DB1608

August 2016
VOLUME 83 / NUMBER 8
President Kevin Maher

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Jack Maher, President 1970-2003

John Maher, President 1950-1969
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4 DOWNBEAT AUGUST 2016
AUGUST 2016
AUGUSTA SAGNELLI
ON THE COVER
20 Randy Weston
Hall of Fame
BY TED PANKEN
On the occasion of his induction

into the DownBeat Hall of Fame,
and about a month after his 90th
birthday, the pianist spoke of his
life and career while following
his usual practice of stating a
central motif, then fleshing it
50
out with theme-and-variations of
increasing complexity and depth.
FEATURES Anat Cohen tops the Clairnet category of the 64th Annual Critics Poll. See page 50
for a complete listing of this years results.
26 Hoagy Carmichael Cover photo of Randy Weston shot by Jimmy and Dena Katz at The New School in New York City on April 27.
Veterans Committee Hall
of Fame
BY JOHN MCDONOUGH vie
w
vie
w
Re + Re +
tar + tar +
30 Vijay Iyer 5-S ++
+
5-S ++
+
Jazz Artist
BY DAN OUELLETTE
34 Robert Glasper
Keyboard
BY DAN OUELLETTE
36 Top Jazz Albums 68 Carla Bley 68 Eli Degibri 70 Warren Wolf 74 Hilary Kole
38 Top Historical Albums

40 Kamasi Washington
Jazz Album, Rising Star Jazz 47 Grace Kelly DEPARTMENTS
Artist, Rising Star Tenor Rising Star Alto Saxophone
BY PHILLIP LUTZ 8 First Take 86 Pro Session
Saxophone By Romain Collin
BY JOSEF WOODARD 48 Luques Curtis
10 Chords & Discords 88 Transcription
44 Christine Jensen Rising Star Bass Jeff Coffin Tenor
Rising Star Arranger, Rising BY TED PANKEN
13 The Beat Saxophone Solo
Star Big Band 49 Liberty Ellman 90 Toolshed
BY PHILLIP LUTZ Rising Star Guitar 65 Reviews 94 Jazz On Campus
46 Marquis Hill BY BILL MILKOWSKI
Rising Star Trumpet 50 Complete Critics 84 Master Class 98 Blindfold Test

BY JAMES HALE Poll Results By Caroline Davis Dan Weiss

First Take BY BOBBY REED
TED WILLIAMS/ICONIC IMAGES

DownBeat Hall of Famer Randy Weston in a recording studio, circa 1957
Enshrining the Giants

WITH THIS ISSUE, WE PROUDLY WELCOME RANDY WESTON AND
Hoagy Carmichael (18991981) into the DownBeat Hall of Fame.
As longtime readers of our magazine know, there are three ways that
an artist can gain entry into the hallowed Hall: via the Readers Poll, the
Critics Poll or the DownBeat Veterans Committee, whose job is to honor
elite musicians who, for various reasons, have little chance of being elect-
ed by the readers or by the general Critics Poll.
Weston, a pianist who stands tall in both the figurative and literal
sense, was voted in via the Critics Poll. (Complete results in all catego-
ries begin on page 50.) For more than 60 years, Weston has traveled the
world, playing innovative, expressive music that illustrates the connec-
tions between jazz and older musical forms that originated in Africa.
Weston has expanded the boundaries for jazz, and he remains a popular
draw on the festival circuit. This summer he will play the Montreux Jazz
Festival in Switzerland (July 2) and the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in
New York City (August 27). At the youthful age of 90, Weston continues
to make music that entertains, inspires and educates listeners.
Our other inductee, songwriter Hoagland Howard Hoagy
Carmichael, was elected by the Veterans Committee. See John
McDonoughs insightful essay on page 26 to learn more about the com-
poser of such standards as Stardust, Georgia On My Mind, Rockin
Chair and Lazy River.
The history of Skylark (composed by Carmichael with lyrics by
Johnny Mercer) reveals the enduring quality of his compositions. That
tune has been recorded by everyone from Anita ODay to Glenn Miller to
Bob Dylan, who croons it on his latest album, Fallen Angels.
If you want to see a fine example of Hoagys work as an actor and
musician in a compelling film, check out 1950s Young Man with a Horn.
Theres a haunting, unforgettable scene of Hoagys character (Smoke)
glancing back at the depot as his train pulls out of the station. That
scene gets to me every time.
On film, on record, and now as a member of the DownBeat Hall of
Fame, Hoagy Carmichael will live forever. DB

Chords Discords
Miles Enduring Aura rection of jazzfrom the mediocre state its in
I recently purchased a copy of The Miles now to the glory and magic that it was when
Davis Reader and on page 301 I read Fred people like Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Lester
Bouchards review of Miles album Aura, orig- Young and John Coltrane thrilled thousands
inally published in the February 1990 issue of of listeners with music that was almost part of
DownBeat. I read the review while I was listen- another dimension.
ing to the album.
RAMAKUMAR JONES
Would you consider writing a new review FAIRFAX, CALIFORNIA
for this album? Aura is one of my favorite Miles
Davis albums. I read in his autobiography that
Miles called it a masterpiece, and I agree. The
album is influenced by contemporary classical ODays Day?
music, and it holds a unique position in Miles Congratulations, critics: You finally pulled
discography. your heads out of the sand and elected Lee
Unfortunately, the DownBeat review is Konitz into the DownBeat Hall of Fame in the
really negative and the album received only August 2015 issue. The honor was 25 years
2-stars. This album deserves more. late, but what the hell.
Please, write a new review of Aura and
DOWNBEAT ARCHIVES
update its rating. We all change some of our
opinions in time. Its always great to read a re-
view that totally captures the soul of an album.
DR. BILGEHAN BOZKURT
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
LOUIS WALTHALL
Shoulders of Giants
Luis Perdomo I have some thoughts on the growth, histo-
ry and progress of jazz.
Perdomos View
I was a teenager when my father, a good
Reviews, good and bad, are a matter of
amateur jazz pianist, began hiring jazz greats
personal taste, and they dont define an art-
like Hank Jones, Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge Jimmy McPartland (left) and Anita ODay
ists path or musicianship. However, I would
and many others to perform at my familys
like to comment on the 2-star review of my For an encore, you should do the same
home in Connecticut for special parties. Many
CD Montage (Hot Tone Music) in your July is- for Anita ODay, an artistic peer of Billie, Sar-
neighbors were invited to these concert-like
sue. The reviewer, Bob Doerschuk, completely ah, Ella and Carmen. Anita sang her butt off
jazz parties, and the atmosphere and energy
missed the point of the CD and dismissed it her entire career, always in a jazz setting, nev-
was quite exciting and definitely inspiring.
using very questionable arguments. er compromising, until her death on Nov. 23,
I was hearing people like Coleman Haw-
To begin with, he unfavorably compares 2006, at age 87. Shes more deserving than
kins perform in my own living room! I was es-
the CD to a YouTube video of one of my many youve elected.
pecially attracted to pianist Barry Harris, who is
burning solos from a concert with a quintet
almost an enlightened beingat least to me. BRUNO BOIN
14 years ago. These are two completely differ- BVBOIN@GMAIL.COM
Being exposed to this level of musical ge-
ent settings!
nius, I began preparing to become a jazz mu-
I came up under the tutelage of pianists
siciandespite my fathers strong objections.
who emphasized a well-stated melody, tone Seeking a Monk
At 20 years old I moved to Cleveland, Ohio,
quality, voice leading and restraint when Today we get so many albums, so many
to attend Case Western Reserve University. Soon
neededwhich was my main focus when re- forgettable tunes. Theyre played once and
I met and was playing with many good jazz mu-
cording Montage. The albums short incidental never heard again. Where is the next Monk?
sicians there. Some of them, like Pharoah Sand-
pieces were improvised, designed to convey Its been too long since weve had another jazz
ers, Ernie Krivda and Joe Lovano, were already
certain emotions and visual passages related Beethoven.
famous or would later become famous.
to me, and were strategically placed in the
The highlight of my playing in Cleveland ED WALTERS
track sequence to create a storyline. But the NAPLES, FLORIDA
included 12 nights working with Sonny Stitt.
reviewer offered bogus descriptions of them.
Playing with him was by far the greatest, most
Based on Doerschuks use of words and
satisfying music I ever did. Looking back on my
phrases like my guess, perhaps and slen-
time with Sonny, it seems almost like playing Correction
der evidence on which to base any conclu-
jazz in heaven in the presence of God. Due to a production error in the print edition
sions, he should have either chosen not to
Because of these exceptional experienc- of the July issue, the review of the Ralph
write this misleading review, or simply con-
es, I feel a strong need to speak out about Peterson Trio album Triangular III (Onyx/
tacted me and I would have clarified any ques-
the great heritage of jazz. And its why I find Truth Revolution Records) did not include
tions. If, after the clarification, he still disliked
it so disappointing to see a great musician the star rating, which is 4 stars. An updat-
the CD, at least his opinion would have been
like Miles Davis now being remembered as ed review is posted at downbeat.com and
based on correct info, and Id be OK with that.
a commercialized pop star, instead of the more info is at ralphpetersonmusic.com.
In this case, however, I have to call him on
incredibly sensitive and creative jazz soloist
his BS.
that he was in the earlier part of his career. Have a Chord or Discord? Email us at editor@downbeat.com
LUIS PERDOMO
NEW YORK CITY I would love to see a real rebirth and resur- or find us on Facebook & Twitter.

News Views From Around The Music World
The
Inside
14 / Vision Fest
15 / Moers Jazz Fest
16 / Michel Legrand
18 / Vinyl
18 / NEA Jazz
Masters
Unheard Bird WILLIAM P. GOTTLIEB / IRA AND LEONORE S. GERSHWIN FUND

COLLECTION, MUSIC DIVISION, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Presents Newly
Found Tracks
F
ans, scholars and musicians who want to study the work of Charlie
Parker (192055) can now dig into a collection of previously unre-
leased tracks on Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes (Verve/UMe).
The two-disc set, released July 1, includes 58 studio takes recorded by
the alto saxophonist between 1949 and 1952. The set was co-produced by
Phil Schaap, a Parker expert and eminent jazz historian who serves as a
curator for Jazz At Lincoln Center.
The newly discovered takes were found in a cache of materials owned
by a former associate of Norman Granz, the founder of Verve Records and
producer of the sessions. In his liner notes, Schaap provides overview, ses-
sion-by-session history and track-by-track analysis, further illuminating
the creative process of Birds genius.
These previously unknown takes are a blockbuster, providing here- The new album Unheard Bird includes previously unrleased studio takes
that saxophonist Charlie Parker recorded in the period of 194952.
tofore-unheard Bird improvisations, and in high fidelity, Schaap said.
Originally issued on Mercury and Clef, but ultimately housed on
Verve, the original Parker/Granz studio collaborations were conceived to ing of Parkers quintet, referred to as The Golden Era BeBop Five, the only
display Parkers talents in a variety of contexts. These included his four- to Granz-produced recordings by this ensemble. These 14 tracks feature
six-piece ensembles (both working and pickup groups); Latin jazz efforts, Kenny Dorham, Al Haig, Tommy Potter and Max Roach. They are joined
some of which were labeled South of the Border; orchestral projects for four more by trombonist Tommy Turk and conguero Carlos Vidal.
including his masterpieces with strings; standard big band; and Parkers Dizzy Gillespie joins Parker for 10 tracks, along with Thelonious
prescient view of the Third Stream. Monk, Curley Russell and Buddy Rich. The all-Parker program includes
From the Latin side, there are five tracks with Parker as the featured complete run-throughs of An Oscar For Treadwell, Bloomdido and
soloist with Machito and his orchestra. Additionally, there are 13 South Mohawk. A quartet setting brings Hank Jones, Ray Brown and Buddy
of the Border tracks that feature a rhythm section of Walter Bishop, Rich to the bandstand for explorations of the Raye/DePaul gem Star
Teddy Kotick and Roy Haynes or Max Roach, along with Jose Mangual Eyes and Parkers Blues (Fast).
and Luis Miranda on bongos and congas, respectively, joined on a pair by Verve will celebrate its 60th anniversary throughout 2016 with the
trumpeter Benny Harris. release of numerous other historic reissues and new collections from its
Also included are 10 tracks from a Cole Porter project that was never archives. These include recordings by Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Oscar
completed due to Parkers failing health and untimely passing. Backed by Peterson, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Smith,
a big band that included such titans as Oscar Peterson, Freddie Green, Flip Stan Getz and Ella Fitzgerald.
Phillips and Ray Brown, Parker digs into three Porter classics: Night And The new digital collection Verve 60 features 60 tracks by 60 different
Day, What Is This Thing Called Love and Almost Like Being In Love. artists from throughout the labels history, spanning from Fitzgerald and
More than half of the package features Parker in the small-group Peterson through Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock to Diana Krall and
hardcore bop settings for which he was best known. This features a reunit- Christian McBride. DB
AUGUST 2016 DOWNBEAT 13

JACK VARTOOGIAN/FRONTROWPHOTOS
Riffs
COURTESY OF CHICK COREA PRODUCTIONS
Chick Corea
Historic Residency: Chick Corea will

perform the most elaborate birthday Lee Mixashawn Rozie (left), Marc Ribot, Henry Grimes, Chad Taylor and Tomeka
residency in jazz history this fall when he Reid perform during Vision Fest 21 in New York City on June 7.
appears at The Blue Note in New York over

the course of eight consecutive weeks.
The pianist/keyboardist, who turned 75 on Grimes Celebrates Lifetime of
June 12, will celebrate the milestone with
80 live performances from Oct. 19 to Dec.
12. Hell play two shows each night (at 8
Achievement at Vision Festival
p.m. and 10:30 p.m.). The residency, which AS A YOUNG NEW YORK MUSICIAN and Haynes began playing, the bassist walked
will feature at least 15 bands, begins Oct. during the early 1960s, Henry Grimes was at the instruments neck, searching for familiar
1923 with a series of shows by the Chick the epicenter of the then burgeoning avant-gar- ground. He eventually went to his bow, and
Corea Elektric Band, featuring the leader de scene. An active collaborator, the bass- Haynes long notes continued as Cyrille and
on keyboards alongside saxophonist Eric ist recorded or performed with a diverse array Allen cajoled the music into many directions.
Marienthal, guitarist Frank Gambale, bassist of musicians, including Cecil Taylor, Amiri Vocalist Lisa Sokolov led the next ensemble:
John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl. Baraka, Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Pharoah a choir consisting of Karma Mayet Johnson,
That will be followed by an Oct. 2630 stint
Sanders, Archie Shepp and Albert Ayler. Dwight Trible and and Lee Mixashawn Rozie,
that celebrates the music of Miles Davis
After relocating to Los Angeles in the late joined by Grimes (on bass) performing Poems
with Kenny Garrett, Wallace Roney, Mike
Stern, Marcus Miller and Brian Blade. 60s, where work was slim and connections ten- Of Henry Grimes.
More info: bluenote.net/newyork uous, Grimes fell off the map, doing odd jobs The quartet bellowed deep harmonies and
far from the spotlight. fluttering ideas informed by whistles, hollers,
Vinyl Freaks: Austria-based Trost Records Decades passed, and many in the jazz world calls and vocal cacophony, Grimes sawing into
has announced discaholic.com, a new thought Grimes was dead, but in 2002, he was their sounds with screeching violin.
platform for rare avant-garde vinyl thats found by social worker Marshall Marrotte. But the highlight of the night was the Henry
the result of a collaboration between free-
Word of Grimes rediscovery quickly spread. Grimes Septet with saxophonist Rozie, viola
jazz musician and fanatic collector Mats
William Parker donated a bass (dubbed Olive player Melanie Dyer, flutist Nicole Mitchell,
Gustafsson and the record store Substance
in Vienna. In addition to a plethora of out- Oil for its green color) and soon Grimes was cellist Tomeka Reid, guitarist Marc Ribot and
side material, the site offers LPs by Glenn back in New York City. Since then, Grimes has drummer Chad Taylor.
Miller, Herbie Mann, Gary Burton and Ella played over 600 concerts in 30 countries, pub- The septet hit warp speed like an improvi-
Fitzgerald. Check for inventory updates the lished a book of poetry, conducted workshops sation-powered airliner, fired primarily by the
first Friday of every month. and recorded numerous albums. twin energies of Ribot and Rozie. Reid and
More info: discaholic.com The bassists evening-long Vision Festival Taylor also stoked the furnace, but the dia-
tribute, held June 7 at Judson Church in New logue between Ribot and Rozie was particu-
PAS Director: Joshua Simonds has been
York, featured Grimes in various configura- larly intense, the guitarist playing blistering,
named executive director of the Percussive
Arts Society, effective Aug. 1. Simonds is tions, with the exception of the opening invoca- Hendrix-like solos but also supplying sound
the executive director of Chicago Youth tion, an original piece entitled Breath Breathe effects and deep tones. As the ensemble heaved
Symphony Orchestras, and he currently sits Free, which was performed by poet/vocalist to and fro, the collective squall eventually took
on the Youth Orchestra Division Board of Patricia Nicholson, percussionist Hamid Drake shape, heading to climax.
the League of American Orchestras. He has and drummer Whit Dickey. As a large overhead Three songs were performed in similar
also served as an instructor of performing screen projected photos of a young Grimes with manner, each one wilder than the previous one.
arts management at DePaul University, and Sonny Rollins, Don Cherry and McCoy Tyner, One song recalled wild interactions, the next an
is active in local and national arts advocacy.
Nicholson danced and sang, issuing gospel elegiac setting. But every number was infused
Simonds holds a masters degree in arts
management from American University in
calls and impassioned poetry. by Grimes presence. Shifting from bass to vio-
Washington, D.C., and a bachelor of arts in Nicholson introduced the next lineup: lin, his concentrated stare never changed, even
percussion from California State University, Grimes, pianist Geri Allen, cornetist Graham as he was joined by different musicians. His
Long Beach. More info: pas.org Haynes and drummer Andrew Cyrille. Grimes spirit was as strong and undeniable as his per-
picked up Olive Oil off the floor, and as Allen formance. Ken Micallef

Caught
The weekends best set was a masterful
illustration of sculpted freedom. Warped
Dreamer is a collaboration between players
from Belgium and Norway, featuring Teun
Verbruggen (drums), Jozef Dumoulin (piano),
Stian Westerhus (guitar) and Arve Henriksen
(trumpet), with all four utilizing electronics.
The quartets strong suit is its rapid shuttling of
ELISA ESSEX/MOERS FESTIVAL
soundscapes and styles, from minimal intro-

spection to explosive rage. Henriksen was in
an unusually freaky mood, a key influence over
the bands urgent shape-shifting invention. His
small wooden flute blended seamlessly into
altered trumpet tones, followed by a deranged
Arve Henriksen of Warped Dreamer at
the 2016 Moers Festival in Moers, Germany. gospel-blues rant.
The festival, however, ended on a downer. A
Moers Festival Gives Jazz Artists few months prior there had been problems with
the local government, relating to the guaran-
Opportunity to Branch Out teeing of funding, with the Moers weekender in

danger of being cancelled. In the end, the event
was saved, but this led to the artistic director
THANKS TO ITS ADVENTUROUS ANNUAL Singer Cassandra Wilson was found here in
of 11 years, Reiner Michalke, announcing his
music festival, the northwestern German town her most unusual and toughened element, clos-
intention to resign from the position, which
of Moers has built up a legendary status over the ing out the festivals Saturday night in cahoots
was set to last until 2020.
past 45 years, with a reputation for free-blowing with the ensemble Harriet Tubman, a long-run- Whether Michalke will remain, a new
improvisation and uncompromising sounds. ning trio of Brandon Ross (guitar and banjo), director will be appointed or the Moers Festival
Nowadays, jazz certainly remains the pro- Melvin Gibbs (electric bass) and J.T. Lewis will cease to exist, is still undecided. But given
gramming core, but there are frequent strays into (drums). The set opened with the trio establish- the fact that the entire weekend was virtually
the realms of rock, folk, electronic and contempo- ing an atmosphere best described as down- sold out, there are certainly plenty of local busi-
rary classical. Such was the case for the festivals home miasma, akin to Jimi Hendrix, as played nesses and residents who want the fest to con-
2016 edition, which ran from May 1316. by Santo & Johnny. tinueand thrive. Martin Longley

Michel & Miles
CHRIS MCGUIRE
THE FIRST JAZZ ALBUM I MADE WAS
with Miles, and the last album he made was with
me, said Michel Legrand during a recent inter-
view. The Grammy- and Oscar- winning com-
poser was referring to his 1958 album Legrand
Jazz, and Miles Davis 1991 album, Dingo, the
soundtrack he and the trumpeter made for the
movie of the same name shortly before Davis
died on Sept. 28 of that year.
Legrand was in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in
May to receive an honorary doctorate from
Western Michigan University as part of his first
visit to the 2016 Irving S. Gilmore International
Keyboard Festival. The pianist, singer and pro-
ducer played two trio shows (on May 8) and
Michel Legrand performs at the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in May.
performed a commissioned world premiere,
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, with the
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and Legrand Lets do it. So, in 1958, I went to New York with and we were supposed to record the following
as the featured soloist (on May 14). my orchestration, Ben Webster, Herbie Mann, Wednesday. So I said, Miles, were supposed to
Despite all his tremendous accomplish- Jimmy Cleveland, and all the others [including compose it together. We should start to work.
ments (including composing the iconic scores Ernie Royal, Phil Woods and Hank Jones]. He said, Work! I dont want to. Who gives a
to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Thomas shit about the film?
Crown Affair), Legrands musical life includes SO WHAT HAPPENED? I tell Miles, We said we were going to do it.
some tantalizing what-could-have-beens. Miles wanted to talk to me before the ses- This isnt about you, or your Grammys. He
In Paris, during the 1960s, Nat King Cole sion. He says, Can you play for me? So I played said, Fuck off! Who gives a shit about this,
initiated a collaboration with Legrand, whom the orchestration on piano and he said, Fine, man? I recall [a musician had] said, The way
he admired. Alas, it came to naught as Cole OK, good. All the musicians in New York Miles works is this: He goes into the studio
seemingly forgot his proposal with him. On had said [things like], Be careful with Miles, with his musicians andMiles is the laziest
another occasion in the 60s, Legrand and because hes such a character. He arrives at man on earthcomes afterwards and puts
Stan Getz had rehearsed an ambitious project the session 15 minutes late, on purpose. Miles his trumpet up and overdubs.
for saxophone, symphony and big band. A full will open the door to the studio, and stand at So, I see hes expecting me to do the same.
house at Paris Le Palais de Chaillot was eager the door and listen to the orchestra. If he likes So, I said, Miles, I have an idea. Ill go to my
to hear the piece. Sadly, after a quick dinner it, he comes in, sits down, he has his trumpet. hotel now. I will write everything, the complete
with the maestro, Getz showed up strung-out If he does not like it, he gets out of the studio, orchestration. I will record on Wednesday,
and the concert was canceled. closes the door, and you never hear from him all the charts. Come Thursday to the stu-
Legrand also had planned to do a project anymore. And I thought, Oh my gosh! I dio and take your trumpet and play. He said,
with pianist Bill Evans in 1980, and to perform was 26 years old. Michel, I knew you were a genius. I record all
a concert with saxophonist Phil Woods last And, thats exactly what happened at the day Wednesday, and then, the next day, Miles
year, but in both cases, the musicians passed first session, with Miles and his group with comes. I loved that man. So generous, so strong
away before the plans could come to fruition. John, Paul Chambers and Bill Evans. Miles and very open at the same time.
Indeed, the still-vibrant 84-year-old vir- opens the door, about 15 minutes late, still at the
tuoso has outlived many of his friends. door, and then, he gets in, closes the door, settles CAN WE GO BACK TO 1958?
DownBeat caught up with him in Kalamazoo. down, opens his case, and starts to play. And OK. When we finished the album in New
after the first session, Miles came to me, and he York, Miles said, Im playing at the Newport
WHAT WAS THE ORIGIN OF LEGRAND JAZZ? said [imitating Davis raspy voice], Michel, do festival. Come with me. I said, Great, fine. I
The Americans, they wanted me to do an you like the way I play? I said, Miles! Id never remember I had a 16-millimeter camera. While
album about Paris, with all the orchestra- manage to tell you how you play. Im so happy were having dinner at the festival, in comes
tion. They asked, Would you be interested? youre on my first jazz album. Youre a genius, [festival founder/director] George Wein. He
Unfortunately, there was no money, no royal- and if theres anything you know, Open says, Hey Miles, dont forget that tomorrow,
ties. Two hundred dollars, and thats it. I said, the skies . its a tribute to Duke Ellington. And Miles
Fine, I dont care. It would be a good try for says, Forget it. I hate Dukes music. I will never
me. So I made the album [I Love Paris, 1954], TELL US ABOUT MAKING DINGO IN 1991. play his music.
and it sold eight million copies. Miles calls me: Michel, you need to bring [The next day] they all go up on stage, and
In a year or two, they have a big party, and your fucking ass to Los Angeles. I said, Miles, they start to play. Miles has his trumpet is in
Columbia says to me, We would like to give dont worry. You want me, the next day Ill take his hand; he stands near the piano. He never
you a present. Tell us [the kind of] album you the train to Los Angeles. He said, Michel, blows his trumpet once, but he was on stage.
want to make, and well pay for it, and youll do theres a film, and I want to do it with you. So, The musicians play, but he never puts his trum-
it. So I said, I want to do a jazz albumwith on the first day, Im in the area. pet to his lips.
Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and I named all the On the second day, we talk a lot. We go So, Miles was very important in my life.
jazz musicians on the album. And they said, swimming. We drank a lot. It was a Saturday, Extremely important. John Ephland

MARK HIGASHINO
VINYL / BY KEN MICALLEF
GABI PORTER
Dee Dee Bridgewater
NEA Jazz Masters

Blue Note President Don Was
Announced
The National Endowment for the Arts has
Blue Note Vinyl: Past & Present announced the 2017 Jazz Masters Fellows:
vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, bassist Dave
In early February 2014 Blue Note Records working in post-production to add com- Holland, pianist Dick Hyman, organist Dr.
President Don Was announced the labels pression or EQ. Van Gelders hot-rodded Lonnie Smith and writer/educator Ira Gitler.
75th Anniversary Vinyl Initiative, a cam- Scully lathe was another important ele- The NEA Jazz Masters fellows are recog-
paign to reissue 100 albums, five titles per ment in the classic Blue Note sound.
nized for their lifetime achievements and con-
month, from the labels legendary catalog We listened to the master tapes, Was
on vinyl. Art Blakeys Free For All, John Col- recalled. I got choked up hearing Joe tributions to the advancement of jazz. Each
tranes Blue Train, Eric Dolphys Out To Lunch, Hendersons Mode For Joe [Was first Blue will receive a $25,000 award and be honored at
Wayne Shorters Speak No Evil and Larry Note purchase]. The tapes sounded beau- a tribute concert on April 3, 2017, produced in
Youngs Unity were the first five releases. tiful, but they lacked some of the power collaboration with the Kennedy Center.
Theyve sold really well, Was replied I remembered from the records. We felt Bridgewater, a Tony- and Grammy-
when asked about the success of the vi- that the first pressings, which Rudy and winning vocalist, has performed and record-
nyl-only promotion. Somewhere around [Blue Note co-founder] Alfred Lion closely
ed with such giants as Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny
200,000 records. Its hard to sell 200,000 supervised, probably came closest to the
jazz albums whether its on CD or digital artists intentions ... . We tried to match the Rollins, Max Roach and Dexter Gordon.
files or streams. Thats a lot of jazz albums feel of the original pressings, but we always Her 2015 album, Dee Dees Feathers (OKeh/
and sold only on vinyl. Its staggering. sourced from the original tapes. Sony/DDB), is a lively collaboration with New
Sales of vinyl albums have accelerat- Based on readers comments to a New Orleans-based trumpeter Irvin Mayfield.
ed at an amazing rate over the last de- York Times article covering the 75th Anni- Equally accomplished is bassist and band-
cade, enjoying a consistent 30% increase versary series, the latest Blue Note vinyl
leader Holland, whose nearly five-decade
yearly. New vinyl sales reached 12 million reissues comprise vocalist Sheila Jordans
in 2015 (counting sales of used LPs might Portrait Of Sheila, trumpeter Blue Mitchells career encompasses collaborations with Miles
double that figure). Boosted by Millennials The Thing To Do, keyboardist Big John Pat- Davis, Anthony Braxton, Chris Potter, Kenny
raised on inferior-sounding downloads and tons Let Em Roll, saxophonist Ike Quebecs Barron and many more.
streaming services now turning to classic Blue And Sentimental and saxophonist Hyman is a piano virtuoso who helped
analog technology, vinyl fever has cap- Sam Rivers Fuchsia Swing Song. launch the acclaimed Jazz in July series at the
tured every music genre, straining pressing Forthcoming Blue Note vinyl releases
92nd Street Y in New York, where he served as
plants to keep up with popular demand. include new albums from guitarist Nels
Was explained the formats broad ap- Cline, keyboardist Robert Glasper and
the series artistic director for 20 years.
peal. If you can imagine a mix having drummer Chris Dave. Plus, as long as the Smiths career as a jazz organist spans more
depth and a back wall, he said, vinyl plants keep pressing, Blue Note will reissue than 50 years, during which the soul-jazz pio-
moves that back wall forward so you lose its beloved back catalog. neer has been featured on more than 70 jazz,
some depth. But it also connects every- We always planned to continue reissu- blues and r&b recordings.
thing and melds it all together. Theres a ing titles, Was confirmed. No one foresaw Journalist Gitler, a former associate editor
feeling to what [original Blue Note engi- vinyls popularity. Theres such a logjam at
for DownBeat, is the recipient of the 2017 A.B.
neer] Rudy Van Gelder did that we wanted the pressing plants and in the Universal
to keep intact in the reissues. We wanted warehouses that weve had to slow down. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz
to keep the back wall as far back as it is; its Now were doing five reissues, quarterly. Advocacy, which is awarded to an individual
balancing depth with the energy of vinyl. The next five will fit a theme, Rare Grooves, who has made significant contributions to the
Speak No Evil was the first reissue we were and will include Bobbi Humphreys Blacks appreciation and advancement of jazz.
really happy with. Wayne Shorter signed And Blues, Donald Byrds Fancy Free, Dr. I am pleased to welcome these five individ-
the vinyl in the deadwax. Lonnie Smiths Think!, Lou Donaldsons
uals, with their artistry, energy and commit-
Was said that Van Gelder mixed live as Alligator Boogaloo, and John Scofields
the music was performed and recorded, Hand Jive. DB
ment to jazz, to the NEA Jazz Masters family,
said NEA Chairman Jane Chu.
Brian Zimmerman

R NDY
W STON
When DownBeat last spoke to RANDY WESTON in the summer of 2014, the mas-
ter pianist-composer, then 88, was planning to issue The African Nubian Suite, a recent
opus hed recorded in concert at NYUs Skirball Center in April 2012. For that occa-
sion, documented on a self-released double CD that dropped in June, Weston con-
vened an array of distinguished Afrocentric artistsincluding an expanded, five-
horn version of his African Rhythms ensemble; various percussionists, string players
and singers; and the late Jayne Cortez intoning a commissioned poem in her singular
argotto illuminate a text narrated by Wayne B. Chandler, author of Ancient Future:
The Teachings and Prophetic Wisdom of the Seven Hermetic Laws of Ancient Egypt. As
historian Robin D.G. Kelley accurately observes in the program notes, In one single
work, Weston manages to pay tribute to the ancient tombs of Sidi Bilal in Aswan, the
Sufi tradition, the holy city of Touba in Senegal, Chinas great Shang dynasty, African
folk music, the timeless history of the blues, and the unity of humankind. Weston
dialogues with each participant in notes and tones, and emcees from the piano bench,
revealing exhaustive knowledge of how the traditions intersect.
Randy Weston at The New SchoolAUGUST
in New2016
YorkDOWNBEAT 21 27.
City on April
n the occasion of his induction into
MICHAEL JACKSON
the DownBeat Hall of Fameand
about a month after his 90th birth-
dayWeston discussed this summa-
tional piece over brunch in the art-filled dining
room of his home in Brooklyns Clinton Hill
neighborhood. He inherited the house from
his father, who ran a restaurant on the premises
from 1946 until the 1970s. Sitting with impec-
cable posture at the head of the table, Weston,
who appears not to have lost an inch from his
6-foot 8-inch frame, followed his musical prac-
tice of stating a core motif, then fleshing it
out with theme-and-variations of gradually
increasing complexity and depth.
My dad told me, Listen, we are older than
corruption, we are older than colonialism, we
are older than slavery; for you to understand me
and your mother better, youve got to go back
to Africa, Weston said. So when I was a boy, Weston at the 2013 Chicago Jazz Festival
Id go to libraries and museums to read about
Nubian civilization, the great Egyptian civi- Roach, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie had no confidence that I could even touch the
lizations before there was a West Africa. all of whom were hands-on mentors during his feet of Tatum and Hines and these people I love
Weston originally conceived The African formative yearsand early heroes like Duke with a passion.
Nubian Suite as a large ensemble project. Ellington, Coleman Hawkins and Count Basie. I dont know how all this happened. I kept
That changed because of Jayne Cortez, he As we spoke, Weston was preparing to fly to doing the same thing, telling the truth about
said. Weston explained that hed seen a CNN Morocco, his second home since 1967, to play our people. He mentioned his dear friend
piece on Ardi (Ardipithecus ramidus), the 4.5 with African Rhythms at the Gnaoua World and musical alter-ego, Melba Liston (1926
million-year-old female hominid skeleton Music Festival in Essaouira, to be followed 99), who extrapolated the harmonies and voic-
unearthed in the Ethiopian desert in 1994, and by summer festival appearances at Spoleto, ings of Westons compositions for big bands
wanted to honor that this lady is our original Montreux, Jazz Vienne and Detroit. In and combos on such classic albums as Uhuru
mother. He asked Cortez (19342012) to write January, he attended the Panama Jazz Festival, Afrika, Tanjah, The Spirits Of Our Ancestors,
a poem about women, in particular the African which dedicated this years edition to him in Volcano Blues and Khepera. We had that same
woman, going all the way back. I wanted her recognition of his fathers Panamanian roots. quiet pride in Grandma and Grandpa, always
to do it with African drums. She agreed. Then On April 28, Weston assembled African liking to go back. Most people today dont
she called to say she wanted me to play piano Rhythms for the fifth and final public concert know to go back. But I tell them the real power
behind her. hed curated during 201516 as the first-ever is the root of the tree. Not what you see. Whats
I started to think about what magical pro- artist in residence at the New School for Jazz and under the ground. Which is Mother Africa.
cess happened when the African came in con- Contemporary Music. The series began with a Weston paused, and said, Also, I dont
tact with a European instrument. For exam- retrospective of Westons life and career moder- know anything!
ple, I told Howard Johnson to describe on tuba ated by Kelley. It continued with separate events It was impossible not to respond, Well,
how he imagined Ardi walked through the for- at which Weston played and spoke with tradi- you know something.
est. I asked everybody to do the same with each tional Gnawa musicians from Morocco and He leaned forward. But that something is
individual instrument. For us to go ahead, we master drummers from Senegal, and a sympo- so small when youre dealing with the magic of
have to go all the way back, and find out how sium on the evolution of the drum through the Africa, the magic of Cuba and Haiti, he said.
our ancestors created all this music. They were African diaspora, in which Lewis Nash inter- How all these Africans were taken away, and
greater than us. Its an amazing story. viewed drummers from Guadeloupe, Haiti, went like thishe placed his large hands in
Westons own amazing story is comprehen- Trinidad, Morocco and Cuba who each spoke front of him as though manacledand did
sively documented in his 2010 autobiogra- about their village, picked a song and played it thishe splayed his long, tapered fingers
phy African Rhythms (with co-author Willard with a specific rhythm. downwards, addressing an imaginary pia-
Jenkins) and in a lengthy chapter in Kelleys Weston was far from blas about his noand did thismoved his hands in a
2012 book Africa Speaks, America Answers: entrance into the DownBeat Hall of Fame. Im silent drumbeatand did thiscupped his
Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times. Westons overwhelmed, he said. I am so happy that I hands around his mouth as if blowing into a
achievements will be further illuminated after cant express it. See, the old people would say: horn. How did that happen? When I first went
the summer, when he transfers his extensive Your destiny has already been written. Youve to Nigeria, I said, Do you know how blessed I
archivescontaining 70 years worth of man- been given certain powers at a certain time. am? My ancestors, my great-great-grandmother,
uscripts, recordings and printed ephemera They said, The Creator will give you this, and came over on a boat from Africa, in chains. Next
to Harvard University. But as his latest album the Creator will take it away. But what you week Im going to Africa in an airplane. I can put
indicates, Weston enters his 90s with no inten- deal with is music. So I tried to take the best myself in that slave ship. I can go back thousands
tion of shifting into retrospective gear. In his of everyone I heard. This is Randy Weston, of years. I can see myself before slavery. I can see
forward-looking attitude to musical produc- who the piano teacher gave up on completely! myself before corruption. I can see my mother a
tion, he embodies the ancient future par- I cut music class at Boys High School. I didnt queen. My father a king.
adigm practiced by jazz icons such as Max become a professional until I was 29, because I Weston has never traced his personal gene-

Ellington, back to Basie. Lester Young always
TED WILLIAMS/ICONIC IMAGES

said, Whats your story? Thats the African-
American tradition. These giants had maybe
four bars or eight bars to take a solo, but they
had to tell a story, like the phrase Prez played
on One OClock Jump with Basies bandor
Freddie Webster, when he did Youre Not The
Kind with Sarah Vaughanbut what a story!
In 1944, Weston was a recent graduate of
Brooklyns Boys High School, playing local
calypso dances and jump-band gigs. Then he
was drafted into the Army. After an eventful
tour of duty in which he rose to Staff Sergeant,
he returned to Bed-Stuy in 1947 to take over
his fathers first restaurant, Trios, on Sumner
Avenue, where he maintained a jukebox filled
with everything from Satchmo to Stravinsky.
Max Roach, also a Boys High alum, lived
nearby, and Weston took frequent breaks to
visit. George Russell, then convalescing from
tuberculosis in Roachs house, was working
on Cubana Be, Cubana Bop for Gillespies
Weston (second from right) and other musicians, including trombonist Melba Liston (third from right),
confer during a recording session circa 1957. recently formed big band, sometimes joined
by Gillespie himself and trailblazing Cuban
alogy to an African location. His father, Frank but they created something different. You take conguero Chano Pozo. Russell introduced
Edward Weston, born in 1894, descends from the black church, the calypso, the blues, Duke, Weston to Schoenbergs Pierrot Lunaire, which
Jamaican Maroons who emigrated to Panama Basie, Art Tatum, put them in a pot and stir struck him as interesting but kind of cold,
for employment during the construction of the them up, and add Africa: Thats Randy Weston. and also to the corpus of Alban Berg, which
Panama Canal. During the 1910s, he moved to What also characterizes Weston, in pianist/ affected Weston deeply.
Cuba from Balboa, his hometown; in 1924, he keyboardist Marc Carys view, is an alchemical Concurrently, Weston started to compose
sailed from Havana to New York. He settled ability to put tone, texture and rhythm at the tunes, earning validation on an occasion when
in Brooklyn, where he met Westons mother, service of his stories. I put Randy with Duke Roach, hosting Charlie Parker, his employer on
Vivian, who had recently migrated from south- and Earl Hines, coming out of them into some 52nd Street, asked Weston to play something
eastern Virginia. Weston depicted the milieu of futuristic stuff, Cary said. He knows so much for Bird, who responded favorably.
his formative years in the brilliant tune African piano history, he can play whatever he wants. Id sit and absorb what these giants said,
Village Bedford Stuyvesant, which conclud- What he chose to be as a pianist fits what hes Weston said. I had no idea Id be a musician.
ed the recent New School concert, framing the trying to do. Hes not flamboyant. He approach- My father, God bless him, wanted me to be a
harmonic language of Gillespie and Monk with es the instrument to communicate, through the businessman. He wanted his son to be indepen-
Nigerian highlife beats. language we know as jazz and beyond. And his dent. Pop was fully aware of the racism in New
Im a combination of my parents, Weston left hand is always creating; all his songs have a Yorkin America, period. Segregation was
explained. My father, with his Panamanian- dope bass line. serious! Even in Manhattan, we couldnt go to
Jamaican rootscooking, music, discipline, Danilo Prez, who hosted Weston at the restaurants. But Mom and Pop kept that spirit.
pride. My mother was quiet powerby exam- Panama Jazz Festival this year and in 2006, said Another transformative breakthrough
ple with the black church. They broke up when he admires his orchestral approach, so con- occurred in 1951 at the Music Inn in the
I was little. Id be with my father during the nected to the drums and the flow of rhythmic Berkshires, where Weston took a summer job
week, and learned about Marcus Garvey, about development. Prez continued: Theres always as a breakfast chef. After completing his daily
Africa. On the weekend, my mother would take a dance to his playing; he completely controls obligations, he played piano in the evenings.
me to the movies, and on Sunday, take me to the motion of the groove. Theres also the grav- Three older ladies told me they were having a
the black church, the most swinging place of ity of his sound, like nobody else. You can copy recital, and wanted me to play, he recalled. I
all. We had calypso dances, blues groups on the one of his chords, but it doesnt sound the same. told them I didnt play Bach or Beethoven, but
corner. We could get lessons on piano or trum- Like Monk and Duke, he creates compositions they said, No, we want to hear what you play at
pet or violin in black institutions. Our parents that stay with you, that feed his persona as an night. Then I realized I had something to say
took us to hear Duke, and Mary Lou Williams improviser, and always sound like a blues song. on the piano. But I was still very shy.
with Andy Kirk, and Jimmy Lunceford. His music is so inclusive; you feel like youre in Not long thereafter, Weston met the pio-
He was 13 when Coleman Hawkins iconic a tribe. neering jazz historian Marshall Stearns, a
Body And Soul recording hit the streets. Unlike most of his generational peers, bespectacled Caucasian professor of English
I bought three copies, and kept two in cello- Weston steered away from bebop. I loved Bud with degrees from Harvard and Yale who spe-
phane, Weston said. I tried to play his solo on Powell, but not to play like him, he said. That cialized in medieval literature. Stearns con-
the piano. Hes the real deal for me. How do you wasnt my way. I was closer to blues pianists. I ducted colloquia at the Music Inn that offered
go from Mamie Smith to Monk? I also tried to adored Nat Cole, too. After hearing Monks a university-level education in the threads that
play like Basie. But only Basie had that sound, recorded debut on a 1944 Hawkins quartet connect jazz to the traditional music of the eth-
that touch, that when-not-to-play. He was also recording, Weston said he realized that Monk nic groups and regional styles of West Africa.
a stride pianistlike Monk was a stride pianist, was the direction I wanted to go, and back to Marshall was the squarest-looking guy youd

want to see, Weston said. But he was Pan- monic color. They all have digested the lan- Why me? she asked him. What did I do?
African. He encouraged me to listen to older guage, and that raises the level of freedom, Every minute, Im in Africa with her,
pianists like Jimmy Yancey and Meade Lux Prez said. When I hear the trio, I sometimes Weston said. Everything she doeswhat she
Lewis, who approached their instruments in a dont know whos soloing. They break down thinks, what she cooks, the clothes she makes
way closer to Africa. He brought in Macbeth any preconceived idea about interaction, and for meis African. And shes from a spiritual
the Great, a famous calypso singer, and I heard connect it to the experience of the African family. I have a Senegalese family. Her daugh-
the French quadrille, which inspired me to neighborhood. ters children treat me as Grandpa. So even if
start writing waltzes. He brought in John Lee Indeed, it is impossible not to notice how I try to go off the path, I cant, because theres
Hooker and Jimmy Rushing, and did a 15-min- spontaneous and unpredictable Weston is, how my wife. Shes constantly giving. I cant over-
ute interview with Mahalia Jackson on African rarely he repeats himself. He was asked how he emphasize the importance of that. Dizzy would
spirituality in the black church. sustains this optimistic, fresh perspective. He give. Eubie Blake. Duke. Max. Always giving.
On another occasion, Stearns arranged for pointed to Fatoumata Weston, his Senegalese- We got married in Nubia. The Creator said,
a presentation by ethnomusicologist Willis born wife, whom he met in Paris in 1996. This is your wife. And I go with the flow. DB
James, who played field hollers that proceed-
ed in 5/4 time; dancers Asadata Dafora and
Katherine Dunham presented possibilities
for sounds in motion; drummers Babatunde
Olatunji and Candido authoritatively executed
the rhythms for all to see and emulate.
Eventually, Stearns invited Weston to
accompany his popular lecture demonstra-
tions. After he suffered a heart attack in 1958,
he asked Weston to deliver them. On Stearns
recommendation, the U.S. State Department
recruited Westonwho had visited and played
in Nigeria in 1961 and 1963to bring a group
to tour in West Africa and North Africa at the
beginning of 1967. Thats when I realized I was
an ambassador, Weston said. Marshall died
before I had a chance to thank him. He taught
me how to do the history of jazz.
It could be said that, circa 2016, Weston
lineally connected to a timeline spanning Eubie
Blake and Luckey Roberts to Ornette Coleman
and David Murrayembodies the history of
jazz in his own person. After soundcheck for
the final New School concert, he stretched out
on a sofa in the compact dressing room, lis-
tening to saxophonist/flutist T.K. Blue, bassist
Alex Blake, percussionist Neil Clarke and tenor
saxophonist Ren McLean trade stories about
Slugs Saloon and the dangers of navigating
Manhattans Lower East Side during the 60s
and 70s. When directly addressing Weston,
they called him Chief.
Its not something he claims, Clarke said
of the designation. Randy is a chief by accla-
mation. Hes so generous, so inquisitive, so
unflinching in his love and respect and appre-
ciation for Africa. Hell tell you the story of the
creation of every single one of his songs, and the
approach shifts. You dont play licks or patterns.
You participate in telling that story.
Clarke has propelled African Rhythms for
20 years, sometimes within a uniquely config-
ured percussion setup assembled from congas,
djembe, cymbals and tambourine, sometimes
playing alongside a drum kit player, sometimes
not, always in uncanny synchronicity with
Blake, whose approach to the bass evokes the
guembri, a low-tuned Gnawan lute.
Weston told Prez that using Clarke as sole
percussionist provides him space to create har-

Hoagy Carmichael (18991981) has been inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame.
(Photo: Courtesy of the Archives of Traditional Music at Indiana University)

This spring I gave a final exam in Jazz History to 18 cream-of-the-crop students at a major university.
Heres the surprise: Fourteen of these 19 to 25-year-olds (mostly musicians and jazz majors) could not
identify a Lester Young recording of Stardust. How could one hit 21, I thought, and not know one of
the most pervasive songs to sweep the 20th century?
ut maybe I was wrong. This is the 21st grooved amber of a vanished chic. They stand ago. Musicians recognized its potential from
century. In a time when an eight-bar forever where they were planted in time, as the beginning. It was so steeped in jazz, they
line has become too much for the mod- tastes and styles move merrily along. But the hardly needed to tinker with it. Many of its
ern attention span to bear, the most work of a great composer is never finished, only most famous performances (Louis Armstrong,
fundamental mnemonic of a songmelody latent. It slides through cycles of swing, bop, Benny Goodman/Charlie Christian, Artie
is endangered, along with the kind of compos- doo-wop, soul, gospel, country and come-what- Shaw, Art Tatum, Lionel Hampton, John
ers once able to discover such treasures bur- may, embracing, then shedding, the character- Coltrane) have been simple variations, not
ied among that ascending pile of 88 piano keys. istics of fashion like a literary Leonard Zelig. improvisations. Its first 16 bars still float from
Among them was Hoagy Carmichael, the man Such songs exist in the future, not the past, the horn like a freshly minted Bix Beiderbecke
who found Stardust in that pile and who now patiently awaiting a new generation. solo. It meanders its hill-and-dale melody with-
takes his place in the DownBeat Hall of Fame. Without being specific, says Hoagy Bix out repeating itself once. Yet, in a more patient
It is long overdue that the Hall of Fame shift Carmichael, the composers son who manages and less distracted age that was then, this
its attention from musicianswhose compos- the estate, I can tell you that the catalog still lengthy and complex melodic narrative embed-
ing has been done largely as a self-serving avo- turns over a good seven figures a year in perfor- ded itself deeply into the popular musical lan-
cationto the full-time, professional songwrit- mance royalties, even today when Spotify and guage. Once heard, its logic seems ineluctable.
ers who wrote for the world. They are the hidden the others are giving music away. Ive recorded Stardust twice, says singer
second front of jazz historythe heroes who Consider Carmichaels Georgia On My Roberta Gambarini, whose latest album,
worked alone, found their inspiration behind Mind. After its introduction in 1930, it steadi- Connecting Spirits (Groovin High), is a part-
the scenes and provided those musicians with ly entered the repertoire of jazz musicians as nership with another musician-cum-compos-
the unique literary inventory on which they diverse as Fats Waller and Django Reinhardt. er, Jimmy Heath. I did it with Hank Jones
erected many of their greatest performances. Ten years later Billie Holiday, Glenn Miller and and also with the Dizzy Gillespie band in an
Carmichael is an ideal composer to open others reshaped it to swing era specifications, arrangement by Slide Hampton. I used to do
this second front. More than anyone, he wrote in part because it was one of the few important it as a duet with Clark Terry, too. It was one of
popular music from a jazz sensibility, which American standards not caught in the ASCAP his warhorses. The greatness of the song lets
may be why Stardust still endures. According war with radio. (Georgia was a BMI song.) us reinvent it each time. Thats what makes
to the Tom Lord Jazz Discography, it has been Another 20 years went by and rock n roll had Carmichaels work worth revisiting. Theres so
recorded 1,520 times since October 1927 largely displaced Carmichael and his gener- much in it contemporary artists can work with
and that includes only the jazz recordings, not ation of writers. But Georgia On My Mind in interesting ways. The problem is that those
the thousands of popular versions by artists was bigger than ever. Ray Charles had recreat- songs are not part of the life of many younger
as varied as Nat King Cole, Willie Nelson, ed it for a generation that knew little of Miller, listeners today, and most of the pop songs that
Ringo Starr and Rod Stewart, and Billy Ward Waller or even Carmichael. It now had a life of are offer very little to the jazz artist.
and the Dominos. Other Carmichael classics at its own. Jump-cut ahead 50 years, and surpris- Carmichael came by his jazz instincts near
home in any jazz set include Georgia On My ingly Stardust is no longer the catalogs big- their source, which in the 1920s was Chicago,
Mind (1,019 recordings), The Nearness Of gest earner. Now its Georgia, says son Hoagy where the best musicians of New Orleans
You (828 recordings), Skylark (804 record- Bix. Just this year for a commercial during the and the Midwest were converging. Born in
ings), Lazy River (466 recordings) and the tra- Masters Tournament, it earned a generous mid- Bloomington, Indiana, Nov. 22, 1899, he came
ditional Dixie favorite Riverboat Shuffle. five-figure fee in one week. Its our biggest song, of age in the early 20s as Gennett Records in
Many of the early recordings of these stan- all still because of Ray Charles. nearby Richmond began recording the first
dards have been interred with their time, inter- But Stardust remains Carmichaels signa- important records in jazz historyJelly Roll
esting now as quaint artifacts trapped in the ture magnum opus. He first recorded it 89 years Morton, the King Olivers Creole Jazz Band

COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVES OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Carmichael (at piano) in a publicity still with fellow members of the

cast of the 1946 film Best Years of Our Lives: Fredric March
(left), Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, and Teresa Wright
with Louis Armstrong, and the Wolverines provided the romance. Armstrong gave it fire. his lean and laconic Gary Cooperish perso-
with Bix Beiderbecke. Carmichaels first com- From that point forward, Carmichaels path as na, he became the first great songwriter of the
position, Riverboat Shuffle, was recorded for a composer was clear, and few jazz artists from 20th century not only to perform his own music
Gennett by the Wolverines in May 1924. He Ben Webster to Archie Shepp have dared tam- widely, but to personify it, shape it and bestow it
soon felt the impact of the Beiderbecke horn per with the soul of Stardust. Today, both with a sense of first person authenticity.
and personality (so much so that he briefly tried the song and its composer endure. After care- I think of him as an icon, says Gambarini,
to play the cornet). ful study, musicologist Alec Wilder wrote in whose music is kind of an extension of him-
In the mid and late 20s Carmichael might 1973, I think it is unquestionable that Hoagy self and where he came from. He had a pub-
have chosen any one of three careers. He had Carmichael has proven himself to be the most lic persona, even in a cartoon. Google the
a law degree from Indiana University; he led talented, inventive, sophisticated, and jazz-ori- episode of The Flintstones where he sings
a small territory band called the Collegians; ented of all the great craftsmen. Yabba-Dabba-Doo on his Stoneway piano.
he was recording often as pianist and singer; Carmichaels privileged place in jazz Carmichael thus became the premature
and he was finding in himself a knack for cre- immortality was cemented when Armstrong matrix for the modern singer-songwriter that
ating droll, out-of-the-box melodies such as introduced his song Rockin Chair in 1929 found its contemporary identity decades later in
Washboard Blues, which became his own and featured Carmichael in a vocal duet, then Bob Dylanwho just recorded Skylark on his
debut record as a performer in 1925. followed up his record of Stardust with stun- new album [Fallen Angels], Hoagy Bix adds.
His destiny was decided in Richmond in ning classics of Carmichaels Georgia On My When Dylan was in Bloomington, Indiana,
October 1927 when he recorded a peppy origi- Mind and Lazy River, which would stay in last fall for a concert, he visited dads gravesite.
nal called Star Dust (compounded soon after- the Armstrong repertoire for the next 40 years. Carmichael died Dec. 27, 1981. But his ami-
ward into the one-word title Stardust). Irving Unlike most of the great composers of his able folksiness survives on solo and duet record-
Mills, who had published Riverboat Shuffle, generation, Carmichael wasnt shaped by the ings with Armstrong, Beiderbecke, Crosby, Ella
signed him to a contract and printed the first razzle-dazzle of New York. Neither was Cole Fitzgerald, Jack Teagarden and others; on his
sheet music run of the song as a piano piece. Porter, also a native of central Indiana. But many radio shows; and most memorably in the
A Mills staff writer, Mitchell Parish, added the whereas Porter deployed sophistication in the low-key character parts he played and sang in
famous lyricSometime I wonder why I spend cause of sophistication, Carmichael used it to such Hollywood classics as Topper (Old Man
the lonely night in 1929. But early record- undermine such values by wrapping his songs Moon), To Have and Have Not (Hong Kong
ings persisted in treating it as a jazzy tune, and in a regional vernacular, a bucolic drawl that Blues) and The Best Years of Our Lives (Lazy
Carmichael resolved to leave the music business often reflected both the wit and nostalgia of a River). He understood his film character better
for investment banking after the market crash. fading Main Street America. He regarded him- than anyone: The hound-dog-faced old musi-
Then, in 1931, Bing Crosby and Armstrong self as a professional songwriter for hire, ready cal philosopher, he called it, noodling on the
recorded their versions of Stardust as full- to deliver on any assignment. He wrote from his honky-tonk piano.
blown love songs with the Parish lyric. Crosby imagination, not his autobiography. Yet, with Some noodling! DB

Vijay30Iyer performsAUGUST
DOWNBEAT at the Jazz
2016 Middelheim Festival in Antwerp, Belgium, on Aug. 17, 2014.
By Dan Ouellette
Photo by Jos L. Knaepen
Embracing
It All
VIJAY IYER is a moving targeta condition he vows to curb a bit in the coming year as he
takes a leave from his tenured senior professor position at Harvard University. I was working
there one to three days a week, which means I was away a lot, Iyer said, chilling on a couch in
the music room of his Harlem home, where he was surrounded by a wall of CDs, a Steinway
piano and various stacks of sheet music. Ive put in two-and-a-half years, and its been a real
blitz. I was on committees and we had a lot of meetings. Were changing the curriculum, and
I did get to hire Yosvany Terrya real artist with a vision and depth of creativityto be a
senior lecturer and director of the Harvard Jazz Bands. Ill be keeping tabs. But I need a little
time to get away and breathe and be with my family and write a lot of music.
ut, at the moment, Iyer isnt exhibiting the concept of slow- Additionally, there are several compositions that hes been com-
ing down. After his Harvard students gave their final recit- missioned to write, plus upcoming dates with his namesake trio
als this spring, he immediately flew to Europe and toured with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore in
with his trio for two-and-a-half weeks. He landed in New support of the acclaimed 2015 album Break Stuff (ECM). Also,
York yesterday and tomorrow hes got jury duty. theres a sprinkling of high-profile dates with iconic trumpet-
So on a Sunday night after dinner, hes got a rare slice of time to er Wadada Leo Smith celebrating this years spiritual and mys-
pause and reflect on his DownBeat Critics Poll win as Jazz Artist terious duo collaboration, A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke
of the Yearhis third time so honoredas well as his past accom- (ECM). Praising the album with a 4-star review in the June issue
plishments. One of the most artistically significant milestones was of DownBeat, Hot Box contributor Paul de Barros wrote, If you
his daunting stretch touring with Roscoe Mitchell in 2001, which want to hear two hyperaware musicians respond to each other in
he said changed my life in learning how to improvise, how to real time, this soundscape has your name on it.
interact, how to create space. Its an experience that continues to Iyer got to know Smith over the years through his interest in
inform his blossoming future. the AACM. Following a duo concert the trumpeter performed
At Iyers apartment, dinner was winding down while the ste- with Anthony Braxton at the now-defunct Lower East Side cul-
reo system played Princes Purple Rain LP at a low volume. Its tural space Tonic (released on the 2003 Pi disc Organic Resonance),
apropos. After all, this years top jazz artist listens to a diverse Smith invited Iyer to link up in the near future. Ill never forget it,
array of music, composes works informed by a variety of genres Iyer recalled. Wadada told me that he really liked my playing: I
and frequently talks about how his artistic vision goes far beyond want us to play together. Then he thumped me on my chest. It was
the sometimes narrow constricts of jazz. like I was being anointed.
As is typical of Iyer, his plate is filled with musical activities, Iyer went on tour with Smiths Golden Quartet (along with
including being the director of the jazz and creative music pro- bassist John Lindberg and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson) in
gram at the Banff Center in Alberta, Canada, and gearing up as 2005, an association that lasted several years. Their first concert
the artistic curator for the 2017 Ojai Music Festival in Southern together, at the Banlieues Bleues Festival in Paris, was filmed and
California (Peter Sellars served as music director this year). released on DVDof which Iyer laughingly said, I look scared

because I didnt know what I was doing; but in and promoters are getting hyped up. of the shows. We were doing anywhere from
the course of the tour I got the dynamics and One case in point: Iyer played at the Harvey four to six sets a day for the whole month. We
the different facets of Wadadas music. Theater stage in December 2014 as part of the really occupied that space for a solid four-and-
Vijay is a great artist, a great composer and BAM Next Wave Festival in Brooklyn, deliv- a-half weeks. We made it ours. The musicians
a great thinker, said Smith, who has known the ering a mesmerizing show that included the played Radhe Radhe almost every day and used
pianist since the 1990s, when he was playing shimmering, percussive, pensive, furious score many of the performances as workshops for
avant-garde music at places like the old Yoshis to director Prashant Bhargavas Radhe Radhe: potential future projects (including several sets
in Oakland (on Claremont Avenue), where the Rites of Holi, performed with the 12-piece featuring Patricia Brennan on marimba, Linda
youngster would be in the audience. The cre- International Contemporary Ensemble. (Iyers Oh on bass and spoken word by Nigerian-
ative thing comes from another zone, Smith original score can be heard on the DVD.) The American writer and art historian Teju Cole).
added. Vijay has great compassion for the most poignant portion of the evening was a But the climax came when Iyer and Smith
musical community. Hes not afraid of work- commissioned piece that was planned to be a performed A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke,
ing with the elders and hes open to the younger solo piano spotlight, but because of the urgen- which had only recently been released. The
guys. He embraces it all. Over the years that Ive cy of the time (due to protests in response to heart of the recording and performance is a
known him and seen his artistic development, I the police killings of African Americans in suite based on the works of Indian abstract art-
see how sympathetic he is to artistry, and weve Ferguson, Baltimore and Staten Island), Iyer ist Nasreen Mohamedi that are riveting in their
become very close. invited several dancers and non-dancers to simplicity and obsessive in their complexity.
After relocating from the Bay Area to New stage a die-in. Really, it wasnt supposed to be There are patterns of rhythms in her work,
York, Iyer evolved into a major player on the art but an action, Iyer said. So we started the Iyer said, pointing to examples in a book on his
scene. An early break came when jazz scholar evening by not starting. living room table. And theres a lot of silence
Gary Giddins caught him at Sweet Rhythm in In his still ascending role as an intelligent, in her work but still a life force behind it that is
2000 and lauded the newcomer to the city in his highly creative artist who draws attention from mysterious.
Weather Bird column in The Village Voice. far outside the jazz world, Iyer has been invit- As for the poetic sensibility that Iyer and
It proved to be a pivotal moment for Iyeran ed to bring innovative music to spaces not typ- Smith created in their improvisation-fueled
early blessing in his career is how he described ically known for adventurism. In 2015, he was work, the trumpeter says, Its almost like a dia-
it. Fast-forward to 2014, a year after he was hon- called upon to be artist in residence of the new loguePlato and Socrateswhere were look-
ored by the MacArthur Foundation with a fel- Met Breuer space (part of the Metropolitan ing at big issues and their impact on society. The
lowship (aka the genius grant). At the time, Museum of Art), where he staged more than suite on Mohamedi was a mental, intellectual,
Iyer said, Im already starting to see it make 100 shows at various times of the day during the spiritual experience. After talking about her
a differencegiving me a larger stand and month of March. I did everything I wanted to work and its impact, we set up in the record-
increased visibility. People are paying attention do, he said, noting that he actually played in 60 ing studio, and the first piece just popped out. It

MICHAEL JACKSON
Iyer earned a Ph.D. in Technology and the Arts from University of California, Berkeley.
MICHAEL JACKSON
Among his many honors, Iyer was a 2013 MacArthur Fellow.
was so right that everyone in the studio got excited. The rest came out due
to how close we are. We blended in such a way that we produced some-
thing great.
Iyer noted that working together intuitively on the piece was an
uncanny experience, adding, with a laugh, When you spend any time
with Wadada, the uncanny is always what happens.
While fully pleased with his honor as DownBeats Jazz Artist of the
Year, Iyer wondered if the term jazz is really appropriate for what inno-
vators are doing now with the music. Its never a comfortable term with
me because for so long the word has been used by the business to catego-
rize the music, he said. But the music is overlapping and interconnect-
ing and marrying into new forms and new ways of expression. Most of
the people I played with coming uplike Steve Coleman, Butch Morris,
Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis, and today, Robert Glasperdont both-
er using the word. I like to see it as relating in human terms and not be
stuck in a mentality of labeling the music into narrow categories to try to
sell it efficiently.
Iyer, who performs more than 100 concerts worldwide each year,
explained that for him, sharing the music is an intimate, visceral endeav-
or. Theres no substitute for having a shared experience where you can
hear an entire room of people all breathing together, he said. I hear it all
the time. It happens in the course of making music. It brings people into
the ritual of oneness. Its a real thing. Every musician knows this. It has
nothing to do with genre or style. Its basically the humanity that binds
us all together. DB

ROBERT GLASPER launched his career playing acoustic piano, but quickly opened himself up
to electric keyboards, given his spirited connections to the realms of hip-hop, neo-soul and r&b. It
was a smart, organic move that enabled the Houston native to develop his unique voice beyond the
strictures of mainstream jazz. He has matured into a deeply versatile artist who can play grooving,
straightahead tunes with his piano trio or gracefully stretch into the funk-meets-r&b zone on elec-
tric keys with his plugged-in group, the Robert Glasper Experiment, which, as its name suggests, is
an adventurous, genre-blending machine.
do things against the grain, totally, said Glasper, who pri- he said. Miles influenced me when I was younger to keep things
marily records for Blue Note but recently completed a couple fresh. (He noted that hes well aware of Bill Laswells 1998 remix proj-
of special projects for Columbia/Legacy. ect, Panthalassa: The Music Of Miles Davis 19691974, but purposely
Glasper served as co-producer of the soundtrack to Miles didnt listen to it so as not to be influenced by that in any way.)
Ahead (Columbia/Legacy), the cinematic exploration of Miles Davis Most of Miles fans over the age of 50 will probably hate
by director/actor Don Cheadle. On the recording, in addition to Davis Everythings Beautiful, Glasper said. Its so today musically, and
tracks, Glasper delivers five originals, including the end-credit tune theres not much trumpet. People talk about Miles and its all about
Gone 2015 with rapper Pharoahe Monch. Don told me that in the trumpet. If the trumpets not there, then Miles is not there. But I
some scenes he wanted to get the sound of the time period, Glasper refuse to submit everything down to the trumpet. Miles is much big-
explained. But at the same time, he wanted me to sound like Glasper. ger than the instrument. So, I figured if I make all the older people
Plus, the keyboardist recently released another Davis-related proj- happy, Im not doing my job. Its what happens in every era, like Miles.
ect, Everythings Beautiful (Columbia/Legacy), which could be the When you introduce something new and groundbreaking, its going
album of the summer thanks to its sunny r&b grooves, silky soul, to make some people angry.
hip-hop thunder and jazz lightning. Glasper as producer reimagines However, Glasper does concede that one track, the hip-grooved
Davis music and archival outtakes in new, soul-infused contexts. Milestones, may be one tune that the Miles Davis police would like.
Its so 2016 musically, Glasper said. Im making new music with Georgia Ann Muldrow, whom Glasper knew in college, sings it. Im
old music. You can hear Miles in the samples, but it also sounds like a big fan of hers, so I called her up and asked her to be on the album,
the future. Im championing how Miles played the language of the Glasper recalled. I said, Choose a song and how you want to do it. I
time. He was always moving, knowing that if you dont move, the didnt play keyboards a lot on the album because of the samples, but I
music is dead. did do a piano solo on top of Georgia singing.
Everythings Beautifulwhich is officially credited to Miles Davis Derrick Hodge, Glaspers bassist in his Experiment band, appears
& Robert Glasperfeatures the keyboardist creating new sound- on a few tracks on Everythings Beautiful. Robert didnt talk much
scapes with a diverse team of creative artists, ranging from r&b sing- about how to manifest what he was thinking about for the album,
er Erykah Badu and funky vocalist Ledisi to rappers Illa J and Phonte he said. It was whatever happens, happens. He respects all the artists
to soulsters such as Laura Mvula and Stevie Wonder (on harmonica). hes brought into the project. As for Glasper being voted the top key-
The track Im Leaving You features guitarist John Scofieldan artist boardist in this years Critics Poll, Hodge said, That is one of the big-
who actually played with Miles. gest compliments in that it recognizes how identifiable he is and how
The catalyst for both projects was Davis nephew Vince Wilburn, influential he is in my era.
who not only toured and recorded as the drummer in his uncles bands Hodge added that the Robert Glasper Experiment is starting to
in the 80s but also helps to oversee Miles Davis Properties alongside work on new material for a Blue Note project, but he didnt reveal
other family members. Wilburn served as a co-executive producer for many detailsexcept to say that itll be an album where Glasper comes
Cheadles film soundtrack. Ive known Vince for years, Glasper said. across honestly, without any contrived playing. Thats the great thing
He has been super-supportive. He was on the sidelines and told me about Robert, Hodges said. He plays his music and says, This is me.
to keep doing my own shit. He was instrumental in having me do the The new Experiment album, which will arrive later this year or
movie and the new album. He wanted someone young, hip, respected early 2017, is still being shaped. Expect something different is all
and who knew the history of jazz. He championed me. Glasper would say about itwhich means the keyboardist will indeed
Once Glasper started working on Everythings Beautiful, he quick- be committed to going against that grain, which is a good thing for
ly realized he didnt want to do a tribute album. No throwback stuff, jazzs future. DB

KAMASI WASHINGTON
The Epic (BRAINFEEDER) 151
Recorded over a creatively dense month with a dozen
musicians, including vocalists and a string section, The
JAZZ ALBUM 1 Epic is the ambitious album that launched saxophonist

Kamasi Washington into the international spotlight. The
OF THE YEAR three-disc, three-hour-long program conveys a taut yet
relaxed energy that has turned new listeners toward the
lure of jazz.
MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA TOM HARRELL

The Thompson Fields (ARTISTSHARE) 110 First Impressions (HIGH NOTE) 38
The Thompson Fields reflects Schneiders keen Trumpeter Harrell has a jazzmans understand-
interest in nature, with songs inspired by specific
2 types of birds and butterflies. The CD is housed in
7 ing of grooves, and his handling of texture and
structure is a balm throughout this program,
an elaborate hardback book with extensive liner which reimagines themes by Debussy and Rav-
notes, photographs, maps, fold-out pages and el. Augmenting his working quintet with flute,
Audubon illustrations of birds, and the music guitar, violin and cello, Harrell offers a triumph
features lovely pastoral moments that play like a of jazz composition.
nature documentary in the listeners mind.
CCILE MCLORIN SALVANT CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE TRIO

For One To Love (MACK AVENUE) 48 Live At The Village Vanguard
Salvant follows her acclaimed breakout album, (MACK AVENUE) 37
3 WomanChild, with the intimate For One To Love, 8 This album is the fruit of McBrides long associ-
which won the vocalist a Grammy Award in the ation with the Village Vanguard, where he first
Best Jazz Vocal Album category. The album appeared as a leader in 1995. The bassists solo
features Salvant alongside her unfailingly sol- on Cherokee, an album highlight, won the
id working unit: Aaron Diehl (piano), Lawrence 2016 Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz
Leathers (drums) and Paul Sikivie (bass). Solo.
HENRY THREADGILLS ZOOID MICHAEL FORMANEKS

In For A Penny, In For A Pound (PI) 47 ENSEMBLE KOLOSSUS
Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for music, In For The Distance (ECM) 35
4 A Penny, In For A Pound is the latest installment 9 Formaneks The Distance showcases texturally
in saxophonist/flutist/composer Threadgills on- rich compositions for 18-piece big band. Chan-
going exploration of integrating composition neling sounds from classic to modern, he wrote
with group improvisation. It offers an exhilarat- for individual soloists in the Ellington tradition.
ing collage of improvised lines free of constraints The musicians manage to sound cohesive and
imposed by chords or melodies. present, even as they roar to and fro.
STEVE COLEMAN & THE CHARLES LLOYD

COUNCIL OF BALANCE Wild Man Dance (BLUE NOTE) 34
Synovial Joints (PI) 45 The live album Wild Man Dance marks Lloyds
5 Colemans 2013 album Functional Arrhythmias
10 return to Blue Note Records after 30 years.
(Pi) yielded analogies to bodily systems. What Commissioned for the 10th anniversary of the
that album did for flow, Synovial Joints does for Jazztopad festival in Wroclaw, Poland, the re-
musical momentum and connectivity. The work sulting program is broad and majestic, quiet
was composed for a group he calls the Council of and personal, exotic yet familiar.
Balance, which features 21 musicians from jazz,
Latin and contemporary classical circles.
CHARLES LLOYD 11. John Scofield, Past Present (IMPULSE!) .............................................. 34

I Long To See You (BLUE NOTE) 44 12. Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap, The Silver Lining: The Songs Of
For this sumptuous album, Lloyd enlisted the Jerome Kern (COLUMBIA) ........................................................................31
6 rhythmic core of his stalwart New Quartet en- 13. Luciana Souza, Speaking In Tongues (SUNNYSIDE) ..................... 28
semblebassist Reuben Rogers and drummer 14. Mary Halvorson, Meltframe (FIREHOUSE 12) .................................... 28
Eric Harlandand invited top-tier collaborators
including guitarist Bill Frisell and pedal steel gui- 15. Fred Hersch, Solo (PALMETTO) ............................................................. 27
tarist Greg Leisz. The fare ranges from traditional 16. Charene Wade, Offering: The Music Of Gil Scott-Heron And
hymns to anti-war protest songs to re-envisioned Brian Jackson (MOTMA) ....................................................................... 26
originals that appeared on his earlier recordings. 17. Wadada Leo Smith/John Lindberg, Celestial Weather (TUM) ... 26
18. Arturo OFarrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Cuba: The
Conversation Continues (MOTMA!) ................................................. 25
19. Esperanza Spalding, Emilys D+Evolution (CONCORD) .............. 25
For more of the years top jazz albums, see page 50.
20. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Stretch Music
(ROPEADOPE/STRETCH MUSIC) ................................................................ 24

MILES DAVIS
Miles Davis At Newport 19551975:
The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (SONY LEGACY) 147
HISTORICAL 1
This four-CD set traces Davis movement from ripe
romanticism in 1955 to electric jazz-rock 20 years later.
ALBUM The iconic trumpeter and bandleader is heard playing in
OF THE YEAR four venues with seven different historic groups in the
employ of impresario George Wein.
JOHN COLTRANE BRAD MEHLDAU

A Love Supreme: The Complete 10 Years Solo Live (NONESUCH) 55
Masters (IMPULSE!) 133 With this four-disc set (also available as eight
2 This Complete Masters Super Deluxe 50th an- 7 LPs), the pianist has earned his place in the
niversary edition of the saxophonists most im- pantheon of jazz recitalists. His intensity draws
portant album includes the original 33 minutes from Cecil Taylor, and his lyricism reflects Keith
plus unreleased session reels and alternative Jarretts sensibility. The pianist seems to pur-
versions, as well as a live recording of the famous sue one mission throughout all this music: to
suite from a July 1965 festival performance in explore, as deeply as he can, that place where
France. sorrow and beauty meet.
THAD JONES/MEL LEWIS ORCHESTRA WEATHER REPORT

All My Yesterdays (RESONANCE) 131 The Legendary Tapes: 19781981
A glorious chapter in orchestrated jazz began (LEGACY) 48
when trumpeter/composer Jones and drummer
3 Lewis combined forces to form their historic New
8 This four-CD package, culled from previously
unheard board tapes, documents the bands
York big band. This two-disc set captures the classic lineup of Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter,
groups first night at the Village Vanguard, its Peter Erskine and bassist Jaco Pastorius (some-
spiritual home. times with the addition of percussionist Robert
Thomas Jr., who joined in 1980) at the peak of
their creative powers in live settings.
ERROLL GARNER STAN GETZ/JOO GILBERTO

The Complete Concert By The Sea Getz/Gilberto 76 (RESONANCE) 44
(SONY LEGACY) 90 Recorded at San Franciscos Keystone Korner in
4 This collection expands an LP that originally ran 9 May 1976, when Getz was 49, these previously
40 minutes into a triple CD that now lasts two unheard live tracks document a rare reunion
hours longer. The first two discs reproduce the between the saxophonist and the Brazilian
complete concert; the third offers the original LP guitarist/singer who together had changed the
plus an interview with the virtuoso pianist, bass- sound of jazz a dozen years earlier.
ist Eddie Calhoun and drummer Denzil Best.
LARRY YOUNG JOHN ABERCROMBIE

In Paris: The ORTF Recordings The First Quartet (ECM) 40
(RESONANCE) 87 The guitarist is joined by pianist Richie Beirach,
5 Sourced from the Office de Radiodiffusion-
10 bassist George Mraz and drummer Peter
Tlvision Franaise archives, this two-CD set Donald on this collection, which compiles his
features sessions from radio studio performanc- albums Arcade (1978), Abercrombie Quar-
es and concert dates the organist did (circa tet (1979) and M (1980). Abercrombie found
196465) in several settings while living in the superb kindred spirits with this band, which
City of Lights. demonstrates a distinctly collaborative vibe.
SONNY ROLLINS QUARTET 11. Branford Marsalis Quartet, A Love Supreme: Live In Amsterdam
WITH DON CHERRY (MARSALIS MUSIC/OKEH) ............................................................................ 38
Complete Live At The Village Gate 12. Billie Holiday, Banned From New York City Live (UPTOWN) .... 36
6 1962 (SOLAR) 60 13. Wes Montgomery, In The Beginning (RESONANCE) ..................... 36
Professionally recorded over the course of a his-
14. Sonny Sharrock, Ask The Ages (M.O.D. TECHNOLOGIES) ................ 35
toric four-night engagement with Rollins, Cher-
ry, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Billy 15. Jaco Pastorius, JACO: Original Soundtrack
Higgins, this crisp-sounding six-CD box includes (COLUMBIA/LEGACY) .................................................................................. 34
exceptional performances of classic jazz tunes as 16. Bob Dylan, The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge
well as long, loose improvisational suites. 19651966 (COLUMBIA) .......................................................................... 32
17. Abbey Lincoln, Sophisticated Abbey (HIGHNOTE) ........................... 30
18. Jimmy Heath, Picture Of Heath (ELEMENTAL) ................................ 29
19. Barry Harris, Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron (ELEMENTAL) .... 28
For more of the years top historical albums, see page 50.
20. Tony Bennett/Bill Evans, The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans
Recordings [LPs] (FANTASY) ................................................................. 28

ANNUAL
CRITICS POLL

Considering KAMASI WASHINGTONS bold, dramatic ascendancy on the international jazz scene
over the past year, it comes as no surprise that the saxophonist would scoop up three wins in this years
Critics Poll: top Jazz Album, for The Epic (Brainfeeder); Rising StarJazz Artist; and Rising StarTenor
Saxophone. But, despite his strong new presence, galvanized by bookings on the jazz festival circuit,
the club scene, and, most significantly, at massive rock festivals (such as the Coachella, Bonnaroo and
Pitchfork fests), Washington isnt an overnight sensation, as many people might think.
ashington, a 35-year-old native of backward in time and style, with liberal nods to Angeleswhile remaining very much root-
Los Angeles, emerged as a val- the worlds of heroes Pharoah Sanders and John ed in that city. Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy
ued sideman for artists in r&b Coltrane, and with choral and string parts that and even Ornette Coleman were at one time or
(Chaka Khan, Lauryn Hill) and can suggest the work of Donald Byrd or Alice another based in Los Angeles, but those titans
hip-hopincluding as an improvising voice Coltrane (whose grand-nephew, the poetic hip- gained legendary status after they left the city.
on rapper Kendrick Lamars Grammy-winning hop maestro known as Flying Lotus, signed Washington, along with many of the play-
hip-hop masterpiece To Pimp A Butterfly Washington to his Brainfeeder label). ers in his extended musical family, grew up in
(Aftermath). Washingtons long jazz pedigree In an interview near his home in Los the fertile environment in the Leimert Park
includes work with two L.A. legends: He was in Angeles, Washington spoke about his new- neighborhood, aka South Central, turf associ-
Gerald Wilsons big band, and he explored the found life in the spotlight. There is certainly an ated with gangsta rap and stereotypical ideas
avant-garde world with Horace Tapscott and other side of the fence feeling, he said. Doing about criminal activity comin outta Compton.
his Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. shows and festivals under your own name, its Washington and his friends honed their
So why has Washington soared into the a surprisingly big difference compared to play- chops at various local venues, including the
higher reaches of jazz now? Its all about The ing with someone else. There is a lot of respon- revered World Stage club, owned by drum-
Epic. Washingtons ambitious, critically laud- sibility. Playing with someone else, really you mer Billy Higgins (19362001). It was at the
ed three-disc album, recorded with a group are responsible for your part of the musicand World Stage that an impressionable young
of tight allies from his West Coast Get Down thats it. It gives me more respect for the [band- Washington first heard saxophonist Sanders. It
coalition, was released in May 2015, but the leaders] Ive played for over the years. changed his life.
music gestated for a long time, with the ori- One important aspect of Washingtons From there on, he recalled, I always
gins of some tracks going back more than 10 story is the geocultural significance of this loved that sound that Pharoah put out. It was
years. The album presents a jazz statement run- background. He is one of the greatest phe- a hub. Right there, in South Central L.A., two
ning in multiple directions, including proudly noms in jazz history to have come out of Los blocks in either direction, youre right in the

middle of the gang war. But [at the World I got into Eric Dolphy, and Pharoah. Actually,
JACK VARTOOGIAN/FRONTROWPHOTOS
Stage], its peaceful and with nothing but pos- I got into Miles Davis, which led me to Trane.
itive energies. People demonize these young Trane is like a really bright light. If you hadnt
people who are called gangsters and are made looked at it before, its hard to see it. But once
out to be heartless monsters. Theyre really not. you can see it, you dont want to see anything
Theyre people who have a negative self-image, else. It definitely changed my musical brain,
who dont have a clear understanding of the especially with the intensity that I played with.
opportunities in front of them, so they make With Trane, it feels like every time he plays, hes
some bad decisions. putting his whole being into it. Theres nothing
Much has been made of Washingtons debt held back.
to Coltrane, and similar energy and power on While playing in jazz band at Hamilton
tenor, but as he explains, The first people I was High School, Washington also studied clas-
into were Art Blakey and Wayne Shorter. Then sical piano, which he says led him into classi-
Washington performs at Webster Hall in New York

City on Feb. 24.
cal music, the works of Ravel, Stravinsky and

Debussy. Following up on Coltranes interest
in Indian music, he tapped into that world, and
chose ethnomusicology as his major at UCLA.
I started studying music from around the
world, he said. Thats when I started to open
myself back up to things I was into before I
got into jazz. I never thought John Coltrane
was superior to James Brown. He was just all I
wanted to listen to, because I liked that music so
much. It wasnt that I didnt like Dr. Dre; I was
just very focused on jazz.
Especially coming from Leimert, we felt
that freedom and the avant-garde jazz sound,
when you get into it, and you stay in it. A lot
of times, thats the last destination, because
it just feels good. Its hard to leave that. We
were into this heavy avant-garde jazz and
ended up with a lot of r&b, hip-hop and rock
n roll gigs that we would play. What we do is
to bring all of that into one thingin a way
that happens with a purpose.
Washingtons music is generally acoustic,
with tentacles in hard-bop, Afrocentric jazz of
the 70s and spiritualized modal group jams.
Yet he believes it is an implicit but palpable
ensemble groove that makes the strongest
impact on listenerswhether theyre veteran
fans or novices with little connection to jazz
(except maybe such incidental encounters as
the solos on To Pimp A Butterfly).
Asked whether certain members of his
audiences were perhaps responding to a type
of groove that they hadnt previously encoun-
tered in a concert setting, Washington replied,
They sense it, and feel it. When they connect,
it all comes together. Then, they start getting
these other things: the chords, improvisation,
the other stuff in there.
And does the bands overall energy make
those new listeners more receptive to
Washingtons sometimes atonal sax solos?
Yeah, he nodded. I dont really know
why, but Ive seen that over the years. In the
past, sometimes, they were not convinced.
Now, I feel like they are convinced. DB

Perched atop a peak high in the Peruvian Andes after a There was a beautiful blue sky, said Jensen, who won
long climb, CHRISTINE JENSENnever one to waste two categories in the 2016 Critics Poll: Rising Star
a moment of inspirationwhipped out her ever-present Arranger and Rising StarBig Band (for the Christine
notebooks and scribbled a melody, a bass line and a bit Jensen Jazz Orchestra). We were above the clouds. I
of harmonic material for possible future use. had this sense of peace.

he climb was a side trip during a the cerebral. No ivory tower for her. the basis of my voice as a writer, she said.
visit to Lima in 2008, and the I tell my students if you want to have an These days, that voice is being heard with
notes sat unused until 2012, understanding of creativity and beauty, you the Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra and anoth-
when Jensen drew on them to fulfill the Robin need to leave your office, she said. er large ensemble, the Orchestre National de
McBride Jazz Commission at Amherst College. Jensens penchant for mining her environ- Jazz de Montral, as well as in small-group
The result was the breathtaking chorale that ment is a byproduct of her upbringing in contexts like Nordic Connect, with her sister,
opens Blue Yonder, a highlight of her second Nanaimo, a town in British Columbia not far trumpeter Ingrid Jensen.
big-band album, 2013s Habitat (Justin Time). from a vast wilderness. Amid the expanse, nar- Christine, 46, is five years Ingrids junior, a
Opening chorales are part of Jensens row inlets bounded by high cliffs fostered in the gap she said had precluded serious collabora-
modus operandimeditative setups for the youthful Christine a love of nature and a desire tion when they were youngsters. But since then,
swinging, multilayered excursions that typical- to translate it into the language of jazz. they have become close musically, with Ingrid
ly follow. In the case of Blue Yonder, the excur- The skills with which she could make that adding a unique voice and moral support to
sion, like the chorale that precedes it, draws on leap were nurtured at home, which was filled Christines endeavors.
Jensens surroundingsspecifically, the milieu with all manner of jazz, from the piano trios of Their collaborations often start with small-
of the Lima street where, during her 2008 visit, Oscar Petersona native of Montreal, where group vehicles, which Jensen transforms into
she absorbed the festejo rhythms that ended up she is now basedto the big band of Tommy episodic works for 18 pieces. Even on the wider
pulsating through the body of the piece. Dorsey. Jensen said she related to the material canvas, though, the works retain the flexibili-
Real-world inspiration is integral to Jensens mainly on an emotional level. ty of her small-group effortsa trait Jensen
work. Look no further than the rich and shifting I wasnt one of those people who say, Ive said reflects her background as a saxophonist,
colorations that suffuse Treelines, Dancing got to dissect this, she explained. That part which influences the way she deals with form.
Sunlight and Vernal Suiteevocative titles didnt interest me as much as grabbing onto the Some of my pieces begin with a lead sheet
from Habitat and her inaugural large-en- excitement in the music. and then expand into big band, she said, as
semble album, 2010s Treelines (Justin Time), Not that Nanaimo didnt provide plenty of opposed to more contemporary writing, where
both of which won Canadas Juno Award for opportunity for hard analysis. Its schools you have a small theme or idea and start manip-
Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year. offered a grounding in theory and practi- ulating that.
For all of Jensens eruditionshe holds a cal skills, while its churches gave Jensen, who Jensen singled out Blue Yonder as a piece
masters degree in jazz performance from accompanied choirs on pianoher main well suited to adaptation, whatever the scale of
Montreals McGill University, where she teach- instrument before she took up the saxophone at the intended product. It has enough counter-
es composition and leads ensemblesshe is age 12the opportunity to delve into the kind point that I can play it solo, duo, trio, quartet,
a composer whose growing notice hinges as of four-part harmony that would prepare her big band, she said. Thats really fun when I get
much on her appreciation of the visceral as of for orchestrating those signature chorales. Its a piece like that under my belt. DB

The title of trumpeter MARQUIS HILLS major-la- McBride, vibraphonist Justin Thomas, bassist Joshua Ramos and drum-
mer Makaya McCraven. Its a powerful affirmation of Hills commitment
bel debutThe Way We Play (Concord)is as to his four-year-old band.
boldly declarative as Ornette Colemans iconic 1961 We all came up together in Chicago, said the trumpeter, who now
release, This Is Our Music. splits his time between there and New York. We honed our sound
together. I always knew I was going to strive to keep them together, and
lthough Hill, a 29-year-old Chicago native, said Coleman now I hear their voices when Im composing.
wasnt on his mind when he settled on the title for his fourth While major labels often pressure young artists to recruit established
disc, he agreed that this recording with his band, the Blacktet, stars to lend marquee credibility to debut albums, Hill said there was
makes a similarly definitive statement. no question that the Blacktet would be featured on The Way We Play
I wanted this album to put our own twist on standards, he said. I his reward for winning the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Jazz
hope the title tells people that the whole continuum of this great black Trumpet Competition.
tradition influences me. Concord was super cool about it, he said. I see this album as a big
Much of the material on The Way We Play (his fifth leader project) part of the bands growth and progress, and I want to keep pushing it to
reflects the music Hill played and studied as he developed his sound, in the limit.
particular his teenage devotion to Donald Byrd. The late Detroit trum- After a handful of U.S. dates this summer, the band heads to Europe
peter is represented by a fluid version of Fly Little Bird Fly that show- in October for its first international tour. Beyond that, Hill has plans to
cases a lithe rap by Harold Green III. Fellow Chicagoan Herbie Hancock fold the Blacktet into a larger ensemble, his first opportunity to write for
and Horace Silver are also represented, and the depth of Hills expan- a big band and one component of his work as curator of the 2017 Hyde
sive knowledge of post-bop jazz trumpet reveals itself in a cover of Beep Park Jazz Festival in Chicago.
Durple, a composition by the largely forgotten Kansas City musician Thats still very much in the planning stage, he said, but I know I
Carmell Jones. want to include some African dance and visual arts elements, featuring
I discovered Carmell in high school about the same time I fell in love artists Ive encountered in Chicago and Los Angeles.
with Donald Byrd, Hill said. I was hearing that stuff and learning to While the sudden gust of fame that accompanies victory in the Monk
play it, and at the same time I was being influenced by the Spinners and competition can be anticipated, Hill expressed surprise at his win in
other things my mom played around the house. Keeping my ears open, DownBeats Rising StarTrumpet category.
keeping my music relevant, is the exciting part of what Im doing. Im Its crazy, he said. Very humbling. I mean, I check out whos in that
influenced by everything that happens around me. category every year. I look up to all the people who have won, and now I
As much as The Way We Play announces that Hills inspirations cant believe its me.
extend from Gigi Gryce to hip-hop, it also expresses his strong allegiance His incredulity belies a strong work ethic and a sense of self-determi-
to his hometown, opening with a medley that includes the instrumental nation. He sees himself getting into record production in the future and
music the Chicago Bulls used when the team hit the court in the 1990s. starting his own label one day.
And, just as the announcer introduced Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen Right now, Im taking this great opportunity with Concord and
and their Bulls teammates to cheering crowds at the United Center learning all I can from it, he said. Ive always been my own boss, and its
and the old Chicago Stadium, Hill enlists Chicago r&b singer Meagan been that way since Day 1. I tell myself that if I take care of my music, it
McNeal to intone the names of the Blacktet: alto saxophonist Christopher will take care of me. DB

Sporting streaks of green in her hair, an ebullient
GRACE KELLY burst into a Queens tea cafe in
May with bright lights on her mind.
elevision networks, it seemed, were vying for the saxophon-
ists services. Just as a five-month stint with the house band
on CBS Late Night With Stephen Colbert had ended for the
momentsummer beckoned and a possible re-upping with the band
loomed in Septembera gig with the band on the new NBC variety show
Maya and Marty was about to begin.
Last August, Kelly had filmed an appearance on the Amazon detec-
tive series Bosch, which depicted her onstage at the Catalina Jazz Club
performing her insinuating theme Blues For Harry Bosch. Versions of
that tune appear on her 10th and latest album, Trying To Figure It Out
(Pazz), a singing-and-playing effort she recorded before the Late Night
gig began in December.
Her movie life has also been humming. Kelly, 24, has contributed to
at least six films, among them the powerful 2014 documentary Sound Half a young life later, a direct line can be drawn between that perfor-
of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story. In it, she played for inmates mance and a video fashioned from the Bosch experience in which she
in Californias San Quentin State Prison, where saxophonist Morgan, engages in some interactive choreography with her saxophoneeven as
whom she got to know before he died in 2007, had done time. The experi- the music, a sultry mix of sparse horns and ambient sounds, grabs hold
ence inspired the moody He Shot A Man, which won an ASCAP Young of the listener.
Jazz Composers Award and appears on the new album. An expanded version of Blues For Harry Bosch, complete with
Amid all the activity, she has continued to book club and concert smoke and video projections performed to a click track, is planned for
engagementsand, to boot, garnered her first victory in the DownBeat live performance, she said. All of which brings her closer to what she
Critics Poll, as Rising StarAlto Saxophone. wants to say.
The seemingly charmed musical life of this preternaturally gifted I think theres a big difference, she said, between finding ones
artistshe cut her first record at age 12 and, while still a teenager, voice completely through the instrument and improvisation and finding
earned her jazz bona fides recording with alto giants Lee Konitz and Phil ones voice through the setting.
Woodsis a bit more complicated than it might initially appear. If the occasional purist worries that the beyond part of her concept
The thing thats a little bit difficult to hear is, Youre spreading your- will obscure the jazz part, those who have worked with her express no
self too thin, Kelly said. While the albums with Konitz (GRACEfulLEE, such concerns. Pianist Jon Batiste, who leads the Late Night band and
from 2008) and Woods (Man With The Hat, from 2011), both on Pazz, takes a turn on Trying To Figure It Out, rated Kelly a highly accomplished
constituted milestones in her introduction to the jazz world, she felt that musician with a charismatic and contagiously uplifting stage presence.
they may have created some false expectations. Drummer Terri Lyne Carringtona mentor at Berklee College of
Some people didnt look at my full history, she said, because ever Music who recruited Kelly for her latest leader project, Love And Soul
since I was 12 I was writing and playing pop songs, singing, doing all (Concord)praised the saxophonists unique statement based on her
these thingssomething I call jazz and beyondand melding genres. life and experiences thus far.
I didnt know I was going to become a jazz musician. I actually Veteran pianist Monty Alexander, who like Kelly mixes show-busi-
wanted to be a Broadway actress. That was my dream. ness savvy with musical substancemelding infectious Jamaican beats
Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, she was singing, dancing with a deeply rooted jazz languageapplauded her ability to bring a
and acting. Her first public appearance, which drew on her debut album, fresh sensibility to the standard repertoire. Shes got the goods, said
Dreaming (Pazz), found her onstage at a rented church, a 12-year-old Alexander, citing her compelling reading of Heres That Rainy Day at a
prodigy playing and tap-dancing to Charlie Parkers My Little Suede tribute to Frank Sinatra he hosted at Jazz at Lincoln Center in February.
Shoes. The experience was a revelation. Kelly, meanwhile, explained her expansive view by invoking no less a
There was a moment when a light went off in my head and I jazz stalwart than Woods. He told me, Jazz is a mixable genre, she
thought, This could actually be a thing. I could do this for the rest of recalled. The more Ive been thinking about my identity as a player, I
my life, she said. realize I have to highlight all the things I do really well. DB

On a Tuesday afternoon in mid-May, LUQUES CURTIS
was enjoying a restful day at home, having just completed
a European tour with trumpeter Christian Scott, his one-
time roommate at Berklee College of Music. Curtis was
spending quality time with his toddler, but also tweaking fluent, bilingual practitioner of Afro-Caribbean dia-
a new Sendel baby bass into playing shape for a Saturday lects and the roots and branches of hardcore, swing-
concert in Harlems Marcus Garvey Park with Eddie ing jazz. In the former arena, Curtis has subbed for
Palmieri, revisiting the pianists 1971 album Harlem Gonzlez in the Fort Apache Band, and appears reg-
ularly with percussionist Ralph Irizarrys Timbalaye
River Drive. It would be Curtis third gig in four and pianist Bill OConnells Latin jazz projects. Curtis
days, following hits on Friday with the Orrin Evans absorbed bebop and post-bop vocabulary during forma-
Quartet at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and on tive years at Jackie McLeans Artists Collective in Hartford,
inspired by bassist Dave Santoros hands-on tutelage.
Wednesday with David Weiss Point of Departure After Berklee, Curtis toured with Scott behind the trumpet-
Quintet at Fat Cat in Greenwich Village. ers first two recordings, and also with saxophonist Donald
Harrison and trumpeter Brian Lynch. These days, Curtis plays in
Weve been in the studio two months, Curtis said, referencing multiple bands led by Evans, their simpatico burnished over five
Palmieris forthcoming big band CD, La Luz Mayor. He joined albums and numerous gigs with trumpeter Sean Jones since 2006,
Palmieris Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet a decade ago via trumpeter a year after the three connected in drummer Ralph Petersons sextet.
Brian Lynch, a frequent employer. Soon thereafter, he began par- All the bands Im in allow me room to create, and do what I feel fits
ticipating in Palmieris salsa projects. the band, Curtis said. I approach each one, whatever the style, in
Eddie gives me all the freedom in the world, Curtis said. exactly the same waywith the goal of making everything feel good.
When he solos, he trusts we can go to the clouds and come Szyzgy, which drops in late summer, is the Curtis Brothers fourth
back together. I go to Eddies house, he turns me on to old album on Truth Revolution, the imprint they founded in 2007. Joined by
Cuban records, like Orquesta Aragn, stuff Ive heard Richie Barshay on drumset and Reinaldo De Jesus on percussion, they navi-
before, but hadnt focused on transcribing the bass lines. gate bebop, boogaloo, urban, bolero, bomba and rumba grooves on repertoire
Curtis mentioned Andy Gonzlezan early men- spanning Bud Powell (Hallucinations), Dizzy Gillespie (Bebop), Horace
tor for Curtis and his older brother, pianist Zaccai Silver (Quicksilver), Wayne Shorter (Yes And No), Charlie Palmieri (Start
who played electric bass on one track of Harlem River The World) and Mongo Santamaria (Afro Blue) as well as r&b and Tin Pan
Drive. Andy showed us this stuff in our teens, but Alley material. Luques syncopation, time feel and note choices refract the essence
I wasnt absorbing the information the same way. of such Atomic Era jazz heroes as Paul Chambers, Oscar Pettiford and Wilbur
Even so, the brothers attained sufficient Ware through a tumbao lens informed by Gonzlez, Bobby Rodriguez and Cachao.
familiarity with clave codes to motivate Chucho I think our ability to combine those different sounds into our own thingbless-
Valds to invite their Hartford kid band to ed by the elders, you could sayis unique, Curtis said. He referred to the aspiration-
play in Cuba in 1997, when Luques was 14. al message of the Truth Revolution imprimatur: It means being a free mind, doing
Now 32, he upholds Gonzlezs legacy as a something musically or spiritually positive. Thats our goal. DB

Although its hard to think of 45-year-old guitarist poser Myra Melford in support of her 2015 Enja/Yellowbird release
Snowy Egret (including a triumphant week at the Village Vanguard in
LIBERTY ELLMAN as a Rising Starhes been March), toured with saxophonist Joe Lovano in a band that will be doc-
a member of Henry Threadgills Zooid for 15 years, umented on an upcoming live Blue Note release and made select appear-
appearing on six potent albums, including 2015s ances with percussionist/composer Adam Rudolphs Go: Organic Guitar
Pulitzer Prize-winning In For A Penny, In For A Orchestra (which includes Nels Cline, Joel Harrison, David Gilmore,
Jerome Harris, Rez Abbasi and others) in support of its 2015 Cuneiform
Poundit was his fourth leader project, the sex- release Turning Towards The Light.
tet album Radiate (Pi Recordings), that prompt- The London-born guitarist attributes his open-mindedness to his
ed many DownBeat critics to consider him a tal- unorthodox upbringing. While his mother personally knew Jimi
Hendrix, his father (drummer Kevin Ellman) played in Todd Rundgrens
ent deserving of wider recognition. That brilliant Utopia. Between their classic rock record collection and his own bur-
album was a refinement of the kind of sophisticated geoning interest in jazz, Ellmans ears were wide open in his formative
polyphony that Ellman had been dealing with since years. When I was learning to play jazz harmony and chord voicings, I
his 1998 self-produced debut, Orthodoxy (Noir was getting it from a few friends and a couple of teachers out there who
were not really pushing me to only play bebop vocabulary, he recalled.
Records), and subsequent acclaimed recordings for So along with listening to Coltrane and Miles, Jimi Hendrix and Led
Pi2003s Tactiles and 2006s Ophiuchus Butterfly. Zeppelin, Muddy Waters and T-Bone Walker, I was also hip to what
was coming out of the East Coast in terms of modern jazz, like the Dave
sextet project featuring his Zooid bandmate Jose Davila on Holland Quartet with Kevin Eubanks. It all affected me. But I was really
trombone and tuba, Steve Lehman on alto saxophone, interested in people who wrote music and had their own sound for their
Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Stephan Crump (Ellmans band and werent just about seeing if they could blow over some changes.
bandmate in the Rosetta Trio) on bass and the tremendous Everything they did regarding leading their band was unique. And that
young drummer Damion Reid fueling the proceedings, Radiate reflects had a huge effect on the way that I see music.
the influence of Threadgill on several of its through-composed pieces. Considering that nine years passed between the releases of Ophiuchus
One can also hear the influence of Steve Coleman (whom Ellman Butterfly and Radiate, one wonders when the next one will drop. I admit
jammed and gigged with while living in the Bay Area in 1996 before mov- that, for me, writing is a slower process than it is for some other people,
ing to New York in 1998) on the grooving opener Supercell. Throughout he said. But that isnt why I didnt put out a record for so many years. It
Radiate, the guitarist stretches considerably more on his instrument had more to do with the fact that I was enjoying being busy in other peo-
than on previous outings, revealing hints of Pat Martinos influence ples projects and learning a lot. I was just feeling like, Let me see what I
in his precisely picked staccato solos on tunes like Rhinocerisms, A can gain from that experience. And when I feel like I have enough bottled
Motive and Vibrograph. The effects-laden Enigmatic Runner, which up, then itll be time to put something out.
concludes the album, portends things to come for Ellman. Currently, Ellman has a lot bottled up. He has plans for a solo gui-
But Radiate is just one of many things that may have won over critics tar-with-effects recording, a guitar trio project and a follow-up to
in this years poll, considering the flurry of activity that Ellman had in Radiate. When I make a record, I want it to be a piece of art that lasts,
2015. In addition to his celebrated work with Threadgill and his own he says. I want it to be special enough that when people clear out their
fourth recording as a leader, he recorded and toured with pianist-com- CD collection, that mine can stay. DB

We are proud to present the results of the 64th Annual DownBeat International
Critics Poll, which includes Jazz Album of the Year (page 36) and Historical
Album of the Year (page 38).
Randy Weston.....................91 Kamasi Washington,

Anthony Braxton ...................... 72 The Epic (Brainfeeder)......151
Don Cherry ............................... 71 Maria Schneider Orchestra, The
Pharoah Sanders ..................... 70 Thompson Fields (ArtistShare) ..110
Phil Woods ............................... 62 Ccile McLorin Salvant, For One
Jimmy Heath ............................ 61 To Love (Mack Avenue) ............. 48
Kenny Barron ........................... 59 Henry Threadgills Zooid, In For
Kenny Burrell ............................ 59 A Penny, In For A Pound (Pi).... 47
Benny Golson .......................... 54 Steve Coleman & The Council of
Paul Bley .................................. 51 Balance, Synovial Joints, (Pi) ... 45
Charles Lloyd ........................... 51 Charles Lloyd, I Long To See You
Jack DeJohnette ...................... 43 (Blue Note) ............................... 44
Billy Higgins.............................. 41 Tom Harrell, First Impressions
Hank Mobley ............................ 39 (HighNote) ............................... 38
Von Freeman ............................ 38 Christian McBride Trio, Live At
Dave Holland............................ 37 The Village Vanguard
Oliver Nelson ............................ 37 (Mack Avenue) .........................37
Tito Puente ............................... 37 Michael Formaneks Ensemble
Fred Anderson ......................... 36 Kolossus, The Distance (ECM) .. 35
THOMAS DORN
Jon Hendricks .......................... 36 Charles Lloyd, Wild Man Dance
(Blue Note)................................ 34
John Scoeld, Past Present
(Impuse!)................................... 34 Wayne Shorter
Tony Bennett/Bill Charlap, The
Hoagy Carmichael ......... 66% Silver Lining: The Songs Of (Blue Note) .............................. 20 Sound Prints: Live At Monterey
Note: Artists must receive at least 66% of Jerome Kern (Columbia) .......... 31 Terence Blanchard E-Collective, Jazz Festival (Blue Note) .......... 15
the Veterans Committee votes to gain entry. Mary Halvorson, Meltframe Breathless (Blue Note) ............. 19
Other artists receiving more than 50% of (Firehouse 12)........................... 28 Camila Meza, Traces
the vote: Luciana Souza, Speaking In (Sunnyside)............................... 19
George Gershwin ..................55% Tongues (Sunnyside) ................ 28 Joe Locke, Love Is A Pendulum Miles Davis, Miles Davis At
Scott LaFaro..........................55% Fred Hersch, Solo (Palmetto)... 27 (Motma) .................................. 18 Newport: 1955-1975, The
Herbie Nichols.......................52% Charene Wade,6LYPUN!;OL Cassandra Wilson, Coming Bootleg Series Vol. 4
Music Of Gil Scott-Heron And Forth By Day (Sony Legacy) .... 18 (Sony Legacy) ...................147
Brian Jackson (Motma) ......... 26 Terell Stafford, BrotherLee Love John Coltrane, A Love Supreme:
Wadada Leo Smith/John Lindberg, (Capri) ....................................... 17 The Complete Masters
Vijay Iyer .............................94 Celestial Weather (TUM) ........... 26 Joey Alexander, My Favorite (Impuse!)................................. 133
Kamasi Washington ................. 85 Arturo OFarrill & The Afro Latin Things (Motma) ...................... 16 Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra,
Charles Lloyd ........................... 76 Jazz Orchestra, Cuba: The Conver- Terri Lyne Carrington, The All My Yesterdays: The Debut
Maria Schneider ....................... 73 sation Continues (Motma) ....... 25 Mosaic Project: Love And Soul 1966 Recordings At The Village
Henry Threadgill ....................... 70 Esperanza Spalding, Emilys (Concord).................................. 16 Vanguard (Resonance) ........... 131
Wadada Leo Smith .................. 69 D+Evolution (Concord) .............. 25 Chick Corea/Bla Fleck, Two Erroll Garner, The Complete Con-
Christian McBride .................... 67 Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, (Concord).................................. 16 cert By The Sea (Sony Legacy) 90
Donny McCaslin ....................... 60 Stretch Music (Ropeadope/ Ben Williams, Coming Of Age Larry Young, In Paris: The ORTF
Esperanza Spalding ................. 59 Stretch Music) .......................... 24 (Concord).................................. 16 Recordings (Resonance) .......... 87
Ccile McLorin Salvant ............ 53 The Bad Plus and Joshua Randy Brecker, RandyPOP! Sonny Rollins Quartet with Don
Robert Glasper ......................... 50 Redman, The Bad Plus Joshua (Piloo Records) ....................... 15 Cherry, Complete Live At The
Rudresh Mahanthappa ............ 45 Redman (Nonesuch) ................ 23 Avishai Cohen, Into The Silence Village Gate 1962 (Solar) .......... 60
Wayne Shorter ......................... 45 Jaimeo Brown Transcendence, (ECM)........................................ 15 Brad Mehldau, 10 Years Solo
John Scoeld ........................... 40 Work Songs (Motma) ............. 23 Amir ElSaffar & Two Rivers Live (Nonesuch)........................ 55
Steve Coleman......................... 36 Julian Lage, Arclight Ensemble, Crisis (Pi) ................ 15 Weather Report, The Legendary
Jack DeJohnette ...................... 35 (Mack Avenue) ......................... 22 Orrin Evans, The Evolution Tapes: 1978-1981 (Legacy)....... 48
Kenny Barron ........................... 34 Danilo Prez/John Patitucci/Brian Of Oneself (Smoke Sessions) .. 15 Stan Getz/Joo Gilberto, Getz/
Tony Bennett ............................ 34 Blade, Children Of The Light Heads Of State, Search For Peace Gilberto 76 (Resonance) ......... 44
Dave Douglas ........................... 32 (Mack Avenue) ......................... 21 (Smoke Sessions) .................... 15 John Abercrombie,
Fred Hersch.............................. 31 Lionel Loueke, GAA Joe Lovano/Dave Douglas, The First Quartet (ECM) ........... 40

Branford Marsalis Quartet, A Love
JOKE SCHOT
Supreme: Live In Amsterdam
(Marsalis Musc/OKeh).............. 38
Billie Holiday, Banned From New
York City Live (Uptown) ............ 36
Wes Montgomery, In The Begin-
ning (Resonance) ...................... 36
Sonny Sharrock, Ask The Ages
(M.O.D. Technologies) .............. 35
Jaco Pastorius, JACO: Original
Soundtrack (Columbia/Legacy) 34
Bob Dylan, The Bootleg Series
Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge
1965-1966 (Columbia) .............. 32
Abbey Lincoln, Sophisticated
Abbey (HighNote) ..................... 30
Jimmy Heath, Picture Of Heath
(Elemental) ................................ 29
Tony Bennett/Bill Evans, The
Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans
Recordings LPs (Fantasy) ........ 28
Barry Harris, Barry Harris Plays
Tadd Dameron (Elemental) ....... 28
Count Basie, Netherlands On
Marcus Miller
Kurhaus Concert 1954
(Doctor Jazz). ........................... 27 Snarky Puppy........................... 37
BRIENE LERMITTE
Albert Tootie Heath, Kwanza Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet ... 34

(The First) (Elemental)............... 25 SFJAZZ Collective ................... 32
Sheila Jordan, Better Than Any- Wadada Leo Smith
thing: Live (There Records)....... 25 Golden Quintet ........................ 32
Stan Getz, Moments In Time
(Resonance) ............................. 21
The Velvet Underground,
Loaded: Re-Loaded The 45th Maria Schneider
Anniversary Edition (Atlantic) ... 21 Orchestra..........................214
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Darcy James Argues
The Conny Plank Session Secret Society .......................... 98
(Gronland)................................. 20 Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Charlie Haden/Gonzalo Rubalca- featuring Wynton Marsalis ......... 87
ba, Tokyo Adagio (Impuse!)...... 20 Vanguard Jazz Orchestra ........ 79
Various Artists, The Complete Bee Ryan Truesdell Gil
Hive Sessions (Mosaic) ............ 19 Evans Project ........................... 77 Maria Schneider
Wes Montgomery, One Night In Clayton-Hamilton Jazz
Indy (Resonance) ..................... 19 Orchestra.................................. 61 Wynton Marsalis ...................... 84 Ryan Keberle............................ 71
Kenny Wheeler/John Taylor, On Arturo OFarrill & The Avishai Cohen .......................... 82 Steve Davis .............................. 67
The Way To Two (Cam Jazz)......18 Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra ........ 61 Jeremy Pelt .............................. 68 Wayne Wallace ......................... 59
Steven Bernstein Millennial Terence Blanchard ................... 64 Delfeayo Marsalis..................... 55
Territory Orchestra ................... 51 Ingrid Jensen............................ 57 Curtis Fowlkes ......................... 51
Orrin Evans Captain Black Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah 57 Vincent Gardner ....................... 46
Charles Lloyd Quartet ........80 Big Band .................................. 49 Terell Stafford ........................... 51 John Fedchock ........................ 44
Donny McCaslin Group ........... 66 Christian McBride Big Band .... 47 Wallace Roney ......................... 48 Curtis Fuller .............................. 44
Henry Threadgill Zooid .............. 64 Sun Ra Arkestra ....................... 44 Brian Lynch .............................. 44 Dan Barrett ............................... 39
Brian Blade & The John Hollenbeck Roy Hargrove ........................... 42 Jeb Bishop ............................... 28
Fellowship Band ...................... 61 Large Ensemble ...................... 42 Sean Jones .............................. 37 George Lewis ........................... 27
The Cookers............................. 61 Mingus Big Band ..................... 40 Arturo Sandoval ....................... 35 Steve Swell............................... 26
Fred Hersch Trio....................... 60 ICP Orchestra........................... 39 Ralph Alessi ............................. 34 Clifton Anderson ...................... 25
Vijay Iyer Trio ............................ 58 Jimmy Heath Big Band ............ 36 Steven Bernstein...................... 32
Wayne Shorter Quartet ............ 57 Dave Holland Big Band............ 34 Randy Brecker ......................... 32
Steve Coleman Carla Bley Big Band ................. 33 Kirk Knuffke .............................. 30
& Five Elements ....................... 53 Roy Hargrove Big Band ........... 31 Wayne Shorter ..................152
Tom Harrell Quintet .................. 51 Bob Mintzer Big Band ............... 28 Jane Ira Bloom ....................... 135
Rudresh Mahanthappa Group . 46 Peter Brtzmann Tentet ........... 26 Dave Liebman ........................ 104
Pat Metheny Unity Group ........ 43 Wycliffe Gordon ................119 Sam Newsome......................... 90
Dave Douglas Quintet .............. 42 Roswell Rudd ......................... 100 Anat Cohen .............................. 85
Henry Butler, Steven Steve Turre ............................... 94 Branford Marsalis ..................... 80
Bernstein & The Hot 9.............. 41 Ambrose Akinmusire ........139 Trombone Shorty ..................... 79 Ravi Coltrane............................ 63
Robert Glasper Experiment ... 40 Tom Harrell ............................. 113 Robin Eubanks ......................... 76 Jane Bunnett ............................ 57
Christian McBride Trio ............. 40 Wadada Leo Smith ................ 108 Ku-umba Frank Lacy ............... 76 Steve Wilson ............................ 57
DeJohnette/Coltrane/Garrison 38 Dave Douglas ......................... 107 Conrad Herwig ......................... 71 Chris Potter .............................. 50

JIMMY KATZ
JIMMY KING
David Bowie
Donny McCaslin ....................... 47 Charles Lloyd ......................... 126

Joshua Redman ....................... 38 Chris Potter .............................. 75
Evan Parker .............................. 37 Donny McCaslin ....................... 71
Marcus Strickland .................... 32 JD Allen .................................... 67
Joe Lovano .............................. 29 Kamasi Washington ................. 56
James Carter............................ 26 Wayne Shorter ......................... 54 Rudresh Mahanthappa
Bob Wilber ............................... 24 Joshua Redman ....................... 49
Tia Fuller ................................... 22 Jon Irabagon ............................ 46 Carlo Actis Dato ....................... 15 Hubert Laws ............................. 95
Kenny Garrett ........................... 21 James Carter............................ 44 Stephen Doc Kupka.............. 15 Jane Bunnett ............................ 86
Walter Blanding Jr. ................... 19 Jimmy Heath ............................ 41 Jon Raskin ............................... 15 Lew Tabackin ........................... 82
Sonny Fortune.......................... 19 Pharoah Sanders ..................... 40 Jamie Baum ............................. 65
Ingrid Laubrock ........................ 19 Branford Marsalis ..................... 39 Holly Hofmann ......................... 50
Ted Nash .................................. 19 Houston Person ....................... 38 Marty Ehrlich ............................ 44
Eric Alexander .......................... 32 Anat Cohen .......................270 Ali Ryerson ............................... 42
David Murray ............................ 32 Ken Peplowski ....................... 130 Ted Nash .................................. 41
Peter Brtzmann ...................... 28 Don Byron .............................. 111 Steve Wilson ............................ 37
Rudresh Mahanthappa .....139 Melissa Aldana ......................... 26 Paquito DRivera .................... 105 Roscoe Mitchell ....................... 35
Lee Konitz .............................. 101 Anat Cohen .............................. 26 Ben Goldberg ......................... 101 James Newton ......................... 35
Steve Coleman......................... 92 Mark Turner .............................. 26 Evan Christopher ..................... 64 Tia Fuller ................................... 31
Kenny Garrett ........................... 91 Victor Goines............................ 51 T.K. Blue ................................... 28
Gary Bartz ................................ 74 Marty Ehrlich ............................ 44 Robert Dick .............................. 27
Jon Irabagon ............................ 65 David Krakauer ........................ 42 Dave Liebman .......................... 23
Phil Woods ............................... 65 Gary Smulyan ...................178 Eddie Daniels ........................... 41 James Spaulding ..................... 23
Miguel Zenn ........................... 64 James Carter.......................... 129 Michael Moore ......................... 27 Douglas Ewart .......................... 18
Tim Berne ................................. 45 Hamiet Bluiett......................... 105 Gianluigi Trovesi ....................... 26
Tia Fuller ................................... 45 Ronnie Cuber ........................... 93 Louis Sclavis ............................ 25
Steve Lehman .......................... 45 Claire Daly ................................ 89 Ab Baars................................... 22
Darius Jones ............................ 41 Scott Robinson ........................ 73 Chris Speed ............................. 22 Kenny Barron....................114
Henry Threadgill ....................... 41 Mats Gustafsson ...................... 71 Ken Vandermark ...................... 19 Vijay Iyer ................................... 90
Bobby Watson ......................... 37 Joe Temperley .......................... 71 Ned Rothenberg....................... 16 Fred Hersch.............................. 86
Donald Harrison ....................... 36 Ken Vandermark ...................... 64 Jeff Lederer .............................. 14 Bill Charlap ............................... 78
Anthony Braxton ...................... 34 Brian Landrus ........................... 61 Jason Stein .............................. 14 Jason Moran ............................ 60
Steve Wilson ............................ 32 Tim Berne ................................. 50 Andy Biskin .............................. 13 Chick Corea ............................. 59
Paquito DRivera ...................... 29 Colin Stetson............................ 50 Beth Custer .............................. 13 Brad Mehldau .......................... 58
Oliver Lake ............................... 29 John Surman............................ 34 Michael White .......................... 13 Craig Taborn............................. 52
Sherman Irby............................ 26 Vinny Golia ............................... 28 Myra Melford ............................ 49
Greg Osby ................................ 26 Howard Johnson...................... 25 George Cables ......................... 47
Patience Higgins ...................... 21 Robert Glasper ......................... 43
Charles Evans .......................... 19 Nicole Mitchell..................188 Matthew Shipp ......................... 42
Roger Lewis ............................. 19 Charles Lloyd ......................... 132 Keith Jarrett .............................. 41
Joe Lovano .......................133 Franois Corneloup ................. 17 Henry Threadgill ..................... 102 Aaron Diehl ............................... 37

MATTEO TRISOLINI
Kate McGarry
C. TAYLOR CROTHERS
Herbie Hancock ....................... 37 Jamie Saft ................................ 32
Geri Allen .................................. 36 Sam Yahel ................................ 32
Gerald Clayton ......................... 35 Brian Auger .............................. 31
Randy Weston .......................... 33 Barbara Dennerlein .................. 31
Bla Fleck
Henry Butler ............................. 30 Tony Monaco ........................... 24
Cyrus Chestnut ........................ 28 Matthew Shipp ......................... 22
Amina Claudine Myers ............. 20 John Patitucci .......................... 38 Avery Sharpe............................ 17
Chris Foreman...........................19 Scott Colley.............................. 34
Reggie Workman...................... 32
Robert Glasper .................141 Stephan Crump........................ 30
Craig Taborn........................... 116 John Hbert ............................. 30 Regina Carter ...................304
Herbie Hancock ..................... 115 Bill Frisell..........................135 Ben Williams............................. 30 Jenny Scheinman .................. 183
Chick Corea ............................. 96 Mary Halvorson ...................... 118 John Clayton ............................ 29 Mark Feldman ........................ 108
Marc Cary................................. 87 John Scoeld ........................... 97 Avishai Cohen .......................... 29 Jean-Luc Ponty ........................ 84
Jason Lindner .......................... 73 Julian Lage ............................... 90 Ben Allison ............................... 27 Zach Brock ............................... 79
Larry Goldings.......................... 64 Lionel Loueke ........................... 86 Drew Gress............................... 23 Christian Howes ....................... 59
John Medeski........................... 57 Pat Metheny ............................. 78 Barry Guy ................................. 23 Jason Kao Hwang.................... 56
Hiromi ....................................... 50 Russell Malone ......................... 69 Rufus Reid................................ 23 Mat Maneri ............................... 40
George Colligan ....................... 45 Rez Abbasi ............................... 58 Eyvind Kang ............................. 34
Jamie Saft ................................ 39 Peter Bernstein ........................ 56 Charles Burnham ..................... 29
Uri Caine .................................. 38 Nels Cline ................................. 44 Mark OConnor ........................ 28
Bernie Worrell ........................... 33 Howard Alden .......................... 41 Marcus Miller....................122 Carla Kihlstedt.......................... 22
Nik Brtsch............................... 31 Marc Ribot................................ 41 Stanley Clarke ........................ 120 Jerry Goodman ........................ 20
Booker T. Jones ....................... 29 Ben Monder ............................. 38 Esperanza Spalding ............... 114 Andy Stein ................................ 19
Django Bates............................ 28 John McLaughlin ..................... 37 John Patitucci ........................ 110 Carlos Zingaro.......................... 18
Matthew Shipp ......................... 28 Kurt Rosenwinkel ..................... 35 Steve Swallow.......................... 88 John Blake ............................... 16
Gonzalo Rubalcaba ................. 27 Dave Stryker............................. 32 Christian McBride .................... 76 Didier Lockwood ...................... 16
Wayne Horvitz .......................... 26 Romero Lubambo .................... 30 Matthew Garrison .................... 67 Miri Ben-Ari .............................. 15
Gary Versace ............................ 26 John Abercrombie.................... 29 Richard Bona ........................... 58 Jeff Gauthier............................. 13
Anthony Wilson ........................ 22 Meshell Ndegeocello ............... 56 Michal Urbaniak ....................... 10
Charlie Hunter .......................... 20 Derrick Hodge .......................... 52
Tarus Mateen............................ 50
Joey DeFrancesco (tie) .....215 Bob Cranshaw ......................... 45
Dr. Lonnie Smith (tie) ........215 Linda Oh ................................... 41 Jack DeJohnette ..............141
Larry Goldings........................ 126 Christian McBride ............201 James Genus ........................... 37 Brian Blade............................. 127
John Medeski........................... 80 Dave Holland.......................... 131 Victor Wooten........................... 37 Eric Harland.............................. 70
Brian Charette .......................... 67 Ron Carter .............................. 120 Jamaaladeen Tacuma .............. 36 Roy Haynes .............................. 66
Booker T. Jones ....................... 61 Linda Oh ................................... 68 Avishai Cohen .......................... 23 Terri Lyne Carrington ................ 60
Mike LeDonne .......................... 53 Stanley Clarke .......................... 59 Ingebrigt Hker Flaten ............. 22 Matt Wilson .............................. 60
Gary Versace ............................ 53 Esperanza Spalding ................. 59 Pino Palladino .......................... 18 Billy Hart ................................... 54
Craig Taborn............................. 46 Michael Formanek ................... 54 Larry Grenadier ........................ 17 Tyshawn Sorey ......................... 54
Jared Gold................................ 45 Omer Avital............................... 39 Tony Levin ................................ 17 Antonio Sanchez ...................... 46
Carla Bley ................................. 38 Larry Grenadier ........................ 38 Charnett Moffett ....................... 17 Nasheet Waits .......................... 43

Lewis Nash.................................................... 42 Rabih Abou-Khalil (oud)................................ 34 Tony Bennett............................................... 108
Herlin Riley..................................................... 40 Pat Metheny (orchestrion).............................. 33 Jos James................................................. 102
Marcus Gilmore............................................. 39 Chris Potter (bass clarinet)............................ 33 Bobby McFerrin............................................ 70
Bill Stewart..................................................... 32 Colin Stetson (bass sax)................................ 32 Andy Bey....................................................... 65
Andrew Cyrille................................................ 30 Chris Thile (mandolin).................................... 32 Giacomo Gates............................................. 61
Jeff Tain Watts............................................ 30 Toumani Diabat (kora).................................. 31 Freddy Cole................................................... 50
Gerald Cleaver............................................... 29 Joe Lovano (aulochrome).............................. 30 Mark Murphy ................................................ 41
Hamid Drake.................................................. 27 Bob Dorough................................................. 31
Albert Tootie Heath..................................... 27 Kenny Washington........................................ 28
Cindy Blackman Santana.............................. 27 Kevin Mahogany............................................ 26
Gregory Porter.................................... 219 Ed Reed......................................................... 25
Kurt Elling.................................................... 177 Allan Harris.................................................... 24
Theo Bleckmann......................................... 110 Mose Allison.................................................. 21
Gary Burton........................................ 207
Stefon Harris................................................ 177
Joe Locke.................................................... 143
Bobby Hutcherson...................................... 129
Warren Wolf................................................. 118
Jason Adasiewicz.......................................... 86
Chris Dingman............................................... 72
Steve Nelson.................................................. 67
Terry Gibbs..................................................... 35
Jason Marsalis............................................... 35
Matt Moran.................................................... 31
Kenny Wollesen............................................. 20
Mike Mainieri.................................................. 17
Gunter Hampel.............................................. 15
Karl Berger..................................................... 14
Joe Chambers............................................... 13
Hendrik Meurkens......................................... 10
Hamid Drake........................................123
Zakir Hussain................................................. 84
Pedrito Martinez............................................ 81
Cyro Baptista................................................. 72
Poncho Sanchez........................................... 66
Sheila E.......................................................... 60
Kahil ElZabar................................................. 55
Giovanni Hidalgo........................................... 53
Han Bennink.................................................. 50
Sammy Figueroa........................................... 48
Bobby Sanabria............................................ 41
Dan Weiss...................................................... 40
Trilok Gurtu.................................................... 38
Adam Rudolph.............................................. 37
Nan Vasconcelos.........................................36
Pete Escovedo.............................................. 33
Susie Ibarra................................................... 33
Jerry Gonzlez............................................... 32
Airto Moreira.................................................. 29
John Santos.................................................. 25
Bla Fleck (banjo)............................... 127

Erik Friedlander (cello)................................... 86
Grgoire Maret (harmonica)........................... 84
Jon Batiste (melodica/harmoniboard)............. 73
Scott Robinson (bass sax)............................ 65
Edmar Castaneda (Colombian harp)............. 61
James Carter (bass sax)................................ 55
David Murray (bass clarinet).......................... 50
Hendrik Meurkens (harmonica)..................... 43
Richard Galliano (accordion)......................... 36
Howard Levy (harmonica).............................. 36
Anouar Brahem (oud).................................... 35
Gary Versace (accordion)............................... 35

HANK PARKER
Muhal Richard Abrams ............ 25 Branford Marsalis ..................... 31

Larry Klein ................................ 29
Al Pryor..................................... 28
Bob Koester ............................. 25
ECM ..................................165 Gil Goldstein............................. 24
Pi Recordings ........................... 98 Matt Balitsaris .......................... 20
Miles Davis Blue Note ................................. 91 Matt Pierson ............................. 20
Mack Avenue ........................... 90 Lee Townsend .......................... 20
Jamie Cullum ........................... 21 Tom Harrell ............................... 49 Motma .................................... 77
Phil Minton ............................... 19 Vijay Iyer ................................... 47 Clean Feed ............................... 66
Johnny ONeal ......................... 18 Carla Bley ................................. 43 Sunnyside ................................ 63
James Blood Ulmer ................. 18 Robert Glasper ......................... 42 HighNote .................................. 62 Buddy Guy ........................123
Darcy James Argue.................. 40 Resonance ............................... 57 Gary Clark Jr. ........................... 98
Rudresh Mahanthappa ............ 37 Smoke Sessions Records........ 48 James Blood Ulmer ................. 72
Pat Metheny ............................. 36 Concord ................................... 41 Taj Mahal .................................. 65
Ccile McLorin Salvant ....263 Dave Douglas ........................... 35 Mosaic...................................... 28 Bettye LaVette .......................... 63
Cassandra Wilson .................. 117 Chick Corea ............................. 34 Posi-Tone ................................. 28 Shemekia Copeland................. 54
Dee Dee Bridgewater............... 74 Michael Formanek ................... 33 ACT .......................................... 27 Otis Taylor ................................ 40
Dianne Reeves ......................... 72 Wynton Marsalis ...................... 32 Impulse! .................................... 25 Keb Mo................................... 34
Cyrille Aime ............................ 64 Randy Weston .......................... 30 Nonesuch ................................. 24 Eric Clapton ............................. 33
Lizz Wright................................ 59 Jason Moran ............................ 29 Criss Cross Jazz ...................... 22 Robert Cray .............................. 29
Sheila Jordan ........................... 58 Benny Golson .......................... 27 Cuneiform................................. 21 Joe Bonamassa ....................... 28
Luciana Souza.......................... 55 Intakt ........................................ 19 Otis Clay ................................... 28
Tierney Sutton .......................... 52 Columbia Legacy ..................... 18 Duke Robillard.......................... 24
Karrin Allyson ........................... 47 Delmark .................................... 17 Robben Ford ............................ 23
Esperanza Spalding ................. 45 Maria Schneider ...............165 Palmetto ................................... 16 Eric Bibb................................... 21
Ren Marie ............................... 35 Carla Bley ................................. 70 Greenleaf Music ....................... 15 Corey Harris ............................. 21
Gretchen Parlato ...................... 35 Darcy James Argue.................. 69 Firehouse 12 ............................ 14 Bobby Rush ............................. 19
Catherine Russell ..................... 34 Bob Belden .............................. 61 Basin Street.............................. 13 Guy Davis ................................. 17
Roberta Gambarini................... 31 Allen Toussaint ......................... 54 Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters .. 15
Stacey Kent .............................. 29 Wynton Marsalis ...................... 53 Lucky Peterson ........................ 15
Carmen Lundy ......................... 28 Ryan Truesdell.......................... 52
Diana Krall ................................ 26 John Hollenbeck ...................... 50 Manfred Eicher .................200
Fay Victor ................................. 24 Billy Childs................................ 49 Michael Cuscuna ..................... 98
Madeleine Peyroux ...................23 Terri Lyne Carrington ................ 47 Robert Glasper ......................... 85 Buddy Guy, Born
Steven Bernstein...................... 43 Terri Lyne Carrington ................ 74 To Play Guitar (RCA) ........138
Vince Mendoza ........................ 34 Dave Douglas ........................... 68 Shemekia Copeland, Outskirts
Slide Hampton ......................... 31 Don Was ................................... 67 Of Love (Alligator)..................... 59
Maria Schneider ...............189 Dave Holland............................ 31 John Zorn ................................. 65 Gary Clark Jr., The Story Of
Henry Threadgill ....................... 80 Laurence Hobgood .................. 29 Joe Fields ................................. 64 Sonny Boy Slim (Warner Bros.).. 54
Wayne Shorter ......................... 61 Gil Goldstein............................. 28 Bob Belden .............................. 59 Various Artists, God Dont Never
Wadada Leo Smith .................. 52 Arturo OFarrill .......................... 28 Todd Barkan ............................. 46 Change: Songs Of Blind Willie
Steve Coleman......................... 51 John Clayton ............................ 26 Brian Bacchus .......................... 38 Johnson (Alligator) ................... 51
Terence Blanchard ................... 50 Esperanza Spalding ................. 26 Marc Free ................................. 35 Dave & Phil Alvin, Lost Time

(Yep Roc) .................................. 42 Reiersrud, Tears Of The World Mavis Staples, Livin On A High (Warner Bros. Nashville) ........... 12
Otis Taylor, Hey Joe Opus/Red (ACT)......................................... 10 Note (ANTI-/Epitaph)................ 50 Florence and the Machine, How
Meat (Trance Blues) ................. 42 Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Eric Bibb/JJ Milteau, Lead (ATO/Maple/Rough Trade) ...... 44 (Island) ...................................... 11
Bellys Gold (Stony Plain) ......... 36 Lucinda Williams, The Ghosts Jeff Lynnes ELO, Alone In The
Robert Cray Band, 4 Nights Of 40 David Bowie......................210 Of Highway 20 (Highway Universe (Columbia) ................. 10
Years Live (Mascot/Provogue) ... 31 Kendrick Lamar ...................... 109 20 Records) ............................. 44 Yo La Tengo,:[\3PRL;OH[;OLYL
Charlie Musselwhite, I Aint DAngelo................................... 71 Bonnie Raitt, Dig In Deep Matador) ................................... 10
Lyin (Henrietta) ........................ 30 Robert Glasper Experiment ..... 54 (Redwing) ................................. 39 Various Artists, Hamilton
Sonny Landreth, Bound By The Allen Toussaint ......................... 41 Vinicius Canturia, Vinicius (Original Broadway Cast Record-
Blues (Mascot) ......................... 27 Alabama Shakes ...................... 37 Canta Antonio Carlos Jobim ing) (Atlantic)............................. 10
Joe Bonamassa, Blues Of Bob Dylan................................. 29 (Sunnyside) .............................. 35
Desperation (J&R Adventures) ... 23 Tedeschi Trucks Band .............. 29 Lalah Hathaway, Lalah
Guy Davis, Kokomo Kidd Mavis Staples........................... 27 Hathaway Live! (eOne Music)... 33
(M. C. Records) ........................ 23 Thundercat ............................... 27 Adele, 25 (XL/Columbia) .......... 29
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, Flying Lotus .............................. 25 Ballak Sissoko/Vincent Sgal,
Fathers Day (Stony Plain) ....... 20 Richard Thompson .................. 25 Musique De Nuit (Six Degrees) 25
Various Artists, Muddy Waters Laurie Anderson ....................... 24 Willie Nelson, Summertime: Kamasi Washington ..........203
100 (MRI) .................................. 18 Rhiannon Giddens ................... 23 Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin Donny McCaslin ....................... 86
Jimmy Burns, It Aint Right Stevie Wonder .......................... 23 (Sony Legacy) .......................... 21 Joey Alexander ........................ 83
(Delmark) .................................. 17 Wilco ........................................ 22 Steve Martin/Edie Brickell, So Mary Halvorson ........................ 67
Johnny Rawls, Tiger In A Cage Lizz Wright................................ 22 Familiar (Rounder) .................... 19 Julian Lage ............................... 67
(Catfood) .................................. 13 Adele ........................................ 21 Jen Shyu, Sounds And Cries Gerald Clayton ......................... 50
Larry Campbell/Teresa Williams, Jeff Beck .................................. 21 Of The World (Pi) ...................... 19 JD Allen .................................... 46
Larry Campbell & Teresa Beck ......................................... 20 Donnie Trumpet & The Social Sullivan Fortner ........................ 45
Williams (Red House) ............... 11 Experiment, Surf (Self Release) 18 Jon Irabagon ............................ 42
Charlie Parr, Stumpjumper Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell Orrin Evans............................... 41
(Red House) ............................. 11 (Asthmatic Kitty) ....................... 17 Avishai Cohen (trumpet)........... 40
Billy Price/Otis Clay, This Time For David Bowie, Blackstar Wilco, Star Wars (dBpm) ........... 17 Tia Fuller ................................... 36
Real (Bonedog/VizzTone) ......... 11 (Columbia) ........................269 Grimes, Art Angels (4AD)............ 15 Amir ElSaffar ............................ 35
Toronzo Cannon, The Chicago Kendrick Lamar, Untitled Darlene Love, Introducing Darlene Ben Williams............................. 34
Way (Alligator)............................10 Unmastered (Top Dawg/ Love (Wicked Cool/Columbia) . 13 Jamison Ross .......................... 30
Mighty Sam McClain/Knut Aftermath/Interscope) ............ 106 Ashley Monroe, The Blade Darius Jones ............................ 28

Mike Reed ................................ 28 Etienne Charles ........................ 96
John Hollenbeck ...................... 27 Peter Evans .............................. 86
Eric Harland.............................. 26 Amir ElSaffar ............................ 84
Rez Abbasi ............................... 25 Corey Wilkes ............................ 62
Craig Taborn............................. 25 Freddie Hendrix........................ 60
Duane Eubanks ........................ 53
Taylor Ho Bynum...................... 50
Michael Rodriguez ................... 49
JD Allen Trio .......................77 Bria Skonberg .......................... 49
Mary Halvorson Trio ................. 75 Mathias Eick ............................. 45
Donny McCaslin Group ........... 69 Ian Carey .................................. 40
Mostly Other People Maurice Brown ......................... 38
Do The Killing ........................... 65 John Raymond......................... 38
Robert Glasper Trio ................. 62 Takuya Kuroda ......................... 33
Snarky Puppy........................... 62 Joshua Berman ........................ 30
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Josh Evans ............................... 26
Quintet .................................... 57 Scott Wendholt ........................ 26
Aaron Diehl Trio ....................... 56 Shane Endsley ......................... 25
Julian Lage Group ................... 49
Jon Batiste & Stay Human .......... 46
Orrin Evans Trio ........................ 42
Gerald Clayton Trio .................. 36 Michael Dease ..................119
Sean Jones Quintet ................ 36 Jacob Garchik ........................ 103
Antonio Sanchez & Migration .. 34 Marshall Gilkes......................... 91
The Curtis Brothers .................. 29 Samuel Blaser .......................... 87
Tia Fuller Quartet...................... 29 Natalie Cressman ..................... 68
Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Chris Crenshaw........................ 57
Quintet ......................................29 Alan Ferber ............................... 49
Ben Williams & Sound Effect ... 29 Joe Fiedler................................ 43 Lisa Parrott
Omer Avital Quintet .................. 28 Sarah Morrow .......................... 41
Miguel Zenn Quartet .............. 25 Corey King ............................... 37
Jeff Albert ................................. 34 Caroline Davis .......................... 39
Jason Jackson ......................... 34 Tineke Postma ......................... 39 Lisa Parrott .........................90
Big Sam Williams ..................... 33 Sharel Cassity .......................... 37 Dave Rempis ............................ 81
Christine Jensen Nick Finzer ............................... 31 Tim Green................................. 35 Josh Sinton .............................. 60
Jazz Orchestra .................101 Scott Whiteld.......................... 28 Mike DiRubbo .......................... 34 Gebhard Ullmann ..................... 60
Nicholas Payton Big Band ........ 82 Tom Garling .............................. 25 Godwin Louis ........................... 34 Mikko Innanen.......................... 58
Vince Giordanos Nighthawks.. 71 Ron Westray ............................. 25 Hailey Niswanger ..................... 34 Charles Evans .......................... 50
Marcus Shelby Jazz Andre Haywood ....................... 24 Dave Rempis ............................ 33 Alex Harding............................. 49
Orchestra.................................. 64 Jeff Cressman .......................... 23 Jessica Lurie ............................ 30 Glenn Wilson ............................ 44
Ghost Train Orchestra .............. 60 Glen David Andrews................. 22 Andrew DAngelo ..................... 29 Herwig Gradischnig ................. 41
Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra .. 52 Patrick Cornelius ...................... 27 Frank Basile ............................. 36
Joel Harrison Large Greg Ward ................................ 27 Michal Attias........................... 34
Ensemble ................................. 48 Casey Benjamin ....................... 25 Lauren Sevian .......................... 33
Karl Berger Creative Music Donny McCaslin ...............174 Will Vinson ................................ 24 Jason Marshall ......................... 31
Workshop Orchestraa .............. 46 Jimmy Greene ........................ 152 John Wojciechowski ................ 23 Roger Rosenberg ..................... 30
Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Christine Jensen .................... 116 Adam Schroeder ...................... 30
Orchestra.................................. 43 Michael Blake........................... 99 Linda Fredriksson .................... 25
Chicago Afro-Latin Yuval Cohen ............................. 78 Jon Raskin ............................... 21
Jazz Ensemble ......................... 31 Tineke Postma ......................... 77 Kamasi Washington ..........210 Timo Lassy ............................... 19
Tommy Igoes Birdland Hailey Niswanger ..................... 43 Noah Preminger ..................... 120 Cline Bonacina ....................... 17
Big Band .................................. 29 Roxy Coss ................................ 35 Ingrid Laubrock ........................ 93 Ben Ellman ............................... 17
Mr. Hos Orchestrotica ............. 24 Aurora Nealand ........................ 34 David Snchez ......................... 84
JC Sanford Orchestra ............... 20 Jason Robinson ....................... 26 Walter Smith III ......................... 62
David Berger Jazz Orchestra ... 19 Jasmine Lovell-Smith .............. 25 Marcus Strickland .................... 57
Pete Christlieb & Linda Small Russ Nolan ............................... 24 Dayna Stephens....................... 49 Oran Etkin ........................120
Eleven Piece Band ................... 19 John Wojciechowski ................ 22 Mats Gustafsson ...................... 43 Oscar Noriega .......................... 81
Howard Wiley and the Steven Lugerner....................... 19 Abraham Burton....................... 34 Matana Roberts ....................... 78
Angola Project.......................... 19 Nathaniel Facey ....................... 15 Ralph Moore............................. 30 James Falzone ......................... 53
Beats & Pieces Big Band ......... 18 Mike Ellis .................................. 14 Ellery Eskelin ............................ 25 Chris Byars............................... 52
Cecilia Coleman Big Band ....... 17 Jrg Wickihalder ...................... 12 Bill McHenry ............................. 25 Franois Houle ......................... 42
Nicholas Payton Television Tivon Pennicott ........................ 24 Sam Sadigursky ....................... 41
Studio Orchestra ...................... 16 Grant Stewart ........................... 23 Gabriele Mirabassi ................... 37
Julian Joseph Big Band ........... 15 Jeff Cofn ................................. 22 Tim Laughlin ............................. 32
Grace Kelly .......................106 John Ellis .................................. 22 Mike McGinnis ......................... 32
Matana Roberts ....................... 91 Marius Neset ............................ 21 Mort Weiss ............................... 31
Greg Abate ............................... 83 John Wojciechowski ................ 21 Matt Bauder ............................. 29
Marquis Hill ......................122 Darius Jones ............................ 76 Geof Bradeld .......................... 20 Shabaka Hutchings.................. 29
Nate Wooley ........................... 120 Logan Richardson .................... 70 Ben Wendel .............................. 20 Jeremiah Cymerman................ 28

JOHN ABBOTT
JIMMY & DENA KATZ
Kenny Barron Oran Etkin
Dan Block................................. 27 Aaron Diehl ............................... 61 Matthew Bourne ...................... 22 Gilad Hekselman ...................... 78
Darryl Harper ............................ 26 Stefano Bollani ......................... 49 Adam Benjamin........................ 20 David Gilmore .......................... 58
Rudi Mahall .............................. 26 Taylor Eigsti .............................. 46 Henry Hey ................................ 19 Matthew Stevens ..................... 58
Todd Marcus ............................ 26 Dan Tepfer ................................ 45 Nigel Hall .................................. 18 Lage Lund ................................ 51
Aurora Nealand ........................ 24 Jonathan Batiste ...................... 44 Ron Oswanski .......................... 17 Jakob Bro ................................. 47
Joachim Badenhorst................ 22 Matt Mitchell ............................ 43 Jacob Anderskov ..................... 15 Fareed Haque .......................... 45
Harvey Wainape ....................... 22 Christian Sands ........................ 42 Paul Bollenback ....................... 42
Aaron Goldberg ........................ 37 Jonathan Kreisberg .................. 42
Nik Brtsch............................... 32 Adam Rogers ........................... 38
Aran Ortiz ............................... 32 Pat Bianchi .......................131 Will Bernard.............................. 37
Elena Pinderhughes .........105 Aaron Parks.............................. 32 Reuben Wilson ......................... 86 Joel Harrison ............................ 35
Orlando Maraca Valle............ 74 Helen Sung............................... 28 Wil Blades ................................ 81 Brandon Seabrook ................... 33
Kali Z. Fasteau ......................... 66 Kris Bowers .............................. 27 Greg Lewis ............................... 63 Mike Moreno ............................ 32
Sylvain Leroux .......................... 50 Ehud Asherie ............................ 26 Akiko Tsuruga........................... 58 Hristo Vitchev ........................... 27
Bart Platteau ............................ 46 George Colligan ....................... 25 Kyle Koehler ............................. 41 Raoul Bjorkenheim................... 23
Rhonda Larson......................... 40 Zaccai Curtis ............................ 24 Alexander Hawkins .................. 36 Andy Brown.............................. 23
Steve Adams ............................ 39 Gerald Gibbs ............................ 34 Nguyn L ................................ 23
Jorge Pardo.............................. 36 Wayne Peet .............................. 33 Pete McCann ........................... 23
Itai Kriss.................................... 35 Erik Deutsch ............................. 32 Sheryl Bailey ............................ 22
Magic Malik .............................. 35 Nik Brtsch (tie) ................118 Kit Downes ............................... 31 Jeff Parker ................................ 22
Geni Skendo ............................ 27 Sam Yahel (tie) ..................118 Radam Schwartz...................... 31
Ben Kono ................................. 26 Kris Bowers ............................ 113 Bill Heid .................................... 23
Jean Derome ............................ 23 Rob Mazurek ............................ 66 Charlie Wood............................ 22
Michel Gentile .......................... 16 Marco Benevento..................... 64 Joe Bagg .................................. 21 Luques Curtis .....................94
Gareth Lockrane ...................... 13 Zaccai Curtis ............................ 61 Brian Coogan ........................... 16 Eric Revis ................................. 70
Finn Peters ............................... 11 Elio Villafranca .......................... 46 Pete Benson............................. 14 Ben Street ................................ 52
Jim Beard ................................. 44 Atsuko Hashimoto ................... 14 Thomas Morgan ....................... 51
Russ Lossing............................ 38 Bobby Sparks .......................... 14 Reuben Rogers ........................ 51
Morton Subotnick .................... 38 Adam Scone ............................ 11 Derrick Hodge .......................... 48
Joey Alexander .................109 Kit Downes ............................... 33 Moppa Elliott ............................ 45
Kris Davis ................................. 75 Lawrence Fields ....................... 29 Matt Penman............................ 42
Sullivan Fortner ........................ 68 Bugge Wesseltoft ..................... 26 Greg Cohen ............................. 41
Orrin Evans............................... 67 Scott Kinsey ............................. 25 Liberty Ellman ..................101 Carlos Henriquez ..................... 41

MICHAEL JACKSON
Franois Moutin ....................... 39
Kyle Eastwood ......................... 36
Ingebrigt Hker Flaten ............. 36
Martin Wind .............................. 34
Todd Sickafoose ...................... 30
Rodney Whitaker ..................... 30
Michael Bates .......................... 29
Desron Douglas ....................... 28
Matt Ulery................................. 27
Joshua Abrams ........................ 26
Tim Lefebvre ....................150

Thundercat ............................. 126
Mimi Jones ............................. 113
Stomu Takeishi ....................... 109
Felix Pastorius .......................... 84 Dr. Lonnie Smith
Tal Wilkenfeld ........................... 54
Melvin Gibbs ............................ 52 Ches Smith............................... 39
Nate McBride ........................... 31 Jonathan Blake ........................ 38
Kai Eckhardt ............................. 26 Justin Brown ............................ 38
John Lee .................................. 24 Obed Calvaire .......................... 36
Panagiotis Andreou.................. 23 Justin Faulkner ......................... 34
Tom Kennedy ........................... 22 Adam Cruz ............................... 33
Reuben Radding ...................... 18 Chris Dave................................ 33
James Cammack ..................... 17 Tomas Fujiwara ........................ 33
Al McDowell ............................. 17 Scott Amendola ....................... 31
Lisa Dowling ............................. 15 Clarence Penn.......................... 31
Mads Tolling
Casey Abrams.......................... 14 Dafnis Prieto............................. 31
Matt Perrine.............................. 13 Ravish Momin .......................... 26 Mark Winkler ............................ 48
Anders Christensen ................. 10 Arto Tunboyaciyan ................. 25 Dwight Trible ............................ 43
Chris Morrissey ........................ 10 Mauricio Herrera ...................... 20 Milton Suggs ............................ 42
Khan Jamal.......................105 Brian Andres............................. 18 Alan Hampton .......................... 41
Mulatu Astatke..........................53 Kevin Diehl ............................... 18 Pete McGuinness..................... 38
Behn Gillece ............................. 51 Rogrio Boccato ...................... 16 Dean Bowman ......................... 32
Mads Tolling .....................107 Cecilia Smith ............................ 48 Mingo Lewis ............................. 16 Saalik Ahmad Ziyad ................. 26
Sara Caswell ............................ 85 Mike Dillon................................ 43 Peter Cincotti ........................... 25
Mary Oliver ............................... 53 Kjell Nordeson .......................... 34 John Proulx .............................. 25
Sarah Bernstein ....................... 44 Corey Mwamba........................ 29 Casey Abrams.......................... 19
Nils kland ............................... 40 Kevin Norton ............................ 29 Omer Avital (oud) ................85 Joo Bosco .............................. 18
Aaron Weinstein ....................... 40 Jon Metzger ............................. 27 Akua Dixon (cello) .................... 63 Rick Braun................................ 18
Jason Anick.............................. 37 Christian Tamburr..................... 27 Tomeka Reid (cello) .................. 61 Clint Maedgen .......................... 15
Susie Hansen ........................... 32 Tyler Blanton ............................ 26 Brandee Younger (harp).............. 60 Jeremy Davenport.................... 12
Karen Briggs ............................ 27 Smith Dobson .......................... 20 Brian Landrus (bass clarinet) ... 57 Ira Hill ....................................... 11
Scott Tixier ............................... 22 Tom Beckham .......................... 18 Wycliffe Gordon (tuba) ............. 56 Grzegorz Karnas ...................... 11
Diane Monroe........................... 21 Jim Hart .................................... 18 Ben Goldberg (contra alto
Szilrd Mezei ............................ 19 Peter Schlamb ......................... 18 clarinet) ..................................... 47
Tomoko Omura ........................ 19 John Cocuzzi ........................... 16 Brandon Seabrook (banjo) ....... 43
Ben Powell ............................... 19 James Westfall ......................... 15 Marcus Rojas (tuba) .................. 42 Kate McGarry .....................70
Jesse Zubot ............................. 19 Sam Goldsmith ........................ 14 Linda Oh (bassoon) .................. 41 Jen Shyu .................................. 65
Joe Deninzon ........................... 17 Steve Pouchie ......................... 12 Casey Benjamin (vocoder) ....... 40 Becca Stevens ......................... 51
Majid Khaliq ............................. 17 Lewis Wright............................. 11 Peggy Lee (cello) ...................... 35 Charene Wade ....................... 51
Rob Thomas............................. 14 Vincent Chancey (French horn) 34 Camila Meza ............................ 45
Ola Kvernberg .......................... 13 Todd Marcus (bass clarinet) ..... 29 Lady Gaga ................................ 42
Marcus Moore .......................... 12 Scott Robinson (theremin) ....... 28 Melody Gardot ......................... 41
Ches Smith .........................96 David Virelles (celeste) ............. 26 Kat Edmonson ......................... 39
Harris Eisenstadt ...................... 63 Matt Perrine (sousaphone)....... 24 Dena DeRose ........................... 37
Sunny Jain................................ 61 Anja Lechner (cello).................. 23 Dominique Eade....................... 31
Mark Guiliana (tie) ..............71 Satoshi Takeishi ....................... 59 Rudi Mahall (bass clarinet) ....... 22 Denise Donatelli ....................... 30
Kendrick Scott (tie).............71 Warren Smith ........................... 58 Ben Wendel (bassoon) ............. 22 Nellie McKay ............................ 26
Allison Miller ............................. 67 Steve Kroon ............................. 49 Sara Serpa ............................... 25
Jaimeo Brown .......................... 66 Peter Apfelbaum ...................... 45 Lisa Sokolov ............................. 25
Jeff Ballard ............................... 63 Manolo Badrena....................... 42 Sara Gazarek............................ 24
Willie Jones III .......................... 45 Richie Flores............................. 42 Ku-umba Frank Lacy ..........87 Thana Alexa ............................. 22
Paal Nilsson-Love .................... 45 Guilherme Franco .................... 40 Jamison Ross .......................... 84 Amy Cervini .............................. 22
Ulysses Owens Jr..................... 41 Daniel Sadownick .................... 37 John Boutt.............................. 63 Fay Claassen............................ 20
Mike Reed ................................ 41 Jon Wikan ................................ 33 Ian Shaw .................................. 60 Lorraine Feather ....................... 20
Otis Brown III............................ 40 Lukas Ligeti .............................. 27 Vincent Gardner ....................... 54 Hilary Gardner .......................... 20

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah............. 67
Jaimeo Brown............................................... 66
Mary Halvorson............................................. 60
JD Allen......................................................... 57
Christine Jensen............................................ 55
Ben Goldberg................................................ 50
Steve Lehman............................................... 48
Tyshawn Sorey.............................................. 47
Amina Figarova............................................. 40
Nik Brtsch................................................... 35
Jacob Garchik............................................... 30
Nels Cline...................................................... 26
Anthony Wilson............................................. 24
Yosvany Terry................................................. 23
Moppa Elliott................................................. 22
Satoko Fujii.................................................... 22
Miho Hazama................................................ 22
John Ellis....................................................... 21
Frank Kimbrough........................................... 21
Marcus Shelby............................................... 21
Christine Jensen.................................. 90
Esperanza Spalding...................................... 79
Amir ElSaffar................................................. 75
Uri Caine...................................................... 64
Ben Allison................................................... 59
Miguel Zenn................................................ 51
Peter Apfelbaum........................................... 47
Guillermo Klein............................................. 44
Ben Goldberg............................................... 36
Miho Hazama............................................... 36
David Weiss.................................................. 36
Harris Eisenstadt........................................... 31
Leslie Pintchik............................................... 30
Dafnis Prieto................................................. 27
Nels Cline..................................................... 25
Marcus Shelby.............................................. 25
Warren Wolf.................................................. 25
Geof Bradeld.............................................. 23
Moppa Elliott................................................ 19
Pete McGuinness......................................... 19
Zev Feldman....................................... 116

Christian McBride......................................... 60
Ambrose Akinmusire..................................... 58
Spike Wilner & Ben Rubin............................. 55
John Corbett................................................ 52
Taylor Ho Bynum.......................................... 50
Willie Jones III............................................... 44
Jameo Brown/Chris Sholar............................ 43
JD Allen........................................................ 41
Kenny Garrett & Donald Brown..................... 41
Delfeayo Marsalis......................................... 41
Pedro Costa................................................. 37
John Hollenbeck........................................... 37
Oded Lev-Ari................................................ 36
Seth Rosner & Yulun Wang........................... 36
Ryan Truesdell.............................................. 36
Ben Allison.................................................... 35
Derrick Hodge.............................................. 32
Eric Alexander............................................... 27
Lenny White................................................. 24

Below are the 142 critics who voted in DownBeats 64th Annual International
Critics Poll and some of the publications to which they have contributed. In the
poll, critics distributed up to 10 points among up to three choices (but no more
than 5 points per choice) in each of two groups of categories: Established Talent
THE CRITICS and Rising Stars. (Note: The asterisk [*] denotes a Veterans Committee voter.)
David R. Adler: Stereophile, J.D. Considine: DownBeat, Robert Ham: Rolling Stone, Departure, Encyclopaedia * Howard Reich:
JazzTimes, The New York Revolver, The Globe and Mail Pitchfork, FACT Britannica Chicago Tribune
City Jazz Record Owen Cordle: JazzTimes, The Eric Harabadian: DownBeat, Martin Longley: DownBeat Tom Reney: New England
* Don Albert: Artslink News & Observer Music Connection, Progression, Christopher Loudon: Public Radio
* Frank Alkyer: DownBeat Michael Cote: Blues Music Jazz Inside JazzTimes
Monthly, New Hampshire George W. Harris: Jazz Weekly Guy Reynard: JazzHot
Larry Appelbaum: JazzTimes, Phillip Lutz: DownBeat, The
Lets Cool One, WPFW-FM Union Leader Dave Helland: grammy.com New York Times Derk Richardson: The Ab-
Bridget Arnwine: Beets and * Paul de Barros: DownBeat, Andrey Henkin: The New * Jim Macnie: VEVO solute Sound, Acoustic Guitar,
Bebop Media The Seattle Times York City Jazz Record AFAR Media, KPFA-FM, Deep
* Howard Mandel:
Glenn Astarita: All About Jazz Coen de Jonge: JazzBulletin Lee Hildebrand: San Fran- DownBeat, The Wire, NPR Roots, Peghead Nation
NJA, Jazzism cisco Chronicle, Living Blues,
Mark R. Bacon: Gatehouse * John McDonough: Alex Rodriguez:
Media Anthony Dean-Harris: Oakland Magazine DownBeat Papeles de Jazz
DownBeat, nextbop.com, Geoffrey Himes: Down-
Chris J. Bahnsen: Peter McElhinney: * Gene Santoro: DownBeat
KRTU-FM Beat, The Washington Post,
DownBeat, Smithsonian, Style Weekly
Rio Films R.J. DeLuke: All About Jazz, JazzTimes Phil Schaap: DownBeat,
Bill Meyer: DownBeat, The
Times Union Eugene Holley, Jr. : Down- philschaapjazz.com, Verve
Bradley Bambarger: Wire, Chicago Reader, Dusted,
Matthew Dicker: JazzTimes Beat, Hot House, Publishers Magnet Areif Sless-Kitain: DownBeat
DownBeat, Listen
John Diliberto: Echoes Weekly, Playbill
Michael Barris: * Ken Micallef: DownBeat, * Thomas Staudter:
Bob Doerschuk: DownBeat, C. Andrew Hovan: Stereophile, Electronic
DownBeat DownBeat, Croton Gazette
Drum!, Keyboard, Acoustic All About Jazz Musician, Modern Drummer
Peter Bastian: Jazzthetik W. Royal Stokes: JJA News,
Guitar, Rolling Stone Country Tom Hull: tomhull.com Virgil Mihaiu: DownBeat,
Angelika Beener: wroyalstokes.com
Laurence Donohue-Greene: Peter Hum: Steaua/Jazz Context, JAM
DownBeat, Alternate Takes
The New York City Jazz Record The Ottawa Citizen (JazzMontenegro) Otakar Svoboda:
Bill Beuttler: DownBeat,
Alain Drouot: DownBeat, Tom Inect: Ralph A. Miriello: Huffington Czech Radio
Esquire, JazzTimes, The
WNUR-FM Lincoln Journal Star Post, Notes on Jazz blog,
Boston Globe *Jean Szlamowicz:
Ken Dryden: The New York Eric Jackson: WGBH-FM Hot House
Nick Bewsey: ICON Magazine, DownBeat, Spirit of Jazz
City Jazz Record, Hot House Michael Jackson: DownBeat, * Dan Morgenstern: Jersey
WRTI.org Larry Reni Thomas: Jazz
Jos Duarte: RTP Radio Chicago Sun-Times, Jazzwise Jazz, Journal of Jazz Studies
Eric Bishop: DownBeat, The Corner, JazzTimes, eJazzNews,
Shannon J. Effinger: Down- Robin James: DownBeat, Allen Morrison: DownBeat,
New York Times All About Jazz
Beat, Ebony, NPR, JazzTimes, Minnesota Spokesman- JazzTimes, The Guardian
Edward Blanco: Recorder
Caribbean Beat * John Murph: DownBeat, Robin Tolleson:
All About Jazz
* Ed Enright: DownBeat * Willard Jenkins: NPR, JazzTimes, Jazzwise, AARP DownBeat, Modern Drummer
Ross Boissoneau: Jazziz, Open Sky Jazz
* John Ephland: DownBeat, Russ Musto: DownBeat, The Mark F. Turner:
Progression, MyNorth.com
Drum!, All About Jazz, Relix Jeff Johnson: DownBeat, New York City Jazz Record
* Fred Bouchard: DownBeat, All About Jazz
Steve Feeney: Portland Press Chicago Sun-Times, BloodHorse Michael G. Nastos:
The New York City Jazz Record, Chris Walker: DownBeat, LA
Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram Richard Kamins: Hot House, Pulp
Berklee Online, The Boston Jazz Scene, California Tour &
David Franklin: Cadence steptempest.blogspot.com Ron Netsky: City Newspaper
Musical Intelligencer
Fred Kaplan: Stereophile, (Rochester, NY) Travel, JazzTimes
* Michael Bourne: DownBeat, Philip Freeman: Jazziz, The
Slate Jon Newey: Jazzwise Ken Weiss:
WBGO.org Wire, Burning Ambulance
Jon Garelick: DownBeat, The Martin Kasdan, Jr.: LEO Sean J. OConnell: Jazz Inside, Cadence
* Herb Boyd: DownBeat,
Weekly, Louisville Music News DownBeat, KPCC, LA Weekly Michael J. West: DownBeat,
New York Amsterdam News, Boston Globe, Jazziz
The Network Journal Yoshi Kato: DownBeat, San * Jennifer Odell: DownBeat, The Washington Post, Wash-
Dustin Garlitz: jazztalent.com
Francisco Chronicle, The Chris- JazzTimes, Offbeat, MSN.com,
Shaun Brady: DownBeat, Richard Gehr:Village Voice, ington City Paper, JazzTimes
tian Science Monitor GoNOLA.com
JazzTimes, Philadelphia Rolling Stone * Kevin Whitehead: Fresh Air
Inquirer Larry Kelp: KPFA-FM * Dan Ouellette: DownBeat,
* Ted Gioia: The Daily Beast Carlo Wolff: DownBeat,
Jon Bream: Minneapolis Elzy Kolb: Hot House ZEALnyc
Kurt Gottschalk: DownBeat, Cleveland Jewish News
Star Tribune Jason Koransky: DownBeat * Ted Panken: DownBeat
The New York City Jazz Record,
Gigi Brooks: JazzTimes WFMU-FM, The Wire, Time Out * Kiyoshi Koyama: NHK-FM Thierry Peremarti: * Josef Woodard: DownBeat,
Stuart Broomer: The New New York (Japan), Jazz Japan Jazz News (France) Los Angeles Times, Santa
York City Jazz Record, Point Steve Greenlee: JazzTimes Jeff Krow: Terry Perkins: DownBeat, Barbara News-Press, The Santa
of Departure, WholeNote, Audiophile Audition St. Louis Post-Dispatch Barbara Independent
George Grella: The Brooklyn
Musicworks Rail, NewMusicBox, Music & David Kunian: j. poet: DownBeat, Magnet, * Scott Yanow: DownBeat,
Andrea Canter: Jazzink, Literature DownBeat, Oxford American, SOMA, Relix
The New York City Jazz Record,
jazzpolice.com Louisiana Cultural Vistas Jeff Potter: DownBeat,
* Frank-John Hadley: Jazziz, Los Angeles Jazz Scene,
Will Layman: PopMatters.com Modern Drummer, TDF Stages
* Aaron Cohen: DownBeat DownBeat, X5 Music Group Jazz Rag, Syncopated Times
Sharonne Cohen: DownBeat, Carl L. Hager: Jazz (Jazzers Angelo Leonardi: Bob Protzman: DownBeat,
All About Jazz Italia JazzErie Zoe Young: DownBeat,
JazzTimes Jazzing), The Big Small
Business Review Bruce Lindsay: All About Jazz, Norman Provizer: DownBeat, Oakland Tribune
Thomas Conrad: Stereophile,
The New York City Jazz Record, * James Hale: DownBeat, Jazz Journal KUVO/KVJS-FM * Brian Zimmerman:
JazzTimes SoundStage! John Litweiler: Point Of * Bobby Reed: DownBeat DownBeat

Masterpiece +++++ Excellent ++++ Good +++ Fair ++ Poor +
Inside
69 / Jazz
71 / Blues
79 / Beyond
81 / Historical
82 / Books
Branford Marsalis
Quartet with Kurt Elling
Upward Spiral
MARSALIS MUSIC/OKEH 8898530688
++++
What a magnificent and original album this
isand what a lovely surprise, too, coming
from two sympatico musicians not known for
their immunity to excess. Though the album
begins and ends in the upbeat spirit of its
title, Upward Spiral is an autumnal work that
ponders loss, pain, dashed expectations and
accommodation to all three. The tune choic-
es are unusual, varied and smart, with many
of the tracks tending toward art song, whether
theyre rooted in jazz, folk or just plain poetry.
The album opens with the punchy, exuber-
ant Theres A Boat Dats Leavin Soon For New
York. Elling quickly tags Gershwins anticipa-
tion with a cynical hustlers street patter and
Marsalis, in his solo, introduces the down-
side of such a departure with a sly allusion to
If I Should Lose You. From there, its a quick
slide into azure moods. On Blue Gardenia,
Marsalis offers tenor saxophone harmonies
that blend so beautifully with Ellings rich, ten-
der baritone that it sounds like a vocal duet at
first. Blue Velvet brings on more regretin
the noir, David Lynch vein, not Bobby Vinton
treaclewith Elling bringing the volume down
to a Chet Baker whisper while never losing
his essential robustness. Even the quick-foot-
ed Jobim bossa S Tinha De Ser Com Voc,
which Elling sings in Portuguese, invokes the
blues of unrequited love, with the lyrics Yes,
you are made of blue/ You make me live in this
depression. Marsalis invests the song with a
bluesy, bittersweet swagger of his own.
When the albums ends, your first thought
may well be, When are these guys going to do
this again? Soon, I hope. Paul de Barros
Upward Spiral: Theres A Boat Dats Leavin Soon For New York;
Blue Gardenia; From One Island To Another; Practical Arrangement;
PALMA KOLANSKY
Doxy; Im A Fool To Want You; West Virginia Rose; S Tinha De Ser

Com Voc; Momma Said; Cassandra Song; Blue Velvet; The Return
(Upward Spiral). (66:18)
Personnel: Branford Marsalis, tenor saxophone, soprano saxo-
phone; Kurt Elling, vocals; Joey Calderazzo, piano; Eric Revis, bass;
Justin Faulkner, drums.
Branford Marsalis (left) and Kurt Elling
Ordering info: marsalismusic.com

someone who has seen it all come and go.
With his longstanding band featuring Mike
LeDonne on piano, Buster Williams on bass
and Carl Allen on drums, hes got a great vehi-
cle for these late-night rides.
Williams has a giant, ampy sound often
associated with 70s bassists, but he uses it to
his advantage, and with an unfailing sense of
swing, with the understated Allen propelling
magically with a gentle touch.
Much of Horizon Aheads non-Golson rep-
ertoire is familiar, with a few neat originals that
remind what an essential composer he is.
Golden moments include a duet for tenor
and bass on Lulus Back In Town, Golson
fluttering around in the upper register sweet-
Benny Golson ly, and the leaders cool, almost Monkish Jump
Rez Abbasi & Junction
Horizon Ahead Start, with some challenging changes. Theres
Behind The Vibration
HIGH NOTE 7288 no endgame off-pitch action, and if the adjust-
CUNEIFORM 424
++++ ments hes made are age-related, he is convinc-
+++
ingly deep into them.
When an 87-year-old makes an album called Heres Golson, pushing 90 with a new Guitarist Rez Abbasis new electric group,
Horizon Ahead, hes telling you something spe- thing, looking into the future. Junction, is a pugilistic outfit, throwing rhyth-
cific: He wont be resting on his laurels. John Corbett mic punches and applying physical feints to
In the extraordinarily thoughtful notes to this
inject its rock-influenced music with shrewd
disc, tenor saxophonist Benny Golson ponders Horizon Ahead: Dont Get Around Much Anymore; Jump Start;
Horizon Ahead; Mood Indigo; Domingo; Lulus Back In Town; give-and-take.
recent changes to his sound, a propensity for a Night Shade; Three Little Words; Spoken Introduction; Out Of The The fervent nature of their playing style
softer, less cutting approachits a tone you might Darkness And Into The Light. (55:00)
Personnel: Benny Golson, tenor saxophone; Mike LeDonne, former heavy metal drummer Kenny
rightly call mellow. Some might like it, whereas piano; Buster Williams, bass; Carl Allen, drums.
Grohowski and keyboardist Ben Stivers add
some might not, he says, with the nonchalance of Ordering info: jazzdepot.com
a sparkis key to the action on Behind The
Vibration. Its a post-fusion album that battles
its way towards a gnarled eloquence.
The band may explode around him, but its
Ren Marie the leaders articulation that shapes several of
Sound Of Red these escapades. Last time out, on Intents And
MOTMA 194
Purposes (Enja), Abbasi went the unplugged
+++ route, interpreting a series of overlooked items
Life lived to excessthe sound of redis the from the classic fusion pantheon in an acous-
topic that binds this suite of 11 songs written tic setting. Here, he flips the script. Behind The
and sung by Ren Marie on her fourth Motma Vibration is a program of original pieces with
album. Not all the material fits readily into this jazz-rock DNA and an amped-up attitude, and
thematic package, but there are touches of clev- the guitarist seems fiercer than usual. The solo
erness to lighten the sometimes grim load. If he unfurls in Groundswell is one of his most
You Were Mine is a jazzy finger-snapper, and aggressive in memory.
Many Years Ago is a rumination on the inno- Abbasis foil is Mark Shim, whose squalls
cence of childhooddefinitely a different color on tenor sax and MIDI wind controller bol-
than red. ster the albums atmosphere of agitation. Shims
But the CDs main premise pivots on the lon- horn also brings an earthiness to the action,
gest, darkest and most ambitious of the songs: tempering the keys and electronics with a grit-
The latter is a compassionate inquiry into the
Lost, which describes a wayward life of run- ty r&b texture (check him on Matter Falls).
art of breaking up with civility. Its very smart
ning wild. The careful structure and performed Ditto for Strivers B-3 organ in Inner Context.
and probably the best lyric of her 11 songs.
bravado are pure theater. Its the sort of snappy, Along with the funeral drone of And I You,
Marie mostly sings in proportion to her
multi-layered showstopper that Marie can use to the song provides a balance to the frenzied stuff.
material. She underplays her formidable vocal
freeze a cabaret audience in its seats. But it needs With whiffs of Pakistani roots music,
instrument and rarely oversells a lyric for effect.
her charismatic presence to close the deal. Mahavishnu transcendence and nu-bop fluidi-
There are many fine singers out there these
Maries most appealing melodies tend to ty, Abbasi manages a cultural mlange that goes
days, and Marie is one of the best.
cling because they borrow from familiar hard while distilling its myriad elements.
John McDonough
genres. Blessings has a rich vein of gospel, and Jim Macnie
Sound Of Red: Sound Of Red; If You Were Mine; Go Home; Lost;
Colorado River Song is a catchy tune with Stronger Than You Think; Certaldo; Colorado River Song; This Is Not Behind The Vibration: Holy Butter; Groundswell; Inner Context;
A Protest Song; Many Years Ago; Joy Of Jazz; Blessings. (64:34) Uncommon Sense; And I You; Self-Brewing; New Rituals; Matter
light lyrics, but its debt to Green Eyes and par- Personnel: Ren Marie, vocals; Etienne Charles (2, 10), trumpet; Falls. (58:00)
ticularly When Youre Smiling is transparent. Sherman Irby (1), alto saxophone; Romero Lubambo (6), guitar; Personnel: Rez Abbasi, guitar; Mark Shim, tenor saxophone,
John Chin, piano; Elias Bailey, bass; Quentin Baxter, drums; Shayna MIDI wind controller; Ben Stivers, keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ,
Certaldo and Go Home are the least deriva- Steele (8, 11), background vocals. Fender Rhodes; Kenny Grohowski, drums.
tive. The former is about falling in love in Italy. Ordering info: motema.com Ordering info: cuneiformrecords.com

The
Critics John McDonough John Corbett Jim Macnie Paul de Barros
Marsalis Quartet/Kurt Elling +++ ++++ +++ ++++

Upward Spiral
Benny Golson ++++ ++++ +++ +++

Horizon Ahead
Ren Marie +++ ++++ +++ ++

Sound Of Red
Rez Abbasi & Junction ++ +++ +++ ++

Behind The Vibration
Critics Comments
Branford Marsalis Quartet with Kurt Elling, Upward Spiral
The spiral is mostly down, not up. After launching with such dynamic promise, the music turns
starkly morose. Still, the album gives Ellings chameleon-like vocals room to dissolve into Marsa-
lis tenor. The result is often striking, but the mood is overplayed. John McDonough
Adore the arrangements. Marsalis is magisterial, Elling is as buttery and soulful as could be.
When he sings, I swoon. But his quips and asides lose the buzz. John Corbett
Theres a shared yen for drama here: Branford likes his heartache and Elling has bumped up his
expressionistic chops. Still, I prefer Doxy to some of these elaborate art songs. Jim Macnie
Benny Golson, Horizon Ahead
A fine Golson album promising fewer notes and more space. But this is not news. His recent CDs
have found him relaxed, mellow and disinclined to blow in dense, twisting surges. With bass
only, Lulu has a soft-spoken intimacy, as does most of this CD. John McDonough
It reminds me of those albums of the late 80s, where a venerable master is done right by a wise
producer. The sound of Golsons horn is to die for, and his forever-bluesy inventions remain
enticing. Jim Macnie
Bravo to Golson for keeping his hand in the game, though this album feels more like it belongs
to pianist Mike LeDonne, who sparkles throughout. Golsons title tune plays like an old standard,
and his conversational, melodic solos are the essence of simplicity. Paul de Barros
Ren Marie, Sound Of Red
The task of adding to the Great American Songbook in a meaningful way? Well, thats a tall
order. Maries ambitions are no smaller, and shes got an admirable success rate. Nothing false
or tricky, these are songs of experience marvelously sung. John Corbett
She had me with the Eartha Kitt tribute a couple years ago, and on this one it feels like shes
upping her game. Savvy arrangements, plenty of swag and a sumptuous voice thats always
ready to strut. Jim Macnie
Marie is a wonderful, soulful singer, but she seems to be in a permanent identity crisis. Last time
out, she was Eartha Kitt. This time, when shes not being self-consciously jazzy, she overshares
with therapeutic, singer-songwriter confessionals. Paul de Barros
Rez Abbasi, Behind The Vibration
Abbasi has virtuosity in abundance. But this is modern jazz armed with technological weaponry.
Its audience lies beyond jazz in the open borders of existential music thats shy about identity.
John McDonough
Tracks not driven by overdriven fusion power, like And I You or the slinky New Rituals, show
Abbasis strengths as a composer and guitaristsupple sense of line, unexpected formal turns,
nice timbral combinations. The gonzo flash is less compelling. John Corbett
Crackerjack guitarist Abbasi, who applies a blues-rock edge and twang to his harmonically
oblique excursions, brings together jazz, rock, experimental and world influences for an album
that is indisputably well-played but somehow feels like an exercise. Paul de Barros

gory. With a catalog that ranges from indeli-
bly catchy jazz tunes to a time-warping opera,
Bley has worked with a consistently stellar
group of musicians, from Charlie Haden to
Ursula Oppens, Gary Burton to Jack Bruce. But
this trio with saxophonist Andy Sheppard and
bassist Steve Swallow is in some ways the most
appealing of her various ensembles.
Andando El Tiempo is all fresh work. The
title composition is a three-part suite that Bleys
liner notes describe as being about a friends
former struggle with addiction, while Naked
Bridges/Diving Brides was composed for
Sheppards wedding. No wonder the playing
seems so emotionally engaged.
As ever, Bleys sense of melodic line and
Carla Bley/Andy thematic structure drives the music, whether Marquis Hill
Sheppard/Steve Swallow through the Spanish-tinged narrative of the title
The Way We Play
Andando El Tiempo suite or the witty allusions of the Mendelssohn-
CONCORD JAZZ 36810
ECM 2487 esque wedding tune. And she more than fulfills
her improvisational duties, emphasizing her
++++
+++++
often-underused gifts as a pianist. Indeed, her When Marquis Hill won the 2014 Thelonious
Its no accident that jazzs major composers tend playing is so strong that there are times when Monk Institute Jazz Trumpet Competition, he
to work with equally important improvis- the music feels not so much charted as collec- knew that, in order to land the sizable schol-
ers. Nothing complements a memorable mel- tively improvised. arship and a recording contract with Concord
ody more than an equally striking solo, which J.D. Considine Jazz, he only had to impress six people: Quincy
is why albums by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Jones, Randy Brecker, Arturo Sandoval,
Andando El Tiempo: Andando El Tiempo (Sin Fin; Potacin
Monk, Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman De Guaya; Camino Al Volver); Saints Alive!; Naked Bridges/Diving Jimmy Owens, Roy Hargrove and Ambrose
are often celebrated as much for the strength of Brides. (47:16)
Personnel: Carla Bley, piano; Andy Sheppard, tenor saxophone,
Akinmusire. He did so with a solo performance
the sidemen as for quality of the compositions. soprano saxophone; Steve Swallow, bass. of Polkadots And Moonbeams that held the
At 80, Carla Bley fits handily into this cate- Ordering info: ecmrecords.com judges in awe.
He returns to that solo performance at the
midpoint of The Way We Play, though the song
Eli Degibri is now part of a much wider canvas. From the
Cliff Hangin Chicago skyline on the albums cover to the
BLUJAZZ 1007 very last note played by a fading upright bass,
+++++ Hill goes for a warm metropolitan sophistica-
Like bassist Avishai Cohen, whom he succeed- tion in every corner. The set list covers many
ed as co-artistic director of the Red Sea Jazz familiar tunes but gives them a contempo-
Festival, Jaffa-born Eli Degibri has returned to rary pulse. Herbie Hancocks Maiden Voyage
Israel after distinguishing himself at Berklee rumbles and crashes moodily, while Horace
College of Music and the Thelonious Monk Silvers Moon Rays boasts a frenetic intro
Institute and serving significant stretches in from drummer Makaya McCraven.
Herbie Hancocks sextet and Al Fosters band. Surrounded on this album by his long-run-
Now a leader in his own right, hes assembled a ning band, the Blacktet, Hill is consistent-
meaty quartet of young compatriot musicians, ly strong, commanding the spotlight with
including remarkable 20-year-old pianist Gadi nimble runs and an enviable sense of naviga-
Lehavi, drummer Ofri Nehemya and longtime tion. Saxophonist Christopher McBride and
collaborator Barak Mori. Hill seem locked into the same breath on the
What makes Degibri outstanding is his strating Degibris impressive breath control boppish Beep Durple and a spry version of
inner flame, which is allied to virtuosic melod- and quasi-classical poise. His 11 originals all Minority that surfs on the waves of Justin
ic purity. Take the killing title track: It begins engage without pretension, though some are Justefan Thomas vibraphone.
like a threnody and steadily grows febrile, the feistier than others (the tensile Shesh Besh This is an impressive major-label debut
first section of the leaders solo trailing off with is a nice vehicle for Nehemya). The way the from a trumpeter with a strong respect for tra-
a trademark ghosted glissando and then gain- group plays pretty and simplethen cranks dition but an affinity for the here-and-now.
ing pace with controlled momentum. The solo through the gearsmakes for an exhilarat- Sean OConnell
shifts into double-time before climaxing with ing trip.
Michael Jackson The Way We Play: Welcome/Bulls Theme; The Way We Play/
an audacious altissimo note, approached with Minority; Prelude; Moon Rays; My Foolish Heart; Polkadots And
Moonbeams; Fly Little Bird Fly; Maiden Voyage; Straight, No Chaser;
the determination of an experienced alpinist. Cliff Hangin: The Troll; Cliff Hangin; Even Bees Do It; Kind Of Beep Durple; Juans Interlude; Smile. (45:41)
Holding ropes underneath is Lehavi, who grad- Blues; Suki The Cat; Twiced; Ocean View; Shesh Besh; Momento Personnel: Marquis Hill, trumpet, flugelhorn; Christopher
Fugaz; The Unknown Neighbor; What Am I Doing Here. (48:38) McBride, alto saxophone; Justin Justefan Thomas, vibraphone;
ually reveals his own mountaineering chops. Personnel: Eli Degribi, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Joshua Ramos, bass; Makaya McCraven, drums; Juan Pastor,
Gadi Lehavi, piano; Barak Mori, bass; Ofri Nehemya, drums; Shlomo percussion; Vincent Gardner, trombone (9); Christie Dashiell (5),
Even Bees Do It, like Ocean View, is a Ydov, vocals, guitar (9). Meagan McNeal (1), Harold Green III (2), vocals.
contrastingly joyful soprano feature demon- Ordering info: blujazz.com Ordering info: marquishill.com

Jazz / BY KIRK SILSBEE
Compositions Ms Grande
Musical ambition comes in many flavors.
The adage fits Latin music as much as any
other genre. What would, say, the pioneer-
ing Cuban conguero Chano Pozo (who died
in 1948) say if he could sample the spectrum
of todays far-reaching variations of Afro-Cu-
ban and Puerto Rican musical fare? Well
never know, but its always worthwhile to
check in on how Latin music has profoundly
influenced jazz and vice versa. Some recent
releases point to several directions, as well
as affirming some of the root elements.
Composer/arranger Hector Mar-
tignon leads his Banda Grande through
mostly original orchestrations on The
Big Band Theory (Zoho 201608; 71:31
++++ ). The former Ray Barretto pianist
MICHIKO PENSA
is a harmonically adventurous writer whose
multi-leveled pieces on this ambitious col-
lection dont read as standard salsa. Vo-
calist Brenda Feliciano sings it straight on Hector Martignon
Bachs Erbarme Dich, while the ensemble
undulates with silken currents of strings plenty of low-key yet quietly intense play-
and horns. ing. Whether its the sacred-heart marriage
Martignons Trombone Chorale was of tres, bass and conga, a horn-stoked
inspired by German street brass, and the lineup or the amiable two-bass dialog with
take on Bill Evans Interplay is far afield Luques Curtis (on The Addams Family
from his Nuyorican roots. But a clave beat Theme), these combinations pulsate and
will kick in on something like Bruno Mar- swirl with life.
tinos Estate and were in the middle of Gonzlez and his colleagues are full of
a sea of sweaty bodies, dancing at a sum- surprises: Manuel Alejandro Carros soul-
mer street fair in New York. It would take a ful vocals on the plaintive bolero Sabor
concert hall to accommodate the orchestra A Mi sets the table for Dialysis Blues,
here, but the audience would most certainly a guitar-driven jam whose title refers to
crave a dance floor. the leaders health challenges of late. The
Ordering info: zohomusic.com rhythmic conflagration Inspiracin De
Socrates Garcias musical memoir, Cachao is an exciting percussive buffet,
Back Home (MAMA 1050; 52:39 +++ ), and Carlos Adabies out-of-tempo trumpet
recalls his youth in the Dominican Republic feature on Billy Strayhorns A Flower Is A
with fondness, gusto and introspection. His Lovesome Thing is an intimate statement
horn sections punch, counterpunch, inter- that veers from desultory to dejection.
lock and float to the merengue rhythms. Ordering info: truthrevolutionrecords.com
Pianist Manuel Tejada leads the churning Chano Pozo definitely would have dug
rhythm section, but also adds pastel to lyr- the roiling rhythms on Mac Gollehon & The
ical tunes like Celebration Of The Butter- Hispanic Mechanics (True Groove; 53:41
flies and the title track. +++), though possibly not the textures.
This is also concert fare thats full of This Molotov cocktail of electronica, clave,
dance music sections and flourishes. Gar- Bitches Brew funk and flat-out brass playing
cias three-part Dominican Suite For Jazz is intelligent disco.
Orchestra has some filigreed reed section Gollehon, a trumpeter and trom-
work that is at once orchestral yet full of bonist, has cleverly assembled pungent,
folkloric echoes. Like Martignon, hes a writ- rhythm-rooted dance music from start to fin-
er with substantial potential. ish, made on what sounds like every gadget
Ordering info: summitrecords.com at The NAMM Show. He displays a fat tone,
South Bronx bass master Andy saucy ideas and a touch of Echoplex on the
Gonzlez shows that he can dial the whole comparatively mild Exito Obscuridad, then
Puerto Rican ensemble esthetic down duets with himself on a tape loop on Dale
to small configurations on Entre Cole- Jamon. It might not be everyones cup of
gas (Truth Revolution 538872; 50:12 tea, but Gollehon always goes for it, never
++++) without losing any of the essence. playing it safe. DB
This album is a personal statement with Ordering info: truegroove.nyc

Watts, with guitarist John Scofield sitting in on
two tracks.
Unfortunately, as was often the case back
then, a stellar rhythm section doesnt always
equate to a strong band feel. Despite some excep-
tional moments the churning Cell Phone
is a notable standoutWolfs A-list playmates
dont always bring their A game. Punching
chords throughout Soul Sister, Mehldau is
session-ace competent but little more, while
McBrides Latin-tinged pulse in Montara is
as steady as it is anodyne. Only Watts, with his
constant flow of prodding accents and count-
er-rhythms, seems on all the time.
Still, when things do click, Convergence
roars. Cell Phone is a real barnburn-
Warren Wolf er of a piece, with angular harmonies and a Robert Glasper
Convergence hard-swinging post-bop groove that keeps Wolf Everythings Beautiful
MACK AVENUE 1105 and the rhythm men on their toes. Scofields sly, SONY LEGACY 888751578128
+++ understated solo helps put the soul into Soul +++
Sister, and when Wolf and McBride trade licks
In a lot of ways, Warren Wolfs Convergence at the end of King Of Two Fives, its hard not From hard-bop to Doo-Bop, the only predict-
evokes nothing so much as the Blue Note aes- to feel like cheering. able thing about Miles Davis was his mercu-
thetic of the 1960s. Not that the sound is espe- J.D. Considine rial unpredictability. He disregarded catego-
cially retro, but its hard to mistake the form: riesexperimenting with rock, funk, African
lots of blowing space, especially for mallet per- Convergence: Soul Sister; Four Stars From Heaven; King Of Two music, electronic sounds and rapand caused
Fives; New Beginning; Cell Phone; Montara; Havoc; Tergiversa-
cussionist Wolf; a penchant for soulful groove tion; Knocks Me Off Of My Feet; A Prayer For The Christian Man; consternation for critics and fans. But, as key-
Stardust/The Minute Waltz. (67:51)
tunes and/or r&b covers; and a number of big Personnel: Warren Wolf, vibes, marimba (5, 6, 911), Fender boardist Robert Glasper writes in his liner
names in supporting roles. In this case, that Rhodes (2, 9), piano (9); Brad Mehldau, piano (1, 2, 4, 5, 7); John notes, Miles didnt have one audience his
Scofield, guitar (1, 7); Christian McBride, bass (13, 510); Jeff Tain
list includes pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Watts, drums (1, 2, 510). music traveled.
Christian McBride and drummer Jeff Tain Ordering info: mackavenue.com For this remix project, Sony gave Glasper
access to the Davis catalogue, including record-
ed outtakes and in-between-takes patter. A
Dave King Trucking trumpet line or familiar keyboard pattern may
Company surface in places, but mostly Glasper let his col-
Surrounded By The Night laborators use them as the basis for creative
SUNNYSIDE 1449 reinvention.
++++ Ghetto Walkin and They Cant Hold Me
Down are powerful r&b protest songs based
While hes known as a jazz percussionist these
on The Ghetto Walk, an outtake from Davis
days, The Bad Plus drummer Dave King has
1969 In A Silent Way sessions. Glasper drops
never abandoned his love for rock music, an
a funky drum loop onto the original rhythm
ongoing adoration that was always plain in his
track to set up a simmering vocal from Bilal,
group Happy Apple. But in recent years hes
who describes modern life in the inner city
found a true sweet spot for blending the direct
with two sharp verses. Glaspers keyboard eases
emotional drive and melodic concision of rock
into the coda, featuring a rap full of defiant
with the group interplay and improvisation of
pride from Illa J. Elsewhere, future-soul group
jazz in his archly named Dave King Trucking
Hiatus Kaiyote softens the unnerving drone of
Company.
on the verge of becoming the Steppenwolf clas- Little Church and Stevie Wonder lays down an
The groups terrific third album, Surrounded
sic Magic Carpet Ride. impressive harmonica solo on Right On Brotha.
By The Night, wastes little time in reaching out
Kings Glamour Shot borrows pop chord His last note harmonizes with the Davis sample
with a tender, catchy melody: Delta Kreme
patterns from bands like the Cure and New that takes the tune, and the album, home.
conveys a bittersweet strain of Americana, with
Order, but the melody line is far more sophisti- John Ephland
the crabbed guitar strumming of Erik Fratzke
carving out space for the unison tenors of Chris cated, and Speed and Wozniak chew it up. King Everythings Beautiful: Talking Shit; Ghetto Walkin; They
Cant Hold Me Down; Maiysha (So Long); Violets; Little Church
Speed and Brandon Wozniak. The piece func- doesnt use the rock element cheaplybut he (Remix); Silence Is The Way; Song For Selim; Milestones (Remix); Im
never lets the improvisational element and the Leaving You; Right On Brotha. (46:57)
tions as a kind of amuse bouche with no impro- Personnel: Miles Davis, vocals, trumpet; Robert Glasper, piano,
visation, but conveys a masterfully etched jazz vocabulary play second fiddle. keyboards, percussion; Derrick Hodge, bass; Bilal, Erykah Badu,
Phonte, Laura Mvula, King (Amber Strother, Anita Bias, Paris
mood to set the tone for what follows. Peter Margasak Strother), Georgia Anne Muldrow, Illa J, Ledisi, Bianca Rodriguez,
vocals; John Scofield, Kyle Bolden, guitar; Stevie Wonder, vocals,
The rock vibe comes charging in on Surrounded By The Night: Delta Kreme; Parallel Sister Track; harmonica; DJ Spinna, electronics; Chris Rob, piano, Fender
You Should Be Watching (Art) Films; Blue Candy; Glamour Shot; Rhodes, synthesizers; Daniel Leznoff, keyboards, guitar; Braylon
Parallel Sister Track, with a plangent reed mel- That Isnt Even Worth Selling; Dont Be Suspect Of A Gift. (36:25) Lacy, Burniss Earl Travis II, bass; Rashad Smith, percussion; Lakecia
ody floating over an out-of-sync groove until Personnel: Dave King, drums; Erik Fratzke, guitar; Chris Morrissey, Benjamin, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone; Brandee Younger,
bass; Chris Speed, tenor saxophone, clarinet; Brandon Wozniak, harp; Hiatus Kaiyote (Naomi Saalfield, guitar, vocals; Paul Bender,
the rhythm section hits the gas and lays down a tenor saxophone. bass; Simon Mavin, keyboards; Perrin Moss, drums, percussion).
rockish choogling pattern that sounds like its Ordering info: sunnysidezone.com Ordering info: legacyrecordings.com

Blues / BY FRANK-JOHN HADLEY
Doin the Mess Around

Professor Longhair, Live In Chicago (Or-
CARLO DITTA
leans 2915; 29:14 +++ ) Four years into
a career rejuvenation, the one and only Fess
Longhair tickled the ivories as a radio stations
tape recorder spun at the University of Chica-
gos Folk Festival in 1976. His patented whis-
tling and pitch-imperfect singing are also on
imperial display. Seven songs, including old
standbys Big Chief and Got My Mojo Work-
ing, find him served by French Quarter gui-
tarist Billy Gregory and others and a service-
able rhythm section. Live In Chicago is better
than several other live albums but not quite
the equal of must-haves Live On The Queen
Mary (One Way) and The Complete London
Concert (JSP).
Ordering info: orleansrecords.com
Aziza Brahim, Abbar El Hamada
(Glitterbeat 117592; 38:29 ++++ )
Brought up in a West Saharan desert ref-
ugee camp and now living in Spain, Aziza
Brahim uses her airy and beautiful voice Professor Longhair
to express all the hopes and frustrations of
the exiled Sahrawi people. No knowledge into straight blues and blues-funk of varied
of Arabic is needed to feel what she sings. tempos and moods. His singing, not unlike
A relentless sense of motion accompanies Jimmy Johnsons, operates efficiently with-
Western and African instruments as the out pretense or overdetermination. Much
music traverses colors. Listening to Bra- of the pleasure of hearing Wheelers guitar
hims fifth and best album in a single sitting comes from its individualized tone and from
is to experience its sweeping grace. its flowing articulation (especially notewor-
Ordering info: glitterbeat.com thy are Nothing Lasts Forever and A Blind
Dave Steen & Jailhouse Tattoo, Man Can See). He has telepathic communi-
Town Full Of Secrets (Latersville Mu- cation with his band, even during the ran-
sic 2218; 44:36 +++ ) This exuberant cid rock tune Brand New Cadillac.
Nebraskan band has singer-guitarist-key- Ordering info: delmark.com
boardist Dave Steen and his band with two Mark Hummel/Anson Funderburgh,
saxophonists providing satisfying shake-it- Golden State Lone Star Blues Revue
on-the-dancefloor entertainment. Over the (Electro-Fi 3448; 57:17 ++ ) Little Char-
years, Steen has penned likable songs for lie Baty and Anson Funderburgh have mas-
Coco Montoya, Solomon Burke and others, tered the alpha and beta of guitar playing,
and here he presents a cache of little gems but vocals here by Mark Hummel lack the
of various stylistic cuts: tremolo-drenched joy of invention sprung by those guitars
blues, Texas shuffles and r&b suitable for and his harmonica. So-so Hummel songs
either Southside Johnnys Jersey Shore or neutralize a wise selection of classic materi-
the Texas-Mexico borderland. al like Gatemouth Browns Midnight Hour
Ordering info: davesteen.com and Lowell Fulsons Check Yourself.
Tommy Schneller Band, Backbeat Ordering info: electrofi.com
(Timezone 1036; 48:12/26:41 +++) Tom- Terrie Odabi, My Blue Soul (Self
my Schneller, based in Germany, has gum- Release; 64:50 +++ ) Terrie Odabi is
bo in his voice, and must use the same reci- a strong-throated vocalist in the Bay Area
pe as Dr. John. It makes for a commendable who has twice reached the semi-finals at
sound when the song is worth his time and the International Blues Competition. She
when his colleagues work up the right inter- strives for intimate connection with lyrics
fusion of blues, rock, Dixieland and modern on the importance of individuality and oth-
jazz. Five of 10 originals measure up. er topics. Despite spells of unconvincing
Ordering info: timezone-records.com emoting, her impassioned honesty wins
Mike Wheeler Band, Turn Up!! (Del- out. Highlights are hyper-carnal When You
mark 845; 66:04 +++ ) Part of the Chi- Love Me and, poles apart, a religious so-
cago scene since the mid-1980s, Wheeler journ titled Hold Up The Light. DB
on his third album pours his heart and soul Ordering info: artistecard.com/terrie

Blakey cover bands around, few can capture
the spark and effortless momentum like One
For All. Fewer still feature a cast of players who
can also compose as effectively in the idiom.
The Third Decadethe bands 16th releaseis
the first to include originals by all six members.
In addition to trombonist Steve Davis Easy
and his equally steaming Daylight, the spir-
it of the soulful, brass-led sextets is represent-
ed by a pair of loping compositions by trumpet-
er Jim Rotondi, the funky boogaloo of bassist
John Webbers Babataytay and the purpose-
ful strut of drummer Joe Farnsworths Hey
Stevie-D, his shout-out to his bandmate.
If the band has an MVP, its Farnsworth.
Aside from Blakey, hard-bop bands were pow-
One For All ered by lithe, inventive timekeepersfrom The Hot Sardines
The Third Decade
Mickey Roker to Louis Hayesand Farnsworth French Fries & Champagne
fills the role elegantly, powering the band with DECCA B002485802
SMOKE SESSIONS 1605
both subtlety and creativity. His occasion- ++++
++++ al, disruptive cymbal accents constantly keep
things interesting. Swing is experiencing a surge of popularity, and
Now in its 21st year, One For All is modeled on
This is a genre that calls on musicians to New York Citys Hot Sardines are experts at
the classic lineup of Art Blakeys Jazz
step up and bring everything they have, and making hot jazz sizzle. On their second album,
Messengers. And, like the Messengers during
everyone here is up to the challenge. the set list includes obscurities from the Great
the bands heyday, its a slick machine. When
James Hale American Songbook, inspired takes on modern
all six members are cooking, the band purrs as
tunes and a trio of originals that show off the
it races down the highway. The Third Decade: Easy; Buddys; Its Easy To Remember;
Daylight; Ghost Ride; For Curtis; Ruth; Babataytay; K-Ray; Frenzy; bands eclectic range.
The harmonic blends and soulful grooves Hey Stevie-D. (66:01)
Running Wild, a tune from the 20s, was
of hard-bop make it popular to play among Personnel: Jim Rotondi, trumpet; Steve Davis, trombone; Dave
Wakefield, French horn (5); Eric Alexander, tenor saxophone; David included in the film Some Like It Hot, with
musicians of a certain age, but while there is Hazeltine, piano; John Webber, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums.
Marilyn Monroe supplying sultry lead vocals.
no shortage of Horace Silver, Lee Morgan and Ordering info: smokesessionsrecords.com
The Sardines execute it with a snappy Django-
meets-Monroe arrangement with Evan
Cyrus Chestnut Palazzos piano and Evan Cranes bass set-
Natural Essence ting the pace for Elizabeth Bougerols spirited
HIGHNOTE 7283 vocals. The band moves People Will Say Were
++ In Love from Oklahoma to Argentina, turning
it into a crisp tango with Mariachi horns and
Its neither a good nor bad thing when musi-
a ska-like pulse. Bougerol adds French lyrics to
cians get together to jam, even in the stu-
La Fille Aux Cheveux Roux (Weed Smokers
dio. Magic can still happen. But there are two
Dream), a tune by the Harlem Hamfats played
approaches to this practice: One challenges
with a burlesque backbeat supporting Nick
participants to push themselves in an effort to
Myers delirious sax.
come up with something new; the other is sim-
The r&b ballad Here You Are Again is an
ply coasting.
original by Bougerol with a hint of New Orleans
This leads us to Natural Essence. Here we
in its step. Palazzos bright, brittle piano sup-
have three truly extraordinary artists, each
ports Bougerols delivery of the ironic lyric. The
with a stellar history and a secure place
piano intro to the title track, another band orig-
in jazz annals. Apparently, theyve picked
inal, has hints of the Pink Panther Theme,
option 2 for this project, judging by the fact
arrangement; the rest is an airy, carefree stroll. and that lighthearted vibe carries over to the
that, aside from a few arranged moments,
Its agreeable, but hardly epochal. rest of the tune. Mike Sailors plays a frisky cor-
they appear to breeze through each track as
There are brighter moments: On Minority net solo to support a Dixieland horn arrange-
if working from a lead sheet. Again, nothing
Chestnut unleashes a fleet, high-register solo ment that gives the music a buoyant lilt, pro-
wrong with thatbut it makes for some less
that explodes into a grand swoop down the viding a nice contrast to Bougerols melancholy
than inspired music.
keyboard. Williams delivers a nice intro to his sermon on the limitations of happiness.
For instance, someone in the trio must have
tune Toku-Do. Yet these only hint at what the j. poet
decided to open I Cover The Waterfront with
musicians might have done throughout Natural French Fries & Champagne: Running Wild; People Will Say
a little drum intro, which Lenny White plays on Were In Love; When I Get Low I Get High; Addicted To Love; Sweet
Essence if theyd decided on option 1.
brushes. There doesnt seem to be a reason why; Pea; Comes Love (Lamour Sen Fout); Here You Are Again; Until The
Bob Doerschuk Real Thing Comes Along; French Fries & Champagne; La Fille Aux
it could easily have been a bass riff from Buster Cheveux Roux (Weed Smokers Dream); Gramercy Sunset. (41:45)
Natural Essence: Mamacita; It Could Happen To You; Faith Personnel: Miz Elizabeth Bougerol, vocals; Evan Bibbs Palazzo,
Williams. Or they all could have hit the first note Amongst The Unknown; I Cover The Waterfront; I Remember; piano, organ; Jason Prover, trumpet; Nick Myers, tenor saxophone,
together. They did decide to accent the first three Dedication; My Romance; Toku-Do; Minority. (63:08) clarinet; Mike Sailors, valve trombone, cornet; Sam Raderman,
Personnel: Cyrus Chestnut, piano; Buster Williams, bass; Lenny guitar; Evan Crane, bass, tuba; Alex Raderman, drums, percussion;
notes of bars one, three, five and seven togeth- White, drums. Eddie Francisco, tap; Alan Cumming, vocals (3).
er on the bridge, but thats the extent of their Ordering info: jazzdepot.com Ordering info: universalmusicclassics.com

Keb Mo The Power Quintet
Live: That Hot Pink High Art
Blues Album HIGHNOTE 7290
KIND OF BLUE MUSIC +++
+++ High Art is the kind of all-star ses-
Keb Mo was first noticed at the dawn sion that jazz labels used to delight
of the 1990s for portraying a Delta in, bringing together a group of lead-
bluesman in a Los Angeles play called ers from their stable to blow through
Rabbit Foot. Now, with his musical a collection of ballads and burners.
career encompassing a dozen albums, With the heyday of the record labels
he enjoys permanent lodging in the long since passed, this date is more
blues-pop marketplace. artist-centric, initiated by bassist Peter Washington and designed as a
Mos second concert album, consisting of 16 original songs recorded collective with the unique trumpet-and-vibraphone front line of Jeremy
on a national tour last year, is one big thank-you to his fans. The guitar- Pelt and Steve Nelson and the taut rhythm section of Washington, pia-
ist sings of the human experience in typically warm tones, keeping his nist Danny Grissett and drummer Bill Stewart.
phrasing deliberate and his rhythm section easygoing. But mildly dis- The result is a solid set that showcases the members skills without
concerting to objective listeners is the strain heard in his voice every so necessarily striving to advance their art. Most of the tunes come from the
often, like during his bid for urgency in She Just Wants To Dance. pens of the band. Pelts Look At Here kicks thing off at a bluesy, loping
Elements of contented sweet-talking dominate Mos blues guitar gait that wrings a terse, stentorian solo from Washington and a round of
work, yet he proves his gritty mettle on the Muddy Waters-inspired last-call dissonance from Grissett.
Dangerous Mood and a couple more. Mo, indeed, likes to play it cool, The medium-tempo churn of the pianists Heards Word shows off
but glad to say he seldom slides into torpor or sappy sentiment. A Better Stewarts agility at combining solid swing with coloristic accents, while
Man is far and away the catchiest tune. Mr. Wiggleworm roils with a Latin accent that sparks a bold, fiery turn
Frank-John Hadley from Pelt.
Shaun Brady
Live: That Hot Pink Blues Album: Disc One: Tell Everybody I Know; Somebody Hurt You; Henry; Life
Is Beautiful; She Just Wants To Dance; The Worst Is Yet To Come; Government Cheese; The Door. (39:13)
Disc Two: Come On Back; France; More Than One Way Home; A Better Man; The Old Me Better; Rita; High Art: Look At Here; Heards Word; Sage; Mr. Wiggleworm; But Beautiful; Ascona; Tincture; We
Dangerous Mood; City Boy. (39:38) See. (49:23)
Personnel: Keb Mo, vocals, guitar, kazoo, harmonica (8); Michael B. Hicks, keyboards, vocals; Casey Personnel: Danny Grissett, piano; Jeremy Pelt, trumpet; Steve Nelson, vibraphone; Peter Washington,
Wasner, drums, vocals; Stan Sargeant, bass. bass; Bill Stewart, drums.
Ordering info: kebmo.com Ordering info: jazzdepot.com
Raul Agraz Eric Revis Trio

Between Brothers Crowded Solitudes
OA2 22127 CLEAN FEED 363
++++ +++
Passion, confidence and an unshak- The second record by Eric Revis trio
able commitment to groove are the could not be more aptly named. On
ingredients for great Latin jazz, and Crowded Solitudes the bassist, whose
Venezuelan trumpeter Raul Agraz CV includes sojourns with Branford
exhibits them in abundance on his Marsalis, Betty Carter, Lionel
solo debut. For this ambitious proj- Hampton and Peter Brtzmann,
ect, Agraz convened a summit of New strives to sustain paradoxical states.
Yorks best session players, with special seats reserved for a few titans of Latin There is no mistaking who is in charge here. Throughout the record,
jazz: vibraphonist Dave Samuels, reedist Paquito DRivera, pianist Luis Revis tone is as imposing as his fingering is fleet. But his accompanists
Perdomo and percussionist Luisito Quintero. arent cowed. Pianist Kris Davis darts into Arcane 17, alternating brief,
An athletic trumpeter with a warm, supple tone, Agraz wrote four of halting phrases with quick continuous runs, while drummer Gerald
the 10 tracks on this album, including One Day At A Time, a master Cleaver quietly encircles the bass-piano confrontation with discrete
class in tenderness and melodic purity. The song embodies the trumpet- streams of sound. The songs intensity is then undercut by a childs voice
ers sophisticated yet simple compositional style, and features brief, ener- cheerily chirping non-English syllables, which proves an unsteady foun-
getic passages that expand with self-generating momentum. The closing dation on which to build a short foray into energetic music. Its a relief
Concone #6 revels in a more austere kind of splendor. Played sumptu- when they ease back for the next piece, a quietly lyrical performance of
ously and without frills, its slow, determined melody reveals a musician Paul Motians Victoria. Once more the bass-piano dialogue holds the
at peace with his own sound. foreground, while Cleaver introduces subtle instability by quietly play-
Brian Zimmerman ing around the beat. The tension between clearly drawn lines and artfully
Between Brothers: Obsesin; Between Brothers; BossAgraz; A Song For You (Cancin Para Ti); FDB; In A smudged ones persists throughout the record. Their coexistence is con-
Sentimental Day; One Day At A Time; Sentimiento De Cancin; Beautiful Diana; Concone #6. (50:09) sistently rewarding to behold.
Personnel: Raul Agraz, John Walsh, trumpets; Ivan Renta, Dan Willis, Javier Olivencia, Felipe Castro,
Paquito DRivera (2), woodwinds; Doug Beavers, Luis Bonilla, Mark Miller, Randy Andos, Max Seigel, Bill Meyer
trombones; Jake Ezra, guitar; Ruben Rodriguez (1, 7, 9), Oskar Cartaya (3, 8), Rodner Padilla (2), Dave
Phillips, (4, 5, 6), bass; Jon Werking (4, 5, 6), Ricky Gonzales (8), Axel Laugart (2, 3, 9), Luis Perdomo (1,
7), piano; Roberto Quintero, Luisito Quintero, percussion; Cliff Almond (1, 3, 7, 8), Sean McDaniel (4, 5, Crowded Solitudes: Arcane 17; Bontah; Victoria; QB4R; D.O.C.; Crowded Solitudes (For B.K.); Vertical
6), Anderson Quintero (2), drums; Antoin Silverman, Encho Todorov, violins; Jonathan Dinklange, viola; Hold; AnamnesisParts I & II (For Tamir And Ms. Bland). (54.28)
Anja Wood, cello. Personnel: Eric Revis, bass; Kris Davis, piano; Gerald Cleaver, drums.
Ordering info: originarts.com Ordering info: cleanfeed-records.com

has no trouble putting the show in these show
tunes, from the gimmicky boy-meets-girl lyrics
of The Trolley Song to the post-divorce mel-
ancholy of A Cottage For Sale. But the songs
she gravitates toward tend to be more from the
jazz side of the canon, and Kole swings so hard
on tunes like Stompin At The Savoy and Just
In Time that the Garland connection almost
seems incidental to her performance.
Where the Garland influence comes
through most clearly is in Koles sense of
restraint. Instead of torching it up, she pre-
fers to let The Man That Got Away smolder,
while her a cappella opening on Embraceable
You is delivered with agile grace. Even the
string-laden Over The Rainbow manages
Hilary Kole to avoid the usual over-the-top theatrics. And Jacknife
The Judy Garland Project while Garland fans may miss the Broadway The Music Of Jackie McLean
MIRANDA MUSIC brashness of the Summer Stock version of Get PRIMARY SL002
Happy, Koles scat-fueled renditionpartic- +++
+++ ularly when she trades fours with drummer
Paying homage to Judy Garland can be a tricky Aaron Kimmelhas a charm all its own. The thoughtful Bay Area reedist Steven
business. As immense as her musical legacy J.D. Considine Lugerner has already forged a career defined
may be, her status as a cultural icon can eas- by sharp left turns. Although his playing is
ily tip even the most heartfelt tribute into the The Judy Garland Project: Zing!; The Boy Next Door; Just In clearly rooted in jazz tradition, hes devel-
Time; You Made Me Love You; Stompin At The Savoy; The Man
realm of camp. Theres the heartbreak, the That Got Away; A Cottage For Sale; I Wish I Was In Love Again; Look oped a string of rigorous projects that stand
For The Silver Lining; The Trolley Song; Get Happy; Embraceable
melodrama, the hard-won innocence, the trag- You; As Long As He Needs Me; It Never Was You; Over The in stark contrast from the one that preceded
Rainbow. (54:56) it. His two-volume Gravitations project was
ic end. Personnel: Hilary Kole, vocals; Paul Gill, bass; Aaron Kimmel,
Theres also the songs, and thats where drums; John DiMartino, piano; Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone; a series of introspective, through-composed
Christiana Liberis, Juliette Jones, violin; Stephanie Matthews, viola;
Hilary Kole keeps her focus. Blessed with a Reenat Pinchas, cello. duets with the likes of pianist Fred Hersch,
voice as suited to cabaret singing as to jazz, she Ordering info: hilarykole.com and his superb quartet with Myra Melford
drew compositional ideas from the Torah on
For We Have Heard. His new quintet Jacknife
represents another radical shift. Its a reperto-
Danny Mixon ry project, albeit one focusing on artist whose
Pass It On oeuvre is too rarely revisited these days: alto
SELF RELEASE saxophonist Jackie McLean.
+++ Lugerner focuses on material McLean
To non-New Yorkers, pianist Danny Mixons recorded between 1959 and 1965, a key peri-
name is one that may not immediately regis- od for the saxophonist. Jacknife doesnt limit
ter. These fans may have heard of his reputa- itself to McLean compositionsthe album
tionthrough associations with Betty Carter, also includes tunes written for the band by
Frank Foster and Hank Crawfordwithout trumpeter Charles Tolliver and drummer Jack
having seen him live. Well, consider this album DeJohnette, but theres no missing McLeans
a curriculum vitae for a veteran pianist with an aesthetic. The quintet doesnt try to recon-
impressive range of style and vocabulary. texutalize the material as much as it divines
Mixon is a mainstream player with a Red energy and soul from the original arrange-
Garland-like feel for the blues. But his talents ments, letting Lugerners hungry, young combo
are numerous. He showcases some invigorat- feast on the themes, whether its trumpeter JJ
ing locked-hand chords on Wayne Shorters theme this way and that, revealing new facets of Kirkpatrick dropping a sly Gershwin quote into
Yes Or No, solemn ballad readings (Infant the reverent melody. On The Nile or pianist Richard Sears unleash-
Eyes and The Very Thought Of You) and fine The liner notes dont specify which rhythm ing propulsive runs on Melody For Melonae,
chord work throughout. He also has an incredi- section players appear on which tunes, but Fred the opening gem from McLeans 1962 album
ble grasp of stride, as exhibited on Eubie Blakes Statons tenor saxophone is buttery on Thats Let Freedom Ring. While Lugerner plays a full
perennial Memories Of You. These are all All and Ghanniyya Green turns in a husky complement of reeds in most of his projects, he
qualities one might expect of a good journey- vocal advertisement for Harlem in At Mintons. sticks with alto here, and though he doesnt try
man pianist, but alas, Mixon isnt able to erase Kirk Silsbee to emulate McLeans tart tone, he does impart
the lounge connotations from On A Clear Pass It On: Blue Monk; Infant Eyes; On A Clear Day; Memories Of the same kind of deep blues feeling.
You; Up Jumped Spring; The Very Thought Of You; Yes Or No; My Peter Margasak
Dayeven when taken as a bossa. Blues; The Simple Way; Single Petal Of A Rose; Thats All; Mintons.
(41:39)
Conspicuous above the other selections is a Personnel: Danny Mixon, piano; Fred Staton, saxophone (11); The Music Of Jackie McLean: On The Nile; Das Dat; Cancella-
quietly gorgeous Single Petal Of A Rose, Marcus McLaurine, Bryce Sebastien, Paul Ramsey, bass; Rudy tion; Climax; Melody For Melonae; Hip Strut. (40:52)
Lawless, Damon Duewhite, McClenty Hunter, drums; Ghanniyya Personnel: Steven Lugerner, alto saxophone; JJ Kirkpatrick, trum-
Duke Ellingtons neglected late-period piano Green, vocals (12). pet; Richard Sears, piano; Garret Lang, bass; Michael Mitchell, drums.
gem. Mixon gently turns the introspective Ordering info: dannymixonsounds.com Ordering info: stevenlugerner.bandcamp.com

Melody Parker
Archipelago
SELF RELEASE
+++
Melody Parker creates multilayered
soundscapes that start with her
cultural roots (her father is from
Louisiana Cajun country, her moth-
er from the rural Philippines),
branching out to include circus-like
instrumentation, girl-group vocals
Various Artists and mythical tales.
Miles Ahead: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Her latest album is an exploration of the resiliency of the human spir-
COLUMBIA/LEGACY 89853 06672 it, with a free-flowing, buoyant quality thats equally contemplative and
+++ dance-oriented. The composer, singer, producer and acoustic engineer
conjures her inner Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno, backed by members
of tUnE-YaRds and Naytronix, along with other San Francisco jazz play-
Various Artists ers. Parker says Archipelago was created with mourning and celebration
Born To Be Blue: Music From The Motion Picture for this watery home we knowand for the paradoxical richness of our
RHINO 554159 experience with it. This might sound pretentious, and certainly lacking
+++ the churchgoing brand of spirituality, but Parker has the vision to pull it
As a soundtrack to the movie, Miles Ahead comes across as an interesting all together in joyous harmony.
collage of the trumpeters career, encompassing numerous styles. The lis- Jeff Johnson
tener might feel some motion sickness as one track moves toward the Archipelago: Love; The Prophet And The Profiteer; Upon The Dune; Vertigone; Bold As The Bayous
next. Early bop shifts suddenly to modal jazz, only to be followed by the Heave; Archipelago; Plenty; Everything To Sing About. (37:48)
Personnel: Melody Parker, voice, accordion, piano, bells; Cory Wright, clarinet, flute, saxophone;
kind of late-60s fusion that defined the rest of Davis musical life: a blend Jacob Zimmerman, saxophone; Theo Padouvas, trumpet; Rob Ewing, trombone; Misha Khalikulov,
cello; Andrew Conklin, Guillermo Garcia, guitar; Mark Allen-Piccolo, guitar, bass, bells; Nate Brenner,
of rock, funk, soul and pop. bass; Michael Coleman, keyboards; Mark Clifford, vibraphone; Jordan Glenn, drums, percussion; Sam
Its the soundtrack as a kind of speed-dial through Davis various Ospovat, drums, percussion; Robert Lopez, percussion.
Ordering info: soundsmelodious.bandcamp.com
movements, not unlike a Greatest Hits collection. Only, in this case, the
music has been tweaked to adhere to the soundtracks requirements,
which include editing longer songs so that main actor Don Cheadle
could add some obligatory narration from the film itself. So we hear the
original Miles Ahead and So What, along with excerpts and edits
of Nefertiti, Go Ahead John and Back Seat Betty. New materi-
al written performed by Cheadle, keyboardist Robert Glasper, trum-
peter Keyon Harrold, former Davis mates Herbie Hancock and Wayne
Shorter, among others, remind us that we are listening to a soundtrack,
and not a Miles Davis recording.
The same might be said for the soundtrack to the Chet Baker biopic
Born To Be Blue, but in a slightly different way. The music stays pret-
ty close to home, rolling out more like an album, less like a soundtrack.
For the average listener, it might be more appealing. The 14 tracks here
seem to suggest the mood of the movieromanceand the tragic tone is
more implied than stated. Being West Coast jazz, its easy on the ears, with
none of the angst that was the canvas of Bakers personal life. The credible
trumpet imitation comes courtesy of Kevin Turcotte.
John Ephland
Miles Ahead: Miles Ahead; Dialog: It Takes A Long Time; So What; Taylor Made; Listen, You Talk
Too Goddam Much; Solea (Excerpt); Seven Steps To Heaven (Edit); If You Gonna Tell A Story; Nefertiti
(Edit); Frelon Brun; Sometimes You Have These Thoughts; Duran (Take 6, Edit); You Own My Music;
Go Ahead John (Part Two C); Black Satin (Edit); Be Musical About This Shit; Prelude, Pt. 2; YAll
Listening To Them; Juniors Jam; Francessence; Back Seat Betty (Excerpt); I Dont Like The Word Jazz;
Whats Wrong With That?; Gone. (76:06)
Personnel: Don Cheadle, voice; Robert Glasper (19, 20, 23, 24), Herbie Hancock (23), keyboard; Keyon
Harrold, trumpet (19, 20, 23); Burniss Earl Travis II (19, 24), Vicente Archer (20), Esperanza Spalding
(23), bass; Kendrick Scott (19), E.J. Strickland (20), Al Foster (21), Antonio Sanchez (23), drums; Marcus
Strickland (19), Bill Evans (21), Wayne Shorter, saxophone (23), saxophones; Elana Pinderhughes, flute
(20); Barry Finnerty (21), Gary Clark Jr. (23), Mike Moreno (24), guitar; Sammy Figueroa, percussion (21);
Pharoahe Monch, vocals (24).
Ordering info: legacyrecordings.com
Born To Be Blue: My Funny Valentine; Over The Rainbow; Lets Get Lost; Ko-Opt; Could Have Been;
Ive Never Been In Love Before; Once Away; Blue Room; Haitian Fight Song; Bowling Alley Boogie; Go
Down Sunshine; Tequila Earworm; A Small Hotel; Born To Be Blue. (47:14)
Personnel: David Braid, piano; Kevin Turcotte, trumpet; Steve Wallace, bass; Terry Clarke,
drums; Ethan Hawke, vocals (1, 6); Mike Murley, baritone saxophone (4, 8); Ted Quinlan,
guitar (12); Kelsey Grant, trombone (12); Epoque Orchestra Prague (5, 7); Charles Mingus
band (9); Odetta, vocal (11).
Ordering info: rhino.com

Coleman Quartet, but soon it is obvious that
Eubanks has his own approach and sound. He
has more technique than Cherry and does not
engage in as much tonal variation.
Eubanks makes concise statements that are
both spontaneous and logical, changing the
moods and often floating above Douglas
bass patterns and McPhersons percussive
comments.
Eubanks contributed four of the seven orig-
inals on this disc, while Douglas brought in A
Slight Taste. Two songs (Saturday Moanin
and Ebony Stick) were improvised on the
spot. It is a measure of the trios relaxed free-
dom that the free improvisations sound as if
they were composed ahead of time. While often
DE3 free, the music is not atonal. Rather, it is full of Dominick Farinacci
Live At Maxwells melodic improvising and often swings in its own Short Stories
SUNNYSIDE 1448 way. MACK AVENUE 1112
+++ Among the highlights are the counterpoint ++++
between Eubanks and Douglas on A Slight
Live At Maxwells is a change of pace for trum- Melody, nuance and a romantic sensibility fuel
Taste, the straightahead playing on Little
peter Duane Eubanks. Though he normal- Dominick Farinaccis Mack Avenue debut, a
Johnny C Blues (Eubanks tribute to his teach-
ly records with his working quintet, on this largely mesmerizing collaboration between the
er, the late Johnny Coles), the dramatic trumpet
disc he has chosen to pare his group down to gifted young trumpeter and veteran producer
solo on Stokish and the somewhat danceable
just two members, bassist Dezron Douglas and Tommy LiPuma.
Ebony Stick.
drummer Eric McPherson, who offer stimu- Recorded at the Tommy LiPuma Center for
Scott Yanow
lating accompaniment and interaction. When Creative Arts at Cuyahoga Community College
asked about the groups name, Eubanks said, Live At Maxwells: Brainfreeze; A Slight Taste; Little Johnny C in Cleveland (both LiPuma and Farinacci are
DE3 stands for Dezron, Ericand Im three. Blues; Saturday Moanin; Strokish; Ebony Stick; Little Rock. (41:59)
natives of the city), this triumph of sound and
Personnel: Duane Eubanks, trumpet; Dezron Douglas, bass; Eric
The first part of the opener, Brainfreeze, McPherson, drums sequencing is a seamless blend of jazz, world
recalls Don Cherry with the original Ornette Ordering info: sunnysidezone.com music, rock and bebop. Featuring a supporting
crew of bassist Christian McBride, keyboard-
ist Larry Goldings, arranger Gil Goldstein,
Joe Chambers drummer Steve Gadd and Clevelander Jamey
Landscapes Haddad on percussion, Short Stories hooks
SAVANT 2140 from the jump, with Farinaccis saucy render-
++++ ing of the Gipsy Kings Bamboleo suggest-
ing a novel genre one might call Neapolitan
The reviewing equivalent of this publications
Dixieland.
Blindfold Test is to listen to an album know-
As for the rest of the disc, the song selection
ing only the title and name of its leader. Taking
is judicious and tasteful, and the arrange-
that approach with veteran drummer Joe
ments are largely impeccable. Standout tracks
Chambers Landscapes, one is introduced to
include Farinaccis Doha Blues, a tribute to
a vibraphone-driven four-piece unit la the
the cultural mash-up he encountered in Qatar
Modern Jazz Quartet. Its a lush ambiance, full
as a Global Ambassador for Jazz; his gorgeous
of complexity and color.
Afternoon In Puebla; and an elegant reading
A slinky version of Monks Epistrophy
of Dianne Reeves Tango, featuring Goldings
opens this dynamic album, and is followed by
florid piano and plush strings.
Horace Silvers The Outlaw, which showcas-
rial, the big reveal is that this is actually a trio Thats not to deny the pleasures of other
es a thoughtfully developed piano solo. The
date with Chambers overdubbing the tuned tracks, particularly a driving interpretation
sustained vibraphone on Never Let Me Go
percussion as well as all the other non-rhythm of Creams Sunshine Of Your Love boasting
emphasizes the lyrical themes of holding on
section instruments. And the nearly 10-minute stunning Dean Parks guitar and a reverent take
and the potential pain of loss.
solo piano number? Thats Chambers, too. on Soldiers Things by Tom Waits, a favorite
Chambers strength as a composer is rein-
Landscapes sounds like the fluid live studio of both Farinacci and LiPuma.
forced on Samba De Maracatu, which boasts
recording of four or more musicians, so its Carlo Wolff
standout solos by Chambers himself. Paul
impressive on multiple levels. Short Stories: Bamboleo; Seor Blues; Soldiers Things; Doha
Arslanians lovely Pas De Trois, Sonny Rollins Blues; Sunshine Of Your Love; Tango; Somebody That I Used To
Yoshi Kato
Airegin, another Silver number (Ecaroh) and Know; Afternoon In Puebla; Black Coffee; Parlour Song. (55:42)
Personnel: Dominick Farinacci, trumpet, flugelhorn; Gabriel
Karl Ratzers Underground Systemrechris- Landscapes: Epistrophy; The Outlaw; Never Let Me Go; Havana; Bolkosky, violin; Jacob Collier, vocals, electronics; Leah Ferguson,
Samba De Maracatu; Pas De Trois; Airegin; Ecaroh; Underground viola; Steve Gadd, drums; Larry Goldings, celesta, organ, piano;
tened Underground (Railroad) Systemfollow. (Railroad) System; Landscapes. (59:58) Gil Goldstein, accordion; Jamey Haddad, percussion; Mike Massy,
Chambers generously allows the pianist to con- Personnel: Joe Chambers, drums, congas, bongos, vibraphone, vocals; Mark Mauldin, trombone; Christian McBride, bass; Dean
marimba, synthesizer, piano (10); Rick Germanson, piano (19); Ira Parks, guitar; Thomas Reed, bass clarinet; Heidi Ruby-Kushious, alto
clude the album with a solo reading of the title track. Coleman, bass (19). flute; Brianne Sharkey, bass flute.
Upon delving into the accompanying mate- Ordering info: jazzdepot.com Ordering info: mackavenue.com

Danielsson/Neset/Lund
Sun Blowing
ACT 9821
+++
The rare and challenging art of the so-called
chordless triosans such standard chordal
tools as piano, guitar or organhas been gain-
ing traction of late, as confirmed by the recent
triumph of Jack DeJohnettes trio with bass-
ist Matthew Garrison and saxophonist Ravi
Coltrane.
Another intriguing and successful take on
the lean trio context comes from Nordic
climes, courtesy of potent Norwegian (and
Copenhagen-based) saxophonist Marius Neset,
Danish drummer Morten Lund and Swedish
bassist Lars Danielsson.
Spontaneity was a key mandate for their
new album, Sun Blowing, recorded on a free
day in the studio. The album springs to life on
the first track, Danielssons perky, bluesy Little
Jump, which immediately demonstrates
Nesets flowing improvisational prowess.
Diversity enhances the layout. The title
tracks loose pensiveness capitalizes on the set-
tings spaciousness; Folksong folds its folky
theme into a natural-sounding 5/4 meter,
and Bl (the name of a famous club in Oslo,
translating to blue) is a smart, harmonically
lithe number. Nesets sole original tune here, a
departure from his more complex composition-
al notions, is the understated ballad Salme
(Psalm), with echoes of Norwegian sax legend
Jan Garbarek. Fittingly, the session comes to a
close with the late Don Grolnicks ruminative
The Cost Of Living.
The common tributary denominator is the
late saxophonist Michael Brecker, who both
Lund and Danielsson played with, and who
exerted a deep influence on Nesets own
approach.
Josef Woodard
Sun Blowing: Little Jump; Sun Blowing; Up North; Salme; Folk-
song; Evening Song For B; Bl; The Cost Of Living. (44:08)
Personnel: Marius Neset, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone;
Lars Danielsson, bass; Morten Lund, drums.
Ordering info: actmusic.com

Opening with a sturdy declaration of sound
and intent, the record begins in an emphatic yet
slippery way, with the snaky Ornette-esque
melody of Davis tune Spicy Water. On that
tune and beyond, Attias altoadroit and art-
fulserves as a potent voice. Elsewhere, he
shows solid, curiosity-fueled impulses on the
aptly nerve-buzzing Pre-Nerve Scale and the
angular La Part Maudite.
A bold and restless pianist, moving easily
between acute precision and painterly fervor,
Novoa is also in command of composition-
al strategies, conveying a discernible creative
voice. Half the album consists of her origi-
nals: The quasi-minimalist piece The Drone,
built on a hypnotically looping cascade of lines,
Eva Novoa contrasts with the short, punch-drunk shuffle Keefe Jackson/
Butterflies And Zebras By Jack Nicholson and the Carla Bley-ish ballad
Jason Adasiewicz
Ditmas Quartet Coffee Stain.
Rows And Rows
FRESH SOUND NEW TALENT 492 Looping back around to the cohesive group
DELMARK 5024
++++ at hand, the album closes with a shout-out
from the pianist-leader to the drummer. For +++
On her striking new album, pianist-composer Jeff is a fairly mesmerizing, slow-growing cre- The potent improvised music scene in Chicago
Eva Novoa, aided and abetted by quartet mem- scendo of a tune. Clearly, this is a bandand a is built around bands, usually with each mem-
bers (Michal Attias on alto saxophone, Max recordto bend an ear toward. ber filling a prescribed role, which is just one
Johnson on bass and Jeff Davis on drums), Josef Woodard reason this intimate duo recording between
offers up further evidence of the current surge reedist Keefe Jackson and vibraphonist Jason
of creative energy coming out of Brooklyn. This Butterflies And Zebras By Ditmas Quartet: Spicy Water;
The Drone; No Direction; Justin; Pre-Nerve Scale; Jack Nicholson; Adasiewicz stands out.
is a shining example of 21st-century contempo- Coffee Stain; Chinese Shingles; La Part Maudite; For Jeff. (61:00)
On a deeper level, this pair really is a band,
Personnel: Eva Novoa, piano, Fender Rhodes (3, 8); Michal
rary jazz, balancing individual spotlighted glo- Attias, alto saxophone; Max Johnson, bass; Jeff Davis, drums. albeit a small one. Although the two actual-
ries with a strong ensemble identity. Ordering info: freshsoundrecords.com ly shared a living space in the early years of
the 2000s, they havent played in many bands
together. Apart from their work in drummer
Phronesis Frank Rosalys Cicada Music and cornetist Josh
Parallax Berman and His Gang, their new album Rows
EDITION 1070 And Rows stands as their first bona fide collab-
+++ oration. Regardless, its impossible to miss their
significant rapport as players and friends.
Imagine if Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke con-
The chattering, tightly wound Caballo
vened a modern edition of Return to Forever
Ballo sets the high standard for this album;
that opted for acoustic instrumentation instead
every line each player unfurls fits around the
of electric, while retaining the high-veloci-
other with dazzling logic. This intimacy cant
ty improvisational jousting and flair. Such
be faked. Theres a tender, old-school ballad
impressions casually make their way onto
feel at the heart of Questioned, Understood,
Parallax, the sterling new disc from the Danish/
Possessed, due in no small part to the velvety
British jazz trio Phronesis. Its difficult not to
finish of Jacksons tenor sound. Once the pair
think of Coreas fleet finger-work and labyrin-
veers off into the improvisation, however, a
thine improvisations on the zigzagging open-
flinty friction scuffs up the veneer. The oppo-
er 67000 MPH or Clarkes sinewy pulse and
site holds true for Jacksons tart bass clarinet
supple essays on the suspenseful Ayu. Pianist Given that this trio has been together for 10
lines on Wheres Mine, which are softened by
Ivo Neame and bassist Jasper Hiby bring plen- years, it comes as no surprise that the accord
the resonant glow of Adasiewiczs lush, metal-
ty of full-throttle dialgue, but Phronesis isnt so among the three musicians is striking; mel-
lic overtones.
beholden to the iconic fusion band that its own odies and improvisations unflold without
Patience, empathy and a deep affinity radi-
voice never emerges. announcing themselves too forcefully. In addi-
ate from every track, like two good friends get-
Anton Egers skittering drum patterns, for- tion, each member contributes fetching com-
ting together to shoot the breeze. Most pals
ward-leaning momentum, wily rhythmic dis- positions that dont become showcases for their
dont speak with such Shakespearean elegance.
placements and sudden bursts of combustion chosen instruments but rather protean plat-
Peter Margasak
provide a good measure of the trios differen- forms for a multifacted yet likeminded unit.
itating characteristics. For all its virtuosic John Murph Rows And Rows: Caballo Ballo; Questioned, Understood,
Possessed; Wheres Mine; A Rose Heading; Swap; Rows And Rows;
resources, Phronesis doesnt allow pyrotech- Parallax: 67000 MPH; OK Chorale; Stillness; Kite For Seamus; Just Putting It On, Taking It Off; Cannon From The Nothing Suite;
niques to obscure the cogency of its composi- 4 Now; Ayu; A Sliver Moon; Manoc Maniac; Rabat. (56:47) Thunder Cooker. (42:04)
Personnel: Ivo Neame, piano; Jasper Hiby, bass; Anton Eger, Personnel: Keefe Jackson, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Jason
tions. Delicacy, dynamics and spatial awareness drums. Adasiewicz, vibraphone.
play strong factors in this music. Ordering info: editionrecords.com Ordering info: delmark.com

Beyond / BY JOE TANGARI
New Dimensions in Neo Soul

Its difficult to craft anything like a concrete
definition of neo soul. In general, its music
rooted in traditional r&b but open to absorb-
ing just about anything else into its fabric. Its
a vibrant and creative strain of modern pop
music, distinct from the more straightfor-
ward revivalism of Eli Paperboy Reed and
Sharon Jones.
Laurin Taleses approach on Gor-
geous Chaos (Self Release; 54:07
+++ ) is spacious and focused on the
voice, with a heavy jazz influence. On Cry
Me A River, her crystalline singing is ac-
companied only by Christian McBrides
bass, highlighting her range. Bigger ar-
rangements on Winter and Same Mis-
take complement her more typical vocal
style, which combines breathy intimacy
with sharp clarity; the former has an ar-
rangement that never quite settles into a
groove but still finds its way forward.
Ordering info: laurintalese.com
On Soul Eyes (Blue Note
602547873705; 42:45 +++), Kandace Xenia Rubinos
Springs also favors acoustic arrange-
ments that foreground her expressive brilliantly punky rap that offers a bracing
voice, a change from her more hip-hop-ori- tour of the indignities visited on black and
ented debut EP. Jazz looms large in her brown Americans, punctuating it with the
sound, though pinning her to any specific line we build the ghettoes then we tear
influence is difficult. When accompanied them down.
only by piano, as on Rain Falling, she Ordering info: anti.com
sounds as though shed be right at home Anderson .Paaks Malibu (OBE/
in an early 60s nightclub, while Novo- Steel Wool/Art Club/Empire; 61:02
caine Heart puts a more contemporary ++++) is similarly engaged with current
spin on things with its bubbling bass line events but makes more of a party out of it,
and instantly memorable chorus. balancing passing references to grandfa-
Ordering info: bluenote.com thers who were shot with absurdly dance-
Englands Corinne Bailey Rae is well able numbers like the one-two punch of
past the beginning of her career, having Put Me Thru and Am I Wrong. .Paak,
sold millions of albums and pocketed winner of the Grulke Prize for Developing
Grammy awards. In many ways, her ap- US Act at the 2016 SXSW Festival, brings
proach on The Heart Speaks In Whis- a strong voice to this outing, but his true
pers (Virgin 3147; 55:31 +++ ) is sim- strength may lie more in his chameleon-
ilar to that of Springs, with economical ic array of different approaches, which
arrangements that leave plenty of space range from sinewy rapping to lover-man
for her voice to roam, but the sonics are soul crooning.
decidedly more modern. The stunning Ordering info: andersonpaak.com
coda to The Skies Will Break recalls Kate The party is pretty much the whole
Bush, keyboards rising to push the music point on Boulevards Groove! (Cap-
upward, while Horse Print Dress sling- tured Tracks 245; 40:38 ++++ ),
shots through verses into more laid-back which earns its exclamation point with
passages. one emphatically rhythmic track after an-
Ordering info: virginrecords.com other. Jamil Rashad is the whole band, and
Xenia Rubinos takes the modern opens the album with the aptly named
sounds further with her buzzy, eclec- Set The Tone by directly referencing
tic sophomore album, Black Terry Cat James Brown. From there, its off to the
(Anti- 87471-2; ++++ ), on which she funky races, and its almost impossible not
sounds equally at home rapping and to move to something like Patience, with
wielding a melody. The electro sound its four-on-the-floor beat, squiggling key-
takes a turn into heavy post-punk terri- boards and talk-boxed first verse. DB
tory on Just Like I, and Mexican Chef is Ordering info: boulevardsfunk.bandcamp.com

pleading ballad featuring Kate McGarrys insis-
tent, hopeful vocals. The issues of modern life
are expressed in tunes like the barbed, tense
Terror, Fear And Media, with appropriate-
ly frenetic solos by tenor saxophonist Noah
Preminger and pianist Gary Versace; and the
dirgelike Guns Make Killing Easy, which
swathes Masa Kamaguchis aching bass solo
in an ethereal lament. Joe Lovano adds his
trademark husky tenor to three tracks, parry-
ing with Preminger on the bustling Greenland
Is Turning Green and exhibiting a mournful
breathiness on Precious Lives.
The album is a dense and scattershot prov-
ocation, capturing the frustration of a mind
reeling in the face of injustice and intolerance.
Rob Garcia Lest this seem like an expression of hopeless- Yelena Eckemoff
Finding Love In An Oligarchy ness, however, Garcia opens the disc with a Leaving Everything Behind
On A Dying Planet reimagining of Stephen Fosters Beautiful L & H PRODUCTION
BJU 058 Dreamer, allowing an assertion of optimism ++++
+++ to hover over the remainder of the album. If
thats not protest, its at least an act of musi- On her website, Russian-born pianist Yelena
Despite the wordy title, drummer/composer cal defiance. Eckemoff lists her albums under three head-
Rob Garcia insists that his latest album is not Shaun Brady ings: Classical, Original and Jazz. This rais-
exactly protest music. The central theme actu- es a question about her criteria, since Leaving
Finding Love in An Oligarchy On A Dying Planet: Beautful Everything Behind hardly represents what most
ally foregoes working for a solution in favor of Dreamer; People Are Everything; Terror, Fear And Media; Precious
a mixture of hope and resignation. His thesis Lives; Mac N Cheese; Act Local No. 1; Finding Love In An Oligarchy people would classify as jazz.
On A Dying Planet; The Journey Is The Destination; Guns Make
seems to be that, in the face of environmental Killing Easy; Greenland Is Turning Green; Johnny Has Gone For A Of course, maybe it questions our precon-
Soldier; Whatever Gets You By; Act Local No. 2. (58:04) ceptions, too. After all, she has recruited three
crisis, political divisiveness and stratification Personnel: Rob Garcia, drums; Noah Preminger, tenor saxo-
of wealth, its best to find what happiness you phone; Gary Versace, piano; Masa Kamaguchi, bass; Joe Lovano, stellar jazz artists for this project. And there is
tenor sax (4, 8, 10); Kate McGarry, voice (2, 8); Brendan Burke,
canparticularly in other people. spoken word (5). plenty of improvisation on these 11 tracks.
Thats the gist of People Are Everything, a Ordering info: bjurecords.com At the same time, those improvisations
often dont unfold in anything resembling a
jazz format. Her piano seldom comps chords
Bill Laurance or plays clearly through changes. Sometimes
Aftersun she splashes dissonances in the background,
GROUNDUP MUSIC as during violinist Mark Feldmans solo on
+++ Coffee & Thunderstorm.
More often, Eckemoff plays linearly, not so
Amid the fleet of musicians that fill out the
much while switching soloist and accompanist
band Snarky Puppy, the keyboardists could
hats but as if lacing a thread through extem-
form their own basketball team.
porized fabrics with various degrees of promi-
Bill Laurance has stepped out from that
nence in the mix. Always, her pedaling is subtle
polished court with this solo release, a nine-
and expressive, her tone liquid or, as Chopinists
track opus that ranges from sweaty electric
like to say, pearly.
disco-funk to smooth acoustic jams, usually
Eckemoff, who is also a painter, presents
bouncing through those disparate vibes from
Leaving Everything Behind as a visual artist
track to track. Opening number Soti could
might show in a gallery. Each title evokes some
light up a dancehall. Percussionist Weedie
element of her life from her perspective as an
Braimah is a whir of jingle-jangle over bassist
migr. Her works nod occasionally toward
Michael Leagues frenetic pulse, and the band Afro-Caribbean-flavored tunes that reach for a
literalismdrummer Billy Harts chugging
seizes a tremendous groove with Laurance state of ecstasy. Theyre propulsive, and remain
hi-hat at the top of Love Train is one of the
working various fuzzed-out keyboards. But in service to the groove over the acrobatics of
few compositions in 4/4 among her preferred
when the acoustic piano steps in, a lot of that instrumental prowess. Nonetheless, Laurance
6/8 meter.
sweat evaporates. has an effective arsenal of sounds programmed
More often, her music is abstract, suggest-
Tunes like The Pines and Madeleine, into his synthesizers, ranging from chick-
ing rather than depicting deep currents of emo-
though propelled by the same four musicians, en-scratch guitars to rumbling strings.
tion, always with candor and originality.
dance on the New Age fringe, with Laurance Sean J. OConnell
Bob Doerschuk
leaving little room for the piano to breathe.
Aftersun: Soti; The Pines; Time To Run; Madeleine; Bullet; After-
Recorded over the course of a week, this album sun; First Light; Golden Hour; A Blaze. (53:48) Leaving Everything Behind: Prologue; Rising From Within;
Personnel: Bill Laurance, piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, Prophet Mushroom Rain; Coffee & Thunderstorm; Spots Of Light; Love
is well polished, but maintains an organ- 8, Moog Voyager, Roli Seaboard, mellotron, Hammond B-3 organ, Train; Leaving Everything Behind; Hope Lives Eternal; Tears Of
ic feel through compact instrumentation and Korg MS2000, percussion; Michael League,bass, Moog bass; Tenderness; Ocean Of Pines; A Date In Paradise. (79:43)
Robert Sput Searight, drums, percussion, Moog bass, Hammond Personnel: Yelena Eckemoff, piano; Mark Feldman, violin; Ben
open-ended arrangements. B-3 organ; Weedie Braimah, percussion. Street, bass; Billy Hart, drums.
There is less competition for space on the Ordering info: groundupmusic.net Ordering info: yelenamusic.com

Historical / BY TED PANKEN
Pres & Count
DOWNBEAT ARCHIVES
Like its 162 predecessors on Mosaic Records,
the newly released Classic 19361947
Count Basie & Lester Young Studio Ses-
sions (MD8-263; 67:10/66:12/65:41/70:03/
67:05/78:03/69:03/63:59; +++++) can be
thought of as a beautifully curated museum
retrospective, where an iconic artists evo-
lution unfolds, painting by painting, as the
Christian Weidner viewer strolls through the galleries.
A similar process transpires as you ab-
Every Hour Of The sorb the 173 tracks on the eight CDs consti-
Light And Dark tuting Mosaics latest mega-exhibit, culled
PIROUET 3093 from the holdings of Universal Music and
+++ Sony Music, including all of Basies record-
ings for Decca between Jan. 21, 1937, and Count Basie
German alto saxophonist Christian Weidner Feb. 4, 1939.
has spent the last few years developing a The material complements Mosaics Tatum-esque harmonic knowledge, a dry wit
sharp, sympathetic quartet. Every Hour Of 2009 four-CD box Columbia, Okeh And Vo- and an unsurpassed ear for deploying saxo-
The Light And Dark is his second Pirouet calion Lester Young With Count Basie (1936- phone onomatopoeia and note placement as
release with pianist Achim Kaufmann, bass- 1940), now out of print. The single overlap dramatic devices. He was the poet laureate of
ist Henning Sieverts and drummer Samuel is Youngs Nov. 9, 1936, recording debut for swing, preaching individuality above all else,
Vocalion, included here to present alternate as expressed by his bon mot: You cant join
Rohrer after 2012s enchanting Dream Boogie.
takes of Evenin, Boogie-Woogie and the throng until you play your own song.
Sieverts and Rohrer were with Weidner even
Oh, Lady Be Good. Charlie Parker heard Youngs message,
before that, giving the rhythmic interplay and analyzed Lady Be Good in the process
One can also find on the new box set an
an intuitive feel. Moreover, Kaufmann unearthed alternate of Honeysuckle Rose of developing his own historic voice. Other
an ambitious leader in his own righthas a from the debut Decca session that intro- acolytes included Dexter Gordon, John Col-
voice all his own, his deceptively cool playing duced the Count Basie Orchestras breathe- trane, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Gene Am-
like a blue flame, darting and glowing wheth- as-one, riff-based ensemble concept; the mons, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh and Stan
er in a solo or support. airy 4/4 Southwest lope that would imprint Getzindeed, just about every one of the
Weidner took the album title from Walt as the default beat signature of 20th-cen- best-and-brightest saxophonists who came
Whitmans Poem of Perfect Miracles and its rapt tury jazz; and Basies spare distillation of of age during the mid-20th century.
Harlem stride, heartland blues and boo- Aside from Young and Basie, observe
line, To me, every hour of the light and dark is
gie-woogie styles to which Thelonious how the singular comping of electric gui-
a miracle. The new albums pieces range aptly
Monk, among others, paid close attention. tarist Eddie Durhamwhose arrangements
from the relatively light (Fuzzy Membership) for Basie during 193738 codified the
The remasterings match Mosaics cus-
to the purposefully dark (In Memoriam). The tomary high standard. For example, the bands soundshapes the flow of Youngs
warm, full sonic quality captures the scope of Decca recordingsrendered flat on two idiosyncratic clarinet voice and trumpeter
the compositions, especially on such moments iconic combo dates for Keynote in 1943 Buck Claytons declarative elegance on a
as Rohrers rumbling, rustling intro to Dance and 1944 and remastered sharp on previ- Sept. 28, 1938, Kansas City Six Commodore
Fantasm or Kaufmanns echoing solo prelude ous issuesare speed-corrected to proper record. Focus on the phantasmagoric trom-
for Weightless. pitch. The accompanying booklet contains bone inventions of Dickie Wells on the 1943
With his compositions, Weidner was chas- a comprehensive discography, high-reso- and 1944 records; the abundant pianism of
lution photos and a 30,000-word exegesis Nat Cole on a sui generis 1946 trio recital
ing a vocal muse, citing such inspirations
by Loren Schoenberg, whose prose, like the with Buddy Rich on drums; the propulsive
as avant-chanteuse Annette Peacock, elec-
musical tales of his hero, is chock-a-block vocals of Jimmy Rushing and Helen Humes;
tronica artist James Blake and a muezzin and, throughout, the extraordinary array of
with original ideas and devoid of clich.
heard in Istanbul. But voices have a subjec- This review is not the place to litigate the beats and timbres generated by Jo Jones,
tive appeal, and the niggling issue with this wonders of Old Testament Basie or the oth- whose impact on the shape of jazz to come
album is Weidners tone, which has thinned, erworldly magnificence of Youngs playing was comparable to Youngs.
with an unappealing squeal in the top regis- during the decade in question. Let it be said, Most of the music contained herein
ter, employed often; for all the dynamism of though, that Young was just barely 27 years will be lingua franca to jazz devotees; they
the band and the aspiration of the writing, old when he uncorked the solo on the mas- and neophyte listeners alike can easily find
this limits the saxophonists expressive allure, ter take of Lady Be Good that changed the much of this material, though far from all
course of 20th-century jazz expression. of it, via digital streaming or downloading.
at least to these ears.
He declaims with a huge soundfull, But Mosaics attention to sonic and
Bradley Bambarger
breathy and gauzyacross the range of the discographical detail, its contextual pre-
Every Hour Of The Light And Dark: Tethys; Every Hour Of tenor saxophone. He wove standard chord sentation and historical provenanceand
The Light And Dark; Fuzzy Membership; Weightless; Dance Fan- sequences and blues structures into bold, the opportunity to hear the evolution of
tasm; In Memoriam; Fairy Tale Friends; As Long As Now. (43:36)
Personnel: Christian Weidner, alto saxophone; Achim Kaufmann, cohesive canvases, applying to the task Youngs effervescent stylemake this col-
piano; Henning Sieverts, bass; Samuel Rohrer, drums. an unparalleled technique and time feel, a lection well worth the investment. DB
Ordering info: pirouet.com

Books / BY HOWARD MANDEL
La Vie de Levey
Even jazz devotees may respond to the title
Stan Levey: Jazz Heavyweight (Santa
Monica Press) with skepticism. Levey
wasnt he on some bebop records? And later
active on the West Coast? But author Frank
R. Hayde makes a strong case in this autho-
rized biography for his subject as one of bops
founding fathers and a major player on the
Los Angeles-area scene. (That title? Its a pun
on the weight class in which Levey boxed pro-
fessionally to supplement his gigging income.) Eric Clapton
Indeed, Hayde depicts clearly and viv- I Still Do
idly what it took for a high school dropout, BUSHBRANCH/SURFDOG
son of a crooked Philadelphia fight pro- ++
moter and an alcoholic mother, to make a
mark in jazz modernism. Interspersing ca- It was a bittersweet moment for Cream fans
reer-spanning bits of interviews with Levey when Eric Claptons 1960s supergroup put out
amid succinct yet comprehensive contextu- its breakup disc, Goodbye. If Claptons 23rd solo
al material, Jazz Heavyweight sheds light on album, I Still Do, proves to be his swan song, as
the era during which jazz went from being has been widely rumored, its hard to imagine it
Americas popular sound to its art music to inspiring that same degree of emotion.
the foundation of commercial pop.
First the similarities: Just as Goodbye fea-
Born in 1926 as Adolph Stan Levey, his Levey got clean while incarcerated, and
tured a terrific Skip James cover (Im So Glad),
Jewish parents always called him by his in 1952 made his comeback in Stan Kentons
middle name. In childhood he was enrap- I Still Do delivers a rollicking Cypress Grove
orchestra with Lee Konitz, Zoot Sims and
tured by music on the radio and inspired af- Frank Rosolino playing arrangements by that does the Bentonia, Mississippi, blues leg-
ter seeing drummer Chick Webb lead his or- Gerry Mulligan, Bill Russo and Bill Holman, end proud. And Clapton again displays his tal-
chestra. Leveys mother encouraged him to as well as Bob Graettingers monumental ent for reinterpreting the Delta blues masters
pursue music, and he received his first drum City Of Glass. In early 55, Kentons tour with Leroy Carrs Alabama Woman Blues and
kit at age 10. A 6-foot 2-inch, 178-pound ended in Los Angeles and Levey was in Robert Johnsons Stones In My Passway.
teenager, Levey started boxing as a heavy- the airport about to fly home when he was Producer Glyn Johns was at the controls for
weight, partly to win his fathers attention. paged to pick up a call. It was drummer Max some of rocks most iconic discs, including Whos
Throughout his life, the hulking drum- Roach, asking Levey to replace him in How- Next and Led Zeppelins first album, but he paints
mer gave off an impression of hugeness ard Rumseys All-Stars at the Lighthouse in
Clapton into a gentle pop corner with his produc-
that was universally intimidating, Hayde Hermosa Beach.
writes. He also exuded the charm to gain tion values, arrangements and song selection.
Levey grabbed the opportunity to relo-
Dizzy Gillespies mentorship after sitting in cate. From then on, he earned his nickname, Clapton says his previous album, The
at a rehearsal. At 16, Levey was launched Mr. Consistency, working constantly at Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale, inspired him
into a brief gig with Benny Goodman, and the Lighthouse and in Hollywoods studios. to play more rhythm guitar and less leads this
later entered the spheres of local up-and- In 1958 he opened a photography business, time. Second guitarist Andy Fairweather Low is
comers like John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones which didnt keep him from rejoining Ben- a tasteful, versatile player, but its hard to imag-
and the Heath Brothers. ny Goodman, touring with Peggy Lee or ine Clapton fans clamoring for more Low solos.
Levey was also skirting trouble. He was backing Ella Fitzgerald at President John Slowhand likes to display his vocal chops,
introduced to drugs, became an addict and F. Kennedys 1962 birthday celebration at but there must be a more suitable showcase than
committed street crimes. A run-in with a lo- Madison Square Gardenwhich he sur-
with standards such as Little Man, Youve Had
cal plainclothes policeman sent him running reptitiously filmed. He worked through the
to New York City, where he worked on 52nd A Busy Day and Ill Be Seeing You. The num-
60s, usually uncredited, with Bobby Darin,
Street with clarinetist Barney Bigard, record- the Supremes, Pat Boone, the Beach Boys ber one talking point for I Still Do is whether
ed with pianist Art Tatum and was soon and Frank Sinatra. guest artist Angelo Mysterioso is really George
rooming with Charlie Parker. He had not yet After recording the soundtrack for the Harrison making a posthumous appearance on
turned 20. movie Rosemarys Baby, Levey stopped tape. Clapton says no way; I say, Who cares?
Although white, Levey was accepted by drumming cold turkey in 1973. He concen- Jeff Johnson
top black beboppers. He was also welcome trated on photography and sending his I Still Do: Alabama Woman Blues; Cant Let You Do It; I Will Be
in Woody Hermans band and Stan Getzs sons to medical school. In 1988 he devel- There; Spiral; Catch The Blues; Cypress Grove; Little Man, Youve
combo. He married, had a son, divorced and Had A Busy Day; Stones In My Passway; I Dreamed I Saw St.
oped cancer, which he survived. Levey died Augustine; Ill Be Alright; Somebodys Knockin; Ill Be Seeing You.
met the woman who became his second in 2005, after being befriended by Rolling (54:07)
wife. He was riding high until, in 1949, sax- Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who wrote Personnel: Eric Clapton, guitar, tambourine, vocals; Henry
Spinetti, drums, percussion; Dave Bronze, bass; Andy Fairweather
ophonist Sonny Stitt set him up for a bust, the introduction to Jazz Heavyweightone Low, guitar, vocals; Paul Carrack, organ, vocals; Chris Stainton,
resulting in a 19-month sentence in federal keyboards; Simon Climie, keyboards, guitar; Dick Powell, accordion,
hitmaker to another, appreciating how it mandolin, backing vocals; Walt Richmond, keyboards; Ethan Johns,
prisons. was. DB percussion; Michelle John, Sharon White, vocals; Angelo Mysterio-
so, acoustic guitar, vocals (3).
Ordering info: surfdog.com

Greg Ward
Touch My Beloveds Thought
GREENLEAF MUSIC 1050
+++
Even though the aesthetic of reinterpretation
and renewal is built into the DNA of jazz, its
a daunting task to take on one of the musics
pinnacles. Greg Ward has done just that with
Touch My Beloveds Thought. It takes its name
from a line of verse quoted on the front cover
of Charles Mingus The Black Saint And The
Sinner Lady, and its music is inspired by that
LP, which stands as a peak achievement of one
of the greatest talents in jazz.
Mingus said in his liner notes, I wrote the
music for dancing and listening. But he never
got around to staging that union of music
and dance, so Ward and choreographer Onye
Ozuzu have picked up the challenge. Rather
than try to perform a piece that can never be
truly recreated, they built a new one on Black
Saints foundations. The music and dance col-
laboration premiered at Chicagos Millennium
Park in 2015.
This CD was recorded around the same
time at Constellation, a smaller venue also
located in Chicago. Wards orchestration,
honed in several bands of his own as well as the
cross-generational ensemble People, Places &
Things, favors seamless surfaces and sharp cor-
ners. Thus when the full ensemble is in play,
even the most impassioned horn solos, such as
Wards turn on the opening Daybreak, feel
like part of a solid wall of sound.
Anyone remotely interested in this work
would do well to seek out Ozuzus Vimeo chan-
nel, which currently hosts a performance of the
piece with dancers as well as musicians.
Bill Meyer
Touch My Beloveds Thought: Daybreak; Singular Serenade;

The Menacing Lean; Smash, Push, Pull, Crash; With All Your Sorrow,
Sing A Song Of Jubilance; Grit; Round 3; Dialogue Of The Black
Saint; Gather Round, The Revolution Is At Hand. (50:59)
Personnel: Greg Ward, alto saxophone; Tim Haldeman, tenor
saxophone; Keefe Jackson, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone;
Ben LaMar Gay, cornet; Russ Johnson, trumpet; Norman Palm,
trombone; Christopher Davis, bass trombone; Dennis Luxion, piano;
Jason Roebke, bass; Marcus Evan, drums.
Ordering info: greenleafmusic.com

Woodshed MASTER CLASS
BY CAROLINE DAVIS
W
hen Johann Sebastian Bach was alive, he wasnt a household
name like he is today. His abilities as an organist were more
of a nuisance than a blessing, especially in the mindsets
of churchgoers who wanted to hear more straightforward renditions
of hymns. But their complaints regarding Bachs wild improvisations
during services are incredibly useful to improvising jazz musicians today.
The goal of this article is not to point out techniques of Bachs music
that are newly discovered, but to use some of his strategies in the practice
room. From melodic sequences and harmonic progressions to creative
phrase rhythm, we can learn from Bachs wisdom to be quick on our feet,
and how to become better improvisers in any context.
One of Bachs more obvious gifts, motivic sequencing can help us

develop melodic variation. There are direct relations to jazz with respect
to practicing patterns in all 12 keys to develop our internal hearing and
technique. As a saxophone player, I often think monophonically, so
KELLY FLEMING
Bachs 15 Inventions are perfect for isolating these patterns. They were
originally written for students to approach the first stage of composing
as he wrote, to acquire a strong foretaste of composition. Jazz musicians Caroline Davis
Lennie Tristano, Ron Carter and members of the Modern Jazz Quartet
have also been known to use these pieces in their practice routines. iiiVIiiVI, or variants of that progression. So, in essence, one might
Bach takes this a step further by inverting, augmenting (by rhythmic borrow some melodic language from these pieces to practice the changes
value) and transposing patterns in his compositions, which we can use melodically. Invention 13 is full of arpeggios that imply all kinds of har-
as a strategy in our own practice sessions. Theres a clear example of this monya great rendition of this from the jazz world is by Warne Marsh
in Invention 1 in C. The initial motif is inverted later in the piece, in the and Gary Thomas on Marshs album Ne Plus Ultra. In this passage, Bach
upper voice alongside an augmentation (from 16th notes to eighth notes) implies Amin7D7Gmaj7Cmaj7B7Cmaj7Amin7. The first four
of the first four notes of the original motif. A couple bars later, he took chord changes are akin to those in Autumn Leaves, or hosts of other
what was in the upper voice and put it in the lower voice, and vice ver- standards we play all the time. This arpeggio sequence could be used as
saa technique that theorists call invertible counterpoint. Its also an exercise to strengthen this harmonic progression. (See Example 2a.)
interesting to note that by this halfway point, he already implied several There are more non-standard implied progressions in Bachs music.
different keys by transposing the motif or parts of it from C major to G He gives us some slick harmonic maneuvers in Invention 11, kind of like
major/E minor, through A79 to D minor. (See Examples 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d.) when you look the other way and miss that special moment. The piece
The masters improvised like this, too. Listen to John Coltranes solo is in G minor, but by the second bar he has already modulated. In the
on Giant Steps, or Sonny Rollins first chorus on Tenor Madness. fourth bar, the voices imply C minor to C7 to D minor to D7 back to
Theres motivic inversion, augmentation and transposition all over these G minor, although this is only one interpretation, because any chord
solos. Invent a pattern, play it forwards, play it backwards, augment its involving notes in that particular diminished triad could work. This
rhythm, use octave displacement to create an intervallic variation could be a way for us to practice getting back to the home key: ivIV7v
these are all melodic concepts that you can use to make any improvisa- V7I on any tune.
tion sound good, all by fairly simplistic means. Another quick sleight of hand happens at the end of this Invention.
We are heading back to G minor via melodies implying D7 and C minor,
but Bach extends once more with the voices suggesting A79, then D7
Theres a theory that Bachs views on harmony were mysteriously back to G minor (V7 of V to V7 to i). Ive transposed this last passage
influenced by Johannes Keplers laws of planetary motion. In a few into all 12 keys and practiced it all over my horn with octave displace-
words, the planets revolve around the sun, but not in circular motion; ment and it sounds fresh every time. This kind of practice relates direct-
rather, the orbits are ellipses that never quite travel the exact same way. ly to improvising as it uses individual pitches related to underlying chord
The same can apply to harmony: Bachs parts imply changes, but it is structure. (See Example 2b, 2c.)
the contrapuntal interaction between the independent lines that give rise
to a perception of harmony. In many ways, that is part of our goal when
improvising over changes in jazz: At any given moment, there may be Phrase rhythm is a theoretical term for how the music breathes: How
so much going on that the chord isnt really played but more so implied. are the phrases connected, and are the phrase lengths equal? It gives us
Broadly speaking, Invention 1 takes us from implied C major to G our perception of meter, since meter doesnt truly exist anywhere but in
major, then from D minor to A minor, and finally from F major back to our minds. From my personal practicing of the Inventions, I hear a lot of
Canother direct relationship to our jazz language: Much of our stan- overlapping of phrases, creating that sense of flow from one idea to the
dard repertoire is based on circle-of-fourths relationships like ivVII next. The ones I recognized almost instantaneously come from two of

the most frequently played Inventions: #8 in F major and #4 in D minor. up. This strategy has helped me to practice uneven phrase lengths to
They also both happen to be in meters based on groupings of 3. add variety, especially in the context of tunes with symmetrical phrase
In Invention #8 Bach presents an idea, and creates rhythmic tension length. (See Examples 3a, 3b.)
by repeating the same phrase on beat 2. People may hear different meters This is really just the beginning. There are hundreds of sequences,
here; for example, it could make sense for these two bars to be in 4/4, but progressions and phrases in these Inventions alone on which I could
however you hear it, theres no doubt that it interrupts the strength of write a book. I havent even touched upon one of the things that Bach
3/4. This is a close-up view of how shifting the placement of a phrase can taught me to practicehow to change keys in the middle of a linebut
change our perception of meter, like when we talk about soloists play- this should be fairly straightforward if you play through one of his piec-
ing over the bar line in the jazz world. There are countless examples of es. In general, these examples should stir some interest in music that may
this in jazz, so one way to practice would be to incorporate other meters seem ancient but in fact provides jazz musicians with something fresh.
into our practice of 4/4. DB
There are many examples of asymmetrical phrasing in jazz; Charlie
Mobile since her birth in Singapore, saxophonist Caroline Davis now lives in New York. Aside
Christian and Billie Holiday were masters at this. In Invention 4, the top from leading her own groups, she has shared musical moments with a diverse group of artists,
voice starts with a four-bar phrase, then starts a new idea for a six-bar including Matt Wilson, Ellis Marsalis, Matt Mitchell, Randy Brecker, Bobby Broom, Greg Saunier,
Ron Miles and Billy Kaye. In addition to being featured as a sidewoman, her recent album, Doors:
phrase, while the bottom voice joins in with a four-bar phrase, overlap- Chicago Storylines, was released by ears&eyes Records in 2015. As an educator, Davis brings her
ping the top voices four-bar phrase. A new idea then starts in the upper unique knowledge of music and psychology to her teaching, as she completed a Ph.D in Music
Cognition at Northwestern University in 2010. She has been on the faculty at Litchfield Jazz
voice for four bars, and then turns around for two bars to cadence in F Camp for the past 10 years, and has been an adjunct faculty member at several universities in
Chicago (DePaul, Northwestern and Columbia) prior to making New York her home, where she
major. Its as if the two voices are waiting for each other to finish their now teaches for Jazz at Lincoln Center. Contact her at carolinedavismusic@gmail.com or visit
last phrase, so Bach lengthens by a couple bars to make everything line carolinedavis.org.
Example 1a (Invention #1) Example 2b (Invention #11)
Example 1b (Invention #1) Example 2c (Invention #11)
Example 1c (Invention #1) Example 3a (Invention #8)
Example 3b (Invention #4)
Example 1d (Invention #1)
Example 2a (Invention #13)

Woodshed PRO SESSION
BY ROMAIN COLLIN
Seeing Music, Hearing Images

M
usic was the ultimate form of escapism for me while I was
growing up. School was a rather dull experience, and class-
es seemed grey and endless. Music had the power to bring col-
ors to a world that otherwise seemed void of interest, and was literally
the soundtrack to my existence. It put a filter on everything around me,
instantly turning life into something altogether more emotionally relat-
able. This was the first, and most visceral way in which I related to this art
form. That entrancing feeling left in me a permanent impression of lib-
eration and transcendence. This probably explains the cinematic quali-
ty that permeates my writing today. It goes back to that simple concept of
music acting as the extraordinary soundtrack to an ordinary, every-
day life.
I was raised surrounded by paintings. My grandfather, douard
Collin, or Grand Collin as we called him, was an artist. His work covered
the walls of the house I grew up in, and I was exposed to visual arts long
before I started playing the piano, at age 6. douard Collin studied at
This oil-on-canvas (circa 1932) by douard Collin, grandfather of pianist Romain
the prestigious cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and went on to receive the Collin, won the Grand Prix de Rme.
highly coveted Grand Prix de Rme at age 22. The painting that earned
him this prize, a large oil on canvas completed in a mere couple of days, late-night drives around the city all have become an integral part of my
depicts a religious scene of Jesus and Mary. creative process when making a record.
douard was also a great teacher, and he shared with me invaluable
pieces of wisdom about art in general, and painting in particular. He
believed that no matter the amount of technique involved in the cre- All art formsfrom filmmaking to painting, from dance to music
ative process, the final result should first and foremost reach the view- share the same fundamental dimensions and building blocks: form, cli-
er on a purely sensory and guttural levelor else the art was essential- max, tension-and-release, texture, rhythm, variation on a theme, etc.
ly flawed, or lying. A solid foundation in the fundamentals of painting When studying a painting, I subconsciously equate colors and tones to
techniquevolumes, proportions, lines, colors and toneswas all but a musical dynamics, texture to orchestration, proportions and volumes to
means to ultimately creating an emotional experience for the viewer. Art, form or rhythm, and the main subject matter of the painting to a melod-
he felt, was the transformation of impressions into expression. It was a ic theme. This allows me to get inspired in a peripheral manner, rather
means to communicate emotions, rather than a vehicle to promote intel- than drawing inspiration directly from another piece of music. Picassos
lectual, cognitively driven technical artifacts. abstract rendering of a portrait might provoke me to explore non-func-
Given this background, it should come as no surprise that the visual tional harmony, or broken rhythms. The narrative of Chagalls fantasti-
arts often inform my compositional process, and that my music in turn cal scenes, with their bold and uniquely contrasting tones, might inspire
conveys imageries to my audiences. The albums I put out with my trio a strong melodic line supported by lush diatonic cluster chords. The aes-
have also led to a significant amount of film scoring work, which has fur- thetics of Bacons work might motivate me to explore darker textural
ther shaped my compositional instincts when writing for my group. Here soundscapes.
are a few ways in which I have used movies, photographs and paintings I also find that studying the approach of different painters to a com-
to spark that elusive, unconscious burst of creativity called inspiration. I mon subject can be very informative when looking for new ways to rear-
hope those principles, applied to visual arts and beyond, will help enrich range an already existing piece of work, such as a jazz standard. A mother
the readers creative process. holding her child, or a vase of flowers on a wooden table, are both clas-
sic subject matters in the art world, much like the blues and Rhythm
changes are pillars in the jazz idiom. How are these subject matters treat-
Our senses are interconnected. Opening the channel to one sense ed by Van Gogh, Matisse, Klimt or El Greco? Each artist will use vastly
will tend to stimulate the others. As professional musicians, we often different techniques to manifest their conceptual and expressive inten-
experience hearing overload. After performing, composing and going tion. The resulting aesthetics might range from naturalistic and repre-
out to check out even more music, my ears are often taxed to a point sentational to narrative, abstract or symbolisticall of which potentially
of desensitization. When that happens, listening to more music usual- urge me to explore an arrangement from a new perspective.
ly wont open the doors to creativity. I find that being visually stimu-
lated helps reopen the vault of primal inspiration. Being engaged with
sight actually makes me hear things in a unique and peculiar way, in turn There are two things that I learned from working as a film scorer.
helping me gain a fresh perspective on music, and sounds in general. Firstly, a strong plot is absolutely fundamental for a movie to be effective.
When that happens, sounds and images seem to morph into one anoth- There is no hiding behind a flawed script. If the plot is poorly conceived
er, creating a dynamic universe with its own implied momentum and and lacks focus, the film wont keep your attention. A script should have
storyline. For that reason, going to the museum, taking long walks or an overarching storyline propelled by a causal chain of events, with a

carefully crafted rhythm of tension, release and climax. I find that prin-
ciple to be of paramount importance in musical composition, and con-
stantly ask myself: Is this tune telling a compelling story? Is the new sec-
tion I am working on truly a development of the narrative of the section
that precedes it? In essence: Is this composition a meaningless fabrica-
tion of disconnected notes, or is it pulling the audience in what feels like
a coherent, self-contained micro-universe?
Secondly, the momentum of a film is propelled by the emotions expe-
rienced by each character throughout the movie. A film score should, in
turn, be the most vivid and accurate musical expression of these emo-
tions, so as to give the viewer a window into the characters hearts and
minds. The actual choice of notes in film music matters much less than
the overall emotional response it triggers in the audience.
When writing for my group, I often base a composition on a photo-
graph, a painting, a movie or a documentary. It provides the piece with
emotional purpose and focused storytelling. In script writing, it is often
said that a story meanders whenever the writer loses touch with its cen-
tral character. Likewise, the main melodic theme of a song is its main
character. It carries the central emotion of the piece, it dictates what kind
of story is being told and how the composition should develop. If stuck in
the middle of a piece, I always go back to that main theme: What is it tell-
ing me? What is the thematic and emotional core of this tune? Referring
back to the movie or artwork the composition was inspired by also helps
stay true to its original message.
Once a composition is complete, l play it back looking at images, or

city scenes. If the piece tells a compelling story, the images seem to take a
life of their own. A photograph will appear sharper, its colors bolder, its
lines seemingly moving ever so slightly, in an almost three-dimensional
way. At this point, it is the music that gives life to the image, not the other
way around. When that happens, I know I wrote a good song.
Our musical instincts can be nurtured by keeping our minds open to
all art formsfrom sculpture to architecture, from fashion design to
gastronomy, from filmmaking to dance. Getting our senses stimulated
by a masterful work of art in any field can help spark creativity, overcome
writers block and gain a greater sense of focus and direction in our musi-
cal endeavors. DB
Romain Collin, described by NPR as a visionary composer, an extraordinary jazz pianist and a
very bright young rising star in the jazz world, recently released his third album, Press Enter
(ACT, 2015). Originally from France and currently based in New York, Collin graduated from the
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and has performed/recorded with the likes of Herbie Hancock,
Wayne Shorter, Marcus Miller, Terence Blanchard and John McLaughlin. Collin performs with his
group at major festivals and venues internationally. In addition, he has written scores for award-
winning shorts and feature documentaries. More information: romaincollin.com; booking:
stephan@sgentnation.com.

Woodshed SOLO
BY JIMI DURSO
Jeff Coffin
RODRIGO SIMAS
M any people know Jeff Coffin from his

work with the Dave Matthews Band.
Others may be familiar with him from
his time as part of Bla Fleck and the Flecktones.
But the multi-reedist also leads his own group:
this scale, its almost always when the V chord
appears (measures 18, 42 and 66). In fact, he
goes outside the blues scale at this point in every
chorus. In all three instances, Coffin emphasiz-
Coffin also continues this motion by playing a
D# passing tone to get to E, from there continu-
ing in the blues scale.
Coffins intervalic choices are important as
es the pitches D# and F#, the third and fifth of well. The majority of his improvisation is up
the Jeff Coffin Mutet. In 2001, Coffin released
Go-Round, a collection of self-penned compo- the B7 chord. This brings out the sound of the and down the scale, which makes the larger
sitions, including the 24-bar blues Tall And underlying chord, and by doing it in the same intervals he occasionally employs stand out,
Lanky. He certainly likes to give himself a chal- place every time, he creates a sense of consis- especially when its a tritone. The flatted fifth
lenge. First of all, the song is in E, which is not a tency and development in his improvisation. exists in the blues scale, and in bar 22 Coffin
very sax-friendly key. Then he puts in two mea- In the third chorus, he even inserts a C#. This jumps from that B up to E after what had been
sures of 3/4, but not next to each other. makes the B7 sound more majory in bar 66 a step-wise ascent through the scale. In mea-
In spite (or maybe because) of these obsta- and relates to the C# hed played on the E chord sure 40 he varies this idea by climbing through
cles, Coffin delivers a rocking tenor sax solo back in measure 56, where it created a dorian the scale to E and then abruptly dropping to B ,
over three choruses. Part of the very rock n roll flavor, tempering the blues sound. from where he starts a scalar descent. And in
attitude comes from Coffins use of the E blues This C# reoccurs in bar 68, this time on an bar 70, we hear another variation. He moves
scale (EGAB BD). This scale works over A7 chord. It makes sense on multiple levels, as up the scale to E, as in measure 22, but instead
the chords, and is a common means of soloing it is the third of the underlying harmony, but of dropping he jumps up to the B , and then
in rock and blues. When Coffin deviates from also connects the B and D in the blues scale. descends through the scale. He uses these inter-

vals like a master chef uses spices, just the right sure 34). This up-and-down motion continues
amount to make it flavorful. as Coffin works his way back down to the low
Coffin effectively builds drama in this solo D in bar 41 and back up to the high B in bar
by masterfully exploiting the extended range of 50. At this point he deviates from this back-
the tenor saxophone. He spans from a concert and-forth idea and stays in this upper regis-
D an octave below the bottom of the staff (low E ter until the climax in measure 56. Then its a
on the tenor) up to a concert D one octave above long descent again until we hit bottom in bar
the staff (a high E in the tenors extreme altissi- 64, at which point he resumes his ping-pong-
mo range; not many players can navigate here ing and climbs back up to a high B (bar 70).
so fluently). Thats a full three octaves. Though Coffin does start working his way back
Only once does Coffin climb to the high D down from here, he doesnt reach bottom again,
(measure 56), but he zig-zags back and forth but decides instead to end his solo on a B in the
between the high B and low D a number of middle of the horns natural range.
times. The low D first appears fairly early, in Starting in the middle and then undulating
bars 5 and 6. Coffin then waits four bars before back and forth between the extremes and
jumping up into the high range for A and B in ending in the middle again produces a sine-
measure 11, but hes shown us the majority of wave kind of motion through Coffins solo.
the range hell be using in the first half of the Concurrent with the rhythmic energy hes cre-
first chorus. He then spends six bars working ating throughout, theres also a gentle rise-and-
his way back down to the basement (in mea- fall to his solo. DB
sure 17) and proceeds to spend even more time Jimi Durso is a guitarist and bassist based in the New York area.
climbing back to the ceiling (the high B in mea- Visit him online at jimidurso.com.

Toolshed
DW Mini-Pro
Solid Kit, Small Footprint
T
he initial idea of the DW Mini-Pro was to offer it as a
high-end drum set for childrenbut after receiving
much positive feedback, the company has now released the
Mini-Pro as part of its Design series.
The Mini-Pro comes in two configurations with two finish
options. The first configuration is 12/10/13/16 inches (snare, tom,
floor tom, bass), and the second is 13/10/13/18 inches. The two fin-
ishes are Black Satin and a gloss lacquer Tobacco Burst. All shells
in the Design series consist of North American maple with no
re-inforcement hoops.
I play-tested the 18-inch-kick configuration
with the Tobacco Burst finish, and in true DW
fashion, first looks were impressive. The beautiful
finish and the highly detailed marriage of hardware
and wood were instantly recognizable as DW. But, my first impression
of such an undersized kit was, Sure its a beautiful DW kit, but how can I lifter that facilitates the attachment of the pedal to an undersized bass
use this in all of my various gigs? In my first outing with the kit, I brought drum. Even with all the various hardware accommodations that this kit
my favorite 14- by 6.5-inch snare to switch out after I had given the 13-inch offers (kick adapter, long bass drum spurs, long tom legs), the setup was
DW snare a good run-through, because I wasnt really sure what to expect. solid, and I didnt experience any shifting/moving of the drum placement
I didnt realize until I was packing up at the end of the evening that it never no matter the volume level of the gig.
occured to me to switch back to my regular go to snare. For jazz gigs, the kit was completely appropriate, and for louder funk-
The Mini-Pros 13- by 5-inch snare had an even, full sound at all vol- type gigs it would be hard to beat for its category. The price point is very
ume levels but was never overly bright or biting. The one thing I have friendly when compared to the DW line as a whole. Anyone looking for a
always loved about DW snares (besides their great throw-offs) is the even- kit with a smaller footprint should strongly consider the Mini-Pro.
ness with which the drum responds at all volume levels. There is never a I also received hardware from DWs 6000 series that featured the flush-
quiet or loud stroke where the snare bed fails to respond in proportion to base single-brace design. I used two booms, a snare and a hi-hat stand. I
the volume being played. Listening back to recordings from that first night, have always been a big fan of the retro flat-based design, but it can be hard
I noted that the snare had a bright edge to it due to the maple, but was never to do in a modern context that is lightweight yet tough enough to tighten
overwhelming, or thin, as I have heard with other maple snares. During a all the connections without fear of stripping. This hardware was very solid
couple of outings, I cranked up the snare to where youd think a 13-inch considering its petite footprint.
snare should be tuned, and it sang with a crack and a full-bodied voice. The DW 6000 nylon pedal was also perfect for the kit. I swapped out
I left the pinstripe head on the toms during the duration of my run- soft-felt beaters for the jazz gigs and kept the included plastic/hard-
through, and they were far deeper sounding than than their sizes would felt beater for the higher volume gigs, and it performed flawlessly.
suggest. I have to assume it is due to the mass of wood in the drums. Matt Kern
The bass had a tight punch that was never overbearing. It ships with a Ordering info: dwdrums.com
Zildjian Avedis Cymbals

Capturing the Classic A Sound
T
he latest addition to the Zildjian A family is the Avedis series, cre- was a considerable amount of fun.
ated to emulate the classic sound of Zildjian As during their gold- The new Avedis series comes with an aged
en period in the 1940s60s. Their sound is closely associated with patina finish to give them a vintage look.
well-known jazz recordings featuring drummers such as Max Roach, The profiles of the 21-inch and the 18-inch
Connie Kay and Buddy Rich. It is also featured on countless pop hits of are almost spot-on with my vintage As.
the 50s and 60s, as it was favored by drumming legends Ringo Starr and Hammering is relatively light but with much
Hal Blaine. larger depressions than the typical A, giving
Being a huge fan of vintage Zildjian As (I own several), I was more than the cymbals a more complex sound. Zildjian
eager to try out the Avedis range. I play-tested a 21-inch crash/ride, an describes them as having a played in feel, which
18-inch crash/ride and a pair of 14-inch hi-hats. The vintage As I own are I completely agree with. All Avedis cymbals are
the same size and weight as the new Avedis models, so I was able to do a listed as crash/rides. Jazz drumming great Mel Lewis
direct comparison between new and old. Needless to say, the experience always said that a good cymbal should do both, not one or

the other, and Zildjian has executed that beautifully.
The 21-inch Avedis ride plays fantastically. The cym- Yamaha Custom EXII
bal responds instantly to any dynamic you ask of it. It has
an excellent balance of stick definition and controlled Alto Saxophone
wash, just like most vintage As, and it shares many of Sonic Improvements,
their sonic characteristics. My test cymbal had relatively
harsh, pitched overtones that built up with the wash, but
Enhanced Playability
T
that could have been unique to that particular cymbal. he Yamaha YAS-875 EXII Custom series alto saxophone is
The bell is clear and powerful when necessary, but musi- ready to impress.
cal at the same time. The concept driving this enhanced new modela rede-
The 18-inch crash/ride was my favorite of the set. It signed version of Yamahas Custom EX altois to deliver stress-free
truly hits the mark and captures the sound and feel of playability to produce the best tool for expressing ones personal
some of the best vintage 18s Ive heard. It works perfectly musical voice, according to Scott Yousey, Yamaha product spe-
as a left-hand ride in quieter situations, but it has enough cialist for wind instruments. The positive results will be obvious
body and weight to serve duty as a true crash cymbal. to saxophonists looking for an outstanding, versatile instrument.
Its relative thinness makes it very responsive and easy to Ergonomic innovations include adjusted key shapes and
play, but stick definition is good and doesnt suffer. The angles for the sake of more comfortable performance. Key loca-
bell is very clean and cutting. It was well matched to the tions were redesigned to fit performers varying hand sizes.
21-inch ride I tested. This is a versatile cymbal that would The palm keys are especially well located for helping to cre-
work in a very wide variety of musical situations. ate an overall relaxed feeling when fingering.
The 14-inch hi-hats are a good modern take of the Sonic improvements in the Custom EXII
classic New Beats from the 50s and 60s. They have a include quicker response and a warmer
really nice balance of complexity and darker charac- tone quality. Yamahas designers chose
teristics, but retain an excellent chick sound and cut- to reduce the diameters in the low C
ting power if needed. They are effortless to play, and like and low D tone holes and move them
the other two cymbals, they respond instantly to any just a bit higher on the horn. The new
dynamic you throw at them. bottom bow has been treated with
This is, indeed, a special line of cymbals that Zildjian Yamahas proprietary acoustic annealing pro-
is producing. According to the company website, you cess, which involves a heat-treating that alters
can order any Avedis cymbal within a particular gram the grain shapes of brass molecules. The above
weight range. From what I can tell, this is the only line in design changes result in a very responsive low
the entire Zildjian catalog that allows you to do that. This range with excellent intonation.
gives you a lot more control over desired characteristics The body of the Custom EXII features post-
you want to get from a cymbal. to-rib construction. Key posts and the adjustable
Overall, I think Zildjian has done a great job of cap- right-hand thumb rest are soldered to a separate
turing the classic A sound. If youre a fan of vintage As bar of metal called a rib, which is then sol-
like me, these are definitely worth a look. dered to the body of the saxophone. This process
Ryan Bennett increases the strength of the construction and the
Ordering info:
added weight enhances richness of sound and res-
zildjian.com onance. The key spatulas are conveniently locat-
ed, and the rollers work smoothly between finger-
ings. The springs move the keys with a feeling of
smoothness and precision.
Playing the Custom EXII was a joy. The instru-
ment felt comfortable from the start. The keys are in great
locations, and quick response was there for me with my Claude Lakey mouthpiece and
the supplied Yamaha Custom 4CM.
Altissimo notes were especially good for me, and the redesigned front-F key felt
great when heading upstairs and back. The altissimo G was remarkably easy and in
tune. The especially easy response of the low notes let me relax more during play, and
intonation was great throughout the instrument. Even multiphonic fingerings were well
tuned. I found I could pay more attention to creative pursuits with the Custom EXII.
Tone quality was warm and vibrant, and articulation was responsive.
The Custom EXII includes a high-F# key and redesigned front-F key. The neck piece
is a Yamaha Custom V1. It can be ordered in three finishes: lacquer, black lacquer and
silver-plated. Key buttons are mother of pearl, and the hand-engraved bell exhibits a lily
design. The instrument comes in a luggage-style case with backpack straps and a spa-
cious zippered storage pocket on top. It has an MSRP of $5,739 and a limited five-year
warranty.
The Custom EXII is an excellent saxophone and should be considered by profes-
sionals and serious students desiring more stress-free performance experiences.
Bruce Gibson
Ordering info: usa.yamaha.com

Toolshed GEAR BOX
1
1. Elite Double-Domer
Audio-Technicas Artist Elite AE2300 dynamic cardioid
instrument microphone features the companys double-
dome diaphragm for improved high-frequency and
transient response. With a rugged brass construction
and low-profile design, the AE2300 is a versatile
performer with the ability to capture sound from amps,
brass, woodwinds, drums and percussion.
More info: audio-technica.com
2. Sweet Spot 2
Pearls 3D Cajon features a visually striking graphic
element thats CNC-cut through each side of the
instrument with contrasting wood inserts completing
the design. Inside, the snare wires have been shortened
and raised to create a larger bass strike zone so players
wont need to lean over as far to hit the sweet spot. A
clear lacquer is applied to the inside front faceplate to
punch up snare response.
More info: pearldrum.com 3
3. Grip Enhancer
Vaters Tacky Sack contains a grip-enhancing rosin
powder that absorbs moisture and provides added
control of the players drum sticks while performing
in humid and sweaty conditions. Players need only to
gently clap hands on the Tacky Sack to apply rosin to
their palms.
More info: vater.com
4. Follow the Leader

Playing Lead Trumpet (Alfred/Belwin Jazz) is an
instructional DVD that features Wayne Bergeron
discussing the essential aspects of lead playing. A first-
call lead player, Bergeron demonstrates a variety of
concepts and techniques using tunes from the Gordon
Goodwins Big Phat Band Play-Along Seires: Trumpet,
Vol. 2. The DVD is accessible to trumpet players at all
levels from student to professional.
More info: alfred.com
5. Computer Entryways
M-Audios M-Track recording/monitoring series of
interfaces gives composers and musicians of any level
the ability to participate in computer-based recording.
Of the five models in the series, four have full 24-bit
audio performance, while the top-end M-Track 1212
USB-C high-speed interface features 32-bit/192kHz
studio-quality audio.
More info: m-audio.com

Jazz On Campus School Notes
BARBARA JOHNSTON
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
Arturo Sandoval (center) was awarded
an honorary degree from Notre Dame.
Sandovals Honorary Degree: Jazz and

classical musician-composer Arturo Sandoval
received an honorary degree from the
University of Notre Dame during the schools
171st commencement ceremony. Pictured
Saxophonist Bob Mintzer (foreground) conducts a clinic on the USC
campus with musicians from Chicagos Saint Patrick High School. above with Sandoval (center) at the May 15
event are Notre Dame President Fr. John I.
Jenkins, C.S.C. (left), and Richard C. Notebaert
Mintzer Mentors
(right), chairman of the universitys Board of
Trustees. nd.edu
High Schoolers on Tour

Rites of Spring: During this years com-
mencement season, numerous degrees
(many of them honorary) were bestowed
upon jazz musicians and celebrities associat-
FOUNDED IN 1861, SAINT PATRICK HIGH Southern Californias Thornton School of
ed with the art form. Trumpeter-composer
School is the oldest all-male high school in Music. Our band was able to play some of Wadada Leo Smith received an honorary
Chicago. Its jazz program is considerably the literature that they had been working on doctor of arts degree from California Institute
younger, though, having been launched at the this year, OBrien said of the experience. It of the Arts. Until his retirement in 2013, Smith
turn of this century. was very interactive between student and cli- was a faculty member in the Performer-Com-
Saint Patricks student musicians have nician. Bob told the rhythm section how they poser Program of The Herb Alpert School of
already made their mark in a little over a could blend and play together. And he gave Music at CalArts. Actor Don Cheadle, who
decade-and-a-half. In 2004, the Saint Patrick some great ideas on transcribing and finding directed and starred in the film Miles Ahead,
Honors Jazz Band became the first high school different ways to be able to better yourself and was also honored during CalArts May 13
group to perform at the Chicago Jazz Festival. improve your listening. commencement. Composer and multi-in-
strumentalist Anthony Braxton received
Every other year, the schools jazz students take He also led them through some of the
an honorary doctor of music degree from
a spring-break trip, which has included visits tunes that they were playing at the Heritage New England Conservatory on May 22.
to New Orleans, New York and Colorado. In Festival and gave them some pointers on play- Providence College presented George Wein,
March, 50 of the programs jazz instrumentalists ing behind the lead player, always listening back NEA Jazz Master and founder/producer of the
and vocalists traveled to Southern California, to the lead trumpet and blending to that sound, Newport Jazz Festival, with an honorary doc-
where the Saint Patrick Honors Jazz Band per- and making sure that everything is layered torate degree on May 15. Former New York
formed at the San Diego Heritage Festival and underneath that. Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams lined
participated in a clinic with acclaimed saxo- Mintzers clinic demonstrated the effective- up with more than 200 other graduating
phonist Bob Mintzer, who leads his own big ness of encouraging students to make simple Manhattan School of Music students on May
band and is a member of Yellowjackets. alterations in their approach to the music. By 13 to receive his bachelor of music diploma.
Williams, 47, spent the last four years study-
For its Heritage Festival set, the Honors Jazz playing examples on his saxophone and doing
ing jazz guitar at the school.
Band performed four numbers under the call-and-response with the band, Mintzer was
direction of their teacher, Austin OBrien. A able to teach by example. Final Bar: Jazz trumpeter, composer and
John Denton arrangement of Theme From The kids learned some specific practicing music educator Paul Smoker, who served on
M.A.S.H. and a Lennie Niehaus arrange- techniques from him, OBrien said, noting that the faculty at Nazareth College in Rochester,
ment of Laura were nice nods to Southern Mintzer was generous with his time. Often New York, died May 14 at age 75. Smoker
Californias show-biz legacy, with a Dave you dont have a lot of time with clinicians, and held full-time positions at the University of
Barduhn chart of (Back Home Again In) they end up breezing over some big ideasand WisconsinOshkosh, University of Iowa and
Indiana and a Sy Johnson arrangement of not talking about the nitty-gritty things. University of Northern Iowa, as well as Coe
College. In 2001, he was appointed to coor-
Charles Mingus Moanin rounding out the But the funny thing is that students end up
dinate the jazz studies program at Nazareth,
set. hearing a lot of the same things that Ive said where he directed the jazz ensemble and
The highlight of the trip was working with before. But hearing it from a fresh face, some- combo and taught jazz history, jazz theory
Mintzer, the Buzz and Barbara McCoy one whos as experienced as Bob Mintzer, really and improvisation. naz.edu
Endowed Chair in Jazz at the University of puts it in perspective. Yoshi Kato

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Blue Note Records ................... 5 Lisa Parrott Music .................. 83
bluenote.com lisaparrott.com
BMI ........................................ 37 Litchfield Jazz Festival........... 87
bmi.com litchfieldjazzfest.com
Cannonball Music .................... 9 MacSax .................................. 53
cannonballmusic.com macsax.com
Chicago Jazz Festival ............. 63 Music Dispatch .......................17
chicagojazzfestival.us musicdispatch.com
Concord Music Group..............15 New Jersey Performing
concordmusicgroup.com Arts Center................................ 8
Czech Ease ............................. 77 njpac.org
czech-ease.com P.Mauriat .............................. 99
DAddario ...................... 45, 100 pmauriatmusic.com
daddario.com PMC ........................................12
Dave Rivello Music................. 83 pmc.com
daverivello.com Resonance Records .................. 4
Detroit Jazz Festival .............. 58 resonancerecords.org
detroitjazzfest.com Robertos ............................... 57
Eastman Music ........................ 2 robertoswinds.com
eastmanmusiccompany.com Saalfelden Jazz Festival ........... 4
ECM Records ............................ 7 jazzsaalfelden.com/de
ecmrecords.com Sabian.................................... 42
ESP-Disk ................................. 77 sabian.com/en
espdisk.com Sam Ash ................................. 79
Galaxy Audio ......................... 89 samash.com
galaxyaudio.com SFJAZZ Center........................ 33
Gretsch ................................... 11 sfjazz.org
gretschdrums.com Smoke Sessions ...................... 67
Guelph Jazz Festival .............. 75 smokesessionsrecords.com
guelphjazzfestival.com Sony Music .......................37, 47
Hyde Park Jazz Festival ......... 32 sonymusic.com
hydeparkjazzfestival.org Sunnyside Records ...........69, 71
ICP Orchestra ..........................61 sunnysiderecords.com
icporchestra.com Thirteenth Note Records ....... 83
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Blindfold Test BY TED PANKEN
Dan Weiss
A
fter sitting for his first Blindfold Test, drummer Dan Weiss
offered, as a comparison to the repertoire he listened to, his
star ratings for Miles Davis Relaxin, Cookin and Workin (4.8
or 4.9), or Miles Nefertiti (5), John Coltranes Crescent (5), anything
Thelonious Monk did with Frankie Dunlop (4.5 or 4.6), Monks Brilliant
Corners (4.2), and Ornette Colemans Change Of The Century (4.25) and
Science Fiction (4.5). Known for his expert extrapolation of tabla ideas
to the drumset, and for consequential sideman work with David Binney
and Rudresh Mahanthappa, Weiss has recently made two large ensemble
records, Fourteen and Sixteen (Drummers Suite), both on Pi.
Chick Corea Trio

Work (Trilogy, Concord/Stretch, 2014) Corea, piano; Brian Blade, drums; Christian Mc-
Bride, bass. Dan Weiss
Its a Monk tune. Im blanking on the name. The first thing that struck
me was the beautiful sound quality. I enjoyed the whole track. Is the their thing better earlier in their career. 3 stars.
drummer Eric Harland? Willie Jones? He or she is coming out of the
tradition, very fresh, beautiful touch and feel. The piano player had the Ches Smith
command and aggressiveness of Benny Green, but then I thought Aaron Wacken Open Air (The Bell, ECM, 2015) Smith, drums; Craig Taborn, piano; Mat
Maneri, viola.
Goldberg. I like the interplay between everybody. Its none of those peo-
I liked the composition, the in-head, and I liked the piano-drum
ple? Im stumped. 3.7 stars. [after] It seemed too obvious, but the cym-
duet. But the first improvisation for me lost the essence of the tune. I
bals sounded like Brian. Thats the straightest Ive heard him play in a
liked the drummers choices, and I especially liked the textures in the
long time.
piano duet. The drummer is drawing upon a big palette, and definite-
Jack DeJohnette/Ravi Coltrane/Matthew Garrison ly navigates the harder structures with ease. I dont know who it is. 3.2
Alabama (In Movement, ECM, 2016) DeJohnette, drums; Garrison, electric bass; Col- stars. [after] Im a big fan of Ches and Craig and Mat.
trane, tenor saxophone.
Thats got to be Jack. Got to be Pat Metheny. Not Pat? It sounds like Milford Graves
Michael Brecker to me. No? [Jan] Garbarek? [Chris] Potter? I liked the Know Your Place (Grand Unification, Tzadik, 1998) Graves, percussion.
tenor player a lot. I second-guessed myself on Jack midway through Very unique voice. Definitely African-drumming-influenced, and, from
because of how the hi-hat sounded. But the flow, the China cymbal and what I heard, a logical extension of where Blackwell could have gone.
elasticity was a giveaway. I like how they kept the mood the whole way When you play solo drums, youve got to try to have something to say
through. 3.8 stars. Jack is one of my all-time favorite drummers. Hes so and make a statement to hold peoples interest; this grabbed me from
fresh in any context, so musical in every situation. the first couple of notes. 3.7 stars. [after] I had a feeling it was Milford.
Ive loved his playing ever since I heard the New York Art Quartet. Its
Kneebody + Daedelus funny how much he reminded me of Blackwell.
Drum Battle (Kneedelus, Brainfeeder, 2015) Nate Wood, drums; Ben Wendel, tenor
saxophone; Daedelus aka Alfred Darlington, Monome, processing; Shane Endsley,
trumpet; Adam Benjamin, keyboards; Kaveh Rastegar, electric bass.
Allison Millers Boom Tic Boom
Hoarding The Pod (Otis Was A Polar Bear, Royal Potato Family, 2016) Miller, drums;
Thats Kneebody-Daedelus. The guys in Kneebody are all good friends Myra Melford, piano; Todd Sickafoose, bass; Jenny Scheinman, violin; Kirk Knuffke,
and tremendous musicians. Nate Wood is one of my favorite musicians. trumpet; Ben Goldberg, clarinet.
I have his solo CDs, which Dave Binney turned me on to. Those are I really like what the pianist was doing in the composition. But the ener-
masterpieceshe sings, plays drums, plays bass, plays guitar, and he getic atmosphere that was created in the headthe gestures that were
produced, mixed and mastered them. Kneebody has a very distinc- happening in the melodywasnt held over in the improvisation, and
tive, forward-thinking sound. Im a fan of Daedelus, too. That track then it kind of lost me. 3 stars.
had equal balance between the acoustic and electronic elements; real-
ly one entity, as opposed to two. 3.9 stars. Matt Wilsons Big Happy Family
No Outerwear (Beginning Of A Memory, Palmetto, 2016) Wilson, drums; Terell Staf-
ford, trumpet; Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone; Gary Versace, piano; Martin Wind, acous-
One For All tic bass.
Frenzy (The Third Decade, Smoke Sessions, 2016) Joe Farnsworth, drums; Eric Alexan-
der, tenor saxophone; Jim Rotondi, trumpet; Steve Davis, trombone; David Hazeltine,
The drummer was very clear, and told a great story throughout. The
piano; John Webber, bass. time felt great. The pulse felt great. I enjoyed the drum solo. It was
Sounds like Billy Higgins to me. Louis Hayes? Billy Hart? [laughs] very clear and very straightahead; the first China cymbal crash and
[Ed] Blackwell? Oh, its a living drummer. Victor Lewis? The Cookers? the second cymbal crash were really well-timed. The China cymbal
The first break sounded directly like Philly Joe Jones, and the made me think Billy Hart. 3.7 stars. DB
drummer didnt alter the ride cymbal at all, as Billy did, which is
The Blindfold Test is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and
why I didnt think it was him until the last third of the tune. Then
identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is
the sound of the drums, the cymbals, the vocabulary sounded like then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist
Higgins. To me it felt like theyre older musicians who maybe did prior to the test.

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August 2016

President Kevin Maher

Record Companies & Schools

Musical Instruments & East Coast Schools

Advertising Sales Associate

102 N. Haven Road, Elmhurst, IL 601262970

Jack Maher, President 1970-2003

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Send orders and address changes to: DOWNBEAT,

On the occasion of his induction

38 Top Historical Albums

Rising Star Trumpet 50 Complete Critics 84 Master Class 98 Blindfold Test

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TED WILLIAMS/ICONIC IMAGES

Enshrining the Giants

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Unheard Bird WILLIAM P. GOTTLIEB / IRA AND LEONORE S. GERSHWIN FUND

AUGUST 2016 DOWNBEAT 13

Historic Residency: Chick Corea will

appears at The Blue Note in New York over

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soundscapes and styles, from minimal intro-

Opportunity to Branch Out teeing of funding, with the Moers weekender in

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NEA Jazz Masters

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TED WILLIAMS/ICONIC IMAGES

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Carmichael (at piano) in a publicity still with fellow members of the

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Among his many honors, Iyer was a 2013 MacArthur Fellow.

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JAZZ ALBUM 1 Epic is the ambitious album that launched saxophonist

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA TOM HARRELL

CCILE MCLORIN SALVANT CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE TRIO

HENRY THREADGILLS ZOOID MICHAEL FORMANEKS

STEVE COLEMAN & THE CHARLES LLOYD

CHARLES LLOYD 11. John Scofield, Past Present (IMPULSE!) .............................................. 34

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JOHN COLTRANE BRAD MEHLDAU

THAD JONES/MEL LEWIS ORCHESTRA WEATHER REPORT

ERROLL GARNER STAN GETZ/JOO GILBERTO

LARRY YOUNG JOHN ABERCROMBIE

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Washington performs at Webster Hall in New York

cal music, the works of Ravel, Stravinsky and

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