Jazz Music

Jacqui Sutton - Notes From The Frontier: A Musical Journey.

2012-10-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz/Bluegrass

Label: Toy Blue Typewriter Productions

Musicians: Jacqui Sutton - vocals; Paul Chester - banjo, guitars; Anthony Sapp - basses; Ilya Janos - percussion; Eddie Lewis - trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet; Henry Darragh - keyboards, trombone, melodion; Lyndon Hughes - drums, background vocals; Cindy Scott - background vocals; Aralee Dorough - flute; Bob Chadwick - Irish flute.

CD Review: Jacqui Sutton's CD: Notes From The Frontier - A Musical Journey is really centered on the innovative spirit, creative imagination, and driving force that describe this very accomplished song stylist who has paid more than her share of 'dues,' and elicits the exclamation: OMG! She's good!

Sutton and her amazing band satisfy, inspire, entertain, and energize over the course of 12 captivating songs starting with (Summertime); one of Gershwin's finest from "Porgy and Bess." The first song she auditioned as a young singer, and Sutton admits "it was a terrifying experience..." Such an experience is never easily forgotten, however Sutton, with time, has built on it, and now without trepidation, delivers the magnificence in Gershwin's classical voicings, while the band's comprehensive instrumentation (piano, cello, bass) earnestly recreates the distinctive Southern jazz feel of the period.

Sutton journeys through two of her symbiotic inner worlds; one personal, the other musical, and elaborates honestly and profoundly on what she finds. Sutton's intuitive ability to 'hear' matches the cutting edge fidelity of her undisturbed, active imagination, as evidenced in the conspicuous contrast (Hummingbird/Blue Rondo a la Turk) between her blended aerial lyric, and the evanescent 9/8 time signature of Brubeck's 1959 Turkish inspired jazz standard that captures, from Sutton's inner musical lens, a blue grass image of the winged flight of a hummingbird; then exposed into the varying, non-linear colors of Paul Chester's guitar, Ilya Janos' percussion, Anthony Sapps' electric bass, and Lyndon Hughes/Cindy Scott background vocals. "The most mashed-up song on the CD" (Sutton).

Sutton adds alluring color to her singing style in her "sweet bluesy cry" that was a signature of the late Phoebe Snow (Summertime; Lady of the Harbor; Where the Music Comes From), combined with the band's eclectic instrumentation, to produce an album rich in shifting hues and moods; Aralee Dorough's comforting flute, and Max Dyer's sustaining cello (Jenny Rebecca), as Sutton interprets the simple lyric with the outstretched, sweet promise of hope, joy and love for newborns everywhere. Sutton sings with deep tenderness, and moving sentiment; poignantly reconciling the maternal and artistic impulses that inform her symbiotic inner worlds; the open trumpet of Eddie Lewis painting the outline of a looming, unknown frontier (Freed), while Sutton's voice cries for that desire for 'freedom' lingering deep within the souls of men and women everywhere; Anthony Sapp's dark, deeply unnerving electric bass work (Weary Angel); and Paul Chester's 'blue' banjo chords, alloyed with the 'longing and lost' response from Bob Chadwick's Irish flute, supporting Sutton over the heartbroken melancholy of (Blue Mountain).

Sutton takes a walk backwards into her life (One and Only) to express some of the pain, hurt, need for forgiveness, and change that accrue to all who find love, lose it, and hope for a second chance. It's an old story of longing told through new emotions. Paul Chester's guitar, and Eddie Lewis' flugelhorn drip with deep lament, and pathos, yet Sutton manages to reveal a personal, inner calm, and sense of resolve that turns the song into one of the most moving and emotional of the date.

There are hints of quiet smouldering passion, intrigue, and fascinating versatility lurking in the contiguous edges of Sutton's inner musical frontiers that surface (Natute Boy) in her effective Spanish/English interpretation of Eden Ahbez's mysterious 1947 lyric. Sutton seems aware of the classical underpinning of the song's melodic structure - Antonin Dvorak's piano quintet #2 in A, Op. 81, and embellishes her ending in the upper pitch range of her robustly endowed classical voice.

Sutton keeps one of her real gems for the finale and shows her cool, hip, jazzy, side, swinging through Bill Loughborough/Dave Wheat's (Better Than Anything), and leaving no doubt that this versatile, exciting talent can effectively interpret any lyric she finds on her "Musical Journey."

Track Listing: Summertime; Lady of the Harbor; Hummingbird/Blue Rondo a la Turk; Jenny Rebecca; Freed; One and Only; Nature Boy; Dear Friend; Where the Music Comes From; Weary Angel; Blue Mountain; Better Than Anything.

Producer: Jacqui Sutton.

Recording and Mix: Stormy Cooper Media, Houston, TX 2012.
Music Direction: Jacqui Sutton.

Engineering: Lyndon Hughes, Stormy Cooper Media.
Sound Mix: Lyndon Hughes.
CD Mastering: Allan Conneau Mastering.

Graphic Design and Illustration: David Cole Wheeler.
Photography: Robert Seale.
Makeup: Anthony Garcia.

Production Design: Jacqui Sutton.

Kurt Elling Electrifies San Francisco.

2012-10-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

The man currently regarded as "the outstanding male vocalist in jazz today," DownBeat Critics Poll Male Vocalist for thirteen years 2000 - 2012, and Grammy-award winner, Kurt Elling (Dedicated To You: 2009), made a one-night appearance at Yoshi's Jazz Club in San Francisco on Wednesday 10th October, 2012 for two shows. Jazmuzic.com was on hand for the late show at 10:00PM.

And what a show it was!

Now, I am no longer incredulous at that thirteen-year string of DownBeat Critics Poll Awards. As far as I am concerned, Elling is the 21st Century 'jazz' incarnation of the original "Thin Man," Francis Albert Sinatra; the 'kid from Hoboken.' This time the 'kid' is from Chicago; or more poetically, 'the Windy City.' This is no crass comparison of the two men. But there are striking similarities in their artistry and professional miens. For starters, like Sinatra, Elling eschews singing 'silly' songs; he keeps audiences captured with his silver-throated vocalese; singing to each individual's emotions separately. Elling's been called, "a powerful poetic spirit"; for my money, he's a jazz rhetorician nonpariel; deft at turning a phrase, or recounting a tale with a hipness nourished by a glib, articulate sophistication. He knows how to use a microphone, and his body language speaks cool, clear volumes. Elling's strong suits are, an awesome interpretive imagination, and the confidence hewn into a complete entertainer; but his greatest personal quality is his genuine humility.

Pianist Laurence Hobgood

Elling's touring band is nothing short of sensational. They have been together for a long time, and they play like it. Pianist Laurence Hobgood who has been with Elling for eighteen years, is a progressive and contemporary jazz piano virtuoso with a distinctly nuanced approach, and possesses an intimate knowledge of Elling's eclectic repertoire. Peripatetic bassist Clark Sommers plays with a rock-bottom, infectious grove; communicates his personality through his playing, and is securely steeped in the jazz tradition. John McLean is an innovative, exciting guitarist with a twenty-five year career behind him; he pushes the harmonic/rhythmic envelope hard, and can hold an audience riveted for extended periods. The most applicable phrase that describes drummer Kendrick Scott is "stylishly futuristic." He can beat a rhythmic tattoo into a passing breeze. I witnessed him percussively assault with his drum sticks, a tambourine held by Elling, and then switch to play rhythmic patterns on sheets of paper, working each into the overall drum rhythms without missing a beat. He's sick!

Bassist Clark Sommers

Elling and the band opened the show with the bluesy (On Broadway). The Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil 60s classic that came from the golden era of the Brill Building at1619 Broadway, New York City; a music location of special significance for the evening's program, and one of those songs with instant recognition that loosens up a crowd, connects them to the musicians, and puts everybody in a warm groove. When it was done, there was a hum in the audience. The electricity was flowing. It didn't take long for the house to signal they were loyal Elling fans and he quickly rewarded them with an emotionally charged reading of the title track from his 2009 Grammy-award CD: Dedicated To You.

Guitarist John McLean

The audience was now beautifully set up for some serious, guitar-pickin', bass-walkin', soul-shakin', handclappin' rhythm & blues, and they had no clue, until Elling made this introduction: "Well I mentioned earlier that we had a brand new recording, and it's based upon music that was written, or somehow had a deep association with the Brill Building...a couple of things that are on the record are a bit more tangential if, you have a didactic personality ...but for my money, it all fits together, including,..it's kind of a bonus...we only have 72 minutes, or whatever on a record, and people get tired after 60 minutes...but for you tonight, we've got a l'il Doc Pomus, and Ray,(Charles), Ray talking to you,"...and then Elling slipped in the opening lines of (Lonely Avenue)..."Now my room has got two windows/But the sunshine never comes through/You know it's always dark and dreary/Since I broke off, baby with you/I live on a lonely avenue...I could cry, I could cry, I could cry/I could die, I could die, I could die..." The room went into instant rhythm & blues hysteria, it seemed as though every body knew exactly where this 'lonely room' was, or had spent quality time somewhere between its two windows...Elling and the band just poured the memories on, Clark Sommers played a bottom-full, woody, soul-searching bass solo, his best of the evening; he and drummer Kendrick Scott keeping each other honest with a good sonic balance...I heard a lot of screamin' and moanin'; especially from the women in the audience; that 'room' must have been especially tough on females. "Lonely Avenue" was tangential in another way, it moved the entire room on to the plane of the theatrical performer. They sang. They laughed. They preached. They testified. They screamed and whistled. They hand-clapped rhythmically. They entertained. They wanted to dance, but there just wasn't enough space in this sold out room, full of excited people, bonded together by the experience of pain and loss.

Drummer Kendrick Scott

The walk down the 'avenue' continued, guided deftly by Elling: "...Well just a little while ago, most of us in Chicago, most of us that came up in Chicago, lost one of our father figures...Vonn Freeman at eighty-eight, finally laid to rest...'Vonsky' took us all under is wing, he was a magnificent presence, as much as a tremendous artist, invaluable...a couple of years before he passed, I had been looking for a long time for one of his great solos to which I could affix one of my lyrics, his thing is so beyond being able to write a lyric for...he goes to a lot of spots...like just a handful of years ago, he put out a record of this magnificent Duke Ellington composition, a solo appeared, and I knew right away...so I went to my friend 'roomie,'...a friend to all, I polished up my fears that he left me, so if you could imagine a thirteen century roomie, twentieth century Duke Ellington, and twenty-first century Vonn Freeman, here is (I Like The Sunrise)." Speaking of going to 'a lot of spots,' Elling went to many of them on this tune, as he fit his lyric to the poetic section of Freeman's saxophone solo, simultaneously building his improvisation with an emotional architecture that drew out a beginning, middle, and ending to communicate directly to, and touch, just about any listener in the room.

But Elling is also an essential poetic raconteur for all ages and seasons, able to expound on life with great color and hilarious detail, consider this ultra hip discourse on the vicissitudes of life and living, by way of an introduction to Keith Jarett's soulful, bluesy (Late Night Willie), as Laurence Hopgood's soft, background piano reflections illuminate Elling's musings like shimmering sunlight playing on the multi-colored leaves of Fall. Elling: "...had this not always been the case, that jazz musicians, had worked, back and forth, the defining line of spirits, that acknowledges no difference between, Saturday night, and Sunday morning...and if you really play it right, in life, you can handle it with the same standard...one of the problems, challenges, affronts really, it's an affront to consciousness...you might think that goes without saying...peevishness being without service to consciousness, what I'm talking about is a much deeper experience, I'm talking about the kind of consciousness that you define as having stayed up for upwards of thirty-six hours...you see things differently...now, I know there are some young people here who have not yet really come to a visceral understanding of string theory...I'm here to help you, because you see, when you gracefully swing into the morning after, not having divided up your attention with the all too physical misunderstanding that it is a new day, just because you've missed eight hours of it...you see what I'm driving at...now is always now...right? Physicists on this side of the room, they know the beautiful, dripping pearl of this moment, never to be repeated again, is repeated infinitely, in infinite time and space...and this...and this...and this, but you gotta be awake...now, not only do you have to be awake to come to that level of realization, it may be that you need to be awake, so that you don't miss..IT, that thing that you have been, dreaming of, thinking of, wishing for, perhaps even fighting for...if it gets to be a certain hour, or a given night, and you say, 'oh, I'm just gonna go home and watch the idiots on the idiot box, until I fall backwards into a stupor of ignorance and lackluster thought...' it won't happen, meaning, that special one does not happen in your sleep. Now I have friends who have helped to keep me awake at odd hours, they are the friends indeed, they are the ones, who say, when you say, 'man, I'm just gonna...' they say, 'double espresso for my friend...maybe you think the night is done, but I do not, and I'm here to say that your prints on the scene may end up working out for you, but maybe its your beefed up energy that comes into place and makes my reality come into focus; maybe the two of us together can effect some change, can tip the scales of balance, for a fair amount of goodness for all. Now, if we pass out, the bad guys are more likely to win, if we stay awake and we're present, we could be the vanguard of a whole new reality...so drink up!'" It was on 'Late Night Willie' that guitarist John McLean played the first of two memorable, extended solos that startled the audience with his speed and clarity on the fret, Elling did some of his finest scattin' and Hobgood left no doubt about his virtuosity as a pianist.

Elling took Carole King's classic 1971 heart-stopper (So Far Away) from his new, imaginative CD: 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project, presenting it in an intensely deliberate, agonizingly soulful, fully cooked arrangement that took Elling into all the interesting rooms connected to his vocal style, and gave the song an extra layer of emotional torment that added to the memories flooding back into the consciousness of many in the audience. Stevie Wonder's (Golden Lady) was designated as the final tune of the evening, but Elling and the band, with a second bracing guitar solo from JohnMcLean ignited the crowd into a screaming conflagration that demanded an encore. Elling and pianist Laurence Hobgood obliged with a poignant song writen by Carlos Jobim which he sang in Portuguese and includes the stanza:
"Give me your mouth, that wild rose/Give me a kiss, like a ray of sun that strikes your hair/ Your hair that shatters the light into seven strands, like the seven thousand loves that I have guarded ..."

Elling had thrown seven thousand figurative roses and kisses to this audience over the course of the evening's performance, and they showed their enthusiasm and appreciation for his effort and humility with a standing ovation at the end. As I joined them, a thought struck me... Sometimes a quick glance at the 'on stage' performing Elling, returns a flash of the early, chiseled, Sinatra profile... seems like I'll just have to wait for Elling to add 'that hat' to his everyday sartorial persona to be absolutely sure.

Kurt Elling interprets trumpeter Donald Byrd's "Tanya"

Steve Lipman: Ridin' The Beat

2012-10-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Vocal

Label: Locomotion Records

Musicians: Steve Lipman - vocals; Dan Prindle - bass; Bryan Kelly - drums; Stephan Page - piano; Josh Evans - trumpet; Doug Lang - saxophone, clarinet, flute; Rene Gonzalez, Rod Warner - percussion.

Steve Lipman sings like a man that's having a real good time; is accustomed to good times; and is not reluctant about sharing his largesse. He also knows how to pick really good songs to sing, and on his new CD: Ridin' The Beat, he lines up a string of winners, and belts them out with enough enthusiasm, verve, and joie de vivre to ignite a four-alarmer. There is a captivating, Johnny Mercer-like appeal to his voice, augmented by a rich Tex Beneke vocal curl that embroiders the ends of his phrases, and indelibly stamps him as, 'one of a kind.' All told, he's a man with 'a voice,' and a good band that's got a good beat.

From his rich repertoire he unveils a dozen popular songs, and standards from the cream of the composers and lyricists populating the American songbook; Joe Buskin & John DeVries, Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Heinz Meier & Johnny Mercer, John Blackburn & Karl Suessdorf, Burton Lane & E. Y. Harburg, Gene DePaul & Sammy Kahn, Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen & Ira Gershwin, Rogers & Hart, Ray Anderson & Buddy DeSylva.

Lipman and the band get every body's attention by opening the date with a swinging reading of Joe Buskin & John DeVries 1941 hit (Oh Look At Me Now) featuring Doug Lang's eye-opening saxophone accompaniment. Passion is another quality that inhabits Lipman's singing style, and he puts lots of it together with nice solo work from trumpeter Josh Evans, and a cookin' rhythm section for Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein's (The Song Is You).

L - R: Stephan Page, piano;
Steve Lipman, vocals;
Dan Prindle, bass;
Bryan Kelly, drums.

Lipman finds the perfect accelerant for that four-alarm fire with the introduction of the percussive mastery of Rene Gonzalez and Rod Warner to ride Cole Porter's classic (It's Alright With Me) into the winner's circle as his most energetic and memorable song on the CD. Very often when a vocalist possesses fluid power and vocal presence, as does Lipman, stepping back and coaxing a song down to that cool, emotional temperature inherent in the lyric might take obvious effort, but Lipman effects this with wonderful versatility and uncomplicated professional restraint in a triptych performance of Heinz Meier & Johnny Mercer's airy, carefree, (Summer Wind), the John Blackburn/Karl Suessdorf evergreen (Moonlight In Vermont), and Burton Lane & E. Y. Harburg's not often heard (Old Devil Moon) bathing each song in convincing honesty and warmth, indicative of deep respect for the songwriters' requirements and original intentions.

Lipman is a performer capable of very pleasant surprises, and he unleashes an especially gripping episode in Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer's (Come Rain Or Come Shine) that begins with a stark, film-noir introduction straight out of Josh Evan's muted trumpet, Doug Lang's foreboding saxophone and the funereal tempo doled out by Stephan Page's piano, while Lipman makes all the right moves that a leading man must to survive through to the end of the movie. Lipman's surprises come in other ways: his interpretive imagination simply gets more fertile as he gets deeper into the date, notably on Harold Arlen & Ira Gershwin's 1953 popular song (The Gal That Got Away), and his Broadway style belting of the Rogers & Hart show tune (I Wish I Were In Love Again), bringing back memories of the late singer Robert Goulet.

Lipman and the band picked the perfect swinger for their exit, Ray Henderson & Buddy DeSylva's uptempo blues special (Birth Of The Blues), true to the spirit of the lyric, they 'nursed it,' 'rehearsed it,' 'rode the beat out' and gave out the 'news' that this was a very enjoyable date, and one well worth listening to.

Track Listing: Oh Look At Me Now; The Song Is You; It's Alright With Me; Summer Wind; Moonlight In Vermont; Old Devil Moon; Teach Me Tonight; That Old Black Magic; Come Rain Or Come Shine; The Gal That Got Away; I Wish I Were In Love Again; Birth Of The Blues.

Co-produced and arranged by Dan Prindle.

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Rod Warner at The Green Olive Lounge Recording Studio, Coventry, CT.
www.thesingindentist.com
www.rodwarnerproductions.com

Pianist Sumi Tonooka: NOW - Live at the Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY

2012-10-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Piano (Solo)

Label: ARC

Musician: Sumi Tonooka - piano.

Pianist Sumi Tonooka is an artist that is resourceful, fearless, supremely talented, original, and eclectically prepared to entertain. Her two-disc album: "NOW" - Live at the Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY, bares a rare talent composed of commendable poise, insight, and ability to excite.

By grouping the arrangement of the recital's musical selections, first, into her interpretations of American songbook popular standards, and then her own compositions, Tonooka shows a keen awareness of her audience; signals her intention to present a highly enjoyable performance; and eschews rigid formality and stodginess in favor of familiarity, and the courtship of her compositional imagination with the audience's awareness and expectation.

On disc one, Tomooka works through a delightful series of seamlessly choreographed musical movements that display her interpretation of the motion and form combined in the works of some of America's preeminent songwriters, and jazz composers, such as Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.

Tonooka launches her recital on the society swing of George Fragos and Dick Gasparre's 1940 standard (I Hear A Rhapsody); displaying deft improvisational sensibilities, though never straying very far from the tune's classic melodic features; exhibiting a confidence that leaves no doubt about how Tonooka sees herself as a musician; informing the audience of her sonic location; and staying within the touch of interest, so that they know what to expect.

There is a palpable, yet dynamic emotional character that is felt throughout Tonooka's interpretive translations, and which colors her music in textures that cover the spectrum from the bright blue of a high Summer sky, to the gossamer thin hue of early nightfall. These adorn her recital with characteristics of movement arranged for accessible balance at any emotional weight. The dark emotion of elegy and sadness can be heard and felt in Ellington's (Heaven), written in 1968, during the last decade of his life, as part of the Second Sacred Concert (he wrote three) which was premiered at the Cathedral of St. John The Divine in New York. Tonooka's playing is reverential, profoundly emotional and captures sacred 'Ellingtonia' with a simplicity that is irresistibly moving, but evades the trap of morbidity.

Pianist Sumi Tonooka

Jerome Kern's (I'm Old Fashioned) becomes the perfect conveyance for Tonooka's energetic, fluid, off-the-floor, brilliant pianism; a perfect lead in to the emotional centerpiece of the set (Mary Lou Williams Medley). Mary Lou Williams, as Tonooka describes, "was a teacher of mine, not for a long time, but a pivotal time." The import of this pivotal association becomes evident as the medley (13:15) progresses through the stylistic origins that form Mary Lou Williams' influence on Tonooka's piamisn. There is a concentrated third stream (jazz, classical) current combined with bluesy gospel, ardently woven together in the stride style that was a hallmark of Williams' piano touch, and which Tonooka reprises with exhilarating calm.

Mary Lou Williams was a mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, and by natural extension, vestiges of this important jazz influence are heard on Tonooka's interpretation of Monk's 1948 classic composition (Evidence). Tonooka plays with a lithe sense of swing, accented by a simple, but rhythmically punctuating left hand, that adds a pleasant bounce to the piece, and then transitions to turn Tonooka's reading of Cole Porter's (All Of You) into warm, lyrical, dying embers to end disc one.

There seems to be more of Tonooka's inner personality, plus a chronicling of external, significant emotional events that form the structure of the recital; are translated into her original compositions, and expressed fully on disc two. Opening with (Phantom Carousel) which comes into aural focus, first as a serene, ordered soundscape, then shifts to a trope of logical, coherent melodic statements securely braced underneath by consistent, unrelenting dark chords that move the piece to take on a life of its own (Sojourn 1 and Uganda).

"Thinking about rhythm" was inculcated into Tonooka by drummer Philly Joe Jones (of Miles Davis fame) and on (Moroccan Daze), the listener can almost hear Philly Joe's sound in Tonooka's crisp attack, sharpness of expression and coherency of phrasing. If there is a selection in this part of the recital that draws 'emotional character' out, front and center, it must be Tonooka's soulful, deeply wrenching (Mingus Moods), she deftly wrings every ounce of bitter-sweet emotion out of the tune's wavering soul, and leaves sentimental 'wet noodles' throughout its wake. Not even (At Home), or Eubie Blake's (I'm Confessin'), which have similar appeal, can touch it.

This was a superlative piano recital, resplendent in versatility, consummate piano artistry, and performed by a brilliant and exciting pianist. Those who were present at the Howland Cultural Center to witness it, were blessed.

For the listener who adores being aurally captured by exquisite piano mastery that is dominated by a variety of styles, played with warmth and a constant flow of new ideas; then this two-disc piano recital comes highly recommended.

Track Listing: Disc One: I Hear A Rhapsody; Heaven; I'm Old Fashioned; Mary Lou Williams Medley; Evidence; All Of You.

Disc Two: Phantom Carousel; Sojourn 1 and Uganda; Moroccan Daze; At Home: I'm Confessin'.

Associate Producers: Matt Yaple, Diane Mei Lin Mark.

Engineer: Tom Tedesco.
Mastered by Allan Tucker at Foothill Digital, New York.
CD Design and Photos: Paul Tsang (tsang.com)

Tenor Saxophone Legend Sonny Rollins At Davies Symphony Hall In San Francisco.

2012-10-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama presenting
tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins with
the 2010 National Medal of Arts Award.

When Sonny Rollins was awarded the 2010 National Medal of Arts for outstanding achievements and support of the arts by President Barack Obama on March 2, 2010, I wonder if, among the many things that were going through his mind, was the time, "as a seventeen year old senior, and brilliant tenor player, attending Benjamin Franklin High School in New York, he used to go everyday up to Thelonious Monk's place (243 West 63rd Street, NYC) in Sugar Hill and practice with his band, along with tenor saxophonist Jackie McClean, drummer Art Taylor, pianist Kenny Drew, and bassists Arthur Phipps and Connie Henry - the original "Sugar Hill Gang." Monk helped Rollins, and encouraged him to develop his own sound, but most importantly, allowed him to play what he wanted." (Source: Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D. G. Kelley). During those nascent days, he was known as Theodore Rollins, but his friends called him "Sonny."

Sonny Rollins 'practicing' on
the Williamsburg Bridge, NYC
circa 1960

On Sunday evening September 30, 2012, Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins, now eighty-two years old, made an appearance at the prestigious Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, as part of the city's 30th annual jazz festival, for an 8:30 PM concert before an audience in excess of two thousand patrons. They had come to hear, pay respects to, and celebrate a living jazz legend...and Sonny did not disappoint. Though the years had taken their natural toll on his physical frame, they had done nothing to his formidable 'chops.' The soaring power, electricity, energy and nimble, wonderfully melodic explorations burst forth from his tenor saxophone like time had stopped one day in the 1960s, high up on New York City's Williamsburg Bridge.

The band accompanying Sonny this night included, preeminent percussionist, Sammy Figueroa from the Bronx, New York; in demand trombonist Clifton Anderson from Harlem, New York, a former member of Slide Hampton's renowned "World of Trombones" group; Chicago, Illinois drummer Kobie Watkins, known for his ability to ignite searing spectrums of rhythm; from Cranston, Illinois, bassist Bob Cranshaw, who has had a long association with Rollins covering several decades, in addition to an extensive, and distinguished career; and New York-based guitarist, accomplished composer/producer Saul Rubin, who has enjoyed an especially diverse career.

For Rollins this was clearly an occasion to look back to some of the great jazz musicians and others he has known during his extended and glorious career; to recognize their contributions to jazz, while simultaneously using his considerable talent and legend to ensure that the flame of jazz music remains an eternal light of hope, peace, and love for future jazz players and audiences alike. The opening selection (D Cherry), a rhythmic, percussion-filled tune with a pronounced calypso beat, was dedicated to the late Don Cherry, an innovative trumpeter whom Rollins humbly described as a great trumpet player, further adding that he had also composed songs for pianists Tommy Flanagan, Thelonious Monk, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and bassist Paul Chambers, "these songs don't do these great people justice, so I accept that, but still it came from a good heart."

L - R Sonny Rollins, sax; Clifford Brown, tr;
Richie Powell, piano; Max Roach, drums
George Morrow, bass.

Sonny Rollins is a spiritual seeker. His next dedication was to a mystic called (Katandra), "...I used to know him...this was way back...and so this is the one I wrote for him, it's called (Katanchalee)." Not a total surprise, because Rollins traveled to Japan in 1963 & 1968 and became interested in Zen Buddhism. Shortly after (late 1968) he trekked to India and "spent four months at the Powaii Ashram in the Bombay suburbs, meditating on his life's mission and practicing hatha yoga." (George Goodman; Atlantic Monthly). What is surprising about this mystic dedication, was the strong Caribbean Calypso rhythmic chant from Rollins' saxophone that hearkened back to his West Indian roots and was repeated in circular waves; each wave inching toward a festival-like fever of sustained, rocking energy and blazing colors poured into infectious, explosive, undulating improvisational explorations from Rollins' now totally free saxophone; a freedom of movement that the rest of the band locked into with pounding harmonic and percussive frenzy. The audience suddenly found themselves in a carnival velodrome, as Rollins pushed the band higher; building fiery tension and anticipation of a climax that created audible, involuntary sound reactions from the crowd, morphing into a spontaneous eruption of released joy, even before Rollins' saxophone had reached the climax with his own coda of gut-busting notes. At the fourteen minute mark, there was a cacophony of hooting and hollering mixed with loud applause; those who could not contain themselves, just got to their feet, and simply shouted. Sonny Rollins and this incredible band had seared a stamp of memorable accomplishment on this very special evening.

Capitalizing on the surging energy that reached to the rafters, Rollins and the band launched in the perennial pleaser (St. Thomas). This classic composition will forever belong to Sonny Rollins; no one plays it like he does; tonight he played it how he wanted because, as he explained: "Somebody made a request. I usually don't play that song, but I did. I told you I was a nice guy!" The audience ate it up!

Rollins is known to have a 'jones' for show tunes, ballads and standards, and he plays them with transcendent feeling and authority. His classic albums of the 1950s contain many of them: Freedom Suite - 1958, Meredith Wilson's ("Till There Was You"); Newk's Time - 1957, Rogers & Hammerstein's ("Surrey With The Fringe On Top"; Saxophone Colossus - 1956, Don Raye & Gene DePaul's "You don't Know What Love Is"); The Sounds Of Sonny - 1957, Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein's ("The Last Time I Saw Paris"), Adolph Green, Betty Comden & Jule Styne's ("Just In Time"), Cole Porter's ("Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye"), Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke's ("It Could Happen To You"); Tenor Madness - 1956, Einar A. Swan's ("When Your Lover Has Gone"); and Work Time - 1955, Billy Strayhorn's ("Rain Check"). The list goes on...but for this occasion he selected Michael Edwards and Bud Green's 1937 standard, ("Once In A While"). This tune showed the mastery and control that Rollins still maintains over all the registers of his horn, and that he is still able to express his wealth of spontaneous ideas with power, or subtlety. However, the tune's performance is memorable because of a deep-rooted, melodic, four-minute bass solo from Bob Cranshaw. I first became aware of the convincing playing ability of Cranshaw from his appearance on trumpeter Lee Morgan's ground-breaking album "The Sidewinder," with Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Barry Harris, piano, and Billy Higgins on drums. It was Cranshaw's playing on the title track that stood out then, as it did now on 'Once In a While,' playing with absolutely masterful discipline, great imagination, and a keen lyrical sense that Rollins embroidered further with lissome, harmonic imprvisations; two jazz masters supremely comfortable in their element.

Eventually trombonist Clifton Anderson and drummer Kobie Watkins found the perfect vehicle in the song (Serenade) to showcase their playing skills. Anderson's playing was thoughtful, melodic and smooth, displaying the results of his professional associations with such musical giants as Frank Foster, McCoy Tyner, Clifford Jordan, Stevie Wonder, Dizzy Gillespie and others that secured him a place in his uncle's band (Sonny Rollins) since 1983. Drummer Watkins produced an extended solo that wrapped the room in suspenseful awe with a demonstration of his wizardry at changing tempos and rhythm with dramatic ease, and garnering him his most spirited, sustained applause.

The final dedication was made to the late great trombonist J. J. Johnson, whom Rollins regarded as a mentor; an individual of impeccable personal and professional character; the musician who allowed him (Rollins) to play on his first record date. Rolling remembered J.J with a divinely sublime homage, accented with an occasional staccato change in tempo to match the initials "J.J." When the tune ended, Rollins offered a supplication for continued support, and long life for the art form that has been the bedrock of his existence, with a vibrant entreaty of "...more jazz, more jazz."

The band and Rollins ended the program in rhythm as they had begun it, with the beat of the Calypso (Don't Stop The Carnival), staying true to the fiery colors, dance, and energy deep in his roots. The audience called for an encore, more out of love, longing and respect, I think, than musical thirst or selfish desire. Secretly, they had to appreciate that this octogenarian jazz legend had played for 90 minutes, almost non-stop, and had availed them of the opportunity one day, to tell their children and grandchildren...'I got to see the legendary jazz man Sonny Rollins one memorable night in San Francisco.'

Sonny and the band did return to the stage one last time to take a bow.

Rollins this night, proved not only to be a legendary tenor player, but also a consummate showman by keeping the audience engaged and in good humor throughout the evening with stories, perspectives, and priceless morsels of his unique musical and personal philosophy; providing great satisfaction, wonderful balance, and warmth, to a memorable program. He had come a long way from 243 West 63rd Street in New York City.

Thank You, Sonny!

Sonny Rollins with Max Roach: circa 1956

The Billie Davies Trio: All About Love.

2012-09-30T16:33:00.001-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz

Label: Cobra Basement

Musicians: Billie Davies - drums; Tom Bone Ralls - trombone; Oliver Steinberg - bass.

CD Review: Jazz combos without chordal accompaniment (pianoless) are rareties these days- if they exist at all. Gerry Mulligan's 1950 quartet, with trumpeter Chet Baker, bassist Bob Whitlock, and drummer Chico Hamilton; along with The Sonny Rollins Trio 1957 "Way Out West" album, featuring Ray Brown on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums, are two of the quintessential jazz aggregations that set the standard for this grouping. The Billie Davies Trio is a pianoless ensemble that manages to overcome the challenges that are inherent in such an arrangement: maintaining stimulating textures and colors without generating chaos; keeping clear harmonic structures; and eschewing loss of place by musicians and listeners. Stripping down the date's selections to their elemental harmonic and melodic form, the trio imbues each song with renewed innovative inventions that emanate from a genuine awareness and respect for their histories. The listener is treated to jazz inclinations within the trio that bristle with cutting-edge freshness.

Familiarity and accessibility ignite the listener's interest and assist the players in rising to the challenge of achieving and maintaining harmonic structure on the opening track (Stella By Starlight), Victor Young and Ned Washington's beautiful jazz standard. Trombonist Tom Bone Ralls raspy, but rounded and melodic opening solo is answered by drummer Billie Davies' tasteful, intricate, progressive polyrhythms.

It falls naturally to drummer Davies and bassist Oliver Steinberg to map out the changes clearly, leaving space for Bone Ralls' trombone to execute the melody and improvise his composition (Downtown In The Rain). However, it is the trio's reading of Miles Davis' (Jean Pierre: We Want Miles; 1981), that showed the highest level of harmonic and melodic magical interplay; achieved around the sound of Davies' Tony Williams-like time signatures and Steinberg's pulsing bass beat; giving the tune a textured, slinky strut, overlayed with Bone Ralls stupefying trombone reprise of Davis' sound, and ethereal, chant-like voicing, culminating in a Milesian, signature Harmon muted-like coda.

Drummer Billie Davies

Tom Bone Ralls plays the trombone like he's got all the time he needs; not lazy; his phrasing is well rounded, pristine, and is impacted with depth, and an inspired eloquence that is the result of his comprehensive playing experience. His interpretations of John Coltrane's (Naima), and Mongo Santamaria's Afro-Cuban classic (Afro Blue) are soulful, satisfying, and considerably informed by Davies' drumming which eschews self indulgence, instead making space for Bone Ralls to convey each tune's simple, subtle beauty with ravishing, elemental clarity.

Billie Davies stunning drumming technique and style are undoubtedly by-products of the vicissitudes attendant to her existence as a 'lifelong natural musician'; and a creative passionate focus to her music, matched only by a fierce inner muse that shepherds her personal and professional stratagems. But it is her uncanny ability to 'listen,' 'hear,' and communicate a certain emotional, common feeling to listeners, musicians, and audience, that makes her a "jazz drummer" and nourishes her boundless improvisational skills; anticipating the conversations on three of her avant gard compositions, (Green Cheese; BUrst; High Noon) between bassist Steinberg and trombonist Bone Ralls and providing context, energy and drive.

In the end, many elements make this date work; the artists, their talent, and experience; Surely Billie Davies' dream and creative endeavor to produce a sublime, genre-stretching, versatile, committed trio. But when everything is considered, tallied, and summed up; the total indicates, that it's really: "All About Love."

Track Listing: Stella By Starlight; Downtown In The Rain; Jean Pierre; Naima; Afro Blue; Green Cheese; BUrst; High Noon; Afro Blue Too; Stella By Starlight Too.

Recording Engineer: George Rada.
Mixing by Mike Davies and Billie Davies.
CD Mastering by John Vestman at Vestman Mastering.
Recording & Sound Technology/Engineering Management: Mike Davies.
A Cobra Basement Production.
Recorded at Mike & Billie Davies Studio, Hollywood, California.

Check out the Billie Davies Trio at: www.billiedavies.com

Gerard Hagen Trio: Song For Leslie.

2012-09-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Instrumental

Label: Surf Cove Jazz

Musicians: Gerard Hagen - piano; Domenic Genova - bass; Terry Kalaf - drums.

CD Review: When last heard, Gerard Hagen and his trio were providing excellent backing for his talented wife, song stylist, Leslie Lewis, on her outstanding CD: Leslie Lewis with the Gerard Hagen Trio: Midnight Sun (Surf Cove Music, 2012). We learned then that Hagen's pianism could be 'measured, thoughtful, and logical,' and that the influence of pianists Tommy Flanagan and Bill Evans informed his 'exceptional melodic swing, harmonic sophistication, and bluesy inventions.' (jazmuzic.com). Well, nothing has changed! Except the mission; revealed in the CD's title: Gerard Hagen Trio: Song For Leslie. It seems quite natural, under the circumstances, that Hagen would embark on this poignant tribute inspired by a declarative, unambiguous lyric: "My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the sky/My romance doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by" (My Romance; Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart: 1935).

This mission is afforded credibility by Hagen's formidable musical pedigree (Bachelor and Master's degrees in Music; associate professor of jazz piano at Saddleback College in southern California), and given enormous lift by his substantial artistic coinage (His recordings have received critical acclaim in L.A. Times, L.A. Jazz Scene, Jazz Improv Magazine, Cadence Magazine, All About Jazz, All Music Guide And others). In the final analysis however, it is about love: one of the most basic human emotions. Indescribable. Euphoric. Powerful. Even though Hagen is quoted as saying Song For Leslie, "was an opportunity to document some original music Jerry (Kalaf) and I had written as well as make a snapshot of where this group is after these many years of working together." What feeds love is music, or so thought William Shakespeare: "If music be the food of love, play on./Give me excess of it..." (Duke Orsino of Illyria: Twelfth Night). So Hagen plays on....

Turning to Jack Elliot & Victor Young's (A Weaver Of Dreams), Hagen imbues his instrumental interpretation with the melodic swing and harmonic sophistication that is his wont. Jerry Kalaf displays a fine sense of mood and timing, with impeccable brush work, underscoring the truth that the trio can bring a feeling of intimacy and presence to jazz like no other aggregation; and this trio is exceptional.

Gerard and Leslie

Cole Porter's music seems to lend itself naturally to jazz, and many of his compositions have become jazz standards, with notable performances from many celebrated jazz singers, orchestras and musicians: Ella Fitzgerald - Night And Day; Artie Shaw Orchestra - Begin The Beguine; Miles Davis Quintet 1958 - Love For Sale; Nat Cole - Just One Of Those Things; Billy Eckstine - In The Still Of The Night; Bill Evans/Jim Hall - I've Got You Under My Skin, to name just a few. Cole Porter's music stands tall in the pantheon of popular music. Following in this tradition, Hagen extends the 'love' motif, reprising Cole Porter's 1929 popular song (What Is This Thing Called Love); a song whose chord progressions have formed the basis of jazz compositions by Tadd Dameron, Fats Navarro, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus. Bassist Domenic Genova opening solo is deeply melodic and creates an emphatic harmonic root off which Hagen's chord selections, and Kalaf's rhythmic innovations develop the tune's natural, ingrained swing.

Hagen puts his prodigious composing talent on display for the centerpiece, and title track (Song For Leslie). A slightly angular piano passage opens the piece that flares into a thematic statement, building tension and force, that is released into a graceful, singing, melodic line, and inventive improvisation, with an architecture reminiscent of that of the late pianist William John "Bill" Evans. Hagen demonstrates wit, congruity, and penetrating discernment in his composing skills with a reprise of the initial thematic statement which he builds into a tense, satisfying climax to end the piece.

An exploration of the composing thought processes of bassist Terry Kalaf (Where's Gerard?) reveals striking similarities to Hagen's approach. What emerges is thoughtful, lucid, and coherent, no doubt a consummation of 'these many years working together' (Hagen). Kalaf's other offering (Looking At The Despair Calendar) is intimate and tailored for the rhythmically independent style that is another of Hagen's dominant strengths. These two tunes bring a warm aesthetic balance to the date, and further affirm the 'motif' of caring, association, compassion, love, and celebration.

Those music enthusiasts drawn to jazz in the trio format, will do well to add Gerard Hagen Trio: Song For Leslie to their jazz music collection.

Track Listing: My Romance; A Weaver Of Dreams; What Is This Thing Called Love; A Song For Leslie; Where's Gerard?; Looking At The Despair Calendar; 464 Blues.

http://surfcovejazz.com

Volando: Anna Estrada

2012-09-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Latin Jazz Vocal

Label: Feral Flight Productions

Musicians: Anna Estrada - vocals; Ray Scott - guitar; Jonathan Alford - piano/Rhodes; Alex Baum - bass; Peter Barshay - bass; Phil Thompson - drums; Beri Puhlovski - drums; Michelle Goerlitz - percussion; Rich Kuhns - accordion/organ/Rhodes; Tommy Kesecher - vibes/marimba; Ray Loeckle - tenor sax; Al Bent - trombone; Charlie McCarthy - tenor sax/flute; Edgardo Gambon & Sandy Cressman - backing vocals.

CD Review: A song stylist who had as her key early teacher, West Coast jazz singer Madeline Eastman; who states unequivocally: "I want to the songs and their stories to speak to as many different types of listeners as possible," is an artist who intends to exert personal independence and exercise artistic freedom; add passion, sultry eloquence, a penchant for taking chances, a commanding voice; and you've got Anna Estrada: Bay Area-based vocalist, actress, and yes! Champion fencer.

Estrada has released her third album, "Volando," (the others: Soando Vuelos; 2008 & Obsesion; 2009); a richly textured musical offering that embraces a divergence of songs, styles, and moods. Estrada shows a keen eye for musical treasures from the songbooks of Maria Mendez Grever; Lennon/McCartney; Cole Porter; Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley; Dimitri Tiomkin/Ned Washngton and others, which she elegantly accouters in passionate Portuguese, Spanish, and English.

Estrada's opening selection (Wild Is The Wind), written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington in the late 50s, fits perfectly with the motif (flying) of the date. Charlie McCarthy's fine flute solo gives the tune an effortless, airy, feeling of flight above the open sonic spread of the horns and percussion accompanying Estrada's sultry vocal. Estrada then cooks her Spanish sultriness into the rich textures painted by Ray Loeckle tenor, the spicy rhythmic movement from Jonathan Alford's piano, Alex Baum's bass, Phil Thompson's drums and Michelle Goerlitz's percussion yielding an album highlight out of Maria Mendez Grever's romantic melody (Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado), or "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes."

As jazz singers, Estrada and Madeline Eastman share significant similarities in three facets of their professional make up: both had as early influences, non jazz singers; both are determined to make their own music with no commercial or artistic confinements; both are more interested in taking chances than adhering to conventional, accepted norms. Eastman heard Barbra Streisand, Jack Jones, Vic Damone and Eydie Gorme before she found Billie Holiday. Estrada listened to the Shirelles, Little Stevie Wonder, and the Beetles before she was smitten by Ella Fitzgerald.

Vocalist Anna Estrada

Estrada puts these elements together in a well arranged sonic suite of splendid latin jazz, and goes full circle via Lennon/McCartney 1968 'The White Album' (Happiness Is A Warm Gun/I Want You), which she fearlessly transforms into a counter intuitive, forward-leaning mix of genres that craftily employs a continental riff from Rick Kuhn's accordion, and Tommy Kesecher's cool southern Mexico marimba vibe. She picks stark beauty over adventure for a marvelous rendition of Cole Porter's classic 'Begin The Beguine' (Al Empezar el Beguin). Her Spanish interpretation of the lyric is utterly captivating, as is the limpid simplicity of Alford's piano, and Ray Scott's seductive guitar; together revisiting that picturesque day in 1935 when Porter was inspired to write the song during a cruise aboard the Cunard's "Franconia" beween Indonesia and Fiji. But for pure 'devil take the hindmost' resignation, energy and drive, Fred Neil's 1966 folk rock, Grammy award winning (Everybody's Talking) exemplifies Estrada's early musical influences, her determination to make her own music, and the ease with which her voice, range, and pitch can accommodate any music genre.

Estrada has managed to assemble a coterie of outstanding, multi-instrumentalists for this date that has kept the music fresh, original, exciting and well balanced. For good measure, she shadows Jonathan Alford's Rhodes along Lenine & Falcao's pensive (Paciencia); dresses up (Dueno De Mi Corazon) with the richness of traditional Latin colors, with added flair from the background vocals of Edgardo Cambon and Sandy Cressman, and seared with a fine Al Bent trombone solo.

Giving a nod to the popular musical film Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Estrada selects the perennial Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley gem (Pure Imagination) to display exquisite pitch range and intonation. This tune offers Estrada a meaningful emotional challenge, but she aquits herself effortlessly with excellent accompaniment (again) from pianist Alford, the mindful drumming of Beri Puhlovski and Michelle Goerlitz's understated percussion.

But it is Estrada's inclusion of (Mais Que Nada), which she heard listening to LPs by Sergio Mendez Brazil 66 as a teen living in Mexico City that lifts her performance and adds to the deeper appeal of "Volando." She puts a lot of how she felt then, and feels now into this samba-reggae song that has become one of the most popular songs of her live shows. It embodies the true spirit of Anna Estrada, and contains in its meaning (More Than Anything) two compelling truths: More than anything, Anna Estrada has the feeling of "flying" when she is singing with "kindred-spirit musicians"; and more than anything, she wants "the songs and their stories to speak to as many different types of listeners as possible."

Track Listing: Wild Is The Wind; Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado; Happiness Is A Warm Gun/I Want You; Mais Que Nada; Paciencia; Dueno De Mi Corazon; Al Empezar El Beguin; Everybody's Talking; Pure Imagination; E Preciso Perdoar.

Produced by Ray Scott & Anna Estrada.

Recorded at Studio Trilogy, (San Francisco), Knob & Tube (San Francisco) & Particles Studio (Berkeley)
Mastered at Ken Lee Mastering.

Live At The Freight: Jessica Jones - Mark Taylor.

2012-09-18T14:44:00.002-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz

Label: New Artists

Musicians: Jessica Jones - tenor saxophone; Mark Taylor - french horn, mellophone; John Shifflet - bass; Jason Lewis - drums.

CD Review: Although the french horn is not a one of the front-running, well-exercised musical thoroughbreds found in the stables of jazz's bold instrumental equines, it is a brasswind that has found favor with many renowned jazz musicians, among them orchestrator Gil Evans, and players Julius Watkins, David Amram, Tom Varner, Alex Brofsky to name but a few. On "Live at the Freight," french hornist Mark Taylor and tenor saxophonist Jessica Jones have combined their prodigious talents and tastes to produce a concoction of stinging "New Jazz" that threatens to raise the french horn from a symphonic cast of thousands, to 'household' name status in contemporary jazz circles. Taylor is no neophyte, having performed with several of the luminaries of jazz: Max Roach, McCoy Tyner, Abdullah Ibrahim, Lester Bowie.

Jones for her part, comes with an eye-catching musical resume stacked with originality and 'firsts' that makes her especially suited for this date. Raised in Berkeley, California, she was among the first students to matriculate in the Berkley public school system's innovative jazz education program. Starting on alto sax, she eventually moved to tenor, enjoying direction and mentoring from free jazz drummer Charles Moffett, who was closely associated with Ornette Coleman, a major innovator of the free jazz movement of the 1960s. Immediately this adds real excitement to an extraordinary collaboration.

Tenor Saxpohonist: Jessica Jones

The french horn is complex to manufacture, and challenging to master, but it produces a warm, round tone with its sterling silver, rich sound. Taylor manages to find the tone and effect most suitable for the mood and color that work throughout the set; at times the mellow roundness of a trombone; and other times the flowing, clarity of the flugelhorn (even without employing the mellophone, which he does on two selections). There is a practiced lightness in the collaborative sound of Taylor and Jones; making their conversations quietly convincing, pointed and devoid of vapidness.

For drummer Jason Lewis and bassist John Shifflet, the set is just one extended, resonant, penetrating, cult of a groove, with deep-lined rhythmic furrows first appearing in the opening track (Furious George); a Mark Taylor composition, and the date's undeniable swinger. Jones gets deep, earthy sax colors to combine as effectively with the trombone-like timbre of Taylor's horn, as Brookmeyer and Mulligan once aced.

French Hornist: Mark Taylor

The date comprises all original material; with Taylor contributing five tunes, and Jessica Jones four. Taylor's (By The Park at Midnight); (The Zamindar Gambit) are studies in jagged free jazz with Jones exploring the outer reaches of her Ornette Coleman influence and Taylor being drawn back into the orbit of ideas of masters Roach, Tyner and Bowie. Shifflet and Lewis demonstrate a keen sense of concept and sensible rhythmic intensity, especially on the latter tune. Taylor shows a cool ability to prevail over the technical challenges of the french horn with a leisurely, pensive reading of his (Sketch #2). But his most deeply attractive and melodic work is heard on (Breath. Eyes), featuring a wonderful, flowing solo from Jessica Jones; navigating the registers with consummate dexterity and showcasing muscular chops.

Jones' compositions stream with cool, dark colors, contrapuntal intimacy (Waiting for the Vampire's Redemption), less angularity than Taylor's, and a distinct hard-bop edge (Manhattan), on which Taylor switches to mellophone and softens the texture of the piece. She allows lots of space for the signature versatility of Lewis (drums) and Shifflet (bass) for keeping on-the-button time, changing the tempo on the fly, and masterfully building and releasing tension, while articulating a quiet no-nonsense rhythmic dialogue. Jones' most complex and challenging composition seems to be (What Purpose Is Your Pain) which swings purposefully between Ornettish free flowing, thought-composing, and post bop pungency that drape the tune with freshness and engaging originality.

But if there is a tour de force composition and group performance on the date, then it must be Jones' (Waynopolis). It is the longest tune on the date, coming in just under 12 minutes. It has everything: excitement, anticipation, virility, a good balance of harmonics and rhythm, and an inspirational Wayne Shorter (to whom it pays tribute) adventurous, instrumental narrative that makes it also one of the more memorable, hypnotically overpowering selections on the CD, due in part to that fissure-like percussive groove carved out by the sharply honed rhythm section of Lewis & Shifflet.

Great date!

And a final word from Jessica Jones and Mark Taylor: "This is music we performed at the end of a tour of California. Born in New York, the music took on a different life on the Left Coast. We had a great time mixing it up with Jason and John, and enjoyed the warm audience and the dedicated volunteers at Freight & Salvage. We hope you enjoy it too."

Track Listing: Furious George; Waiting for the Vampire's Redemption; By the Park at Midnight (Zamindar's Promenade); The Zamindar Gambit; Waynopolis; Manhattan; Sketch #2; What Purpose is Your Pain; Breath. Eyes.

Sound Engineer: Heidi Trefethen
www.heiditrefethen.com

Recorded live June 25, 2011
Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, Berkeley, California.
www.newartistsrecords.com

Mastered at: Liberty Ellman at Cumberland Studio

Kat Parra: Las Aventuras De !Pasion!

2012-09-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Latin Jazz

Label: JazzMa Records

Musicians: Kat Parra - vocals; coro singers - Wendy Waller, Rafael Castro, Wayne Wallace, Kat Parra, Mochi Parra;

Murray Low - piano;

David Belove - electric bass; Paul van Wageninger, Curt Moore - drums; Michaelle Goerlitz, Michael Spiro - congas, percussion; Colin Douglas, Matt Lucas - bata, percussion;

Masaru Koga - alto sax; John Worley - trumpet; Wayne Wallace - trombone;

Jose Roberto Hernandez - acoustic guitar; Sam Bevan, Chris Lopes - acoustic bass; David Pinto - baby bass; Michael Hatfield - marimba;

Mads Tolling, Lila Sklar, Emily Onderdonk - violins; Renata Bratt - cello; Katja Cooper - darbuka, riq; Dana Pandey - tabla; Raul Ramirez - cajon, cheko, quijada.

CD Review: Veteran Latin jazz vocalist Kat Parra sings with great passion and conviction even without the title of her new CD: Las Aventuras De !Pasion! as a thematic statement of a mission. Intentionally or not, she is a song stylist in the tradition of recent magical, vibrant, singularly talented Latinas in the Latin jazz genre; Latin jazz divas Celia Cruz and Guadalupe Victoria Yoli Raymond, also known "La Lupe," come to mind. It is La Lupe's appeal and uninhibited energy that Parra unleashes in the Puerto Rican bomba dance rhythms of the album's opening track (Iko Iko).

Parra explores a variety of Latin jazz genres with a commitment and knowledge that firmly positions her in the upper reaches of serious, contemporary jazz singers. She includes nuevo sefardi, afro-jazz, rumba obatala, bolero, cha-cha, and the ballad, in her well crafted repertoire. It is the commercially lest known nuevo sefredi music (songs written at the time Sephardic Jews flourished in Muslim-ruled Spain), out of which comes surprising beauty, power and freshness that inhabit Parra's voice and raises this CD to a plateau of unquestionable harmonious winsomeness.

Parra's courageous insights, artistic awareness, and burning desire to bring a more open-minded audience to her sephardic music discoveries, clearly illuminate the sensory environment she creates around this music genre. (Dieziocho Anyos) features Michael Hatfield's marimba diffusing an undulating, rhythmic surface for Parra's lyrical interpretation to overlay, and Jose Roberto Hernandez's embracing guitar alternates between arresting harmonic simplicity and rustic charm. Parra's eclectic selections of instruments and voices pursue authenticity by adding measures of innovativeness and excitement that eschew repetition of color, or stolidness of mood; on (La Comida Da La Manyana: Public Domain), arr. by Michael Spiro and Parra, the coro singers (Mochi Parra, Rafael Castro, Wayne Wallace) are matched with the bata drums (a ceremonial drum, rich in religious symbolism and cultural value), played by Michael Spiro, Colin Douglas and Matt Lucas, in a devotional 'call and response' with Parra's lead vocal, as would be characterized in such a moment, centuries past. Middle East, North African, and Eastern European influences are calculated into (Morenika) with Katja Cooper's 'darbuka' drumming, and Masaru Koga's alto saxophone, flowing like a steady wind down the Pyrenees, continuing on to echo the past out of his 16th Century 'shakubacki' (Japanese end-blown flute), on (Yo M'Enamori D'un Aire), sustained and boosted by Dana Pandey's insistent 'tabla', and Renata Bratt's rapturous cello.

Parra puts her formidable composing skills to work on the lilting Afro-jazz, (Call Your Name), blending the fine violins of Mads Tolling, Lila Sklar, and Emily Onderdonk with Murray Low's beautiful stylistic glow and fluency in Latin jazz piano form, that clutch at the yearning and ache embedded in the lyric; then she "gets down" and flashes her fiery musical Latin attitude (Oye Papi), a no-nonsense, danceable, chunk of cha-cha "street cred," vitalized by the radiating, first-call, San Francisco Bay Area Latin Jazz rhythm section nonpareil: Murray Low, piano; David Belove, bass; Paul van Wageningen, drums; stretching the percussive boundaries for Grammy-nominated trombonist Wayne Wallace to uncork one of his signature, flawless solos, and his best of the date.

The musical savant Wallace, wore two other artistic 'hats'; co-producer, and lead arranger. His arrangements on six of the eleven tracks are very sensitive to Parra's vocal talent and needs, immersing her in the most limpid pool of 'instrumentation' possible. The epitome of the Wallace/Parra collaboration emerges in Eden Ahbez's 1947 ballad (Nature Boy). Parra shows cool professional adaptability; that she is deeply in touch with her inner self; and trusts implicitly what Wallace 'hears' ; opening the piece with the intro to French composer Gabriel Faure's "Pavane"; letting the magic of her 'intimate' voice extract the song's emotive, enchanted story of love; and the meaning of love, as Wallace's arrangement of piano, flute and cello feeds the seminal mood, and mystifying sentiment, forever etched in our collective memories by Nat Cole's 1948 definitive reading of the tune.

Kat Parra: Las Aventuras De !Pasion! works and succeeds on every professional, musical, and artistic level because of Parra's deep understanding of what she wants her music to say, and how she wants to say it. As she explains, "All these songs embrace the basic theme of love...unrequited love, loss of love, a longing for the one true love, love of country. There is also an underlying theme of the strength and perseverance for not only the Jewish people but of women in general."

Track Listing: Iko Iko; Dieziocho Anyos; Call Your Name; La Comida De La Manyana; Morenika; Lo Siento Mi Vida; Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire; Oye Papi; Durme, Durme; Nature Boy; Man On A Wire/Gymnopedie No. 1.

Executive Producer: Kat Parra.
Co-producers: Kat Parra and Wayne Wallace.

Sound engineer: Gary Mankin.
Mixed by: Gary Mankin.
Mastered by: Ken Lee Mastering.
Recorded at: Megasonic Sound, Oakland, CA (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10)
Open Path Music, San Jose, CA (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 11)
Knob and Tube, San Francisco, CA

Graphic Design: Kat Parra.
Artwork and Dress Design: Ellen Brook - Works on Silk.
Hair: Carina Cavalero.
Makeup: Jesus Gonzalez.
Photography: Michelle Longosz.

Uli Geissendoerfer: COLORS

2012-09-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: World Jazz

Label: Black Coffee Music

Musicians: Uli Geissendoerfer - piano, rhodes, synth, percussion; Pascale Elia - vocals; Charles McNeal - saxophones; Derek Jones - bass; Ryan Rose - drums, percussion.

All tracks written, arranged and produced by Uli Geissendoerfer (except 3 & 8)

CD Review: Uli Geissendoerfer's compositions and arrangements flow like musical rivers; from diverse sources into oceans of color, movement and depth. The hues and textures are tantalizing, at times resistant to definition or description, but always rich and energetic. His compositional imagination seems endless, and its creative depth has accommodated successful exploration of numerous, exciting, music styles, cultures, and other genres in the performing arts. Geissendoerfer's recent professional assignments include The Beregovsky Project, duo with violin virtuoso Alicia Svigals, "Bangalore Breakdown," an Indian World Jazz undertaking featuring Premik Russel Tubbs, another duo CD, "Passport." An acclaimed film composer, Geissendoerfer has collaborated with Emmy nominated composer Steve Sandberg on the much heralded short film "Climbing Miss Sophia," winner of the NYU film festival 2002. In addition, Geissendoerfer was recently awarded "best sound design" at the 48 hour film festival. "COLORS," A World Jazz Quintet, featuring vocalist Pascale Elia, is the group's debut CD.

Securing the powerhouse, multi-lingual vocal talent of the much traveled, and highly trained Pascale Elias, adds romantic flair and melodic gravitas to the date. Elias is an extraordinary jazz stylist in the sultry Brazilian/Cuban tradition, with a keen sense of phrasing, and impeccable timing. She appears regularly on the Las Vegas and Los Angeles jazz scenes.

"COLORS" begins with an appetizing vignette of the band's sound and a sampling of Elia's vocal warmth (Intro); moving quickly to Geissendoerfer's dominant keyboard riff that underscores and supports Elia's Brazilian chant, and is then picked up by Derek Jones' pulsing bass (3-41) to lubricate special guest, Michito Sanchez's percussion, the rest of the rhythm section, and Charles McNeal's saxophone through a series of saucy harmonies that reflect the nimble, limpid, composing and arranging mindset that becomes Geissendoerfer's trademark as the date unfolds.

The Band: Colors

Elia shows stretches of her vocal power and great sense of timing with a jazzy, upbeat interpretation of Paul McCartney's (Honey Pie), burning with longing through the lyric like a crackling bonfire, as Detroit born drummer Ryan Rose pours on volumes of rhythmic accelerant. Later, accompanied by a classical Geissendoerfer piano, she stylishly dresses up Lennon/McCartney's (Norwegian Wood), complete with delectable double entendres, and stimulates McNeal to produce one of his most imaginative and creative saxophone improvisations. It is Elia's reading of the beautiful Ben Johnson lyric, and melody in Robert Johnson/Geisendoerfer's (Lily) that brings out the penetrating appeal in her voice. She crowns this tetramer of singing styles with a stunning display of versatility (Song (for Maya)); transforming her voice into an instrument; adding light, free, buoyant textures to the band's palette; and reflecting her brilliant sound effect off Geissendoerfer's piano chord selections, and McNeal's fluent sax, like sunlight off a new coin.

Geissendoerfer's compositions emerge in energy and color out of a prism of precision, and is delivered with an invigorating crispness that is further defined by the unifying, cohesive sound of the quintet. But there is also real soul in his compositions; 'Soul' as deep in 'the mud,' 'blues' and 'gospel' as it can get. (Soulful), a song written for his "Soul-Brother Premik Russel Tubbs," with its uninhibited, Gulf Coast Jazz Crusaders jazz/70s 'sound,' and Charles McNeil's funky Wilton Felder/David Sanborn saxophone wail, adds a jagged notch to the "Holy" belt supporting Geissendoerfer's widening girth of performing capabilities, and composing surprises.

Geissendoerfer scales inordinate musical heights to the date's climactic end. He appropriates the lever of creativity, and the fulcrum of deep understanding, to elevate and intensify the richness and authenticity of (Turkish) with invaluable help from special guests violinist, Valeri Glava and Dafer Tawil - aud, doumbek, tambourine, to transform inspiration from Paganini's op.24 into a spirited, stirring, energetic Turkish romp. From this creative apogee, he and the quintet contemplate the arresting spirituality, and sprawling serenity of (Where) "...nothing else needed to be done." (Uil Geissendoerfer).

Track Listing: Intro; 3-41; Honey Pie; Tango; Intro to Soulful; Soulful; Lily; Norwegian Wood; Song; Turkish; Where.

Recorded at Odds On Recording, Henderson, Nevada by Matt Salveson.
Edited by Uli Geissendoerfer.
Mixed and Mastered by Fernando Aponte.

All songs written, arranged and produced bu Uli Geissendoerfer.
"Honey Pie" arranged by Colors. "Tango" lyrics by Pascale Elia. "Intro to Soulful" by Charles McNeal and "Where" lyrics by Beat Kaesti.

Please contact the group at;
Uli Geissendoerfer
+1.646.226.7435
ulimusic@gmail.com
www.UliMusic.com

Sophisticated Ladies: A True Story. Swing & Latin Jazz

2012-09-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz

Label: Self-Realeased

Musicians: Rachael Magidson - vocals, flugelhorn, percussion; Nolwenn Leizour - upright bass, vocals (8); Emilie Calme - flute, bansuri, vocals (8); Valerie Chane-Tef - piano, vocals (8).

CD Review: "Sophisticated Ladies" is a quartet of musicians of international flavor and rigorous musical training. In a word, they are simply: "good!" They come from very different backgrounds which spawn resplendent cultural heritages that infuse their music with excitement, vitality and originality.

Rachael Magidson is from the California Bay Area (San Francisco). She has lived in Europe, is very familiar with, and proficient on, African percussion. Valerie Chane-Tef from the island of La Reunion, is a prominent pianist in France, well schooled in African music, and has a superbly developed sense of rhythm. Nolwenn Leizour and Emilie Calme are both from South West France, and are considered virtuosos on their respective instruments.

Valerie Chane-Tef's opening piano chords and Emilie Calme's airy flute announce Rogers & Hart's 1937 show tune (The Lady Is A Tramp) like a forecast of artistic refinement and undeniable aesthetic appeal to be heard throughout Sophisticated Ladies: A True Story; and serve as a stimulating, preparatory musical aperitif for the frighteningly hedonistic impact of lead vocalist Rachael Magidson. Magidson is one of those song stylists that sits you down, head bowed, arms crossed, eyes closed and pretty much has her way with you emotionally. You could easily succumb to a state of bewitched, bothered bewilderment; this 'lady is no tramp,' but she knows a few tricks about the good art of trampling ennui and mindless tedium.

There is something to be said for a recording date with a play list framed by the song books Rogers/Hart and Claude Nougaro/Neil Hefti/Bobby Troup. In this case, the rest of the frame is filled with musical treasures from the pens of such venerated composers/lyricists as, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Joseph Kosma/Jacques Prevert/Johnny Mercer, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Fred Coots & Haven Gillespie, and Allie Wrubel & Herb Magidson. This musical offering is blended with ideal stylistic balance and rich eclectic judgement. It arrives loaded with expectations that are transformed into delightful, exciting swing and Latin jazz music, by this group of confident, courageous, perceptive artists.

Sophisticated Ladies
L - R Nolwenn Leizour (bass); Emilie Calme (flute, bansuri);
Valerie Chane-Tef (piano, seated);
Rachael Magidson (vocals, flugelhorn).

Showing absolute conviction about their intent to epitomize elegance, poise, and savoir faire, the quartet raises Ellington's 1932 jazz standard (Sophisticated Lady) to a new standard of their own. It is Magidson's optimistic, panoramic vocal that adds gleaming, interpretive freshness, and vivacity that is hard to ignore.

The down reaching, hypnotic bass of Nolwenn Leizour leads Magidson's enchanting French lyrics and Chane-Tef's accompanying piano into Joseph Kosma/Jacques Prevert's 1945 popular song (Autumn Leaves), originally, "Les Feuilles Mortes." Johnny Mercer wrote the English lyrics a year later (1946). Magidson demonstrates profound sensitivity and consummate respect for the Hungarian French composer Kosma, and lyricist, French poet Prevert, by singing the entire song in flawless French, thereby returning the memory of the song to its compositional roots. She also pays tribute to Edith Piaf one of France's greatest national and international singers, who sang widely acclaimed versions of "Autumn Leaves." Turning this performance into a tour de force of versatility, Magidson adds effective percussive rhythmic color (congas) to Chane-Tef's pungent Latin keyboard, and Emilie Calme's aerial flute, to transform the song into an alluring, succulent Cuban Bolero to secure its place as a definite standout on the album.

"Sophisticated Ladies" is 'A True Story', about four artists, whose collective experiences and personalities resonate throughout their music, and like the vicissitudes of life, become windows into their theater of existential reality. Reflected in this musical experience is the realization and acceptance of the influence found in personal relationships (You Go To My Head), heard in Chane-Tef's poignantly melodic piano backing of Magidson's unpretentious reading of the lyric. As an emotional counter, an instrumental version of Charlie Parker's not often heard (Segment) is explored by flautist Emilie Calme, and defined as a flighty, intoxicated jaunt, which transforms the musical atmosphere with brisk, energetic, impetuous colors.

There are always those moments of loss (Gone With The Wind), where sadness is described in the bitter-sweet emotion captured in Nolwenn Leizour's crepuscular bass figures, and contrasted against Magidson's 'happy' percussion and vocal. But there must be a time in life for beauty, quiet joy and pensive introspection like that heard in Rachael Magidson's even, flowing flugelhorn salute to Antonio Carlos Jobim's beautiful bossa nova standard (Insensatez), on which the band makes a perfectly executed, collective pivot to raise their voices in unison for a release of celebration, with a romping version of the Claude Nougaro/Neil Hefty/Bobby Troup song (Dansez Sur Moi) also known as "Girl Talk," and as any celebration should be: a fitting finale to a variegated, telling event, especially one as exciting as a true story about one's life.

Track Listing: The Lady Is A Tramp; Sophisticated Lady; Autumn Leaves; You Go To My Head; Segment; Gone With The Wind; Insensatez; Dansez Sur Moi.

Recorded at Studio Berduquet.
Sound Engineer: Pascal Lapeyre.
Mixing Engineer: Olivier Oguez.
Mastering Engineer Studio 167.

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: Christmas Time is Here.

2012-08-29T20:02:00.001-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Christmas Jazz

Label: Knoxjazz

Musicians: Mark Tucker - alto sax, flute (1,5, 8, 11); Tim Green - alto sax, (6, 9, 10, 12); David King - alto sax, flute; Greg Tardy - tenor sax, clarinet; William Boyd - tenor sax, clarinet; Tom Johnson - baritone sax, bass clarinet.

Michael Wyatt, Stewart Cox, Michael Spirko, Tom Fox, Vance Thompson - trumpets.

Tom Lundberg, Don Hough, Chris MacTavish, Brad McDougall - trombones.

Robert Owen, Jeffrey Whaley, Mark Harrell, Mitzi Hall - french horns.

Sandra MacMorran - tuba.

Bill Swann - piano; Dan Trudell - Hammond B-3 organ; Rusty Holloway - bass; Keith Brown - drums; Bob Adamcik - aux. percussion.

Jill Andrews - vocals (4);

Church Street United Methodist Choir - Tim Ward, Director.

Community Evangelistic Presbyterian Church Choir - John Johnson, Director.
Kellie Jolie - additional vocals.

Arrangements and Conducting: Vance Thompson.
Assistant Conductor: Alan Wyatt.

CD Review: The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: "Christmas Time is Here" is the kind of recording that surfaces the genuine joy of the Christmas Season, and conversely, sadly reminds us that the phenomenon of unsolicited peace, goodwill, and love for all mankind visits but one time each year; unfortunately.

Nevertheless, The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, flaunting a cadre of 17 of East Tennessee's elite professional musicians, with outstanding help from tenor saxophonist Gregory Tardy, alto saxophonist Tim Green, Hammond B-3 organist Dan Trudell; the magnificent gospel choirs of Church Street United Methodist Church and Community Evangelistic Presbyterian Church, have stylishly turned out a rich collection of 12 of the finest traditional Christmas songs and carols decked out in the gorgeous colors of the blues; the exotic rhythms of samba and bossa nova; the joyous veneration of gospel and spiritual; and the unrelenting, profoundly affecting, swing of jazz. Music that can be played and enjoyed in any month of the year from the pens of such esteemed composers as; Tchaikovsky, Walter Kent, Jule Styne/Sammy Kahn; Ralph Blane/Hugh Martin; Noel Regney/Gloria Shayne Baker and Vince Guaraldi.

"Christmas Time is Here" steals awake like a serene morning dawn on the wings of Ralph Blane/Hugh Martin's (Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas), streaming gracefully out on the entrancing tone of Greg Tardy's tenor saxophone. And what better than Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn's (Let It Snow) to draw you deeper into the spirit of the season on Bill Swann's beckoning, sultry piano chords; meanwhile trombonists Don Hough and Tom Lundberg add a warmth to the wide open sound of the brass section, which Bill "Splanky" Swann diffuses with a witty reprise of the understated, ring-tone piano signature of 'The Kid From Red Bank.'

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra

The first brisk winds of the coming 'swing' (Deck The Halls: Traditional) come bopping out of Russ Holloway's bass, Swann's hip piano, and Tardy's brilliant, streaming, tenor sax sound colors. Later, those winds reach gale force when Tardy's tenor, Tim Green's alto sax and the exquisite rhythm section featuring Swann's now ultra-cool, trademark, repeating piano patterns, Keith Brown's impeccable time keeping, and Rusty Holloway's mellow bass team up on Vance Thompson's electrifying, 'Benny Golson-Killer Joe-like' arrangement of Walter Kent's popular (I'll Be Home For Christmas), securely embroidered into a durable fabric of harmony and rhythm, pressed in place by Tom Johnson's sturdy, tree-trunk, baritone sax sound.

A rare, cherished, anticipated seasonal libation is offered in perfectly suited, crystal beauty from vocalist Jill Andrews (O Little Town of Bethlehem: Traditional). Van Thompson's arrangement is sensitive and masterful, as is his flugel horn solo, throughout the fetching, subtle contrast he paints in juxtaposing his lilting, samba flavored interval against Andrews' seductive, sustaining voice that renewed the reverence and somber prayer-like adjuration laid bare in the verse.

The organ, an instrument that has dominated the 'sound of church,' and has maintained its vaunted residency almost without challenge over time, unsurprisingly plays a conspicuous role in the 'Jazz Christmas Theater' of these Knoxville Jazz Players. And it is Don Trudell's Hammond B-3 that creates riveting, nontraditional grooves as he leans into (Go Tell It On The Mountain: Traditional)- don't let that funereal, pious, church-inspired intro fool you- he coats this musical treat with enough indigo to plaster a blue horizon end-to-end; William Boyd's tenor sax, and Keith Brown's 'rhythm-a-thing' drumming then move in to pin your ears back with the precision of a nail gun . Showing a mischievious inclination for unbridled swing, Trudell and the B-3 proceed to attack Noel Regney/Gloria Shayne Baker's (Do You Hear What I Hear) and (A Not-So Silent Night: Traditional) with a menacing vibrancy, and compelling rhythmic urgency that would have elicited spirited "high-fives" from James Oscar Smith.

Trudell's infectious B-3 by now had managed to infect all sections of the band like a tenacious Summer virus, and what they did to Pyotr Tchaikovsky's noble (Russian Dance) fit (tongue in Cheek), Ella Fitzgerald's immortal description of her inimitable version of "Mack The Knife": Berlin 1960 "...Bobby Darin made a 'record'...now we're making a 'wreck'..." But Ella swung in classic style then, as do the Knoxville jazz Orchestra and Tchaikovsky now; with an intensity and power not heard since the William "Count" Basie Orchestra's atomic version of "Jumpin' At The Woodside."

Christmas has a way of bestowing indescribable, sublime, divine moments to be treasured, and added to its experience as enduring themes for nostalgia. The inclusion of Vince Guaraldi's pensive, vulnerable title track (Christmas Time is Here), in this sense, seems to embody the collective spirit and character of the band within the simplicity and relentless subtlety of Bill Swann's piano, which by its mood, is transformed into a gentle approach to the threshold of the album's climax and finale, where Gospel and the Spiritual join in stirring choral jubilation (Children Go Where I Send Thee: Traditional), inspired by Chris Potter's quartet arrangement from "Traveling Mercies." It is begun by the choir from Church Street United Methodist in Knoxville in "high church" (Vance Thompson) style under the direction of Tim Ward, and the arrangement is closed "...in a Gospel style" (Vance Thompson) with a choral section from the Community Evangelistic Presbyterian Church, under the direction of John Jackson.

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: "Christmas Time is Here" is a performance of jazz music that can be enjoyed during any season. Since it is a collection of Christmas songs, carols and traditional music, it makes a perfect gift for any music lover. The packaging and graphic design are sensational, thanks to Thomas Heflin - Graphic Designer; Mischa Goldman - Session Photographer; Eric Smith - Concert Photos.

The person intent on buying "Christmas Time is Here" for themselves should buy two copies. One will be completely worn out over "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

Track Listing: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; Let It Snow; Deck The Halls; O Little Town Of Bethlehem; Go Tell It On The Mountain; I'll Be Home For Christmas; Do You Hear What I Hear; Russian Dance; Jingle Bells; A Not-So Silent Night; Christmas Time Is Here; Children Go Where I Send Thee.

Produced by: Vance Thompson.

Recorded and Edited by Mischa Goldman at Weird Monkey Studios, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Production Assistants: Ben Ryerkerk and Chris Jerger.
Mixing Engineer: Matt Coleman.
Mix Supervisor: Bob Katz.
Mixed at Digital Domain Studio B, Orlando, Florida.
Mastered by Bob Katz at Digital Domain, Orlando, Florida.

This CD is dedicated to the memory of Bill Scarlett.

The Music Of EZRA WEISS Played By The ROB SCHEPS Big Band: Our Path To This Moment.

2012-08-27T17:21:00.002-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz/Big Band

Label: Roark Records

Musicians: Gary Harris, David Valdez, Rob Scheps, Scott Hall, Robert Cowell - reeds.
Rich Cooper, Paul Mazzio, Greg Garrett, Conte Bennett - trumpets.
Stan Bock, Tom Hill, John Moak - trombones.
Jattik Clark - tuba.
Ramsey Embick - piano (1, 2, 5, 7)
Ward Griffiths - drums.
Chaz Mortimer - percussion

Ezra Weiss - composer/arranger/piano (3, 4, 6)
Greg Gisbert - trumpet (1, 2, 7)

CD Review: Pianist/Composer Ezra Weiss' professional bio is studded with spectacular achievements and notable associations, but it is his winning of the 2002, 2006 and 2007 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards, that stand out like earth's night light viewed from the vastness of unbending space. Awards that represent culminations of achievement reflecting past challenges met, and offer a positional musical perspective of his 'path to this moment' and beyond.

Weiss' most recent achievement is being added to the list of Rising Star Arrangers in the 2012 DownBeat Critics Poll. Weiss admits, "seeing my name on that list alongside so many incredible arrangers was a real shock, and I am filled with gratitude." Undoubtedly this adds considerable luster and legitimacy to Weiss' composer/arranger cachet, and builds in potent anticipation born of pregnant expectancy surrounding Rob Scheps' Big band eventual interpretation and execution of Weiss' charts.

Weiss, the composer/arranger is versatile and inclusive. He has composed and arranged music for Billy Hart, Thara Memory, Leon Lee Dorsey, Renato Carato, and Stan Bock among others. He has also composed music and lyrics to two children's musicals in an effort to introduce young children to jazz: Alice In Wonderland: A Jazz Musical (2009); and Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus (2010). But Weiss always had a desire to record his music with big band backing, and having Scheps' 17-piece aggregation, with special guest trumpeter Greg Gisbert, on three of the seven tracks, is akin to a dream come true.

There is a seamless elegance and limpid depth that invades Weiss' composition/arrangements, and blossoms with stunning logical precision. The Rob Scheps magnificent big band displays great sensitivity and understanding in reading Weiss' charts, and in translating each through an ascending performing arc from the start of the date to the end.

Weiss' approach to composing bristles with a clarity and purpose that lubricate a listener's interest and trust. When "Our Path To This Moment" is listened to in its entirety, it plays like a perfect score to the soundtrack of the story of contemporary life: its concepts heave with freshness, modernity, and lend themselves to the 'dance' (It's You Or No One); it is engaging and dramatic (Rise And Fall); palpable suspense is a captivating by-product of Weiss' genius for creating and releasing tension (The Promise); and it is a narrative with a resounding, satisfying climax (Wayfaring Stranger). This work defines Weiss' maturity, presence, and stature as a formidable jazz composer.

The Rob Scheps Big Band

There is a significant performance aspect of the date that should not be missed, and is great fun to observe: The contrasting difference in character, emotion, style, influence, color, force and function between pianists Weiss and Ramsey Embick. It is like the literal difference between 'light' and 'dark.' They share keyboard duties fairly equally; Weiss appears on three tracks, and Embick on four. The tunes are laid out for excellent continuity and comparison. Embick's role is one of a "Prince of Darkness" starting with the title track (Our Path To This Moment), drawing the listener in with 'dark' repeating chords leading to tension-filled passages from the brass, then alternately releasing that tension for the first of Greg Gisbert's crisp, soaring trumpet solos, and Rob Scheps supporting soprano sax, then reprising more repeating somber colors at the end. Embick again paints menacingly dark colors with bassist Tim Gilson (Rise And Fall) that are sustained throughout the movement, even with Gisbert's spirited trumpet and added reeds. Eventually the ensemble overcomes the mood, but Gilson expresses residuals of gloom remaining from Embick's indelible influence.

Weiss' first piano appearance on the date is on the Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn 1948 standard (It's You Or No One), made into a jazz classic by tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Immediately the bandstand lights up as Weiss engages the rhythm section with verve and launches the tune into bopish frenzy with Scheps' tenor throwing tremendous fire. Weiss' piano textures are melodic, danceable as he pushes his rhythm section to a swinging end. Weiss' readily identifiable mastery is evident in his engagement with the rhythm section, and the energy with which he drives it to dictate the tempo, control the mood, and influence the character and emotion of the piece (Jessie's Song).

Embick's darkest chords are measured in (The Promise), he is less angular and emotional than Weiss, as he encourages and supports a beautifully somber David Valdez alto saxophone solo, and lets his piano weave noticeable, film-noir textures that add a feeling of mystery to the character of the music. Embick then sheds his Dark Knight outfit (Wayfaring Stranger), and after some initial "heavy" lifting by Greg Gisbert's hauntingly sublime trumpet intro, he rollicks with the rhythm section's Ward Griffiths (drums), Tim Gilson (bass) and Chaz Mortimer (congas) to literally fly south for a thunderous Latin-style climax that clears the deck, and ends the date.

Ezra Weiss: Our Path To This Moment with the Rob Scheps Big Band featuring Special Guest Trumpeter Greg Gisbert, ought to become one of the most important and enjoyable jazz recordings of 2012.

Track Listing: Our Path To This Moment; Rise And Fall; It's You Or No One; Kunlangeta; The Promise; Jessie's Song; Wayfaring Stranger.

Produced by: Ezra Weiss.

Engineered by: Dennis Carter.
Mixed and Mastered by: Katsuhiko Naito

Recorded at: Falcon Recording Studios, Portland, Oregon

All selections composed and arranged by Ezra Weiss except "It's You Or No One," composed by Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn, and "Wayfaring Stranger," (Traditional).

Katie Guthorn: Why Not Smile?

2012-08-25T14:49:00.001-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Vocal

Label: HagCo Records

Musicians: Katie Guthorn - vocals; Tim Haggerty - keyboards, bass; Terry Haggerty - guitar; Aaron Haggerty - drums; Armen Boyd - tenor sax.

CD Review: Katie Guthorn sings with a perennial smile in her voice that makes her a delight to listen to. She can flash it with 100-watt intensity or bewitch you with a come hither simper that takes your breath away. Generally however, her songs are emotionally bright, energetic and swinging; but she can also put a sad song over like it was written especially for her. Covering different moods and tempos with ease, Guthorn is admirable and engaging in her interpretation of the works of Ellington, Strayhorn, or Rogers and Hart, She adds new meaning to an old Ray Charles hit, and puts on her biggest smile for a Charlie Chaplin evergreen to add an emphatic exclamation point to her new CD: Why Not Smile?

Guthorn commences an extended musical performance narrative that has it roots firmly planted in a jazz experience that wends it way through her family; grappling with jazz tunes as a kid; and doing a stint at a radio station with an exclusive big band format, with (Call Me), a song written in 1965 by Tony Hatch for singer Petula Clark, and to which Guthorn adds some lustrous Latin colors backed by a collective aggregation of brass and rhythm featuring a solid Terry Haggerty guitar solo. Trusting her musical instincts, Guthorn sharply changes the mood and tempo and squeezes streams of emotion out of Ben Fold's poignant heart stopper (The Luckiest) while closely following Tim Haggerty's warm, consoling keyboard voicing over weaving strings.

Guthorn shows striking awareness in her assessment of the lasting beauty of William Kennedy Ellington's 1938 jazz standard (Prelude To A Kiss) with a lilting, curvaceous reading of the lyric contrasted against the band's tastefully catchy, funk/fusion arrangement. Whenever Ellington appears, Billy "Sweet Pea" Strayhorn must be close at hand, and Guthorn shows clearly that she has the talent and required interpretive ability to search out the innuendo and deep meaning in Strayhorn's lyric (Lush Life) that often presents a daunting vocal challenge for many a singer.

A song stylist with a demonstrable, deep-pocked repertoire and saleable performing equity to match, Guthorn struts through Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart's 1937 show tune (Where Or When) bathing it in contemporary effulgent colors, supplied in part through a wonderful tenor solo from Armen Boyd. But it is the simple, relaxed beauty of Guthorn's voice (Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans; Rainbow Connection; You Don't Know Me; I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)) that folds her in as an exceptional vocal book mark among a pantheon of top drawer singers that we can't seem to get enough of.

Guthorn and the band ought to be overjoyed with this CD, and they seem to express their satisfaction with uptempo vigor (Overjoyed), pushed along on Aaron Haggerty's dependable, consistently rhythmic drumming, then reprising that infectious smile inherent in the title track (Why Not Smile?); finally transitioning into Charlie Chaplin's classic invocation (Smile) with an affirmative acknowledgement of the abiding presence of the late Karen Carpenter.

Track Listing: Call Me; The Luckiest; Prelude To A Kiss; Black Crow; Lush Life; Where Or When; Do You Know What It Means To Be In New Orleans; Rainbow Connection; You Don't Know Me; I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good); Overjoyed; Why Not Smile?/Smile.

Producer/Arranger: Tim Haggerty.

Introducing: SHINGO Yuji

2012-08-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Guitar

Label: Yujipan Music

Musicians: Shingo Yuji - guitar; Walter Smith III - Saxophone (tracks 1 & 2); Dave Robaire - bass; Dan Schnelle - drums.

CD Review: When Shingo Yuji was in high school he discovered the music of bass guitar great Jaco Pastorius; as Yuji later said, "It changed my life." It propelled Yuji into the world of jazz. To Yuji, who did not allow himself to be saddled with distractions by empty preoccupations, this was akin to submitting to the influence and advice of a good physician while still very young and in perfect health: the future became well grounded in the present. It gave Yuji a connection to his inner self; the impetus to believe that what seemed impossible, could become reality; a fascination for the guitar that led to a career in music that drew him deeper into the world of jazz. After a long journey of practice, perseverance and patience, Yuji has recorded his debut album: "Introducing Shingo Yuji."

Yuji's guitar playing straddles two world cultures, East and West, but he admits to being firmly planted in the jazz idiom. Add this to his mastery of an advanced innovative playing technique that uses every finger of his hand, which facilitates the layering of harmonics and melody simultaneously without overdubbing, much like the way pianist Brad Mehldau, for whom Yuji entertains a deep admirationy, used to solo playing melody with his left hand, while his right hand simultaneously played ostinatos. Yuji's improvising is augmented with fluency, coherency, speed and accuracy. There is a freedom and excited expectancy in the clear bell-like tone of his instrument that gradually overtakes you; and he possesses a tremendous drive to excel that is masked by an unassuming and modest demeanor. One might be tempted to invoke the sacred word "genius" to describe his talent.

Yuji's fascination with, and awe of Pastorius' legacy is clearly evident in his (Yuji's) guitar technique. Like Pastorius, who multiplied the capabilities of the bass guitar, Yuji, with his simultaneous deployment of harmonics, melody and multiple musical lines, seems to be expanding his own boundaries (Laputa; Improvisation And Variations On Itsuki Lullaby; Help). Yuji also displays a high level of innovation, mixing different musical styles (folk and classical) to produce an exceptional musical result (A Song For The One), and the traditional folk song (Improvisation And Variation On Itsuki Lullaby), a poignantly delivered tribute to virtuoso Japanese koto player Michio Miyagi.

When he delves into the rich jazz idiom, which is his true love, he is extremely adept at capturing its essence (Shadows On The Sun) and Mingus' (The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines) on which he swings vigorously, demonstrating sharp bebop chops atop Dave Robaire's down-reaching bass and Dan Schnell's biting drums.

Expressing a creative desire for arranging and simultaneously a talent for blending the styles of jazz and rock, Yuji finds fertile ground in the Beatles 60s hit (Help), re-defining this Lennon and McCartney classic and characterizing himself as an artist able to maintain interest and richness across a variety of genres. As a logical extension, Yuji employs his devotion and interest in Japanese culture; his natural instinct as an inspired arranger; and a love of jazzy "really cool rhythmic modulations" as the 'coda' to his formal introduction (Rashomon), which seems to mine the depths of his musical make up: East to West. An artist expressing dual cultures; melding a variety of musical styles with a high level of sophistication and innovation. Today he is known as Shingo Yuji, but in time he maybe recognized on a one-name basis like his idol "Jaco", as simply "Yuji." or "Shingo."

Track Listing: Laputa; Shadows on the Sun; The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines; A Song for the One; Improvisation and Variation on Itsuki Lullaby; Ame; Help; Rashomon.

Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Paul Tavenner.

Shingo Yuji plays Acoustic Image amplifier.

www.acousticimg.com

www.shingoyuji.com

Leslie Lewis with The Gerard Hagen Trio: Midnight Sun

2012-08-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Vocal

Label: Surf Cove Jazz

Musicians: Leslie Lewis - vocals; Gerard Hagen - piano; Domenic Genova - bass; Jerry Kalaf - drums. Guest Artists: Chuck Manning - tenor saxophone; Joey Sellers - trombone.

CD Review: You hear song stylist Leslie Lewis, and immediately whisper to yourself "where has she been all this time?" That's the kind of power heard in her singing. That's the kind of voice she has! It is well shaped and rich, like Monroe's lips and equally unforgettable. This native of East Orange, New Jersey already has received critical acclaim for two other recordings (Of Two Minds: 2008; Keeper Of The Flame: 2010). On her newest CD: "Midnight Sun," She and husband, pianist Gerard Hagen, again collaborate to produce a date of outstanding fare.

Assisting this sparkling duo in this effort are bassist Domenic Genova and drummer Jerry Kalaf, who officially round out the Gerard Hagen Trio. For added vivacity, vault and harmonic equity, tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning and trombonist Joey Sellars appear as guest artists.

Bassist Domenic Genova

Domenic Genova is a well seasoned and traveled musician, his credits include collaborations with Lori Lieberman, John Devlin, Seals & Crofts, Kim Karnes, Patti LaBelle, Brian Mann, Susan Krebs, Al Stewart, David Benoit, Pat Boone and several others. Like Genova, drummer/composer Jerry Kalaf has also worked with many well known artists: Max Highstein, Joe Hackney, Eric Von Essen, Louis Durra, Susan Krebs, Gregory Kahn and others.

Drummer Jerry Kalaf

Guest artists tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning and trombonist Joey Sellars possess stellar musical resumes of their own. Manning, generally regarded as a stalwart of the Los Angeles jazz scene, is considered a brilliantly inventive tenor player; gorgeous with the ballad, yet quite capable of blowing with remarkable post-bop frenzy, connecting lines that are always fresh and vibrant. Jazz critic Leonard Feather summed up Manning thus: "Chuck has a bold sound and a keen rhythmic sense."

Tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning

Trombonist Joey Sellers grew up in Arizona and graduated from Arizona State University. He has held the chair of Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois University, and more recently he assumed the role of Director of Jazz Studies at Saddleback College in Southern California, teaching improvisation, jazz ensembles, composition, and jazz history. He has played and recorded with several internationally recognized jazz musicians, including Kenny Wheeler, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Conrad Herwig, Joe LaBarbera, Dave Liebman, Lew Tabackan, Bobby Shew, and Bruce Fowler.

Trombonist Joey Sellers

Gerard Hagen pianist/arranger/producer a native of Bismarck, North Dakota, has led the trio since 1995. He has overseen the popularity and international acclaim of the group's recordings (Far Horizons: Resurgent Music; Stay Tuned: Sea Breeze Jazz Records). He holds a Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music, and is an associate professor of jazz piano at Saddleback College in Southern California.

Pianist Gerard Hagen

In addition to the enviable talent and wide ranging experience of the players on "Midnight Sun," are the added striking features of music selections of popular songs; standards; Broadway show tunes; jazz classics and musicals mined from the formidable catalogs of the great songwriters, composers and lyricists ranging from Walter Donaldson & Gus Kahn, Sonny Burke & Lionel Hampton, to Cole Porter, Oscar Hammerstein & Sigmund Romberg to Lennon McCartney, Frank Loesser and George and Ira Gershwin. There are 3/4 of a dozen of these gems from the wonder years 1928 through 1973; Leslie Lewis sets then up like nine gold pins, and hits them head on for strikes; the hard way; one dynamite hit at a time.

Lewis and the band jump with obvious relish into Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn's 1928 hit (Love Me Or Leave Me.) It is evident that Lewis listened closely to Nina Simone's definitive 1967 version from her album "Forever Young, Gifted and Black," because she (Lewis) reprises much of Simone's straight forward, self assurance in her delivery and adorns the lyric with flashes of Ms. Simone's gilt edged phrasing. Tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning and trombonist Joey Sellers establish their bona fides promptly with swinging solos, while pianist Gerard Hagen shows a keen discernment of the melody in a solo that tactfully, is never overplayed.

Vocalist Leslie Lewis

Lewis shows that she has the 'chops' to tackle difficult songs and lyrics, and they are two that stand out on the CD. The title track (Midnight Sun) the 1947 jazz standard, written by Sonny Burke and Lionel Hampton, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer is stamped with a degree of difficulty matching that of another jazz standard, Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life"; two songs that have reduced many a vocalist to a sweaty wreck. No where has the 'aurora borealis' appeared so wonderfully intriguing and spellbinding than under the command of Leslie Lewis' formidable pitch range, and Dominic Genova's infectious, embracing, memorable bass figures. Lewis also treats the Paul and Linda McCartney 1973 'love song' (My Love) to her own stirring interpretation which Manning's tenor follows with a tender, purposeful solo, as Hagen's well planted piano notes nail every ounce of emotion securely in place.

But it's Cole Porter's 1953 popular song (It's Alright With Me) which showcases the magic that is possible when Lewis and Hagen get down to it. He the astute pianist/arranger, and she the consummate vocalist/interpreter, able to bring the lyric alive with realism, and warble between 3/4 and 4/4 time effortlessly and authoritatively without sacrificing form or losing place. This ability to change time without strain extends into another Lewis' signal strengths; the facility of changing moods with conviction, now demonstrated throughout the 1964 Burt Bacharach, Hal David plaintive, poignant, pathos-encrusted (A House Is Not A Home).

Lewis and the Gerard Hagen trio plus guests artists' treatment of Oscar Hammerstein, Sigmund Romberg's 1928 popular song (Lover Come Back To Me) and George and Ira Gershwin's 1924 standard (The Man I love) are music clinics of the highest order. Lewis' singing on these to selections can best be described as 'boldly silken' and is augmented by inventive melodic interplay between saxophonist Manning, and trombonist Sellers. If there is a Lewis tour de force performance, it appears on "The Man I Love" on which she strips away all pretense and embraces the lyric with an evocative display of raw vocal power that stands lighthouse-tall against the impeccable time keeping of drummer Jerry Kalaf, and another signature tenor solo, in the tradition of Lester Young, from Chuck Manning.

"Midnight Sun" is balanced by two memorable show tunes; Frank Loesser's (I believe In You), from the 1961 Broadway show "How To Succeed In Business Without ReallyTrying" and Lorenz Hart, Richard Rogers' (Where Or When), from the 1937 musical "Babes In Arms". It is Gerard Hagen's measured, thoughtful, logical piano that presents the perfect counter for Lewis' powerful vocal thrust. A lot of the influence of pianist Tommy Flanagan, who was the accompanist for singer Ella Fitzgerald for more than a decade, can be heard in Hagen's unobtrusive and exceptional melodic swing, harmonic sophistication and bluesy inventions. Hagen's unflappable piano demeanor through the date, with its warm colors, refined architecture and understated, easy swing unquestionably add solid currency to this exceptional date.

Where has Leslie Lewis been 'all this time?' She and her husband have been living in Paris since 1995. But another question looms: What will Leslie Lewis and the Gerard Hagen trio do in the future to top "Midnight Sun?"

Track Listing: Love Me Or Leave Me; Midnight Sun; It's Alright With Me; A House Is Not A Home; Lover Come Back To Me; My Love; I Believe In You; The Man I Love; Where Or When.

Produced by Gerald Hagen.
All arangements by Gerald Hagen
Recorded by Talley Sherwood at Tritone Studio, Glendale CA
Mixed and Mastered by Jerry Kalaf at Studio J, Los Angeles CA

ROMAIN COLLIN: The Calling

2012-08-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz

Label: Palmetto Records

Musicians: Romain Collin - piano, programming; Luques Curtis - double bass; Kendrick Scott - drums; John Shannon - guitar (tracks 1, 5, 7); Adrian Daurov - cello (tracks 5, 7)

CD Review: Romain Collin's new CD: The Calling, uncovers an extraordinarily talented jazz pianist; a rising star with a vision that boldly probes beyond contemporary musical horizons. This native of France was born in Cannes and raised in the town of Antibes. He recalls that he "soaked up" jazz at home listening to his mother's Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald albums. He attended Boston's Berklee College of Music where he studied performance under Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano, majoring in Music Synthesis, in the process learning about sound design and synthesizer programming. He was selected by pianist Herbie Hancock, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and saxophonist Wayne Shorter to work in the Monk Program in Los Angeles for two years. After its completion, he moved to New York and recorded a much acclaimed debut album The Rise and Fall of Pipokuhn, featuring bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Zach Harmon.

Drummer Kendrick Scott

On "The Calling" he is accompanied by bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Kendrick Scott. Scott is also a graduate of Berklee College of Music where he majored in Music Education. Since graduating in 2002, he has worked with the Jazz Crusaders, guitarist Pat Metheny, saxophonists Joe Lovano and Kenny Garrett, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and vocalist Dianne Reeves.

Luques Curtis also studied at, and graduated from, the Berklee College of Music, studying with John Lockwood and Ron Mahdi. Now living in New York, Curtis has performed widely with a number on nationally and internationally renowned artists, including pianist/bandleader Eddie Palmieri, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, pianist Herbie Hancock, guitarist John Scofield, arranger/composer/bandleader Maria Schneider and saxophonist Wayne Shorter among others. He is a widely sought after artist, appearing on Brian Lynch's Grammy Award winning CD "Simpatico"; Gary Burton's "Next Generation"; Dave Valentin's "Come Fly With Me"; Sean Jones "Roots"; "Kaleidoscope"; Christian Scott's "Rewind That"; Etienne Charles' "Folklore" and others.

Bassist Luques Curtis

The CD opens with the first of Collin's compositions (Storm) - there are 10 others. It is arresting, rapturous music that builds like a musical tornado, with its locus set deep in the aural canyons forming the terrain under which Collin's composing power is centered, now being unleashed with his piano a full-blown fury of sound that echoes residue of all the sounds of music that he has ever heard, from 'Ellington to Weather Report.' It seems also to indicate that here is a young composer that understands, and is comfortable with, the power in his music: it is a wake up call!

Then as transformation burgeons from chaos and destruction, a beautiful, almost pristine 'calm' emerges out of Collin's measured piano on the CD's title track (The Calling), as if informing the senses that death's calling is always to herald life. Building on this theme, Collin's music begins to reflect inner experiences that seem to speak to the listener in a series of spiritual tone poems; first in the energetic, engaging (Runner's High), with its accompanying stages of enervation and revitalization, and like images captured in the mirror of life, we hear our own footsteps in Collin's poignant rendition of John Mayer's seductive, captivating, evenly flowing sound scape (Stop This Train).

There is a natural feeling of remorse and palpable sadness heard in (Burn Down) as Collin's piano straddles atop a languorously haunting mood built by Audrian Daurov's cello and Luques Curtis' double bass; as is the realization that there is always a joker in every life's pack (Pennywise The Clown), Kendrick Scott's 'in the pocket' drums shadow the joker's every sinister move, as Collin's piano attempts to pin him down with dextrous, searching right hand repeating patterns, and a smouldering left hand filled with beautifully dark colors.

Collin and the trio eventually drill down carefully through the wondrously harmonic terrain of (Greyshot), probing further to encounter flowing sequences of melodic bits in (Strange); finally emerging in an area carved into his psyche where the classic jazz memories from his mother's albums have taken root, and dusted off one of Horace Silver's best offerings (Nica's Dream), a tune composed for the "Jazz Baroness" Pannonica de Koenigswarter, an ambassador of jazz who established great jazz friendships with "Bird" and "Monk." Collin's approach highlights some of the influence of pianist Ahmad Jamal in his creation of exceptional space for the exotic imaginations of bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Kendrick Scott to take full flight. In addition Collin's chord selection and graceful technique almost lovingly recreate Silver's inspired, relentless groove with sensitive touches and interludes that preserve the beautiful mood of this classic jazz gem.

The final two selections on "The Calling" find Collin probing deeply into his composer's DNA, showcasing his programming talent and skills to explore a smattering of dark matter (Aftermath), and then immersing his total imagination into a limpid pool of quiet resolution, vulnerability and stilled joy (One Last Try). His opening of the piece has a fleeting reminiscence of Vince Guaraldi's "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" and throughout he maintains an aura of elusive, lilting, deep contentment.

Romain Collin is a young pianist and composer with a vision that reaches deeply within himself, boldly probes far beyond music's natural horizons, and expresses what he finds, feels and sees with an amazingly clear purpose and conviction.

Track Listing: Storm; The Calling; Runner's High; Stop This Train; Burn Down; Pennywise The Clown; Greyshot; Strange; Nica's Dream; Airborne; Aftermath; One Last Try.

Recorded by Meredith McCandless at Flux Studio.
Additional recording by Jeremy Loucus.

Mixed by Nicolas Farmakalidis.

Mastered by Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound.

An Intimate Evening With Pianist Romain Collin...

2012-08-13T18:04:00.003-07:00

Jazz Pianist Romain Collin

On Sunday June 3, 2012, pianist Romain Collin appeared at The Piano Bar in Oakland, California for a solo performance. Collin's new CD "The Calling" was being received in the world of jazz with solid enthusiasm and high praise. This special appearance gave the small, but appreciative crowd an intimate look into the extraordinary, creative mind, and swelling talent of this young ascending jazz pianist, who, on this occasion, had at his disposal a magnificent Grand Fazoli Piano.

The Fazoli Grand Piano is considered the luxury piano of choice for serious artists. Though designed for large spaces, and formidably compatible with large-capacity concert halls, on this occasion, Collin was able, in the intimacy of The Piano Bar, to capture its best qualities and awesome "sound" in a way that augmented his selection of material and produced a memorable event.

Rollin admitted at the beginning of the program that he deliberately did not pre-plan a playlist because he desired the experience to flow from a supreme, naked sense of spontaneity. It turned out to be a refreshing and effective approach to adopt in the presence of a small appreciative room with a fantastic Fazoli Grand Piano at his fingertips. This interesting bit of information had the effect of creating a feeling of suspense and expectation in the audience. The first selection unfolded freely, as he put it, "one sound at a time," it felt distinctly classical, achingly arresting, as Collin searched out each note with the demeanor of a jeweler with a keen eye for the most brilliant diamond in a mound of gemstones. The room was attentive, relaxed, and quiet. Collin paused slightly, as though awaiting a thought, and with the slightest movement began to play the title track of his new album: The Calling. He explained later that he particularly enjoyed playing this piece solo, as opposed to a trio setting because it creates more space, and greater dynamics, allowing the left hand arpeggios running beneath the melody to provide almost perfect rhythmic and harmonic support.

The second selection was again free and developed into an uncluttered, thought-composed, almost melodic piece that flowed cleanly out through Collin's precise technique. Like a creeping dawn, Collin's inner vision and his comfort with the Fazoli grand began to take shape in his composition, "Great Ocean Road," written for sculptor, painter, jeweler Sydney Cash's light sculpture exhibition, and jazzy art project at The Falcon in New York City.

Never one to overlook good old fashioned inspiration, and always prepared to seize the opportunity, as he did on a flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco, iPod in hand, Collin turned to the tradition of the great singer songwriters Bob Dylan and Neil Young for another one of his compositions, with a country-like captivating flavor, intensely reprising its main theme to achieve a natural end which was accented by the crystal-like resonance of the piano's perfect 'highs' and 'lows.'

And then came the highlight of the evening's performance. The centerpiece. One of Collin's favorite standards: George and Ira Gerschwin's 1926 classic "Someone To Watch Over Me.". It weaved its way out of the depths of his heart and cascaded over the now captured room like a soothing, refreshing spring wind. Alluring. Melodic. Recognizable. Simple in musical architecture; but exquisite in its gossamer-like intimacy and emotional equity. It intoxicated the room with nostalgia while Collin's searching fingers suspended the audience in thought, and then set them down again with feather-like grace and silent relish.

Romain Collin closed the evening's performance with another original composition "One Last Try," which is also featured as the closing piece on his new CD: The Calling. He played it with a profound sense of joy and satisfaction, which I'm sure was equally felt by his audience. As a pianist, Collin is well schooled in the canons of Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal and Errol Garner. As a composer he work is limpid, sophisticated and visionary. All together he remains utterly accessible.

Observing Collin's reactions to his own playing, one gets the impression of a well trained, consummate professional with an unrestricted awareness of the ever rising tide of musical ideas swirling deep inside him; emerging with purity and sensitivity in the form of a compelling, gripping exhibition of pianism that is communicated to his audience with clarity and purpose.

Tony Monaco: CELEBRATION - LIFE . LOVE . MUSIC

2012-08-12T15:55:00.001-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz

Label: Chicken Coup Records

Musicians: Tony Monaco - B3 organ, vocals; Jason Brown - drums; Derek DiCenzo - guitar; Ken Fowler - saxophone; Reggie Jackson - drums; Asako Itoh - vocals; Mary McClendon - lead vocals.

Vocals: Columbus Choir Singers: Vicki Saunders, Debra James Tucker, Tia Harris-Roseboro.

Tuscia in Jazz Vocal Singers under Shawn Monteiro, Soriano Italy: Mariangela Cofone, Alessia Scrunia, Serena Diodati, Gisella Ferrarin, Evgenia Karlafti, Monica Olivieri, Claudia Piantini, Rossella Rainone, Monica Testa.

CFS, The School at Church Farm High School Music Choir under the direction of Lou Spagnola and Gary Gress; Exton, PA.

CD Review: For anyone who truly gets turned on by a funky, soulful, exciting jazz organ; is able to recognize and appreciate a master purveyor of this craft; then B3 organ phenom, Tony Monaco's new release "CELEBRATION" will fit the bill nicely; it is a musical monster of originality, passion, energy, rousing emotions, wholly scorched by a conflagration of varied, excellent talents. As it turns out, CELEBRATION" is Monaco's first studio recording in six years, and from its expressions of joy, enthusiasm, resolution, thanks and praise , this date has all the qualities for landmark status. A status to be informed and endorsed by Tony Monaco's prodigious compositional output. On this double CD which contains 23 original tracks, he composed a stunning 21.

Tony Monaco has a lot to be thankful for, and celebration does seem appropriate. He shows that he is a person of unquestionable character with his unselfish desire to share his fortune with friends and fans; and to do so by having a stellar collection of musicians and singers help him to make it a resounding success.

But good music from this exceptional organist has come to be expected, as attested by his critically acclaimed (2000) CD "Burnin' Grooves," on which he collaborated with fellow organist Joey DeFrancesco, and the (2003) Summit Records release, "A New Generation." Now in 2012, there is something different about "Celebration." It has a feeling of such pure clarity of expression, as to be a revelation; a breakthrough of the soul and spirit, and what better way to set himself free than through what he truly loves (besides his family), and is most articulate: Music. Music from the organ that he has been pouring himself out of for over four decades.

Much will be written and said about this new CD along the line of its style, swing, smoldering embers and burn, which certainly can't be denied or overlooked; but there is also present a fiery light that points the way to a profoundly spiritual experience; palpable in the committed efforts of the artists who lend their talents to the venture; and in the process, the strong bridge of satisfaction and exultation, built and extended to the listener.

There is more than enough music on this double CD set; jazz, soul, gospel, rock, rhythm & blues, draped in multiple tempi, differing mood and colors, to arrest the most fickle heart, and move the most stultified imagination. The entire work is like one door leading into two rooms. Room one is disk one: Where the listener gets to meet the Tony Monaco that organ great Jimmy Smith saw when Monaco was only sixteen; inspired, enthusiastic; driven; determined and exciting. On several tracks Monaco is heard with his high octane trio (Reggie Jackson: drums; Derek DiCenzo: guitar) delivering harmonies interlaced with a tautness that can only come from playing many hours and gigs (Indonesian Nights; You Rock My World, with the "wonderful and talented" Asako Itoh on vocal; Called Love; To Be Continued).

Disc two includes contributions from several outstanding talents, notably Joey DeFrancesco: organ; Bruce Forman: guitar; Robert Kraut: guitar; Byron Landham: drums; Donny McCaslin: saxophone; Sarah Morrow: trombone; Ted Quinian: guitar; Kenny Rampton: drums; Vito Rezza: drums; Louis Tsamous: drums. Although the liner notes and playlists do not highlight on which tunes these players appear, there is no doubt about DeFrancesco's fingerprints; there is a palpable, nuanced contrast of styles between these two keyboard giants (each one a disciple of the legendary Jimmy Smith) that adds a fetching layer of funky blues, soul and familiarity that is informed by a thrilling poignancy-and here is where I go out on the limb-(Backward Shack; Ashleen; Taking My Time; Blues For T). But for pure, unadulterated, collective, stretch-limo funk, there's a 12 minute super groove (Slow Down Sagg); which I thought was a great place to bring the show to a close, but the group opted for a bonus (Just Give Thanks and Praise); which in retrospect, was the right thing to do following a "Celebration of Life: Love: Music."

Get Tony Monaco's "Celebration" and take it on a long, long ride!

Track Listing: Disc One: Daddy Oh; Aglio e Olio; Indonesian Nights; Happy Sergio; Unresolved; You Rock My World; Just Give Thanks and Praise; Bull Years; Ninety Five; It's Been So Nice To Be With You; I'll Remember Jimmy; Called Love; To Be Continued.

Disc Two: Acid Wash; Backward Shack; Ya Bay BEE; Ashleen; Katarina's Prayer; Pasta Faggioli; Takin' My Time; Blies For T; Rudy abd the Fox; Slow Down Sagg; Just Give Thanks and Praise.

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Columbus Sound Studios.

A Monaco Production.

Producers: Tony Monaco, Jim Reesor, Darby Christensen.
Engineers: Tony Monaco and Bill Heingartner.
Assistant Engineer: Asako Itoh.

Monaco Productions ASCAP

NEA JAZZ MASTER: Pianist Cedar Walton

2012-05-02T14:53:00.001-07:00

NEA JAZZ MASTER:
Pianist Cedar Walton

Ever since I first heard pianist Cedar Anthony Walton Jr's exciting composition "Mosaic," (with Art Blakey on drums, Freddy Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Curtis Fuller on trombone and Jymie Merritt on bass) I wanted to see him live. I discovered that Cedar Walton was taught the piano by his mother, who also turned him on to pianist Hank Jones, but he insists that he found influential pianists Art Tatum and Nat Cole on his own. Singer Etta Jones, on whose albums he has made several appearances, notably (Save Your Love For Me, 1976; Etta Jones - Timeless; Three Sundays In The Seventies: Live At The Left Bank) described Walton, "...as such a gentleman." This sealed the deal for me.

After a long wait, finally I managed to catch one of his performances at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, Saturday April 29, 2012 at 10:00 P. M. where he appeared with bassist David "Happy" Williams and drummer Willie Jones III.

Cedar Walton is a very gracious person, he is regarded as a versatile pianist with 'a funky touch and cogent melodic sense.' His life is a constant quest for excellence, no doubt fueled by discreet positive traits which have brought him recognition as a National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master, the nation's highest honor in jazz.

Today Cedar Walton enjoys an iconic stature in Jazz, from his peers and his many music fans. His elevation to this plateau has not come without many decades of "paying dues." In the process, he has met professional challenges, made prudent career adjustments, as music preferences, and public tastes and appetites have dictated, but he has always remained uncompromising on the core values and deep belief in himself that have shaped him from the moment he decided to go to New York in 1955, not only to get out of Texas, where he was born, but to expand his artistic consciousness, and give full vent to his prodigious creative energy.

From 1961 - 1964, Walton was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, trumpeters Freddy Hubbard and Lee Morgan. He also led groups that included, tenor saxophonists Clifford Jordan, George Coleman, trumpeter Ralph Moore, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Billy Higgins.

During the 1970s Cedar Walton led the funk group Sound Scapes that toured the USA, Europe and Japan. The following decade, he became a member of the Timeless All Stars, which included tenor saxophonist Harold Land, vibraharpist Bobby Hutcherson, trombonist Curtis Fuller, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Higgins.

Currently Walton is regarded as one of the most influential jazz pianist in the genre, to that must be added: "And one of its most gracious and respected survivors." He tours, plays his special brand of sophisticated jazz music and spreads affecting joy where ever he lends his spirit.

Drummer Willie Jones III

Drummer Willie Jones III is a world class drummer/percussionist whose playing, though impellent, is decidedly refined. His playing displays a keen sense of time, an innovative deployment of swing, with an appealing chic that eschews overplaying. His influences are Art Blakey, Philly "Joe" Jones and Billy Higgins. Jones has played with many of the top jazz personalities, most notably, vibraharpist Milt Jackson, pianist/composer/bandleader Horace Silver, trumpeters Arturo Sandoval, Roy Hargrove, tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and singer Kurt Elling.

Bassist David "Happy" Williams

Bassist David "Happy" Williams was born in Trinidad. His father, John "Buddy" Williams who also played bass, led a very popular Calypso Orchestra in Trinidad during the 1950's and early 60's. David Williams' playing carries with it a unique melodic, lilting, bounce from his early Calypso exposure and influence that has made him an important fit in the music of 70's R&B artists Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, trumpeter Donald Byrd, flugelhornist/composer Chuck Mangione, saxophonist George Coleman, drummers Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, multi-instrumentalist Ornette Coleman and many, many others. Go to the link below, to hear David "Happy" Williams' father, John "Buddy" Williams' Trinidad Calypso Orchestra play their big late 1950s hit "She 'Pun Top" (This tune was a favorite dance tune for Calypso lovers in the Caribbean). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qilHUzGKFUY&feature=related

Cedar Walton and the trio opened the show with a swinging blues (Louis' Blues) with Walton setting a quick pace, that was picked up by bassist David Williams who gave a glimpse of this Caribbean roots by way of an early quote of Sonny Rollins' (St. Thomas) among his other "happy" moments when it looked like he might break out in a Calypso dance as he played. But it was just an inspirational lead in to "cool" world class drummer Willie Jones Jr. III who peppered the swing with sustained rhythmic elegance and drive until Walton took over and moved the groove to an end.

After the applause, Walton promised more magic, "...this time we'd like to turn to the compositional skills of the late, great Billy Strayhorn...starting with "Lush Life," continuing with "Daydream" and finally "Raincheck." "Lush Life" was painted by Walton's piano in easy swinging, straight ahead colors against engaging, bopish repeating bass patterns by Williams, that gave the tune a hip, modern feel. They then swung "Daydream" with Walton's piano mixing some Calypso-sounding riffs into the thought stream, and Williams' bass answering with quick lyrical emulations. On "Raincheck," Willie Jones III definitely made his presence felt with hints of the influence of drummer Billy Higgins. He is not outwardly ebullient or animated as Higgins, but is pacing, timing and sensitivity were not at issue. Williams has very quick hands that at times turn his drumsticks into a flitting blur. He produces an array of rhythmic patterns using his entire drum kit with a cool, appointed, surgical precision.

When Walton meandered carefully into Guy Wood and Robert Mellin's (My One And Only Love), a song that demands a slow tempo, he played with the poignant sparkle and cool appeal of Nat Cole; each note expressing lingering desire and care so convincingly that a sea arms began to drape themselves around shoulders in the room, and a beguiling far-away look descended like twilight over many an eye, as Jones' immaculate brushes added an extra layer of delicate charm to the mood, allowing Williams perfect space to lift the tune's melody out of his bass and entertain the crowd with his impeccable technique.

Walton loves to play the blues, and he always has that special, satisfying, swinging tempo, that fits perfectly, right at his fingertips, as he did on (Braymon's Blues), setting a steady hard bop pace that showed the musical thoroughbred quality of this exceptional rhythm section; and it was the perfect cue for the musical highlights of the evening's performance: (Dear Ruth), a song Walton dedicated to his mother, which Walton played with easy-swinging, melodic lyricism. Ruth must have been a caring mother; the tune embodied that feeling in the quiet pride and reserved joy heard in Walton's playing; Williams and Jones joining him with touching sensitivity and personal interest. To savor the warmth lingering from "Dear Ruth," Walton turned to Arthur Johnson and Sam Coslow's (My Old Flame), casting the tune in a cooling glow that hard wired the trio of players and their performance in my collective consciousness as unforgettable.

The final selection of the show was a tune written by Walton and recorded at Yoshi's during one of his past visits (Iron Clad). "Iron Clad" featured some wonderful, good old-fashioned Walton piano, and turned into an iron clad case for bassist David Williams to return to his strong Caribbean roots and harvest one of his strongest bass showing of the night. He engaged Walton's piano in a note-for-note, beat-for-beat rhythmic dance driven by infectious Calypso energy and colors that Williams relished, taking his bass into a deep melodic, sweltering body-shaker.

Two of the lasting impressions of the music of Cedar Walton, are its sophistication, and the level of poise he achieves in its execution. You are never disappointed or dissatisfied with his playing. He is forever show ready!

Lisa Marie Baratta: Summertime Jazz

2012-04-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz

Label: DKS Productions

Musicians: Don Turney - piano; John Hettel - bass; Andrew Eberhard - drums (Tracks 1 - 9)
Live Recording with the CA Pops Orchestra (Tracks 10 - 11)

Review: Thelonious Monk would have loved the way multi-instrumentalist Lisa Marie Baratta plays. Monk always exhorted his musicians to "...play the melody." On Baratta's new CD: "Summertime Jazz," one of the hallmarks of her performance is her unflinching, uncompromising, beautiful playing of the melody on each selection. Immediately, this sets her apart from many instrumentalists populating the jazz genre, and imbues her music with invigorating freshness and singular modernity.

A soulful rendition of Irving Gordon's (Unforgettable) opens "Summertime Jazz." Baratta shines on alto saxophone. Her approach is nourished with a simplicity that is perfectly underscored by Don Turney's flowing, eloquent piano. Making the case that she is neither staid or bland in musical concept, Baratta alternates between alto and flute to renew Consuelo Velazquez's timeless (Besame Mucho) to a danceable bolero-flavored gem, wrapping imaginatively designed, free-flowing colors around the body of the melody.

Pianist Don Turney

When Baratta swings (Fly Me To The Moon; Autumn Leaves), she is like a bird in flight on the flute, effortlessly negotiating a flight path that takes it through a sequence of deft maneuvers that fit seamlessly into nature's dynamic interlace and enhances its design; or she can make the alto saxophone soar like an eagle riding powerful mountain-top wind currents, as only a bird of prey is able (Summertime), carried gracefully on the wind beneath its wings; not buffeting or sporadic; but steady and sure as John Hettel's deep, reaching, melodic bass, its meter reflected in the measured cadence of Andrew Eberhard's drums, while the breathtaking landscape beneath unfurls out of George Gershwin's classic melody.

Bassist John Hettel

Proving that she is confident and capable in the jazz canon, she enters that of master composer Horace Silver, flute in hand, and reprises, with its original bossa nova flair, one of his most notable tunes (Song For My Father), that is easily the most emotionally charged, memorable, and melody-rich that the trio collectively performs. As far as confidence and capability go, Baratta shows both in the dark alto colors she chooses to open the Brazilian classic (Black Orpheus), she is helped considerably by Hettel's cimmerian bass figures. As a contrast, Don Turney offers a bright rhythmic Latin counter melody, followed by a funky piano solo that Baratta's soprano saxophone then matches in tone to demonstrate her stunning versatility and control on the reeds.

For couples who find Bill Withers' often requested 'wedding song' (Just The Two Of Us) irresistible, or those who still can't get the hit instrumental version by Grover Washington Jr. out of their heads, Barrata's limpid flute is sure to bring back memories of a time filled with happiness.

Drummer Andrew Eberhard

To end the date, Lisa Marie Baratta joins the CA Pops Orchestra on clarinet in a live performance of Benny Goodman's 1935 thriller (Let's Dance), she leaves no doubt about her heavyweight status in a large ensemble; that she can swing like a door; and as far as spontaneous, free-flowing improvising goes, she nailed it! Finally she featured the alto saxophone with lush symphonic accompaniment on Earl Hagen and Dick Roger 1939 jazz standard (Harlem Nocturne), painting it with attractive film-noir accents that captured the mood, mystery, atmosphere and color suggested in the song's title, to thunderous applause.

There's undoubtably more to come from Lisa Marie Baratta in the future. But what a great jazz CD to begin "Summertime!"

Track Listing: Unforgettable; Besame Mucho; Fly Me To The Moon; Summertime; Song For My Father; When I Fall In Love; Autumn Leaves; Black Orpheus; Just The Two Of Us; Let's Dance; Harlem Nocturne.

Produced by Don Turney
DKS Productions, Hayward, California.

http://lisamarie.baratta.com/
lisamarie@baratta.com

Gene Ess - A Thousand Summers: Featuring Vocalist Nicki Parrott

2012-04-27T23:25:00.005-07:00

Year: 2012

Style; Jazz

Label: SIMP Records

Musicians: Gene Ess - guitar; James Weidman - piano; Thomas Kneeland - bass; Gene Jackson - drums; Nicki Parrott - vocals.

Review: Gene Ess is a virtuosic jazz guitarist who knows precisely how he wants his music to sound and feel. On his new CD Gene Ess: "A Thousand Summers," he shows that he knows exactly how to achieve what he wants. Though serendipity played a salient role in influencing a key creative decision and fostered a pivotal change in musical concept, his selection of musicians for this date tells how keenly his artistic sensibilities are tuned. Ess has drumming sensation Gene Jackson anchoring his rhythm section. The incendiary Jackson was last heard lighting up the CD New York Standards Quartet: "Unstandard," (A&R Challenge Records, 2011), alike Manhattan's magic night skyline. Also in this high-powered aggregation is bassist-to-watch, Thomson Kneeland, and exciting pianist James Weidman; all in all, a group that sounds as good, as it looks on paper.

Dwelling a little on serendipity and goal certitude, reveals how a performance by Ess at the Blue Note in NYC with a singer, triggered a shift in creative trajectory from his general penchant for featuring his instrumental compositions, to "an album from me that includes a singer" (Ess). In this case, not just any singer, but a veteran of the NYC Jazz scene; an accomplished musician who had worked with iconic guitarist Les Paul, and who also, as Ess says, "plays a mean bass and I needed a singer that can nail it in one or two takes in real time." The featured vocalist: Nicki Parrott.

There is another side to this CD that cannot be overlooked or dismissed. The tunes selected by Ess are, in his words: "timeless and some of the most beautiful melodies I know." He has opened the songbooks of renowned writers: Rogers and Hart; Cole Porter; Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer; Gordon Jenkins; Michel Legrand and jazz composers Thelonious Monk, Nat Adderley and Joe Sample.

L - R: Thomson Kneeland - bass;
Gene Jackson - drums;
Nicki Parrott - vocal;
Gene Ess - guitar;
James Weidman - piano.

Although the music selected by Ess and his band are beautiful melodies, their arrangements are novel, challenging, and at times complex, but Ess does not lose sight of, or abandon swing; and that is how the date begins, with Rogers and Harts popular song, delightfully arranged by Thomson Kneeland (I Didn't Know What Time It Was). Ess's guitar supplies a bright rhythmic bounce that draws you in, and Kneeland gets in a solid bass solo to support Nicki Parrott's swaying vocal. Parrott sings with a Blossom Dearie-like compelling innocence, vulnerability and resignation that paint the hurt and sadness in Joe Sample's (One Day I'll Fly Away) and Thelonious Monk's (Looking Back (Reflections)) with such meaning, it's as if she had lived the words.

A definite highlight of the CD plays out in the differing arranging styles of Gene Ess and bassist Thomson Kneeland that color the music's emotional character. Each arranged five tunes. Two of Kneeland's arrangements are standouts, Cole Porter's (So In Love) and Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer's (Charade), and seem to represent expressions of a vibrant arranging personality in the harmonies and changing tempi, with attendant complexities, quirks and changes heard in the angularity and jaggedness from Ess's guitar and Jackson's drums; but there is rationality at the core in Parrott's always clear interpretation of the lyric. Another aspect of Kneeland's arranging forte is unveiled in the way the rhythm section works together (Looking Back (Reflections)), with a brooding Ess guitar, Kneeland's slightly dark bass line, and James Weidman's searching piano; Gordon Jenkins' (Goodbye) lays itself out, lilting but sad, retrospective, resigned, entirely felt in Parrott's tender yielding to the ensemble's cool energy.

Ess's arrangements are more melodic, with space for distinct harmonies, pronounced swing and less angularity (One Day I'll Fly Away). Jazz composer Nat Adderley's (The Old Country) is usually offered as a bitter-sweet lament, but Ess shows sparkling creativity with a swinging upbeat arrangement with lots of real estate for a fine James Weidman extended piano solo, impeccable brush work from Gene Jackson, and Nicki Parrott nailing it every time, first time, as Jackson's drums and Ess's guitar engage in one of their rhythmic reminiscences that go all the way back to 1995. (All Or Nothing At All) emerges as one of Ess's most varied and complex arrangements, with its dark guitar intro that leads into a swinging Parrott vocal, driven by hard bop rhythms, punctuated by two daring, off-the-floor improvisational solos, first by Ess on guitar, and then by pianist James Weidman that morph into Ess's initial dark guitar chords to end the tune. (East Of The Sun) is organized for Ess's guitar, Weidman's piano, Kneeland's bass, Jackson's drums and Parrott's reading of the lyric to knit together some of the most bopish textures of the date.

Gene Ess ends "A Thousand Summers" with a virtuosic guitar performance (a la Julian Bream,) accompanying the sultry voice of Nicki Parrott on Michel Legrand's nostalgic and classic song from the French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. A perfect frame for a date that contained a thousand pleasures.

Track Listing: I Didn't Know What Time It Was; One Day I'll Fly Away; So In Love; The Old Country; Charade; East Of The Sun; Looking Back (Reflections); All Or Nothing At All; Goodbye; I Will Wait For You.

Produced by Gene Ess

Recording Engineer: Jim Clouse
Recorded at ParkWest Studio, Brooklyn, NYC
Mixed by Jim Clouse and Gene Ess
Mastering Engineer: Gene Ess
Mastered at Garbanzo II Studio Queens, NYC

Executive Producer: Gene Ess

Album dedicated to Ryo

www.jazzgenemusic.com
email: gene@jazzgenemusic.com

SIMProductions
607 Onderdonk Avenue, Suite 1
Ridgewood, NY 11385

Kate McGarry In San Francisco

2012-04-22T12:34:00.034-07:00

As part of the San Francisco Jazz Spring Season 2012, Kate McGarry and her band mates made an appearance at the Swedish American Hall, 2174 Market Street, San Francisco, California on April 20, 2012 for an 8:00 P. M. performance. McGarry was accompanied by Keith Gantz - guitar; Gary Verace - organ; Clarence Penn - drums & percussion.

Song Stylist Kate McGarry

Considering that the Swedish American Hall is not ideally equipped acoustically for music concerts of the type that McGarry and the band performed, the show was well attended and impressive. Judging from the reaction of the audience, who were attentive and engaged throughout the show, McGarry and her band should feel very gratified with their performance and reception. In spite of the venue's obvious shortcomings, they took the show forward as consummate professionals must.

I observed Keith Gantz on several occasions work to get the right sound and balance for his guitar, and somehow always managed to achieve the results he wanted. Clarence Penn was the ultimate percussionist, I hesitate to say "drummer," because on this night, he astutely, nimbly, modulated his attack from cat's paw-like shimmerings of sound, to thunderous explosions of rhythm that best suited the mood and the Hall's physical features; he is a show all by himself that is pregnant with animation and glorious expressions of boundless energy. His conversations with McGarry in the jazz idiom were priceless. McGarry wonderfully controlled the energy level and direction of the evening's entertainment, completely captivating the room so disarmingly, that she admitted at one point feeling as though "...she was up here (on stage), and down there (in the crowd) with you." Gary Versace's organ enjoyed the most perfect fit of all in the Chapel-like acoustics. Overall, collective, peerless musicianship prevailed, and a performance worthy in quality, content, execution and style of any night at Carnegie Hall, or Lincoln Center overtook the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco.

Guitarist Keith Gantz

McGarry and the band performed most of the songs on their CD "Girl Talk" with the same (I'm tempted to say identical) emotional magic, conspicuous glow, deep feeling and joy stored on the CD. Starting with the Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer evergreen "Charade," the group then swung through "I Just Found Out About Love," behind one of the night's many fine Versace organ solos. In the absence of Kurt Elling, McGarry took on "O Cantador," explaining first that it was a tune she liked singing alone, and was a song about a singer who must go to a different place each day and sing songs chosen by life, about love, joy, life and death. This set the mood for one of the tunes enthusiastically received by the audience, the lamentable "We Kiss In A Shadow." But it was the "wrist slasher" (McGarry's term), "The Man I Love" with its roiling, tortured lyric of 'waiting' and 'longing,' and its deeply sentimental ending that seemed to get to the room at its deepest emotional level. However, McGarry's deliberate, charmingly wised up and deliciously hip rendition of the CDs title track "Girl Talk," emboldened by a great Keith Gantz guitar solo, and another Versace organ gem, really got under the skin of the audience in a way that they could easily relate.

Somehow McGarry found the energy and enthusiasm, after a gruelling cross-country flight to San Francisco, to perform such an extended program, which also included two songs sung in Portuguese. A deeply emotional song on which she was accompanied by Gantz's beautiful solo guitar. She treated the audience to "Ten Little Indians" a song she wrote about her childhood and remembrances of her parents. A folk song written by a friend who "had a decision to make," also was sung, plus one of James Taylor's compositions (which she has not recorded yet), called "Lines." For good measure, she reached into Harry Warren's wonderful songbook and pulled out his poignant, "This Heart of Mine." She also found time for Cole Porter's swinging "Get Out Of Town," a real crowd pleaser.

Organist Gary Versace

McGarry moves easily, almost nonchalantly, between the folk, pop and jazz genres, an as she does, she uses her body language and the microphone deftly to draw both the audience and her band mates into her performance. She relates to her audience like a good lover; direct, reassuring, humorous, never predictable, and always with a smiling comeback that speaks to the heart. It is striking not only to hear her sing, but to actually see how she sings; how she effortlessly negotiates her pitch range with faultless intonation; not faltering or careening out of her depth; always finding ways to turn words and phrases with delightful surprise.

Drummer/percussionist
Clarence Penn

Today's CD recordings arrive with all the requisites for enjoyment "cooked" in: Excitement, suspense, tension and release, ambiance, mood changes, modulated tempi, energy, fantastic aural colors, to name some. Whatever needs to be added to the experience can be done digitally by enterprising, imaginative recording engineers, producers, mixers, and technicians. This has conditioned the music lover to expect a mirror-copy of the CD from live performances. In some music genres, artists resort to elaborate pyrotechnics, noisy distractions and down right musical legerdemain (lip-syncing) to bridge this gap. Not so the folk or jazz artist, they must live or die inside of that 'cruel space' that extends between the microphone and the audience. Many artists can paint the pictures, and tell the stories in that space that induce excitement and festive gaiety, but few possess the 'tools' to explain the meaning of the stories they tell, or the pictures they paint: the meaning of the art form they represent, the art itself; of love; of 'the blues'; of life. Kate McGarry is one of the rare artists who brings to her performance, the passion and the will to reveal that meaning in word, song and deed.

Kate McGarry: "Girl Talk"

2012-04-19T18:30:00.017-07:00

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz/Folk

Label: Palmetto Records

Musicians: Kate McGarry - vocals; Keith Gantz - guitars; Gary Versace - organ and piano; Reuben Rogers - bass; Clarence Penn - drums and percussion.

Special Guest : Kurt Elling - vocal on track 5 (O Cantodor)

Review: A straight ahead music CD produced by an artist in "admiration and gratitude for our strong lineage of visionary jazz women" (McGarry), arrives with great expectations. If it is to stand on its own, and endure the scrutiny of the zealous protectors of the tradition; then it is imperative that it satisfies some basic requirements. For instance, the artist ought to be uniquely talented, committed to the project, enjoy broad audience appeal, and more importantly, possess impeccable timing.

Kate McGarry's new CD "Girl Talk" puts on display her unique talent, appeal and commitment to making this project a triumph. The Nashville Scene extols McGarry as a rare artist who "embraces jazz'z freedom yet points the genre toward a future that's as fresh and thrilling as its past." The New York Times summed up her 2008 CD, "If Less Is More, Nothing Is Everything" as "astute and sensitive." This leaves timing, which is everything; but McGarry has powerful developments in the genre working in her favor. Ever increasing numbers of new, exciting, enthusiastic, well trained artists are committing their time and ideas to jazz; re-discovering vast musical and inspirational treasures in the canons, catalogs and songbooks of iconic jazz masters; infusing new genre-rejuvenating vitality into the arteries of jazz; having an ameliorating effect on its general health; and clearing space for the art form to continue growing and thriving.

Additionally, with the advent of stunning sound improvements in recording technology, plus revolutionary marketing strategies that are ferreting out new audiences all across the world wide web, essentially a widening of the 'timing-dynamic window,' is allowing artists such as Kate McGarry to look out and target increasing multitudes of hungry music lovers. All of which points to lots of listening and talk; In this case "Girl Talk."

Two central emotional planks supporting "Girl Talk" are the recognition and acknowledgement of strong, assertive, independent, compelling women in jazz music, or as McGarry states, women "singing at a time in our nation's history when women's voices and dreams were still so easily silenced or devalued"; and the unquenchable thirst for social justice. In the first track on the CD (We Kiss in a Shadow), McGarry addresses both with folkish poignancy, she projects quiet independence and assertiveness in selecting this love song, originally soaked in fear, from Rogers and Hammerstein's 1951 "The King and I," to bring awareness of the social injustice and trampling of the civil rights of the New Jersey student who jumped off the George Washington in 2010 after being outed, as gay. She is perfectly accompanied by an elegant piano played by Gary Versace, who is consciously in sync with the depth of feeling the song emotes.

McGarry establishes seriousness and sincerity by eschewing the 'easy' trap of reprising the vocal style of any of the singers that she so admires. Instead she let's her own "sweet-toned" (Nashville Scene) voice respond to the lyrics of the top drawer song writers she chose: Rogers and Hammerstein; Neil Hefty; the Gershwins; Harry Warren; Vincent Youmans; Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini; adding inscrutable cachet, and enviable modernity to her performance.

McGarry's exploration of the rooms, both emotional and musical, that contained the potent siren songs of her beloved jazz singer-mothers, presents a balanced set of choices, moods, colors and styles. She becomes starkly sultry on the title track (Girl Talk), imbuing the lyric with silver-edged elocution and an attractive lyrical gait, much like Carmen McCrae. She induces a settled growl into the song's background from Gary Versace's organ, informing her willowy interpretation with hip believability.

Though McGary astutely avoids categorizing her singing style, and insists that she does not consider herself "a traditional jazz singer per se," it was evident when she entered that room (I Just Found Out About Love) where she developed her organic vocal style through early training with legendary jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp; not only was she a jazz singer, but she "liked it!" It showed in her vivacity and the way band swung the tune. On Harry Warren's not often heard (This Heart of Mine) and Savitt & Watson's (It's A Wonderful World) she employs sparse backing to deliver delicious, jazzy interpretations like a seasoned traditional jazz singer.

Whatever she is, McGarry is at her quintessential best painting with the colors of emotion and hurt (The Man I Love). Taking on this Gershwing classic, she tortuously creates an excruciatingly painful mood, then deliberately picks it apart with detailed torment and pathos as Gary Versace's deep-water organ-burble forms warped ripples underneath the 'longing' and 'waiting' in her voice; pushing it over the edge to unendurable agony.

Singer Kurt Elling

The appearance of singer Kurt Elling, and the pairing of his voice with McGarry's, adds exotic elegance and a contemporaneous frame to the date in keeping with the intent of the CD. Keith Gantz's guitar adding authentic Brazilian flavor to the convincing duet. Elling, who is the heavyweight in his class at the moment, and McGarry might find that "This Could Be the Start of Something Big."

McGarry emerges as a rare artist with a penetrating intuitive sense, modulated by opportune timing, driven by an innate desire to make change through bold action. Not surprisingly these are qualities that have shaped her personality going back to her college years, and as a natural consequence, have become essential themes that recur and pervade throughout the body of her work. She sings her kinds of songs, in a style built from her feet up, that ooze with beyond-her-years good solid judgement, and one of a kind vocal talent refined with improvisational skills and a breezy fluency in the idiom that adds power and refreshing appeal to "Girl Talk."

McGarry cites Sarah Vaughn, Betty Carter, Anita O'Day, Shirley Horn, Nina Simone, Elis Regina, Sheila Jordan, Irene Kral and Abbey Lincoln, as esteemed, compelling voices in "detailing the struggles and triumphs of their lives and journeys." I would respectfully like to add to her list a titan, (much removed from McGarry's) sphere of instruction; Bessie Smith, one of the toughest and most influential women in music: In my opinion, her true legacy resides somewhere in the account of her dealings with the feared Ku Klux Klan; she shot at them, and they ran!

Track Listing: We Kiss In A Shadow; Girl Talk; I Just Found Out About Love; The Man I Love; O Cantador; This Heart Of Mine; I Know That You Know; Looking Back; Charade; It's A Wonderful World.

Produced by Keith Gantz
Co-Produced by Kate McGarry

Recorded at Maggie's Farm by Matt Balitsaris
Additional recording done at Sound Pure Studios, Durham, NC
Engineered by Jason Richmond

Kurt Elling vocal recorded at Sean Swinney Studios, NYC
Engineered by Sean Swinney
Mixed by Keith Gantz at Tripniplicus Studios, Durham, NC
Mastered by Gene Paul at G & J Audio

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