JazzTimes 2016 Vol.46 No1 January-February

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: TOP 50 ALBUMS! READERS POLL RESULTS!
STANLEY
JORDAN
MY SPIRIT TRANSCENDS GENDER
JON BATISTE
FRED
HERSCH
NICHOLAS PAYTON
ARTISTS CHOICE
ARTURO OFARRILL
FEBRUARY 2016 $5.95
A LOVE SUPREME REDUX

GEORGE CABLES
CHRISTIAN SCOTT
ATUNDE ADJUAH
LOU REED & DON CHERRY
DARCY JAMES ARGUE
NRBQS TERRY ADAMS
LIVE at the DEER HEAD INN
PHIL WOODS
Q U I N T E T
LIVE at the
PHIL WOODS
DEER HEAD INN
Q U I N T E T
Phil Woods Brian Lynch Bill Mays Steve Gilmore Bill Goodwin
FEATURED ARTISTS
Phil Woods alto saxophone
Brian Lynch trumpet
Bill Mays piano
Steve Gilmore acoustic bass
Bill Goodwin drums/cymbals
PHIL WOODS: It was a logical delight for the

Phil Woods Quintet, an old established firm
(since 1974), to record for the new Deer Head
Records label. It is a new label, but also an
established firm, the oldest continuously operating jazz club in the country. I am reminded of a
comment by my old boss, Dizzy Gillespie. When
asked How you doing, Birks? he responded,
"Well I'm not getting worse!" And I can honestly
say both old established firms are not any the
worse for wear! We hope fans of both will agree.
BRIAN LYNCH: It was a special evening
indeed to record with the Quintet live at the
historic Deer Head Inn, a site that has immense
resonance in the history of the group. After 23
years in the band, its still a thrill, a honor, and a joyously accepted challenge
to be on the bandstand with these great musicians. I think youll hear on this
recording the love and respect we all have for each other manifested in
sound, in real time. Grandmaster Phil Woods, cats: bravo!
BILL MAYS: Im thrilled to have been a member of the quintet over the
past several years and especially happy that Ive had an opportunity to write
for the band, and be part of this live recording.
DEER HEAD
R E C O R D S
www.DeerHeadInn.com
Distributed by
Vectordisc Records
www.vectordisc.com
STEVE GILMORE: Its been an honor for me to "hit it" with these guys
, and all the other gentlemen that have passed through the Phil Woods bands
for some 40 years. I'd like to think that in that time we've developed a recognizable group sound. And to record for a live audience at the Deer Head Inn ,
which has been an integral part of my life since the late 50s , makes it even
more special. My hats off to the management of the Deer Head for continuing their dedication to live jazz that hopefully will continue ad in-fini-tum.
BILL GOODWIN: The origins of this band revolve around the Deer
Head Inn. Steve and I played here together in the early 70's with Johnny
Coates and after Phil arrived in the area In late 73 we jammed here also.The
group formed in early 74 with pianist Mike Mellilo who we met (guess
where) at the Deer Head. This new recording is the first with Bill Mays our
latest pianist. I don't recall how many we have done with Brian since he has
been in the band for 23+ years, joining in 92. Now we have come full circle
with this recording of the longest running jazz group at the longest continuously operating jazz club in the country.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 | VOLUME 46 NUMBER 1
6
8
10
JT Notes Editor Evan Haga introduces

the Year in Review
The Gig Nate Chinens favorite
concerts of 2015
Solo Aidan Levy on how Lou Reed
and Don Cherry invented a singular
brand of fusion
12 OPENING CHORUS
12
22
26
Hearsay Monk Institute Jazz Vocals

Competition, Christian Scott aTunde
Adjuah, Caroline Davis, Darcy James
Argues Secret Society, Matt Mitchell,
NRBQs Terry Adams, news and farewells
Before & After Arturo OFarrill
Overdue Ovation George Cables
52 SOUND ADVICE
52
John Coltrane performs A Love Supreme at the Antibes Jazz Festival in 1965.
To read about the revelatory new multi-disc set focused on that masterwork, see p. 65
28 2015: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

28
Top 50 CDs
Our critics choose the best releases of the year
32
Readers Poll
The annual roundup of your favorite artists, albums, festivals and more
34 STANLEY JORDAN
In this revealing conversation, the innovative guitarist explains the

personal, aesthetic and artistic changes hes made in his life in recent
yearsand how those aspects of his being are essentially one and
the same. As he tells David R. Adler, My spirit transcends gender.
AudioFiles Brent Butterworth on the best

consumer electronics products of 2015
Chops Top avant-gardists give a crash
course in prepared piano
Gearhead The latest in musical instruments,
accessories and educational resources
54
56
65 REVIEWS
65
76
78
CDs
VOX
Books
79
80
Jazz Directory
Artists Choice Fred Hersch writes about
great piano sounds
outside
40 JON BATISTE
Nate Chinen details the ascent of this mega-talented festival

draw and meditates on his first few months as bandleader foil
to Stephen Colbertthe sort of gig where jazz expertise doesnt
always equal success.
46 NICHOLAS PAYTON
In New Orleans, Jennifer Odell uncovers why one of jazzs best

trumpetersand fiercest bloggerswould make a sincere shift
toward keyboards decades into his career.
AT J A Z Z T I M E S . C O M
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JAZZ CONNECT CONFERENCE PROGRAM: P. 57

Cover image of Stanley Jordan by Manolo Nebot Rochera; cover inset of Kamasi Washington
by Mike Park. Table of Contents image by Jean-Pierre Leloir.
JAZZTIMES JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
Artists Choice: Erik Friedlander on Oscar Pettiford; live

reviews: a very special tribute to Cecil Taylor in NYC, plus
London, North Carolina, Dominican Republic, Belgrade
and Panevo festivals; an interview with pianist Justin
Kauflin; Weather Report song premiere; photos: Orquesta
Buena Vista Social Clubs farewell tour; and much more
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JAZZTIMES FOUNDER IRA SABIN
[JT]Notes
An Epic Crossover
By Evan Haga
ach year, my main hope for our annual Critics and Readers
Polls is always the same: that the results reflect the year in
jazz Ive just experienced with some precision and sense of
posterity. Itd be dishonest to say Ive never been surprised by
these results, but generally I feel vindicatedespecially this year, and
even with regard to our Readers Poll. Conducted in the wilderness
of the Internet, that poll can miss its ideal of committed JT readers
thoughtfully reflecting on their favorite recent jazz records and concerts; instead, it often reflects warring fan bases and ancient, steadfast
allegiances to particular artists and aesthetics. But the cream rose to
the top for the 2015 tally, rightfully honoring jazzs populist sensations. Pianist Joey Alexanders precociously elegant musicianshipnot
to mention the almighty cheek-pinching factorearned him Best
New Artist. Vocalist Gregory Porter, in the heady midst of his rise as
a theater-packing jazz-R&B star, nabbed Artist of the Year. Snarky
Puppy, the turbo-charged unit working constantly to return fusion to
its crowd-pleasing roots, won Best Electric Group. The Epic, the tripledisc set by saxophonist Kamasi Washington, won Best New Release,
and thankfully so: Its a finely played and programmed olive branch to
the jazz-curious that leans on prime jazz and R&B history, not pop.
But I was flummoxed to see that our writers also voted The Epic
into their No. 1 spot, mainly because any cynicism Ive heard about
Washingtons snowballing stature has come from a jazz critic,
myself included. The audacity of a three-hour debut! Id mumble
at the bar. What about Ravi Coltrane or Azar Lawrence or James
Carter? Where are this guys fans when the Cookers play a gig?
Why him, and why now? As Ive written before, thats a complex
answer, and it requires more space to address than I have here. But
at its core, rather than politics or even Washingtons hip-hop associations, are reasons of pure quality and good taste. Afro-centric
modal jazz, soul-jazz and album-era R&B are Washingtons stockin-trade, and they stand as earthbound, instinctually satisfying
styles that are essentially trend-proof. They also dovetail conveniently with the very real vinyl resurgence: Its not a coincidence
that the youngest and most fervent audiences I witnessed at a jazz
show in 2015 were there for Washington, headlining a festival, and
Pharoah Sanders, playing a date at a small Brooklyn rock club. If
Washington is the crossover artist of the moment, jazz is lucky to
have him. Think about it: A couple decades back, Kenny G served
that purpose. JT
CENTRUM
JAZZ
PORT TOWNSEND
IMMERSIVE
WEEKLONG
WORKSHOP
AND FESTIVAL
JULY 24 - 31, 2016
John Clayton, Artistic Director
Register Early. Space is limited. Details at Centrum.org or 360.385.3102 ext. 109

6
Directed by John
Clayton and featuring
35 faculty including
Gerald Clayton, Jeff
Hamilton, Wycliffe
Gordon, George Cables,
Dee Daniels, Matt Wilson,
Terell Stafford, Ren
Marie, Joe LaBarbera,
Gary Smulyan, Sean
Jones, Kendrick Scott,
George Colligan, Taylor
Eigsti, Tamir Hendelman,
Christoph Luty, Harish
Raghavan, Jeff Clayton,
Chuck Deardorf, Randy
Halberstadt, Clarence
Acox, Dawn Clement,
Jon Hamar, John Hansen,
Eric Verlinde, Julian
MacDonough, Chris
Symer, Michael Glynn,
Kelby MacNayr, Jake
Bergevin, and more.
BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS

Featuring Bo Bice
When youre at a Yankee game, Colomby says, youre not going to see Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Theyre not going to be there. But what you will see is a brand, the pinstripes, and theyll be able to
hit, score runs and play great defense. Because managements obligation is to recruit the best players
available and put the most cohesive combination of players on the field to represent the Yankee brand.
So that when the Yankees win, and theyve played magnificently, no ones going to say,
Wheres the Bambino: Wheres Mickey Mantle?
Blood Sweat and Tears was born from a selfish notion that we could combine the sophistication and musical skill level
of jazz music with the energy and universal appeal ofrock vocal music. Instead of incessant whiny guitar interludes,
we would have improvised, spontaneous jazz solos. Horn arrangements were not an afterthought, they were fully
integrated into the songs themselves, some written by band members and others that would come from many
different resources. These are the ideas that formulated the concept of BS&T
Over the years more than a hundredseventy fivemusicians have flowed through the ranks of the various iterations
of the BS&T. The most commercially successful version of the band was in fact, our second line-up.
What endures today is the evolution that concept along with an amazing roster
of the most talented and entertaining musicians we have ever had.
BS&T has never stopped touring. It didnt go away. You can call it a renaissance,
or the newest version of but it is simply Blood Sweat and Tears at its best.
BOBBY COLOMBY
[the]Gig
The Year in Gigs
By Nate Chinen
None of this should be seen as an
encroaching threat on mainstream jazz
aesthetics, unless you subscribe to the
idea that jazz should be a fixed language,
which is to say a dead one. Looking over
these gigs, what they share is a deep,
tactile connection to the jazz tradition
even as they reach for something else.
I think back to a wintry conversation
I had last year with Jack DeJohnette,
the drummer, composer and NEA Jazz
Master who appears twice in the tabulations below. The disciplines that we all
went through, he said of his peer group,
to acquire the freedom and ease with
which we can communicate this music,
are totally broad. Amen to that, sir, and
may it ever be so.
One of the best shows I saw

this past year was by an artist
no one would file under jazz.
That in itself isnt unusual, or in any way
unexpected: Like many a jazz critic, and I
daresay most jazz musicians, my interests
sprawlwell beyond the purview of this
magazine. But something struck me about
this show, a mid-March tour date by the
reemergent R&B star DAngelo, at the Best
Buy Theater in Times Square. For lack of a
musician, but I can attest that as I took in

his show, some of the same neurons were
firing, and some of the same emotions
stirring, as when I experience a jazz gig
of the highest order.
I had a similar response to the most important hip-hop album released in 2015.
Kendrick Lamar, the reflective young
rapper from Compton, laced his furious
masterwork, To Pimp a Butterfly, with
the inflection and insights of musicians
Looking over these performances, what they share

is a deep, tactile connection to the jazz tradition
even as they reach for something else.
better way of putting it, it had some killer
Jazz Adjacencythat elusive combination of formal elasticity, in-the-moment
spontaneity and cohesive intuition that
we think of as jazz attributes, unless they
coalesce in another area.
DAngelos music firmly belongs to the
lineage of funk and soul, even though
his ace band, the Vanguard, includes
jazz-trained musicians like drummer
Chris Daddy Dave. Im not going to
strain here to claim DAngelo as a jazz
8
like pianist Robert Glasper. Its no secret

that theres a dialogue happening across
these genre outlines; one of the gigs that
didnt quite make this list was by Glaspers
acoustic trio, whose current repertoire
includes a track by Lamar. And one of the
breakout jazz artists of the year, saxophonist Kamasi Washington, got a lot of his
traction from that Kendrick association,
even though his heralded triple album,
The Epic (Brainfeeder), hunkers down
more in an astral Young Lion mode.
MARQUIS HILL BLACKTET, TRIBECA

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, JAN. 31.
Months after winning the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, trumpeter Marquis Hill brought
his dynamic band to town and showed
what all the fuss was about. Ive already
written in this space about Hills evolving
potential; this was the moment when I got
the message.
STEVE COLEMAN AND FIVE ELEMENTS,
THE JAZZ GALLERY, MARCH 6.
There were other, more momentous bookings in 2015 for Coleman, the visionary
alto saxophonist and composer. Still, the
two sets he uncorked here were simply,
head-spinningly great: a cool flash of
mercury from a band that lives for the
tensions of each transaction.
CHARLES LLOYD NEW QUARTET,
VILLAGE VANGUARD, MARCH 15.
A historic return, an exultant result: Lloyd,

the luminous tenor saxophonist and flutist, hadnt performed at the Vanguard for
more than 40 years when he knocked out
this one-nighter, part of an anniversary
celebration for the club. His New Quartet,
with pianist Jason Moran as chief catalyst,
modeled a kind of slangy enlightenment,
following the masters lead.
PHOTO BY ALAN NAHIGIAN; ILLUSTRATION BY THEO PULFER-TERINO
Made in Chicago provides a thrilling main-stage start to the Newport Jazz Festivals
Saturday program in August. Clockwise from drums: Jack DeJohnette, Henry Threadgill,
Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams and Larry Gray
IBRAHIM MAALOUFS KALTHOUM,

DIZZYS CLUB COCA-COLA, MAY 25.
Maalouf, an astute Lebanese trumpeter

based in Paris, brought an obsessive drive
to his latest project, a suite-like, hour-long
extrapolation of a single tune by the great
Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum. This performance of the piecewith Mark Turner
on tenor saxophone, Frank Woeste on
piano, Larry Grenadier on bass and Clarence Penn on drumswas a statement at
once feverish and suave.
ing forces, especially those involving

abstraction of form. He was working out
some of those ideas in this set, with a new
batch of tunes for a band featuring pianist
Matt Mitchell, bassist Chris Lightcap and
drummer Nasheet Waits.
JACK DEJOHNETTE TRIO, SHAPESHIFTER LAB, OCT. 10. The backstory
could easily have taken a front seat here,

given that DeJohnettes trio featured saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and bassist Matthew
Garrison, whose fathers worked in the John
Coltrane Quartet. Remarkably, legacy was
largely an afterthought in their sinewy,
exploratory set, which preceded a recording
session for ECMthe fruits of which, if were
lucky, will be available in 2016. Onward! JT
MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA,

BIRDLAND, JUNE 2. At this point its
almost rote to lavish praise on this pacesetting large ensemble and its composerbandleader. But The Thompson Fields
(ArtistShare), Schneiders most recent
opus, exceeds even her stratospheric standardsas did this billowing, evocative set.
2016 SUMMER JAZZ COLONY

NEW DATES!!! June 25th-Jul 2nd 2016
JACK DEJOHNETTES MADE IN CHICAGO, NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL,

AUG. 1. The AACM celebrated its 50th
Our 2016
Summer Jazz Colony
Welcomes
SFJAZZ Collective
As its
Artists-in-Residence!
anniversary throughout the year, resulting

in a lot of serious music, including this
reprisal of the summit from Made in Chicago (ECM), a concert album by drummer Jack DeJohnette. With Muhal Richard
Abrams on piano, Roscoe Mitchell and
Henry Threadgill on saxophones and
Larry Gray on bass, it was a magisterial
hour, ablaze with enigmatic insight.
KAMASI WASHINGTON AND THE
NEXT STEP, BEARSVILLE THEATER,
WOODSTOCK, AUG. 19. Jazzs latest
savior? Ill leave that notion to the likes

of GQ. My own take on Washingtons
ascendancy allows for some ambivalence,
but on this night, in a setting primed for
good vibes, his tenor saxophone carried
the impact of a heavy gale, and his band
delivered on its churning promise.
CCILE MCLORIN SALVANT, JAZZ
STANDARD, AUG. 25. Discernment
isnt often the first quality that comes to

mind when discussing a jazz singer in her
mid-20s. Yet this stunningly assured set by
Salvantwhich drew from, and improved
on, her fine album For One to Love (Mack
Avenue)was as remarkable for its critical composure as for its strength and flair.
JON IRABAGON QUARTET, JAZZ
STANDARD, SEPT. 2. Irabagon is a
Application Deadline is March 1st
Become a part of the Brubeck Experience!

Our programs choose only the best students.
BRUBECK FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Open to incoming
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Artists-in-Residence
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Application Deadline is January 31st
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saxophonist drawn to the play of opposJAZZTIMES.COM
Solo
Rock & Roll & Free Jazz:
Inside Lou Reed and Don Cherrys Avant-Fusion
By Aidan Levy
n November 1976, Lou Reed flew to Los Angeles to headline the

Roxy and the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. At LAX, tenor
saxophonist Marty Fogel happened to spot pocket trumpeter Don
Cherry, the Los Angeles native known for his work with Ornette
Coleman and Albert Ayler. Cherry had just recorded his first album
with Old and New Dreams, a quartet of Coleman collaborators consisting of Cherry, saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden
and drummer Ed Blackwell. Cherry was one of Reeds idols. They possessed certain commonalities, including an explosive improvisatory
energy and a brush with hepatitis. And fortunately for Reed, Fogel
already knew Cherry.
Fogel rented a basement practice space on Sixth Street in the
Village, next door to Cherrys wife Mokis textile studio, though the
Cherrys principal residence was in Stockholm, where they were raising their son, Eagle-Eye. Id see Don all the time, and we would say
hello. But then one day in 1976, we had just arrived at the Los Angeles
airport, just kinda hanging out, waiting for a limousine. And Im
standing by this phone on the wall, and Don Cherry comes walking
up to where the phone is. We said hello and started talking, and then
he left, Fogel says. Then we were getting ready to go, and I said to
Lou, Man, I just ran into Don Cherry out there! He says, Go get him!
Go get him! I love him! Reed invited him to play with the band, and
the chance meeting led to an intermittent working relationship with
the free-jazz luminary for the next several years.
Without rehearsing, Cherry played it by ear during a spontaneous
set with Reed and the Everyman Band at the Santa Monica Civic,
extemporizing over Sweet Jane, Coney Island Baby and Charleys
Girl, punctuating the rough-hewn style with an organic approach that
demonstrated Reeds avant-garde leanings, which had been dormant
for years. Like Reed, Cherry could tell a riveting story, but he did it on
the pocket trumpet or the doussngouni, a fretless string instrument
from Mali that resembled a kora. Reed easily adapted his scat-like
recitative chant for a jazz sensibility, taking a backseat to Fogel and
Cherry, who used the basic chord structures as a kind of modal funk
and took flight. On Walk on the Wild Side, Cherry and Fogel mined
the songs playful character in a cutting session that sliced deeper than
usual. Yet the experience inspired Reed to do with lyrics what Cherry
had done with tonality.
In 1979, the collaboration eventually led to The Bells, blending jazz,
disco and a deeply personal songwriting ethos, with no eye toward a
potential market. Following a short European tour, Reed, the Everyman Band and Cherry went to Wilster, a hamlet in West Germany, to
record the album in binaural sound at Manfred Schunkes Delta Studios. The pastoral redoubt was a converted farmhouse that included
housing for the artists, a communal dining area and a place to hang
out and drink Johnnie Walker Black, Fogel recalls. And then there
was the recording facility, which was really high-tech, but it was in the
middle of farm country.
The eclectic compositions included City Lights, with a nod
to Charlie Chaplin; Families, a meditation on the dysfunctional
10
The Bells [is] great

art, Lester Bangs
wrote, going on to
call the album the
only true jazz-rock
fusion anybodys
come up with since
Miles Davis On the
Corner period.
American nuclear family; and

The Bells, an atmospheric
nine-minute free-jazz collective
improvisation. Nils Lofgren, in
the midst of a solo career between the dissolution of Grin and joining
the E Street Band, co-wrote three songs: Stupid Man, City Lights
and With You. The last featured improvised interpolations by Fogel
and Cherry. I did a little horn arrangement for myself and Don, and
maybe there would be two beats at the end of the measure, and when
we were rehearsing the tune, Don was playing this free stuff in those
two beats, Fogel says. I looked at him and I go, What are you doing?
And he said, Whenever you get an opportunity to take it out, youve
got to take it out. So thats what we did.
This brinksmanship reached its intense peak on the title track, which
developed during the sessions. I was in the studio one night late, just
playing the piano and playing part of The Bells that I had composed,
and Reed came into the studio and said, Whats that?, and I explained
it to him. And he said, Man, thats really great. I want to record that.
On the then-untitled track, nominally inspired by Edgar Allan Poes
eponymous poem, Reed took Cherrys cue and went as far out as he
could, improvising some of the lyrics in the studio. He even asked
Cherry to quote part of Ornette Colemans Lonely Woman in the
dense harmony of the title tracks spectral intro.
The time was ripe for a serious cross-genre experiment from an
artist on the more mainstream side of the aisle; the same month The
Bells was released, Coleman was the musical guest on Saturday Night
Live. Though not everyone understood or appreciated Reeds foray
deeper into jazz- and art-rock, Lester Bangs,
despite their fraught history, concluded that his
career had finally reached an apotheosis. The
Bells isnt merely Lou Reeds best solo LP, its
great art, he wrote in Rolling Stone, going on to
call the album the only true jazz-rock fusion
anybodys come up with since Miles Davis On
the Corner period. JT
Adapted with permission from Dirty Blvd.:
The Life and Music of Lou Reed by Aidan
Levy. Chicago Review Press, 2015.
OPENING
CHORUS
))
Stay in tune
Inside
12 Hearsay
Monk Institute Jazz Vocals

Competition, Christian Scott
aTunde Adjuah, Caroline Davis,
Darcy James Argues
Secret Society, Matt Mitchell,
NRBQs Terry Adams,
news and farewells
22 Before & After

Arturo OFarrill
Lifting Every Voice

DALLAS NATIVE JAZZMEIA HORN WINS THE
2015 MONK COMPETITION, WHERE QUINCY JONES IS FETED
BUT ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX TO

MASTER, said pianist Herbie Hancock, kicking off the Thelonious Monk
International Jazz Vocals Competition
Finals, part of a gala concert held on Nov.
15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The
2015 Monk competition, the 28th overall,
showcased 11 masters of this deceptively difficult discipline. The first-place
winner, whose prize includes a contract
with Concord Music Group and $25,000
in scholarship money, was 23-year-old
Jazzmeia Horn, a Dallas native and winner
of the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International
Vocal Competition.
Horns road to the prize began on Saturday at UCLAs Schoenberg Hall, where
the semifinalists showcased a plethora
of styles, accompanied by unwavering
support from pianist Reginald Thomas,
bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer
Carl Allen. Manhattan School of Music
alumnus Christie Dashiells I Cant Get
12
d showed casual maturity, while

nian Lena Seikaly, backed only by
Whitaker, brought subtle sex appeal
to What a Little Moonlight Can Do.
Walter Ricci of Naples, Italy, whipped
his requisite Monk tune, Well, You
Neednt, into a fast-scatting frenzy, a
vivid contrast to the bell-toned, pillowy vocals of Danielle Wertz, another Virginia native. Sirintip Phasuk of
Stockholm impressed with self-penned,
world-weary lyrics for Pannonica,
and Los Angeles resident Katie Thiroux
surprised with her selection of Burt
Bacharachs Wives and Lovers, accompanying herself on swaggering bass.
The day also offered burnished crooning from Australias Liam Burrows, and
Armenian-born Lucy Yeghiazaryans
thrilling, gale-force I Cant Give You
Anything But Love.
The three finalists, who would perform
at Sundays gala, were selected by an
esteemed panel of vocalists: Patti Austin,
Dee Dee Bridgewater, Freddy Cole, Al
26
Overdue Ovation
George Cables
Jarreau and Luciana Souza. Veronica

Swift, a scholarship student at the University of Miamis Frost School of Music,
gave a master class on space and dynamics on I Mean You, and Benny Carters
Lonely Woman, where she was accompanied only by Thomas, demonstrated
her skill as an adept lyrical interpreter.
Vuyolwethu Sotashe, first-prize winner
at the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival
Vocal Competition, owned the stage with
his exuberant presence, and brought a
breezy touch of his native South Africa to
Abbey Lincolns lyric for Bheki Mselekus
Through the Years. Horn secured her
finalists berth with a boldly inventive take
on Monks Evidence, her voice a sinuous
saxophone one moment, a rat-a-tatting
snare drum the next. Then, her sensitive
interaction with Thomas on Jimmy Rowles The Peacocks manifested her skills
as a thoughtful, deep-listening musician.
The following nights concert was
a tribute to multi-hyphenate Quincy
Jones, recipient of the Institutes Herbie
Hancock Humanitarian Award for 2015,
and the songbook was packed with Jones
compositions and arrangements. R&B
star Ledisi stirred the blood with a full-
STEVE MUNDINGER/THELONIOUS MONK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ
From left: Vuyolwethu Sotashe (third-place finalist), Veronica Swift (second) and Jazzmeia
Horn (victor) join honoree Quincy Jones and vocal-jazz stars Gretchen Parlato and Luciana
Souza to bring the gala concert home
MARK GUILIANA
BEAT MUSIC / MARK GUILIANA JAZZ QUARTET / MEHLIANA

He weaves the time-tested fundamentals of jazz with modern electronic beats and takes music
to places its never been before. Many are satised with playing music, while others are driven
to redene iteliminating barriers and inspiring the creativity of a generation.
Since 1883, Gretsch has been building the nest American-made drums for players who
understand that in order to play That Great Gretsch Sound, you have to earn it.
GRETSCHDRUMS.COM/BROOKLYN
THE GREAT AMERICAN DRUM SET
OPENING CHORUS
bodied take on Everything Must Change. Trumpeter Arturo
Sandoval joined flutist Hubert Laws for Jones brassy theme from
the TV classic Ironside; turning the TV dial, the Monk Institute
Big Band funked up the Sanford and Son theme, with driving
bassist Ben Williams and stinging guitar from Paul Jackson Jr.
Vocalist George Benson joined Austin for a frisky give-and-take
on Moodys Mood for Love, and Cole effortlessly conjured
the purest blues on Let the Good Times Roll, with a hardswinging solo from tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath. Cohost
Seth MacFarlane shared a bright, easygoing Come Fly With
Me, while Bridgewater, Sandoval and pianist Monty Alexander
romped through Fats Wallers Honeysuckle Rose. Hancocks
inventively fragmented chords cast an enchanted air over Jones
arrangement of the pianists Tell Me a Bedtime Story, and fellow
pianist Justin Kauflin took Ray Browns Gravy Waltz to church.
Jarreau, vocalist Gretchen Parlato and Monk Institute trustee
Wayne Shorter, on soprano saxophone, gave an emphatic reading
of Michael Jacksons Human Nature. Bridgewater, Austin and
Souza later teamed with Jarreau for a sassy, fast-break Stuff Like
That, and the Brazilian vocalist rendered a lilting version of Ivan
Lins Velas, backed tenderly by pianist Dave Grusin.
Accepting the Hancock Award, Jones expressed gratitude that
he was born in a time when I could witness and play a role in
the development of the only indigenous American art form. He
Hearsay
invoked the spirits of lost comrades like Ray Charles, Clifford
Brown and Charlie Parker: These were the cats who were my
Beatles and my Rolling Stones, he said. Much as he honored
the past, Jones also looked to the future. Music is coming
back, he assured the audience, and exhorted them to encourage
young people to learn the history of the jazz artists who laid the
foundation for all popular music in America.
The future was also vividly present in the performances of the
three finalists. Third-place winner Sotashe brought old-school
gentility to Billie Holidays Life Begins When Youre in Love,
intermingling the dreamy melody with keening lyrics from a South
African wedding song. Second-place finalist Swift brought skilled
melismatic effects and tremendous tonal command to September
in the Rain, then presented an offbeat, melancholy This Bitter
Earth. Horns winning performance included a yearning, featherlight Detour Ahead and a version of Moanin incorporating
exhilarating scat pyrotechnics, straight-up gutter-blues growling
and even a few crisply potent verses of Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Horn wiped away tears as she accepted her prize from
Concord President John Burk, then joined the ensemble for a
concert-closing group rendition of the Jones-produced anthem
We Are the World. It was an evening of artistry, celebration
and joy ... and for Jazzmeia Horn, only the first of many more
such evenings to come. MATT R. LOHR
Dont Stream; Stretch

CHRISTIAN SCOTT ATUNDE ADJUAH
RELEASES A FULLY INTERACTIVE ALBUM
14
DELPHINE DIALLO
tretch Music (Introducing Elena Pinderhughes), the sparkling new Ropeadope album from trumpeter Christian
Scott aTunde Adjuah, is plenty forward-looking in itself.
It stretches jazz with its two-drummer lineup (including Joe Dysons novel pan-African kit) and its willingness to
incorporate other genres, but is nonetheless Scotts most tightly
focused album to date. But the Stretch Music app it gave birth to
may prove downright revolutionary. The app not only permits
aspiring musicians to practice interactively with bona fide
albums by established stars, it also provides a new possibility for
musicians to derive income from said albums.
Our app allows you to customize your practicing experience,
explains Scott, 32. For instance, if you play trumpet, you can take
the trumpet out and take the solo to the record, and play the melodies, whatever the trumpeter is doing. Any instrument thats on the
record, any channel, you can actually mute, you can fade it, you can
[isolate] it, you can pan it from left to right and move it around, you
can create looping. Lets say you only want to play a four-bar passage
[and] practice that. You can just loop a four-bar passage; you can
slow it down, speed it upand it stays in the same key.
Its basically like Play-A-Long 2.0, he adds, referencing the familiar Jamey Aebersold educational books and recordings designed to
accompany players learning to improvise. But what [Play-A-Long] is
generally, its just the rhythm section thats playing. So you can improvise over it, but you cant mix and match or take out specific things.
Darren Hoffman, whose company Tutti Dynamics teamed

with Scott to bring the app to fruition, offers a variation of Scotts
Play-A-Long quote when it is repeated for him a few weeks later.
[Bassist] Rodney Jordan said it was Jamey Aebersold on crack,
he says, laughing.
Hoffman, 31, has come to a Manhattan hotel room, toting a freshly
purchased Apple iPad, to demonstrate the $9.99 app (which runs on
iPhones as well) and sketch out the history of how it came to be. Basically, Hoffman parlayed his studies in filmmaking and jazz drumming
(at Florida State and New Orleans University, respectively) into a series of grants to develop various aids to music education. These led to
two particularly notable successes. Hoffman worked with Dan Moretti
of the Berklee College of Music on Essential Grooves, a foundational
interactive program for Berklee arranging classes, and with the Jazz
at Lincoln Center Orchestra to create a big-band program now used
by 650 high schools. Both feature crisp visual images of the musicians
involved, along with the audio bells and whistles now on Scotts app.
Scott, meanwhile, had recorded Stretch Music at Berklees new
studio and was asking around for recommendations for an app collaborator. Drummer Charles Burchell, who had worked on Essential
Grooves, steered him to Hoffman and Tutti Dynamics. (Burchell was
recommended by Jason Marsalis, along with Scott sideman Dyson,
when Hoffman approached his former drum teacher seeking New
Orleans drummers living in Boston. Dyson had already returned to
New Orleans when the project got underway, so the gig belonged
to Burchell.) Scott and Hoffman met in February, and the app was
released in September.
In future versions theres going to be the ability to record yourself,
says Hoffman. But basically, as an aspiring trumpeter, if Im 17 and
I want to play like Christian, I can play alongside his whole band
without Christian in the way. Or I can play along with him, and lower
his volume a little bit, so that I can have that guide.
As Scott explained, aspiring musicians can do likewise with Elena
Pinderhughes flute or any of the other instruments in the band. And
they can cue up sheet music for whatever parts they please. Scotts app
and its Berklee and JALC predecessors have earned rave reviews from
students and educators alike. The one response we get the most, says
Hoffman, is, I wish I had this when I was a kid.
Scotts peers, meanwhile, began approaching Tutti Dynamics
about collaborating on their own versions of the Stretch Music app
even before its release. Scott promoted his app hard on his website
and social media, and they recognized its other potential upside
in this era of music streaming. With Apple Music and Spotify,
its hard to get anyone to focus on how important it is to purchase
the music, notes Hoffman. So instead, why not offer something
that you cant get otherwise? Its not just monetizing for the sake
of monetizing it; its a deeper, fuller experience that you cant get
from streaming audio. BILL BEUTTLER
JAZZTIMES.COM
15
OPENING CHORUS
Hearsay
Windy History
n Nov. 5, alto saxophonist

Caroline Davis brought
what might be called the
Chicago sound to the Jazz
Gallery in New York, in a celebration of
her sophomore album as a leader, Doors:
Chicago Storylines (Ears&Eyes). With a
quartet of pianist Julian Shore, drummer
Jay Sawyer and bassist Tamir Shmerling, Davis explored the full range of
the saxophone with lithe maneuverings
and a soft but round tone reminiscent
of Chicago-born elder statesman Lee
Konitz. But instead of soaring over the
rhythm section, Davis instantaneous
call-and-response opposite Shores rhythmic flourishes reflected the influence
of collective improvisation established
by the AACM and Chicago-rooted
saxophonists Von Freeman and Steve
Coleman. Still, rather than containing a
geographically identifiable jazz aesthetic,
the album asks whether Chicago, or any
city, has a codified sound.
16
I do feel a sense of Chicago in my

playing, but I couldnt really categorize that
or describe it. Its just an essence that I feel,
says the 34-year-old saxophonist, sitting
down recently in SoHo. After eight years
in Chicago, Davis moved to Brooklyn in
2013. It would be the same for New York,
too, but I like presenting multiple perspectives so its not so clean-cut.
Taking a documentarian approach
to defining Chicagos jazz scene, Davis
album seamlessly intersperses harmonically daring compositions and evocative
interstitials into a sound collage of oral
histories, resulting in a raw portrait of
the city where she cut her teeth. Inspired
by Glenn Goulds Solitude Trilogy, Davis
spent a year conducting interviews with
fixtures on the sceneArt Davis, Ron
Perrillo and Bobby Broom are among the
13 musicians featuredmany of whom
appear on the cover by Chicago-based
collagist Jordan Martins. On Golden
Era, the opening track, the iconic sound
of the L train punctuates
the overlapping voices. Recorded at Chicagos Transient
Sound, the album features
a local quartet: guitarist
Mike Allemana, bassist Matt
Ferguson and drummer
Jeremy Cunningham. It is
undeniably the sound of
Chicago, but not necessarily
the Chicago sound.
On Chicago Sound? pianist Joan Hickey insists that
there is a Chicago sound,
very blues-based and not
so much about fast tempos,
a perspective challenged by
Brooms assertion that this
music isnt made anywhereits wherever it is.
Davis ultimately concluded
that more than the confluence of history, politics and
cultureincluding the jazz
clubsChicago exists in the
artists themselves: a tradition, a lineage and a scene
that lives on in their stories.
These stories include the untimely

death of bassist Carroll Crouch during
a set at Chicagos Bop Shop (the clubs
owner framed his broken bow); tenor
saxophonist Lin Hallidays idiosyncratic
style and in-the-pocket groove; and,
most significant, the scene that coalesced
around Von Freemans fabled jam session
at the New Apartment Lounge.
Starting in the early 80s until his
death in 2012 at 88, Freeman performed
an unabated two-hour set every Tuesday
at the gritty club, a storied jazz institution on Chicagos South Side, followed
by a jam session that extended into
the wee hours. The no-frills clubs jazz
pedigree maintained a loyal following.
Allegedly, Gene Ammons had his first
gig there after his release from prison, a
tenor battle with Sonny Stitt; whenever
Roy Hargrove or Roy Haynes were in
town, they would come to Freemans
Tuesday night session. After moving to
Chicago from Texas to pursue a PhD
in music cognition at Northwestern
University, Davis quickly became one of
Freemans horses, a term of endearment he used for eager up-and-comers.
He would give me such encouragement, Davis says of Freemans unorthodox mentoring process. He never said
anything about my playing; he would
just tell me to check out certain songs,
like, Did you check out Lester Youngs
solo on Shoe Shine Boy yet?
In the spirit of intergenerational exchange, Allemana took part in the New
Apartment Lounge jam throughout his
20s before joining Freemans group in
1995, and eventually met Davis. Caroline just grew really fast on the scene.
Her skill level, her approach, everything
just blossomed, Allemana says. Freemans teaching by example was instrumental to that growth. Von never once
made a set list or told me a chord. He
rarely if ever told us the tune. If he did,
it was in a veiled way. Hed say, Three
Bs, and that meant Bewitched, Bothered
and Bewildered.
Though the New Apartment Lounge
has since shuttered, Davis carries on the
KELLY FLEMING
SAXOPHONIST-COMPOSER CAROLINE DAVIS WEAVES

CHICAGOS JAZZ HERITAGE INTO AN INVENTIVE NEW PROJECT
tradition on Rounds: For the Horses,

in which she transcribed the pitch of a
recording of Freeman saying, Where
my horses at?, his ritual introduction to
the jam, into a five-note motif. Theres
a melody section and a series of chord
changes based on those five notes, so
its all related to that pitch structure and
comes from that one phrase, Davis says.
Doors: Chicago Storylines echoes an
approach Davis adopted for her doctoral
dissertation, Semantic Knowledge for

Eminent Jazz Performers, for which she
interviewed 50 professional musicians to
gather data on how semantic memory,
or the retrieval of facts and associations,
reflected the formation of artistic communities. It turns out that the people
who were closer to each other, musically
speaking, listened to music similarly,
Davis says. If you said, This reminds me
of Erroll Garner, the person you would
consider to be your musical partner

would answer in the same way, almost
exactly, which is fascinating.
The album led to a similar conclusion,
that more than shared geography, the
Chicago sound emanates from a deep
sense of community. I really think that
community structure is so important to
jazz musicians, she says. Were such a
tiny little piece of the world, and we need
each other. AIDAN LEVY
The Enemy Within
IN BROOKLYN, DARCY JAMES ARGUES SECRET SOCIETY DELVES INTO THE CONSPIRACISTS PSYCHE
Darcy James Argue conducts his co-conspirators at the Brooklyn Academy of Musics Harvey Theater in November
ED LEFKOWICZ
n promo blasts, composer Darcy

James Argue has always referred to
his bandmates in Secret Society as
co-conspirators. It was perhaps
inevitable that this tongue-in-cheek motif
would blossom into an elaborately staged
multimedia work inspired by conspiracy
theories, Real Enemies, which ran
Nov. 18-22 at the Brooklyn Academy of
Musics Harvey Theater.
Taking its title from Kathryn S. Olm-
steds 2009 book Real Enemies: Conspiracy

Theories and American Democracy, World
War I to 9/11, Argues piece was co-conceived with writer and director Isaac Butler and film designer Peter Nigrini. Even
on opening night, the execution was
impeccable: Argues 18-piece band roared
and whispered through 12 brutally dissonant yet often beautiful movements,
with the leader standing in the middle
of a large doomsday clock and the band
arrayed around him in a semicircle. The

funky, swinging, sometimes Latin-tinged
music, the minimal choreography, the
lighting and scenery (by Maruti Evans),
even the bands old-school suits, trench
coats, fedoras and aqua-tinted dresses
(costumes by Sydney Maresca): All of it
was unrelentingly creepy.
Soloists Tim Ries (alto saxophone), John
Ellis (tenor saxophone), Nadje Noordhuis
and Matt Holman (flugelhorns), Ingrid
JAZZTIMES.COM
17
OPENING CHORUS
Jensen (trumpet), Adam Birnbaum (piano)
and many more took their virtuosic turns
in the spotlight at roughly 4 oclock and 8
oclock. Argue, working idiosyncratically
with 12-tone methods in his eeriest and
most multifaceted piece to date, expanded
yet again the textural and emotional vocabulary of the modern big band.
The political thrust of the piece was
highly ambiguous for the first threequarters of the show, and this was
perhaps a flaw. Above the band as a backdrop were 15 small square-shaped video
screens flickering with images drawn
from conspiracist lore: the 80s crack
epidemic and Iran-Contra, the JFK and
MLK assassinations, UFOs, chemtrails,
the moon landing and so forth. It was
all catnip, of course, for the conspiracy
theorist, who could well be fooled into
thinking this was itself a conspiracist
show. But Argue and Butler do not
endorse the theories; they were pursuing,
in Butlers words, an inquiry into belief
itself. There was an air of impartiality as
the show explored irrationalism bred of
rational distrust toward government
spurred by anticommunist dirty tricks,
CIA experiments, campaign finance
THERE WAS AN AIR

OF IMPARTIALITY AS
THE SHOW EXPLORED
IRRATIONALISM BRED OF
RATIONAL DISTRUST TOWARD
GOVERNMENTSPURRED
BY ANTICOMMUNIST
DIRTY TRICKS,
CIA EXPERIMENTS,
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
BRIBERY, SURVEILLANCE
AND THE LIKE.
bribery, surveillance and the like.
Then, as the piece wound down, we
heard a long voiceover in a sinister sci-fi
monotone, quoting from Olmsteds Real
Enemies as well as Richard Hofstadters
landmark 1964 study The Paranoid Style in
American Politics. Here at last was a withering critique of the paranoid, a person inflicted with a dread disease, an unhinged
belief that history is a conspiracy.
On the surface these beliefs are amus-
Hearsay
ing, but Real Enemies didnt fully
address their toxicity. In part this was
deliberate. Butler has spoken about his
omission of The Protocols of the Elders of
Zion, a founding tract of modern Jewhatred: I thought indulging in something that openly racist would derail the
piece. Thats probably true, though as a
result the political context envisioned by
Real Enemies seemed incomplete.
Anti-Semitism has proved an integral
part of the 9/11 Truth movement, for
instance, and by now truthers attach
themselves to every terrorist event as
it occurs (recently asserting, without
evidence, that the Paris attacks were conducted by Israel, or that Israel is funding
ISIS). Real Enemies did touch on governments use of conspiracy theories for
disinformation; this is nakedly true today
in the case of the Russian and Iranian regimes, whose English-language broadcast
outlets (RT and Press TV, respectively)
are sometimes foolishly cited and legitimized by people on the left. These may be
matters beyond the scope of a big-band
concert, not to mention a review of one.
But theyre deeply disturbing and thus
vitally important. DAVID R. ADLER
Slow Motion
THE MUSIC OF PIANIST-COMPOSER MATT MITCHELL REWARDS PATIENT, PERCEPTIVE LISTENING
eacting to the hectic pace and

shortened attention spans of the
modern age, the Slow Movement has arisen across a wide
swathe of disciplines to celebrate the
merits of taking ones time. In dining,
it rejects fast food and opts for locally
sourced, homemade meals enjoyed in
the company of others; in cinema, long
takes and minimal action are favored
over explosive blockbuster pacing.
Pianist-composer Matt Mitchell, 40,
doesnt profess to be a proponent of
the Slow Movement per se, but Vista
Accumulation (Pi), his second release as
a leader, could certainly be seen as sympathetic to its goals. His ambitious compositions sprawl out over two densely
packed CDs, several of the tracks topping
15 minutes and only one clocking in un18
der eight minutes (and just barely). Like

the best examples of Slow art, the impact
of Mitchells music is often a result of its
luxuriating in time, from allowing his
and his bandmates ideas to unspool at
their own pace.
Sometimes you can take things into
little corners that you wouldnt necessarily arrive at without allowing yourself
that breathing room, Mitchell agrees.
I dont usually set out to write a long
piece, but in general when I write I just
indulge myself. I feel like any composer
ultimately does that, at least the ones I
like. They completely indulge even their
most seemingly crazy tendenciesor
especially those.
Mitchells jazz education was undertaken simultaneously with a study of
contemporary classical composers like
Morton Feldman and Iannis Xenakis,

resulting in a blend that he jokingly refers to as a jazz front end with a creamy
classical center. Compared to some of
the composers he admires, the pieces on
Vista Accumulation are downright bitesized: Feldmans Second String Quartet
lasts about six hours, while John Cages
As Slow as Possible is currently 14
years into a 639-year performance at a
church in Germany.
But it isnt simply a sense of scale
that Mitchell has gleaned from his
avant-classical influences. His pieces
combine the formal rigor and structural complexity of those composers with
the dynamic sweep and improvisational acuity of his jazz inspirations, a long
list of mold-breakers that includes Tim
Berne, Cecil Taylor, Steve Coleman
JOHN ROGERS
and Anthony Braxton. Throughout the

new album, those concepts are held in
a taut and electric tension that can be
challenging but rewards the time spent
to pierce its mysteries. The richness
of the writing is only deepened by the
playing of Mitchells perceptive quartet:
Chris Speed (tenor saxophone and
clarinet), Chris Tordini (bass) and Dan
Weiss (drums).
I feel free knowing that I can follow
through on my indulgence as Im writing because theyre going to be able to
handle it, Mitchell says of the quartet.
It becomes about recognizing which
of my musical imaginings, as they occur in my head, would be interesting if
they interacted with those guys. It can
be hard to find a band thats willing
to not just play music thats pretty involved but go the extra mile and throw
themselves into it fully, and I think
thats what these guys have done.
In addition to his quartet, Mitchell
leads Normal Remarkable Persons, originally a quintet with Berne, trumpeter
Herb Robertson, saxophonist Travis
LaPlante and drummer Tyshawn Sorey.
The ensemble expanded for a threenight residency at Brooklyns IBeam in
early 2014 with the addition of drummers Ches Smith and Dan Weiss, who
doubled on vibes and tablas, respectively,
while Sorey added trombone to his
arsenal. (Shane Endsley substituted for
Robertson.) The bands three hour-long
sets were recorded, and Mitchell hopes
to release the results in the near future.
He also co-leads Snark Horse with his
girlfriend, drummer Kate Gentile, with
a revolving membership including
saxophonist Jon Irabagon, guitarist Ava
Mendoza, trombonist Ben Gerstein and
bassist Kim Cass.
As a sideman, Mitchell can be found
in several of the most inventive and
invigorating ensembles in modern jazz.
Hes featured on new releases by Weiss
and saxophonist Darius Jones and is
a member of Tim Bernes Snakeoil,
Rudresh Mahanthappas Bird Calls, John
Hollenbecks Large Ensemble and the
latest incarnation of the Dave Douglas
Quintet. That last band is the most surprising; while Douglas is no stranger to
adventurous experimentation, his music
for the quintet has focused on his more
lyrical side. Inspired by the loss of his
Matt Mitchell
mother and brother, the trumpeter has

explored folk and spiritual melodies.
It took me a while to figure out how
to be myself in that band, Mitchell
admits. Not just to be myself, but to
be myself in such a way thats fair to
the music or everyone else in the band.
We can go from a tune thats descended
from Filles de Kilimanjaro and then pull
back into the spiritual thing. For me,
the biggest challenge is how to play over
something thats church-y or gospel-y,
and not do it in a Keith Jarrett way.
Mitchell cites Jarrett, especially the
pianists American Quartet, as one of
his touchstones. I had to work him out
of my system for a long time, he says.
While he had to put Jarretts recordings on the shelf, hes had no shortage
of musical input. He grew up in Exton,
Pa., listening to his parents rock records.
While in high school he attended the
Eastman School of Musics summer jazz
camp, where his neighbor in the dorms
was Jason Moran. Mitchell went on to
study at Indiana University and at Eastman, moving to Philadelphia in 1999
after a single year in New York City, during which he landed an incongruous job
playing on a dinner cruise ship. Mitchell
remained in Philly as his career took off,

only recently moving back to NYC.
In the length of its pieces if not its
density of ideas, Vista Accumulation
stands in stark contrast to Mitchells 2013
debut, Fiction. That albums 15 pieces
were written as etudes, each one setting
the pianist a specific challenge in his daily
practice, then reimagined as duet pieces
for Mitchell and drummer/vibraphonist
Ches Smith. When we spoke about that
album at the time of its release, Mitchell
referred to the music as napalm nuggets of psychotic-ness, acknowledging
the daunting complexity of these relative
miniatures. But hes quick to dismiss the
oft-professed attitude that intellect and
feeling are mutually exclusive.
The notion that music thats complex
on a certain musical or technical level is
therefore not emotional is accepted by a
lot of people, but I fundamentally dont
understand why thats the case, he says.
Music thats complex always elicits an
emotional reaction in meall music does.
To me, Feldman is incredibly emotional
music, its just that the emotions are not
so obvious. I think thats why music and
poetry exist, to describe those things.
SHAUN BRADY
JAZZTIMES.COM
19
OPENING CHORUS
Hearsay
Here Comes Thelonious
y the time Terry Adams had

reached his late teens, even before
he formed NRBQthe beloved,
if not particularly world-famous,
hybrid-rock band he still fronts todaythe
keyboardist had already harbored an obsession with Thelonious Monk for several
years. So often did he turn up at Monks
gigs, absorbing and studying his heros every move, that eventually Monks greatest
champion, the Baroness, Pannonica de
Koenigswarter, chatted him up.
She said, From now on youre on my
guest list. Just tell me when, says Adams,
who met Monk himself on numerous
occasions. Hed be in such a great mood
sometimes. I remember him sort of teasing me. He came over and said, You know
whats wrong with the world today? I said,
What? He said, Teenagers are crazy!
Its taken him more than 45 years, but
the once-crazy teen from Louisville, Ky.,
has finally voiced his debt to Monk via
Talk Thelonious (Clang!), a mostly live
album featuring Adams, on various keys,
backed by current members of NRBQ
and other musicians.
To his longtime, devoted fans, Adams
decision to cut an album-length tribute
to Monk should not come as a surprise. Although the acronym
initially stood for New Rhythm and Blues Quartet, since day one
NRBQ has been about eclecticism, their repertoire vacuuming
up tunes and elements from the worlds of honky-tonk country, pure pop, roadhouse blues and the various corners of jazz.
The bands 1969 debut album, two years after their formation,
opened with an Eddie Cochran rockabilly hit and then went
directly to Sun Ras Rocket Number 9. That anything-goes
philosophy has never wavered.
It would seem dishonest to me to sign up for one style of
music; Id bore myself, says Adams, the only original member still
with NRBQ. This is whats right for me, and thats what makes
the players in the band special, that theyre guys who think like
me. When I was a kid and Id play records, I would play Link
Wray and then Id play Monk.
Now 67, Adams first heard Monk at 14 and began painstakingly
transcribing his recordings. Through the years, as he figured out
more of the intricacies and nuances embedded in Monks work,
Adams would return to those transcriptions to edit. The Q has,
on occasion, tossed a Monk tune into its set, but Talk Thelonious
marks the first time Adams has devoted an entire project to him.
And he nails it. After all, like Monk Adams employs a quirkily
physical approach to his instrument and an unorthodox relationship with melody and rhythm. For the one-night-only gig,
recorded at the Flynn Space in Burlington, Vt., in April 2012,
20
Adams assembled a group of adaptable,

virtuosic players and went in without
expectations. It was hard to put all that
music together in that short a time and
get out there, he says. I had the edge
because Ive been thinking about this
for a lifetime. But this was pretty new
to them. I didnt want to do so much
straight jazz because were not really a
jazz band, though we like to shoot at it.
They more than shoot at it; they
breathe new life into it. On the albums
opening number, Reflections, Adams
utilizes a synthesized pipe organ, accompanied by current NRBQ drummer
Conrad Choucroun and Pete Toigo, one
of two bassists on the gig. (The other is
Pete Donnelly, of the band the Figgs.)
Saxophonist Klem Klimek, multi-instrumentalist Jim Hoke and present-day
NRBQ guitarist Scott Ligon fill out the
band for the show. On one Talk Thelonious track, Monks Mood, Hokewho,
along with Toigo, also played on 1995s
Terrible, an earlier Adams jazz release
that featured Marshall Allen of Sun
Ras Arkestra and trombonist Roswell
Ruddprovides both chromatic harmonica and pedal-steel guitar. Ask Me
Now features only Adams on piano and Ligon on Hammond
organ. The albums finale, Ruby, My Dear, is its sole studio track,
featuring the core band augmented by violins, French horn, harp
and percussion.
The arrangements are definitely my own, Adams says. In
Hornin In, I was thinking what it would sound like if Chuck
Berry did it. In Walked Bud, Ive done that arrangement over the
years, which uses no syncopation. Some of it goes to places the
band hadnt heard me play. Everybody [in the band] was on the
edge of their seat right up until the time we did it. I can hear the
freshness of it and the edge.
Although he took liberties with the arrangements, Adams was
careful to maintain the essence of what made Monk the original that
he was. I know a lot of jazz musicians play Monks music [where] it
seems as soon as the melody is over with, it can be anything, he says.
I feel that an entire pieceimprovisations, solos and allshould be
coming from the same place. It should sound like Monk.
More than a particular sound though, Adams says, What I got
from Monk is that its really about endurance and not compromising. Thats what anybody gets out of him, if you think about
itbelieving in yourself and being yourself. Ive had that with me
a long time, and Ive got to credit him with part of that.
And what would Thelonious Monk have taken away from Talk
Thelonious? Oh, Im pretty sure he likes it, Adams says.
JEFF TAMARKIN
DAVE YANDELL
NRBQS TERRY ADAMS FULFILLS A LIFELONG DREAM
Farewells
Songwriter, producer, arranger
and musician Allen Toussaint,
one of the most influential artists
in New Orleans music for more
than 50 years, died Nov. 9,
in Madrid, Spain. Toussaint
suffered a heart attack following
a performance at that citys
Teatro Lara; although he was
briefly revived, he died en route
to Jimenez Diaz Foundation
Hospital. He was 77.
Toussaints compositions were
covered by hundreds of artists.
He was also an in-demand
producer, arranger and session
pianist, and recorded under his
own name beginning in the
late 1950s.
Gene Norman, a jazz club

owner and disc jockey who
launched and operated the
popular GNP Crescendo
independent record label, died
at his home in Hollywood,
Calif., on Nov. 2. He was 93.
Pianist, composer and
bandleader Lee Shaw, who
studied with Oscar Peterson,
taught piano to John Medeski
and worked with Dexter
Gordon, Thad Jones, Chico
Hamilton, Pepper Adams, Zoot
Sims, Al Cohn and others, died
Oct. 25 in Albany, N.Y. Shaw
had suffered from lung disease.
She was 89.
News from JazzTimes.com

The Monterey Jazz Festival has announced
that drummer, composer and producer Terri Lyne

Carrington will be the festivals 2016 artist-inresidence. She will work year-round with young
musicians and established artists in performances
and clinics at the Next Generation Jazz Festival,
Summer Jazz Camp and Monterey Jazz Festival.
The ASCAP Foundation and the Newport Jazz

Festival have announced a new collaborative effort
to benefit rising jazz talent. The festival has agreed
to feature a performance this year by one of the
recipients of the ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert
Young Jazz Composer Awards.
The Jazz Connect Conference has named Brice

Rosenbloom as the second recipient of the Bruce
Lundvall Visionary Award, created in 2014 in
honor of the esteemed jazz record executive who
was a champion and advocate for so many jazz
artists over the last four decades. The annual award
recognizes an individual who has demonstrated
extraordinary leadership and vision in expanding
the audience for jazz. Rosenbloom will be honored
at the conference, held Jan. 14-15 at Saint Peters
Church in New York City.
Snarky Puppy has entered into a partnership with

their first-ever major-label home, Universal Music
Classics. The arrangement sees UMC as the exclusive
distributor of all releases under GroundUP Records,
the label owned and operated by Michael League, the
bands leader, bassist, composer and arranger.
Rudresh Mahanthappa, the 44-year-old alto

saxophonist and composer, has been named one of
37 new United States Artists Fellows, an honor that
comes with an unrestricted $50,000 cash award.
USA is one of the largest grant-making organizations
in the country.
OPENING CHORUS
Before & After

By Aidan Levy
OFarrill in Havana
in June 2013
ARTURO OFARRILL
ONE CONVERSATION ON ANOTHER
1. Orquesta Casino de la Playa
Dolor Cobarde (from Rumba Rumbero, Musica Latina Nostalgia). Jos Pea, trombone; Walfredo de los Reyes, trumpet;
22
Liduvino Pereira, clarinet; Evelio Gonzlez, alto saxophone;

Alfredo Saenz, violin; Ernesto de la Vega, guitar; Anselmo
Sacasas, piano; Miguelito Valds, bongos, congas, vocals.
Recorded in 1937.
BEFORE: Is that Benny Mor? Thats so great. Its such a funny
sound. It almost doesnt sound like a trumpet. Its so Cuban. Its
either Peruchn or Bola de Nieve. Its not? Wow. Its kind of raw.
And its definitely not Bebo.
AFTER: Thats really obscure. The only thing I even came close
to was Bola de Nieve. This is beautiful.
The musicologist Ned Sublette, who wrote the seminal Cuba
and Its Music, helped develop this playlist. This is apparently
a very influential piano solo. And Sacasas actually had to
adjust the mic to pick up the piano.
The piano is very strong and very loud, which is rare for
recordings from 1937. Its pretty amazing. Thats a real find. I
was going to say Miguelito Valds. But you know what, its a
young Miguelito Valds, because later on in his career, he really
is a baritone. But what gave me the sense that it was Miguelito
Valds was the phrasing, because Miguelito has a fluid sound.
Later on, if you listen to him sing, its very fluid. Hes also kind
of a scat singer. He does the same thing Bobby Carcasss does
with scat, using Yoruban words, very redolent of scat to me.
Beautiful track.
DAVID GARTEN
ith Cuba: The Conversation Continues (Motma),

Arturo OFarrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra continue a dialogue that began in 2014
with the Grammy-winning The Offense of the
Drum, but dates at least as far back as 1947, when Chano Pozo
and Dizzy Gillespie collaborated on Manteca, frequently cited
as the earliest Latin-jazz standard. OFarrills release, recorded
in Havana with Cuban and American artists, coincided with
the normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba,
beginning an ongoing discourse, both politically and culturally,
toward what Gillespie envisioned as universal music.
OFarrill, 55, travels to Cuba regularly, and is currently composing a large-scale concerto that will feature Dr. Cornel West as a
spoken-word soloist with the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. (The work
is scheduled to premiere in the spring at the Apollo Theater.) He is
also planning a recording with his fellow pianist-bandleader Chucho
Valds that will function as a tribute to their legendary fathers, Chico
and Bebo, respectively, and their influence on Afro-Cuban jazz.
You can understand why I get weird when people say, Jazz is
an American invention, OFarrill says, sitting down in New York
for his first Before & After session. You could spend an afternoon
listening to 1930s Cuban piano, and it would not be enough. It
just validates my whole rant and rave about how the thing we call
jazz is really pan-American, pan-African. Its a diasporic music.
2. Arsenio Rodrguez
Sandunguera (Guaracha) (from The Music of Cuba, Arsenio

Rodrguez, Vol. 1: Recordings 1944-1946, Black Round). Rodrguez,
tres; Benetn Bustillo, Rubn Calzado, trumpets; Adolfo Panacea
OReilly, piano; Nilo Alfonso, bass; Israel Kiki Rodrguez, tumbadora; Antoln Papa Kila Surez, bongos; Marcelino Guerra, vocals,
guitar; Pedro Lus Sarracent, vocals, clave; Miguelto Cun, vocals,
maracas. Recorded in 1943.
AFTER: This is completely crazy. I should know this tune. Tata Gines,
Chico and Peruchn. You are reaching. That is inside.
5. Rubn Gonzlez
Fabiando (from Rubn Gonzlez, Areito, rereleased as Indestructible,

EGREM). Gonzlez, piano; Faban Garca, bass; Roberto Garca, bongos;
Guillermo Garca, congas; Gustavo Tamayo, guiro. Recorded in 1977.
BEFORE: Thats Bola de Nieve. Its not? Is this Trio Matamoros? It

sounds like a young Chocolate [Alfredo Chocolate Armenteros] on
trumpet.
BEFORE: Im going to say Gonzalo [Rubalcaba].
AFTER: That was recorded there?
This is a recording of a rhythm section Gonzlez played with in

Enrique Jorrns band, rereleased when the Buena Vista Social Club
became popular.
In Havana in 1943.
Its beautiful. You can hardly hear the guitar. Thats really obscure. Im
going to go home and study these people. For me this is all education.
3. Miguelito Cun con

el Conjunto Chappottn
Pa Bachatear (from Miguelito Cun con el Conjunto Chappottn,
Caribe Music Dos). Cun, vocals; Cecilio Cerviz, Flix Chappottn,
Pepn Vaillant, Aquilino Valds, trumpets; Arturo Harvey, tres; Luis
Lil Martnez Grin, piano; Sabino Pealver, bass; Antoln Papa
Kila Surez, bongos; Flix Alfonso, congas; Udalberto Fresneda, vocals, rhythm guitar; Ren lvarez, Conrado Cepero, vocals. Recorded
between 1951 and 1953.
BEFORE: They say the name of the pianist. Lil Martnez has a really
distinct style. Thats why those other two pianists could not have been
him. In some ways, Martnez is the real creator of modern Afro-Cuban
piano playing, especially because hes playing these octaves and tenths.
Theres no one else who did that, and he was an extraordinary technician. Thats beautiful.
The exact recording date is unknown. For many pre-Castro records,
that information seems to have been lost.
Of course.
4. Chico OFarrill and

His All-Stars Cubano
Descarga Nmero Uno (from Descarga Nmero Uno/Descarga Nmero Dos, Gema). OFarrill, Alejandro Vivar, trumpets;
Delahoza, trombone; Richard Eges, flute; Osvaldo Pealver, alto
saxophone; Emilio Pealver, tenor saxophone; Arturo Harvey,
tres; Pedro Peruchn Jstiz, piano; Israel Cachao Lpez, bass;
Tata Gines, congas; Walfredito de los Reyes, pailas.
Recorded in 1957.
BEFORE: Im going to take a guess on the sax player. Is it Paquito
[DRivera]? Is that Bebo? Its great. Is this Chicos piece? Im trying to figure out who played piano. Is it Bebo? Peruchn! And
Chicos arrangement?
AFTER: I should have known that.
I didnt think it was Rubn because it sounds so young. It sounds quite

adept and fast and really choppy and youthful, and the Rubn Im
familiar with is older and much more languid and reserved. Its really
nice to hear him play like this. It proves that we were all young once.
6. Irakere
Cuba Libre (from Cuba Libre, JVC). Arturo Sandoval, Jorge Varona,
trumpets; German Velazco Urdeliz, alto saxophone; Carlos Averhoff,
tenor saxophone; Carlos Emilio Morales, guitar; Chucho Valds,
piano; Carlos Puerto, bass; Enrique Pl, drums; Jorge Alfonso, Oscar
Valds, percussion. Recorded in 1980.
BEFORE: This sounds familiar. Its Irakere, for sure. Its Chucho. I know
Ive heard this. Im not sure where this is from. Its not Misa Negra, is
it? I even played this for a class.
AFTER: There was an era when recordings all had that sound. I dont
know if it was a movement away from reverb or toward it, but they
have a very specific sound. I always feel like with Chucho, theres a
lot of stuff that is under his fingers, and every now and then he goes
dangerously close to losing control of what hes playing, and he does
it anyway. Listening to him get perilously close to losing control is so
beautiful, because he never really does. He has such mastery over the
instrument, its almost like he lets go of it and stops controlling it, but
he still has so much keyboard prowess.
The thing I love about Chucho is that he leaves the language. He
leaves the Romantic pianistic language and the Cuban language
and just goes free. Its almost like Cecil Taylor. Like that stuff there,
hes not controlling it. Thats just his fingers, but its still so beautifully done. And then he goes back to the language. He goes back to,
like, Debussy. You know what I mean? Its amazing. Nobody plays
like Chucho. People try to, but they should know better.
7. Ernn Lpez-Nussa
Countdown (from Delirium, BMG). Lpez-Nussa, piano; Jorge

Perez, bass; Ramss Rodriguez, drums; Inor Sotolongo, percussion.
Recorded in 1998.
BEFORE: Gonzalo? Is this recorded in Cuba? Its not Gonzalo, and its
not Chucho.
JAZZTIMES.COM
23
OPENING CHORUS
THERES A THING THATS EXPECTED
OF CUBAN PIANISTS, WHEN JAZZ
TOURISTS GO TO CUBA. THEY WANT
TO HEAR THE HISTRIONICS AND THE
VIRTUOSITY, AND BECAUSE ITS EASY FOR
THE PIANISTS TO DO IT, THEYLL DO IT,
BUT ITS EXCESSIVE TO SOME DEGREE.
IT DOESNT ALWAYS MAKE MUSICAL SENSE.
AFTER: I know Ernn. Hes an amazing pianist. The only time Ive ever
heard him was in Cuba. His nephew, Harold Lpez-Nussa, was just at
the Blue Note for two nights, which is great.
8. Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio
El Manicero (The Peanut Vendor) (from Supernova, Blue Note). Rubalcaba, piano; Carlos Henriquez, bass; Ignacio Berroa, drums; Robert
Quintero, congas; Luis Quintero, timbales, guiro. Recorded in 2000.
BEFORE: Is this recorded in Spain? It sounds like Bebo, but I know its not.
Ive heard this. Is it a young person? Is it Alfredito [Alfredo Rodrguez]? Is
it Gonzalo? Gonzalito, but this is Gonzalo before he became Gonzalo. Its
funny, I saw a video yesterday of Gonzalo playing Autumn Leaves at the
Mount Fuji Jazz Festival, and I compare Gonzalo from that era with what
he plays like now, 15 or 16 years later. Gonzalo to me is a very interesting
pianist. He easily has the chops of Chucho or anybody, but hes not given to
histrionics. Even when he is given to histrionics, hes a cerebral pianist. I was
going to say Ignacio, because theres nobody who plays the drums like Ignacio. I remember this record with Carlos Henriquez. Its a beautiful record.
Before & After

Omar Gonzlez, bass; Ramss Rodriguez, drums; Joel Hierrezuelo,
percussion. Recorded in 2008.
BEFORE: Is that Alfredito?
AFTER: Because of the nature of the track, I was going to say it was
Vince Guaraldi. It has a Vince Guaraldi vibe, and to me, sometimes as Cubans we revert to that language as if its the only place
that we come from, but its just not the only thing we can do. Its
got a little touch of Keith Jarrett. Its great.
11. David Virelles
Sueo (from Motion, Justin Time). Virelles, piano; Luis Deniz,

alto saxophone; Devon Henderson, bass; Ethan Ardelli, drums;
Luis Orbegoso, congas, batajones, cajn. Recorded in 2006.
BEFORE: Is it David Virelles? Hes unique. David Virelles is really
outstanding, and has really distinguished himself as someone
who has used the language of tradition and modernized it to
where its come to be in the world of Steve Coleman. For me, hes
probably one of the most interesting musicians out there period,
let alone Cuban pianists. Hes also one of the few Cuban pianists
whos not scared of simplicity. He doesnt show it on this track,
but there are things of his that have space and freedom; this is not
space and freedom. Hes bad. My hat is off to him. Hes a marvelous musician. Its lovely and its modern, and it comes from tradition and does everything that I think that jazz should. Its got one
foot in the next world, but its firmly planted on terra firma.
12. Fabian Almazan Trio
Sin Alma (from Personalities, Biophilia). Almazan, piano; Linda

Oh, bass; Henry Cole, drums. Recorded in 2010.
BEFORE: Thats Gonzalo. Roberto Carcasss?
9. Elio Villafranca/Arturo Stable
A Las Millas (from Dos Y Mas, Motma). Villafranca, piano; Stable,

percussion. Recorded in 2010-2011.
BEFORE: Wow. Is it Elio? It sounds like Elios touch. He has a very fine
use of the left hand. Arturo Stable is a bad cat. [This music] represents the
younger cadre of Cuban pianists, but Elio is in some ways more informed
by Afro-Cuban-ness than by virtuosity. He plays brilliantly, but its much
less about the piano and much more about music. And all those older
guys, starting with Peruchn, were really about the pianos Romantic
repertoire, and the great histrionic stuff that they learned. The conservatories in Cuba were very Russian, so they all played the hell out of the
piano. They all come from Rachmaninoff and Liszt. Ive sat with Chucho
and weve played Liszt for each other, so its part of the language. These
younger guys did that and didnt stay there. Theyre much more in touch
with their Afro-Cuban roots. [Elio is] a fantastic musician, and also more
informed by contemporary jazz pianists. That harmonic language is much
more a part of their vocabulary than it is for the older generation.
10. Roberto Fonseca
Lo Que Me Hace Vivir (from Akokan, Justin Time). Fonseca, piano;

24
AFTER: Im not familiar with his work. I know that hes an interesting pianist. Thats a great trio. I have to get hip to Fabian. This is
definitely not your granddaddys Afro-Cuban, or even your granddaddys Cuban jazz. I like it because hes got a beautiful, light touch.
If you played this for a hundred people, they wouldnt think this
was a Cuban pianist. They wouldnt think thatits just so rooted in
modern jazz. I guess thats why I like it. Its more like the music Im
likely to make with a piano trio. Its very light and airy.
13. The Pedrito Martnez Group
Conciencia (from The Pedrito Martnez Group, Motma). Martnez, percussion, vocals; Ariacne Trujillo, piano, vocals; Alvaro
Benavides, electric bass, vocals; Jhair Sala, percussion, vocals.
Recorded in 2013.
BEFORE: This is Pedrito. And Ariacnes fabulous. Ive heard this.
Shes amazing. Pedritos just incredible. When people think of Pedrito, they think of real folklorically grounded music, but in fact hes
a modernist and shes a modernist. Its so predicated on the groove,
people tend to bring it to a very fundamental place, but its not. Shes
a forward-looking musician.
14. Jorge Luis Pacheco
Con el Pache Me Voy (from My Favorite Themes, pachecopiano.

com). Pacheco, piano; David Faya Cordova, bass; Ivan Llanes,
drums; Otto Santana Selis, percussion. Recorded in 2014.
BEFORE: Its not Roberto Carcasss? Alexis Bosch?
AFTER: I know Jorge Luis Pacheco. This does not sound like him.
Let me hear the solo. Hes a very fine musician. Hes given to a lot
of virtuosic display that is such a trademark of Cuban pianists.
Ive known him for a long time. Let me listen to this. I guarantee
hell break into 32nd notes. There it is!
Its funny; hes a really scary pianist. I think theres a maturation process that hes going to go through, because technically hes
beyond gifted. Its a hard road in a way, because Cuba has got so
many great pianists that to distinguish yourself as a pianist you
have to be technically spectacular, and Jorge is. Hes phenomenal. Theres a thing thats expected of Cuban pianists, when jazz
tourists go to Cuba. They want to hear the histrionics and the
virtuosity, and because its easy for the pianists to do it theyll do
it, but its excessive to some degree. It doesnt always make musical
sense, but its so impressive. For instance, some of my favorite
Chucho is when hes really just playing Cuban music without all
the bells and whistles. Its the same with Pacheco. When he plays
timba, syncopation and groove, thats impressive to me. Thirtysecond notes, not so much. That was nice, though.
15. Alfredo Rodrguez
Guantanamera (from The Invasion Parade, Mack Avenue).

Rodrguez, piano; Peter Slavov, bass; Henry Cole, drums.
Recorded in 2014.
BEFORE: Thats pretty. Thats good piano playing, too. Thats
control. Wow, thats really good. Thats great. I have no clue, but
its brilliant.
AFTER: Is it Alfredito? Im really familiar with Alfredo, and [his
playing is] technically adept but theres a sense of control about
it. Obviously, [speaking of] the younger crew, all these pianists
are phenomenal, but this is not just histrionics for histrionics
sake. Theres a musical reason and theres a constructed reason.
Theres an architectural arc to why he plays like he does. Also, its
informed by jazz. Its shaped by Cuba but informed by contemporary jazz pianists. Oh, there go the histrionics. Eventually they
come out, dont they? Its like trying to hide your crazy; you cant
hide it for too long. Thats also typical of Cuban pianism.
A lot of people are mystified by that, that need to overplay and
overwrite, but I think theyre not understanding the idea that its
an expressive form as valid as playing any way. An entry point
into music can be your technique, can be your culture, can be the
genre that youre surrounded by, can be your musical upbringing. They are all valid. And I think the thing that marks Cuban
pianists is the fact that theyre trained very well. Theyre extraordinary musicians and extraordinary pianists, and I like when they
take the limits of their extraordinary pianism and their Afrofolkloric roots and understanding, and then join in the conversation with contemporary jazz pianists. Thats kind of the best of all
possible worlds. JT
By Ted Panken
GEORGE CABLES
OWNER OF AN IDENTITY,
WITH HINTS OF HERBIE
he notion that George Cables has received insufficient

acclaim during his half-century as a professional jazz musician gave bassist Stanley Clarke pause. It depends what
view youre looking at, Clarke suggested at Manhattans
Blue Note in November, a day after reuniting with Cables and
drummer Lenny Whiteonce the rhythm section for Joe Hendersonfor the first time in 44 years. Younger people, normal
people who dont listen to jazz or the evolution of jazz, may not
know who George is. Ive played with a lot of piano players
Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Chick Coreaand George is
right there. His touch and vocabulary always tell me its him. He
always sounded like himself.
On the bandstand an hour later, the trio received raucous applause from a packed house consisting primarily of baby-boomer-and-older normals who barely responded when the emcee
announced Cables name. That changed after Cables, undaunted
by the arena-level bass amplification, expertly addressed Clarkes
3 Wrong Notes. On that barely disguised contrafact of Charlie
Parkers Confirmation, he sculpted a melodic path through the
changes at race-car velocity, interpolating his own voicings and
building an arc that climaxed with rhythmically assured 16- and
32-bar exchanges with White.
During On Green Dolphin Street, which proceeded to a
Poinciana beat, Cables showcased the finely calibrated touch
and harmonic savoir faire Clarke had referenced. He reharmonized Hendersons Recorda-Me, on which he toyed catlike
26
Overdue Ovation
with the time, generating multiple choruses of fresh ideas. Each
declamation provoked proportionally louder applause, but you
could hear a pin drop after Cables completed his solo on Helens
Song, an elegant, tender tone poem for his late soulmate, Helen
Wray, that he first recorded in 1984, on a trio album with Clarke
and drummer Peter Erskine for the Japanese market.
In sum, Cables, who turned 71 four days after the gig, displayed the same qualities that consistently infuse his 30-plus
recordings as a leader. The most recent of those is 2015s In Good
Company, the third date hes completed for HighNote since he
endured and recuperated from a simultaneous liver and kidney
transplant procedure in the fall of 2007. Like its predecessors,
Icons and Influences and My Muse, In Good Company is a swinging, probing, endlessly melodic trio recital, on which bassist
Essiet Essiet and drummer Victor Lewis navigate repertoire by
Ellington/Strayhorn, John Hicks and Kenny Barron.
Further corroborating Cables stature are dozens of highprofile sideman recordings during the 70s and 80s with Sonny
Rollins, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Philly Joe
Jones and more. Then, too, Cables has generated several dozen
compositions that hold pride of place in the late 20th-century jazz
canon. In recent years, Cables has heard his music illuminated as
a member of the Cookers, the popular hard- and postbop all-star
band organized by trumpeter David Weiss. Cables compositions,
as the singer Sarah Elizabeth Charles puts it, are honest and
emotionally based as opposed to being overly intellectual, but at
the same time, because of his knowledge as a player, come out in
a way thats subtly complex.
Charles recently collaborated with Cables on a project that
will constitute his next HighNote album, due out in 2016. Over
the years people told me that my songs have strong potential for
lyrics, and asked if they could write them, Cables said in late
October, at the New School in New York. (There he directs the
Herbie Hancock Ensemble, in which Charles enrolled in 2011.)
Playing with Dexter reinforced my attention to lyrics, and as I
got older and more mature they appealed to me more.
The rapport between Cables and Charles strengthened when
he heard her variations on Hancocks Driftin, from Takin Off.
Charles asked the young singer to collaborate on arrangements
featuring Janice Jarretts lyrics, written several decades ago, to his
songs I Told You So, Blue Nights, Love Song, Ebony Moonbeams and Think on Me, among others. George had boxes
and folders and briefcases filled with handwritten charts that he
played for me, Charles recalls of their rehearsals. Hed tell me
the stories behind the songs, what inspired him to write them.
He doesnt write to impress. Years ago, he probably asked himself,
Recommended Listening:
Joe Henderson Quintet At the Lighthouse: If Youre Not Part of the
Solution, Youre Part of the Problem (Milestone, 1970)
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Childs Dance (Prestige, 1972)
The Cookers Time and Time Again (Motma, 2014)
George Cables Icons & Influences (HighNote, 2014)
George Cables In Good Company (HighNote, 2015)
R. ANDREW LEPLEY
OPENING CHORUS
maybe consciously or subconsciously, What kind of player am I

going to be and what is my identity as a musician? He took time to
clearly define that.
Cables began that process in the St. Albans section of Queens.
He started classical lessons at 5 and came to jazz after graduating
from New Yorks High School of Performing Arts. While studying
at Mannes School of Music at the New School, he independently
immersed himself in jazz language via close study, first and foremost, of Wynton Kelly, Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk.
He put their lessons into practice at jam sessions in his basement,
attended by the likes of poet and pianist Weldon Irvine, drummer
Billy Hart and saxophonists Dave Liebman and Steve Grossman,
and with the Jazz Samaritans, a neighborhood combo that included
Grossman, drummer Billy Cobham and bassist Clint Houston. Not
long after Cobham entered the Army in 1965, White, still in his
teens, assumed the drum chair. I thought George was the closest
thing Id get to playing with Herbie, White recalled. We played
through a lot of different kinds of music together. George is a bit
older than me, and he was up on things. All his contemporaries
showed up in his playing, but he was always George Cables.
By 1968, Cables, Houston and White were getting local work as
a rhythm section, including a stand with Woody Shaw and Booker
Ervin at a club in Westbury, on Long Island, and another with
Jackie McLean at Slugs, where, in 1969, Cables debuted with Art
Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. In May of that year, he cemented
his position in the big leagues when Sonny Rollins took him to Los
Angeles for an extended engagement. The feeling of swing and the

touch was there, Cables recalled. I adjusted, adapted and learned
how to use my voice. You can touch the piano a million different
ways and get a million different sounds. Herbie opened doors for
me. I loved his sound, and Id sit at the piano and try to figure out
his voicings. His Blue Note records and the ones with Miles were
real lessons. One day I was listening to something from Takin Off,
and I realized that he got the voicing I was looking for with two or
three notes in his left hand. That was so helpful to me.
I tell students that piano is a percussion instrument, he
continued. My feeling about jazz is in the drumnot just that
instrument, but the drum inside you. I try to hook up with the
drummer one way or the other, play cadences with the drummer,
do something to get us to feel each other so we can lock up. My approach to comping is to play the chords rhythmically so you create
motion; youre going from one place to another, not just standing in
one place and then another.
He intends to keep moving forward. The music I play has been
around for a while, and Ive certainly been around a while, but I
dont feel like my music is old old, Cables said. Its maybe not
exactly what many contemporary people are playing, but so what?
Some things I might not like today, but maybe tomorrow I will.
Thats the great thing about jazz. Its arms are wide open, and its
welcoming to whoever you are, wherever youre from. You want
to learn this? OK, learn this. But dont do it the way I do it. Do it
your way. Be yourself.JT
Galen
Weston
plugged
in
blu azz
p r o d u c t i o n s
DOWNLOAD THE CD FOR

FREE AT GALENWESTON.ORG
...beautifully written and warmly performed" JazzTimes

A guitar tour de force... The Midwest Record
...Weston straddles a myriad of styles on his auspicious
debut as a leader...with conviction and rare facility.
Definitely a talent deserving of wider recognition.
Bill Milkowski
Contributor to DownBeat and Jazziz
Photo by Roger Humbert
JAZZTIMES.COM
27
year in review
50
15 TOP
We calculated our top 40 new

releases and top 10 historical/reissue
recordings of 2015 based
on year-end lists from our writers.
They were asked to choose the
10 best new releases and five best
historical titlesi.e., albums and box
sets consisting primarily of music
recorded 10 or more years ago.
To see each voters ballot, log on to
JazzTimes.com. CDs and box sets
released between Nov. 5, 2014 and
Nov. 3, 2015 were eligible. Some
albums may have slipped through the
cracks, however, as official release
dates shifted or werent available.
Editorial excerpts and original blurbs by
Philip Booth, Shaun Brady, Nate Chinen,
Thomas Conrad, Steve Greenlee, Evan Haga,
Aidan Levy, Matt R. Lohr, Christopher Loudon,
John Murph, Britt Robson and Mike Shanley.
MIKE PARK
1.
28
KAMASI WASHINGTON
The Epic (BRAINFEEDER)

If Kendrick Lamars To Pimp a Butterfly
was the perfect soundtrack to the fury
simmering underneath the Black Lives
Matter movement, then The Epic
provided the ideal B-side. With
crackling rhythms and large-scale
orchestrations that recall David Van De
Pittes charts on Marvin Gayes Whats Going On, Washingtons sweeping three-disc debut puts forth a multifaceted
beauty and an optimistic yearning. His searing, cathartic
tenor saxophone improvisations caught the zeitgeist of young
black America like few other jazz albums in 2015. J.M.
CRITICSPICKS
2. MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA
THE THOMPSON FIELDS (ARTISTSHARE)

Schneider has always
drawn inspiration from
the natural world and
from her Midwestern
upbringing, and on
The Thompson Fields,
the first album from
her acclaimed
orchestra in eight
years, those elements come together in a
vibrantly pastoral, movingly impressionistic
portrait of a vanishing landscape. S.B.
3. RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA
BIRD CALLS (ACT)
The influence of
Charlie Parker has
been apparent in
Mahanthappas style
as much for the way
he attacks a song with
an uncompromising
blend of rapid force
and lyrical flow as for any specifics in
harmony or rhythm. This album puts
Mahanthappas enriched Parker scholarship
on ingenious display, using different
elements of songs from Birds catalog as
inspirations, interpolations, excerpts and
deconstructions. B.R.
4. CCILE MCLORIN SALVANT
FOR ONE TO LOVE (MACK AVENUE)

Sly and sensuous,
partial to featherlight
flights yet solid as
oak, Salvant is
preternaturally
brilliant at synthesizing a centurys worth
of influencesshades
of Bessie Smith, Billie
Holiday and Blossom Dearie are evident
while remaining her mesmeric self. And in
pianist Aaron Diehl she has an ideally
simpatico partner. C.L.
5. JACK DEJOHNETTE
MADE IN CHICAGO (ECM)

I come back to that
word continuum,
said AACM
cofounder Muhal
Richard Abrams, at a
release event for this
all-star reunion of his
organizations alumni.
Here, the term
indicates a tradition that pairs tortuous
10-minute-plus tracks with an elliptical
economy of language. DeJohnette, a kind of
honorary AACM member, is nominally the
leader, but the landmark free-jazz institution,
which celebrated 50 years throughout 2015,
deserves the credit. A.L.
6. JOHN SCOFIELD
PAST PRESENT (IMPULSE!/UNIVERSAL MUSIC CLASSICS)

Members of a jazz
generation that came
of age in the woolly
70s, Scofield and Joe
Lovano share a code of
articulate gruffness,
along with a startling
capacity for lyricism.
And unlike some other
magical frontline partnerships in jazz, they
seem to converge on a nearly egoless plane.
[The] balance of compositions, all Scofield
originals, captures the specific breadth of this
band, hitting every important mark. N.C.
7.
CHARLES LLOYD
WILD MAN DANCE (BLUE NOTE)

A continuous
performance stretched
over six sections for
more than 70 minutes,
Wild Man Dance
features the serene
vigilance of Lloyds
arching extended notes,
which soar in repose
like a raptor combing the horizon. But his most
distinctive stroke of inspiration is augmenting
classic quartet instrumentation with the
virtuosic Greek lyra of Sokratis Sinopoulos and
the dulcimer-like cimbalom of Hungarian
Mikls Lukcs. B.R.
8. STEVE COLEMAN
& THE COUNCIL OF BALANCE
SYNOVIAL JOINTS (PI)

The centerpiece here is
the four-part Synovial
Joints suite, a
17-plus-minute-long
work of escalating
intensity and
remarkable density. In
all, its probably
Colemans most
ambitious project since Genesis & the Opening of
the Way. But Synovial Joints is less stilted and
more lyrical, owing perhaps to its shorter length
and different instrumentation (more strings,
fewer horns and percussion). B.R.
9. VIJAY IYER TRIO
BREAK STUFF (ECM)

Break Stuff is about
creative destruction
as well as the break, a
phrase Iyer uses to
describe a span of time
in which to act. With
his longstanding trio
featuring Stephan
Crump and Marcus
Gilmore, Iyer reimagines tunes by jazz giants;
recasts pieces from his 2013 large-ensemble
project, Open City; reconstructs material from
his 2012 Museum of Modern Art commission,
Break Stuff; and trots out new tunes. They all
intertwine so perfectly. S.G.
10. ARTURO OFARRILL & THE AFRO

LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
CUBA: THE CONVERSATION

CONTINUES (MOTMA)
Tapping American
and Cuban musicians,
including his
orchestra and guests,
OFarrill employs
typically forwardlooking arrangements
to celebrate a shared
heritage, imagining
Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo engaging in
an ongoing musical mind meld. On the
four-part The Afro Latin Jazz Suite and
elsewhere, Afro-Cuban and jazz textures
collide creatively, mixing, blending and behaving like twins born to different mothers. P.B.
11. TIM BERNES SNAKEOIL
YOUVE BEEN WATCHING ME (ECM)

For his third ECM
release, saxophonist
Tim Berne keeps his
writing as rugged and
unpredictable as ever.
Combining epics and
short sketches, Youve
Been Watching Me
features tranquil
moments as well as a sea of foreboding
melodies. On his first album with the group,
guitarist Ryan Ferreira brings a wider sonic
dimension to this knotty, arresting music. M.S.
12. HENRY THREADGILL ZOOID
IN FOR A PENNY,
IN FOR A POUND (PI)
Saxophonist/flutist
Threadgill has
deployed Zooid as his
ensemble vehicle for
14 years now, longer
than his marvelous,
indelible tenures with
Air and Very Very
Circus. This group is
the most schematic and controlled of the three,
yet it continues to blossom in new and exciting
ways thanks to Threadgills unremitting
maturity as a composer and conceptualist. B.R.
13. THE BAD PLUS JOSHUA REDMAN

THE BAD PLUS JOSHUA REDMAN (NONESUCH)
There are none of
TBPs calling-card
deconstructions of pop
hits here, and you dont
miss them; the original
music, including songs
by all the participants,
is excellent and wideranging and deftly
arranged, in a way that underscores both the trios
affinity for composition and the fresher, more
noticeably improvised terrain that Redmans
presence opens up. More than anything, this
works because of shared dynamic tact. E.H.
15
year in review
CRITICSPICKS
14. JOS JAMES
YESTERDAY I HAD THE BLUES:

THE MUSIC OF BILLIE HOLIDAY (BLUE NOTE)
This tribute is entirely absent of
flashno grandstanding, no
posturing, not an ounce of excess. It
is, pure and simply, James digging
deep inside each lyric, exposing its
universal truths. Abetting such
effective clarity is one of the finest
rhythm sections imaginable
Jason Moran, John Patitucci and Eric Harlandshaping
accompaniment thats at once understated and bursting
with insight. C.L.
17.
CHRIS LIGHTCAPS
BIGMOUTH
18. REZ ABBASI
ACOUSTIC QUARTET
EPICENTER (CLEAN FEED)
INTENTS AND
PURPOSES (ENJA)
19. KARRIN ALLYSON

MANY A NEW DAY:
KARRIN ALLYSON
SINGS RODGERS &
HAMMERSTEIN
(MOTMA)
15. CASSANDRA WILSON
COMING FORTH BY DAY (LEGACY)

Though its disheartening to realize
that even an artist as eminent as
Cassandra Wilson had to turn to
PledgeMusic to fund her centenary
salute to Billie Holiday, its best to set
aside such state-of-things ponderings
and focus on the outcome. Which is,
in a word, exquisite. Its also clever,
insightful and, though utterly respectful to Holiday as source
and touchstone, strikingly original. C.L.
25. DAVE DOUGLAS

QUINTET
26. MATT MITCHELL
VISTA
ACCUMULATION
BRAZEN HEART
(PI)
(GREENLEAF)
27. KURT ELLING
PASSION WORLD
(CONCORD JAZZ)
16. TONY BENNETT & BILL CHARLAP
THE SILVER LINING:

THE SONGS OF JEROME KERN (RPM/COLUMBIA)
The Silver Lining represents both
business-as-usual for Bennett
and, poignantly, a reflection on
his own musical past. Its a
low-muss, no-fuss production
that could easily have been
conceived as an antidote to the
recent spectacle of his Lady Gaga
collaboration, or at the very least a recalibration. N.C.
CHARLES
34. AARON DIEHL
SPACE TIME
CONTINUUM
INNER DIALOGUE
(MACK AVENUE)
(TRUTH REVOLUTION)
35. DAVE STRYKER
MESSIN WITH
MISTER T (STRIKEZONE)
TOP 10 HISTORICAL RELEASES:
1. MILES DAVIS
AT NEWPORT 1955-1975:
THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 4 (COLUMBIA/LEGACY)
From Duke Ellingtons debonair introduction at
Davis Newport Jazz Festival debut in 1955 to
James Mtumes jangling prologue to a 1975
recording of Mtume, this four-disc box is defined
by radical change. Like the iconoclastic trumpeter
himself, each disc charts another phase in an
evolutionary chain. The Great Quintets, Bitches
Brew and later electric Miles are all well represented. A.L.
2. ERROLL GARNER
THE COMPLETE CONCERT BY THE SEA

(OCTAVE/LEGACY)
VERNON L. SMITH
Miles at Newport
in 1958
33. SARAH ELIZABETH
Theres no argument that The Complete Concert by

the Sea is anything but perfect. Garner is ebullient,
and Eddie Calhoun and Denzil Best bring their A
game. The 11 new selections show that whittling
the concert down by half must have been a
herculean chore 60 years ago. Every tune is a gem.
S.G.
TOP
20. ROBERT GLASPER
COVERED: THE
ROBERT GLASPER
TRIO RECORDED
LIVE AT CAPITOL
STUDIOS (BLUE NOTE)
28. FRED HERSCH

SOLO (PALMETTO)
36.
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE
TRIO
21.
MYRA MELFORD
SNOWY EGRET (ENJA)
29. JAMES BRANDON
37.
UNDERGROUND
ORCHESTRA
38. ANAT COHEN
LUMINOSA (ANZIC)
LOVE IS A
PENDULUM
31. CHRISTIAN SCOTT
32. TODD MARCUS
(ECM)
ATUNDE ADJUAH
STRETCH MUSIC
(INTRODUCING
ELENA PINDERHUGHES) (ROPEADOPE)
39. LONDON, MEADER,

PRAMUK & ROSS
ROYAL BOPSTERS
PROJECT (MOTMA)
4. KEITH JARRETT/
CHARLIE HADEN/PAUL MOTIAN
HAMBURG 72 (ECM)
Found treasure. A German
radio concert recorded in
1972, rescued from the
shadows of history. Who
even remembered that, long
before his Standards Trio,
Jarrett had another trio for
the ages. Jarrett, Charlie Haden and Paul
Motian are young enough to soar in free air,
and old enough to trust each other, trust the
moment and subside into bare, heartfelt incursions on silence. T.C.
THE JOHN COLTRANE

QUINTET FEATURING
ERIC DOLPHY
SO MANY THINGS:
THE EUROPEAN TOUR 1961
(ACROBAT)
8. THELONIOUS MONK
THE COMPLETE
RIVERSIDE RECORDINGS
(RIVERSIDE/CONCORD)
PLACES & THINGS

A NEW KIND
OF DANCE (482)
(MOTMA)
7.
24. MIKE REEDS PEOPLE
IMAGINARY CITIES
CHILDREN OF
THE LIGHT (MACK AVENUE)
JOE LOCKE
IN THE BEGINNING (RESONANCE)

The champion archivists at
Resonance continue their
excavation of previously unreleased Wes material with this
vinyl or CD set featuring
recordings from the late 40s
and 50s, some captured in
the guitarists native Midwest and others
produced by Quincy Jones in New York.
Throughout, Montgomerys formative fire and
ebullience contrast the matte-toned master
narrator hed become later. And Pookie Johnson
pleads his case as a footnoted sax hero. E.H.
(AUM FIDELITY)
BLADE
DAYS OF
FREEMAN (OKEH)
3. WES MONTGOMERY
BIRTH OF A BEING
23. CHRIS POTTER
LINES OF COLOR: LIVE

AT JAZZ STANDARD
30. PREZ PATITUCCI
LEWIS
(MACK AVENUE)
DAVID S. WARE/
APOGEE
RYAN TRUESDELLS
GIL EVANS PROJECT
(BLUE NOTE/ARTISTSHARE)
LIVE AT THE
VILLAGE VANGUARD
6.
22.
50
9.
JAZZ ORCHESTRA
BLUES FOR TAHRIR
(HIPNOTIC)
40. DAFNIS PRIETO

SEXTET
TRIANGLES AND
CIRCLES (DAFNISON)
5. RED GARLAND TRIO
SWINGIN ON THE KORNER:

LIVE AT KEYSTONE KORNER (ELEMENTAL)
The music collected here
ignores the cataclysmic shifts
in jazz since Garlands days
with Miles Davis; if told these
recordings had been made in
1957 instead of 20 years later,
one wouldnt bat an eyelash.
But when musicians with this much skill and
harmonic synchronicity tackle even the most
familiar standards, magic can happen. Swingin is
both deeply pleasurable and vital to the
restoration of Garlands legacy. M.L.
ABBEY LINCOLN
SOPHISTICATED ABBEY:
LIVE AT THE KEYSTONE
KORNER (HIGHNOTE)
10. DUKE ELLINGTON &

HIS ORCHESTRA
THE CONNY PLANK

SESSION (GROENLAND)
JAZZTIMES.COM
31
ear in
i review
e
year
15
READERSPOLL
Voting conducted via an online survey posted at JazzTimes.com.

Winners are bolded; runners-up are listed below in order of number of votes. Voters were asked to focus on
releases, performances and achievements that occurred between November 2014 and November 2015.
Diana Krall Wallflower

(Verve)
Cassandra Wilson Coming
Forth by Day (Legacy)
BEST GROUPS
Acoustic Small
Group/Artist
Best New Artist: Joey Alexander
BEST OF ALL
New Artist
Joey Alexander
Kamasi Washington
Alicia Olatuja
Keyon Harrold
Artist of the Year
Gregory Porter
Tony Bennett
Diana Krall
Snarky Puppy
Historical/Vault/
Reissue Release
New Release
Kamasi Washington
The Epic (Brainfeeder)
Various Artists
Revive Music Presents:
Supreme Sonacy Vol. 1
(Revive/Blue Note)
Jazz at Lincoln Center

Orchestra With
Wynton Marsalis
Live in Cuba (Blue Engine)
Snarky Puppy & Metropole
Orkest Sylva (Impulse!)
Miles Davis At Newport

1955-1975: The Bootleg
Series Vol. 4 (Columbia/
Legacy)
Thelonious Monk The
Complete Riverside Recordings (Riverside/Concord)
The Miles Davis Quintet
Featuring John Coltrane
All of You: The Last Tour
1960 (Acrobat)
The John Coltrane Quintet
Featuring Eric Dolphy
So Many Things: The European Tour 1961 (Acrobat)
cal Release
Artist of
the Year:
Gregory
Porter
Tony Bennett & Bill

Charlap The Silver Lining:
The Songs of Jerome Kern
(RPM/Columbia)
Ccile McLorin Salvant
For One to Love
(Mack Avenue)
Christian McBride Trio

Robert Glasper Trio
Wayne Shorter Quartet
Bill Charlap Trio
Electric/Jazz-Rock/
Contemporary Group/
Artist
Snarky Puppy
Robert Glasper
Experiment
Jon Batiste & Stay Human
Herbie Hancock
Big Band/Large Ensemble
Jazz at Lincoln Center

Orchestra
Maria Schneider
Orchestra
Christian McBride
Big Band
Clayton-Hamilton
Jazz Orchestra
The Best Acoustic Group, the

Christian McBride Trio, at the
Best Festival, Newport, in August
Voca
roup
Take 6
The Four Freshmen
The Manhattan Transfer
New York Voices
BEST OF THE
JAZZ INDUSTRY
Record Label
Blue Note
ECM
Concord Music Group
Mack Avenue
Jazz Book of the Year
Billie Holiday:
The Musician & the Myth
by John Szwed (Viking)
Zappa & Jazz: Did It
Really Smell Funny, Frank?
by Geoff Wills (Troubador)
ALEXANDER BY REBECCA MEEK, PORTER COURTESY OF THE ARTIST, MCBRIDE BY KEN FRANCKLING
BEST MUSICIANS
Trumpet
Wynton Marsalis
Ambrose Akinmusire
Terence Blanchard
Roy Hargrove
Trombone
Trombone Shorty
Wycliffe Gordon
Steve Turre
Robin Eubanks
Piano
Chick Corea
Herbie Hancock
Brad Mehldau
Kenny Barron
Keyboards
(Electric Piano, Synth)
Herbie Hancock
Chick Corea
Robert Glasper
BIGYUKI
Organ
Clarinet
Anat Cohen
Paquito DRivera
Ken Peplowski
Don Byron
Joey DeFrancesco
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Larry Goldings
John Medeski
Guitar
Tenor Saxophone
Best Clarinetist: Anat Cohen
Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces of a

Man by Marcus Baram
(St. Martins)
Miles Davis Bitches Brew
(33 1/3) by George Grella
(Bloomsbury)
Radio Program
Jazz Night in America

(NPR/WBGO/JALC)
Radio Deluxe With
John Pizzarelli
Jazz After Hours With
Jeff Hanley (PRI)
The Checkout (WBGO)
Wayne Shorter
Branford Marsalis
Chris Potter
Joe Lovano
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: AUGUSTA SAGNELLI, CATHRIN CAMMETT, BRIENE LERMITTE
JazzTimes Spins & Riffs

A Noise From the Deep
With Dave Douglas
The Jazz Session
With Jason Crane
Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival

Monterey Jazz Festival
Detroit Jazz Festival
Winter Jazzfest (NYC)
Jazz Club
Village Vanguard
Blue Note (NYC)
Dizzys Club Coca-Cola
Smalls
Pat Metheny
George Benson
Russell Malone
Bill Frisell
Acoustic Bass
Alto Saxophone
Phil Woods
Kenny Garrett
Gary Bartz
David Sanborn
Christian McBride
Ron Carter
Esperanza Spalding
Dave Holland
Electric Bass
Soprano Saxophone
Wayne Shorter
Branford Marsalis
Chris Potter
Kenny Garrett
Marcus Miller
Esperanza Spalding
Stanley Clarke
Victor Wooten
Vibraphone
Baritone Saxophone
Podcast
James Carter
Gary Smulyan
Claire Daly
Joe Temperley
Gary Burton
Stefon Harris
Bobby Hutcherson
Joe Locke
Percussion
Flute
Hubert Laws
Charles Lloyd
Nicole Mitchell
Lew Tabackin
Best Electric Bassist:
Marcus Miller
Female Vocalist
Diana Krall
Ccile McLorin Salvant
Esperanza Spalding
Dianne Reeves
Composer
Maria Schneider
Wayne Shorter
Terence Blanchard
Chick Corea
Arranger
Wynton Marsalis
Maria Schneider
John Clayton
Billy Childs
Miscellaneous Instruments
[4 Winners]
Bla Fleck (banjo)
Brandee Younger (harp)
Scott Robinson
(contrabass saxophone)
Grgoire Maret (harmonica)
Best Composer: Maria Schneider
Poncho Sanchez
Pedrito Martinez
Airto Moreira
Bobby Sanabria
Drums
Violin
Regina Carter
Jean-Luc Ponty
Sara Caswell
Mark Feldman
Brian Blade
Jack DeJohnette
Jeff Hamilton
Jeff Tain Watts
Male Vocalist
Tony Bennett
Gregory Porter
Kurt Elling
Al Jarreau
JAZZTIMES.COM
33
MANOLO NEBOT ROCHERA
MY SPiRiT
T NSCENDS
GENDER
GUITARIST STANLEY JORDAN
SPEAKS OUT ABOUT FREEDOM AND
AUTHENTICITY ON AND OFF THE BANDSTAND
BY DAVID R. ADLER
o say that Stanley Jordan turned jazz guitar upside down when he came to
prominence in the mid-1980s is almost a literal truth. Emulating the piano, his
first instrument, Jordan developed a touch style of guitar by fretting with both
hands on the neck, opening another contrapuntal avenue for the instrument and
setting a new standard of excellence for solo performance. Today Jordan often
plays guitar and piano simultaneously, in his own projects and with bassist
Charnett Moffetts NeTTwork, among other groups. His next album for Mack
Avenue, which will follow Duets with Kevin Eubanks, is slated for release in 2016.
Lately Jordan has found an enthusiastic welcome

on the jam-band circuit, sitting in with the Dave
Matthews Band, Umphreys McGee and Phil Lesh
and Friends. He remains active in software development and music therapy. And along the way
theres been a profound personal change: Jordan
has adopted an androgynous femme look that
hes spoken very little about until now. Hes reluctant to label himself but happy to relate how his
appearance, one of many aspects of his multilayered identity, has everything to do with his art.
Currently based in Sedona, Ariz., Jordan, 56,
is rarely home. They tell me its nice, he says.
After a three-night run with NeTTwork at Richard

Bonas new Club Bonafide in Manhattan, he took
off to Russia. Soon hed be leaving for Luanda, Angola. But back in New York in early November to
sit in with the Roots on The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon, Jordan was available for a wideranging chat about his personal journey, peppered
with offhand references to Ohms law, Gdels
completeness theorem, philosopher Ken Wilber,
transgender activist Virginia Prince and more. In
the end, Jordans story speaks to issues of gender
and sexuality that go far back in the history of
jazz yet often go unacknowledged.
JAZZTIMES.COM
35
ADLER: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR AFFINITY FOR THE

JAM BANDS.
JORDAN: Ive always felt really comfortable with the
jam-band scene. Long before they called it that I

used to play rock with my buddies, back in the 70s.
WERE YOU PLAYING TOUCH STYLE YET?
I was just starting to, in 76 or 77. The whole concept

of music as a happening, as a scene, going with the
flow, improvising, was happening not just in rock
but in jazz, and that was a big influence for me. I saw
Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Stanley Turrentinethis was like 1970. I saw Prince Lasha, I saw
the Charles Moffett band, and thats when I first saw
Charnett, when he was 8. This whole idea that music
is about freedom was a stamp on my psyche right
from the beginning.
YOU DID A VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH LEE HAWKINS
FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNALS WEBSITE, AND HE
MENTIONED IN PASSING THAT YOU USED TO HAVE
AN AFRO WHEN YOU STARTED OUT. ITS THE CLOSEST
IVE SEEN ANYONE COME TO ASKING ABOUT YOUR
APPEARANCE IN RECENT YEARS. CAN YOU DISCUSS
WHAT BROUGHT ABOUT THE SHIFT IN HOW YOU
PRESENT YOURSELF?
Art and life work together mutually. Ive always

tried to approach my life as an artist, trying to create
beauty. A lot of things that make art special are the
same ingredients that are the essence of life. Then
theres also the idea that great art puts you in the
moment, which is what the sages from the East have
been saying for thousands of years, that to grow
spiritually you have to be in the moment. Part of the
reason jazz has always attracted me is that its about
making that amazing creative moment.
And yet as I progressed on the professional side, I
started to realize more and more that there are some
limits to that freedom. There were unspoken rules.
And I started to notice that just by naturally being
myself I was breaking some of those rules and I was
starting to get flak for it.
Jordan onstage at the

Detroit Jazz Festival
in September
36
Even in my dress code. For example, I had some

experiences with Papa Jo Jones, who for a brief
moment took me under his wing and was showing
me around the city. It was a wonderful experience,
but I remember one time he pulled me aside and
kinda told me off a little bit. He said, I wear a suit,
you know, and if youre gonna go with me you have
to be respectable and wear a suit. So, note to self,
next time with Jo Jones, wear a suit. I didnt even
have a suit! [laughs]
[One night] I was playing [in my suit], and I was
on break and someone came up to me and said,
Ive seen you many times before, and I just have to
COURTESY OF THE DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL
AS A PLAYER?
say, I really think you play better when youre not

wearing a suit. [laughs] I was devastated! What do
you mean? Why cant I be one of these Young Lions
wearing the suit? I found out later that if you spend
a thousand dollars on the suit and you get it tailored,
then thats a whole different thing.
SO DID YOUR STYLE START EVOLVING FROM THAT
POINT FORWARD?
When I did the live tracks that came out on Cornucopia [1990], I hired a stylist for that. I was finally
starting to explore the style aspect more freely. We
had different looks: I had a really nice tailored suit,
and then I also had a more hip look. Then we did a
change and I had some leather pants. I was starting
to see that to really be true to myself, I could not be
stuck in one mold. Theres no one image that really
fits who I am. That was the beginning of dealing with
that. Id always kind of known it.
When I did Friends [2011] I took that idea to another level. By then I had evolved a lot and started
to appreciate my own diversity as a person. And I
decided that on this album I was going to cover a
bigger range of expression, all the different facets
of who I am. So I wore different things in order to
get into the head of the different songs. And I found
that the experience was phenomenally successful.
If jazz is about expressing who you are, you
gotta really deal with who you are. And who am
I? Theres so many different facets. Im a hippie,
Im a homeboy, Im a girly girl, Im an Ivy League
academic, Im a tech geek. [Ed. note: Jordan graduated from Princeton University in 1981.] Im GQ,
Im Vanity Fair. Im an athlete, Im a teacher, Im
a healer. All these things are really real to me. I
started out playing classical music, I come from
rock, I come from jazz, and all these things I did
when I was really young. I grew up at a time when
things were very open and there were a lot of musical influences intermixing, different cultures and
stuff. And there was this feeling that through music
you could change the world. That became part of
the reason why I play.
SO WHEN YOU SAY DEAL WITH WHO YOU ARE,
YOURE TALKING ABOUT MORE THAN GENDER.
Im talking about on every level. One of the big

complaints I got is that I couldnt make up my mind
what style of music to play. That was one of the big
criticisms. I was like, Well, who says that Im even
trying to make up my mind? First, lets look at what
my actual intentions are.
I dont fit into a mold that Im aware of. I had to
deal with that, and at the same time I had to transcend
that. Because I had to realize that by manifesting the
courage to be all these different facets of myself and
overcoming the fear of the consequences of that
IM COMFORTABLE IN MY SKIN
FOR THE FIRST TIME.
ITS WORTH IT. PEOPLE SAY,
I SEE YOUVE CHANGED YOUR LOOK,
AND I SAY, YES,
THE DIFFERENCE IS NOW
I LOOK HAPPY.
and its not over, I still have fear; this is a daily thing
but by overcoming that fear I feel like I can maybe do
some good and actually accomplish something.
HAS THE FEAR LESSENED IN RECENT YEARS WITH
MORE AND MORE PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF
LGBTQ RIGHTS? DO YOU FIND THERES MORE OF AN
OPEN DOOR YOU CAN WALK THROUGH?
Yeah, I feel like theres been a gradual change. And I

also feel like in my own little corner of the world Ive
helped to create a change. Virginia Prince said people
are hardwired for the truth. If you just put your truth
out there you can trust that people are going to have to
deal with it, and sooner or later they probably will.
DO YOU REFER TO YOURSELF AS TRANSGENDER?
I dont really know. I cant give you a word for what

I am. The best label I can think of is Stanley,
honestly. Im pretty comfortable with that. And by
the way, [President Obama]s mother was named
Stanley. A lot of people dont know that Stanley can
be a female name.
Let me tell you about a really pivotal moment in my
life. I was in this remote place where I figured nobody
knew who I was. And I passed by this dress shop. I
saw all these great clothes, and I was like, Man, look
at the stuff women get to wear! My male stuff is just so
drab and boring. So I decided, OK, Im going in.
WHEN WAS THIS?
This was around 2010. This was one of the triggers

that first got me moving forward. So I went in there
and I told them that I was shopping for my girlfriend, which actually wasnt a lie because I found
JAZZTIMES.COM
37
SO SHES BEEN WITH YOU THROUGH THIS WHOLE

PROCESS. HAS IT CREATED ANY FRICTION?
All relationships require work and have their ups and

downs. But Im blessed that she supports and loves me
for who I am.
PROMO PHOTOS, FROM LEFT: TOM CHESWICK, KEITH MAJOR
HAS THE CHANGE HAD A DIRECT EFFECT ON

YOUR PLAYING?
An evolution
in style:
(clockwise from
top left) Jordan on
1986s Standards,
Volume 1
and 1990s
Cornucopia,
and in promo
photos for 2008s
State of Nature
and 2011s Friends
her some stuff too. But I found this really pretty floral
brocade mini-dress with open arms. I got it back to
the hotel and I put it on over my jeans and looked in
the mirror, and, oh my God, it was a life-changing
moment. Because this dress in combination with the
jeans created a look that was very feminine, on one
hand; theres a feminine aspect of my body, and it
kind of highlighted my curves. And at the same time,
because the arms were open, it doubled as a muscle
shirt, and it showed my upper-body development.
And I saw both the male and the female elements
blended really harmoniously.
I was looking in the mirror, and for the first time
I was around 50I saw me. It was not some partial
version of me. It was the fullest representation of me
that I had ever seen in my life. And in that moment I
realized that my spirit transcends gender.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A FULL TRANSITION, OR ARE
YOU COMFORTABLE WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
Im comfortable where I am now, and as far as the

future, well see. I like the body that I have, but what
are the possibilities of what I can do with that body?
It goes beyond the conventional thing that Ive been
led to believe. And this for me is a renaissance, a
personal renaissance.
YOU MENTIONED YOUR GIRLFRIEND. ARE YOU STILL
TOGETHER?
Yeah, weve been together for 10 years.

38
I feel like the expressiveness in my music has gotten

deeper and my ideas flow more naturally because my
hearts more open. In order to be authentic I have to
express the full range of the parts of my identity. But
its not like theres this one look or that Ive changed
from Look A to Look B. Its more like Im free to
go with the flow. Like someone might wake up and
decide, Am I going to wear the red striped tie or the
blue-and-green tie? Its the same as everyone else,
just with more variation. I realized I had to have more
variation than the norm to feel comfortable.
In jazz we have double standards. The jazz world
is very masculine, and its not just that the leaders are
usually male. The energy of masculinity is really highly prized. Thats one of the reasons I got tired of going
to jam sessions, because its testosterone overload.
Its all ego and no respect for the song, no concept of
melody, no nuances. They play the head and its like,
OK, we got that over withlets blow! Whereas the older cats
didnt play like that. They had a relationship with the music. And
that relationship is one of those sort of feminine qualities that I
feel has gotten lost.
The masculine energy is powerful and compelling, but I feel
that jazz has come to overemphasize it. There is a lot of banging
away at the instrument and showing off what you can do. The
feminine energy is more about being in relationship with the
music and letting it guide you. It can be simple and beautiful
thats not selling out. It can also be complex, but only because the
ideas are flowing, not because youre trying to prove how smart
you are.Finding my true balance has deepened my music.Both
energies are good, so every musician should be free to find the
right balance for them.
HAVE THERE BEEN NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES IN YOUR CAREER?
Yeah, theres been some.

I NOTICED SOME IGNORANT COMMENTS ON YOUTUBE VIDEOS
AND SUCH.
Yes, but usually when Ive seen negative comments it was

when my look was off, or I was having a bad hair day or
something. You say that to women and theyre like, Hey,
NEW
FROM
welcome to our world. Theyre judged by how well they pull

off the look. So if youre going to enter into that world youre
going to deal with those same issues. Over time Ive gotten
better at really putting my look together, and people are seeing what Im getting at.
Theres an interesting positive consequence too: For the first
time I can move through the mainstream world and not be
feared. I mean, thats a sad commentary.
YOU MEAN AS A BLACK MAN?
Yeah, as a black man. People dont fear me when my look is more

femme. And I never really realized just how feared I was because
it was so constant that I didnt notice. Like if theres a smell in the
room, after a while you dont smell it anymore.
At the same time, sometimes I see people pointing and
laughing at me. So Ive grown from feared to jeered! But the
thing you learn when youre different is that most people
dont care. Yeah, there are times when I feel a little bit out
of place. That could include in musical situations. But what
I find is that Im comfortable in my skin for the first time.
Its worth it. You win some, you lose some. People say, I see
youve changed your look, and I say, Yes, the difference is
now I look happy. JT
JAMEY AEBERSOLD
by DAN HAERLE
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JAZZTIMES.COM
39
WITH HIS NEW ORLEANIAN CHARISMA

AND ROOF-RAISING ENTHUSIASM,
JON BATISTE HAS SETTLED COMFORTABLY
INTO THE SOMETIMES PERILOUS ROLE OF
THE TALKSHOW BANDLEADER
BY NATE CHINEN
ON BATISTE HAD ONE REQUEST, EARLY IN

the courtship dance that led to his installment as bandleader for The Late Show
With Stephen Colbert on CBS. Batistethe
irrepressible young pianist and singer, and
the engine behind the trademark phrases Love
Riot and Social Musicwanted his new boss to
meet his folks. So they went down to Kenner, La.,
just outside New Orleans, for some red beans and
rice at the Batiste family home.
During the trip, Colbert filmed the online video
snippet that would serve as an announcement of
Batistes hire. (Naturally, it involved a beignet gag.)
He also imparted a kernel of insight to his new collaborator about the nature of their upcoming gig.
40
Dont think of the show as the brand-name commercial property of a massive corporate conglomerate, Colbert advised, even if thats ultimately what
it is. Think of it as the Joy Machine, Batiste recalls
him saying, eyes gleaming. And were going to take
it for a ride.
Batiste told this story at the 2015 Newport Jazz
Festival, backstage in the stone ruins of Fort Adams
in early August. Stay Human, his rangy band,
had just played a typically jubilant set, and he sat
wedged on a couch with its other core members,
saxophonist Eddie Barbash and drummer Joe Saylor. Batiste was wearing a black V-neck T-shirt
with the name of his latest single on his chest
BELIEVE, in bold white lettersand he seemed the
JOHN ABBOTT
JAZZTIMES.COM
41
picture of easy confidence, neither heavy nor

harried. Still, he admitted that there were a
lot of unknowns about the workings of the
new Late Show. At that point its highly anticipated premiere was five weeks away.
IT WOULD BE A STRETCH TO SAY BATISTE

was an obvious choice for the Late Show gig,
but the signs were there for everyone to see. A
former prodigy from one of the leading musical
families in New Orleans, he had spent the last
decade making a name for himself in New York.
His youthful poise as a pianist, and his mastery of
a jazz language that ran all the way back to stride
42
and ragtime, earned him acclaim early on. I first

saw him in concert during his first year at Juilliard,
as a featured guest on a Jazz at Lincoln Center
concert with Wynton Marsalis.
Unlike Marsalisalso the product of an
important jazz family in KennerBatiste
doesnt feel a burden of responsibility to jazz
as an art form. While he proudly identifies
as a jazz musician, hes obviously not hung
up about the sanctity of the style. We come
from the same place, with a very similar
background, he said, but culturally theres a
world of difference between us. He pointed
out that Marsalis went to Juilliard at a time
when its curriculum and identity were
ALAN NAHIGIAN
Batiste, on melodica,
plays Pied Piper to the
Newport Jazz Festival
crowd in August;
saxophonist Grace Kelly
can be seen at right
strictly classical. Batiste, by contrast, met

Saylor and Barbash in the schools resident
jazz program.
Batiste had a bit of a reputation, even
in a comparatively more relaxed era at
Juilliard, for his informality and overwhelming sense of play. He recalls striding
the halls with his melodica, a toylike
wind keyboard, improvising melodies.
Eventually, partly as a corrective to the
antiseptic experience of the academy, he
began bringing his peers into unusually
close proximity with their audiences, often
purely as a surprise. His 2011 EP My N.Y.
was made entirely in the New York City
subway systemnot on the platform,

but on actual moving trains, mere inches
away from the nearest startled listeners. (This was another advantage of the
melodica: mobility.)
Soon afterward Batiste and Stay
Human began to rally behind the term
Social Music, which pointedly makes
no claim on any particular genre. Batiste
described it to me as a declaration,
a self-defining banner he could wave.
You gotta stand for something, he said.
When Stay Human released its only
studio album so far, on Razor & Tie in
2013, Social Music was the obvious title,
and a natural talking point.
The idea came up during Batistes
appearance on The Colbert Report, in
the summer of 2014. But a funny thing
happened during the interview: Batiste,
identifying himself first and foremost
as an improviser, made a crack about
Colberts reliance on his script. Colbert,
instantly accepting this as an invitation
and a challenge, engaged Batiste in an
intimate, playfully tense repartee.
The moment crackled nicely. As soon
as that interview was over, Colbert
later recalled, on the Late Show Podcast,
I went, Damn, I think thats a guy I
could actually spend a few years onstage
with. And then there was the musical
performance: Stay Human, attacking
Batistes buoyant anthem Im From
Kenner, ended up leading Colbert and
the studio audience out into the street,
for a basic-cable Love Riot. It was a moment of unplanned euphoria that left a
clear impression on Colbert.
I loved your positive message, he
told Batiste, on that podcast. I loved the
mastery you and your band had, and the
joy that you brought to it. You were the
first people that ever took our audience
outside. Wasnt a long time before you
and I had a conversation about it. It
started from the moment when you said,
I like to improvise. One of my favorite
interviews I ever had.
BATISTE AND STAY HUMAN PERFORMED

three separate times at the 2015
Newport Jazz Festival, if you count
their appearance at a fancy fundraising
gala. They also appeared the previous
weekend at the Newport Folk Festival. Seeing the band in these different
settings underscored Batistes highly
developed intuition with an audience.

No two sets were alike, despite some
commonalities, and in each case the
band had people more or less eating out
of their hands.
At the Folk Festival, Batiste tailored
the set list and his delivery to an ideal
of performance youd associate with the
festivals lodestar, Pete Seeger. He introduced St. James Infirmary, which appears on Social Music, by saying: Very
much a part of the folk tradition, this
song is over 100 years old. Later, playing
some unaccompanied piano, he segued
from Blackbird, the folklike Paul McCartney ballad, to Home on the Range,
the Western anthem. The show ended, of
course, with Batiste and his bandmates
parading through the crowd.
Batistes afternoon set at the Newport
Jazz Festival was similar in substance,
but with more emphasis on solos among
the band. He had augmented his ranks
with a horn section, including Sam Crittenden on trombone and Grace Kelly on
saxophones. The same expanded lineup
appeared in an evening concert at the
Newport Casino, with even more virtuosity and polish. There was no trampling
through the aisles in that show, but still
an abundance of flair.
It was virtually impossible to feel ungrateful about these performances. The
joy and commitment of the band were
contagious. Yet I left thinking about the
high degree of difficulty Batiste would
face on television, where it wouldnt be
possible to routinely pull his Pied Piper
routine. The last time a musician from
Kenner held a late-night gig, it was
saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Wyntons older brother, and it didnt go so
well. I can recall eagerly tuning in to The
Tonight Show With Jay Leno for any taste
of Marsalis impressive band, and never
feeling satisfied.
As it turned out, neither did Branford, who resented his obligations as a
sidekick and left the show after three
grudging years. The dynamic was better
with guitarist Kevin Eubanks, though
his yuk-yuk chemistry with Leno was
strictly transactional, no more nuanced
or natural than the blinking APPLAUSE sign hanging somewhere in
the shows Burbank studio.
The gold standard for bandleader-host
simpatico would have to be the long run
that keyboardist Paul Shaffer had with
JAZZTIMES.COM
43
DONT THINK OF THE LATE SHOW AS THE BRAND-NAME

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OF A MASSIVE CORPORATE
CONGLOMERATE, STEPHEN COLBERT ADVISED,
EVEN IF THATS ULTIMATELY WHAT IT IS.
THINK OF IT AS THE JOY MACHINE, BATISTE RECALLS HIM
SAYING, EYES GLEAMING. AND WERE GOING TO TAKE IT FOR A RIDE.
Batiste and Stephen

Colbert have quickly
developed an
intelligent, efficient
comic rapport
David Letterman, in the

previous Late Show and
before that, on NBCs Late
Night With David Letterman. Shaffer maintained a
perfectly calibrated rapport
with his host: wry but not
detached, in on the joke
but not smug, always ready
to pounce. Batiste, the sort
of guy smart enough to
know what he doesnt know,
asked Shaffer out to lunch
soon after he got the gig.
Well, of course, we dont know how much freedom the show
will really give him, Shaffer told me, speaking of his successor
days before the new show aired. But he was sanguine about the
potential that Batiste was bringing to the table. Hes a natural
at everything else, Shaffer said. So the only challenge will be
fitting into the format of the show.
EVERY LATE-NIGHT TELEVISION TALK SHOW HAS A FORMAT.

Theyre fairly rigid, and not so different from one another.
44
Watch any episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

and youll recognize the beats, along with the template. So
its mostly in the area of tone and texture that Colbert, who
stepped into Lettermans shoes after nine brilliant years as
host of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, has carved out
his niche. His bandleader is a big part of that.
The show opens each night with Batiste out front, his lanky
frame in a tailored suit, hyping the audience in the elegant Ed
Sullivan Theater. Often you see him with his melodicaface
piano, Colbert likes to call itreeling off boppish phrases. A
Bill Charlap
Saturday, June 18
at 7:30pm
scrim-like curtain rises, and out walks the shows grinning

host, amid the thunderous cheers and rave-up clamor
of the band. He and Batiste exchangea high-five, a bro
hug or some other amiable physical contact. Theres a
mini-monologue before the band kicks in with the shows
theme song, a Batiste ditty with a staccato hook and a
pop-gospel chord progression.
There isnt room for a lot of jazz on the show; thats just
the nature of the gig. But during the snippets that bracket
a commercial break, youll often hear the band play something remarkably fluid, or crisply dynamic. Batiste rotates
among piano, synthesizer and melodica, his rapport with
the band, especially Barbash, effectively popping off the
screen. Stay Human havent pushed into the area of viral
online sketches, like the Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but their energy is palpable, and it fits
into the peppy, airtight mood of the show.
Batiste himself, on the other hand, is funny. He has a
loose-limbed, unreserved way of dancing, like a funky
Gumby, and he savors the effect of a provocative line
issued in blank-faced deadpan. In many ways he has
adapted to his television profile by inhabiting a character,
much as Colbert did on Comedy Central (and still does,
to a lesser extent, on CBS).
Theres an awkward, unanswerable question worth
posing about the racial dynamics of the showwhy does
the invariably white late-night host always end up hiring an African-American bandleader, and why does the
bandleader have to be so damn happy?but none of that
mitigates the repartee between Colbert and Batiste, which
feels genuine, and rarely overplayed.
One evening, about two months into the shows run,
Colbert welcomed Batiste over to the guest chair to set
up a video about their visit to New Orleans. Thanks for
being my bandleader, he said. You guys having a good
time over there?
Yeahhhh, Batiste replied, settling into the chair. Its a
good job, manit pays well.
Colbert, about to say something glib, is obviously
caught off guard by the line. Good to know, man, he
says, laughing, recovering. But obviously you do it for
the love.
I love it, man, Batiste fires back, still looking serious.
I love money.
The New Orleans segment happens to be charming:
Colbert and Batiste go for a stroll on Frenchman Street,
parse the meaning of the hang, and improvise along to
the bleating warning of a reversing utility truck. But the
more important test had already happened in the moment, before a live audience, with neither party quite sure
of where the interaction would go.
Colbert had another word of advice for Batiste during
that trip. As Batiste remembers it, they were about to part
ways, sitting in the driveway of his parents house. This
insight had supposedly been passed along from Johnny
Carson to Conan OBrien, who had passed it on to Colbert. It was: With a show like this, youll use everything
you know. Repeating it, Batiste gave out a low whistle.
I said, Thats deep, man. Thats deep. JT
JAZZ ALL
YEAR LONG!
Michael Feinstein:
Sinatra Centennial
Celebration
Sat, Dec 12 at 8pm
Michel Camilo
Solo Piano
Sun, Apr 17 at 4pm & 7pm
Dorthaans Place Jazz Brunches

Sundays at 11am and 1pm at NICO Kitchen + Bar
Rufus
Reid Trio
Jan 24
The Antoinette
Montague Experience
Bobby Sanabria
& Quarteto Ache
Mar 6
Freddy Cole
Quartet
Feb 14
Apr 10
Arts Education
Jazz Auditions: Instrumental Vocal
Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens and Brick City Jazz Orchestra
January 23 from 10am-2pm
Visit njpac.org/arts-training for details.
The American Song series at NJPAC is presented, in part, through the

generous support of the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and
David S. Steiner and Sylvia Steiner Charitable Trust.
NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

O N E C E N T E R S T R E E T, N E WA R K , N J
For tickets & full schedule

visit njpac.org or call 1.888.GO.NJPAC Groups 973.297.5804
JAZZTIMES.COM
45
HOWTHE
POLARIZING TRUMPETER,
BANDLEADER
AND BLOGGER
NICHOLAS PAYTON
FOUND HIS WAY
TO THE PIANO BENCH
AND TO A NEW
CONCEPT OF
TRIO MUSIC
By Jennifer Odell
46
JAZZTIMES.COM
47
L. KASIMU HARRIS
With the formidable rhythm tandem

of bassist Vicente Archer and drummer
Bill Stewart, Payton multitasks on trumpet
and keyboards at Dizzys Club Coca-Cola,
October 2014
48
On Why Jazz Isnt Cool Anymore,

trumpeter Nicholas Payton asserted,
among other things, that hes not the
same dude he was a decade and a half
ago. Isnt that the point? he asked.
Our whole purpose on this planet is
to evolve.
That pronouncement hasnt attracted as
much attention as some of his other sentiments: Jazz is an oppressive colonialist
slave term, for example, or its followup, I play Black American Music,
which yielded the hashtag #BAM. But it
resonates deeply, both in light of Paytons
evolution as a cultural critic and his
changing focus from the trumpet toward
the piano bench, where hes settled in as a
leader in recent years.
At the moment, Payton, 42, is settled
into a booth at the New Orleans seafood
haunt Frankie & Johnnys, near his home
in the citys Uptown neighborhood. Clad
in a Saints cap and a T-shirt featuring the
LAWRENCE SUMULONG/JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER
In his controversial 2011 blog post
logo of the band Trumpet Mafia, Payton

considers what compelled him to veer
off the path that earned him a Grammy
and decades of critical acclaim.
On a basic level, he explains, it was a
pragmatic move. But theres also another
advantage. After becoming increasingly
adept on keys over the past few years, he
began playing trumpet with one hand
and either Fender Rhodes, piano or organ with the other, essentially converting
his trio into a quartet at will. Its a skill
that has opened up a whole new realm
of musical possibilities while expanding
On 2014s Numbers, featuring Payton

almost exclusively on Rhodes alongside
the Virginia-based quartet Butcher
Brown, he left as much space as possible
for interpretation, compiling pieces of
music hed already written but not yet
used into 12 soulful, open-ended tunes
designed with the idea that listeners
might play along to the music. Letters
followed the next year, reuniting Payton
with his main trio bandmates, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Bill
Stewart, in a context blending hardbop motifs with swinging grooves and
In 2001 Payton released Dear Louis,

an album he describes as a farewell to
the idea that I needed to uphold someone elses idea of traditions. It wasnt a
defining feature of the album, but Payton
contributed some Rhodes to the record,
as well as flugelhorn and vocals. Ive
always loved the Rhodes. In fact, growing up in the 70s, most of the music that
I heard around me was Fender Rhodes,
and that was the piano of choice then. A
lot of clubs didnt have acoustic pianos,
he says. It just has such a warm, lush
sound. You have to work really hard to
AT A CERTAIN POINT [PLAYING KEYBOARDS PLUS TRUMPET] WAS JUST A TEXTURAL THING FOR ME, AND ALSO A WAY
TO BE MORE A PART OF THE MUSIC THE WHOLE TIME, PAYTON SAYS. PLAYING A MELODY, TAKING TRUMPET SOLOS
AND STANDING ON THE SIDE OF THE STAGE FOR A MAJORITY OF THE SHOW JUST FELT BORING AFTER A WHILE.
his voice within the context of his band.
The cumulative effects of opening that
door add so much vibrancy to what Im
able to express, he explains.
I didnt set out to do it as a gimmick or some kind of parlor trick,
even though it does have that type of
entertainment value, perhaps. I set out
to do it out of just function. I want
to play these things that I want to hear.
Its easier for me to do that than to try to
coax someone else to do it.
ike his blogging, which touched

a nerve in the music community
when he divorced himself from
the notion of jazz, redefining his
artistic output in terms of BAM,
the Rhodes and trumpet/keyboard
combo add weapons to his arsenal of expressive devices. The results are reflected
in three strong albums, #BAM: Live at
Bohemian Caverns, Letters and Numbers,
each of which built on its predecessor,
adding new depth and dynamics to his
repertoire. When I play trumpet and
piano or keyboards at the same time,
theres so much that hasnt been done,
he explains. To be at the cusp, at the
vanguard of expanding technique for
a voice that doesnt have much of a
recorded history? Thats a whole other
realm. Its a new frontier.
shades of funk and R&B. The disc also

found Payton performing at the top of
his game on acoustic piano, organ and
Rhodes, which he occasionally used to
accompany himself on trumpet solos.
Paytons committed himself to exploring new musical terrain for the better
part of his career, which had already
been prolific and wide-reaching, stylewise, despite his relatively young age.
In that sense, his latest shift feels like a
natural progression.
Initially branded a traditionalist
unfairly so, but OK, he concedesPayton experimented with electronic effects
and lyric-writing in the late 90s, leading
a band called the Time Machine that
drew on funk motifs and an R&B sensibility. At that point hed already snagged
a Grammy for his 1997 release with Doc
Cheatham, and was consistently putting
out tight and fiery forays into hard bop.
By 1999s Nick@Night, the trumpeter
felt more confident in his grasp of what
he calls a certain tradition of straightahead, and started experimenting with
less orthodox instrumentation. I was
hearing something else, keyboardwise, he recalls, so thats why I have
the harpsichord and the celeste, which
are sort of like Rhodes and clarinet. He
was also pretty much ready to break out
of the Young Lion mold.
make it sound ugly. And it has a great

sustain. It has more sustain than a piano.
And in a lot of contexts, I think it blends
better with instruments than a piano.
Paytons arrangements on Dear Louis
updated the tradition associated with
Louis Armstrong, imbuing classic tunes
and solos with a contemporary feel. In
subsequent work with his B-3-centric
band Soul Patrol and the hip-hop- and
groove-soaked Sonic Trance, Payton
continued to push the music forward
without compromising the traditions
that helped birth it. Sonic Trance also
featured more of Paytons multi-instrumental capabilities. While trumpet
remained his primary focus, Payton
played keys, flugelhorn, bass and drums,
underscoring his growing interest in
developing a wider palette from which
to express himself. Still, he was sticking
to trumpet in performance settings.
hat started to change in the

months after the 2005 levee
breaches that devastated New
Orleans. With musicians scattered across the country, venues
struggling to stay open and power flickering on and off across the city, the New
Orleans music scene was suffering. Payton wanted to help remedy that, so he
proposed playing a series of free late sets
JAZZTIMES.COM
49
[PAYTON'S] NOT FOCUSING ON WHAT PEOPLE CONSIDER HIM TO BE FAMOUS FOR, DRUMMER SHANNON POWELL SAYS.
COMING FROM NEW ORLEANS, IF YOU GET FAMOUS DOING ONE CERTAIN THING PEOPLE EXPECT YOU TO DO THAT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
50
As a 24-year-old trumpet phenom, with Jon Faddis sizing him up, Payton pays tribute
to Dizzy Gillespie at the Abrons Arts Center in Manhattan, January 1998
source of musical memory for Nicholas, who used to sit beneath it when
musicians like Marsalis and Professor
Longhair would work their magic on
its keys. This cat Eddie Collins would
come around, Payton recalls. The late,
great Ed Frank was another. He had one
hand. He played with his right hand but
he never missed [his left]. Seeing guys
like that really impacted me.
He was also drawn to Herbie Hancock, whose sound, touch and chordal
voicings, among other elements, continue to influence Payton. Hes one of
those rare, quintessential-type pianists.
You can put him in any context with
anybody and hes going to sound like
himself. But hes also going to uplift the
music and serve the music, Payton says.
His bandmates over the years get
that what hes doing runs much deeper.
Ive been struck for years by Nicholas

ability to play multiple instruments
drums, bass, etc.at a high level, keyboardist Kevin Hays writes in an email.
Hes such a remarkable musician and
seems to be able to absorb any music he
hears very quickly.
Hays worked with Payton regularly
from the early 2000s through Into the
Blue, from 2008, which marked a turning point with regard to Paytons instrument of choice as a leader. Prior to
the session, Payton set up Pro Tools in
his house and recorded demos of the
material on each instrument. There
are people who can play an instrument, but they might just be playing a
line or a written-out part. Hes adding
some kind of flavor to it, too, Vicente
Archer says. Hes hearing where the
music can go. Hearing those demos,
ALAN NAHIGIAN
at the club Snug Harbor on weekends.

Thats when I started playing trumpet
and piano at the same time, he recalls.
Its also when he came to terms with the
difficulty of what he was trying to do.
One of those nights, some guy
[pointed out] I was playing in two
keys at the same time. And I had never
thought about it; I was just doing it.
Then I started thinking about it and it
kind of fucked me up. I had to relearn
what I was doing instinctually, he says.
At a certain point it was just a textural
thing for me, and also a way to be more
a part of the music the whole time.
Playing a melody, taking trumpet solos
and standing on the side of the stage for
a majority of the show just felt boring
after a while.
Drummer Shannon Powell, whos
known and worked with Payton
since he was a kid, remembers being
astounded by his expertise on trumpet
and piano at the Snug gigs. Nicholas
is a guy that constantly practices and
sheds, says Powell, who proudly claims
he gave Payton his first professional
gig, at the Famous Door on Bourbon
Street, with singer, banjoist and guitarist Danny Barker, when the trumpeter
was a young teenager. I can hear some
improvement every time I hear him
play. Thats the way Wynton is. Theyre
both constantly shedding and trying to
perfect their craft.
Though Paytons played trumpet
since age 4something about the
instrument spoke to me, he sayshes
played multiple instruments for most
of his life, just as hes explored various
styles of music. His father, the acclaimed bassist Walter Payton, alternated between bass and sousaphone, and
worked with players ranging from Lee
Dorsey to Aaron Neville to Ellis Marsalis to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
The piano that Walter shared with
Nicholas mother, a classically trained
pianist, maintained a central position in
the familys home and remains a strong
rcher agrees that Payton has

more control of the music
these days. Were very elastic
with the music, [with] form
and harmonically, he says. It
gives the songs even more of a breath
of fresh air each time we play.
In terms of artistic evolution,
Payton is still open to new ideas and
vocabularies. He recently completed
work on Textures, an album created
entirely with the software program
Logicno live instrumentsthat
he recorded alongside the visual
artist Anastasia Pelias, who painted
while he worked, each artist riffing on the others compositions.
Payton remains involved with more
conventional music as well, having
produced, played on and written
most of the arrangements for singer
Jane Monheits upcoming tribute to
Ella Fitzgerald.
As for the resistance hes encountered while challenging public and
critical expectationsand theres
been plentyrecent recognition of

his skill as a keyboardist has helped
mitigate early complaints. I guess I
could have said, Fuck it, and acquiesced to peoples expectations. But to
me, you dont ever get people to accept
your artistry if youre willing to cave

because they want you to follow suit
with whatever they expect you to do,
he muses. You have to be willing to
make sacrifices for the shit you feel
strongly about.JT
ANNOUNCING COMPLETION OF
ENID FARBER FOTOGRAPHY
it was like, Wow, he continues,

laughing. I dont know what Im
supposed to do here.
Archer was one of multiple associates who suggested Payton record an
album by himself. It seemed like a
novelty to him, Payton says, until
he developed the idea for the vocal
R&B project Bitches, much of which
was based on leftover demos from
Into the Blue. Bitches came out in
2011, the same year Payton launched
his BAM campaign, which
heightened the exposure of his writing online. By then he was leading
from the piano bench regularly and
working toward launching his own
label, BMF, now Paytone. All those
elements indicated that he sought a
greater degree of control in both his
artistic expression and in the way
others define it. Hes not focusing
on what people consider him to
be famous for, Powell points out.
Coming from New Orleans, if you
get famous doing one certain thing
people expect you to do that the rest
of your life. People have a tendency
to want to categorize musicians.
THOMAS CHAPIN,
NIGHT BIRD SONG
a music documentary
by EMMY Award-winning filmmaker
STEPHANIE J. CASTILLO
Destined to be among the jazz greats, sax and flute master
Thomas Chapin was taken from us at the pinnacle
of his meteoric rise in 1998 at the age of 40.
Through this moving and engrossing 2 hr. & 30 min film,
his passionate life and incandescent music can now
be known by audiences all over the world.
Welcoming inquiries and invitations to showcase

THOMAS CHAPIN, NIGHT BIRD SONG
Contact Stephanie at
808.383.7393 castillosj@aol.com
View the trailer at www.thomaschapinfilm.com
JAZZTIMES.COM
51
Sound
advice
AudioFiles
Gear of the Year
THE BEST AUDIO PRODUCTS OF 2015

By Brent Butterworth
TO NON-AUDIOPHILES, SPENDING
$15,900 ON A PAIR OF SPEAKERS
SEEMS CRAZY. BUT AUDIOPHILES
IVE SPOKEN WITH CONSIDER
WILSON AUDIOS SABRINA A BARGAIN.
any audio enthusiasts complain about the recent

trend toward elite gear priced in the middle five
figures, but 2015 saw a welcome renaissance in
affordable audio. While the year did feature many
extravagant, extraordinary new components, it also witnessed
the launch of the best $299 headphones ever created, as well as
terrific lines of speakers priced in the low three figures.
Here are the eight products from 2015 that most impressed
me, including everything from a $69 Bluetooth speaker to a
pair of loudspeakers costing nearly $16,000.
Schiit Audio Modi 2 Uber

digital-to-analog converter
The $149 Modi 2 Uber might be the least expensive way to

bypass your computers subpar audio circuitry to get true
high-end digital sound. With circuitry designed by Mike
Moffatfor decades, one of the worlds most revered digital
audio engineersplus USB, optical and coaxial digital inputs, the 5-inch-wide Modi 2 Uber can turn computers, TVs
and streaming boxes into true high-end audio sources.
Logitech X300 Bluetooth speaker
The $69 X300 lacks the sprightly design and snazzy features
found in many Bluetooth speakers, but its got it where it counts:
in audio quality. The X300 delivers a satisfying, full sound that
captures the subtleties of string bass, the dynamics of drums and
the snarl of saxophones better than any 6-inch-long speaker Ive
ever heard. Dont take a business trip without it.
RBH EP3 in-ear headphone
The in-ear headphone from 2015 that really

stands out for me costs just $129or maybe
even $99, depending on how long RBH extends
its introductory price. I find the EP3 to be perhaps the most neutral, natural-sounding in-ear
model Ive heard in its price range, thanks partly
to its non-resonant ceramic earpieces.
The EP3 includes Comply foam tips in two
sizes, ensuring a good sonic seal and a
comfortable fit.
52
HiFiMan HE400S
headphone
The $299 HE400S is the best

value in audio today. When
you hear the HE400S superspacious sound and natural,
uncolored tonality, its hard
to justify paying more or
settling for less. This openback headphone does little
to block outside sounds,
so its a dicey choice for
travel or commuting.
But it is comfortable,
and sensitive enough
that you can get great
sound even when
plugging it straight
into your cell phone.
Parasound Halo integrated amplifier
Wilson Audio Sabrina speaker
To non-audiophiles, spending $15,900 on a pair of speakers

seems crazy. But audiophiles Ive spoken with consider the
Sabrina a bargain. Its an updated, one-piece version of the
WATT/Puppy, the model that made Wilson Audio the RollsRoyce of the speaker world. While its smaller and more affordable than most Wilson speakers, its also more practicaland
in a typical living room, may sound better than the 6-foot-tall
behemoths for which the company is now best known.
ELAC Debut B6
bookshelf speaker
Audio engineer Andrew Jones

new line of speakers for German company ELAC is more
expensive than the low-cost
models he had been designing
for Pioneer, but a step up in
quality and craftsmanship.
Reports from 2015s audio shows
gushed about the clear, potent
sound of the $279-per-pair
Debut B6, and the speakers
beautiful design and betterthan-expected finish make
it welcome in stylish, highend homes.
The $2,495 Halo integrated amp has

everything you need for great
sound except a computer
and speakers. Built in are a
32-bit/384-kilohertz digitalto-analog converter that
accepts PCM and DSD digital
signals; a phono preamp that
works with moving-magnet
and moving-coil cartridges;
and a traditional Class AB
amplifier with 160 watts per
channel of power. It even
incorporates a subwoofer
crossover, something found
in scant few high-end
audio products.
Polk Audio T50

tower speaker
While the $258-per-pair T50s
look says plain black box,
the sound is something else
entirely. The T50s single 6.5inch woofer and dual 6.5-inch
passive radiators pump out
enough bass to handle Billy
Cobhams most intense kickdrum hits, yet the clarity of
midrange and treble is more
than adequate to convey Lady
Days softest phrases. Combine these speakers with an
old stereo receiver and youll
have amazing sound for next
to nothing. JT
Sound
advice
Chops
By Shaun Brady
Piano String Theories
54
heres an inherent playfulness to

utilizing extended techniques on the
acoustic piano. Getting your hands
inside the instrument, sticking items
on or in between its wires, or drumming the
sides of the piano are approaches that avantgarde composers and performers share with
mischievous children.
Its not surprising, then, that many
pianists dont wait until their first encounter
with John Cage or Henry Cowell to attempt
such experimental approaches. Benot
Delbecq, now well known for integrating
contemporary classical techniques and prepared piano into his jazz vocabulary, first
started messing around under the hood of
his great-grandmothers piano at the age of
8. My parents soundproofed a little room
in the basement and put the piano down
there, Delbecq recalls. I found a curved
brush they used for radiators and realized
I could play on the strings directly. So I
asked my mom for a piece of felt and sewed
it onto the brush. While hes long since
formed a more rigorous conceptual basis
for his preparations, Delbecq explains that
maintaining that kind of childlike imagination is important for starting to develop
mastery of extended techniques. The discovery of a new sound is like having a new
toy to play with, he says.
Over the years, Delbecq has used everything from that first radiator brush to
saxophone reeds, tacks and twigs to alter the
sound of his piano. According to Kris Davis,
who began exploring extended techniques after studying with Delbecq in Paris, finding the
proper materials to create the sounds youre
looking for is as important as every other
aspect of forming your voice. You experiment and figure out what works for you, says
Davis, who uses clothespins and hollowed-out
erasers. You can identify a persons sound by
their materials and the way that theyre used,
so it can be a slippery slope to try to copy
someones sounds and materials.
Sylvie Courvoisier, a master of using extended techniques in the contexts of jazz and
Sylvie Courvoisier looks under the hood
improvised music, said that in the beginning

its difficult not to copy what youve heard
before. When you [start to] learn jazz, you
play clichs. But I think you have to play
clichs in order to find your own vocabulary, she says. You refine that and figure out
what you want to play. Extended piano is just
another possibility, another color. I like when
its integrated with regular piano playing, like
a horn player using multiphonics.
Delbecq recommends starting out with
cut-up pieces of rubber eraser placed between
the strings, a cheap and harmless method of
preparing the piano. It will be random in the
beginning, he says, but very soon youll find
that if you put it at the halfway point of the
string youll have a certain overtone quality.
Paper is nice and can get you to harpsichordlike sounds, and if you want to have a snare
effect you can have a little metal box with pencils or nails standing on felt. Its endless.
While each of these pianists is adept
at playing solo, collaborating with other
musicians is of course essential to jazz and
presents its own challenges. One is the
time and labor necessary to fully prepare a
piano. Delbecq stresses the importance of
planning a set list so as not to end up with

long silent stretches while you toil inside
the piano, or using simple items that can be
quickly added or removed. Another hurdle
is volume, since extended techniques often
involve quieter sound levels. The sound
has the dynamic of chamber music, so if
you play with a drummer you might not be
heard at all. Its absolutely pointless unless
its a drummer whos sensitive to the circulation of sound on the stage, Delbecq says.
Experience is always an important teacher, and Courvoisier has learned the hard
way what not to use on her instrument.
With my own piano, I made some mistakes
where I hurt the piano, she laments. Never
touch a damper; theyre super-fragile. If you
use your hand, you shouldnt leave it on the
copper strings too long because you sweat
and it makes marks on the strings.
The damage can be more than aesthetic,
as Delbecq stresses: As long as you dont
distort the strings with metal thats too hard
for the copper strings, you can try many
things. But I see young players use a hi-hat
cymbal in the copper strings, and that is
going to change the pressure on the soundboard and the tuning will go, or can actually
cause damage. I sometimes use screws, but
only when the piano is crap.
Of course, theres always the potential
for embarrassment when placing objects
inside a piano that were never designed to be
there. Things can fall out of the piano, and
depending on what youre going for, that can
either be really cool or a disaster, Davis says.
I use clothespins, and sometimes they pop
out and you have to make something out of
that. While all the interviewees encouraged
listening to both jazz and classical pianists
who work with prepared piano, Courvoisier
stressed hearingand just as important,
seeingthese techniques played live. The
main thing I can advise is to go to concerts,
hear different pianos and be inspired by
other musicians, she says. You can see what
theyre doing, and you can ask questions. Its
the best way to learn. JT
VRONIQUE HOEGGER
THREE OF TODAYS EXPLORATORY KEYBOARD MASTERS OFFER A CRASH COURSE IN PREPARED PIANO
Chick Corea
& Bla Fleck
Keb Mo
The Manhattan Transfer
Mavis
Staples
Spend 10 jazz- and blues-lled days and nights in the Greater Reading area!
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Boney
James
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SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Follow us on Twitter
@berksjazzfest
Sound
advice
GearHead
Novation MoroderNova Synthesizer
Were not going to lie: This synths inspiration, Giorgio Moroder, is not
what we refer to as a jazz guy. A monumental figure in the development
of synthpop and electronica, hes best known for his disco hitmaking with
Donna Summer and a string of trailblazing 80s film soundtracks. But
with current jazz so indebted to the electronic sounds of 70s and 80s
pop, R&B and experimental music, this compact, versatile instrument
might be the perfect complement to your vintage Rhodes. With Novations
MiniNova as its core, the model ships with 30 preloaded synth patches
endorsed by Moroderthat anyone with an ear for pop radio of the
past four decades should recognize. Other features include 256 onboard
sounds; player-friendly controls including oversized pitch and modulation
wheels; essential effects like distortion, chorus/phase and delay;
and a vocoder. $449.99 online. us.novationmusic.com
Promark Select Balance Drumsticks
Somehow, drum manufacturers are still managing to reinvent and innovate the common
stick. Case in point: Promarks Select Balance series, a brilliantly simple two-pronged idea that
responds to the basic demands of different musical styles. The Forward Balance sticks have a
front-weighted feel, with a 2 1/4-inch taper, better for the headlong thrust of country, punk,
metal and the like. The Rebound Balance sticks, with a 3-inch taper and a rear-weighted
feel, are your option for groove-based music like jazz and R&B, and situations requiring
more interplay with the rest of the ensemble. Various weights are available, all in hickory with
a teardrop wood tip. From $7.95/pair. promark.com
Godlyke Pivot-All Plugs & Cables
Hows this for bandstand bummers: You finish a great set on

your Telecaster- or Les-Paul-style guitar, lean the ax against
your amp and forget that your cable has a straight plug
breaking the input and sending your prized six-string to the
repair shop. Godlykes new Pivot-All plugs and cables prevent this tragedy by rotating and locking along a 180-degree
axis. Think about it: No more awkward straight plugs sticking out of your Jazz Bass; no more expensive reverb units teetering atop your vintage combo amp because that unit cant
be stacked on top of a protruding plug. And stompboxes will
finally sit flush on your pedalboard. The plug (no cable) sells
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78
Before his performance of A Love Supreme at the Antibes Jazz Festival in 1965, Coltrane
practices in his hotel room while absorbing recordings of Albert Ayler
JOHN COLTRANE
A LOVE SUPREME:
THE COMPLETE MASTERS (Impulse!/Verve)
Veteran jazz fans

probably do not often
listen to A Love Supreme,
saxophonist John
Coltranes unfathomably
important 1965 album of passionate,
spiritual jazz. They internalized the LP,
performed by Tranes Classic Quartetpianist McCoy Tyner, bassist
Jimmy Garrison, drummer Elvin Jones
and the leader on tenorlong ago. But
now theres a reason to revisit.
In honor of its 50th birthday, the
album has been reissued as part of

an essential new set titled A Love
Supreme: The Complete Masters. A
two-CD version includes the album, a
pair of mono reference masters and all
the leftover takes and overdubs from
the sessions; a three-discer tosses in a
live reading of Supremethe sole one
we have, also from 65by the same
personnel as on the album. (Both
editions feature a new liner essay by
Ashley Kahn.) Most of the music here,
including the epic gig, has already
been released, but the tracks we havent
heard before are intriguing, and the
experience of hearing all of A Love
Supreme in one program is staggering. If

you havent listened to this masterpiece
in a while, what better way to dive back
in than by going all the way?
As far as previously unreleased material, there are nine tracks here. The two
mono reference masters, Pursuance
and Psalm, sound nice and raw. The
take of Psalm before Trane overdubbed
alto sax is cool to have, if unnecessary.
And the two tracks where the leader
adds the albums famous chantA love
supreme/A love supremeto the end of
Acknowledgement are interesting because the lines only wound up appearing
near the beginning of the song.
But the real score of the set is the four
extra takes of Acknowledgement from
the second and final day of the sessions,
when the band became a sextet also
featuring bassist Art Davis and tenor
saxophonist Archie Shepp. (Two other
takes of Acknowledgement from this
day and with this lineup were previously released.) One take finds the group
playing a little bit and discussing how to
count the song. Another is halted after
less than a minute of music.
But then there are two full sextet takes
of Acknowledgement where one can
really envision the opening cut from
A Love Supreme with two bassists and
two tenor saxophonists. (One wonders
if Trane had at any point planned to
re-record the entire album with Shepp
and Davis. The album as we know it had
been recorded on day one.) Take 6 is a
bit too meandering to be truly potent,
but take 4 makes a strong case for this
sextet that never was. Trane and Shepp
share the sax space beautifully. The bassists sound great together. And the group
sound seems to be saying something
about unity and community and collaboration rather than the well-established
theme of A Love Supreme, inner spirituality. Speaking strictly musically, too,
there is something new on takes 4 and
6: Both pieces feature a bouncy variation on the iconic Acknowledgement
bassline, which according to cultural
memory matches the A love supreme
chant. Who was John Coltrane if not an
improviser? BRAD FARBERMAN
JAZZTIMES.COM
JEAN-PIERRE LELOIR
Vox
65
Reviews
HARRY ALLEN
FOR GEORGE, COLE AND DUKE (Blue Heron)
Tenor saxophonist Harry

Allens discography is filled
with tribute albums, to
personal heroes ranging
from Billy Strayhorn to
Zoot Sims, Antonio Carlos Jobim and
Henry Mancini. Two of the heroes on For
George, Cole and Duke have already been
subjects of album-length homages by
Allen2000s Harry Allen Plays Ellington
Songs and the following years Cole Porter
Songbookand hes been to the Gershwin
well numerous times before. This is music
with which Allen is comfortable and
deeply intimate. He plays it with authority
and elegance, and while hes not exactly
breaking new ground with his interpretations, he gives it his heart and soul.
Sometimes thats all you need.
For this set, Allen teams with pianist
Ehud Asherie, bassist Nicki Parrott and
Chuck Redd on drums and vibes, with Little
Johnny Rivero supplying percussion on
three tracks. Parrott also sings. On a drumless reading of the Gershwins How Long
Has This Been Going On? she floats, silkily,
above Redds vibes and Asheries piano,
relinquishing the reins only briefly to Allens
Getz-like solo. On Mood Indigo, one of
the Ellington standards, she straddles the
line between blues and pop naturally, a trace
of Billie in her sensual delivery.
Most of the recording is strictly instrumental though, and although this isnt a
group bent on breaking into deep grooves,
they can muster up both the seriously
swinging (In a Mellow Tone, Shall We
Dance) and midtempo exercises that leave
ample space for each player to open up
(They All Laughed, Always True to You
in My Fashion). There are no liner notes
from Allen explaining why he grouped
these particular composers on one single
volume, but it all coheres. Guess he just
likes em. JEFF TAMARKIN
HERB ALPERT
COME FLY WITH ME (Ada)
More than 50 years have

passed since Herb Alpert
burst onto the international
music scene with his
Tijuana Brass and proved,
quite literally, instrumental in presaging
the smooth-jazz movement that hes still a
vital part of. As one of the most admired
music titans of that past century, his
66
success with the TJB is dwarfed by his

achievements as a mogul (cofounder of
A&M), educator and philanthropist. Yet, at
age 80, he remains at heart a passionate
trumpet player. There was a lengthy period,
starting around the turn of the century and
stretching for nearly a decade, when he
went quiet. Then, with 2009s Anything
Goes, began a welcome renaissance. Now
five albums in, he delivers by far the finest
session of his career resurgence. This is
Alperts first postmillennial disc without his
wife, singer Lani Hall, nor does he himself
add any vocals. The focus is squarely on his
playing, which, noticeably ragged on a
couple of previous releases, has regained
most of its clarity and vigor.
Though he disbanded the Brass in 1969,
its breezy influence is still evident, particularly on zesty treatments of On the Sunny
Side of the Street, Night Ride (one of
five Alpert originals) and the Sinatraassociated title track. But Come Fly With
Me is far more inventive than nostalgic.
Alongside such regular session-mates as
bassist Hussain Jiffry, drummer Michael
Shapiro and keyboardists Eduardo del
Barrio, Bill Cantos and Jeff Lorber, he
experiments with a spectrum of rhythms
and textures. Cleverest among them: his
reggae-laced takes on Got a Lot of Livin
to Do and the loping Walkin Tall; the
programming-driven (courtesy of son
Randy) panache of Sweet and Lovely
and Windy City; and the calypsocharged Cheeky. Most sublime: his slowchugging, crepuscular Take the A Train.
CHRISTOPHER LOUDON
RAOUL BJRKENHEIM
ECSTASY
OUT OF THE BLUE (Cuneiform)
Critics have heaped lavish

praise on guitarist Raoul
Bjrkenheims curious brand
of improvised jazz, and
understandably so, even if
commonly drawn parallels (Ayler,
Coleman, Coltrane, Mahavishnu, Hendrix,
Fela, et al.) only serve to underscore the
audacious yet ultimately elusive nature of
his music. Out of the Blue, the second
recording by his stellar Finnish quartet
eCsTaSy, will help burnish the bands
growing reputation for creative synthesis
and spontaneity.
For more than five years now, Bjrkenheim has fruitfully collaborated with
eCsTaSys renowned drummer Markku
Ounaskari, bassist Jori Huhtala and saxophonist Pauli Lyytinen, while exploring
a multidimensional sound that embraces
expansive soundscapes, Nordic/noirish vignettes and jarringly kinetic interludes (and
thats the short list). On this session, nothing
is more engaging than Quintrille, with its
sleek harmonies, bluesy phrasing, impassioned soprano sax and ebullient rhythms,
or as profoundly Zen as A Fly in the House
of Love, an excursion resonating with exotic
tones and colors. The Hendrix connection
comes into sharp focus on Uptown, before
Bjrkenheim yields the floor to Lyytinen,
who engages in some muscular sparring
with the ever-resourceful Ounaskari.
Another highlight, and another dramatic
shift in mood, comes when the ensemble
threatens to derail Roller Coaster with
high-pitched interplay and high-spirited
propulsion. A full account of the albums
rewards, though, demands close scrutiny:
Out of the Blue is clearly the sort of recording that offers new discoveries and fresh
perspectives with each spin. MIKE JOYCE
JOE CASTRO
LUSH LIFE: A MUSICAL JOURNEY (Sunnyside)
Up until now, historians

considered pianist Joe Castro
(1927-2009) noteworthy for
two reasons: He was the first
Mexican-American jazz
bandleader to achieve any great fame, and
he was the consort of tobacco heiress Doris
Duke, the wealthiest woman in the world
during her lifetimeworth approximately
$1.3 billion when she died in 1993. It turns
out, however, that Castro was also an
important chronicler of the 50s and 60s
West Coast jazz scene, a fact that has only
come to light with the release of this six-CD
set, assembled from his tape library.
In 1953, all that cigarette money helped
Duke buy a Beverly Hills mansion formerly
owned by actor Rudolph Valentino and
equip it with a rehearsal and recording studio for Castro. Loose jam sessions recorded
there and at Dukes Somerville, N.J., farm
make up the bulk of this box. The first disc,
recorded in 1954 and featuring Buddy Collette on flute and clarinet and Chico Hamilton on drums, is the biggest revelation: three
long, episodic pieces that seem completely
improvised, although one suspects Castro
had some back-pocket motifs ready whenever inspiration flagged. Intriguing as this
early taste of the freeform is, its hampered
by poor audio quality.
The much-better-sounding disc three,

from 1956, offers the most enjoyable music here, matching up Castros laser-show
piano with Oscar Pettifords astonishing
bass playing and Zoot Sims and Lucky
Thompsons meaty tenor work. The rest is
an odd grab bag of rather elementary 60s
big-band sessions and several more 50s
jams, a few of which dont feature Castro
at all. (The great Teddy Wilson occupies
the piano bench for one whole disc, and
its most pleasant to hear his bouncy
aplomb set against the cool brilliance
of Stan Getz on five cuts.) Despite its
unevenness, Lush Life opens a surprising
and valuable door into the history of West
Coast jazz. MAC RANDALL
JOEY DEFRANCESCO
MATHIEU BITTON
TRIP MODE (HighNote)
Joey the Aggressor has

emerged with this album.
With new guitarist Dan
Wilson and new drummer
Jason Brown, the organists
trio harkens back toas liner-note writer
Mark Ruffin points outthe Larry
Young-Grant Green-Elvin Jones
triumvirate of the late 60s. This trio isnt
just burning, its hammering, thumping,
thundering and laying down a profound
hardcore groove. The title tune, which
opens the album, sets the pace in terms of
blitzing organ runs, volcanic drum
eruptions and fiery guitar spurts that
develop into fleet, organized lines. This
kind of tough, jam-session sensibility also
infuses Wilsons Who Shot John and
DeFrancescos In That Order and
Traffic Jam (somewhat reminiscent of
Eddie Harris Freedom Jazz Dance). But
with the organists Cuz U No, the pace
changes to a slow, swaying blues, evoking
the emotional momentum inherent in
gospel-fueled church services. Amen!
Additional performances feature
DeFrancesco on piano and trumpet and
as a vocalist. On all of thesehis Arizona
Sunrise, On Georgian Bay, Whats
Your Organ Players Name and Ray
Nobles The Touch of Your Lipsbassist Mike Boone is added. DeFrancescos
Miles Davis-influenced brass work has
improved to the point that you might be
fooled into thinking the trumpet is his
primary instrumentas on Whats Your
Organ Players Name, reminiscent of
Davis electric period, with its backbeat,
muted trumpet runs and organ funk. On
The Touch of Your Lips, DeFrancescos

singing has style, class and feeling. His
piano playing is strong too, and considering his prowess on the organ theres no
reason to think otherwise. This is a fine
album throughout, but the biggest impression comes from the aggression and soul of
the new trio. OWEN CORDLE
PETER ERSKINE
DR. UM (Fuzzy)
Dr. Um offers journeyman

drummer Peter Erskine an
excuse to play funk and
fusion and all that [stuff]
youre so good at and people
love while still being Mr. well-respected
legit jazzman, as related in the liner notes.

That aptly summarizes the scope of this
project, on which Erskine collaborates with
keyboardist John Beasley (the two co-produced the album) and British electric bass
virtuoso Janek Gwizdala. The three, joined by
narrator Jack Fletcher, tenor saxophonist Bob
Sheppard, guitarists Jeff Parker and Larry
Koonse, and percussionist Aaron Serfaty,
play electric jazz thats musically fertile but
not flashy, and handily demonstrates their
gifts as groove-makers and improvisers.
Erskine and co. indeed sound relaxed and
inspired, and not bound by allegiances to
genre or album concept. Erskine contributes
three of the 10 tunes, starting with Hawaii
Bathing Suit. The tune, cu
cut from the same
DR. LONNIE SMITH

EVOLUTION (Blue Note)
Dr. Lonnie Smith, one of the godfathers of the jazz organ, returns to the
record label that cemented his status as a B-3 king in the 1960s. Now, 45
years after his previous session for Blue Note, Smith has issued not only
what might be his own greatest album but one of the finest contributions to the jazz-organ canon.
Evolution is a tour de force consisting of seven mostly long tracks in decidedly different styles. This is an album that showcases the many sides of organ-based jazz. Play It
Back, a 14-minute clinic in greasy 70s funk, reads like an amped-up homage to Jimmy
Smith. The first keys are played not by Smith but by crossover pianist Robert Glasper,
informing us immediately that this is not your grandpas organ-jazz record, though
the main riff is straight-up Root Down. If the rhythms of Evolution seem particularly
infectious, thats because there are two drummers, Johnathan Blake and Joe Dyson,
delivering them on four of the seven tunes. Thats partly what makes the reworking of
Smiths Afrodesiafeaturing saxophonist Joe Lovano, whose debut arrived on Smiths
1975 album of the same nameso banging.
Textures constantly move. Lovano shows up again on For Heavens Sake, which
despite its smooth-jazz proclivities is the most romantic slice of organ jazz youve heard
in years. A traditional organ trio, with guitar and drums, tackles Thelonious Monks
Straight, No Chaser, and here Smith offers a long, juicy solo that pulls no punches and
serves no gimmicks. Talk About This is more modern, with grooving beats, funky
horns and J.B.s-type chants. An unconventional treatment of My Favorite Things
with a super-long,
super-quiet intro
takes its sweet time (11
minutes) developing,
and Smith ends with a
10-minute version of
his African Suite that
emphasizes African
rhythms and John Ellis
superb flute playing.
Just when you think
youve heard everything
that organ jazz has to
offer, Dr. Lonnie Smith
evolves.
What might be his greatest album: Dr. Lonnie Smith
STEVE GREENLEE
JAZZTIMES.COM
67
Reviews
cloth as his old band, Weather Report, has
a spritely sax-keyboard unison head atop a
simmering calypso-ish groove, and breaks
into an open section for tenor, drums
and congas, followed by Beasleys twisty
keys solo and a brash tenor outing on the
outro. Erskines Little Fun K is, yeah, a
little funky, its stair-stepping main theme,
mellow keys and Parkers liquid bluesy
lines hinting at Steely Dan. And the leaders
sprawling Northern Cross benefits from
some of the same elements, as well as the
tones and textures once heard in Weather
Report, and a brief passage of Erskines stillinventive rhythmic derring-do.
Erskine toasts Joe Zawinul, Weather
Reports cofounder, on the latters atmospheric, noir-ish Bourges Buenos Aires
and Speechless. Beasley contributes
the perky grooves and zigzagging fusion
phrases of Lost Page, the laidback, soultinted Okraphilia and, unexpectedly, a
stately Mahler arrangement. Koonse shines
on Vince Mendozas Sprite, a lush ballad
in the Metheny mold, and Beasley showcases his organ chops on Gary McFarlands
quirky Sage Hands, also featuring Sheppard. Tasty stuff. PHILIP BOOTH
by an unlisted Moonglow), spends nearly

half of its three-plus minutes avoiding the
familiar theme altogether. Fortner, Nelson
and Etkin lay out a simple, quasi-classical
melody and chase each others tails with it
before Wilsons tom-toms goad the others
toward the tune proper. Rodgers and Harts
Where or When, elegant, easygoing and
drumless, and Dinah, with its fractured
rhythm, are worlds apart from anything
Goodman might have conjured, although
Jelly Roll Mortons King Porter Stomp
will feel comfy to the retro crowd with its
ragtimey cheer.
Another two tracks, Why Dont You
Do Right and After Youve Gone, each
featuring the vocals of rising star Charenee
Wade, are polar opposites temperamentally: The first clip-clops along haphazardly,
paying little regard to convention; the
second is standard lights-down-low blues.
Its questionable whether Goodman would
have felt either arrangement. But by the
time the hour-long program concludes,
Etkin and crew have accomplished their
task of using Goodman as a catalyst for
both rediscovery and envisioning.
Pearls is more doleful and less beautiful

than Pettifords definitive take. But there
are numerous triumphs here. Friedlander
transforms the big-band tune Tamalpais Love Song into chamber music
with a flamenco tint via his imaginative
arrangement and nonpareil cello work.
Tropical flourishes likewise come to
the fore on the appropriately named
Oscalypso, and in the tango embedded in Sunrise Sunset. The toe-tapping
buoyancy of vintage bebop is showcased
on the blues-infused Pendulum at Falcons Lair, and in the 50s flashback that
Cable Car inspires.
Friedlanders familiarity with his
rhythm section is crucial, to his adroit interplay with bassist Trevor Dunn and to
where and when drummer Michael Sarin
opts to emphasize pulse or atmosphere.
Along with Blake as an invaluable foil,
they have enabled him to make a modern, adventurous bebop record fronted
by a cellist who takes no prisoners.
JEFF TAMARKIN
BLESSINGS (JLP)
ORAN ETKIN
ERIK FRIEDLANDER
More than 75 years removed

from his breakthrough, the
late Benny Goodman
remains the most important
clarinetist in the history of
jazz, and one of its most successful
bandleaders. Yet today, despite that vaunted
status, he is often overlooked, something
Oran Etkin aims to remedy with this new
collection. Its a decidedly different path for
Etkinwhose previous outing, 2014s
Gathering Light, explored influences from
Africa, Asia and his native Israelyet an
obvious one as well: Etkin, who plays
standard and bass clarinet and saxophone,
expresses in his liner notes a longtime
affinity for Goodman, who too was the son
of Jewish immigrants.
The reimagining of the subtitle is
key here: Etkin and his core bandpianist Sullivan Fortner, vibraphonist Steve
Nelson and Matt Wilson on drumshave
no interest in mimicking the sounds and
aesthetics of the 30s and 40s. The Louis
Prima-composed Sing, Sing, Sing, the
Goodman staple that closes out the album
officially (although its followed on the CD
Erik Friedlander first

honored Oscar Pettiford in
2008 with Broken Arm Trio,
a collection of originals
inspired by Pettifords
rediscovery of the cello after his busted
wing became an obstacle to performing on
the larger bass. Oscalypso goes a step
further by exploring nine Pettiford
compositions, and it is Friedlanders
first-ever record of cover songs. Where
Broken Arm Trio stayed true to its title by
eschewing arco on its pizzicato-stitched,
folk-oriented fare, Oscalypso enriches
classic bebop with lush unison lines and
traded phrases between Friedlanders
bowed and plucked celloakin to the
glides and splats of a trumpetand the
horns of saxophonist Michael Blake. Their
harmonizing head arrangements stand out,
from the spooky intro to Bohemia After
Dark to the closing track, Sunrise Sunset.
Not everything works. Friedlanders
rendition of Tricotism, perhaps Pettifords
most renowned piece, feels a little stiffer
in the unison passages than the Lucky
Thompson and Ray Brown versions. And
while affecting, the ballad Two Little
WHATS NEW?
REIMAGINING BENNY GOODMAN (Motma)
68
OSCALYPSO (Skipstone)
BRITT ROBSON
ANTONIO HART
After hearing Blessings,
soul-jazz fans of a certain
age will likely find
themselves counting their
own. Then again, even the
uninitiated may be similarly inclined.
Beginning with a wonderfully evocative
take on Jack McDuff s Rock Candy,
saxophonist Antonio Hart underscores
his ties to vintage organ-jazz combos
with the help of three kindred spirits:
keyboardist Bobby Floyd, guitarist Yotam
Silberstein and drummer Steve Williams.
Gratitude may be the albums prevailing
theme, as its title suggests, but soulfulness
is its core trait, a common thread that
runs through a smart selection of original
compositions and a mix of jazz and pop
standards. Hart, on soprano and mostly
alto saxophone, never puts a wrong foot
forward as player or composer, but some
performances nevertheless stand out,
owing to his now robust, now piercing
tone and his harmonic assurance. Its a
good thing, too, because a lesser talent
would have a hell of a time negotiating the tricky hard-bop intervals that
frequently arisewitness Harts angular
Up and Downor finessing Frank
Fosters Shiny Stockings with such
Basie-like aplomb. Indeed, on the latter,
Harts reverberating alto sounds like a reed

section unto itself.
Still, Blessings is a team effort, with
ample room for everyone involved. Organist Floyd, naturally, is responsible for
stoking the fires much of the time, but
he also contributes to the albums subtle
charms. The same is true of Silberstein,
who contrasts minor-key lyricism with
popping blues riffs and swirling patterns
of 16th notes, and Williams, who adroitly
shades ballads when he isnt stirring the
pot with tumbling rhythms and jabbing
accents. Small wonder Hart is feeling
thankful these days. MIKE JOYCE
CHARLES LLOYD
& THE MARVELS
I LONG TO SEE YOU (Blue Note)
In 2015, after 25 years with

ECM, where he created one
of the lasting bodies of work
in modern jazz, Charles
Lloyd moved to Blue Note.
His first Blue Note release, Wild Man
Dance, was well received. His second will
initially cause concern in some quarters.
Charles Lloyd & the Marvels? Vocal
tracks with Willie Nelson and Norah
Jones? WTF?
Everyone can relax. I Long to See You is
mostly gorgeous.
Jazz musicians tend to make their best
records with their regular bands. Lloyds
masterworks are albums made with his
working quartets, like Forest Flower on
Atlantic and Canto and The Call on ECM.
The new venture called the Marvels is
Lloyds long-term bassist and drummer,
Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland, respectively, plus two guitarists, Bill Frisell and
Greg Leisz. This ensemble, even if it proves
short-lived, sounds inevitable, preordained.
There is high-level unconditional
jazz here, like two Lloyd staples from
the 60s, Of Course, Of Course and
Sombrero Sam, and Barche Lamsel, a
rapt 16-minute inner search. But the most
striking pieces are popular and folk tunes.
The Marvels can transform a song just by
playing its melody. Bob Dylans Masters of
War dramatically rises and falls. Frisell is
just right for Lloyd. His version of lyricism
is fragmentary and oblique; Lloyds is flowing and aspiring. The two overlay beautifully. On Abide With Me and All My
Trials, Frisells flickering, lingering tones
deepen Lloyds spell. The yearning sustains
of Leisz on pedal steel deepen it further.
The two overdubbed vocals are harmless.

On Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream,
Willie Nelsons voice is quavery but his message is strong. And whats not to like about
Norah Jones breathing in your ear on You
Are So Beautiful?
The desert island track is Shenandoah,
dead slow, Lloyd on tenor saxophone softly
crying high while Frisell and Leisz array glittering light all around him. Shenandoah
will make you sit very still in your chair.
THOMAS CONRAD
JOE MAGNARELLI
THREE ON TWO (Posi-Tone)
The three are the horn

guysJoe Magnarelli on
trumpet/flugelhorn, Steve
Davis on trombone and
Mike DiRubbo on alto
saxophoneand the two are organist
Brian Charette and drummer Rudy
Royston. Like several of his previous leader
releasesthis is his 11th in all, and second
for Posi-Tonethe disc places Magnarelli
at the heart of a muscular, workmanlike
quintet for which skill and flair take
precedence over jumping through flaming
hoops. You may not come away from Three
on Two exclaiming that youve just heard
the future of jazz, but youll know that what
you did hear was music played superbly by
seasoned pros.
Magnarelli mixes things uporiginal
band-member compositions brush up
against music by Debussy, Coltrane and
Cedar Walton; organ-dominated segments
coexist peacefully with blasts of fiery horn
power. On the first of two Trane tracks,
26-2, it all comes together sensationally.
Successive alto, trumpet and trombone solos claim just enough space to establish the
expressiveness and quality of chops before
Charette drives it home with the kind of
dazzle you always want to hear from a B-3.
Right before that one, Magnarellis NYCJ-Funk is all about groove: deliberate,
smooth and hipmusic to strut to.
Throughout theres the indelible stamp
of swing. Even at their most understated
(Davis Easy, Coltranes Central Park
West), these are five players who never
lose the pace. And when they do crank
into overdriveas on Magnarellis title
track and Parisyou can feel the steam
rising. Give much of the credit for that
to Royston, whose rhythmic potency is
matched by his ability to seamlessly slide
into nuance. JEFF TAMARKIN
PETE MCCANN
RANGE (Whirlwind)
On Range, his fifth

recording as a leader,
longtime New York
guitarist Pete McCann
pushes his compositional
gifts beyond their outer limits. The
aesthetic gambits packed into these 10
originals dont always make for casual
listening, but the resultant album is
nevertheless an intriguing, largely
rewarding experience.
Dyad Changes solidly exemplifies
McCanns exploratory spirit. Influenced
by the work of 12-tone pioneer Anton
Webern, the track melds a relentless,
hard-chopping beat with minor-key
space-funk from Henry Hey on Fender
Rhodes. Numinous extends the serialism, McCanns sparse acoustic notes
interlaced with Heys eerie unresolved
phrases and subtle cymbal fades from
drummer Mark Ferber. Pirouetting
Indian-style rhythmic patterns grace the
shadowy Seventh Jar, while Bridge
Scandal, inspired by New Jerseys recent
Bridgegate controversy, finds McCann
cutting loose with some straight-up rock
shredding while alto saxophonist John
OGallagher wails with brash insistence. On Mustard, the albums most
stylistically expansive offering, McCann
interjects jagged clusters of abstraction
into a nimble melodic statement from
OGallagher and Hey (here on organ).
From there, Hey solos soulfully, McCann
lets fly with his bluesiest phrases of the
recording, and the bridge unexpectedly
evokes the brassy good-time vibe of a
late-night talk-show band.
Its when McCann taps into this
vein, populist yet still musically vital,
that Range is at its most listenable. The
bold purity of OGallaghers tone gives
Kenny, a tribute to the late trumpeter
Kenny Wheeler (a McCann mentor),
bracing edges, and Ferbers light-tripping elegance drives the laidback propulsion of Rumble. For much of the
album, bassist Matt Clohesy flies under
the radar, but he is showcased to strong
effect on two ballads, the broodingly
bittersweet Mine Is Yours, with McCann and Hey subtly embellishing the
contours of Clohesys deep-toned solo,
and To the Mountains, an echoey,
acid-country wisp of desert ambience.
MATT R. LOHR
JAZZTIMES.COM
69
Reviews
JOE MCPHEE/JAMIE SAFT/
JOE MORRIS/
CHARLES DOWNS
TICONDEROGA (Clean Feed)
Ticonderoga has an
irresistible backstory.
Jamie Saft and Joe
Morris discovered a
mutual love for John
Coltranes much-maligned 1966 album
Live at the Village Vanguard Again!
Proclaiming Alice Coltrane his favorite
pianist, Saft wanted to make a record

inspired by the album. Morris contacted
Joe McPhee, who happened to have been
front and center at the Vanguard gig 49
years ago, and Charles Downs, who as
Rashid Bakr had drummed for Cecil
Taylor, William Parker and other titans of
the New Thing. The quartet convened at
Safts studio in upstate New York and
banged out four collective improvisations.
It comprises a dense hour of music in the
classic Clean Feed mode of dynamic
intensity and reflective eruption.

The participatory focus is sharp indeed. Saft unplugs all his keys and gadgets
and channels his inner Alice. His rainbow
swirls are a glissando of pure ivories, and
his occasional forlorn passages of harplike fragility inevitably swell into cantering block chords to run with the herd.
McPhee likewise downsizes his arsenal
to a Trane-ish complement of tenor and
soprano saxophone, on which he blows
a fusillade that gathers Coltranes lyrical
shards but doesnt forget to include the
unremitting wail of Pharoah Sanders,
who was the Vanguard gigs primal heat.
Morris forsakes his guitar for the rumble
of the bass, which burrows clean through
grooves. He is deprived of the lengthy
soloing accorded Jimmy Garrison at
the Vanguard, but is a force of nature
on Leaves of Certain and a vibrant
presence throughout. Downs deploys his
expertise at reframing cacophony into
more recognizable rhythmic waves.
The quieter moments on Ticonderoga
feel like preludes, or drainage. Vanguard
Again! was derided because it was such a
revelry in sound. The four musicians here
cherish the differences in fabric, and the
abiding warmth, in the sheets they create.
BRITT ROBSON
WES MONTGOMERY
ONE NIGHT IN INDY (Resonance)
It is early 1959, which

means its still going to take
a touch of time for Wes
Montgomery to ramp up
the ol fretboard chops. But
how warming this live session must have
been on a cold Indianapolis night. The
circumstances of the date have a charm to
them that follows when buddies get
together to share records and host the
occasional band, as was the case here.
This one features an unknown bassist
who has an accord with Montgomery,
even if he cant stroll out as far musically.
For that there is pianist Eddie Higgins.
One could even say that Higgins pianistic
forays informed Montgomerys attempts to
diversify his hard-bop sound. On Ruby,
My Dear, Higgins is a Mintons-friendly
pre-dawn blues poet, transforming 12-bar
structures into waves of indigo that build
conversationally, confessionally, like dark
colors unburdening themselves of what its
like not to be bright. Montgomerys guitar
then offers its version of this same bluesy
70
mulling, a growth spurt in balladic vein.

Youd Be So Nice to Come Home To is
familiar as the eventual Boss Guitar brand
of Montgomery strutting, but it is Stompin
at the Savoy that provides the sort of aw,
come on virtuosity that Montgomery
could drop on you out of nowhere. Triplets
like flashes of light all but strobe, and note
clusters shake with vibrato. You get the sense
that this is the number for that buddy who
was most enthusiastic about having Mr.
Montgomery stop by. He must have received
many back claps. COLIN FLEMING
NAJEE
YOU, ME AND FOREVER (Shanachie)
Even during smooth-jazzs

80s and 90s commerical
peak, Najees skills as an
improviser allowed him to
rise above the pack. Those
chops are on strong display on You, Me
and Forever, his 16th original release as
leader, and the saxophonist/flutists sheer
prowess helps the program overcome its
sometimes pedestrian composing.
The album crests with the opening track,

the New Age-inflected Air, Najees lyrically
energetic flute borne aloft by RaShawn
Northingtons punchy electric bass and a
sharp piano solo from Rod Bonner. Fly
With the Wind, with Najee on tenor sax,
boasts an earworm of a melodic line, and the
flute gets another showcase on a vaporous
reading of the Jobim standard Wave. Guest
vocalist Chuck Johnsons graceful passion
ignites standout track Biggest Part of Me,
and the somberly beautiful Butterfly Girl
MICHAEL MUSILLAMI TRIO

ZEPHYR (Playscape)
Zephyr successfully achieves

its modest ambition. Pride,
released in 2014, was a
two-hour extravaganza that
abetted guitarist Michael
Musillamis trio with rugged, notable guests
(Kris Davis, Mark Feldman, Jimmy Greene),
containing a live disc revitalizing old
Musillami numbers and a studio disc that
culminates with a four-song suite. By
contrast, Zephyr sticks to the longstanding
trio of Musillami, bassist Joe Fonda and
drummer George Schuller. For their eighth
release in 13 years, they impulsively entered
the studio after a short tour in the spring of
2015 and laid down a half-dozen personal
but unpretentious Musillami originals.
The trio interplay is spare and spacious,
seasoned with Musillamis compositional
imagination but girded with vamps and a
slightly funky lilt that is more straightforward than much of his previous output. The
disc is framed by remembrances dedicated to
his former bassist and friend, Dave Shapiro
(the three-way call-and-response Loops),
and to Dawn Hochsprung, the mother of his
sons wife, who was killed in the shootings
at Sandy Hook Elementary, where she was
principal (Remembering Dawn). A ballad
for his daughter, Francescas Flowers, is
a fragile tone poem. Zephyr Cove and
Pacific School are musical meditations on
landmarks from his childhood.
This material is well suited for Musillamis guitar style, which meshes the amiable
liquidity of Southern rock (think Dickey
Betts) with the more cerebral delicacy associated with Jim Hall. Fonda and Schuller
are typically astute, sensitive and simpatico.
The absence of grandiosity, especially in light
of its often emotionally charged inspirations,
makes Zephyr a pleasant encounter.
THE UNIVERSITY
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BRITT ROBSON
JAZZTIMES.COM
71
Reviews
entwines Najees flute with Dean Marks
crystalline acoustic guitar to heartwarming
effect.
But a number of tunes, particularly
in the back half, are not as memorable.
Signature features authoritative tenor
from Najee but under-mixes guest vocalist
Frank McComb, never allowing him to
take ownership of the song as he should.
Another vocal guest, Andrea Wallace,
boasts a pleasingly breathy tone, but Give
It All Weve Got doesnt give her distinc-
tive enough lyrics for the track to make

an impression. Likewise, both Spectrum
and the title track are well performed and
pretty, yet they evaporate from the mind as
theyre playing. Fortunately, the disc ends
on a high with Jannah. Acoustic bassist
Seth Lee joins Pieces of a Dreams James
Lloyd, on acoustic piano, to lay down slick
patterns over which Najee, on soprano sax,
busts out his most inventive improvisations
of the album. Not all of You, Me and Forever deserves to last, but its best tracks ce-
Sometimes
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Platinum
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Covered by one or more U.S. Patents.

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72
www.rovnerproducts.com
ment Najees stance as one of smooths

integral artists. MATT R. LOHR
THE NECKS
VERTIGO (Northern Spy)
Australians the Necks

have released 15
albums of expansive
improvisation, many of
them devoted to one
extended piece that flows along for
upwards of 60 minutes. In that
regard, record number 16, Vertigo,
presents a streamlined performance
by the trio, since it fades out after 43
minutes. At the same time, they use
the shorter length to toy with their
usual minimalist approach.
The group wondered what would
happen to their performance if it
were augmented by a musical drone,
and several such sounds rise and fall
throughout the program, providing
a framework for the loosely constructed soundscape. In the opening
seconds, a low, metallic drone fades
in, cuing a clatter of percussion and
strings from drummer Tony Buck.
The drummers brief explosions appear regularly throughout the piece,
calling to mind both Han Bennink
and the contents of an overpacked
closet falling to the floor. While
bassist Lloyd Swanton can only be
heard intermittently, pianist Chris
Abrahams activities shape most of
the performance. At times, simple,
repetitive acoustic piano melodies
combine with the percussion to evoke
rainfall. This fades into organ and
synthesizer washes that summon
up Brian Eno. A clear delineation
between sections arrives around the
20-minute mark, when all of the
above fades and Abrahams meanders
on electric piano. The closest thing to
a sense of direction comes soon after,
when Swanton adds intermittent low
notes and Buck, presumably, makes
a thunk noise that sounds like a knife
hacking into cabbage.
Eventually the proceedings start to
sound like a blend of noises in a busy
factorywhirring machines, squeaking doors, natural reverbcoming
together in an unnatural symphony.
Things never get downright abrasive,
but the simplicity of some portions
can be unsettling. MIKE SHANLEY
WILLIAM PARKER/
RAINING ON THE MOON
GREAT SPIRIT (AUM Fidelity)
When bassist William

Parkers group Raining on
the Moon released its 2007
album Corn Meal Dance,
the sextet left another
albums worth of material on the table.
Parker had considered issuing a two-disc
album at the time but ultimately went
with one. Eight years later, on Great Spirit,
we get the rest of the session. This music
could easily have been plucked first.
This is a funky, swinging, soulful band
that lifts the soul. Parker, alto saxophonist Rob Brown, trumpeter Lewis Barnes,
pianist Eri Yamamoto and drummer
Hamid Drake may create the music, but
singer Leena Conquest (why isnt she better known?) is the bands center. Her rich,
soothing and bluesy vocals, delivering
lyrics that are both spiritual and socially
conscious, keep the musicians rooted
in song, even when the tracks stretch
out toward 10 minutes. Bowl of Stone
Around the Sun, Doson Ngoni Blues
and the beautiful title cut are the kinds of
soul-stirring blues-derived pieces weve
come to expect from ROTM, but they are
fresh and inspired nonetheless.
Feet Music, on the other hand, is a
bit of a shockeran insistent chord-andbass pattern and Afro-Cuban rhythm
providing a backdrop for powerful,
graphic lyrics about slavery (Ive been
raped, mutilated, castrated). The tension
of Prayer-Improv is gorgeous, with
Conquests soothing vocals draped over
chaotic free jazz played by musicians who
seem to be warring. Song (for Whitney Houston) is the one track that was
recorded later, in concert in 2012, and it
features just Conquest and Yamamoto
in a goosebumps-worthy performance.
The final track, Potpourri, captures the
instrumentalists jamming at sessions end.
Its no less interesting. STEVE GREENLEE
musicians who perform on Turning

Towards the Light are notable recording
artists and bandleaders in their own
right, who not only share an inquisitive
spirit but clearly communicate on an
intuitive level: Rez Abbasi, Damon
Banks (on bass guitar), Marco Cappelli,
Nels Cline, Liberty Ellman, David
Gilmore, Joel Harrison, Jerome Harris
(on guitar as well as bass guitar and lap
steel), Miles Okazaki, Marvin Sewell and
Ken Wessel (on guitar and banjo).
Also setting the ensemble apart is

an intriguing repertoire. Devised by
Rudolph, the renowned and ceaselessly
probing percussionist/orchestrator, the
13 compositions here reveal his lifelong
embrace of music worldly and otherworldly, along with echoes of significant
influencesOrnette Coleman, Sun Ra,
et al. Granted, Rudolphs liner notes
toggle between the instructive and
inscrutable. (The orchestra orbits up
into a kind of improvisational playing
On Public R dio SiriusXM & iTunes
ADAM RUDOLPH GO:

ORGANIC GUITAR
ORCHESTRA
TURNING TOWARDS THE LIGHT (Cuneiform)
Guitar orchestras are not

all that uncommon
around the world, but
Adam Rudolphs
ensemble is decidedly
unlike any other. For one thing, the 11
JAZZTIMES.COM
73
Reviews
THE LEGENDARY LIVE TAPES 1978-1981 (Legacy)
Its no great insight to suggest that Weather Report was primarily a studio
band. The legendary fusion ensemble was too reliant on electronic instruments and innovative production techniques to quite come off on the stage,
even as they attained arena-rock status during the Jaco Pastorius-Peter
Erskine years. In fact, their 1979 live album, 8:30, was heavily edited and
overdubbed before release.
Now we learn that there are soundboard-quality documents of Pastorius-Erskine Weather
Report (1978-81) in concert, primarily from Japan and the U.K. and recorded on Erskines
cassette machine. At first glance, the very fact of their studio primacy, and the lack of the
visual spectacle the band used onstage, makes The Legendary Live Tapes 1978-1981 mainly a
piece for diehards and collectors. But there are some real discoveries to be made from listening to this four-disc set, for better and for worse.
In the for better category, we get to hear unaccompanied solo pieces by saxophonist Wayne Shorter, bassist Pastorius and drummer Erskine. (Coleader/keyboardist Joe
Zawinuls feature comes in a mostly-piano duet with Shorter on Come Sunday; percussionist Robert Thomas gets left out.) Shorters, featuring him on soprano sax and captured
via an audience recording, sounds like a rhythmically lopsided classical recital. Erskine and
Pastorius have two solos each. Both of the formers performances overkill the chops, though
his use of timpani on the 1980 solo is intriguing. But Pastorius solos are set highlights,
particularly the imaginative and spacious 1978 spot in Osaka (on which he quotes his first
albums Okonkole y Trompa).
Then theres the simple matter of energy and immediacy. The miking and acoustics of a live
concert mean constant prominence for Pastorius and Erskine, reaffirming what often got lost
in the studiothat Weather Report could swing like hell. A 1978 read of their signature hit
Birdland, sped up and without studio gloss, hits hard as well. The in-concert intensity can
even propel them at times past their records: A 1980 rendition of Brown Street and 1978
takes on Black Market and A Remark You Made are superior to their studio counterparts.
However, the set also portrays the worst of Weather Reports (and fusions) excesses. A medley of Badia and Boogie Woogie Waltz and a long jam on Madagascar, both from 1980,
vamp mindlessly on one chord, and a 1979 workout on Pastorius Teen Town hews close to a
bad hip-hop record. The latter also exhibits a trait that appears throughout the music, including the aforementioned Sightseeing and an undated take on Fast City: warbling, wavering
notes that could either be a bug or a feature. Zawinuls techno-gimmickry always made for
wild sounds (witness the warped arrangement of Ellingtons Rockin in Rhythm, both on the
Night Passages album and in the undated performance here). Yet on these documents it can
be hard to tell what were hearing: Are they experiments with dense, unstable harmonies, la
Andrew Hill? Or just the pitfalls of outdated synthesizers and 35-year-old tape?
Finally, the same miking and acoustics that put such a wallop into these performances can
also have the opposite effect. Zawinul often gets short shrift by way of the other musicians
volume, and on Three Views of a Secret hes nearly wiped out entirely. And Forlorn, treated
as a quiet ballad, loses any subtlety at
Osaka in 1980. As good as the highlights
of these discs are, they contain very little,
aside from those few record-besting
performances, that listeners cant find on
Weather Reports studio albums. Thus
the first impression is correct: The Legendary Live Tapes 1978-1981 is the stuff
of collectors and WR fanatics. (Pastorius
fanatics as well, with his solo features
and a brilliant melodic-yet-funky turn
on a medley of his Continuum and
River People.) The music is impres Real discoveries for better and for worse: sive and insightful but not essential.
Weather Report in 1978
74
MICHAEL J. WEST
we call VOCUMVirtuosity of the

Collective UsM. Ambiguous ternary
periods appear and swirl.) But the
performances, for all their curious
episodes, ultimately seem of a piece,
with improvisations and exchanges
streaming throughout.
Needless to say, the instrumentation, which includes all manner of
effects, makes for resonating weaves
and shifting dynamics. The albums
highlights, however, almost always
feature inspired pairings. Prime
examples include the blues-inflected
Lambent, which deftly showcases
Cline and Gilmore; the semi-acoustic
ode Sol Sistere, which pairs Cappelli and Okazaki; and the hypnotic
excursion Solar Boat, copiloted by
Abbasi and Harrison. MIKE JOYCE
ROTEM SIVAN TRIO

A NEW DANCE (Fresh Sound)
On A New Dance,
guitarist-composer
Rotem Sivan and his
musicians, bassist
Haggai Cohen-Milo
and drummer Colin Stranahan,
weave 10 tracks of such hushed,
bittersweet warmth that their
intricacies may sneak up on you.
Sivans singular combination of
impressive technical agility with a
disarmingly delicate tone results in a
sound mellow enough to make
pleasant background music. But for
the patient and attentive listener, real
rewards can be found here.
Sivans gifts as an instrumentalist are most vividly displayed on his
rendition of Monks In Walked Bud,
one of three covers on an album
otherwise consisting of originals.
He leads with dense, Asian-inflected
single-note clusters; evolves, with
Cohen-Milos guidance, through
pointed, bluesy stings; then eases into
an impressionistic run where his guitar mimics the distinctively echoey
vibe of a Fender Rhodes. The varying
shades of Sivans style are eloquently
reflected on his muscular approach to
the jittery patterns of Fingerprints,
the midnight cool of his touch on the
title track, and the beaming, eyeswide-open innocence of his lines on
One for Aba and the shimmering
miniature Sun & Stars.
COURTESY OF THE ZAWINUL ARCHIVE MEDIA LIBRARY
WEATHER REPORT
Cohen-Milos sound, lean yet authoritative, meshes skillfully with Stranahans marching trills and unsettled
cymbals to intensify the moody gravity
of Yam, and the bassists introductory
melodic statement on the standard Angel Eyes almost swoons with the pain
of loss. Stranahan constantly embellishes his tight rhythmic beds with perfectly
timed snare pops and cymbal bursts,
as on the pensive I Wish You Were
Here. Daniel Wrights gossamer guest
vocals, ideally wedded to Sivans soft,
spidery harmonies, render the ethereal
Almond Tree a highlight, and Oded
Tzurs arrestingly wheezy tenor sax
draws weary pathos from album-closer
I Fall in Love Too Easily. Tzurs blowing here is at times so muted you can
hear his fingers pressing the horns
keys more than his notes.
MATT R. LOHR
DAVID S. WARE/APOGEE
BIRTH OF A BEING (AUM Fidelity)
The late David S. Ware

was a fully formed
musician by the time he
made his first recording
as a leader, Birth of a
Being, in 1977. He was already blowing
gale-force winds through his tenor
saxophone on that recording, and his
ideas were every bit as forceful then as
they were on his greatest albums
recorded two decades later. Birth of a
Beingmade with pianist CooperMoore and drummer Marc Edwards, a
trio they called Apogeehas been out
of print for 30 years. AUM Fidelitys
Steven Joerg has corrected that wrong
with an expanded, two-CD set that
reissues the original Birth of a Being on
disc one and adds five unreleased
tracks, including a second version of
Births best song, Prayer.
This is pulse-quickening music that
never lets up. Ware picks up where
John Coltrane left off, employing his
spiritual approach and taking his force
majeure to the next level. CooperMoore roughs up the piano with
atonal phrases, and Edwards thrashes
about, ignoring any sense of rhythm.
Prayer has a bare structurethe
chords lurk beneath the surface, as
does some semblance of a melody
but it is quickly abandoned in favor of
a sound sculpture made with Wares
long, loud notes and signature squeals

and squawks. Thematic Womb, with
its machine-gun drumming, and the
25-minute, two-part A Primary Piece
are brash, difficult listens. Only at
the end of disc two is there a reprieve
from chaos: Cooper-Moores performance of the spiritual Aint Gonna
Let Nobody Turn Me Around on
the ashimba, an 11-note wooden
xylophone he designed; and a sevenminute, untitled, unaccompanied and
unusually restrained solo by Ware.
STEVE GREENLEE
VARIOUS ARTISTS
DETROIT JAZZ CITY (Blue Note)
Not only is the title of

this album great (pace
Kiss), but so is the
concept behind it, as
cooked up by Blue Note
Records president and Detroit native
Don Was. First, compile a mix of new
and old recordings to remind listeners
how many great jazz players have come
from the Motor City. Second, donate
all proceeds from the compilation to
Focus: HOPE, an organization that aids
the poor and struggling in southeast
Michigan. You cant fault it idealistically, and aesthetically it hangs together
pretty well too.
Recent Was-produced tracks
alternate with classic Blue Note cuts
throughout, a choice that emphasizes

nifty connections. Bassist Marion
Hayden opens the program with a
blow-down-the-doors version of The
Uncrowned Kingwhose composer,
pianist Kenny Cox, takes the spotlight
next on You, a tasty selection from
his 1968 debut. Elvin Jones delightful
take on Reza, from the same year, is
followed by Spencer Barefields Ghost
Dancers, which features the highly
Elvin-ian fury of Sean Dobbins on
drums. And so on.
Each piece here is ruled by its
rhythm section, which isnt surprising
when you consider the players involved
on the vintage stuff: Jones and Jimmy
Garrison; Cedar Walton, Ron Carter
and Joe Chambers (on Joe Hendersons
Mode for Joe); Herbie Hancock,
Butch Warren and Billy Higgins (on
Donald Byrds French Spice). As for
the new material, Barefields guitar,
James Carters soprano sax and the late
Marcus Belgraves flugelhorn all sound
superb, but Hayden, Dobbins and pianist Mike Jellick dominate every track
they appear on with their beautifully
measured aggression. The album closes
in amusing and poignant fashion, as
86-year-old Sheila Jordan sings the
story of her musical life on Sheilas
Blues. Her first album was released 53
years agoon Blue Note, of course.
MAC RANDALL
BOB MINTZER
Signed copies of Bob Mintzer Big Band CD
Professor of
Jazz Studies at USC
available at bobmintzer.com
GRAMMY award-winning
big band leader
GET UP!
Please contact: MINTZER MUSIC CO.

t: 914.469.5988 w: bobmintzer.com
Please visit the new bobmintzer.com for big band
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75
ReviewsVox
by Christopher Loudon
unencumberedtracks like Do You Really
Need Her, You Have No Idea and Where
Prisoners Drown, the encroaching gravel in
his voice adding considerably to their heartfelt pathos. Each is a fine reminder that an
artist as gifted as Connick is best appreciated
without all the ornamentation.
ELLA FITZGERALD
LIVE AT CHAUTAUQUA, VOLUME 1 (Dot Time)
EMILIE-CLAIRE BARLOW
CLEAR DAY (Empress)
Though Diana Krall remains

Canadas most celebrated jazz
vocalist, Emilie-Claire
Barlow, now 11 albums into a
career of steadily escalating
prowess, nips ever closer at her heels.
Barlows voice is lighter and brighter than
Kralls, her range wider and her interpretive
expressiveness fully as acute. Like Krall,
Barlow started out focusing almost
exclusively on standards from the American
and Brazilian songbooks but has started of
late to include more contemporary covers.
While her last studio album in English (she
also records extensively in French), 2010s
The Beat Goes On, concentrated solely on
60s pop hits, Clear Day explores a wider
palette. With backing from the 70-piece
Metropole Orkest, plus Barlows five regular
bandmates augmented by nine other players
and backup singers, its also her grandest
outing to date.
Occasionally, that vast sea of sound can
become a bit overwhelming. Most noticeably on On a Clear Day You Can See
Forever and Midnight Sun, Barlow struggles against towering, crashing waves. But
those are exceptions. The dozen remaining
tracks (five of which are absent the Orkest)
are more temperately arranged. She adds
newfound depth to such varied selections
as Lennon and McCartneys Because,
Coldplays Fix You, Van Morrisons Sweet
Thing, Joni Mitchells I Dont Know
Where I Stand, Queen and David Bowies
Under Pressure and a dramatically slowed
Feelin Groovy. Most impactful are the
albums quietest track, Brad Mehldaus
76
dark-cornered Unrequited, and its

knottiest, Pat Methenys multi-shaded
Its Only Talk.
HARRY CONNICK JR.

THAT WOULD BE ME (Columbia)
Musically speaking, Harry

Connick Jr. has shaped a
remarkably chameleonic
career over the course of
three decades: jazz singer
and pianist, pop crooner, Hollywood
balladeer and Broadway belter, all
liberally spiced with distinct Cajun and
country influences. So its hardly
surprising that Connick asks in the liner
notes for That Would Be Me, his 26th
studio release as leader, Where to now?
The answer, apparently, is everywhere. He raps, he scats, he pounds, he
growls, he purrs. He plays piano, organ,
drums, trumpet, trombone, French horn
and sax. He wrote most of the arrangements and all 11 songs. While such
dexterity is genuinely impressive, this
eruptive tour de force emerges more as a
jumbled, grandi-loquent mlange.
Connick bookends his playlist with
(I Like It When You) Smile and Right
Where It Hurts, the sort of overproduced, oversaturated pop meant for arenas. He props up the albums center with
You Dont Need a Man, a high-strutting
empowerment anthem that would feel
right at home with Shania Twain in
Vegas. (I Do) Like We Do, Songwriter
and (I Think I) Love You a Little Bit
are pleasant if rather jejune confections. Then he turns around and delivers
profoundly thoughtfuland blessedly
STACEY KENT
TENDERLY (Sony)
Though Stacey Kent was born

in the States and has been
based in England for almost
her entire career, shes
developed deep musical
passions for France and Brazil, often singing
in perfect French and flawless Portuguese.
(Its worth noting here that Kent received
STEVE WEBSTER
Her grandest outing to date: Emilie-Claire Barlow
The late 1960s werent the best

time to be a jazz vocalist. As
rocks Age of Aquarius
dawned, such major names as
Mel Torm, Sarah Vaughan
and Carmen McRae suffered significant
downturns. Ella was no exception. Her long,
career-defining association with Verve ended
in 66. She then bounced from label to label,
her stops at Capitol, Reprise and Atlantic as
underwhelming as they were brief.
All of which makes this 49-minute set,
from western New Yorks fabled Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater in July
68, so potentially valuable. Her backing
triopianist Tee Carson, bassist Keter
Betts and drummer Joe Harrisis merely
serviceable. But Ella is in superb voice
and form, arguably at the apex of her
showmanship: Loose, easy and playful,
her lyrical adlibs and interpolations are
adorably clever. The 11-track playlist
alternates between Tin Pan Alley classics
(Its All Right With Me, Midnight Sun,
The Lady Is a Tramp) and a tasteful
assortment of contemporary pop tunes,
including Watch What Happens, For
Once in My Life and Goin Out of My
Head, plus a magnificently scatted, sixminute One Note Samba.
Sadly, what couldve been a lost gemvital
evidence of the brilliance that her studio output then lackedis marred by audio quality
so distractingly dreadful it makes the disc almost unlistenable. Tinny and foggy, with Ella
often drifting off-mic, it sounds as if it were
captured on a hand-held cassette recorder
from several rows back. And perhaps it was.
presented by
CHIARA PANCALDI
I WALK A LITTLE FASTER
(Challenge)
She hails from Bologna and is

a bit older, 33, than her
photos suggest. She studied
with her countrywoman
Roberta Gambarini and
Sheila Jordan, cut her vocal-jazz teeth as half
of the duo Dobra Voz and released her first
solo album, The Song Is You, on Italys small
Dodicilune label in 2012. A year later,
pianist Cyrus Chestnut happened upon
Chiara Pancaldi and, enraptured, offered to
host her Stateside debut at Dizzys Club
Coca-Cola before suggesting they team in
studio. With bassist John Webber and
drummer Joe Farnsworth rounding out the
sterling rhythm section (and trumpeter
Jeremy Pelt as special consultant), I Walk a
Little Faster is the dynamic result.
Pancaldis crystalline soprano is a degree
or two warmer than Gambarinis, her
interpretive instincts just as sharp and her
modulation exemplary. With many singers
CAROL WELSMAN
ALONE TOGETHER (Welcar)
Though Carol Welsmans

lengthy career has been
liberally dotted with fine
albums, she reaches a lofty
new plateau with Alone
Together. Its a well-traveled route. Many
of the past centurys foremost jazz and
jazz-influenced pop singers didnt find
their sweet spot, their defining sound,
until middle ageFitzgerald, McRae,
Sinatra, Torm and Bennett among them.
As with those masters, Welsmans
interpretive and stylistic maturation
evinces a seeming effortlessness, an
organic oneness with each song.
Welsmans flowering extends to her scat
skills, lightly but winningly exercised across
a lithe Day by Day, and her deft navigation
of the Eddie Jefferson vocalese masterpiece
Disappointed, based on Charlie Parkers
Oh, Lady Be Good solo. With stellar
support from bassist Rufus Reid, drummer
Lewis Nash and trumpeter Wallace Roney,
joined by guitarist Jay Azzolina on four
tracks, Welsman divides the rest of her elegant playlist between sturdy chestnuts and
less-familiar standards. Highlights among
the latter: a shimmering treatment of Frank
Loessers romantic Cuban travelogue, Sand
in My Shoes, winningly accented by guest
percussionist Steven Kroon, and Killing
Time, Carolyn Leigh and Jule Stynes heartrending ode to post-breakup loneliness.
Least known among her 11 selections is
The Blues Are Out of Town, a hip delight,
crafted by the late (and underappreciated)
singer-pianist Joe Derise, that Welsman
resurrects with jubilant verve. JT
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for whom English isnt their first language,

finding the emotional heart and soul of
American standards can be challenging.
While Pancaldis accent is clearlyand
rather cozilydiscernable, nothing is lost
in translation (though Lerner and Loewes
tricky abso-blooming-lutely in Wouldnt
It Be Loverly does manage to stump her).
The Chestnut-anchored trio opts
throughout for understated elegance.
Though each player contributes several virtuoso solos, particularly on a blazing Get
Out of Town, Pancaldi remains the central
focus. And whether gently unfolding a sensuous Show Me, unleashing a passionate
Wild Is the Wind or caressing the charming Carolyn Leigh-Cy Coleman title track,
she never fails to excite and impress.
Co
mi
ng
Frances Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in

2009.) Tenderly, Kents 11th studio album,
harkens back to her salad days before all the
multilingual finery, focusing almost
exclusively on American standards. Still, she
cant help adding some exquisite Latin flair,
having legendary Brazilian guitarist Roberto
Menescal as her principal accompanist and
including Menescals lilting Agarradinhos
among the dozen tracks.
While Kents sessions have always tended
to be gentle and pensive, Tenderlys soft
elegance is particularly understated. On
Agarradinhos and the closing If I Had
You, Menescal provides sole support. Bassist Jeremy Brown joins him for the balance
of the album, with tenor saxophonist Jim
Tomlinson (Kents husband and longtime producer) tiptoeing in on six tracks.
Throughout, Kents voice remains one of the
most appealing in jazzso pliant, so enticingly smoke-tinged, so warmly expressive.
As the name suggests, tenderness prevails:
The Very Thought of You, Embraceable
You, Thats All, There Will Never Be
Another You, If Im Lucky and the title
cut are crafted of gossamer and silk. Even
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
emerges more ruminative than forlorn. If
theres a standout, its No Moon at All, with
Kents reading, alternatively noirish and kittenish, cunningly trimmed by Tomlinson as
he switches to alto flute.
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77
Crude Elegance
SAXOPHONIST TIM BERNE AND ARTIST STEVE BYRAM

OFFER A LIMITED-EDITION ARTIFACT OF
THEIR INSPIRED, STEADFAST COLLABORATION
Aesthetically synonymous: Steve Byram (left) and Tim Berne
trademarked aesthetic. But he maintains his

hen alto saxophonist and
own Screwgun imprint, which he launched
composer Tim Berne was
in the 90s. The labels first 11 releases came
thinking about cover art
in cardboard covers adorned with Byrams
for Fulton Street Maul,
work; now comes Spare, a limited-run book/
his 1987 debut for Columbia, he noticed
CD that pays tribute to Berne and Byrams
the cover of a classical album, Olivier
enduring collaboration.
Messiaens Turangalla-Symphonie, sitting
Byrams musical influences ran toward
in the office of the record companys art
rock, and it took him a while
department. It had this
to grasp Bernes avant-jazz.
weird, Cubist-looking
I asked him, Why the hell
drawing/painting, Berne
did you come to me to do a
recalls. I said, Wow this
cover?, Byram recalls. He
is great! Who did this?
said, I thought that youre doSteve Byram, the artist
ing the same thing Im doing,
in question, was considfrom an art standpoint. Thats
ered the staff renegade, or
pretty deepa musician being
as he puts it, the weirdo
able to see that. It took me a
art director. By then he
long time to figure out that,
had already racked up
The Spare book/CD set
to a certain extent, we are apdesign credits for Beastie
proaching things in the same way. Im sitting
Boys Licensed to Ill and Slayers Reign in
down and composing and making stuff up as
Blood LPs. Berne knew Byrams aesthetic
I go along, within a kind of structure.
would complement his music.
The two had talked about doing a book
The saxophonists relationship with Cofor years, but it came to fruition in early
lumbia ended after a second album, but he
2014, when Berne decided to release a
has sustained a partnership with Byram for
Snakeoil disc independent of ECM. The
over three decades; at this point, Byrams
way I work is Ill throw out these ideas
abstract drawings and primitive letterand if I say it, itll happen, Berne explains.
press designs are virtually synonymous
And if I keep bringing it up, I get sort of
with Bernes unique music. Berne now
disappointed in myself, so I say, OK, Ill
records for ECM Records, whose noirish,
do it. He missed the hands-on element
atmospheric artwork presents its own
78
of the early Screwgun releases, and wanted

to bring that style of cardboard packaging back. Unfortunately, the letterpress
company Berne used previously was out of
business. Through a little online research,
he found Dexterity Press in Connecticut,
whose owner coincidentally had worked on
the early Screwgun discs while apprenticing for their previous printer. There are a
few good things that happen because of the
Internet, and this is one of them, Berne
says with his trademark wryness.
But just as the disc was ready for public
consumption, ECM released Snakeoils
Youve Been Watching Me last spring. Not
wanting to oversaturate an already limited
market, Berne and Byram had a backup
plan. We thought, well hide the CD in the
book, and the book will be the focus, Berne
recalls. And itll be this weird multimedia
thing that, in a way, will address this issue
of how you sell CDs [nowadays]hard
copies as opposed to digital.
Spare is available exclusively online at
screwgunrecords.com. Measuring 6 by 9
inches and spiral-bound, it features 100
pages of Byrams drawings interspersed with
photographs Berne has taken on tour. Byram
collected the photos and curated them
within his own work. Out-of-focus images
seen through car windshields and airplanes,
random shots of bandmates and abstract
imagery spill across the pages. Sometimes
Byrams scribbled figures sit opposite Bernes
photographic studies of light, while at other
times both pages are devoted to one artist.
A paper sleeve glued to the inside back
cover holds the disc. Snakeoil doesnt appear
anywhere, but the names of Berne, Oscar
Noriega (clarinets), Matt Mitchell (piano) and
Ches Smith (drums/percussion) are listed. (Its
worth noting that Berne says ECM gave the
OK on the release.) The band tackles two previously released compositions and two newer
ones, stretching out over Bernes topographic
writing. The discs live sound gives the quartet
an immediacy that causes it to evoke Bernes
influential band Bloodcount.
Limited to an edition of 500, the artifact
fulfills the duos earliest intentions. We
wanted to do stuff that didnt look like mainstream record [art]. We wanted it to look
cruder, for lack of a better word, Byram says.
We wanted the book to be in that spirit too.
Spiral binding is not really elegant, although
I would argue that it has a certain crude
elegance to it. Crude elegance, I think, has
been the aesthetic that I followed.
MIKE SHANLEY
BERNE/BYRAM BY WES ORSHOSKI
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79
A real eye-opener: Ellington in

New York, c. November 1946
ARTISTS CHOICE
G R E AT P I A N O S O U N D S
BY FRED HERSCH
All of the recordings I have selected below are united by their
pianists use of tone and touch, and all of them have been
profoundly influential in the development of the piano in jazz.
Duke Ellington
THE MOOCHE
Ellington Uptown (Columbia, 1952)
When I heard this track in my late teens, it was the first instance
of me becoming aware of a pianists sound. After the statement of
the main theme, there is a second theme that features an amazing
clarinet duet between Jimmy Hamilton and Russell Procope, and
what really got to me was Ellingtons comping in this section. He
plays a series of ascending, stabbed two-note figures that seem
to be carved out of thin air, completely masterful and adding a
wonderful compositional element. As I began to listen more to
Ellingtons work through four decades, I realized that he always
had a certain soundon various pianos, stereo or mono, live or
in the studioand so I began to see that ones sound is in ones
body, ones ears and ones imagination. A real eye-opener.
FROM TOP: WILLIAM P. GOTTLIEB/COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, JOHN ABBOTT
Bill Evans Trio
80
ALL OF YOU
Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Riverside, 1961)
In the early 60s, Bill Evans, deep in his heroin addiction, had a
liquid, clear and expressive piano sound. His ability to phrase
right-hand lines that were shaped with the left hand (with true
voice-leading) changed jazz piano forever. By moving the left
hand up the keyboard, a good octave or so above the beboppers
and postboppers, it gained clarity and made it possible for bassist Scott LaFaro to emerge as a strong melodic and rhythmic
voice; and drummer Paul Motian could imply the time rather
than overtly state it. This was one of the great piano trios. (See
the next selection for another.) On this track, the way Evans
uses both hands together creates a beautiful, suspended and
unique sound-space. For me, the only other time he had a
sound and vision this special was on his triple-tracked studio
album from 1963, Conversations With Myself.
Ahmad Jamal
BUT NOT FOR ME

At the Pershing: But Not for Me (Argo, 1958)
Ahmad Jamal is the master of piano tone. He had it all going
on when he was in his 20s on the classic trio dates with bassist
Israel Crosby and drummer Vernel Fournier, many recorded
live at various Chicago nightspots including the Pershing and
Jamals own club, the Alhambra. Though dismissed by some
critics at the time as a cocktail pianist, he used space and
the entire range of the pianoin combination with extremely

clever arrangements and a killer groove. From these trio
recordings, I discovered how one can use the highest octave of
the piano, with a pearly sound, to great effect. This track demonstrates all of these qualities in abundance. Most of Jamals
early trio albums have now been rereleased in inexpensive box
sets, and are a must for anyone who plays in a rhythm section.
Thelonious Monk
EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME
Thelonious Alone in San Francisco (Riverside, 1959)
Monks piano sound and his impeccable sense of time were used
to create music that is as much about the space around the notes
as it is about the notes themselves. To me, his phrases seem almost
sculpted out of the musical space around them. I have never
thought of him as lacking technique (which is simply using what
is needed to create what you want) nor as a bangerhis touch is
firm, percussive yet extremely expressive. He was a direct descendant of Earl Hines and Ellington in this way. When you hear him
play this tune, with its sad-sack lyrics, he really seems to be singing
the song through the piano and through his own experience.
Art Tatum
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME

Piano Starts Here (Columbia, 1968)
For sheer lushness of piano sound, nobody ever came close to Art
Tatum: rich, round and flawless, whether in the studio (here) or
live (which I like better, as he tended to stretch out more in a casual
situation, such as the famous live house-party recordings from
L.A.). Though some may find his improvising lacking in spontaneity, he came from the more formal lineage of James P. Johnson and
had similarities to his peer Fats Waller in respect to his orchestral
approach to the piano. He had his own vocabulary, as all the greats
did, and still dazzles decades later. His playing of this standard
shows everything that made him the piano god he was. JT
Pianist-composer Fred Hersch is an eight-time Grammy

nominee whose most recent album is Solo (Palmetto).
Visit him online at www.fredhersch.com.
L
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Actor and musician

Jeff Goldblum and
Herbie Hancock
at the Monk Institute
all-star gala on Nov. 15;
Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles
STEVE MUNDINGER/COURTESY OF THE THELONIOUS MONK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ
OR
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AD
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OUR DIG
PHOTOS BY STEVE MUNDINGER/COURTESY OF THE THELONIOUS MONK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ
2015 MONK COMPETITION
Clockwise from above: Billy Dee Williams, George Benson, Patti Austin, Herbie
Hancock, Al Jarreau, guest of honor Quincy Jones, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and
Dee Dee Bridgewater at the gala concert (from left); Concord Musics John Burk
with competition finalists Vuyolwethu Sotashe (third place), Jazzmeia Horn (victor)
and Veronica Swift (second) (from left); Seth MacFarlane croons Sinatra-style
PHOTOS BY ED LEFKOWICZ
Darcy James Argue leads his large

ensemble, Secret Society, through
Real Enemies at the Brooklyn
Academy of Musics Harvey Theater
in November. This collaboration
between Argue and filmmaker
Peter Nigrini, writer-director
Isaac Butler and designer
Maruti Evans was a startlingly
original multimedia investigation
into the psychology of the
conspiracy theorist.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: LAWRENCE SUMULONG FOR JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER,

COURTESY OF THE DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL, DAVID GARTEN, R. ANDREW LEPLEY
Clockwise from above:

Nicholas Payton, Vicente Archer
and Bill Stewart (from left) at
Dizzys Club Coca-Cola in
2014; Stanley Jordan onstage
at the Detroit Jazz Festival in
September; pianist-composer
Arturo OFarrill leads his
Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
in New York in 2013;
George Cables

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