarand Modirzadeh have eachcomposed an extended piecefor quartet that permitsEastern and Western tuningsto coexist. They stand oncommon ground that wasoriginally cleared by OrnetteColeman; their bent pitchesand elastic rhythms are close

enough to his that this quartet could occasionallybe mistaken for the late Coleman repertoryensemble Old & New Dreams. But while thatoutfit looked to Africa to spice up Coleman’smelodies, this combo’s composers prefer toshuttle between Eastern and Western modalities,giving each its due in turn.

ElSaffar’s Copper Suite flows easily from afleet bop workout to a time-stopping passage of

Arabic singing. On Modirzadeh’s Radif-EKayhan, an Ornette Coleman-ish unison meltsinto a solemn tenor statement essayed over AlexCline’s radiant gongs. Cline’s capacity to shiftbetween swinging grooves and out-of-timewashes of pure sound is essential to the music’ssuccess. Mark Dresser only occasionally assertshis virtuosity, preferring to play exactly what thematerial requires. The result is a sound that isinclusive and compelling. —Bill Meyer

Radif Suite: Radif-E Kayhan—Facet One; Facet Two; FacetsThree/Four; Facets Five/Six; Facets Seven/Eight; Facet Nine; FacetTen; Facets Eleven/Twelve. Copper Suite—Introduction: CopperRefraction; Post-Idiomatic Blues/Cells A; Doves Over Zion (DreamOf The Beloved)/Duet Interlude; Uganda/Trio Interlude; Bird OfPrey; Awj/Ancestral Memory; 7 Quintuplets/Triptych/Bass Solo;All Said And Done/Sirens/Reverence. (69:08)Personnel: Hafez Modirzadeh, tenor saxophone; Amir Elsaffar,trumpet, vocal; Alex Cline, drums, gongs; Mark Dresser, bass.

Ordering info: pirecordings.com»

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BuddyDeFranco/Martin TaylorBuddy DeFrancoMeets Martin TaylorHEP JAZZ 2030

AAA1/2

Last summer at theChicago Jazz Festival,Buddy DeFranco showeda few thousand listenersthat everything he oncehad that made him the music’s leading clar-inetist he still has. I mention that because whenthis all-too-brief session was made in London 25years ago, DeFranco was already, at 60, a fabledveteran of considerable legend who seemed tohave touched all bases from Tommy Dorsey toCharlie Parker and Miles Davis.

As one of the great transitional figures injazz, he reminds in the first and final tracks onthis modest but welcome reissue that the spacebetween swing and modernity was more a hopthan a leap. That seems to be among DeFranco’smessages as Paul Whiteman’s 1920 hit,“Whispering,” suddenly transforms without somuch as a hiccup into “Grooving High”; and hissubtly out-of-tempo “I Got Rhythm” assumes itsmodern identity as “Anthropology” withDeFranco and co-star Martin Taylor riding thebebop line in tight unison.

Taylor, who was 29 when this was made,was and is a renowned U.K. player, conspicuous

in the U.S. for his work withStephane Grappelli and occa-sionally David Grisman. He isDeFranco’s match at everyturn, especially on some of thefast first-chorus accompani-ments where he swirls aroundDeFranco like a hummingbirdspinning out strong single-notecounterpoint in the manner ofa pianist. He also contributestwo interesting originals,

“Manhattan Tea Party” and the more conven-tional 32-bar “Angles Camp.” The balance ofthe nine tunes, including the lovely “DarkIsland,” which sounds like an old Scottish folkmelody, are attractive ballads in which theleader shows proper deference to the composer.

For a CD, the playing time is relatively mod-est, which makes one wonder why producerAlastair Robertson didn’t combine this reissuewith another DeFranco-Taylor effort for Heprecorded on tour in 1983. The presence of thesecond “Just Friends” would have been no bur-den where these two remarkable players areconcerned. —John McDonough

Buddy DeFranco Meets Martin Taylor: Whispering (Groovin’High); I Got A Right To Sing The Blues; Manhattan Tea Party;Goodbye; Just Friends; Angels Camp; Dark Island; Prelude To AKiss; I Got Rhythm (Anthropology). (46:53)Personnel: Buddy DeFranco, clarinet; Martin Taylor, guitar; AlexShaw, piano; Ronnie Rae, bass; Clark Tracey, drums.

Ordering info: hepjazz.com»

Hailey NiswangerConfeddie(SELF-RELEASE)

AAA

At just 20, Texas-born,Oregon-raised saxophonistNiswanger is already offthe blocks and barely look-ing back, save for nods toHerbie Hancock, JoeHenderson, Benny Golsonet al. She opens this CD with a brave take onone of the hardest Thelonious Monk heads,“Four In One,” which, together with her enthusi-asm for Eddie Harris’ quartal constructions (theeponymous track is an unlikely pun on thisinfluence, quite brilliantly performed, if withentirely different thrust to Harris), indicates shelikes a challenge.

Although Niswanger also plays clarinet,flute and soprano, she sticks to alto saxthroughout Confeddie and has lots of fluencyallied to a warm mid-to-low range. A hip bal-lad selection, “La Mesha,” reveals that yes, thisgal has chops and sensitivity, as she fluttersbuttery-toned through Kenny Dorham’s themewhile agile pianist Michael Palma sprinklesangel dust in back.

Guitarist Mark Whitfield’s son (as his name

suggests) shows taste andreserve on drums, and youngbassist Greg Chaplin belieshis age with great feel. Palmadallies with the time on thewaltzing “Sometime Ago,”holding back, then surgingforward, the mark of a superi-or player. Niswanger rips inaggressively before reprisal ofthe head, dusting out theschmaltz and adding a little

John Coltrane-ish turnaround at the end for goodmeasure. Her choice of Henderson’s nugget“Serenity,” which she articulates alongsideChaplin, indicates interest in inward-lookingmaterial, though the rhythmic edge inHenderson’s approach is a life study.

The jam session staple “Stablemates” is lessof a surprise, but reminds Niswanger of timespent with composer Golson when he visitedBerklee. Chaplin strides mightily here, and thesustained vamp at the end shows that Niswangercan hang in support of her sidemen, rather thanhog the glory. —Michael Jackson

Confeddie: Four In One; Oliloqui Valley; Confeddie; La Mesha;Sometime Ago; Serenity; Stablemates; Yes Or No. (48:75)Personnel: Hailey Niswanger, alto saxophone; Michael Palma,piano; Greg Chaplin, bass; Mark Whitfield Jr., drums.

Ordering info: haileyniswanger.com» Ordering info: aldimeola.com»

Al Di Meola World SinfoniaLive From Seattle And ElsewhereVALIANA MUSIC AND MEDIA

AAA1/2

As inspired and inspiring as Al Di Meola’s per-formances with reunited fusion superstarsReturn to Forever were—count me among thosewho found the concerts surprisingly engaging—the guitarist, hero to several generations of six-stringers, has said he views his latter-day RTFactivity as “a nostalgic thing.” Meanwhile, hisprimary passion seems to be a continuing explo-ration of multiple world-music styles, as viewedthrough the lens of a remarkably agile playerwhose musical sensibilities were largely shapedby jazz and rock.

Di Meola’s long-running collaboration withAfro-Cuban cajon player and percussionistGumbi Ortiz and a recently stabilized group ofother simpatico players makes an amenablehome for the leader’s melding of his distinctive,lightning-fast acoustic and electric riffs withrhythms and textures from South America, theCaribbean and the Middle East. The guitarist’slimited-edition new CD, intended to be the firstin a new series of live recordings, captures hiswell-travelled band, now known as New WorldSinfonia, amping up the rhythmic interplay andspeedy lines during bracing 2009 shows inSeattle, San Francisco and Istanbul.

Di Meola blends his single-note runs, quickstrums and flickering patterns with second gui-tarist Peo Alfonsi and Fausto Beccalossi’s accor-dion playing, which often serves as the warmglue holding these pieces together. The interplayamong those three musicians is particularlyappealing on two originals—color-shiftingopening track “Misterio” and the slow-chugging“Fireflies.” Ortiz, appropriately enough, gets thespotlight during the stripped-down midsection of“Gumbiero,” a Di Meola composition thatdemonstrates the high-energy intensity that thisgroup achieves on stage. —Philip BoothLive From Seattle And Elsewhere: Misterio; Siberiana;Paramour’s Lullaby; Gumbiero; Fireflies; Umbras; No PothoReposare. (55:17)Personnel: Al Di Meola, Peo Alfonsi, guitars; Fausto Beccalossi,accordion; Gumbi Ortiz, percussion; Peter Kaszas, drums andpercussion; Victor Miranda, bass.

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BedrockPlastic TemptationWINTER & WINTER 910 161

AAAA

Gabriel JohnsonFra_cturedELECTROFONE MUSIC

AA1/2

Remember the extended scene in Joe Dante’sExplorers in which the smart-alecky alienregales the do-it-yourself preteen space travelerswith playbacks of the Mr. Ed theme, the Veg-o-matic commercial and other blasts from the popcult past? With its antic, form-shifting, style-gobbling attack, Bedrock—keyboardist UriCaine and the brilliant drum ’n’ bass team ofZach Danziger and Tim Lefebvre—might havebeen inspired by the 1985 film. On their thirdalbum, Plastic Temptation, tinkly lounge music,prog rock and classic soul are but a few of thestyles they toss back at us, dressed up in finelycalibrated funk, electronica and up-to-the-minute jazz.

Delivering 18 tracks in just over an hour,Plastic Temptation is both the most expansiveand most streamlined effort by Bedrock. Thetheme for this endeavor could be the organ-fueled “Roll With It,” one of several tunes fea-turing the full-throated, no-holds-barred soul

singer (and lyricist) Barbara Walker, a Caineregular. Carried by the plummy, deep-pocketed,ricocheting grooves of Danziger and Lefebvre,the album maintains its momentum even whenslowing down to engage in spooky voicings.

Alternating between acoustic and electricpiano and organ, Caine references StevieWonder, Ray Charles and Emerson, Lake andPalmer as well as Return to Forever,Headhunters and Les McCann and Eddie Harris.It’s easy to view Bedrock as a side project forCaine, who is justly celebrated for his genre-crossing Mahler and Mozart extravaganzas. Butas playful as Plastic Temptation gets, there’snothing minor about its consistently high levelof invention and group improvisation. In explor-

ing inner space, Bedrock makes digging in asexciting as blasting off.

Fra_ctured, the debut album by conservato-ry-trained trumpeter Gabriel Johnson, is one ofthose one-man productions that seems toemanate from some inner sanctum bereft of lightand air. As befits an artist who works in theHollywood studio system, there’s plenty ofatmosphere here. The tender, Miles Davis-esque“U.F.T.O.” could be from a space opera. Withits distant, muted horn, “You Get What YouDeserve” is the stuff of daydreams. But the stut-tering effects, burping synth lines and smooth-jazzish melodies are standard issue. And for amusician with his chops, Johnson gives histrumpet surprisingly short shrift. —Lloyd Sachs

Plastic Temptation: Overture; Prelude For Sheldon; Noid; RollWith It; Duke Countdown; Count Duke; Riled Up; Till You ComeBack To Me; Plastic Temptation; Seven Year Glitch; Work It Out;Mayor Goldie; Victrola; Lemonana Vasconcelos; Ink Bladder;Lunchmeat Concerto in E� Minor; Garcia; Organ Thunder. (61:15) Personnel: Uri Caine, keyboards; Tim Lefebvre, bass, guitar;Zach Danzinger, drums; Barbara Walker, vocals; Elizabeth Pupo-Walker, percussion.

Fra_ctured: No Words; Be Serious; And Then It Was Over;Charisma Machine; You Get What You Deserve; Confusion;V.F.T.O.; Lullabye. (33:02)Personnel: Gabriel Johnson, trumpet and electronics.

Ordering info: electrofonemusic.com»

Ordering info: winterandwinter.com»

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by Frank-John HadleyBOOKS

Palmer’sAuthority,Passion SetJournalisticStandardRobert Palmer was one of the bestmusic critics active in the last third ofthe 20th century, along with BobBlumenthal, Robert Christgau, GaryGiddins, Peter Guralnick, StephenHolden, Jon Pareles, John S. Wilsonand a few more. This Midwesternerwho’d played clarinet in the fey rockband Insect Trust possessed a fieldof knowledge vaster than most of hiscolleagues; he wrote with authorityand passion about blues, jazz, soul,r&b, avant garde, world music androck ’n’ roll. An eclectic in the bestsense of the word, Palmer wrote reg-ularly for the New York Times andcontributed to Rolling Stone,DownBeat and other publicationsuntil his death at age 52 in 1997. Thirtyyears since its first printing, his book DeepBlues is regarded by many as the bible ofthe blues.

A music journalist as alert to the musicalculture of his time as Palmer deserves to have his writings collected, and finally it’s come to pass. For Blues & Chaos

(Scribner), Ivy League teacher-music writerAnthony DeCurtis sectionalizes 60 essays,profiles, interviews and liner notes accord-ing to musical type. Throughout 436 pages,Palmer shows the gift of writing in a clearway full of information and critical insight.Seven articles on the blues and six on earlyrock ’n’ roll should be required reading foranyone beginning an investigation ofAmerican roots music. Just as impressively,Palmer sizes up Count Basie, CharlesMingus, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis,Ornette Coleman and, in a strange meeting,Sun Ra. Yet there are only 40 pages ofPalmer’s writings on jazz, with four times asmany pages going to rock, and JohnLennon and Yoko Ono getting their ownpart of the book. The rock star-smitten intro-duction and blurbs from Ono, Bono andothers on the dust jacket, as well as a coverphoto of Palmer in a “rock n roll” shirt, aretip-offs about the editor’s musical orienta-tion and sense of direction.

With Palmer, the reader could alwayscount on connections being madebetween musical cultures; note, especially,his enlightening Times article, “The

Resounding Impact of Third-World Music.”Though dated a bit, his 1975 DownBeatpiece “What Is American Music?” tacklesthe big question fascinatingly, with smartevaluations of Charles Ives and JamesBrown. Elsewhere, Palmer makes somesort of sense out of madman Jerry LeeLewis, takes stock of the undervalued gui-tarist Sonny Sharrock and, in three entries,tells of his pilgrimage to Morocco for theMaster Musicians of Jajouka, where anear-fatal snake bite gets mentioned inpassing, his love of music paramount.

DeCurtis skips almost all of Palmer’smany, many valuable concert, record andbook reviews. His memorable appraisal ofJohn Storm Robert’s book The Latin Tingeis missing. So are his still-delightful-to-readRolling Stone assessments of the divineBird/The Savoy Recordings (Master Takes),and Carla Bley and Paul Haines’ EscalatorOver The Hill. His illustrious overview of“field recordings” in the Sounds Of TheSouth boxed set, his surveys of Indian clas-sical music, his Village Voice “Essential 10[Jazz] LPs” list, his striking evaluations ofthe music played by Son Seals, CharlesBrown, Andrew Hill, Weather Report, HughMasekela, James Blood (Ulmer), IsaacHayes, Betty Davis, on and on.

Be thankful for the publication of Blues &Chaos, but hope the happier day comeswhen another editor assembles a secondvolume of Palmer’s rich life work. DB

Ordering info: simonandschuster.com


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Tony Wilson SextetThe People Look Like Flowers At LastDRIP AUDIO 482

AAAA

Vancouver guitarist Tony Wilson got some dis-parate inspirations for the latest album by hislong-running sextet, bookending the album witha loose adaptation of Benjamin Britten’s intro-spective “Lachrymae,” a cello showcase thatitself was derived in part from a John Dowlandcomposition, and a variation on Bill Monroe’stake on the gospel standard “Working On ABuilding.” Ultimately, what incorporating thosetwo stylistic opposites illustrates is how imagi-native Wilson is as an arranger, hearing in bothmaterial well-suited for improvisation and rein-vention. “Lachrymae” is particular simpatico forthe task at hand because the original pieceemployed multiple approaches to the melodicstrains; Wilson exploits timbre, tempo and den-sity with his flexible band, bringing even greatervariation and depth to the already rich score.

His excellent band deserves plenty of credit,seamlessly drifting from Third Stream ideas,raucous improv, rock-driven energy and distend-ed swing flurries. Drummer Dylan van derSchyff, bassist Paul Blaney and cellist PeggyLee not only provide a tensile rhythmic founda-tion for the nominal frontline—Wilson, trum-peter Kevin Elaschuk and reedist Dave Say—but the arrangements keep the points of focusshifting so regularly that such foreground-back-ground responsibilities become irrelevant, any-way. Four original pieces fit in perfectly, eventhe abstraction of the guitar-drums duet on “LetThe Monkeys Dance,” while the Monroe-derived closer delivers the most explicit melodicblast, as Say delivers a deeply soulful scorcherwithin an arrangement that could’ve almostlanded on a late-’50s Lee Morgan album.

—Peter Margasak

The People Look Like Flowers At Last: Lachrymae Prelude;Lachrymae Movement #1; Lachrymae Movement #2;Lachrymae Movement #4; Lachrymae Movement #4 Variation;Lachrymae Movement #7; Lachrymae Movement #7 Variation;Lachrymae Movement #10; Lachrymae Movement #11;Arpeggio; The People Look Like Flowers At Last; Let TheMonkeys Dance; Variation On A Theme. (48:53)Personnel: Tony Wilson, guitar, harmonica; Kevin Elaschuk, flugel-horn, trumpet; Dave Say, tenor and soprano saxophone, flute;Peggy Lee, cello; Paul Blaney, bass; Dylan van der Schyff, drums.

Ordering info: dripaudio.com»

SUBSCRIBE!DOWNBEAT.COM

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Jazz musicians, fans hit the road for the worldwide festival circuit

Blistering Grooves

Complete Listings For 160 Festivals

George Wein: The Impresario’s ReturnPAGE 78

Top Festival FilmsPAGE 86

Bohemia Fest Jazzes CzechsPAGE 92

Vancouver @ 25PAGE 100

Esperanza Spalding @ Ottawa

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East CoastCape May Jazz FestivalCape May, New JerseyApril 16–18Often overlooked because of its close proximityto New York, this two-day event neverthelessconsistently attracts noteworthy talent.Lineup: Chuchito Valdes, Tim Warfield,

Amy Shook, Spyro Gyra andShemekia Copeland.

More info: capemayjazz.org

Kennedy Center’s Mary LouWilliams Women in Jazz FestivalWashington, D.C.May 20–21This year marks the 15th anniversary of thiswonderful three-day festival, which puts thespotlight on female jazz musicians. Dee DeeBridgewater and Teri Lynne Carrington havegathered an all-star ensemble to celebrate thefest’s namesake.Lineup: Geri Allen, Grace Kelly, Esperanza

Spalding, Carmen Lundy, more.More info: kennedy-center.org

DC Jazz FestivalWashington, D.C.June 1–13Still undergoing changes, the event oncenamed the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival is nowcalled the DC Jazz Festival. Last year, it paidtribute to New Orleans; this year, it tips its hattoward the Windy City.Lineup: Ramsey Lewis, James Moody,

Herbie Hancock, Kurt Elling, Dee Alexander, more.

More info: dcjazzfest.org

Western Maryland Blues FestHagerstown, MarylandJune 3–6From modest beginnings in 1996, the down-town park “Family Blues Picnic” has become amajor event featuring an array of leading bluesand roots performers.Lineup: Tommy Castro, Bernard Allison,

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue,Phil Wiggins & Corey Harris, Michael Burks, Eric Lindel, Kenny Neal, Joanne Shaw Taylor,Hamilton Loomis, more.

More info: blues-fest.org

Burlington Discover Jazz FestivalBurlington, VermontJune 4–13One of the standout New England spring jazzevents, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festivalcelebrates its 27th year.Lineup: Sonny Rollins, Arturo Sandoval

Sextet, Allen Toussaint with specialguest Don Byron, Jim Hall Quartet,Mose Allison, Tomasz Stanko Quintet,Robert Glasper, Luciana Souza:Brazilian Duos featuring RomeroLubambo, Jason Kao Hwang,Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

More info: discoverjazz.com

Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Festival Oceanport, New JerseyJune 5–6The former Red Bank festival moves nearby tothe Monmouth Park Racetrack, an upscalevenue bearing no resemblance to the gaminghalls celebrated in Damon Runyon’s fiction.The festival is no longer free; the new digsrequire a modest $3 ticket each day. Folks canlook forward to a weekend of music coupledwith Jersey Shore standbys such as funnelcake and sausage and pepper sandwiches. Lineup: John Pizzarelli, Smokin’ Joe Kubek

featuring Bnois King, more.More info: jsjbf.org

Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz FestivalHarrisburg, PennsylvaniaJune 10–12Taking place in the state capital, the festival’s30th anniversary celebrates the rising profile ofwomen in jazz. Reed player Anat Cohen andthe Diva Jazz Orchestra number among theheadliners, and many of the events have beenbooked at the Harrisburg Hilton. In addition toconcerts, the highlights include a RiverboatJazz Cruise, films and clinics. Lineup: Anat Cohen and the Hot Club of

Detroit, Tia Fuller, Helen Sung,

Patti Austin, Diva Jazz OrchestraMore info: pajazz.org

Xerox Rochester International Jazz FestivalRochester, New YorkJune 11–19Held in the East End District in downtownRochester, the festival will run for nine days andfeature 1,000 musicians in over 200 shows at14 different venues, all of which are within walk-ing distance of one another. The festival offersfree and ticketed events, as well as a club passsystem to surf a wide variety of paid events.Lineup: Gladys Knight, Jeff Beck, Herbie

Hancock, John Pizzarelli & TheWoody Herman Orchestra directedby Frank Tiberi and BernieWilliams, Booker T & The MGs,Los Lonely Boys, Jane Monheit,Mose Allison, Catherine Russell,Stanley Jordan, Joe Locke, Russell Malone, Steve Turre, ScottHamilton Scandinavian Hot 5.

More info: rochesterjazz.com

DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz FestivalWilmington, DelawareJune 14–20The Clifford Brown festival features a freeweek of jazz at Rodney Square, a park in theheart of the city’s downtown neighborhood. Avariety of vendors set up shop, and folks areencouraged to bring lawn chairs. The book-ings include national headliners and usually apresentation of Duke Ellington’s SacredConcerts at a nearby church. Lineup: TBA.More info: cliffordbrownjazzfest.com

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Marsalis Brothers at DC Jazz Festival (formerly Duke Ellington Jazz Festival)


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George Wein’s CareFusion Jazz Festival New YorkNew York, New YorkJune 17–26New York’s recuscitated summer fest aver-ages $15 a ticket, with shows everywhere fromHarlem to Brooklyn to Queens, and musicstyles that run the gamut from Latin to avantgarde to rock or hip-hop-influenced. Thanks inlarge part to help from indie promoters likeRevive da Live’s Meghan Stabile, Winterfest’sBrice Rosenbloom and The Jazz Gallery’s RioSakairi, expect to see creative lineup combina-tions and jams that last late into the night.Lineup: Herbie Hancock (with Terence

Blanchard, Wayne Shorter, Bill Cosbyand Joe Lovano); McCoy TynerQuartet featuring Ravi Coltrane,Esperanza Spalding, Stanley ClarkeBand, Queens Jazz Orchestra, more.

More info: nycjazzfestival.com

West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts FestivalPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaJune 18–20This free outdoor event takes place on OgontzAvenue in northwest Philadelphia. A NewOrleans tribute is the theme for this year. Localvisual artists also take part in the festival.

Lineup: Dirty Dozen Brass Band,Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dianne Reeves, George Duke, David Sanborn, more.

More info: westoaklanefestival.com

Syracuse Jazz FestivalSyracuse, New YorkJune 25–27The 28th anniversary of this free music festivalmixes the straightahead with smooth jazz andfusion. Concerts are held on the OnodagaCommunity College campus. The Jazz Fest

education program offers free master classes,clinics, workshops, mentoring sessions, meetthe artist sessions and daily jam sessions.Lineup: Jeff Lorber, Natalie Cole, more.More info: syracusejazzfest.com

Vision FestivalNew York, New YorkJune 23–29The Vision Festival celebrates New York’s histori-cally progressive downtown scene. The majorityof the festival will take place at the Abrons ArtCenter on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.Lineup: David S. Ware, Billy Bang, Ned

Rothenberg, Hamid Drake, DaveBurrell, Marilyn Crispell, Mat Maneri,Charles Gayle.

More info: visionfestival.org

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz FestivalSaratoga Springs, New YorkJune 26–27This festival, held at the Saratoga PerformingArts Center, features a wide range of actsplaying throughout its two days and nights.Lineup: Al Jarreau & George Duke, Taj

Mahal, Al DiMeola-World Sinfonia,Ramsey Lewis, Afro Cuban All-Stars,Linda Oh and J.D. Allen Trio.

More info: spac.org

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North Atlantic Blues FestivalRockland, MaineJuly 10–11The 17th annual harbor park party takes place along Maine’s scenic Mid-coast on Penobscot Bay, right by the lobster traps and dock.Lineup: Shemekia Copeland, Johnny Rawls,

Michael Burks, James Cotton, Keb’Mo’, Moreland & Arbuckle, BiscuitMiller, Shakura S’Aida.

More info: northatlanticbluesfestival.com

Jazz In JulyNew York, New YorkJuly 20–29Once again, Bill Charlap serves as artistic direc-tor of this festival at the 92nd Street Y in upperManhattan in an indoor series that focuses onaccomplished veterans.Lineup: Jimmy Heath, Carol Sloane, Bucky

Pizzarelli, Warren Vache, Joe Lovano,Frank Wess, Houston Person, ReneeRosnes, Phil Woods and Freddy Cole.

More info: 92y.org/jazz


Pocono Blues FestivalLake Harmony, PennsylvaniaJuly 23–25On three stages at Big Boulder Ski Area,Michael Cloeren’s annual blockbuster show-cases 20 national acts, some making their firstappearance at a world-class festival. Chicagoblues heroes are a special part of the action thisyear in the mountains. Lineup: Mavis Staples, Johnny Rawls, Pinetop

Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Big EyesSmith, Bob Stroger, Bob Margolin,Campbell Brothers, Johnnie Bassett,Lady Bianca, C.J. Chenier, ChickWills, Roy Roberts, AJ Diggs,Wanda Johnson, more.

More info: jfbb.com

KoSA International Percussion WorkshopCastleton, VermontJuly 27–August 1This event includes intensive hands-on percussionists at Castleton State College.Performances are part of the experience.Lineup: TBA.More info: kosamusic.com

Belleayre Music FestivalHighmount, New YorkJuly 30–31 & August 6–7Each summer, the Belleayre Mountain ski resorttransforms into a vibrant outdoor music festivalin the heart of the Catskill Forest Preserve, justtwo-and-a-half hours from New York City.Lineup: Javon Jackson Quintet, John

Scofield/Joe Lovano Quartet, PattiAustin in a Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald,Patti LuPone, more.

More info: belleayremusic.org

Caramoor Jazz FestivalKatonah, New YorkAugust 6–8As a part of the 65th annual CaramoorInternational Music Festival, Caramoor’s JazzFestival closes the event this year with a diverseand varied lineup. The festival is held at theCaramoor Center for Music and the Arts 90-acre garden estate.Lineup: Chick Corea’s Freedom Band featur-

ing Kenny Garrett, Christian McBrideand Roy Haynes, BobbyHutcherson, Stefon Harris andBlackout, Elio Villafranca Quintet,Mulgrew Miller Trio, Roswell Rudd’sTrombone Tribe.

More info: caramoor.org

George Wein’s CareFusionNewport Jazz FestivalNewport, Rhode IslandAugust 6–8Wein continues along the new blood path atNewport this year, bringing together a combina-

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tion of the most revered names in jazz, alongwith younger groups like the J.D. Allen Trio. ThisRhode Island town isn’t known for affordability,but if you’re a Berklee student or can grab yourtickets in advance, a few days at the fest willcost less than it did a few years back. Lineup: Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis,

Chris Botti, Jon Faddis, JamieCullum, more.

More info: newportjazzfest.net

Litchfield Jazz FestivalKent, ConnecticutAugust 6–8Held in the Springs Center and on the groundsof Kent School, the Litchfield Jazz Festival cele-brates its 15th anniversary and Dave Brubeck’s90th year. The entire month leading up to theLitchfield Jazz Festival will be a jazz celebrationwith 30 free concerts presented by LitchfieldJazz Camp faculty and students. Master class-es by festival stars, after-parties and open jamson Friday and Saturday nights will be open to allticket holders.Lineup: Dave Brubeck Quartet, Béla Fleck,

Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin JazzOrchestra, Dave Samuels CaribbeanJazz Project, Mario Pavone OrangeDouble Tenor Sextet, CannonballAdderley Tribute with Wess

Anderson, TerrellStafford, Benny Green,Matt Wilson and JoannaPascale, Anat CohenTrio, Avery Sharpe Trio,Jane Bunnett & theSpirits of Havana, GeraldClayton Trio, AaronWeinstein Trio, GabrielAlegria Afro-PeruvianSextet, Denise Thimesand The BrubeckInstitute Jazz Quintet.

More info: litchfieldjazzfest.com

Scranton Jazz FestivalScranton, PennsylvaniaAugust 6–8Held at the historic Radisson LackawannaStation Hotel, this sixth annual festival has drawnaudiences from the entire Mid-Atlantic region.Lineup: TBA.More info: scrantonjazzfestival.org

Vermont Blues FestivalWest Dover, VermontAugust 27–29For the second annual bash at the MountSnow ski resort in the Green Mountain NationalForest, producer Michael Cloreon brings in

well-known and underappreciated acts from allover North America. Lineup: Joe Louis Walker, Marcia Ball,

Harrison Kennedy, Ruthie Foster,Andrew Jr. Boy Jones, more.

More info: mountsnow.com

The Many Colors of a WOMANHartford, ConnecticutSeptember 4This free event highlights women in contempo-rary jazz, but reaches out to musicians fromacross the spectrum.

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Lineup: Nicki Mathis, Antoinette Montague,Dotti Anita Taylor, more.

More info: [email protected]

Tanglewood Jazz FestivalLenox, MassachusettsSeptember 4–5Held over Labor Day weekend in the BerkshireHills summer home of the Boston SymphonyOrchestra, this festival features a solid jazz lineup.Lineup: Kurt Elling, Laurence Hobgood Trio,

“Radio Deluxe” with John Pizzarelliand Jessica Molaskey, TheLegendary Count Basie Orchestra,Eddie Daniels and Bob James in “Broadway Boogie” and the Julian Lage Group.

More info: tanglewood.org

COTA Jazz FestivalDelaware Water Gap, PennsylvaniaSeptember 10–12Now in its 32nd year, the COTA Festival is a three-day event that includes a juried music motif art show and opening night of theater, classical music and dance, which isthen followed up by two full days of jazz headliners on the main stage. Located 90 minutes from New York City, this event features crafts, artisan booths, food concessions and a children’s area.Lineup: TBA. Past headliners have included

Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, DaveLiebman, Nellie McKay, Urbie Green,The Diva Orchestra, Brian Lynch and Bill Goodwin.

More info: cotajazz.org

Berklee BeanTown Jazz FestivalBoston, MassachusettsSeptember 15–25It’s the 10th anniversary of this Berklee Collegeof Music outdoor event. This year’s lineup willinclude local and national musicians on threefree stages. “Celebrate New Orleans and Jazz”is the title of this year’s festival.Lineup: Ernie Andrews, Jimmy Cobb,

Kurt Elling, more.More info: beantownjazz.org

Pittsfield City Jazz Festival Pittsfield, MassachusettsOctober 8–21The free festival attracts 3,000 to 5,000 peopleto the historic town in the Berkshire Hills inwestern Massachusetts. More than a dozenmostly regional acts will perform, and some will be paired with student groups. The townfeatures a variety of bed-and-breakfast inns; the diversions include a wine bar, museums,galleries, scenic drives and hiking. Lineup: Claire Daly and American

Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Joe Baione, more.

More info: berkshiresjazz.org

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Legendary festival promoter George Weinstages his comeback

Back In Action

Ayear ago, the ill-fated Festival Network, belly-up in debt,failed to come through with any of its proposed summer jazzfestivals, and New York City went without a major jazz festi-

val for the first time in 37 years. Things looked bleak—until the manwho started it all at Newport in 1954 returned from an abridged retire-ment to make things right.

This summer, George Wein is back on both the Newport and NewYork fronts, with a major sponsorship and a lot of new ideas. GeorgeWein’s CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island takes placeAug. 6–8 (“last year was good, but we can do better,” he promised) andthe new CareFusion Jazz Festival New York runs from June 17–26.

In both cases, these are more than just rescue missions. Wein isfocused on the goal of broadening the reach of his fests, both in termsof audiences and artists. And if the originator of the American musicfestival can bring a younger crowd and a more accessible reputation tothese key events, the jazz industry stands to reap the benefits.

“I used to think that young artists might not be ready for the fests,but now I just hope the fests are ready for the young artists,” said achipper Wein, summing up the basic difference between his approach

before and since he sold Festival Productions in 2007. “There’s such awealth of talent coming out now, and they have exciting ideas, theyhave good educations, these are talented people.”

This year, Wein’s festivals are being booked by a pared-down ver-sion of the team he’s worked with in the past, including Jason Olaine,Darlene Chan and Dan Melnick. The group, New Festival Productions,has about half a million dollars in support from the medical supplycompany CareFusion, which is about the same amount they had whenJVC was their title sponsor, according to the New York Times.

But some important elements have changed. For one, Wein is doingmore of the booking himself.

“I’m going out all the time to hear young artists,” he said. “I’m intoDarcy James Argue, I like what Hiromi and Esperanza Spalding aredoing, I like what Ken Vandermark is doing. There are so many.”

Like any hungry promoter half his age, Wein, 85, is also spendingplenty of time in Brooklyn clubs and honing his indie rock palette.

“I just went to Zebulon the other night to hear Mostly Other PeopleDo the Killing,” he said, before cracking a joke about the new compli-cation of having to remember the names of bands he wants to book

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(MOPDTK has since landed a spot on the New York festi-val’s opening night).

Another new development is that Wein has invited someof the city’s top promoters to curate their own series, whichwill then be subsumed under the city’s CareFusion Festival.By tapping promoters whose work reflects a diversified audi-ence, Wein’s jazz festival is set up more like the CMJ MusicMarathon than the old JVC Jazz, which tended to rely on big-ticket shows featuring legendary names and a predilection foroctogenarian headliners.

Moved in large part by the young audience he encoun-tered at Brice Rosenbloom’s NYC Winterfest Jazz Festival,Wein chose to mix the usual jazz fest suspects—WayneShorter, McCoy Tyner, Stanley Clarke—with some lessobvious lineups.

“I recently performed at the NYC Winter Jazzfest, and Iremember I saw this older gentleman and I was saying tomyself, ‘Wow this guys’s really hanging out,’ and I didn’tknow it was George Wein ’til he turned around,” said saxo-phonist J.D. Allen, who will perform at Wein’s 2010Newport festival. “I was impressed that he was there check-ing out acts. He seems to have a hands-on approach. There’sdefinitely a shift in jazz going on right now and he’s in it,which is inspiring.”

Working with co-producer Simon Rentner, Rosenbloomand Wein settled on three main shows for the New Yorkevent, including a repeat of the hit Winterfest bill featuringAetherial Bace and prog-rockers Tortoise, and a “Revive DaLive” big band show featuring Nicholas Payton and hip-hopMC Talib Kweli.

“He’s really reaching out to the jazz community and offer-ing audiences something they’re already being inspired by,”said Rosenbloom. “The wonderful thing about New York isthere are a lot of independent producers that are doing theirown thing, nurturing audiences in the jazz community.”

Wein’s community-oriented approach to booking has alsowon favor among artists.

“The way he’s doing it is smart,” says saxophonist JohnEllis, who will perform a narrative work called “The IceSiren” at the Jazz Gallery in June as part of the New Yorkfest. “I’m excited about any kind of new and creative book-ing. We need that.”

The festivals will also get varying degrees of financialfacelifts, to the tune of lower ticket prices, big-name freeshows and student discounts.

The New York fest offers a free Central Park show featur-ing a double bill of Tyner with Spalding, Ravi Coltrane andFrancisco Mela, and Clarke with Hiromi on June 23.Citywide, Wein promises that most shows will average $15per ticket, with relaxed drink minimums.

At Newport, the best deals will be for Berklee students.“At Berklee, we have tickets available for $15, and anyonewho comes to a box office in Newport’s convention centercan get tickets for a discounted admission, which gets peopleto Newport,” Wein said.

These developments stand to bring positive change to theindustry as a whole. Cheaper prices combined with the flexi-ble booking approach means there’s more room for creativesurprises, new audiences and a better distribution of thewealth that summer can bring to jazz.

As he looks ahead, Wein hesitates to pinpoint the directionhe might take with next year’s festivals, seeming content tofocus on the goals he’s carved out for 2010.

“I’ve fulfilled all my dreams,” Wein said. “At this point inmy life, I’m just thinkin’ about tomorrow.” DB

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MidwestTri-C JazzFestCleveland, OhioApril 15–25This festival, which combines a strong educa-tional component with marquee jazz talent, willbe celebrating the 86th birthday of hometownhero Henry Mancini this year.Lineup: Ramsey Lewis, Patti Austin, The

Roots, Charlie Haden, more.More info: tricjazzfest.com

Grand Marais Jazz FestivalGrand Marais, MinnesotaMay 28–30Grand Marais is a small arts-oriented community that sits on the western shore ofLake Superior. The event is small and intimate,and spotlights regional artists performing in galleries, coffeehouses, even a spa. Lineup: Paul Wertico, Debbie Duncan,

Tim Seisser.More info: grandmaraisjazzfest.com

Glenn Miller FestivalClarinda, IowaJune 10–13This festival takes place in Glenn Miller’s birth-place and goes all out in paying homage to thebandleader. In addition to concerts, there arespecial events such as tours of his home andpanel discussions.Lineup: Larry O’Brien and the World Famous

Glenn Miller Orchestra, BallyhooFoxtrot Orchestra, United States Air Force Noteables, more.

More info: glennmiller.org

Chicago Blues FestivalChicago, IllinoisJune 11–13The Mayor’s Office of Special Events hosts the27th year of the largest free-admission bluesfestival in the world. Grant Park welcomedabout 640,000 revelers last year. Special salute:Howlin’ Wolf’s centennial.Lineup: Zora Young, Corky Siegel and the

revived Wolf Pack: Eddie Shaw,Hubert Sumlin, Jody Williams, AbbLocke. “Classic Chicago blues of themodern era” represented by BillyBranch, Lurrie Bell, John Primer,East of Edens Soul Express, more.

More info: chicagobluesfestival.us

Ravinia FestivalHighland Park, IllinoisJune 17–August 19This summer home of the Chicago SymphonyOrchestra in the city’s northern suburbs hasexpanded its jazz series to events throughoutthe summer and has commissioned

exciting new works.Lineup: The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Nancy

Wilson and the Ramsey Lewis Trio,Orquestra Buena Vista Social Clubfeaturing Omara Portuondo, BobbyMcFerrin, Kelli O’Hara, GeorgeBenson, Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin.

More info: ravinia.org

Twin Cities Jazz FestivalSaint Paul, MinnesotaJune 17–19One of the largest civic events held in the upperMidwest, the events of the festival take place inthe downtown area of St. Paul, including MearsPark located in the heart of the historicLowertown neighborhood.Lineup: Joe Lovano and Us 5, John Scofield

with the Piety Street Band, John Ellisand Double-Wide, Sean Jones, more.

More info: twincitiesjazzfestival.com

Elkhart Jazz Festival Elkhart, IndianaJune 25–27The streets of downtown Elkhart will be a hotcenter for jazz, swing and a touch of blues asan international lineup of 90 musicians andvocalists perform on six stages.Lineup: Hailey Niswanger Quartet, Bed,

Bill Boris Band, Bucky PizzarelliQuartet, Conjunto, Danny Barber’sJazzcats, Dave Bennett Quartet,Jazzberry Jam, Kevin Q and theNight Crew with Venitia Sekema,Midcoast Swing Orchestra, NotreDame Jazz Trio, Organissimo, Rob Parton Big Band, more.

More info: elkhartjazzfestival.com

Toyota–Scion Iowa City Jazz FestivalIowa City, IowaJuly 2–4This festival near the University of Iowa campushas first-rate jazz performances mixed with

a strong educational component.Lineup: TBA.More info: icjazzfest.org

Sioux Falls Jazz FestivalSioux Falls, South DakotaJuly 15–17The Sioux Falls Jazz Festival is a free summerfavorite held in Yankton Trail Park that featuresthree days of live music on two stages.Lineup: TBA.More info: jazzfestsiouxfalls.com

Columbus Jazz and Rib Fest Columbus, OhioJuly 23–25Held in the the downtown riverfront area ofColumbus, the Jazz and Rib Fest is one of themost anticipated summer musical events inOhio. While there, enjoy and cast your vote foryour favorite ribs by filling out one of the readilyavailable People’s Choice ballots.Lineup: TBA. Previous years have included

Stefon Harris & Blackout, DonaldHarrison, The Dirty Dozen BrassBand, Wess Anderson.

More info: hotribscooljazz.org

Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz FestivalDavenport, IowaJuly 23–26Founded in 1972, the Beiderbecke Festival isone of the most widely attended gatherings forearly traditional jazz musicians and fans.Lineup: TBA.More info: bixsociety.org

Lansing JazzFestLansing, MichiganAugust 6–7This year’s festival features expanded educa-tional programming including instrument clinicson jazz techniques led by the performers.Lineup: Derrick Gardner and the Jazz

Prophets, Etienne Charles

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and Folklore, Ron Newman Trio featuring Joe Baione, more.More info: jazzlansing.com

Detroit International Jazz FestivalDetroit, MichiganSeptember 3–6The 31st annual event centers around the theme “Flame Keepers—carrying the torch for modern jazz.” Still a free festival, featuring work-shops and small and large stages, “Flame Keepers” will pay homage tolegends Art Blakey, Ray Brown, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, BettyCarter, Lester Bowie and Gil Evans. Lineup: Mulgrew Miller, Branford Marsalis,Terence Blanchard, Maria

Schneider, Roy Haynes, more.More info: detroitjazzfest.com

Chicago Jazz FestivalChicago, IllinoisSeptember 4–5The Chicago Jazz Festival is the city’s longest running lakefront musicfestival and a Labor Day Weekend tradition. The festival is free and fea-tures four stages of jazz performances. Other jazz events are plannedfor the nearby Millennium Park and Chicago Cultural Center during theweekend, as well as after-fest sets at local clubs.Lineup: Nicole Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Brad Mehldau, Brian Blade,

Rene Marie, more.More info: chicagojazzfestival.us

Blues at the CrossroadsTerre Haute, IndianaSeptember 10–11Celebrating its 10th year, this festival takes place at 7th and Wabash, wherethe town throws a great party with blues and some “beyond” headliners.Lineup: TBA.More info: bluesatthecrossroads.com

World Music FestivalChicago, IllinoisSeptember 24–30Artists from across the planet converge on venues throughout Chicago,and many have made their U.S. debuts at this event. Jazz musiciansoften collaborate with artists from Africa, the Middle East and Europe.Lineup: La Excelencia, Minyeshu, Wang Li, Sway Machinery, more.More info: worldmusicfestivalchicago.org

Hyde Park Jazz FestivalChicago, IllinoisSeptember 25For 12 hours (2 p.m.–2 a.m.), this historic neighborhood hosts a freejazz festival that brings 150 musicians to 13 venues in and around theUniversity of Chicago. Expect a mix of the city’s veterans and new tal-ent, as well as national stars playing on the scenic Midway. Lineup: Reginald Robinson, Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra,

more.More info: hydeparkjazzfestival.org

Edgefest Ann Arbor, MichiganSeptember 29–October 2Their 14th annual, Edgefest remains Michigan’s perennial alternativehottest spot for jazz and the avant garde. Picking an instrument eachyear for its centerpiece, this year’s theme is “Edged in Brass,” highlight-ing a variety of brass players of all stripes, playing in different groups.Lineup: Chris Speed, John Hollenbeck, Curtis Hesselbrink’s New

Mellow Edwards, Joe McPhee’s Trio X, Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy, more.

More info: kerrytownconcerthouse.com

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By John McDonough

Sunshine ScreeningStandout jazz festival performances caught on film

For the first 30 years of soundmovies, jazz was limited to shortsubjects or specialty slots in stu-dio musicals. The first NewportJazz Festival in 1954 began tochange that. The music found afresh context beyond the clois-tered limbo of the club and theconcert hall. But filming wasexpensive, and thus rare in theUnited States, where televisionremained indifferent. In Europe,though, many touring Americangroups were taped for television,and these concerts (issued byJazz Icons, Eagle Rock and othercompanies) are expanding thecatalog of jazz on DVD.

Jazz On A Summer’s Day

(1959; New Yorker Video)

Bert Stern and Arim Avakian(brother of producer GeorgeAvakian) directed this innovativedocumentary of the 1958Newport Jazz Festival thatbecame the matrix for such laterclassics as Monterey Pop (1968)and Woodstock (1969). Asidefrom early newsreel clips, it isbelieved to be the first extendedfestival documentary ever filmed.Great performances by LouisArmstrong, Anita O’Day andThelonious Monk. Ordering info: amazon.com

Newport Jazz Festival 1962

(Quantum Leap)

Shot for NBC by Buddy Bregman(arranger/conductor on EllaFitzgerland’s Cole Porter andRodgers & Hart songbooks), theimagery and sound are oftenpoor. Originally intended to cap-ture the triumphant return ofGeorge Wein and his Festival toNewport after the 1960 riots, itsinterest lies more in its scarcityand historical value than its musi-cal values. But it does catch com-plete performances by OscarPeterson, Count Basie, DukeEllington, Rahsaan Roland Kirkand others in their prime. Ordering info: cduniverse.com

Norman Granz Presents Duke

Ellington at the Cote d’Azur with

Ella Fitzgerald and Joan Miro

(1966; Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Granz used the Festival at Juan-Les-Pins in France as a platformfor this TV program and caughtEllington and Fitzgerald at theheight of their later glory in a pro-lific concert that produced an LPin 1967 and an eight-CD compila-tion in 1998. The Cote d’Azurvideo is coupled with a seconddisc of Ellington (shortly beforehis death) in the studio with JoePass, Ray Brown and LouieBellson.Ordering info: eaglerockent.com

Miles Davis Live In Sweden

(1967; Sony/Legacy)

Brief portions of this superblyshot concert appear on Sony’sThe Miles Davis Story, but theentire 35-minute, four-song setwas distributed in more limitedquantities as a promotional piece.With Wayne Shorter, HerbieHancock, Ron Carter and TonyWilliams all in peak form, this isonly the second extended perfor-mance by a Davis group on film. Ordering info: legacyrecordings.com

Play Misty For Me

(1971; Warner Bros. Video)

In the late ’50s the Monterey JazzFestival became the PacificCoast’s answer to Newport. In his

1971 debut as director, ClintEastwood caught the laid-backlocal color of the event and woveit into this tense thriller as a kindof five-minute documentaryinsert. On screen: Cannonball andNat Adderley, a young JoeZawinul and Johnny Otis. Ordering info: amazon.com

Basie Jam: Montreux ’75;

Jazz At The Philharmonic 1975

(Eagle Rock Entertainment)

Montreux has traditionally been aplaything of record companieseager to record their artists in afestival setting. When Granz tookover the festival in the ’70s, he notonly recorded but videotaped,yielding a series of 17 superbDVDs. Special mention goes toBasie, Milt Jackson, JohnnyGriffin, Roy Eldridge and LouieBellson on Basie Jam; and thefront line of Benny Carter,Eldridge, Zoot Sims and ClarkTerry on the JATP recreation. Ordering info: eaglerockent.com

Weather Report:

Live at Montreux 1976

(Eagle Rock Entertainment)

A historic early look at the gather-ing storm of fusion, here is theband as it stood about 12 weeksafter Jaco Pastorius began tour-ing with it and a year before itsbreakthrough Heavy Weather LP. Ordering info: eaglerockent.com

Horace Silver Quintet:

Live At The Umbria Jazz

Festival, 1976 (Arthaus Musik)

One of the most picturesque festival sights in Europe isPerugia, Italy, home of UmbiraJazz. With Silver in this concertfrom the festival’s early history is a young Tom Harrell.Ordering info: naxos.com

Buddy Rich: Live at 1982

Montreal Jazz Festival

(Hudson Music)

Buddy Rich left behind an abundance of film, but fewknown festival performances.Fortunately, many Montreal Fest concerts were taped for television, including this outingby the band on eight charts,including a revival of Artie Shaw’s “Carioca.” Ordering info: hudsonmusic.com

Flip Phillips 80th Birthday

Party (1995; Arbors)

This Arbors festival built around the still dangerous Phillips may be awkwardly taped but brings together Buddy DeFranco, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Herb Ellis, BobWilber, Kenny Davern, ScottHamilton, Randy Sandke, DickHyman and many others for two hours of on-stage jams.Ordering info: arborsrecords.com

DB


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SouthFrench Quarter FestivalNew Orleans, LouisianaApril 9–11New Orleans’ historic neighborhood getseven livelier during these three days ofmusic, which will also include parades, guided tours of historic homes and an eatingcontest.Lineup: Soul Rebels, Trombone Shorty,

Cedric Watson, Kermit Ruffins,Rebirth Brass Band, more.

More info: frenchquarterfest.com

Festival International De LouisianeLafayette, LouisianaApril 21–25This free festival celebrates music, art and foodfrom around the Francophone world. Alongwith an array of vendors, cooking demonstra-tions and cultural workshops.Lineup: Bassekou Kouyate, Sonny Landreth,

Lunasa, King Sunny Ade, more.More info: festivalinternational.com

Denton Arts & Jazz FestivalDenton, TexasApril 23–25This free three-day festival in the city’sQuakertown Park has seven stages with pro-fessional and student talent. The festival alsohas a children’s art tent.Lineup: Chick Corea, Jimmie Vaughan,

Brave Combo, more.More info: dentonjazzfest.com

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage FestivalNew Orleans, LouisianaApril 23–May 2This always-explosive event will have a dozenstages presenting everybody from the biggestnames in rock to many of the Crescent City’senduring local jazz heroes. The sprawlingevent boasts international jazz stars in the jazztent, but the music can be heard throughoutthe grounds and at nightly outerfest showsthat last until sunrise.Lineup: Aretha Franklin, the Neville Brothers,

Irma Thomas’ Tribute To MahaliaJackson, Dr. John, Kirk Whalum,Ledisi, Gerald Albright, more.

More info: nojazzfest.com

Jacksonville Jazz FestivalJacksonville, FloridaMay 27–30Along with the headliner concerts, this down-town festival features a piano competition,local art gallery events and a wine tasting

party. This year’s event will also include ayoung talent competition.Lineup: TBA.More info: jaxjazzfest.com

Wachovia Jazz Series at the Spoleto FestivalCharleston, South CarolinaMay 28–June 13With artistic offerings that embrace jazz, opera,ballet and musical theater, this festival hasdozens of performances. The jazz series willpresent established artists along with up-and-comers, as well as international musicians mak-ing U.S. debuts.Lineup: Lizz Wright, Norma Winstone,

Fabiana Cozza, more.More info: spoletousa.org

Atlanta Jazz FestivalAtlanta, GeorgiaMay 29–30Held in Piedmont Park over Memorial Dayweekend, the Atlanta Jazz Festival celebratesits 33rd anniversary this summer.Lineup: Stanley Clarke featuring Hiromi,

Trombone Shorty & New OrleansAvenue, Swing Streets to SwingBeats with special guest EsperanzaSpalding and Raydar Ellis.

More info: atlantafestivals.com

Eureka Blues WeekendEureka Springs, ArkansasJune 3–6A Fundraiser for the Blues Foundation’sHART Fund and Turpentine Creek WildlifeCenter in the Ozarks, this “Victorian vacation-land” runs four days. Blues shows take placein the Eureka Springs Auditorium, Basin ParkHotel’s Barefoot Ballroom, Basin Park andseveral other spots around town.Lineup: Charlie Musslewhite, John

Hammond,more.More info: eurekaspringsblues.com

Virginia Blues & Jazz FestivalWarm Springs, VirginiaJune 11–13Friday night jazz with Chris Potter in a convert-ed horse barn, followed by Saturday’s full-daylawn concert, all at the Garth Newel MusicCenter in the Allegheny Mountains. Get backinside Sunday for Chef Randy’s New OrleansJazz Brunch.Lineup: Chris Potter, Marcia Ball, the Holmes

Brothers, Ruthie Foster, more.More info: garthnewel.org

Satchmo SummerFestNew Orleans, LouisianaAugust 5–8This annual tribute to Louis Armstrong and hislegacy takes place in his hometown in theFrench Quarter. Along with concerts, the eventfeatures a children’s stage and speakers pre-senting their expertise in the jazz legend.Lineup: TBA.More info: fqfi.org

Les DeMerle Amelia Island Jazz FestivalFernandina Beach, FloridaOctober 3–10This festival includes both ticketed and freeconcerts featuring mainstream, bebop, blues,big band and Latin jazz. Lineup: TBA. Last year’s performers

included David Sanborn, Christian Tamburr.

More info: ameliaislandjazzfestival.com

Clearwater Jazz HolidayClearwater, FloridaOctober 14–17White sandy beaches of Coachman Park indowntown Clearwater become home to thisevent. Mainstream jazz is usually featured alongwith a healthy dose of Latin music.Lineup: TBA.More Info: clearwaterjazz.com


BrianBromberg @ClearwaterJazz Holiday

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Rocky MountainsJazz Aspen SnowmassAspen and Snowmass, ColoradoJune 25–July 3, September 3–5The 10-day JAS June festival will include fournights of headline concerts from world-classmusicians at the Benedict Music Tent (June25-27 and July 3) and a closing weekend ofsmall venue shows around the Colorado resorttown of Aspen. The Labor Day festival, whichleans more toward pop and r&b, takes place inSnowmass Village.Lineup: June—Harry Connick Jr., Christian

McBride, Patti Austin, DianneReeves, Fred Wesley, Natalie Cole,and more. Labor Day—Wilco, more.

More info: jazzaspen.com

Salt Lake City International Jazz FestivalSalt Lake City, UtahJuly 9–11Downtown Salt Lake City’s Washington Squareis ground zero for this festival, which includesclinics at the University of Utah.Lineup: Chuck Findley, Ira Nepus, more.More info: slcjazzfestival.org

New Mexico Jazz FestivalAlbuquerque and Santa Fe, New MexicoJuly 13–25The festival takes place at The OutpostPerformance Space, Old and Nob Hill inAlbuquerque and The Lensic and Santa Fe Plazain Santa Fe. This festival features internationalartists as well as local musicians.Lineup: Toshiko Akiyoshi with Lew Tabackin

and the Albuquerque JazzOrchestra, Miguel Zenón, more.

More info: newmexicojazzfestival.org

Telluride Jazz FestivalTelluride, ColoradoAugust 6–8Combining the finest of nature and art, theTelluride Jazz Festival is held in the San JuanMountains in southwestern Colorado. Lineup: Stanley Clarke Band featuring

Hiromi, Dianne Reeves, GreyboyAllstars, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Dr. LonnieSmith, Jackie Ryan, Chuchito ValdesAfro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble, more.

More info: telluridejazz.org

Mile High Blues FestivalHenderson, ColoradoAugust 7–8 Not far from downtown Denver, the Mile High

Marketplace holds its second annual shindig. Louisiana r&b shares the program with Texas, Nashville and West Coast blues. Lineup: Tab Benoit, Rick Estrin &

the Nightcats, Jimmy Hall, Ruthie Foster, Mike Zito, more.

More info: milehighblues.com

Park City Jazz FestivalPark City, UtahAugust 20–22This festival takes place at the Deer ValleyResort’s outdoor ampitheater. There’s a beer garden and attendees can bring food for picnicking.Lineup: TBA.More info: parkcityjazz.org

Vail Jazz PartyVail, ColoradoSeptember 2–6Throughout the year, the Vail Jazz Foundation provides plenty of swinging music to this Rocky Mountain ski town. But when Labor Day rolls around, the foundation’s main event emerges with a weekend party. Lineup: TBA.More info: vailjazz.org

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Bohemia Jazzfest @ 5Small Festival, Big HeartBy Ed Enright


When the Bohemia Jazzfest lights up Prague’s Old TownSquare this July, the Czech Republic will once againbecome a hipper place to live and visit. Celebrating its

fifth anniversary this year, the ever-expanding festival has grownfrom a tiny, three-city affair into a seven-city, nine-day extravagan-za that resonates with residents and tourists across this formerEastern Bloc country, located right in the heart of Central Europe.

Rudy Linka, the Prague-born jazz guitarist who has gainedinternational acclaim since defecting to Sweden at age 19 and latermoving to the United States, conceived the festival when he foundhimself to be a tourist back in his own country, years after its liber-ation from the controlling forces of the former Soviet Union.

“I am so proud of my country—it has an amazing musical his-tory for such a little place,” said Linka, who currently lives most ofthe year in New York City. “After some 50 years of isolation,somehow I felt it would be great to present something contempo-rary. I think jazz is the most modern form of music, and wouldn’tit be great for the local people to see it and hear it so they can bebrave enough to ask, ‘Do I like it, or not like it?’ just to taste it andform their own opinion.”

All festival events are free to the public and are held outdoors inbeautiful, historic town squares across Bohemia, a culturally richand frequently romanticized region of the Czech Republic. Stillyoung, the festival has featured a slate of internationally knownjazz artists such as John Scofield, Dave Holland and JoshuaRedman as well as lesser-known European acts from various near-by countries, like Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Italy, Sweden andDenmark.

This year will mark the return of Yellowjackets, who played atthe innaugural Bohemia Jazzfest in 2006. Dr. Lonnie Smith alsomakes his second appearance at the fest this summer, as doesGerman saxophonist Johannes Enders. Other 2010 headliners willinclude Stanley Clarke’s group, Béla Fleck with Edgar Maier andZakir Hussain and Tomasz Stanko’s Europe-based ensemble.Linka, as usual, will perform, this time with a trio featuring his reg-ular bassist, Dan Fabricatore, and Kenny Wolleson on drums.

As a musician who gigs frequently in Europe as well as NorthAmerica, Linka not only knows what it’s like to perform at multi-concert outdoor festivals; he also personally knows all the musi-cians themselves, as friends and collaborators.

“I know how small things can make a big difference in howmusicians feel and perform,” said Linka, noting the importance ofhaving good sound engineer and feeding performers a decent meal.“You immediately feel like it’s a family-run business—no one isthere just to do the job, get the money and go home.”

Linka operates the fest on a shockingly small budget, cobbling togethercontributions (both financial and service-based) from various small spon-sorships and making the most of the grass-roots support he receives fromthe Czech cities the festival visits. He also has made some important politi-cal connections, having formed relationships with Vaclav Klaus (the jazz-loving president of the Czech Republic), ambassadors from the UnitedStates and Sweden, and the mayors of Prague and other Bohemian townswho continue to come onboard as the festival extends its reach. Linkareceived significant backing this year from Czech Tourism, part of thecountry’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We are not in a situation where we can pay the fees of other festivals,

so I am always grateful for artists who accept the invitation to come play,”he said. “We try to work out some kind of arrangement that will be goodfor everybody. And after that will come all of these small things, like amassage in the local spa. These towns we visit are so happy to provide thelittle extras. We have so much support from so many people that we canstill somehow pull it off in the end. Up to the last minute, I try to see how Ican work it so they will be available. Do I go and pick them up some-where in Munich by car? Yes, I do. Nothing is too small to make themcome to us.

“That’s what Bohemia Jazzfest is all about,” Linka concluded. “It’s sosmall, but because of that it’s so big and has such a big heart.” DB


Prague’s Old Town Square lightsup during Bohemia Jazzfest.

Rudy Linka

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West CoastBallard Jazz FestivalSeattle, WashingtonApril 21–25This year’s festival includes a guitar summit andBrotherhood of the Drum, a night of drummer-led groups at the Sunset Tavern. Along with aJazz Walk on Seattle’s Ballard Avenue byPuget Sound, the festival also includes aSwedish pancake jazz brunch.Lineup: Claudio Roditi, John Moulder, Corey

Christiansen, Dan Phelps, more.More info: ballardjazzfestival.com

Paradise Valley Jazz PartyPhoenix, ArizonaMay 1–2Guitarist Bruce Foreman is the 2010 Guest OfHonor, and the Lewis Nash Trio with ReneeRosnes and Peter Washington will play all threesets. A host of artists will mix and match groupsthroughout the weekend in time-honored jazzparty fashion. Lineup: Akira Tana, John Clayton, Wycliffe

Gordon, Byron Stripling, GeraldClayton, Shelly Berg, Dmitri Matheny,Bill Watrous, more.

More info: paradisevalleyjazz.com

Sonoma Jazz+ Sonoma, CaliforniaMay 21–23One of the biggest challenges for out-of-townpatrons of past Sonoma Jazz+ festivals wasfinding housing during the already-busyMemorial Day weekend in northern California’swine country. This year’s festival eliminates thisissue by being held a weekend earlier.Lineup: Earth Wind & Fire, Lizz Wright,

Crosby, Stills & Nash, Kristen StromQuartet, Joshi Marshall Quartet,Terrence Brewer, George Cole &Viva Le Jazz, more.

More info: sonomajazz.org

Juneau Jazz and ClassicsJuneau, AlaskaMay 21–30With jazz, blues and classical artists, this festcombines workshops with wine tasting in thestate capital. Musicians will perform on multiplestages, including a cruise ship and theUniversity of Alaska Southeast campus.Lineup: Robert Dick, Ingrid Jensen, Jeff

Antoniuk, Royal Crown Revue, more.More info: jazzandclassics.org

Sacramento Jazz Festival & JublieeSacramento, CaliforniaMay 28–31The Sacramento Jazz Festival continues tooffer a mix of Dixieland and other musical styles

over Memorial Day weekend. Clarinetist BobDraga is the 2010 Festival Emperor, whileactress Molly Ringwald brings her quartet, performing the Great American Songbook andadding Hollywood glamour to the festivities.Lineup: Louis Ford/New Orleans Jazz Flairs,

Ray Obiedo & Mambo Caribe, more.More info: sacjazz.com

Bellevue Jazz FestivalBellevue, WashingtonJune 3–6National artists, local musicians and high schoolall-stars are all a part of this three-day festival.Venues range from the Meydenbauer Theatreto tableside sets in local bars and hotels.Lineup: Terence Blanchard Quintet, The

Bad Plus, Pat Martino, Bill Charlap& Renee Rosnes, SachalVasandani, The Seattle RepertoryJazz Orchestra, The Bellevue JazzFestival Rising Stars, plus more than25 free jazz concerts throughoutdowntown Bellevue.

More info: bellevuejazz.com

Healdsburg Jazz FestivalHealdsburg, CaliforniaJune 4–13The Healdsburg Jazz Festival continues to pre-sent longtime friends as well as exciting newtalent, including Charlie Haden, EsperanzaSpalding, Geri Allen, Ravi Coltrane and OscarCastro-Neves.Lineup: Jason Moran, Anat Cohen, Dafnis

Prieto, Leny Andrade, RomeroLubambo, Peter Aplfelbaum, ClaudiaVillela, Bennet Friedman, more.

More info: healdsburgjazzfestival.org

Playboy Jazz FestivalLos Angeles, CaliforniaJune 12–13Hosted at the Hollywood Bowl, this eventattracts 35,000 people, who bask in the sun by

day and picnic by candlelight during twilight asthey groove to top-flight jazz musicians.Because the bandshell stage is built to revolve,there is little down time as the next acts arealways ready to go. Bill Cosby traditionallyserves as master of ceremonies.Lineup: Esperanza Spalding, Chick Corea,

Bobby Hutcherson and CedarWalton Quartet, George Benson,Salif Keita, more.

More info: playboyjazzfestival.com

Monterey Bay Blues FestivalMonterey, California June 25–27Celebrating its 25th year, this major West Coast roots music celebration takes placeunder the oak trees at the MontereyFairgrounds. In addition to the Main Stage,there are two secondary stages: Presidentsand Garden. Big names from B. B. King toJames Brown have performed in the past.Lineup: Tommy Castro, Candye Kane, Ruthie

Foster, Kenny Neal, Sista Monica &Gospel Choir, Mel Waiters, LennyWilliams, Latimore, Con Funk Shun,Mike Hammer & the Nails, more.

More info: montereyblues.com

Safeway Waterfront Blues FestivalPortland, OregonJuly 2–5More than 100 musicians perform on the banksof the Willamette River at the largest blues festi-val on the West Coast. A fund-raiser for thenon-profit relief organization Oregon FoodBank, the gala has three stages, cruises andfireworks on the Fourth. Featured shows are onDelta blues and Louisiana swampland r&b.Lineup: Booker T., Bobby Rush, Super

Chickan, Lightnin’ & Malcolm, LittleFeat, Trombone Shorty & OrleansAvenue, Lucky Peterson, more.

More info: waterfrontbluesfest.com

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Jazz At The BowlLos Angeles, CaliforniaJuly 7–September 1The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s CreativeChair for Jazz, Herbie Hancock, presents hisfirst jazz series at the Hollywood Bowl witheight concerts featuring legends and risingstars of the genre. Two series of four concertstake place on Wednesday nights throughoutthe summer season.Lineup: Lizz Wright, Herbie Hancock,

Wayne Shorter, Derek Trucks,Susan Tedeschi, B.B. King, BuddyGuy, Femi Kuti & The PositiveForce, Terence Blanchard with LulaWashington Dance Theatre RichardBona, Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin,Count Basie Orchestra, DaveHolland Big Band, Patrice Rushen& Friends, MTL Express, SpencerDay, Preservation Hall & TreyMcIntyre Project, Neville Brothers,Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

More info: hollywoodbowl.com

Temecula Valley InternationalJazz FestivalTemecula, CaliforniaJuly 9–11Offering both ticketed and free concerts in

glorious southern California wine country,this year’s Temecula Valley InternationalJazz Festival will present Brian Auger’sOblivion Express and his son Karma’s col-lective trio with Julian Coryell and NicklasSample, two other second generation instrumentalists. Area hero Poncho Sanchezand His Latin Band will perform a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald with “Bronze Buckaroo”Herb Jeffries.Lineup: Arthur Rand and the Legendary

Ink Spots, Freda Payne and Ray Brown, Jr. with Dirk Berk, Keith Droste & Rene Worst, Patricia Talem, Gil Alcanter Band, more.

More info: temeculajazzfest.com

Fairbanks Summer Arts FestivalFairbanks, AlaskaJuly 18–August 1This year marks the 30th anniversary of theFairbanks Summer Arts Festival, which takesplace at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.Lineup: Jovino Quintetto–Jovino Santos

Neto, Tim Carey, Harvey Wainapel,Jeff Busch, Mark Ivester, BarneyMcClure.

More info: fsaf.org

Jazz Port TownsendPort Townsend, WashingtonJuly 25–August 1Port Townsend’s historic downtown and uptown districts come alive with jazz, from McCurdy Pavilion to the clubs, as the festival celebrates its 34th year.Lineup: John Clayton, Chuck Deardorf,

George Cables, Randy Halberstadt, Wycliffe Gordon, Dawn Clement, Ingrid Jensen, Terell Stafford, Graham Dechter,Jimmy Heath, Adam Schroeder, Dan Balmer, more.

More info: centrum.org/jazz

Mt. Hood Jazz FestivalGresham, OregonJuly 30–31With concerts at the Mt. Hood Community College Theater, this event prides itself on its mainstream jazz collaborations with both professional and student musicians in small group and big band settings.Lineup: TBA. Last year included Terrell

Stafford, Art Abrams SwingMachine with Bobby Shew, Stan Kenton Tribute Band.

More info: mthoodjazz.org

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INTERNATIONAL SUMMER FESTIVAL GUIDE 2010: WEST COAST

Port Townsend Acoustic Blues FestivalPort Townsend, WashingtonAugust 1–8Centrum at Fort Worden State Park—“a gath-ering place for artists”—sponsors a week ofcountry blues with up-and-coming musicianspaired with masters for instruction in playingguitar, harmonica, piano and other instruments.Mountain ranges and the Strait of Juan de Fucaprovide the scenic backdrop for the grand finaleconcert. Corey Harris serves as artistic director.

Lineup: Phil Wiggins, Rev. Robert B. Jones,Del Ray, Bruce Barnes, the EbonyHillbillies, Steve James, more.

More info: centrum.org/blues

AT&T San Jose Jazz FestivalSan Jose, CaliforniaAugust 13–15Boasting eight different stages, the San JoseJazz Festival continues to serve up a diverseoffering of musical styles. One of its secretweapons is its two indoor venues, which will

get upsized this year as the IMAX DomeTheatre stage will be moved to the San JoseRepertory Theatre, while artists previouslybooked there will now perform at the largerCalifornia Theatre.Lineup: The Cookers (with Eddie Henderson,

Billy Harper, David Weiss, DavidHazeltine, Cecil McBee & Billy Hart),Maceo Parker, Marcus Miller’s “TutuRevisited—The Music of MilesDavis,” Vijay Iyer, Sylvia Cuenca, Jeff Hamilton Trio, more.

More info: sanjosejazz.org

Sonora Blues FestivalSonora, CaliforniaAugust 14At the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in the oldCentral Sierra Mountains gold rush town, per-formers appear on an outdoor main stage andin the Sierra Building. Lineup: Tommy Castro, Roy Rogers,

Wild T & Spirit, more.More info: fireonthemountain.com

West Coast Jazz Party & Brunch CruiseIrvine, CaliforniaSeptember 3–6The Four Freshmen are featured in two GrandOpening Night settings for this Labor Dayweekend event—by themselves and with theFour Trombones. Debby Boone plays homageto her late mother-in-law with her “Reflectionsof Rosemary Clooney” tribute.Lineup: Terry Gibbs Quintet with Ken

Peplowski, Ernie Andrews-HoustonPerson Quintet, Sounds of GeorgeShearing with Charlie Shoemake,Mimi Fox, Mundell Lowe, more.

More info: westcoastjazzparty.com

Jazz 88 Ocean Beach Jazz FestivalOcean Beach, CaliforniaSeptember 11Held along Newport Avenue by the OceanBeach Pier, this one-day jazz fest featuresmusic from noon until 7 p.m. Lineup: The Bad Plus, Brasilia, The Clayton-

Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, The Jazz88-All Stars, Kevin Mahogany’sKansas City Review.

More info: objazz.org

San Francisco Jazz FestivalSan Francisco, CaliforniaSeptember 11–December 12Programmed by the thriving SFJAZZ organiza-tion, this festival continues to bring high-profilejazz artists and talented local musicians tovenues throughout the city. Genre-crossinginternational heroes are also included.Lineup: TBA.More info: sfjazz.org

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Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by VerizonMonterey, CaliforniaSeptember 17–19The world’s longest continually running jazzfestival presents another packed weekend ofmusic in this Pacific Coast town. Big ticketedevents take place in the arena, while the fair-grounds feature indoor and outdoor stagesthat often host the main stage performersafter their arena sets. Dianne Reeves is artist-in-residence this year.Lineup: Harry Connick Jr., Ahmad Jamal,

Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett,Christian McBride, Roy Haynes,Septeto Nacional de Cuba, LesNubians, Roy Hargrove Big Band,Delbert McClinton Band;Trombone Shorty, Nellie McKay,Marcus Roberts Trio, more.

More info: montereyjazzfestival.org

Angel City Jazz FestivalLos Angeles, CaliforniaSeptember 30–October 3The Angel City Jazz Festival features estab-lished jazz artists and young emerging talent,with a focus on West Coast jazz. This year’sfest will be held at different venues culminat-ing in a day-long festival event at the historicJohn Anson Ford Amphitheatre.Lineup: Ravi Coltrane, Wadada Leo Smith,

Nels Cline, Henry Grimes,Kneebody, Todd Sickafoose, VinnyGolia, L.A. Jazz Quartet, more.

More info: angelcityjazz.com

Jazz at NewportNewport, OregonOctober 1–3Held along Oregon’s scenic coast, most of the music takes place at the Newport Performing Arts Center, whichincludes a small theater for open conversations and workshops.Lineup: Bill Cunliffe, Houston Person, more.More info: jazzatnewport.org

Earshot Jazz Festival Seattle, WashingtonOctober 15–November 7The yearly rite of fall in the Pacific Northwesthas a twofold mission: to present artistswhose music frequently falls outside themainstream, and also to provide a show-case for Seattle’s multi-generational jazzscene. The schedule includes more than 50 events and 250 artists. Erik Friedlander,one of the foremost jazz cellists, typifies thefestival’s agenda. Lineup: Erik Friedlander, Kenny Barron,

Steve Lehman, Gretchen Parlato,Henry Threadgill, David Sanchez,Jean-Michel Pilc.

More info: earshot.org

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CanadaFestival de Musique Actuelle de VictoriavilleVictoriaville, QuebecMay 20–23After a year’s absence, FIMAV returnswith its usual eclectic lineup of jazz,electronic music and sonic experimenta-tion. The imaginative programmingmake this small Quebec city a destina-tion for adventurous music fans fromaround the world.Lineup: Bill Dixon’s Tapestries for Small

Orchestras, René Lussier, KimMyhr & Trondheim JazzOrkester, Perlonex &Charlemagne Palestine, more.

More info: fimav.qc.ca

Calgary Jazz FestivalCalgary, AlbertaJune 21–27The festival features more than 60 acts in concert halls and on the Olympic Plaza’sunique floating stage.Lineup: Chick Corea, Joshua Redman

Quartet, more.More info: calgaryjazz.com

TD Ottawa International Jazz FestivalOttawa, OntarioJune 24–July 4Marking its 30th anniversary, the festival com-bines concerts in the city’s picturesqueConfederation Park and indoor venues. Lineup: Joe Lovano, Herbie Hancock, Roy

Hargrove Big Band, Joshua RedmanQuartet, Dave Brubeck and theNational Arts Centre Orchestra, Bill Frisell, Fred Hersch, more.

More info: ottawajazzfestival.com

Edmonton International Jazz FestivalEdmonton, AlbertaJune 25–July 4One of Canada’s original jazz festivals, theEdmonton event has maintained this northerncity’s reputation as a great jazz town. Venuesinclude the legendary Yardbird Suite—Canada’s oldest jazz club—and the soft-seatWinspear Centre.Lineup: Chick Corea, Bill Frisell Trio, Joshua

Redman Quartet, more.More info: edmontonjazz.com

TD Toronto Downtown Jazz FestivalToronto, OntarioJune 25–July 4Featuring more than 350 concerts, the festival

spreads across 40 venues in Toronto’s core.The programming runs from noon to 4 a.m.daily, and covers a broad range of genres.Lineup: David Sanborn and the Joey

DeFrancesco Trio, Keith JarrettStandards Trio, Roy Hargrove BigBand, Dave Brubeck Quartet, more.

More info: tojazz.com

TD Winnipeg International Jazz FestivalWinnipeg, ManitobaJune 25–July 4Festivities in this culturally rich prairie city culmi-nate with a weekend-long series of outdoorconcerts at Old Market Square in the heart ofthe historic Exchange District.Lineup: Sonny Rollins, Roy Hargrove, Robert

Glasper, Renee Rosnes & BillCharlap, Terence Blanchard with theWinnipeg Jazz Orchestra, MarthaWainwright, more.

More info: jazzwinnipeg.com

TD Vancouver International Jazz FestivalVancouver, British ColumbiaJune 25–July 4Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the festival thatmade its name by creating one-time collabora-tions between European and North Americanartists continues to spotlight a broad range ofmainstream and improvised music. Lineup: Barry Guy, Bill Frisell Trio, Renee

Rosnes & Bill Charlap, Chick Corea,John Scofield Piety Street Band,Tomasz Stanko Quintet, GeorgeBenson, Mostly Other People DoThe Killing, more.

More info: coastaljazz.ca

TD Victoria International JazzFestVictoria, British ColumbiaJune 25–July 4The festival features more than 90 perfor-


Sonny Rollins and Clifton Anderson @Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival

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mances in Canada’s westernmost city. Venuesinclude outdoor stages and four hotels.Lineup: George Benson, Joshua Redman

Quartet, Renee Rosnes & Bill Charlap,John Scofield, Bill Frisell, more.

More info: jazzvictoria.ca

SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz FestivalSaskatoon, SaskatchewanJune 25–July 4The festival celebrates its 24th year on tworiverfront stages and a number of indoorvenues around this lushly treed northern prairiecity. This year’s musical menu features a mix ofjazz and urban music.Lineup: Chick Corea, Roy Hargrove Quintet,

Los Lobos, Joshua RedmanQuartet, Renee Rosnes & BillCharlap, more.

More info: saskjazz.com

Festival International de Jazz de MontrealMontreal, QuebecJune 25–July 6From the intimate confines of Salle de Gésuto the free outdoor extravaganzas, which regularly draw tens of thousands of revelersto rue Ste. Catherine, North America’s largestcelebration of jazz, blues and beyond remainsthe summer’s best opportunity to immerseyourself in music.Lineup: David Sanborn and the Joey

DeFrancesco Trio, Taj Mahal, TheFabulous Thunderbirds, GeorgeBenson, Laurie Anderson/LouReed/John Zorn, John Scofield PietyStreet Band, more.

More info: montrealjazzfest.com

TD Halifax Jazz FestivalHalifax, Nova ScotiaJuly 9–17Known for its casual, intimate atmosphere andlate-night hangs on the city’s waterfront, thefestival features 450 artists and dovetails withthe annual Creative Music Workshop, whichbrings together players from all musical tradi-tions to work together and study with drummerJerry Granelli, saxophonist David Mott andother clinicians.Lineup: Andy Milne’s Dapp Theory, Richard

Underhill Quintet, Kellylee Evans,Darren Sigesmund Quartet, NOMO,Owen Howard’s Drum Lore, SandroDominelli Trio, more.

More info: jazzeast.com

Vancouver Island MusicFest Courtenay, British ColumbiaJuly 9–11Started 15 years ago by the Comox Valley FolkSociety, this roots and world music party alongthe farmlands on the east coast of the province

has several dozen acts. Lineup: The Holmes Brothers, Adrian Belew,

Amos Garrett, more.More info: islandmusicfest.com

Vancouver Folk Music FestivalVancouver, British ColumbiaJuly 16–18At Jericho Beach Park, seven daytime stagesand three evening main stages share greenspace with an arts market. In its 33rd year,VFMF presents about 60 headliners offeringblues, folk, gospel and world music.Lineup: Alvin Youngblood Hart, Jim Byrnes,

Steve Dawson, Naomi Shelton & theGospel Queens, more.

More info: thefestival.bc.ca

Art Of Jazz Presents the Algonquin Arts & Music FestivalBancroft, OntarioJuly 30–August 1Organized by the same team that led Toronto’sArt Of Jazz Festival—headed by saxophonistJane Bunnett and trumpeter Larry Cramer—this new festival will bring international artists toa rural setting in the heart of Canada’s largestsummer tourist region.Lineup: TBA.More info: artofjazz.org

FestiJazz International RimouskiRimouski, QuebecSeptember 2–5Situated on the rocky southern shore of the St.Lawrence River, Rimouski is a remote town thatembraces its jazz festival as a community cele-bration each summer.Lineup: TBA.More Info: festijazzrimouski.com

Guelph Jazz FestivalGuelph, OntarioSeptember 8–12Located in a university town an hour outsideToronto, the festival is set apart by the inclu-sion of an academic jazz colloquium andnumerous workshops featuring musicians inintimate settings. The festival has a history ofputting together memorable double bills andbooking artists who are rarely featured on theNorth American festival circuit.Lineup: TBA.More info: guelphjazzfestival.com

Pender Harbour Jazz FestivalPender Harbour, British ColumbiaSeptember 17–19Set in a picturesque fishing town north ofVancouver, the festival uses a variety of water-front venues, including a floating one. Lineup: TBA.More info: penderharbourmusic.ca

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The TD Vancouver International JazzFestival may have built its reputation bybooking the cream of Europe’s avant

improvisers, but as the event celebrates its 25thanniversary its founders credit two Americantrumpeters with putting it on the map.

That incident—which saw Miles Davis halthis performance when Wynton Marsalisappeared uninvited at his side, trumpet inhand—became news around the world. In hisautobiography, Davis cited it as a sign thatMarsalis “didn’t have no respect for his elders ...I was so mad at him for doing that shit like that,I just said, ‘Man, get the fuck off the stage.’”

“I was across town at another venue whenMiles Davis and Wynton Marsalis had their leg-endary onstage confrontation,” recalled artisticdirector Ken Pickering, “but I’ve heard about itso often that I feel like I was there.”

While the animus between the aging legendand the young upstart made headlines, Pickeringand his lifelong friend John Orysik—a formerjazz radio host—said that their debut festivalalso presented a broad cross-section of artiststhat included Bill Frisell, Tony Williams, SteveLacy, Ran Blake, Jan Garbarek, RoscoeMitchell and Bobby McFerrin.

“Without a long-term sponsorship deal, Ithought I might only get one kick at running afestival, so I wanted to do something that Iwould be proud of the rest of my life,” saidPickering, who booked the event out of hisBlack Swan record shop.

As the Pacific Jazz & Blues Association(since renamed Coastal Jazz), Pickering andOrysik had already promoted some concerts anda small festival, but 1986 offered a one-timeopportunity for funding and publicity. That year,Vancouver was the site of a World’s Fair, so theduo, along with a third partner—Robert Kerr—decided to take advantage.

“Being native Vancouverites, we’d seenboom-and-bust cycles in the city’s creativemusic scene and thought we could make a dif-ference,” Orysik said. “Our vision was to presentjazz in all its forms and create something thatwould sustain itself beyond the festival season.”

With a budget of $500,000, that initial yearleft the non-profit organization with a deficit, butin the wake of Expo ’86, “We had the city toourselves in 1987,” Orysik said. Helping to fillthe gap, Pickering provided John Zorn with hisfirst major international showcase, one of theevents that Pickering said continues to resonate.“Another significant event,” he said, “wasOrnette Coleman’s original Prime Time in our

first year. That show influenced so many musi-cians who were there: They still talk about it.”

By 1990, the festival was out of debt andbeginning to regularly feature Europeans whoseldom performed in North America.

“I remember the first time I put [pianist] PaulPlimley together with Han Bennink,” Pickeringsaid. “Those types of collaborations positionedVancouver as a creative hotbed and won thetrust of both artists and our audience.”

“The spirit of collaboration at the festival wasunique,” said Vancouver singer Kate Hammett-Vaughan. “It helped build an audience withopen ears, and was a galvanizing force for localmusicians who saw the opportunity to work withinternational artists.”

“People tend to focus on the free improvisedmusic we’ve presented,” Orysik said. “Butwe’re proud of the role we’ve played in giving aplatform to more mainstream artists. I thinkwe’ve really been a catalyst for younger peoplelike Cory Weeds.”

Weeds, a saxophonist who also runs TheCellar jazz club and a record label, Cellar Live,agrees.

“Coastal Jazz was my introduction to themusic,” Weeds said. “They put a lot of localmusicians up in lights alongside the internationalplayers, and they set themselves apart becausethey didn’t just swoop in for 10 days—they’reextremely present in the community year’round.”

Today, with a budget eight times larger thanthat allotted to the 1986 festival and a commit-ment of multi-year sponsorship by Canada’s TDBank, Pickering and Orysik are looking at con-solidating their strengths. Among their goals is atighter focus on shows in Vancouver’s down-town area so audiences can walk betweenvenues. With the media spotlight back on the cityfollowing the 2010 Winter Olympics, the time isripe for another step in the festival’s evolution.

As Orysik put it: “We’re building on theboldness we’ve been known for.” DB

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EuropeInternational Jazz Festival Bern Bern, SwitzerlandMarch 13–May 22This Swiss festival, now celebrating its 35thyear, continues hosting jazz and blues artists on multiple nights with ticketed shows at suchvenues as Marian’s Jazzroom and free eventsin the park of the Hotel Innere Enge.Lineup: 35th Anniversary All-Star Jazz Band

(Warren Vaché, Wendell Brunious,John Allred, Bill Allred, Bill Easley,Allan Vaché, Johnny Varro, AndyCleyndert, Joe Ascione, Bob Wilber),Allen Toussaint, Marcia Ball, ChuchoValdes Quintet, Les McCann andJavon Jackson Band, Dick HymanAll-Stars, Dianne Reeves.

More info: jazzfestivalbern.ch

Jazzfestival BaselBasel, SwitzerlandApril 21–May 2At the annual festival from the jazz organiza-tion Offbeat, concerts take place in theatersand clubs throughout Basel. The program-ming focuses on many top European performers, but they also feature plenty ofNorth American artists and others on the international scene.Lineup: Richard Galliano & Sextet, Goran

Bregovic & His Wedding & FuneralOrchestra, Jim Hall Trio featuringJoey Baron, John Scofield NewQuartet, Rigmor Gustafsson &Radio String Quartet Vienna,Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau.

More info: jazzfestivalbasel.ch

Barclays Cheltenham Jazz FestivalCheltenham, EnglandApril 28–May 3Held in association with BBC Radio 2, this festi-val has featured mainstream and cutting-edgejazz from around the world including youngBritish talent. The Cheltenham Jazz Festival islocated 100 miles west of London.Lineup: John Scofield, Carla Bley & The Lost

Chords with Paolo Fresu, DaveHolland & Pepe Habichuela, JamieCullum, Fly, Cuong Vu, Empirical &Polar Bear.

More info: cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz

Ulrichsberger KaleidophonUlrichsberg, AustriaApril 30–May 2This concise, adventurous festival in northernAustria, close to the Bohemian Forest, expertlyprograms a series of cutting-edge improvisationdominated by important groundbreakers in

European music, with a meaningful nod tosome American vanguardists.Lineup: Henry Threadgill Zooid, Lotte

Anker/Gerald Cleaver/Craig Taborn,Johannes Bauer/ElisabethHarnik/Clayton Thomas, TobiasDelius/Joe Williamson/SteveHeather, more.

More info: jazzatelier.at

International Oeiras Jazz CycleOeiras, PortugalMay 7–22Two weekends of jazz concerts in the town ofOeiras, beautiful gardens and palaces and ahistorical area with many restaurants. The townis by the Atlantic Ocean, 15 miles away fromLisbon. The concerts will take place at theEunice Muñoz AuditoriumLineup: Donny McCaslin, Don Byron,

Edward Simon, Jamie Baum.More info: cm-oeiras.pt

New Conversations—Vicenza JazzVicenza, ItalyMay 7–15This energetic, sprawling festival, now in its 15thyear, presents a heady mix of concerts in a vari-ety of venues and clubs, including theRenaissance-era Teatro Olimpico, opened backin 1585—the oldest active indoor theater in theworld. International and local artists make for asuperb line-up, including night jam sessions.Lineup: Brad Mehldau & Joshua Redman,

Gonzalo Rubalcaba, McCoy TynerQuartet, Kurt Rosenwinkel, JeffBallard Trio, more.

More info: vicenzajazz.org

Matosinhos JazzMatosinhos Portugal May 13-15In this fishing town close to Oporto, the newarchitecture and historical monuments createthis festival’s unique setting. This year has anemphasis on pianists. The festival will takeplace at Exponor Auditorium.Lineup: Matosinhos Jazz Orchestra,

Bernardo Sassetti Trio, DianneReeves, more.

More info: cm-matosinhos.pt

Moers FestivalMoers, GermanyMay 21–24Americans may know this festival primarilythrough the recordings it once released bysome of the most progressive jazz and newmusic artists of the ’70s and ’80s—FredAnderson, Rhys Chatham, Anthony Braxton—but the event that spawned all of them carrieson with a dynamic mixture of artists.Lineup: Terje Rypdal’s Crime Scene with

the Bergen Big Band, SteveLehman Octet, Peter BrötzmannChicago Tentet, Matana Roberts,Bill Frisell-Arve Henriksen, ArtoLindsay Band, more.

More info: moers-festival.de

Stockholm Jazz FestivalStockholm, SwedenJune 10–12This year’s concerts for the 27th Edition of theStockholm Jazz Festival will be held at theMuseum of Modern Art on the beautiful islandSkeppsholmen, with additional concerts andjam sessions each night at Fasching, the mosthistory-rich club in Sweden.Lineup: Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, The

Brand New Heavies, GretchenParlato, more.

More info: stockholmjazz.com

Iford Festival 2010Brandford on Avon, EnglandJune 11–12, August 14Three nights of jazz make up the IfordFestival. The first night features Clare Teal aswell as Swinging the Classics. The secondnight, Midsummer Jazz, includes The RedStripe Band and The Kremlinaires and thefinal night, labeled Another World, is held inAugust and features La Timbala.Lineup: Clare Teal, Swinging the Classics

with Tim Kliphuis, more.More info: ifordarts.co.uk

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JazzAsconaAscona, SwitzerlandJune 24–July 4“New Standards” is the theme for this festivalby Lake Maggiore. Around 250 artists willperform 200 concerts on 12 stages.Traditional jazz with an emphasis on NewOrleans is the focus.Lineup: Wycliffe Gordon, Herlin Riley, Jay

Leonhart, Milano Jazz Gang, more.More info: jazzascona.ch

Jazz À Vienne Vienne, FranceJune 25–July 9With 160,000 people attending the variousconcerts, Vienne is one of the major jazzevents in Europe. The festival will celebrate its30th anniversary this summer, mixing straigh-tahead jazz with pop acts. The festival makesthe most of its various stages, including theprestigious Roman theatre for the biggernames, the Midnight Club devoted to the rising stars.Lineup: Roy Hargrove, David Sanborn, Diana

Krall, Keith Jarrett, more.More info: jazzavienne.com

Ljubljana Jazz FestivalLjubljana, SloveniaJune 29–July 3Jazz Festival Ljubjana is an expertly pro-grammed, wide-spectrum festival. The venuesrange from club spaces to a covered ampithe-ater and are within walking distance. Check outthe view from the hilltop castle.Lineup: Joe Lovano and Big Band RTV

Slovenia, Kip Hanrahan & BeautifulScars, Mulatu Astatke &Helliocentrics, Moscow Art Trio,Samo Salamon Trio, more.

More info: ljubljanajazz.si

JazzBaltica Salzau, GermanyJune 30–July 4This northern Germany event will celebrate its20th anniversary. Longtime musical compan-ions will perform in a variety of projects. Theaudience can also look forward to many newfaces on the program. In 2010 there are twoArtists in Residence: Nils Landgren andMichael Wollny. Lineup: Hank Jones, Don Friedman, Joe

Locke, Charles Lloyd, Dave Holland,Chris Potter, more.

More info: jazzbaltica.de

Jazzfest WienVienna, AustriaJune 30–July 9This splendid European capital plays host tonearly six dozen acts from around the globe ina variety of historically important venues andsmall clubs. This year features a big open-air

concert at Fernwärme, an architecturally daz-zling, environmentally green heating plant.Lineup: James Carter Quartet, Gerald

Clayton Trio, Manu Katché, Portico,Melody Gardot, WolfgangMuthspiel/Ralph Towner/SlavaGregorjyan, more.

More info: viennajazz.org

Lakeside (Puisto) Blues FestivalJarvenpaa, FinlandJune 30–July 4One of Europe’s premier festivals, started in1978, takes over this modest-sized city north ofHelsinki for five days with dozens of musicianson “Blues Street,” in four clubs and at a grandconcert, July 3, in an attractive park settingalongside Lake Tuusula.Lineup: TBA.More info: puistoblues.com

Copenhagen Jazz FestivalCopenhagen, DenmarkJuly 2–11Copenhagen always delivers with a sublime pro-gram of international A-list talent that neveredges out its own Nordic jazz greats. This festivaltakes up the entire city; its friendliness and walk-ability make the event all the more attractive.Lineup: TBA.More info: jazzfestival.dk

Estoril JazzEstoril, PortugalJuly 2–11Estoril Jazz takes place in the sea-coast townof Estoril near Lisbon. All the concerts will takeplace at the Casino Estoril.Lineup: Renee Rosnes, Wallace Roney,

Grace Kelly, Charles Lloyd,Esperanza Spalding, Dee DeeBridgewater, more.

More info: projazz.pt

Montreux Jazz FestivalMontreux, SwitzerlandJuly 2–17Now in its 44th year, the Montreux Jazz Festivalcontinues its music extravaganza in style with anarray of ticketed concerts in large halls and dailyfree concerts along the lake and in hotels aroundthe festival site. Not a pure jazz festival, but awell-balanced mix of jazz, blues and beyond.Lineup: Mark Knopfler, Sophie Hunger,

Mumford & Sons, more.More info: montreuxjazz.com

Kongsberg Jazz FestivalKongsberg, NorwayJuly 7–10Every summer this lovely old silver miningtown—the inspiration for Sonny Rollins’ classic“Silver City”—located 90 minutes from Oslodoubles in size for the four days of this eclecticfestival. The varied lineup is always impressive,



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but what sets Kongsberg apart is the focus onScandinavia’s best artists.Lineup: Lonely Women with David Murray,

Ketil Bjørnstad-Svante Henryson,McCoy Tyner Trio with Joe Lovano,Bill Frisell Trio, Jaga Jazzist, more.

More info: kongsberg-jazzfestival.no

Funchal Jazz FestivalFunchal, PortugalJuly 8–10While hit with devastating mudslides a fewmonths ago, Funchal still intends to celebrateits 11th annual jazz festival.Lineup: Al Di Meola, Esperanza Spalding,

Kenny Barron, David Sanchez, JaneDuboc, Colina Serrano Project,Vozes 3.

More info: funchaljazzfestival.com

Gent Jazz FestivalGent, BelgiumJuly 8–18This picturesque port and university town inFlemish Belgium hosts a major jazz festival, alongwith numerous examples of medieval architec-ture. It also presents its Django D’Or Award tooutstanding musicians from around Europe.Lineup: Vijay Iyer, Ornette Coleman, Norah

Jones, Pat Metheny, Chick Coreaand Roy Haynes, more.

More info: gentjazz.com

North Sea Jazz FestivalRotterdam, The NetherlandsJuly 9–11This year the expansive North Sea Jazz Festivalcelebrates two anniversaries: its 35th year over-all, and its fifth year at the Ahoy Complex inRotterdam. Attendance estimates range from60,000 to 70,000 people at this three-day bashthat teems with 200-plus jazz, blues and popacts on 15 stages. The majority of the showsare free for general admission. Lineup: Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Chick

Corea Freedom Band, Sonny Rollins,Toumani Diabate and BassekouKouate, Concha Buika and DarcyJames Argue’s Secret Society.

More info: northseajazz.com

Umbria Jazz FestivalPerugia, ItalyJuly 9–18One of Europe’s most grand and classy affairs,the Umbria Jazz Festival celebrates its 37th yearcomplete with street parades, midnight con-certs, headliner shows in the 5,000-capacityoutdoor Arena Santa Giuliana and premiere jazzperformed in the exquisite Morlacchi Theateropera house. Most of the shows are ticketed,but there’s a wide variety of open-air free musicthroughout the day on three stages, includingrousing performances at Piazza IV Novembre,which holds 10,000 people.

Lineup: Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, ChickCorea Freedom Band (with KennyGarrett, Christian McBride and RoyHaynes), Melody Gardot, ManhattanTransfer and Mark Knopfler’s band.

More info: umbriajazz.com

Aarhus Jazz FestivalAarhus, DenmarkJuly 10–17While not as well known as the CopenhagenJazz Festival, this Danish festival packs a wallopof talent, culled from the U.S., Cuba, theCaribbean, Africa, Europe and Scandinavia.Lineup: TBA.More info: jazzfest.dk

Jazz Vitoria-GasteizVitoria-Gasteiz, SpainJuly 10–17Set in an ancient city in the heart of Spain’sBasque region, the festival keeps traditionalSpanish time. Events begin with late-afternoonrecitals in a gorgeous theatre, move to a localbasketball arena for headline concerts and con-tinue late into the night with well-organized jamsessions anchored by some of the New YorkCity’s best players.Lineup: Freedom Band with Chick Corea,

Roy Haynes, Kenny Garrett andChristian McBride, Paco de Lucía,Buddy Guy, more.

More info: jazzvitoria.com

Festival Jazz À Sète Sète, FranceJuly 12–17Set in the beautiful Theatre de la Mer that looksout on the sea, Jazz À Sète has been growingsteadily for the past 14 years. They have alsosecured a place for the original spirit of the festi-val with artists in the Django Reinhardt tradition.Lineup: George Benson, Melody Gardot,

Angelo Debarre, Brand NewHeavies, more.

More info: jazzasete.com

Bohemia JazzfestVarious Cities, Czech RepublicJuly 13–17 & July 22–25The largest jazz festival in the Czech Republicoffers a series of free outdoor jazz concerts onbeautiful town squares in the cities of Domazlice,Plzen, Tabor, Brno, Prachatice, CeskeBudejovice and the stunning baroque capital ofPrague. Run by Rudy Linka, the Prague-born,internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist, BohemiaJazzfest has succeeded in presenting a dynamicmix of top European and North American artistssince its inception in 2005.Lineup: Yellowjackets, Dr. Lonnie Smith,

Stanley Clarke Group, BelaFleck/Zakir Hussain/Edgar MaierTrio, more TBA.

More info: bohemiajazzfest.com

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Roy Haynes,Esperanza Spalding,Hank Jones.

More info: jazzaldia.com

Siena JazzSiena, ItalyJuly 24–August 7Jazz students attend the educational workshop compo-nents of this fest while its con-certs are open to the public.Master classes and jam ses-sions mix Italian artists and stu-dents with international players.Lineup: TBA. Last year’s

performers includedMiguel Zenón, Eddie Henderson and George Garzone.

More info: sienajazz.it

Pori Jazz FestivalPori, FinlandJuly 17–25One of the oldest jazz events in Scandinavia,the Pori Jazz Festival continues to bring world-class jazz talent while also expanding the musi-cal scope to include hip-hop, soul, funk, Cubanand Brazilian music, not to mention its home-grown European talent.Lineup: TBA.More info: porijazz.fi

Jazz In MarciacMarciac, FranceJuly 30–August 15As one of the main European festivals, Marciachas always offered high-profile bills for the gen-eral public and has represented a wide spec-

Jazz À JuanAntibes-Juan Les Pins, FranceJuly 14–25To celebrate its 50th birthday anniversary,Jazz À Juan is conducting a series of eventsfrom April to August that feature lectures,parades and exhibitions. The Gould Theatre,which is right by the sea, has always hostedprestigious bills.Lineup: Keith Jarrett, Marcus Miller, David

Sanborn, more.More info: antibesjuanlespins.com

MoldeJazzMolde, NorwayJuly 19–24This Norwegian seaside town hosts one ofEurope’s most innovative festivals and this yearmarks its golden jubilee. Norwegian trumpeterNils Petter Molvaer is this year’s artist-in-resi-dence, and the rest of the schedule mixesAmericans with European innovators in jazz,experimental music and a touch of pop.Lineup: Sonny Rollins, Peter Brötzmann, Jeff

Beck, Herbie Hancock, Fly, BobbyMcFerrin, Sidsel Endresen, FarmersMarket, Irene Schweizer, more.

More info: moldejazz.no

Heineken JazzaldiaSan Sebastian, SpainJuly 21–25Spotlighting straightahead and modern jazz in ascenic and culinary paradise, the 45th edition ofthis event brings together a diverse program ofglobal artists. Many free shows are held on aterrace beside a beach, which accommodatesmore than 10,000 people.Lineup: TBA. Last year’s performers included

trum of the contemporary jazz scene. Themusic outside the main venue during the dayis plentiful and by no means a lesser programthan the evening concerts. The village ofMarciac and the surrounding countryside inthe southwest of France is also of particularinterest in itself as a place for summer holiday. Lineup: TBA.More info: jazzinmarciac.com

Jazz Em AgostoLisbon, PortugalAugust 6–8 & August 13–15Occurring over two consecutive weekends,this is one of Europe’s most thoughtfullycurated festivals. Concerts, films and discus-sions feature some of the leading lights inEuropean and American improvised music,with influential veterans sharing the stagewith edgy newcomers. Concerts take placeat the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, amodern art center.Lineup: John Surman-Jack DeJohnette,

Evan Parker Electro-AcousticEnsemble, Circulasione TotaleOrchestra, more.

More info: musica/gulbenkian.pt/jazz

Gouvy Jazz & Blues FestivalGouvy, BelgiumAugust 8“Gouvy is Groovy” is again the rallying cry forClaude Lentz’s friendly outdoor show atMadelonne Farm, close to the Luxembourgborder. The host family brews its own festivalbeer. Top talent is imported from the UnitedStates and Great Britain. Lineup: Shawn Pittman, Eugene Hideaway

Bridges Blues Band, Stan Webb’sChicken Shack, others TBA.

More info: gouvy.eu/jazz&blues

Nisville Jazz FestivalNis, SerbiaAugust 12–15This long-running, truly international festivalwill feature artists from 35 countries. Thenucleus of the party is the grounds of a

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2,000-year-old fortress site. Straightaheadjazz, soul, blues and some fascinating southern European traditions attract a diverse, multigenerational crowd.Lineup: Roy Hargrove, Kenny Werner,

Manu Dibango, Solomon Burke,Slivovitz, more.

More info: nisville.com

At the Borders of Sardinia and JazzSant’Anna Arresi, ItalyAugust 24–30This Italian festival, on the island of Sardinia, is a trusted, forward-thinking showcase of both adventurous jazz explorers and morestraightahead masters.Lineup: Sunny Murray, Charles Gayle, Henry

Grimes, Alan Silva, Radu Ben Juda,David Pleasant, Geg Montgomery,Nick Gianni, Mikel Prester, WilliamParker, Evan Parker, more.

More info: santannaresijazz.it

Jazz Festival WillisauWillisau, SwitzerlandAugust 25–29A mix of straightahead, avant-garde and Africanmusic is usually presented at this festival in amedieval Swiss town. Visitors can spend theweekend camping at the festival.Lineup: TBA.More info: jazzwillisau.ch

Ischia Piano and Jazz FestivalLacco Ameno, Ischia Island, ItalyAugust 25–28In its debut year, the Ischai Piano & JazzFestival features marquee star Chick Coreaperforming unique shows—playing solo, duowith Stefano Bollani and in a trio setting withMiroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes. At the HotelRegina Isabella, Allan Harris kicks off the open-ing gala and then settles in each evening.Lineup: Chick Corea, more.More info: pianoejazz.it

International Jazz FestivalSaalfeldenSaalfelden, AustriaAugust 26–29This ambitious festival occurs every August inthis small city in the state of Salzburg, in theAlps. Last year’s event marked the forward-looking festival’s 30th anniversary.Lineup: TBA. Lasy year included Ornette

Coleman, ROVA, Vijay Iyer.More info: jazzsaalfelden.com

Roma Jazz’s Cool FestivalRome, ItalyAugust 30–September 5This festival, which is associated with an inter-national jazz workshop, features musiciansteaching classes during the day and performing

at night. Expect collaborations among Italianand other international jazz artists.Lineup: Roberta Gambarini, Clarence Penn,

Jonathan Kreisberg, AaronGoldberg, more.

More info: jazzscool.it

Akbank Jazz FestivalIstanbul, TurkeySeptember 23–October 3Turkey’s most progressive festival, now cele-brating its 20th anniversary, features formalconcerts at the Cemal Resit Ray theater andmore cutting-edge fare at the Babylon night-club and other intimate spots.Lineup: John Surman, Miroslav Vitous, Nils

Petter Molvaer, Ahmad Jamal, more.More info: akbankcaz.com

Voll-Damm BarcelonaBarcelona, SpainOctober 17–November 27Try to revel in this fest’s two-month entirety,since in addition to the shows you’ll want toexplore every alley and museum in the city.Throughout the course of the marathon jazzparty there will be 50 concerts. This yearBarcelona will present its honored third goldmedal award to Sonny Rollins on Nov. 3 at theAuditori de Barcelona.Lineup: TBA.More info: barcelonajazzfestival.com

Salzburger Jazz-Herbst Salzburg, AustriaOctober 28–November 7With more than 50,000 visitors attending morethan 100 events, Salzburger Jazz-Herbst hasbeen expanding since its inception in 1996.Performances take place in elegant concerthalls as well as in clubs and outdoor venues.Lineup: Terence Blanchard Quintet,

Brad Mehldau, Jane Monheit, Ron Carter, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves.

More info: salzburgerjazzherbst.at

JazzFest BerlinBerlin, GermanyNovember 4–7Germany’s most prestigious jazz festival typical-ly makes room for important international fig-ures as well as local up-and-comers.Lineup: TBA.More info: jazzfest-berlin.de

London Jazz FestivalLondon, EnglandNovember 12–21Jazz in the London metropolis gets even biggerduring this festival, which is held across the cityin large venues (such as the Barbican) and ven-erable clubs like Ronnie Scott’s.Lineup: TBA. More info: londonjazzfestival.org.uk


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Melbourne InternationalJazz FestivalMelbourne, AustraliaMay 1–8This year’s edition is built aroundseveral “program streams” likeModern Masters, which includesCharles Lloyd with both his newquartet and Sangam, theMelbourne Symphony Orchestra’sMetropolis Series, which exploresconnections between improvisationand symphonic music, andOverground: A Festival Within aFestival, featuring Han Bennink,Peter Brötzmann and a strongcontingent of Australian improviserslike pianist Anthony Pateras andtrumpeter Scott Tinkler. Lineup: John Abercrombie,

Mutatu Astatke, TheClaudia Quintet, NelsCline, Ahmad Jamal,Jason Moran, MikeNock, more.

More info: melbournejazz.com

Rio Das Ostras Jazz and Blues FestivalRio Das Ostras, BrazilJune 2–6This outdoor and indoor festivalheld on the stunning beach in Riode Janeiro state offers hours ofmusic on various stages. Thenumerous bars and restaurantsinvolved offer a harvest of Brazil’scuisine and cocktails.Lineup: TBA.More info: riodasostrasjazzeblues.com

Red Sea Jazz FestivalEliat Harbor, IsraelAugust 23–26 The festival provides something ofa biblical setting for jazz. The book-ings at the 4,000-seat Arena afforda view of the Red Sea. Under thedirection of bassist Avishai Cohen,Israel’s best-known jazzman, thefour-day festival presents no lessthan nine acts each night, coveringa wide spectrum of music. Thebookings of leading guitarists suchas John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkeland Lionel Loueke could set thetone for this year’s edition.

Lineup: John Scofield, Dafnis Prieto, KurtRosenwinkel, PaquitoD’Rivera, Lionel Loueke,Jean-Michel Pilc, more.

More info: redseajazzeilat.com

Curaçao North Sea Jazz FestivalPiscadera Bay, CuraçaoSeptember 3–4This is the introductory year for Curaçao North Sea JazzFestival, which will feature aCaribbean flair fitting for this island in the Lesser Antilles.Lineup: John Legend,

Sergio Mendes, MichelCamilo Trio, GeorgeBenson, La India andLui Enrique.

More info: curacaonorthseajazz.com

Tudo É JazzOuro Preto, BrazilSeptember 15–19Located about 275 miles north ofRio, this festival is a world-classevent. The main indoor venue forpaid concerts seats less than1,000, and free performances arestaged in a nearby churchyard.Lineup: TBA. Last year included

Brad Mehldau, AvishaiCohen, LeonardoCiaglia.

More info: tudoejazz.com.br

International Jazzuv FestivalXalapa, MexicoNovember 9–14This is the third year of an this festi-val in Veracruz, which is connectedwith the local university (Universi-dad Veracruzana). The interactionamong artists, students and audi-ences includes concerts, masterclasses, jam sessions and confer-ences. The Gulf of Mexico beach isone hour away. Lineup: McCoy Tyner, Jack

DeJonhette, MulgrewMiller, Ray Drummond,Lewis Nash, JohnRamsay, Jason Palmer,Francisco Mela, more.

Other International

Listings compiled by: Fred Bouchard, Aaron Cohen, Jenny Domine, Ed Enright,John Ephland, Eric Fine, Frank-John Hadley, James Hale, Michael Jackson, KatieKailus, Yoshi Kato, Peter Margasak, John Murph, Dan Ouellette, António Rubio,Bill Shoemaker and Jean Szlamowicz.

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The P. Mauriat PMT-700 B-flat professional trum-pet balances its lightweight bell with a heavy-weight mid-section. The light finger buttons, recessedvalve caps and heavyweight bottom caps not only addto the distinctive look of the horn but simply feel great tothe touch. The horn features a free-blowing 11.68 mm medi-um-large bore, a 122 mm yellow brass bell and stainless steel,hand-lapped valves.

I tried both the lacquered matte and silver plated models. Bothhorns feel very light and balanced in your hands, and both slottedwell and responded evenly throughout all registers. I was particularlystruck by how live the lacquered matte horn felt. It was incrediblyresponsive, requiring very little effort to produce a warm, full sound.After playing only a few notes, I was drawn to toss on a JameyAebersold play-along to see how soloing on the horn would feel. Itdidn’t disappoint. The horn simply requires less work—once I backedoff on the pressure and effort, it really began to sing for me.

Jazz and lead trumpet player Pete Olstad, who endorses the 700Gmodel, says he has found the one horn that he needs for all his work.“I was impressed by how well in tune the horn played and the ease

and stability of the upper register,” he said.“P. Mauriat didn’t want to produce a copy of something already out

there,” said Dan Greenberg of MonteVerde Music, the North Americandistributor for P. Mauriat instruments. “They wanted to produce a newhorn, but something well constructed with high-quality brass that theycould still sell at a competitive price point.”

If the company was looking to produce a solid, distinct horn, they’vereached their goal. —Mike Pavlik

Zildjian has made three outstanding new addi-tions to its K and K Constantinople lineswith the 22-inch Bounce Ride, the 22-inchThin Ride/Over Hammered Ride andthe 20-inch K Light Flat Ride.

The 22-inch K ConstantinopleBounce Ride was designed in con-junction with jazz drummer KennyWashington. It features wide lathing,a relatively thin weight (2,400 gramson my review cymbal) and a wider,lower-profile bell. The Bounce Ride fea-tures eight different “over hammered”areas, giving the cymbals’ sound a little moretrashiness.

The K Constantinople Bounce Ride is one of themost outstanding jazz rides Zildjian has produced in more than30 years. If you prefer the sound of the Turkish-made Zildjian K’s fromthe 1940s–1960s (as most jazz drummers do), this cymbal comes reallyclose. In a live situation the cymbal performed beautifully, providinggreat stick definition at all dynamic ranges coupled with a shimmering,dark wash underneath. The cymbal can explode when accented orshoulder crashed but quickly gets out of the way. The bell is sonicallywell integrated with the cymbal and has a darker sound. Mallet rolls onthe cymbal draw out beautifully dark and complex colors.

The 22-inch K Constantinople Thin Ride/Over Hammered weighs amere 2,250 grams (on my review cymbal), but has outstanding stickdefinition for being so thin. The cymbal has little flex to it and has ahigh bow, giving it a higher pitch with less wash and overtones. The

top surface of the cymbal features severalsmall-peen “over hammering” areas to

give the cymbal a drier sound.In a live situation, this cymbal real-

ly shines on up-tempo stick pat-terns and faster straight-eighthpatterns. There is a controlled,underlying wash that is presentbut never gets in the way. Theoverall sound of the cymbal is

drier, but the thin weight makesshoulder crashing possible. The bell

is excellent and blends well with theoverall sound of the cymbal.

The 20-inch K Light Flat Ride has a beauti-ful combination of stick definition coupled with a

wispy, breathy bed of wash underneath. It weighs in at anultra-thin 1,785 grams (on my test cymbal). The top surface featuresvery large hammering and tight pin-style lathing. This is not a particu-larly loud cymbal, but in a trio or quartet setting it really works well.From playing a straight-eighth feel to playing delicately behind a basssolo, it does it all and has a wide range of sounds available, which israre in a flat ride.

Zildjian has three fantastic new offerings with these cymbals. Whilethese sonically complex and thin cymbals are obviously targeted moretoward jazz players, they would work well in a variety of other low- tomedium-volume musical situations. —Ryan Bennett

P. Mauriat PMT-700: Well-BalancedTrumpet

Ordering info: zildjian.com»

Ordering info: monteverdemusic.com»

Zildjian K Rides: High-Definition Sticking

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Jazz saxophonists looking for a more contemporary popsound can turn to a couple of different metal mouthpiecelines from Remle Musical Products for some serioustone-enhancing options.

The Beechler Bellite mouthpiece is cast from hardstainless steel that provides a quickened response timeand brings out the brilliance of naturally produced over-tones. The alto and tenor models have a medium-highbaffle and an open chamber, which supports a bright,contemporary sound that’s especially useful when play-ing in bands with electric instruments or recording withMIDI tracks. The Bellite baritone and soprano models fea-ture an open baffle and open chamber, allowing for morerounded, yet still edgy, tonal production.

Remle’s ARB metal sax mouthpiece has a high baffleand a step-off chamber (on alto, tenor and bari) to allowfor a deep, versatile tone that transitions well fromextreme brightness to a dark, mellow timbre thatapproaches woodiness. (The ARB soprano has a medi-um open chamber and medium baffle, making it a littleeasier to control.) Modeled after the old Level-Air mouth-pieces designed by Arnold Brilhart, the ARB metal fea-tures a machined facing that combines geometric curvesand parabolas for consistent response throughout theentire range of the sax.

I play-tested the Beechler Bellite tenor model in two different sizes(B82-6 and B82-7), filling the room with a pretty sound that required nopushing; when I applied a little muscle, the Bellite responded withenough grit to significanlty sharpen the tonal edge. My low end sound-ed noticeably fatter and freer-blowing on the size #7, and the upperregister felt a little more resistant on the #6.

On bari, I tried an ARB metal (A83-6) and was immediatleyimpressed by the enhanced power and enormous sound it allowedme to produce up and down the horn. It played just like a BrilhartLevel-Air, only brighter, with a focused tone that projected like a rocket.

The tenor ARB Custom metal (C13-6)—which has slightly moresophisticated internal contours than the regular ARB metal—was my

favorite of the tenor mouthpieces from Remle. It blew openly in all reg-isters and had the best intonation of all the models I tried, plus a slight-ly darker, more sophisticated tone. Like the Bellite, the ARB metalsounded great on ballads, repsonding sweetly with a minimum ofeffort and wind support.

Remle’s metal sax mouthpieces have a streamlined exterior designand are great for players with smaller mouths. They also fit tightly onthe neck-cork compared to other mouthpiece lines. If you ever want totake a walk on the bright side of playing sax, check ’em out. They arealso reasonably priced, as most models reviewed here list in the$300–$400 range. —Ed Enright

Ordering info: beechler.com»

Metal Mouthpieces From Remle: The Bright Side Of Saxophonics

Kurzweil has introduced thePC3LE6, PC3LE7 and PC3LE8performance controller key-boards. The keyboards featureKurzweil’s PC3 with a newstreamlined, intelligent userinterface. The 61-, 76- and 88-note professional keyboardsprovide natural, semi-weightedactions with velocity- and after-touch-sensitive keys.

The user interfaces of thePC3LE6, PC3LE7 and PC3LE8are designed for a quick learn-ing curve and ease of use. Move any knob, button or wheel and the LEwill display the name, value and parameter being controlled. Allchanges are tracked in real time, including changes to effects chains.

Keyboard setup is fast and flexible. Setup mode enables the PC3LEs to act as MIDI controllers, with 16 independent, fully programma-ble arpeggiators that can be mapped to 16 zones and 16 simultane-ous riffs.

THe PC3LE series offers 64 voices of polyphony, all the DSP powerof the PC3 and up to 10 available insert effects. String sections, vintagekeys, virtual analog, B3 organs and pianos—as well as drums, basses,guitars, voices and horns—are all well represented in a sound set thatnumbers more than 1,050. —Ed Enright

Ordering info: kurzweil.com»

Kurzweil PC3LE Series: High-Performance Keyboard Controllers

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1 New StrengthBari Woodwind Supplies hasadded two new strengths,medium hard (3.5–4) andmedium soft (2.5–3), to itssynthetic composite reedlines. The reeds play immedi-ately and provide saxophoneand clarinet players with con-sistent response. They don’twarp or squeak, regardless of environment. MSRP: original, $14.18; Star, $21.More info: cavanaughcompany.com

2 Shaker On A StickRhythm Tech has teamed upwith NYC session player andeducator Billy Ward to developthe Stickball, a percussiveshaker effect that easily slips on and off any drum stick. With a list price of $19.95, the Stickball offers a classicdry shaker sound that mini-mizes the weight/feel changesof putting a shaker on a drum-stick. It holds securely withoutthe use of a wing nut or othertightening mechanism.More info: rhythmtech.com

3 Signature Tenor ReedsLégère has introducedSignature Series syntheticreeds for tenor saxophone.The reeds are made using thesame technology as the com-pany’s Signature Series clar-inet reeds, which are used byBarnaby Robson (principalclarinet of the Philharmonia inLondon), Larry Combs (formerprincipal of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra)and John Moses (a leading session and pit pro in New York). Like all Légère reeds, the Signature Series for tenor are available in 1/4 strengths.More info: legere.com

4 Blue Note Sax StrapsRico has developed a line of saxophone strapsfeaturing Blue Note Records session photogra-phy and time-honored artwork from the cata-log’s classic album covers. Straps include theTrue Blue (from the 1960 album featuring sax-ophonist Tina Brooks), Afro-Cuban (the 1955recording by trumpeter Kenny Dorham thatfeatured the Jazz Messengers ensemble,including Hank Mobley on tenor sax and Cecil

Payne on baritone sax) and Black Fire (the1963 Blue Note debut from pianist Andrew Hillfeaturing Joe Henderson on tenor sax). Eachstrap features Rico’s curved hook and easyslide adjustor. Straps are available in twolengths, one for soprano/alto and one fortenor/bari. MSRP: $35. More info: ricoreeds.com

Remote Jamming (not pictured)

Jamming over the Internet in sync—withundetectable latency and uncompressed, CD-quality audio—is now a reality with the intro-duction of the jamLink. The jamLink is anInternet audio device that enables musiciansto play together and collaborate in real timefrom multiple locations as far away as 500

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miles. Beyond that distance, jamLink userscan still write songs together, produce remotesessions and give lessons in high-qualityaudio. All you need is your instrument and a high-speed broadband connection.

The jamLink works with guitars, keyboards,drums and vocals—any instrument or micthat has a 1/4-inch instrument output.Musicians, singers and songwriters are nowable to collaborate without sacrificing audioquality or accounting for latency. Controlledeasily by popular Web browsers, no addition-al software or audio hardware is required. The jamLink requires upstream bandwidth of 1Mbps (or 1,000 kbps) and downstreambandwidth of 2Mbps (or 2,000 kbps). More info: musicianlink.com

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MASTER CLASSby J.B. Dyas, Ph.D

For the past 20-plus years, I’vehad the honor of teaching in awide variety of didactic situa-tions, from jazz camps and per-forming arts high schools touniversities and prestigious jazzinstitutes. If you were toapproach each of the incrediblejazz masters and pedagoguesI’ve taught alongside and askthem, “What’s the best way tolearn how to play jazz?” you’resure to get many, many differ-ent answers: go to school, don’tgo to school, go to New York,go to New Orleans, transcrip-tion books are a great tool,using transcription books ischeating, look at your band-mates, close your eyes, and the contradictions go on and on.

However, while professional jazz musicians might disagree on justabout everything else, I’ve found there are two areas in which just abouteveryone is in accord, and vehemently so. Whether their specialty is tradi-tional, bebop, contemporary, or anything in between, it’s been my experi-ence that most great jazz players advocate that in order to play this musicyou must 1) listen to it constantly, and 2) memorize a whole lot of tunes—at least a couple hundred. Since virtually everyone’s favorite players agreethat these two activities are vital to becoming a jazz musician, it neverceases to amaze me that so many students have to run to a fakebook toplay “What Is This Thing Called Love” or even “Billie’s Bounce”! Tuneilliteracy among young up-and-coming jazz players is far too rampant.

To help fight this malady, I’ve put together a systematic method formemorizing and, equally important, retaining the essential standard jazzrepertoire (there’s nothing worse than finding yourself on a gig and havinga tune called that you “used to know”). Also equally if not more importantis thoroughly listening to the definitive recordings; that is, learning theintros, rhythmic hits, harmony parts, backgrounds, endings and whateverelse those in the know, know. And, of course, transcribing at least a phraseor two from your favorite solo on each tune provides you with additionalvocabulary and insight, not to mention credibility when you quote it, indi-cating to your peers that you, too, are in the know.

Following is a list of nine sequential steps for learning any tune:

1) Listen to the definitive recording numerous times.2) Memorize the form.

Common forms include:• 12-bar blues (e.g., “Tenor Madness,” “Now’s The Time,” “Mr.

PC,” “Footprints,” “Blues For Alice”)• 16-bar tune (e.g., “Watermelon Man,” “Cantaloupe Island,”

“Blue Bossa,” “Summertime,” “Doxy”)• AABA (e.g., “I Got Rhythm,” “Impressions,” “Maiden Voyage,”

“Satin Doll,” “Body And Soul”)• ABAC (e.g., “All Of Me,” “All Of You,” “On Green

Dolphin Street”)Uncommon forms include:

• AAB (e.g., “Song For My Father”)• AABC (e.g., “Autumn Leaves”)

Be on the lookout for tunes with other odd forms, for example:• “Alone Together”: AABA' (14-bar first A, 14-bar second A,

8-bar bridge and 8-bar last A)• “Moment’s Notice”: ABAB'V (8-bar first A, 8-bar first B,

8-bar second A, 6-bar second B, 8-bar vamp with B-flat pedal)

• “Peace”: 10-bar tune• “Stablemates”: ABA (14-bar first A, 8-bar bridge,

14-bar last A)• “Yes Or No”: AABA (14-bar A sections with a

16-bar bridge)3) Memorize the root movement; play roots with definitive or play-along

recording.4) Memorize the chord qualities; play chords (arpeggios in quarter notes)

with play-along recording as follows:• 1–3–5–7–9 for chords lasting two bars (have the 9th sustain

for the second bar)• 1–3–5–7 for chords lasting one bar• 1–3 for chords lasting two beats• For II–V–I progressions in major, play:

• For II–V–I progressions in minor, play:

Also practice having the final 7th in the penultimate measure resolve tothe 6th (instead of the 9th) in the last measure.

5) Play related scales in eighth notes (if the chord lasts for two bars, havethe 9th sustain for the second bar; for chords lasting two beats, just play1–2–3–4).

6) Memorize the head; play with definitive and play-along recordingswhile thinking of the changes.

7) Improvise with play-along recording.8) Transcribe phrases from definitive recording.9) Improvise with play-along recording, incorporating phrases transcribed

from the definitive recording.

By executing these basic steps, you will not only thoroughly know theroot movement, chord qualities and head of each new tune you learn, youwill have internalized their definitive recordings, one of the most impor-tant aspects of becoming a good jazz player. And, through this process,you will also learn how chords progress, understand substitutions, havehundreds of quotable phrases for improvisation, develop your ear and timefeel, have credibility and be employable.

The list of “must-know” tunes can be found in the book PocketChanges along with their most common chord progressions. I also rec-ommend David Baker’s book How to Learn Tunes (both availablethrough jazzbooks.com). Please stay tuned for my methodic procedurefor memorizing, reviewing and retaining all the tunes on the list in part 2of this article in an upcoming issue. DB

Methods For Fighting The Epidemic Of Tune Illiteracy

Dr. J.B. Dyas currently serves as Vice President for Education and CurriculumDevelopment for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.

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Woodshed SOLOby Jimi Durso

The amount of rhythmic virtuosity tenor saxo-phonist Dexter Gordon exhibits on his “’RoundMidnight” solo from 1976’s live albumHomecoming is nothing short of sublime. Themanner with which he plays with rhythmic ele-ments, creating a sense of elastic time againstthe rhythm section’s steady pulse, is a study increative soloing.

First: his expertise with subdivisions.Gordon switches between duple and triple feelswith ease, sometimes back and forth in thesame measure. Measure 11, where he places atriplet in the middle of two groups of 16ths, isan especially good example of his mastery ofthese elements. Another example is measure23, with Gordon playing a beat of triplets, twobeats of 16ths and then another beat of triplets.

Also check out the variety of different sub-divisions he uses. Besides the standard eighths,triplets and 16ths, we see sextuplets and 16th-note triplets (1, 4, 5, 9, 13, 21, 24, 33), 16thsinserted into eighth-note triplets (2, 13, 16, 18,31), 32nds (15, 20, 26, 32), as well as somemore esoteric rhythms such as in the last beatof the very first measure, where Gordon insertsa triplet within a triplet. In measure 4, a quintu-plet is placed between the duple and sextupletrhythms, creating a sense of speeding up.

There are other examples of Gordon creat-ing this illusion of tempo change by varying hisrhythms. In measures 6 and 7 he starts with16ths, slows down to triplets and ends thephrase with 16ths again. In measure 23 Gordondoes the opposite, starting with triplets, speed-ing up into 16ths and then back to triplets.

Another poignant example is the last lick heplays starting in measure 33, where from off-beat 16ths he builds the energy with a sextu-plet, and then ends with an eighth note, givingit its full value, before the final held note.

Gordon also plays with his relation to thepulse, sometimes playing on or ahead of thebeat, but mostly playing behind it. Some greatexamples are in measure 6 where he phrases ontop of the beat, and over the bar line from bars8–9, where Gordon plays way behind. There’salso measure 14 where Gordon starts out ontop, but by the first note of measure 15 he is farbehind the beat. You’ll notice throughout hissolo there is this push and pull against the pulseof the rhythm section.

Two more techniques used effectively arevarying his phrase length and phrasing over thebar line. We see a variety of phrase lengths,from as short as half a measure (13) to as longas three measures (8–10) and varying lengthsin between. His phrases also end at differentpoints. Though there is a tendency to phraseover the bar line, as done over measures 3–4,6–7, 8–9, 23–24, 28–29, 30–31, 32–33 and33–34, one of his phrases (11–12) ends square-ly on the downbeat, and a few anticipate thedownbeat (4–5, 5–6, 26–27 and 27–28).Coupling this with his deft use of subdivisionsand relation to pulse makes for a gripping andevocative solo. DB

Dexter Gordon’s Rubato Tenor SaxophoneSolo On Live Version Of ‘’Round Midnight’

Jimi Durso is a guitarist and bassist in the NewYork area. He can be reached at jimidurso.com.

Dexter Gordon

ALA

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Jazz On Campus

In the three years since the InternationalAssociation of Jazz Educators imploded, musi-cians, students and schools have wondered whatwill replace it. A small group in the Midwest istrying to fill that gap with its first conferencethis May.

The Jazz Education Network (JEN) will runits first annual conference May 20–22 at theUniversity of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL). Likethe predecessor organization, JEN has as itsmission statement to “build the jazz arts com-munity by advancing education, promoting per-formance and developing new audiences.” Anumber of prominent musicians and educatorshave already signed on to take part, includingJohn and Gerald Clayton, Victor Goines, RufusReid, Terrell Stafford, Ruben Alvarez andBobby Shew. Performances will take place atUMSL’s Touhill Performing Arts Center.Information about the conference is available onthe organization’s Web site, jazzednet.org.

At a board meeting in Columbus, Ohio, lastAugust, the fledgling group had initially plannedon a 2011 launch.

“We were about planning long-term, post-poning until next year, when [bassist and UMSLjazz studies director] Jim Widner jumped up andput in a call to his chancellor at UMSL, whocame up with this date,” said board directorMary Jo Papich.

Papich, who had been president-elect ofIAJE but resigned when many officers wereheld up to scrutiny, has regrouped and insiststhat the new organization will avoid its prede-cessors missteps.

“We want to build a new group with moretransparency and openness, to regain the credi-bility and respect of musicians and educatorsworldwide,” said Papich, who serves as fine artschair at Niles School District 219, which is out-side Chicago. “We’re founded in the spirit ofcollaboration, creativity and commitment. Our

JEN board of directors has educators, business-men, professional musicians, producers, indus-try vets. Since we have no staff, it’s a workingboard—committed to the core. They pay theirown costs to attend meetings and conferences.”

Stafford, a board member, added, “It’simportant that we maintain a forum to shareideas and concepts, for students to observe eachother, and for all of us to recharge our batteries.”

Stafford will be on a panel for students toperform for college auditions and will performwith John Clayton’s group. He drily observed,“With all those hungry and healthy players outthere, sparks can fly.”

Groups from at least 10 states will attend,including the Milton Academy (Mass.) studentall-stars under Bob Sinicrope’s direction.

“JEN offers me a chance to network, learnand share ideas with others who care about jazzand jazz education,” Sinicrope said. “I’m veryexcited that JEN’s first conference has a first-rate lineup of clinics and performers. I look for-ward to hearing about new concepts in teachingand being inspired by top-notch performances.”

Along with the conference, JEN intends tolaunch inclusive Web sites, along with othernew initiatives. One is the “JENerosity Project,”designed to donated used instruments to needyschools in New Orleans. Sponsors includeAlfred Music, Symphony Publishing and sucheducational institutions as Columbia CollegeChicago.

“Membership is picking up steam,” Papichsaid. “We’re just two years old and we’veattracted members in 44 states and 14 countries.

Still, Papich is also clear about an immedi-ate challenge that she faces with the first JENconference.

“We know May is not ideal, at the end of theschool year,” Papich said. “But we’re grateful togo with it, and we’ll return to the traditionalJanuary break for 2011.” —Fred Bouchard

New International Jazz Education GroupStarts From Scratch in Midwest

Mary Jo PapichTerrell Stafford School Notes

KU

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Oberlin Honor: David Stull, dean of theOberlin Conservatory of Music, acceptedthe National Medal of Arts on behalf of hisschool from President Barack Obama atthe White House on Feb. 25. Details: oberlin.edu

Douglass Tribute: The University ofRochester in New York celebrates the lifeof abolitionist Frederick Douglass on anew disc, A Sky With More Stars. The uni-versity’s vice president, Paul Burgett,recites from Douglass’ writings along withaccompaniment from jazz bassist TyroneBrown and violinist John Blake.Details: rochester.edu

Mingus Winners: The Rio AmericanCombo from the Rio Americano HighSchool in Sacramento, Calif., underMaxwell Kiesner’s direction, won theMingus Spirit Award at the CharlesMingus High School Competition. Theevent was held on Feb. 13 at New York’sManhattan School of Music. Other win-ners included The Rivers Big Band of TheRivers School in Weston, Mass., in thebest big band (regular high school) cate-gory, under the direction of PhilippeCrettien. Details: msmnyc.edu

Colorado Debut: Students at the ColoradoConservatory for the Jazz Arts’ first sum-mer program have released a CD of theircompositions, Fourteen Channels(Tapestry). The 16 students involved in theproject are between the ages of 16 and 24.Details: jazzarts.org

Sax Winner: Danny Janklow, a junior atTemple University, won first place at theNorth American Saxophone Alliance jazzcompetition, which was held on March 6at the University of Georgia in Athens. The prize, which Vandoren sponsored,includes a $1,500 award. Details: saxalliance.org

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Rates: Minimum 15 words per ad. Advertise in one issue for $1.70/word, 3 consecutive issues for$1.40/word, 6 consecutive issues for $1.25/word, 12 consecutive issues for $1.10/word. Displayads: call (630) 941-2030 Ext.100 for rate card. All ads are prepaid, no agency commission. Sendcheck or money order. Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Deadline: Ad copy and full paymentmust arrive 2 months prior to DB cover date. Send your advertisement to: DownBeat classifieds,Att. Sue Mahal,102 N. Haven Road, Elmhurst, Illinois, 60126; or FAX your ad to: (630) 941-3210.

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SEEKING OLD ISSUES OF DOWNBEAT

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Detroit Jazz Festival 77 detroitjazzfest.com

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Elkhart Jazz Festival 90 elkhartjazzfestival.com

Fiberreed 31 fiberreed.com

Hal Lenoard 17 musicdispatch.com

Hamilton Stands 113 hamiltonstands.com

Healdsburg Jazz Festival 97 healdsburgjazzfestival.com

Hyde Park Jazz Festival 108 hydeparkjazzfestival.org

I.J.F.O. 84 ijfo.org

J.J. Babbitt 45 jjbabbitt.com

Jamey Aebersold 9, 113 jazzbooks.com

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Roberto Woodwinds 19, 35 robertoswinds.com

Rochester Jazz Festival 101 rochesterjazz.com

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Truth Revolution Records 67 truthrevolutionrecords.com

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Vancouver Jazz Festival 71 coastaljazz.ca

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Zildjian 115 zildjian.com

ZOHO Music 59 zohomusic.com

COMPANY PAGE # WEBSITE COMPANY PAGE # WEBSITE

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Before his Saturday double bill with the Rosenberg Trio at Orvieto 2010,guitar legend Jim Hall—in residence for the week with Bill Frisell, ScottColley and Joey Baron behind their CD Hemispheres (ArtistShare)—satbefore a full house in the Sala del Quattrocentro for a DownBeatBlindfold Test. Hall, 80, responded with acuity, wit and concision—as hedid performing throughout the week.

Julian Lage“Li’l Darlin” (from Sounding Point, Decca, 2009) Lage, guitar; Jamie Roeder,bass; Tupac Mantilla, percussion.That’s Julian Lage. I’ve known him since he was 11. I admire him—he’svery different. That was a completely unique treatment of a standardBasie tune, “Li’l Darlin’.” Basie’s guitarist, Freddie Greene, really keptthe Count Basie band together. When Freddie left, it just was not thesame. I wrote a piece we’ll play this evening called “Owed To FreddieGreene.”

Egberto Gismonti“Aguas & Dança” (from Saudações, ECM, 2009) Egberto Gismonti, acousticguitar; Alexandre Gismonti, acoustic guitar.Amazing guitar playing; I have no idea who it is. Egberto Gismonti wroteand played it? I know Egberto. He’s a fantastic musician. It’s kind of agringo version [of Brazilian music]! I was in Brazil several times, startingin 1959 or 1960. It felt like everybody in Rio played the guitar.

Bobby Broom“In Walked Bud” (from Bobby Broom Plays For Monk, Origin, 2009) Broom,guitar; Dennis Carroll, bass; Kobie Watkins, drums.“In Walked Bud.” Fantastic guitar playing. I could have used a little moreharmonic sense, maybe a chord to just fill in now and then, but it soundedgreat. Bobby Broom? I just know the name. (He’s played with SonnyRollins since the early ’80s.) I know Sonny Rollins. (laughter) That’swhy Sonny doesn’t call me any more! Working with him was maybe mymost important job—it was very challenging, because it got me practic-ing. I’m serious. I almost hesitate to get into this, but in those days a lot ofracial crap was still going on, and Sonny made me aware of it. All myearly heroes were African-American—Charlie Christian, Duke Ellington,Coleman Hawkins, and later Sonny.

John McLaughlin“Stella By Starlight” (from Thieves And Poets, Verve, 2003) McLaughlin, acoustic guitar.Amazing guitar player. “Stella By Starlight” in what sounded like B-flat.I didn’t particularly like the way the song was treated. I don’t think Iwould have put in all that filigree. I would have concentrated on themelody and the words. Each piece, especially a song, should be presentedin a different way; this is a love song, and it has nothing to do with flashypicking like “I Got Rhythm” or something. (after) I knew I’d insult afriend. I’m sure I have a lot of things which would embarrass me.

Wolfgang Muthspiel–Brian Blade“Heavy Song” (from Friendly Travelers, Material, 2008) Muthspiel, guitar; Blade, drums.An excellent guitar player. That made me think about amplification. I stilllike the sound of the acoustic guitar amplified just a little bit, but that wasa whole different genre, I guess. When we play, I like to be able to hearScott Colley on bass fiddle, not necessarily amplified, and react to whathe plays in the bottom of the texture, and react to Joey Baron, who isclose to me and I can hear everything he plays. I understand amplificationand the need for it, but I think it needs to be, in general, tuned down a bit.That’s just my personal preference. I don’t want to sound like some oldfogey—I enjoy all this music.

The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and iden-tify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then askedto rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.

Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio“Fall” (from Reflections, Word Of Mouth, 2009) Rosenwinkel, guitar; Eric Revis,bass; Eric Harland, drums.I don’t know what they were performing, but it was in an odd meter, 7/4or 5/4. A great ensemble, and I admire the guitar player, but I have no ideawho it is. A lot of this is brand new to me. If I listen to music, generallyit’s classical music. It would be depressing if I listened to great guitar play-ers, Bela Bartok—he plays good guitar! It’s amazing how guitar playinghas opened up and gotten better. One of the requisites of being involved inmusic, or any art form, is that it keeps growing, and if you’re open, thenyou will grow as well.

Adam Rogers“Sight” (from Sight, Criss Cross, 2009) Rogers, guitar, piano; John Patitucci,bass; Clarence Penn, drums.I loved that—marvelous guitar playing. In relation to my earlier remarks, Icould hear the whole texture very clearly. The guitarist would listen towhat was happening and react. It seemed like people were listening. Itsounded very original, too. The shape of the piece, the chord changes, thebass line—it really kept my attention.

Pat Metheny–Brad Mehldau“Ahmid-6” (from Metheny Mehldau, Nonesuch, 2006) Metheny, guitar; Mehldau, piano.Another amazing guitar player. I wish there was some clarity at the begin-ning of the piece, so I’d know what they were improvising on. Both playgreat, but it sounded like playing over chord changes. I’d like it to be like apainting—you have a background and then some stuff added. I never hadgreat facility, so I play slowly, and then, when I play a little bit faster, theysay, “Ooh, it’s fantastic.”

Jonathan Kreisberg“The Best Thing For You” (from The South Of Everywhere, Mel Bay, 2007)Kreisberg, guitar; Matt Penman, bass; Mark Ferber, drums.I enjoyed that a lot. Whoever it was presented “The Best Thing For You IsMe” very clearly. Again, the guitar player was amazing. DB

By Ted PankenBlindfold Test

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