FEBRUARY 2021—ISSUE 226

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENENYCJAZZRECORD.COM

DIGITALONLYEDITION

RALPH
PETERSONONWARD &UPWARD

BLACKRYHISTO TH
MON E
ISSU

LARRY
ROLANDLUKE
STEWARTHENRY
FRANKLIN

HARRY
BECKETTManaging Editor:
Laurence Donohue-Greene
Editorial Director &Production Manager:
Andrey Henkin
To Contact:
The New York City Jazz Record
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Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
United States
Phone/Fax: 212-568-9628

FEBRUARY 2021—ISSUE 226
ON THE COVER : RALPH PETERSON

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

NEW YORK@NIGHT

Andrey Henkin:ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

INTERVIEW : LARRY ROLAND

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ARTIST FEATURE : LUKE STEWARTENCORE : HENRY FRANKLINLEST WE FORGET : HARRY BECKETTLABEL SPOTLIGHT : JAZZ IS DEAD
VOXNEWS

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Staff Writers
Duck Baker, Stuart Broomer,
Robert Bush, Kevin Canfield,
Marco Cangiano, Thomas Conrad,
Pierre Crépon, Ken Dryden,
Donald Elfman, Phil Freeman,
Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland,
George Grella, Anders Griffen, Tyran Grillo,Alex Henderson, Robert Iannapollo,
Mark Keresman, Marilyn Lester,
Suzanne Lorge, Marc Medwin,
Jim Motavalli, Russ Musto,
John Pietaro, Joel Roberts,
John Sharpe, Elliott Simon,
Anna Steegmann, Scott Yanow
Contributing Writers
Dan Bilawsky, Jordannah Elizabeth,
Pierre Giroux, George Kanzler,
Steven Loewy, Monique Ngozi Nri,Kyle Oleksiuk, Eric Wendell
Contributing PhotographersPeter Gannushkin, Dave Green,
R.I. Sutherland-Cohen
Fact-checker
Nate Dorward

nycjazzrecord.com

OBITUARIESALBUM REVIEWSMISCELLANY

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by russ musto

by tyran grillo
by jordannah elizabeth
by anders griffen
by monique ngozi nri
by jim motavalli
by suzanne lorge
by andrey henkin2021 was supposed to be different. We’d waited all year for 2020 to pass, to turn thecalendar page on a pandemic, on a toxic presidency, on a divisive society. That New
Year’s optimism didn’t even last a week. On Jan. 6th, a riotous, bloodthirsty mob
attacked the U.S. Capitol building during the certification of the presidential election.
Lives were lost and federal property was damaged but, perhaps most significantly, Newt
Gingrich’s notion of American exceptionalism finally was buried in the cemetery ofother ridiculous political notions. Of course, former president Trump, whose supporters
they were, endorsed them after exhorting them to commit said violence:“We Love You. You Are Special”. This is the same man—the term used technically—
who called Black Lives Matters protesters “thugs” and threatened them with the most“vicious dogs and most ominous weapons.”
There is no question that he meant what he said and had the protesters been people ofcolor, we would have still be counting the bodies and identifying the dead. That is thestain that Trump leaves on this country, yet the reality of racial injustice in this country
both long predates him and will long outlive him. As we come to February and ourBlack History Month issue, the idea that racism, police brutality and two justice systems
are not history but, instead, the present and future. False equivalence between protesters
scared for their lives as motorists or average citizens and those whose sense of privilege
and entitlement has been stoked to the point of rampage will continue. Trump, his
minions and the next violent demagogue to try to take his mantle will make sure of that,no matter what year it may be. Just like every day should be Earth Day, Black History
needs more than one month a year to be woven into this country’s heritage so thatperhaps some day to be Black in America is not to be second-class or a target or a victim
of political opportunism.
While the Arts can only do so much, it can help to humanize the other, to create empathy
and educate on the plights and successes of those different than us. With that in mind,
we dedicate this issue’s features and a front-loaded Album Reviews section (pgs. 12-19)
to a wide array of Black artists, of various ages, backgrounds and experience, celebrating
their contributions not only to jazz specifically but to the societal fabric, one whose myriad
holes are in need of darning.
On The Cover: Ralph Peterson (photo by Dave Green)
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

ON THE COVER

RALPH PETERSONONWARD & UPWARDDAVE GREEN

by russ musto“All of my music is an expression of the AfroAmerican
experience on some level, if none other than my own,”
Ralph Peterson declares from his Massachusetts homeon the eve of the Martin Luther King Day holiday. Bornin Pleasantville, NJ on May 20th, 1962 into a musicalfamily (both his father and grandfather were
drummers), Peterson started out on the drums before
the age of five, soon adding trumpet to his practiceregimen, performing on both throughout high school
and in the jazz program at Rutgers University.
Peterson burst onto the jazz scene in the mid ‘80s,
one of the quintessential “Young Lions” of the period,
playing drums with the Blue Note Records-foundedband Out of the Blue (OTB) and the quintet of Jazz
Messenger alumni Terence Blanchard and Donald
Harrison. But, unlike many of his contemporaries,
the drummer also performed with avant gardists likeDavid Murray and Craig Harris. The drummer notes
with a touch of irony the seeming incongruity of thelines on his résumé. “Terence and Donald and David
Murray at the same time! Jon Faddis and Henry
Threadgill at the same time! Craig Harris and OTB
at the same time! It was a blessing, but at the time it
almost seemed like a burden or a trap because I could
never get all the way down with either camp.”
Yet it was a similar quality that made Peterson
a favorite with the two, at times warring, parties.
Harrison says, “The thing about Ralph that makes himvery unique is that he plays trumpet on such a highlevel that he understands the way a horn player thinks.
So when you’re playing with him he’s playing drums,
but he’s living in two universes because he understands
how you’re formulating your ideas because he plays
a horn so well. When I‘m playing with him it’s like one
mind because he understands the phrases that I’mdoing from a horn player ’s perspective and thedrummer ’s perspective, so it gives you a lot of leeway
to set up ideas in different ways.” Clarinetist Don
Byron, who’s played with Peterson in both the Murrayand Harris bands and in the drummer ’s Fo’Tet, as wellas his own group, notes, “He’s an intense guy who
knows a lot about music. He can play trumpet, he canplay some piano. He’s like in the line of someone like
Jack [DeJohnette], who really knows music away fromthe drums very well. We just always liked playing witheach other. We could just kind of naturally play into
what the other person was playing.”
Peterson debuted as a bandleader with 1988’s V, aquintet date with Blanchard, Steve Wilson, Geri Allenand Phil Bowler of six of the drummer ’s compositions.
In the ‘90s he continued leading the quintet, recording
a sophomore release of predominantly original music,
Volition, then branching out with two new ensembles,
his Fo’tet, a quartet showcasing Byron’s clarinet andBryan Carrott’s vibraphone, and the trio Triangular,featuring Allen. At the same time he continued
recording and performing as a first-call sideman withboth veterans like Betty Carter, Stanley Cowell, Walter
Davis, Jr., Jon Faddis, Charles Lloyd and Bobby Watson
and younger players like Uri Caine, Orrin Evans, RoyHargrove, Michelle Rosewoman and Mark Shim.

Unfortunately Peterson’s career also succumbed tothe dual temptations of alcohol and cocaine prevalenton the jazz scene, rendering him unemployable at times,
as his habit, he confesses, escalated from “recreation to
occupation.” Now approaching 25 years of sobriety, herecalls his tenure with Carter at the beginning of his
stage of renewed self-awareness. “I thought my ship
had sailed. I thought I was too old to have gotten that
opportunity to learn from Betty. I was 34 when I got the
gig and I stayed for nine months and it was the greatest
nine months of music in my entire life. To have beenable to learn from Betty at that level of awareness, where
everything she said didn’t sound like she was speaking
a foreign language. Like when she was teaching me toplay brushes and didn’t want me to sweep. She said,‘they’re brushes, ain’t they? So paint!’ That opened up
the door and the ballad took off.”
Before Carter, Peterson learned from the otherforemost mentor of that time, Art Blakey. Jazz
Messenger tenor saxophonist Billy Pierce remembers
one of the young drummer ’s early encounters with
Blakey. “I think Terence had something to do withbringing him to Art. I just remember him being reallyenthusiastic. You could tell that he really wanted toplay and that he was really happy and honored to bearound Art, which was kind of nice.” Peterson could
be seen regularly hanging out around Art at New Yorkvenues like Sweet Basil, Mikell’s and the Jazz Forumlearning at the feet of the master. One night Blakey
checked him out performing with the HarrisonBlanchard Quintet at the Universal Jazz Coalition loft
and did him the honor of sitting in on his kit. Soon
afterwards whenever the chief Messenger was asked
who his favorite young drummers were, Peterson wasat the top of the list.
Blakey’s affection was expressed not only inwords, but deeds. He drafted Peterson to fill the second
drum chair in his Jazz Messengers Big Band at the
Boston Globe Jazz Festival in 1983 and he continued
with the ensemble at the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival in Japanand other venues right up to Blakey’s death in 1990.
Peterson has honored the influence of his years with
Blakey with the group Ralph Peterson and theMessenger Legacy. Its debut, Legacy Alive, on Peterson’s
Onyx Music, had an allstar cast of Blakey
alumni—Pierce, Watson, Brian Lynch and Geoff
Keezer—on 11 Messenger classics. Last year ’s Onward& Upward was even more ambitious: 11 originalcompositions and arrangements by a revolving castof 17 different players, 14 of whom played in the
Messengers.
Pierce, who appears on both albums, says ofPeterson’s playing, “It definitely feels like Art, morethan anybody that I can think of right now. He loved
Art so much and the influence Art had on him, it reallyshows up in the way he plays and the way he leads. He
has the spirit of Art without a doubt.” Thesaxophonist continues, “He’s a fabulous drummer. He
can play a lot of different styles in a lot of different
settings and that’s a flexibility that everyone doesn’t
have, but he certainly has. He is a complete musician,he’s a really great composer and arranger andobviously he can teach.”
Pierce witnessed Peterson’s prowess as an educatorduring his tenure at Berklee. “By then he had made thetransformation to solid citizen and a mentor to somany young people. Over the years I’ve really come toadmire that about Ralph because he really is a mentor
to a lot of young students at Berklee and that’s pretty
admirable because you don’t really have to do that.
You can go to being a professor, but you won’t
necessarily be touching people and giving them thekind of influence and understanding of what isnecessary and the kind of dedication that it takes.
It’s partially through his own example, but it’s also
because he can kind of break it down for them in termsof words, but it’s always accompanied by actions. He
really has established himself as quite a figure in termsof young people at Berklee in terms of going forwardin the music, which is more than admirable. It’s pretty
great actually.”Peterson’s Gen-Next Big Band’s album Listen Up!,featuring a cast of young Berklee students, topped the65th Annual DownBeat Critics Poll. The list of playersthat he has mentored includes not only drummers
Kush Abadey, Johnathan Blake, Justin Faulkner,
E.J. Strickland and Mark Whitfield, Jr., but also
trumpeter Sean Jones, saxophonist Melissa Aldana andthe Curtis Brothers—pianist Zaccai and bassist
Luques—both of whom record regularly with the
drummer, including on his forthcoming album.
Peterson says of the date, which also features conguero
Reinaldo DeJesus and guest vocalist Jazzmeia Horn,“The well of inspirations on this particular project iscoming from none other than the legendary Hampton
Hawes. Raise Up Off Me [the title of Hawes’
autobiography] is what I’m calling this record because
I believe as a society that’s kind of exactly where we’reat. We need this dude [the now former president] toraise up off of us, so we can get back to getting thisvirus to raise up off of us, so we can get back to being
productive, making music and getting together andgetting healthy and getting on with our lives.” v
For more information, visit ralphpetersonmusic.com. Peterson
live-streams Feb. 8th at youtube.com/unhmusic and Feb. 25that jazzatlincolncenter.squarespace.com/dizzys-club.
Recommended Listening:• Donald Harrison/Terence Blanchard—
Nascence (CBS/Columbia, 1986)• Ralph Peterson Trio (featuring Geri Allen)—
Triangular (Blue Note, 1988)• Ralph Peterson Fo’tet—Ornettology(Somethin’ Else-Blue Note, 1990)• Ralph Peterson—Subliminal Seduction(Criss Cross, 2001)• Ralph Peterson’s Unity Project—
Outer Reaches (Onyx Music, 2010)• Ralph Peterson & The Messenger Legacy—
Legacy Alive, Vol. 6 At The Side Door
(Onyx Music, 2018)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 3

NEW YORK @ NIGHT
Although Herbie Nichols only released four records, F or those with a taste for the avant garde, seasoned

DIEGO BARBER
DRAGO

F

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or his new recording, Drago, Barber departs
from his recent focus on blending contemporary classical music and jazz to focus on electronic
music, utilizing elements from both the classicaland dancefloor models. A two-year long study of
Logic music programming has led the fleet fingered string specialist to eschew the guitar for themost part to focus on composing pieces in a newand highly personal way.

STEPHANIE NILLESI Pledge AllegIAnce to the FlAg the WhIte FlAg
SSC 1606 - AVAILABLE 3/5/21—“Stephanie Nilles is possibly the most compelling jazz piano/lounge punk singer since
Tom Waits started chain smoking and singing
about sailors.” AudioSuedeThe voices of African American militants continue
to ring in the vanguard’s ears. One such musicalexample is the late, great bassist/composer Charles
Mingus, whose music was vehemently charged
with indignation concerning the rights of the downtrodden. His messages, both outright and nuanced,
are touchstones for many musicians who choose toaddress these issues, including singer-songwriter/
pianist Stephanie Nilles, who interprets Mingus’s
canon on her new recording, I Pledge AllegIAnce tothe FlAg – the WhIte FlAg.

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he left a legacy of fervent devotees, including fellow
pianist Jason Moran, who, in celebration of Nichols’
102nd birthday (Jan. 3rd), aired a rare 1962 interview
of Nichols conducted by Mait Eady for the radio
program The Scope of Jazz. Interlaced with cuts from
Nichols’ Blue Note albums—“Double Exposure”,“Hangover Triangle”, “House Party Starting”,“Terpischore”, adaptation of Mendelssohn’s “TheSpinning Song”, “Wildflower”, “The Third World” andGeorge Gershwin’s “Mine”—the program gave
Moran’s 100+ Facebook guests an opportunity to makereal-time responses to the music by leaving commentsin the chat menu. Having transcribed a chunk of themusic himself, Moran was outspoken and articulate,
remarking on Nichols’ “register extremes” or praising
his “melody forever and a day”. During an especiallyinspiring passage on “Wildflower”, however, even
Moran seemed at a loss for words, but his response
said it all: “Daaaaamn!!!!” As with any master ’s work,
there is always something new to hear, so where one
listener noticed an “Erroll Garner-ish” left hand,another praised the rhythmic “bounce”, another theprevalence of hemiolas. It was a further revelation tohear Nichols’ soft spoken but illuminating answers to
Eady’s prompts, providing context for his music. His
beef with jazz critics? They should all have a music
degree: “[T]here can be new worlds of criticism if thecritics are more discerning.”—Tom Greenland

musician/composer Joseph Daley’s “ColorationsExplorations” is quite the adventure. Daley has been
firmly rooted in jazz, but his current effort is best
described in the Minimalist tradition of Terry Riley,
Steve Reich and others. The work was premiered in
February 2020 live, but this iteration was recorded
à la pandemic, with 23 musicians recording themselves
separately in their homes. Added to the mix was visualenhancement––the insertion of many images fromnature and otherwise, with the addition of quick cuts
and other filmic tricks of the trade. For those whose
tastes run to more traditional musical forms, the video
approach enriched the experience by adding texture to
the repetitive sounds and dissonant harmonic andchordal structure of the composition. What was mostenlightening was the large collective that energeticallyand masterfully played “Colorations-Explorations”.
This group was Dance Clarinets, the adult woodwind
ensemble of Greenwich House Music School, led byfaculty member and clarinetist, JD Parran. Beside thecommon B-flat clarinet, there were at least ten different
kinds of clarinet, with sub-variations in pitch,
keyboard and bore. Hearing many of these variants
played in itself was completely mesmerizing andenthralling. Add to that some creative touches by
Warren Smith on vibraphone, percussion and gongs
and the result, 34 minutes of sheer creativity, wastruly fascinating.
—Marilyn Lester

Herbie Nichols

Warren Smith

There aren’t many jazz venues open for performance, Like many jazz instrumentalists who sing, Paul Jost
especially with the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, andmany are opting to play it safe with home-based
concerts. But there’s only so much musical mojo thatcan be cooked up in the privacy of one’s studio, so it
was inspiring to see guitarist Mike Moreno onstage at
Bar Bayeux (Jan. 6th) with keyboardist Jon Cowherd,bassist Matt Penman and drummer Obed Calvaire.
Unfortunately, safety precautions precluded a live
audience, but the musicians’ shared chemistry was
tangible, even over a live-stream broadcast. Moreno’s
albums include many of his own tunes, so it wasn’t
surprising to hear him try out a few new, as yet untitledcompositions: the sequentially melodic opener, whichtransitioned organically back to the head after a seriesof improvisations; a dreamy ballad with an arpeggiatedtheme; and “Becker” (written for Walter Becker of
Steely Dan), a subdued piece enhanced by Moreno’s
lithe fretwork, showcasing his understated yet highly
proficient technique and vivid imagination, especiallyat the song’s end. Penman and Calvaire revved theircollective rhythm up a notch for Dizzy Gillespie’s bop
standard “Woody ‘n’ You”, taken uptempo with tradedphrases and a drum solo near the finish line. The finale,
Cowherd’s “Crooked Creek”, featured an agreeable
melody written in 5/4 but sounding like a waltz,
concluding with a quiet extended outro jam. It was asif the musicians, now that they had a chance to interact
in real time, didn’t want the gig to end.
(TG)

4 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

has his vocal style informed by his years as a drummer,
his delivery, scatting and phrasing intensely rhythmic.
And, as that iconic commercial enthused, wait there’s
more! On top of superb musicality, Jost brings a hugequotient of passion to the table. He inhabits the music,
deeply feeling every note and syllable he vocalizes.
The man is a consummate storyteller and completely“woke”. Streaming live from Brooklyn’s Soapbox
Gallery (Jan. 12th), Jost began his set with a monologueof poetic sensibility on recent tragic events at the
Capitol building in DC, underscored by his trio; thismorphed seamlessly into a parlando-like rendition of“If I Only Had a Brain” (Harold Arlen-Yip Harburg).
Pianist Jim Ridl, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer
Tim Horner are totally in sync with one another and
Jost, so much so that through talent and empathy,
they’re gloriously in the pocket, their playing sharp,
crisp and dynamic. Plus, Johnson is such an animatedplayer, he’s fun to watch, as on his solos during Bill
Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and on a surprisingly
enhanced, rhythmic arrangement of John Lennon-Paul
McCartney’s “And I Love Her”. Eclecticism ruled the
day on this terrific set, with tunes and tempos from
Luiz Bonfá’s samba “The Gentle Rain” (“Chuva
Delicada”) to a swinging “Days of Wine and Roses”(Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer) to Bob Dylan’s folksy“Girl from the North Country” and much more, with
Jost giving 1,000 percent every single time.
(ML)The closure of traditional performance venues due to A throbbing enthusiasm stood as a near entity unto
pandemic restrictions has resulted in musicians taking
matters into their own hands, establishing alternative
settings in which they can reach audiences. The
Underexposed live-streamed concert series hosted bybassist Desmond White in his Brooklyn basement has
been doing just that. The 16th (Jan. 11th) edition of the
Monday night sets had vibraphonist Joel Ross
throwing down with his trio of bassist Ben Tiberio anddrummer Craig Weinrib. The music began dramaticallywith an extended solo bass improvisation, which
flowed into the familiar loping cadence of John
Coltrane’s “Equinox”, Ross stretching out withdeliberate melodicism. This segued into a swaggering
rendition of Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence”, taggedwith a coda dubbed “Dence”, vibraphone laying down
a rhythmic vamp over a martial drum beat.
Impressionistic solo vibraphone prefaced the fittingly
titled Ross original “Haunting”, the composer ’ssustained notes evincing an ominous atmosphere on
top of rumbling bass and drums. The mood brightenedwith the vibraphonist’s melodically appealing“The Nurturer”, a soulfully swinging outing, which
was followed by his “Minor Joy”, a rhythmic tour deforce featuring Weinrib. Ross played the opening
chorus of “‘Round Midnight” alone, before his partners
joined in for a stirring version of the Monk standard.
They then ended with a spirited blues referencing
Bobby Timmons’ classic “Moanin”.
—Russ Musto

itself as group interplay commanded the airwaves(Jan. 7th). Arts for Art’s On_Line Salon series welcomed
the Fay Victor Chamber Trio, an ensemble carving thepath of vocal artistry’s role in contemporary music.
Her voice is a rare instrument, matched only by her
fortitude. Victor, alto saxophonist Darius Jones andcellist Marika Hughes tore through a set uniting free
jazz, Aretha Franklin, spoken word, new music andpostbop, swinging and grooving, sans drums and bass.
And, as per usual, political action wasn’t far off: “I’dlike to dedicate this next piece,” the vocalist stated, “toall of the Stepford Wives and Stepford Husbands,” shesaid, introducing a work threading haunting alto, busy
cello pizzicato and a modernist melody of slow leaps
across the octave and beyond. Over the telling phrase,“I live in a dream state where all is perfect”, Victor ’s
larynx contortions teetered over the soprano summit
before dragging haughtily across its sub-level,releasing guttural cries. Soon the three were engaging
in three-part counterpoint and rapid call and response,
drawing on the length of the jazz tradition. When notshaping the sound with warm arco, Hughes’ pizzicato
turned into walking bass, driving the group further,offering pivot points for the flights of the others. Jones’
elegant vibrato, particularly in the opening segment of“Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”, was utterly classic,
sending Victor into highly memorable rhythm-andballad mode, bringing it on home.
—John Pietaro

W H AT ’ S N E W SWBGO is one of five jazz radio stations to partner with theDoris Duke Charitable Foundation in the new initiative
Jazz Media Lab, receiving grants of up to $275,000 overthree years to support “their involvement in the collective
and supply them with core support and innovation capital...
provide these stations with a peer network, support systemand contracted resource team for exploring and advancing
strategies to diversify their listening bases, invest in new
media platforms, engage with venues and community
organizations and establish meaningful relationships withjazz artists. In related news, the documentary The WBGO
Story…Bright Moments from Newark to the Worldpremieres at the NJ Film Festival, Thomas Edison Black
Maria Film Festival and Garden State Film Festival. For
more information, visit wbgo.org.
Winter Jazzfest will take place virtually in 2021, including
panel discussions “Fertile Grounds” and “Jazz, Gender andBlack Feminism: What We Can Learn”, all streaming free tothe public. For more information, visit winterjazzfest.com.
To celebrate Black History Month, Rhino Records isreleasing a limited edition colored vinyl series of classic
albums throughout the month. Included will be: George
Benson - Breezin’; Ray Charles - The Best of Ray Charles:
The Atlantic Years; Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Case Of
The Three Sided Dream; and Nina Simone - Folksy Nina +Blackbird. For more information, visit rhino.com.
Serbian trumpeter Dusko Goykovich received the
Berklee Master of Global Jazz Award. For more information,
visit
berklee.edu/berklee-now/news/berklee-awardsdusko-goykovich-with-master-of-global-jazz-award.
Our own John Pietaro has inaugurated a bi-monthly radio
show, Jazz Just After Dark, which will play music and featureinterviews, airing at 6-8 pm on MakerParkRadio.NYC. This
month’s dates are Feb. 12th and 26th.
Harlem Stage has announced Eric Oberstein as new
Managing Director and Pat Cruz as Artistic Director andChief Executive Officer.
The 2021 GlobalFest has named Drom’s Mehmet Dedeand Serdar Ilhan as recipients of its Impact Award. For
more information, visit globalfest.org.

Joel Ross

Fay Victor

V olume 40 of Live From Emmet’s Place had Emmet With the brutality of riot aftermath still evident in the
Cohen celebrating Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 18th)
with a piano summit dedicated to the late Cedar
Walton, commemorating his previous day’s birthdate.
The pianist-host kicked things off playing “Cedar ’s
Blues”, stretching out on the jaunty melody before
giving way to Russell Hall’s lyrical bass solo andrhythmic four-bar exchanges with drummer Kyle
Poole. Walton cohort Joe Farnsworth came in on drumsfor Sam Jones’ “Something In Common”, Cohen hitting
hard over walking bass and crisp snare accents. Julius
Rodriguez took over at the piano for John Coltrane’s“Naima”, opening rhapsodically then grooving on the
Latin-ish arrangement. Poole was back for Walton’s
pretty “Martha’s Prize”, after which pianist Mathis
Picard came in for a bluesy medley of Burt BacharachHal David’s “This Guy’s In Love With You” andWalton’s “Groundwork”. Cohen and Farnsworth
returned for Harold Arlen-Yip Harburg’s “Somewhere
Over The Rainbow”, dedicating it to the recently
departed Junior Mance and Sammy Nestico. On a firey
mashup of “Firm Roots” and “Hindsight” Cohen began
at a blazing tempo, escalating as Rodriguez and Picard
and Farnsworth and Poole took turns, climaxing withall the pianists at the keyboard. Cohen dedicated“The Maestro” to Walton’s widow Martha andRodriguez played Lew Brown-Sammy Fain’s “That
Old Feeling”. Then all were back to finish swinging
hard on “The Theme”. 			
(RM)

U.S. Capitol, as visions of extremists waving
confederate flags on the Senate floor haunt, the climate
was all too appropriate (Jan. 10th) to discuss Billie
Holiday and the American reality. 92nd Street Y,
partnering with WBGO, united vocalists Cassandra
Wilson, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Dianne Reeves forthe panel discussion “Exploring Billie’s Influence”,
moderated by Christian McBride, part of the Y’s series“Reaching for the Moon: An Explanation andCelebration of Billie Holiday”. McBride described thepanel as “all of this badness in one chat”, speaking far
short of hyperbole. The talk opened with the upcoming
Holiday films, one documentary and one biopic;
Bridgewater said it was important that both portraythe subject as “a militant woman ahead of her time but
a victim of her time, not the long-suffering drugaddled person.” Delving deep into Holiday’s style,
Reeves clarified the relevance of her voice far beyond a
vocal instrument, citing the visceral and experiential
while Wilson dubbed it “jazz coloratura”. McBride
played recordings as a point of reference and once
“Strange Fruit” arose, all fell into reflection. Reeves
reminded us that Holiday was 24 at the time and died
20 years later, during which time she was hunted by areactionary government. Wilson asked rhetorically
about the foundations of racism: “Is it just hate or theneed to control?”, adding, “The plot is nefarious…
’Strange Fruit’ is for everybody now.”(JP)

Roulette has announced its 2021 Van Lier Fellows, which
includes vocalist Charmaine Lee. She will present acommissioned work at Roulette in 2021. For more
information, visit roulette.org.
Catalytic Sound has announced Catalytic Soundstream,anartist-owned and curated, subscription-based
streaming service that seeks to pay musicians fairly. It is
accessible via the $10 Streaming and $30 Full membershiptiers at patreon.com/catalyticsound.
Poland’s Jazztopad Festival, in partnership with the Polish
Cultural Institute New York, will present the following livestreaming concerts in February: Radek Nowicki Quartet(Feb. 13th at 2 pm) and Maniucha & Ksawery (Feb. 19th at2 pm). For more information, visit jazztopad.pl.
Queens Jazz OverGround will present its Spring Jazz
Festival streaming live from the waterfront in Long Island
City on Tuesday evenings in February: Feb. 9th (Adam
Hutcheson Quartet and Sharif Kales Quintet); Feb. 16th
(Eugenia Choe Trio and Juan Felipe Mayorga Quartet);and Feb. 23rd (Hashem Assadullahi Quartet; Jennifer
Wharton’s Bonegasm). For more information, visit
culturelablic.org/qjog.
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music has announced an
initiative of scholarships for students interested in its jazzstudies programs: Amy Winehouse Jazz Explorers; Jazz
Travelers; and Creative Music Ensemble. For more
information, visit bkcm.org.
Submit news to info@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 5

PETER GANNUSHKIN/DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET

INTERVIEWLARRY
ROLANDby tyran grillo

Larry Roland is a poet of the bass and the pen with nearlyfour decades of professional experience across a variety offields. After graduating from Boston University in 1973
with a BS in Education, he taught health and P.E. in thelocal public school system. He later earned a Master’s degree
in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts. All
the while, he was refining his poetic voice, drawing on
everyday life around him to reflect on both individual andcollective pasts and continues to do so in his current home of
New York City. Along the way, he found kindred solace inthe upright bass, alongside which he cut his teeth as part of
the house band at Wally’s in Boston’s South End. After
touring and recording with trumpeter Raphe Malik andfounding the Urge 4Tet with pianist Donal Fox, he released
his first album of solo bass and spoken word, As Time
Flows On, in 2001. Next for him was the Bassline Motion
project with dancer/choreographer Adrienne Hawkins, plus
an acclaimed record with the Charles Gayle Trio, Streets, in2011. Since 2012, he has been involved in We Free StRINGS,a free jazz ensemble intent on dismantling the ethos ofWestern musical paradigms. Most recently, he put out abook of poetry, ..Just Sayin’!!, in 2019 and in 2020 wasfeatured on the album We Were Here by The Jazz & Poetry
Choir Collective, of which he is a former founding member.
The New York City Jazz Record: Can you tell me alittle about those early days at Wally’s?
Larry Roland: That was my school, man. We played
bebop—no ballads—every night from 9 pm to 2 am. We
had Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Tommy Campbell,
Billy Kilson...you name it. And there I was, somehow
ending up as the bass player.
TNYCJR: On your solo album, As Time Flows On,
you’ve got this track called “The Journey”, which
resonates deeply during this time of pandemic. In it,
you talk about the “realization of being bound” anda “serious trek for truth”. Regardless of what you’re
playing, does that spirit animate everything you do?
LR: You see, that’s the bottom line. It’s the spirit. In
almost everything you see going on today, the spirit
has been manipulated. It’s missing. There’s so muchfear in the world that people start craving theseparameters created by someone who has a title or what
have you. I say no, man, I’m just writing this stuff up.
When people started asking me to participate in these‘soirees’ back in college, it was very interesting to me.
I was able to check out the whole class thing. I would
show up with my writings folded up in a brown paper
bag stuck in my belt and people would say, ‘Oh, you’rehere!’ I’d read something and people would be floored,
but to me, I was just talking about life. I wasn’t there to
be a token entertainer, but to educate. And then I’d bekicking it in my dorm—I was an athlete, you see, a ballplayer at Boston University—and would sharesomething there, too. They thought it was deep. Being
taken seriously off the court by guys I rubbed shoulders

linked to the universe. That’s special. That’s power.
Spiritual power.” So I walked with that. I try to staywhat I call “naturonic”. I try to move with nature.
These days, I have a little mouse in my pantry. Most
people would see him as a nuisance, but he’s trying tolive the same way we’re trying to live. He’s not trying
to bring attention to himself. He respects my space andI respect his. The odds are against him. Maybe he’s got
a crevice behind the wall and maybe even a family he’s
bringing crumbs to. Maintaining that connection to thelittle things is how I’ve been able to move ahead andnavigate the terrain. Just be as still as you can and yoursurroundings will speak to you.
				
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 11)

The Gardenia Society

with on it was important. It put a smile on my face,because academically I was struggling.
TNYCJR: How did you channel that energy at such aformative time into a professional life, as it were?
LR: People always tell me, you should be out there,
man. I say, listen, I’m just satisfied being above theground and having a few things to say. As far as gettingcaught up in the race, I’m not really sure on my feetlike that. I didn’t go to school to learn how to play bassor write. I went to very poor public schools. And that’s
fine with me. I try to keep it as raw as possible without
really having to answer to anyone. If it resonates andtouches someone, that’s a blessing for me, because I’mjust a conduit.

Celebrate Our Music Heritage
Music Appreciation

Streaming Events&

Artist Support

www.gardeniasociety.org

TNYCJR: Where and how does the music fit into all of this?
LR: I grew up in a household filled with Bird, Trane,
Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, Yusef Lateef andStravinsky. During that time, we still had a little record
store on the corner where you could find all sorts ofmusic. Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff,
I was inundated with all of that. Plus, my dad knew a
lot of musicians. He and Roy Haynes were tight. So
much so that my mom would get tired of seeing Roy’s
drums in the living room. “Put dem drums back in thehall!” she’d say. Around Christmastime, we would getthese postcards from creative people all over the world.
Every time I looked at them, I couldn’t help but think,
now that’s freedom. Whenever people ask me about
the most significant thing growing up that reallyhelped shape my perception into who I am today,
I always say it was the music. My dad knew thesepeople: painters, musicians, intellectuals. They would
meet in my house and break down stuff in ways I neverexperienced on the outside. They were all focusedmore on the qualitative than the quantitative. Some ofthe deepest stuff I heard was in my living room.
TNYCJR: In listening to your spoken word especially,
I get this palpable sense that you’re looking at history
with clear and open eyes. Whereas the world may cut
and repaste it into a different narrative, you’re trying
to get to the heart of it, in the same way a genealogist
may draw up a family tree. How do you see yourself
making a contribution?
LR: It all comes back to the spirit. People sometimes
tell me, man, I’ve never seen anyone procrastinate asmuch as you; you should be doing this, that and theother. But I am doing it. You just don’t see it. I’m always
creating in my mind. I’m just not about trying to be up
front with it and gain all the attention. This brother,
Hasan Abdul-Karim, I play with sometimes—in his 80s
and still blowing tenor—is really into astrology, so heoffered to do my chart one time. He said, “I wish I had
your stars. You don’t even have to do anything. You’re

6 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

is proud to present our spring lineup!
F ebruary 14 thb assist / P oet
L arry r oLand
M arch 14 ths axoPhonist
r as M oshe b urnett
and P oetc heryL b oyce t ayLor
a PriL 11 thb assistc hristoPher d ean s uLLivanand P oeta ngeLa L ockhart -a ronoFF
M ay 16 th
L ee o doM ,reeds

All performances on Sundays
at 4:40 pm via Zoom
go to our website
for registration info
$10 donation suggested

www.onebreathrising.org

R.I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN / JAZZEXPRESSIONS.ORG

ARTIST FEATU RE

LUKE
STEWART

For more information, visit thelukestewart.com. Stewart livestreams Feb. 19th and 16th at artsforart.org/onlinesalon.html.
Recommended Listening:• Irreversible Entanglements—Eponymous(International Anthem, 2015)• Blacks’ Myths—Eponymous (Atlantic Rhythms, 2018)• Luke Stewart—Exposure Quintet (Astral Spirits, 2018)• James Brandon Lewis—An UnRuly Manifesto(Relative Pitch, 2018)• Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic, Damu The Fudgemunk—
Ocean Bridges (Redefinition, 2019)• Heroes Are Gang Leaders—
Artificial Happiness Button (Ropeadope, 2019)by jordannah elizabeth
O ne day before the horrendously odious storming of

the U.S. Capitol building by Trump supporters inWashington DC, bassist, composer, writer and activist
Luke Stewart was readying himself for recording
sessions in Philadelphia and New York City. His work
ethic has been cited numerous times, an ability torelease many records in short stretches of time acrossan extremely diverse repertoire of quality jazz, punkand improvised music. Because of his breadth of
output, Stewart is able to explore the cyclical tides ofAmerican culture, which ebbs and flows between
imminent danger and quieted socio-political seasons,which denote a deceptive existence of post-racialism.
He’s not a voyeur who lives solely in his inner world
but interacts with the external resistance of peace andequality in America, attending protests and showing
his disdain for right-wing extremism.
“It was surprisingly diverse,” Stewart says ofattendance of the first pro-Trump rally in Washington
DC, where he marched as a counter-protester of Trump’s
followers and sinister cause some months ago. “But I
won’t be at [the protest] tomorrow because Irreversible
Entanglements is recording.” This knowing when toshow up for his community and when to pivot his energy
to create new music is what people respect in Stewart.
He is a master of time management, flowing intuitively
in and out of different projects without a regimented
path of creating so many works. “It’s the development ofrelationships and various initiatives, projects that might
be in the works for years and they just happen to comeout at a particular time. And while that’s happening
there’s another thing brewing with other groups or mysolo stuff. I’ve always cast my net wide.”His most recent album came out in Fall 2020,
Exposure Quintet, a collection of his compositions inmusical collaboration with Edward Wilkerson, Jr. and
Ken Vandermark (reeds), Jim Baker (piano) andAvreeayl Ra (drums). Exposure Quintet is a set of themes
and motifs determined by the mood and tone of thegroup’s improvised pieces.
He’s a member of the duo Blacks’ Myths withdrummer Warren G. “Trae” Crudup III, whom he also
plays with in tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis’group. He’s also a member of trumpeter Jaimie
Branch’s band and Heart of the Ghost with alto
saxophonist Jarrett Gilgore and drummer Ian McColm,
Most notably he is one-fifth of the effervescent
Irreversible Entanglements with poet and composer
Moor Mother, alto saxophonist Keir Neuringer,
trumpeter Aquiles Navarro and drummer Tcheser
Holmes. He’s recently been awarded a residency at
Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works where he will compile andpresent his writing at the end of his time there.
These are a small slice of Stewart’s works in the last
couple of years.
He attributes his ability to play with diverse bands
to his early days in music. “In going back to mychildhood, at the same time I was playing punk rock[with a group called] The Volatiles, which was a wholeexperience in terms of high school, having thatsocial cohesion around the creative process of aband and going to Detroit to spend time with myfamily and being into underground hip hop, that’s
really where the thirst for all kinds of music [andbands] really started.”
As a force of nature and a productive cyclone, heerrs to the side of peace more than leading theinternational jazz community with a demanding ironfist. He has very little entitlement while others fashion
him as the builder, sustainer and protector of the DC
jazz scene. While his music should always berecognized Stewart is also a writer and co-founder ofthe jazz-centered organization Capitalbop, whichhighlights DC-based jazz artists and, before COVID19, curated live music events, creating a tightly woven
source of expression and communion in Washington
DC. His latest piece for Capitalbop’s online publication
is “The Legend of Yahya Abdul-Majid”, where heruminates on the Sun Ra Arkestra saxophonist’s life
and works, showing a side of Stewart that is astute andpoignant.
In regards to the cycles of civil unrest that swirl
around Stewart’s personhood as he navigates
throughout, he tries not to allow it to swallow his
consciousness to where he becomes overwhelmed andunable to enact his several endeavors. Nonetheless,he’s able to pull artistically from said cycles. “I findthat there are a lot more loops in some of the [music]
I’ve been working on personally. Perhaps that’s areflection of my recognizing the cycles that I’ve
experienced and also, as a student of history, seeing
the cycles and also seeing the historical developmentsthat led us here, specifically the thought processes thatlead a person or system to continuously make these
attacks on oppressed communities.”
All the while America’s walls of systemic racism
come crashing down upon itself, Stewart heads backand forth between different American cities (as muchas the pandemic will allow) continuing to create muchneeded music. As noted, he planted himself in
Philadelphia to concentrate on a completely new bodyof work with Irreversible Entanglements, a band thathas blown the tops of the stuffy traditionalism of jazzby taking the conversion of spoken word and free jazz,which was masterfully done by artists like Sun Ra and
Gil Scott-Heron, and putting a woman in front toproject her prophetic political musings to crashing,emotive, unique music. The next day, he embarked ona journey to New York City to record with frequentcollaborators, Branch and Heru Shabaka-Ra.
Stewart is more than just a musician who is “on thego.” He’s omnipresent and fights the good fight bycreating enough material to keep the jazz community
dynamic. There’s only so much one person can possiblydo, but he seems to make the most of every moment of
his creative life, the mantle of musical and civic
responsibility, which, in turn, creates new life in the formof sonic experimentation and improvised exploration. v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 7

ENCOREHENRYFRANKLIN
by anders griffen
H enry Franklin has enjoyed a career as a prolific jazzbassist for over 60 years, performing with a range ofartists including Freddie Hubbard, Hampton Hawes,
Dexter Gordon, Gene Harris, Doug Carn, Archie Shepp,
Willie Bobo, Blue Mitchell, Marcus Belgrave, Al Jarreauand Hugh Masekela, among many others. A native of
Los Angeles, Franklin has lived there virtually his
entire life and has always been surrounded by music.
His father Sammy was a trumpet player who led
a band called The California Rhythm Rascals. “There
was always music. He had a couple rehearsals a week
and when I got to be [a teenager] there was the radio all
the time. We had a great jazz station, KLON [nowKKJZ], at that time. My dad started me very early, atthree or four years old, tap dancing, from there to the
piano and then the clarinet and saxophone.”
As a teenager, Franklin played baritone saxophonein the Los Angeles Police Department Junior Band.
“That band was sponsored by the L.A.P.D. You got tomeet musicians from around your age from all thedifferent high schools and junior high schools and wewould rehearse every week with the orchestra and doa couple parades a month. We played for all the public
events [and did] the Rose Parade a couple times. It’sa shame they don’t have it anymore. It was reallyenlightening.”
Although he was always taking lessons andplaying an instrument, he was never really happy with
it until he discovered the bass in high school. “I had
a formal teacher from high school for a couple years
and he taught me the legitimate side. I was in my early
20s when I would hang out with Al McKibbon a couple
times a week and he would show me everything about
the bass that he knew – he had it all covered: the Latinside, the jazz side and he had the classical side too – hewas very warm and very beautiful. David Dyson was agreat bass player, he helped me quite a bit and George
Morrow also.”
Franklin started gigging pretty quickly, working
with Roy Ayers while still in high school and thensaxophonist Curtis Amy soon after. “Roy and I went
to high school at the same time, [different schools] inwhat they called the Southern League. He started
a band with a couple great players: Carl Burnett[drums] and Bill Henderson [piano]. That was from thelast year in high school to about, I guess, two or three
years after high school. Then Roy moved to New Yorkwith Herbie Mann, so that started his career off. Curtis
was after Roy. I was about 21. That was really great
because he was like the big jazz star in L.A. at the timeand he was always working.”
Willie Bobo heard Franklin in 1964 and bought him
a ticket to New York. “For a young musician in L.A.,
that was their dream, you know? It’s like, cats wait
their turn to go. I was happy to get the call to go to
New York with a big-time group and hanging out with
Willie in New York City, that was amazing. I got tomeet a lot of cats. We worked uptown quite a bit atCount Basie’s and all the cats would come throughthere. Plus, you got to travel, it was a working band.
So, I was elated.” They worked New York and the East
Coast and Franklin performed with Shepp in between,
before Bobo’s band made a West Coast appearance andFranklin decided to stay home. It just so happened that
Masekela caught the band and practically hired
Franklin on the spot. “That was so great, man. ‘CauseI had put in my notice and Willie fired me too at thesame time and in the audience Masekela came to me
the next night, I think, and he offered me a job. We
went out there almost four years, traveled around theworld, made a lot of money and had a lot of fun.”Franklin performed with Masekela at the Monterey
Pop Music Festival in 1967. “That was completely
different for me [laughs] man, I was listening to Miles
and Trane and Monk and I come to this festival, man,with millions of people and Otis Redding and Janis
Joplin and Jimi Hendrix – I got to meet all of them –and people are going mad and everybody’s gettinghigh and smoking weed and some people got clothes
off. It’s just a whole different scene.” The following
year Franklin had a number one single with Masekela
called “Grazing in the Grass”. “We moved on up, fromcoach to first class on everything…moving on up tobetter hotels and we did better gigs, more concerts,
Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall, you know. I was27, 28, on top of the world, man. It was big for a longtime, then we went back to coach and back to cabs
again [laughs] ‘cause we never did get that second
hit…to stay up there. It was a wonderful year.”Soon after Franklin joined pianist Gene Russell’strio, who became one of the founders and producers of
the Black Jazz label. He also met Michael Carvin rightaround this time and they made their first European
tour with Hawes and recorded a few albums. “Can’tremember how I met Michael, but we became friends
right away, started doing a few gigs around town
together and then he moved into my house. Then I got
a call to go with Hampton Hawes who neededa drummer so, of course, I recommended Michael.
Hamp was very loose, he wanted us to express
ourselves and he wanted the band to be loose. We
stayed over there for three months. Playing with Hamp
was very prestigious because Hamp was the man, you
know? He knew all the musicians and all the musicians
loved him and appreciated him.”
Sometime between meeting Carvin and going toEurope with Hawes, Franklin met Carn. Franklin had
recorded the first Black Jazz album with Russell, New
Direction. Franklin and Carvin appeared on the label’s
third release, Carn’s tour de force, Infant Eyes, before
Franklin got to make his own. “I kept telling Gene I
wanted to record my band, because we were working
around L.A. quite a bit as a matter of fact. So, Genesaid, ‘Sure!” I got my favorite guys that I’d beenworking with for a year or so.“ Franklin released The
Skipper in 1972 and The Skipper at Home in 1974. Hewent on to release about 23 more albums as a leader
and has over 150 album credits.
In 1973, when the original The Three Sounds
disbanded, Gene Harris started a new trio withFranklin and his old friend Carl Burnett. Since 2017
					
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 11)

recalls, “I feel fortunate to have heard Harry Beckett
play the trumpet and, as a young aspirant trumpeter,
I found him an encouraging force that many musicians
looked up to on the U.K. jazz and improvised musicscenes. He was widely regarded as a genius andinnovator on the trumpet with his own individual
voice, harmonic approach and phrasing.”
One of Beckett’s albums, Joy Unlimited, recorded in1974 and released on Cadillac, has finally been reissued
on CD and streaming platforms for the first time. If
ever we were in need of the infectious sound of thismusic and band of the same name, it is now. Six songs,
40 minutes and 51 seconds of sublime departure frompresent-day realities.
Opening with the breathtaking “No Time for
Hello”, Beckett offers a melody that soars over the fast,
funky rhythm section of bassist Darryl Runswick anddrummer Nigel Morris, replete with Martin David’s
congas. The first solo by Beckett leans on the horn’s
upper registers while guitarist Ray Russell pulls thewhole ensemble closer to jazz-rock and pianist Brian
Miller pulls it back to the melody in the final section of
the song. The track is just insistently joyous. “Glowing”
and “Ring Within Rings” have a distinctly Caribbean
feel, tracks to which you can actually dance around theroom. while “Bracelets of Sound” showcasing Russell,
has the languid pace of an afternoon on the beach. The
short but beautiful ballad “Changes Are Still
Happening”, features Beckett and Russell in a haunting

duet, and closer “Not Just Tomorrow” are the morereflective, plaintive melodies on the CD.
John Thurlow, whose book The Many Faces of Harry
Beckett was published in 2020, writes of the album.
“Joy Unlimited was Harry’s fourth solo album but thefirst in which he really found his own voice as acomposer and a bandleader.”Beckett left the planet on Jul. 22nd, 2010, at the ageof 75. In his own words, his legacy is good music. He isquoted on the original liner notes for the album byJohn Fordham as saying, “My happiest moments arewhen I’m playing and the important thing is that theguys should be playing it well, whatever it is.” v

LEST WE FORGET

HARRY
BECKETTby monique ngozi nri
By all accounts, Harry Beckett was a genial man andan extraordinary musician: a trumpeter ’s trumpeterwith a distinct sound. Certainly, his discography’s
sheer size and range attest to the fact of his popularity
with musicians from bassist Graham Collier, in whosebands he resided for more than 16 years, to thewonderfully named South African-rooted big band
Brotherhood of Breath. He was a sought-after musician
who played in many big bands including those led byMike Westbrook, Barry Guy, Mike Gibbs, Alan Cohen
and Pierre Dørge and was even on the original Jesus
Christ Superstar recording in 1970.
Beckett was born in Bridgetown, St. Michael,
Barbados on May 30th, 1935 and arrived in London
when he was 19, having begun to play cornet in a
Salvation Army band at home. When a new generationof jazz players sprang up, Beckett was there to mentor
them, taking his place in Courtney Pine’s Jazz Warriors
in the late ‘80s. British Trumpeter Kevin G. Davy

8 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

For more information, visit cadillacrecords77.bandcamp.com/
album/joy-unlimited
Recommended Listening:• Harry Beckett—Flare Up (Philips, 1970)• Graham Collier Music (featuring Harry Beckett)—
Songs For My Father (featuring Harry Beckett)(Fontana, 1970)• Harry Beckett—Joy Unlimited (Cadillac, 1974)• Johnny Dyani Quartet—Angolian Cry(SteepleChase, 1985)• Harry Beckett—Passion and Possession(ITM, 1990)• Harry Beckett—Tribute to Charles Mingus(West Wind, 1999)

L ABEL SPOTLIGHT

JAZZ
IS
DEAD
by jim motavalli
W hen hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest made its

second album, The Low End Theory, in 1991, jazz wasprominent in the mix. And that expansiveness helped
to create a whole new genre of alternative music.
Today, the group’s DJ and producer, Ali Shaheed
Muhammad, is working with music producer and film
scorer Adrian Younge to keep jazz alive via the new
Jazz Is Dead label. Actually, says co-founder Dru
Lojero, the Los Angeles-based Jazz Is Dead is more of amulti-media happening, combining the records with—
COVID permitting—a record store, live shows andperformance video.
The concerts, many of them by artists such as
Robert Glasper and Kamasi Washington, began in 2017
and the other enterprises have grown from there. JazzIs Dead’s formula takes legacy artists—such as Gary
Bartz, Doug Carn, Jean Carne, Roy Ayers and Lonnie
Liston Smith—into the label’s studio (fully equippedwith vintage equipment) to work with hand-pickedyounger musicians, as well as Muhammad and Younge.
The results may be slightly outside the jazz purist’s
comfort zone, but they’re always interesting. And therecords sell and the audiences turn out.
First, that provocative name. “It’s meant to elicita response,” said Lojero. “It’s a call to action. You either
love it or hate it. We have irate people who see our sign
coming in and saying, ‘Jazz isn’t dead!’ But then they
stick around and listen to the music we’re making.”

1
Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz, et. al

2
Roy Ayers

Two names came to mind: Fillmore East and Westmusic impresario Bill Graham—who put jazz and rockartists on the same bill—and producer Creed Taylor,
who launched both Impulse and CTI. Lojero is a student
of both men’s work. CTI not only packaged jazz
beautifully, it also leavened the music with strings andother sweeteners. Jazz Is Dead’s records do the samething and also employ female vocal choruses. But thesoloists play their own music, as they’ve always done.
Carn, who made a strong impression with a stringof spiritually themed ‘70s albums on the Black Jazzlabel featuring the five-octave voice of his then-wife,
Jean Carn (later, Carne), said he was surprised to findhimself recording with hip-hop players. But he went
with the flow. “They didn’t want me to use my band,”he said. “I never would have made a record like that
[JID005], but it turned out better than I thought itwould.” Carn said he was appreciative of theopportunity—which he said paid well—after seeing a
lot of classic jazz tracks get sampled by rappers. The
recording session was complemented with live gigs in
the L.A. area, also welcome. Jean Carne hasn’t donemuch jazz since those albums with Doug but recorded
an album for Jazz Is Dead that’s not yet released.
The label has so far released six albums (LP andCD), one of them a compilation. And it’s recording
prolifically, including an album with keyboard player
Smith, another spiritual jazz stalwart remembered forhis work with Pharoah Sanders. Smith’s album with JazzIs Dead is scheduled to come out in 2022. “It was great
working in their studio, with equipment I remember
from back in the day,” Smith said. “I didn’t write any
songs for the project, so it will be interesting to see how
it comes out. I see where they’re coming from.”

3
Marcos Valle

Smith’s impression is that the Jazz Is Dead
producers will piece the music together the same way
Teo Macero did on Miles Davis albums like Bitches
Brew and On the Corner (which has Smith’s keyboards).
“They’re well organized,” he said.
One of Bartz’ albums with the Mizell Brothers wasused by A Tribe Called Quest for a sample. More thana dozen other hip-hop artists have sampled Bartz. His
Jazz Is Dead album (JID006) “epitomizes the ethos
behind Jazz Is Dead,” Younge said. “He’s a luminary
who has contributed so much to music culture, fordecades. His musical ability is expanding with age andwe’re honored to be a part of his world.”
Jazz Is Dead also recorded with the Brazilian jazztrio Azymuth (JID004), notable for using electronic
instruments and adding elements of funk, psychedelicrock and samba to their music in the ‘80s. Younge
describes the album as “one of the most interesting
rides I’ve ever been on.” He said the bedrock was thegroup’s original conception, “which we pushed evenfurther for a new generation of record collectors.”
JID003 is an album with another Brazilian, samba andSergio Mendes veteran Marcos Valle.
Lojero and Jazz Is Dead are in touch with what
modern audiences want, as are the label’s producers.
“Adrian and Ali are consummate students,” Lojero
said. “We all love jazz music. Our original idea was toput together master concerts with a young core bandand bring in four or five legacy artists to perform, kindof a mini touring festival. It’s now on a streaming
platform because of COVID, but we keep expanding
our vision.” v
For more information, visit jazzisdead.co

4
Azymuth5
Doug Carn

VOXNEWS

HOPEFUL
THINGS
by suzanne lorge
Pianist David Budway and his wife Brianne Higgins,

owners of Maureen’s Jazz Cellar in Nyack, NY, had beenplanning to fill the itinerary with vocalists for all ofJanuary. In normal times, the five-year-old venue hosts
an eclectic mix of music and entertainment: nowhere
else will you find jazz headliners on the same venue
listing as Dead Heads and drag queens. But last month
Budway wanted to honor the memory of his sister
Maureen, a jazz vocalist and educator who passed away
in January 2015, by booking the likes of Sheila Jordan,
Jay Clayton, Janis Siegel and Paul Jost. New shutdown
orders in New York State scuttled these shows, however.
Also on hold, for similar reasons, are Budway’s plans
for a series of live albums recorded at the club. The firstof these—singer Tania Grubbs’ Live at Maureen’s Jazz
Cellar (s/r)—did launch, however, albeit mid-pandemic.
These 12 tracks, recorded on Memorial Day weekend
2019, recall those healthy, halcyon days with tunes thatcelebrate nature (Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower Is A
Lovesome Thing”), winged creatures (Jimmy RowlesNorma Winstone’s “The Peacocks”, Leonard Cohen’s“Bird On A Wire”) and the feelings they inspire (JoniMitchell’s “Love”, Horace Silver’s “Peace”). Grubbs’

velveteen vocals on these cleverly curated, artfully
executed songs warm the heart and her original
music—a bright samba arrangement of poet Emily
Dickinson’s “Hope Is A Thing With Feathers”—inspires
all the sentiment the title promises.
Budway and Higgins, though whipped around byshifting regulations for live venues, have consistently
offered music at Maureen’s in some way or other overthe many months of the public health crisis. Jordan andher regular duo partner, bassist Cameron Brown, plan tokeep their Jan. 30 date. This concert will be available via
live-stream (and archived) on the club’s website andFacebook page—without charge, courtesy of the club.
Grubbs and her husband, bassist Jeff Grubbs, play in asimilarly spare duo format each Sunday and these
performances, too, are viewable via the club website
and Facebook page, as well as on Grubbs’ own page. In
February, Grubbs says, they’ll be concertizing insidetheir Pittsburgh home, but by March the weather should
be warm enough to broadcast again from their porch
before a socially distanced audience on the front lawn.
Grammy-winning Manhattan Transfer veteranSiegel just released Mazel (s/r), a dozen Yiddish songsin jazz settings, arranged by pianist John DiMartino
and sung in duet with cantor Daniel Kramer. This
happy album, sponsored by the North Shore Jewish
Center, transmits all of the inherent loveliness of
traditional Jewish music without sacrificing any ofSiegel’s sophisticated swing. The guest artists, too,

impress for their jazz chops: vocalists Amy London,
Emily Bindiger, Kevin Osborne and Aubrey Johnson.
Johnson also guested on This Is Our Environment(Next Level), the debut album of saxophonist Joseph
Herbst’s forward-looking sextet. Herbst uses musicalnarrative, open vocals and spoken word to draw
attention to human fallibility regarding the demise of thenatural world. It’s a distressing theme, to be sure, but themusic is not: the album concludes with an exuberant
brass send-off—an incentive to do better, perhaps.
This year, we will miss singer Freddy Cole (19312020), whose annual Dizzy’s Club Valentine’s Day
show set the standard. Two of Cole’s albums with
DiMartino received Grammy nominations for Best Jazz
Album—Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B in 2010 and My Mood Is
You in 2018, both for HighNote. The latter was Cole’s
last release—worth a revisit just to hear “I’ll Always
Leave The Door A Little Open”, a bit of hope nestled in
nostalgia. And to hear DiMartino contemporaneously
this Valentine’s Day, visit Jazz on 38, a live-stream fromthe Four Seasons featuring vocalist Lizzie Thomas.
Before we forget: Two 2020 releases deserve morethan a passing nod. Brianna Thomas continues to amazewith powerful delivery and soulful understanding ofclassic tunes (plus two originals) on Everybody Knows(Breathline), her sophomore album. And singer/
shamisen player Emi Makabe makes a solid landing withher debut Anniversary (Greenleaf), a satisfying meldingof Japanese folk, American pop and modern jazz. v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 9

IN MEMORIAM

STANLEY
COWELLby andrey henkin

P ianist Stanley Cowell, longtime musical partner ofCharles Tolliver, with whom he founded Strata-East
Records, had over two dozen albums as a leader since
1969 including, most recently, Live At Keystone Korner
Baltimore (SteepleChase), myriad sideman credits anda professorship at Mason Gross School of the Arts ofRutgers University, died Dec. 17th at 79.
Cowell was born May 5th, 1941 in Toledo, OH. He
became interested in piano through exposure to Art
Tatum, who was a family friend. After attending
Oberlin College Conservatory and University ofMichigan and working with Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Cowell moved to New York and began his recording
career in 1966, appearing on albums by Marion Brown,
Max Roach, Gary Bartz, Jack DeJohnette and, mostsignificantly Tolliver ’s The Ringer (Polydor, 1969), as
well as waxing his own leader debut Blues For The Viet
Cong for the same label three days later.
In 1971, Tolliver and Cowell released theeponymous debut of Music Inc. for their new StrataEast label. Cowell described it to our own Anders
Griffen in a 2015 interview as, “It was not a cooperative,
it was a condominium concept. Charles and I owned
the structure, the distribution set up by us over a
period with our own recordings and then we began toexpand by incorporating other producers and theywould assign their product to us to distribute. We
reversed the monetary arrangement that companies
had; the lion’s share went to the producers.” Cowellwould lead two albums for Strata-East, 1973’s Musa Ancestral Streams and 1976’s Regeneration, as well as
recording over a dozen times as a sideman.
The ‘70s also saw Cowell dates for Freedom, ECM,
Trio and Galaxy as well as credits under Les McCann,
Bobby Hutcherson, Oliver Nelson, The Heath Brothers,
Sonny Rollins, Sonny Fortune, Clifford Jordan, John
Gordon, Roy Haynes, Richard Davis, Barry Wallensteinand Arthur Blythe. The ‘80s and beyond had work withArt Pepper, George Russell, Dick Griffin, Larry Coryell
and releases as a leader for Concord, DIW andSteepleChase, for whom Cowell first recorded in 1989
(Sienna), going on to make over a dozen albums.
One of Cowell’s major statements was done inconjunction with the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth(commemorating the ending of slavery in the U.S.) in
2016, a solo piano reduction of a concert band work
based on the Emancipation Proclamation, released on
Vision Fugitive as Juneteenth (Piano Solo). And, relating
to another type of slavery, Professor Cowell was activein educating his students of the perils of the musicindustry. As he told Griffen, “I actually spent several
classes on contract reading, trying to get them up on
how not to be ripped off by contracts...and historically,
what has happened to many musicians in all genres ofmusic who basically died very poor.”

CLAUDE BOLLING (Apr. 10th, 1930 Dec. 29th, 2020) The French pianist andrecipient of his country’s Officer of the
Legion of Honor and Commander in theOrder of Arts and Letters backed Mezz
Mezzrow, Lionel Hampton, Albert
Nicholas and other Americans in early‘50s Paris and made his own albums from the mid ‘40s
onwards for numerous labels (his most famous album,
a 1975 collaboration with Jean-Pierre Rampal, Suite For
Flute And Jazz Piano came on Columbia Masterworks):
MPF, EMI-Pathé, CAM, CBS, Disques Adès, CBS, Milan,
Naxos and Frémeaux & Associés, many of which weresoundtracks for the over 100 films for which hecomposed the scores. Bolling died Dec. 29th at 90.
JEFF CLAYTON (Feb. 16th, 1954 - Dec.
17th, 2020) The reed and wind player
was part of a notable jazz family (bassist
brother John and pianist nephew
Gerald) and worked with Patrice
Rushen, Norman Connors, Creative
Arts Ensemble, Henry Butler, Ray
Brown, Gene Harris, Ruth Brown, John Pizzarelli, Dee
Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Diana Krall and Kenny
Burrell, plus myriad pop artists, and released albums
with his brother on Concord, Capri, Lake Street, Qwest,
Fable, Verve, MCG, Telarc, ArtistShare, Capitol andBlue Note. Clayton died Dec. 17th at 66.
VICTOR CUICA (Apr. 19th, 1949 - Dec.
26th, 2020) The Venezuelan saxophonist/
flutist (and actor) worked with Chucho
Sanoja and Óscar d’León, led his owngroups from the late ‘70s onwards,
releasing albums on Columbia, Kandra,
Obese-Pacanins and CrioJazz, andguested live with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band andLionel Hampton. Cuica died Dec. 26th at 71.
DEBBIE DUNCAN (1951 - Dec. 18th,2020) The vocalist/Minneapolis stalwart
recorded
with
Jimmy
McGriff,
University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Jazz
Ensemble, Oleta Adams, The Girls, andAaron Keith Stewart along with albums
as a leader since the mid ‘90s on Igmod,
Danti and FS Music. Duncan died Dec. 18th at 69.
EUGEN HAHN (1941 - Dec. 22nd, 2020)
The German electric bassist was in
Klaus Lenz Modern Soul Big Band inthe ‘70s and contributed photographs toreleases by Klaus Ignatzek and Peter
Kowald but made his biggest mark injazz running the Jazzkeller Frankfurt
for three decades.. Hahn died Dec. 22nd at 79.
FRANK KIMBROUGH (Nov. 2nd, 1956
- Dec. 30th, 2020) The pianist gained
fame as a member of the Jazz Composers
Collective (JCC) in the early ‘90s; hadover a dozen leader releases since thelate ‘80s on Mapleshade, Igmod,
OmniTone,
Soul
Note,
Palmetto,
ScienSonic, Newvelle, Pirouet and, most recently,
Sunnyside (the six-CD set Monk’s Dreams: The Complete
Compositions Of Thelonious Sphere Monk); a 25-year
tenure in the Maria Schneider Orchestra (appearing onseven albums, including 2020’s Data Lords on
ArtistShare); work with the JCC’s Herbie Nichols Project
and fellow JCCers such as Ted Nash, Ben Allison, Ron
Horton and Michael Blake; a long partnership with Joe
Locke; sideman credits with Igor Butman, Rich Perry,
Kendra Shank, Maryanne De Prophetis, Katie Bull,
Noah Preminger, Patrick Cornelius, John Menegon, Jay
Anderson and others; and a teaching position at Juilliard
since 2008. Kimbrough died Dec. 30th at 64.

10 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDJULIAN LEE (Nov. 11th, 1923 - Dec. 3rd,2020) The New Zealander pianist
worked both in Australia with Don
Burrows, Johnny Nicol, Don Harper,
Billy Fields and others and Los Angeles
arranging for George Shearing, The
Three Sounds, Harry Edison, Bud
Shank, Chet Baker and more, also releasing a handful ofalbums as a leader or co-leader. Lee died Dec. 3rd at 97.
GÖSTA LINDERHOLM (Jun. 22nd,
1941 - Dec. 29th, 2020) The Swedish
vocalist/clarinetist was part of his
country’s Dixieland and trad jazzscenes, both as part of the Jazz Doctors
in the ‘50s-60s and the Sveriges
Jazzband in the ‘70s and as leader,releasing albums on Metronome, Scranta and Blå Ton
since the mid ‘70s. Linderholm died Dec. 29th at 79.
RON MATHEWSON (Feb. 19th, 1944 Dec. 3rd, 2020) The Scottish bassist was
active from the late ‘60s into the early
Aughts, working both with countrymen
like Alex Welsh, Ray Russell, Tubby
Hayes, Ronnie Scott, John Stevens, Stan
Sulzmann, Charlie Watts and Mick Pyne
and visiting Americans such as Bud Freeman, Wild Bill
Davison, Earl Hines, Charles Tolliver, Philly Joe Jones,
Phil Woods and Ray Nance, collaborating with Ray
Warleigh, John Taylor, Gordon Beck and Daniel Humair,part of groups like the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland
Big Band, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Chitinous
Ensemble, Nucleus, Gyroscope, Paz, Rollercoaster and,in 2020, had several of his archival tapes from the ‘60s80s with Allan Holdsworth, Alan Cohen and others
released on the Jazz In Britain label. Mathewson died
Dec. 3rd at 76 of complications from COVID-19.
DIANE MOSER (Jul. 29th, 1957 - Dec.
17th, 2020) The pianist/composer led
a regular working big band since thelate ‘90s and released recordings withgroups of varying sizes for New Arts,
Twin Rivers, CIMP, Planet Arts and
Minus
Zero,
with
collaborators
including Mark Dresser, Hafez Modirzadeh, Ken
Filiano and others. Moser died Dec. 17th at 63.
EUGENE WRIGHT (May 29th, 1923 Dec. 30th, 2020) The bassist was the last
survivor of the classic Dave Brubeck
Quartet, playing with the pianist from
1958-67 and appearing on Jazz
Impressions Of Eurasia, Time Out, Brubeck
A La Mode, Countdown: Time In Outer
Space, At Carnegie Hall, Jazz Impressions Of Japan, Time
Changes, Bravo! Brubeck! and several other LPs, to go
along with dozens of other credits in the bands of Leo
Parker, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Arnett Cobb,
Kenny Drew, Buddy DeFranco, Gerald Wiggins, Cal
Tjader, Buddy Collette, Red Norvo, Paul Desmond andMonty Alexander, plus early leader work while still in
Chicago with a band featuring a young Sun Ra asMusical Director and a 1962 date for Philips recorded
in New Zealand, finishing up his career as head of the
jazz department at the University of Cincinnati andleading the International Society of Bassists. Wrightdied Dec. 30th at 97.
ED XIQUES (Oct. 9th, 1939 - Dec. 4th,2020) The saxophonist/flutist recordedwith Steve Marcus, Melvin Sparks,
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Bill
Watrous, Frank Foster, McCoy Tyner,Rich Shemaria, Diane Moser, Joseph C.
Phillips, Bill Warfield, Westchester Jazz
Orchestra and others. Xiques died Dec. 4th at 81. v

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)TNYCJR: You could say there’s a difference between
those who move for the mere sake of it because they don’tknow how to be still and those who have to be still andlet the world blossom around them. You can’t be attentive
to the spirit, or any spirit, if you’re always on the go,
because you’re either too busy talking down to everyone
or shutting them out. We need time for cultivation.
LR: I’m doing a piece right now on technology and I
keep coming back to this image of Toto pulling backthe curtain in The Wizard of Oz. That’s exactly what I
see going on. The mask is coming down and there’s
desperation out there. We have to be careful with our
minds, because the proverbial THEY understand thepower of hypnotism based on repetition. Sometimes I
hear the classics on the radio and am reminded of how
the jazz greats did so much with so little. I’m blessed tohave grown up in that time. Not just around jazz, but
Black music in general. Gospel, R&B and don’t get me
started on James Brown, now he packed the party. As
soon as he came on, it was hands up. And if you didn’t
have anybody, you just danced with the wall. But you
were still telling a story.
TNYCJR: How did this upcoming live-stream concert
come about?
LR: One Breath Rising asked me and I said yes, simple
as that. Since then, I’ve been going through the pieces in
my mind, letting them grow. The fact that it takes place
on Valentine’s Day reminds me of a performance I did
for the Provincetown Playhouse at the invitation ofRegina Ress, who teaches storytelling at NYU. In thatpiece, I said I was “looking for an analog love ina digital world”. That notion got me thinking aboutsound. We’re living in a world of ones and zeros, kicked
off with an electrical connection, but I’m used to striking
something, producing vibration.
In that performance, for which I both spoke andplayed, I told the story of my bass, which was built inGermany in the 1840s. It was found in a bombed-out
building in Berlin and no one knows how it got here.
I had a chance to try it out at the luthier ’s shop when
I was getting my plywood model fixed. That night,
I couldn’t sleep, all I could hear was that sound. I was
in love. I ended up trading my bass for the German one
and it’s still my go-to instrument. I told a more detailed
version of that story to an audience once and at the end
these two old couples approached me and introduced
themselves as German concentration camp survivors.
They felt such an affinity for my bass, down to theserial number imprinted on the scroll. As I was giving
them a closer look, one of the wives was patting andrubbing the bass like it was a real individual, which it
is. I got really emotional. They saw a lot of people inthat story and told me to keep playing. That’s when I
realized the gift ran both ways. You pull in things thatso many others take for granted, and you magnify
them. This is who we are.
TNYCJR: Speaking of sound, I can’t help but feel likeyou’re reciting poetry when you’re playing bass andplaying bass when you’re reciting poetry.
LR: I’ll walk with that, too. I live an improvisational
lifestyle. Whatever I don’t do today, I’ll do the next time.
TNYCJR: Finally, I’d like to go back to the beginningof your relationship with the bass.
LR: I didn’t pick the bass up until I was 30. When I did,I already knew how I wanted it to sound and where
I would go with it. Back then, I was getting poetry gigs
in Boston when I ran into a bassist by the name of John
Jamyll Jones. We were having a Black History Monthprogram and I wanted him to accompany me while

I read. The performance was even shown on PBS under
the name Say Brother. After that I joined his band,
Worlds, reciting poetry and playing a little percussion.
They had two bassists, one of whom pursued otherpaths in life and sold me his bass. At first, I just had
it in the living room, but then I would put on John
Coltrane’s Ascension and start playing along with it.
I felt like part of the band. Jamyll showed me therudiments: how to hold the instrument and plant myfeet properly. Then I got some books on fingering andsuch. I practiced every night. I just wanted to play.
I never met my teachers: Jimmy Garrison, Ron Carter,Paul Chambers and Palle Danielsson. Then, a guy from
Berklee who’d heard me play called me about joining
him at Wally’s. He needed someone fast, so I took therisk and developed from there. Aside from studying
a bit with Cecil McBee, I was largely self-taught. It wasalways about the music. It saved my life. I was alistener before I was a player and I’m still listening. v
For more information, visit ogijaz.com. Roland live-streams
Feb. 14 at onebreathrising.org.
Recommended Listening:• World’s Experience Orchestra—The Beginning Of A
New Birth/As Time Flows On (World Productions—
Now Again, Now Again, 1975/77)• Raphe Malik 5tet—21st Century Texts (FMP, 1991)• Dennis Warren’s Full Metal Revolutionary Jazz
Ensemble—Watch Out! (Accurate, 1996)• Larry Roland—As Time Flows On(Boston Composers Group, 2001)• Charles Gayle—Streets (Northern Spy, 2011)• Steve Cohn/Daniel Carter/Larry Roland/
Marvin Bugalu Smith—Voyager (Tube Room, 2018)(ENCORE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8)
Franklin and Burnett have been working in a new trio
with pianist Robert Turner, revisiting the foot-tapping
positive vibes they felt while working with Harris.
This trio recently released a recording of one of theirmost recent performances from February 2020, Live at
the Gardenia Club by 3 More Sounds.
Otherwise, 2020 has been quieter than usual, ofcourse. He’s done a couple record dates and some live
-streaming concerts. This new year kicks off with morerecording, including an exciting sextet that Franklin
has lined up with Nolan Shaheed (trumpet), Teodross
Avery (tenor), Ryan Porter (trombone), Theo Saunders(piano) and Willie Jones III (drums). He’s worked withthem all before separately in various situations. When
asked if he had plans to perform with that band he said
no. “Those guys are so busy individually I thought if I
could get them together once…Willie’s very busy, helives in New York. Teodross is very busy in L.A. andwherever he’s at he’s got his own thing happening.
Ryan Porter plays with Kamasi [Washington] and when
they get started they’re going to be on the road all thetime. Nolan’s pretty busy with his studio. I don’t think
we’re gonna get together again. On an ideal day I’dlove to perform with that group, but no plans.” v
For more information, visit sprecords.com
Recommended Listening:• Hugh Masekela—The Promise of a Future (UNI, 1968)• Henry Franklin—The Skipper (Black Jazz, 1971)• Henry Franklin—Tribal Dance (Catalyst, 1977)• Dennis Gonzalez New Dallas Quartet—
Stefan (Silkheart, 1986)• Azar Lawrence—Prayer For My Ancestors(Furthermore, 2008)• 3 More Sounds (Henry Franklin/Robert Turner/
Carl Burnett)—Live at The Gardenia Club
(Skipper Prod., 2017)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 11

BLACK Y
HISTORHMONT

ALBUM REVIEWS

We’ve Had Enough!
Fay Victor SoundNoiseFUNK (ESP-Disk’)by John Pietaro

Fay Victor requires no introduction within New York’s

improvisational music sector, her fluid, powerful voicea clarion call to the possibilities of musical emotion.
Victor bested the damned virus by releasing We’ve Had
Enough! prior to the end of a hellish 2020. She reunited
her quartet SoundNoiseFUNK—soprano saxophonist
Sam Newsome, electric guitarist Joe Morris anddrummer Reggie Nicholson—toward a definitive
statement, though one they could hardly have imaginedwhen recording at Firehouse 12 in New Haven months
before lockdown. Said statement reaches well beyond
the travails of COVID-19; the title speaks to the state ofinjustice the planet has struggled through, particularlyon these shores, though the issues, upon evenprecursory inspection, are frighteningly long-term.
In her liner notes, written in real time between
October 2019 and July 2020, Victor defines the recording
as “a protest record”, concluding the brief but telling
diary with “No justice, no peace. Never.” “What’s Gone
Wrong?”, a work credited specifically to Victor, whichruns just shy of ten minutes, explores the depth of thequestion, “What’s gone wrong with the world?” Heard
initially as a modified madrigal, the phrase is carriedthrough ongoing variations with the instrumentalists
commenting, flanking and opposing the vocal melody.
Repetition, sure, but treated in a manner that belies theterm: Victor appears to cry over whole sections while
shouting through others, the clearer repetitive figuresof Morris almost tormenting when not complementing.
It’s a tour de force in which Newsome soars indelectable, often Coltrane-like flights.
14-minute “I.M. Peach”, on the other hand, is built
on fragments of words, syllables or perhaps neologisms
expressed in frantic streams. No critic would dare callthis “scat” without a wink toward its dual meaning
when paired with Trumpist newspeak. Backed bydroning electronics, the piece must be particularly
fascinating live. And outstanding in any forum is“Wereld Worn”, another Victor composition. On thisselection the quartet is equally at center, churning,throbbing, with Newsome, Morris and Nicholson
playing independent and gripping counterpoint lines
on par with Victor ’s frontispiece. She pours empathy
through a guttural lyric, but the work’s last 60 or soseconds approximates the sound of the proletariat
woman’s ‘silent scream’ Brecht wrote of long ago. Likeso much of Victor ’s work, it’s damned chilling.
For more information, visit espdisk.com. This project livestreams Feb. 11th at roulette.org.

Sonic Journey: Live at the Red Room (Solo Concert)
Free Wyoming (Live at the Metro Coffee Co.)
Subspace Interception(Live at the Women from Space Festival)
Sam Newsome (s/r)
by John Sharpe

Since 1995, saxophonist Sam Newsome has been one ofa small cohort focusing exclusively on the soprano. He isa determinedly adventurous sonic explorer, who spices

his liberated discourse with extended techniques such as
flutter tonguing and circular breathing and preparations,
including inserting tubing between mouthpiece andbody, or placing noisemakers in the bell. Newsome’s
achievement is to make these approaches musically
relevant and satisfying, as manifest in these three digital
releases of concert recordings.
Newsome is also something of a solo specialist,
with Sonic Journey being at least his eighth such outing
to date. Newsome exploits to the full the complete
command over pacing afforded by his exposed position,
making the title an apt descriptor of the dramatic arc
along which he transports his listeners. With its plosive
attacks in rhythmic formation interspersed withcarefully controlled multiphonic blasts, the opening“Monster Talk” gives an acute sense of the attention todetail and design on show throughout. Newsome
deploys three repertoire classics during the 50-minuteset. The familiar contours of “Giant Steps”, portrayed indeeply personal style, appear after the twists and turnsof a flowing blues-inflected line. Steve Lacy claimed
that Monk is particularly suited to the soprano andNewsome would seem to agree. He revisits “Misterioso”
and “Monk’s Dream”, where he largely maintains thecadence and pitch, but colors with outbreaks of expertly
marshaled overtones, evocative of the exquisite
dissonance the composer so favored. On “Amazon
Nuances” Newsome combines a percussive tappingwith a pulsing declamatory yelp. Even deprived of thevisual elements that enliven such exhibitions, it provides
a captivating narrative. To demonstrate that
unconventional needn’t be forbidding, the show ends
with an undulating didgeridoo-like throb before
transforming to a funky slap-tongue dance, which elicits
deserved enthusiasm from the attendant crowd.
Some of the same sonorities resurface on Free
Wyoming on which Newsome teams up in a first meetingwith Colorado-based bassist Matt Smiley and drummer
Ron Coulter, who teaches at Casper College where theconcert was recorded. They prove sympathetic
collaborators as they share Newsome’s ethos of playing
music that is “free to” rather than “free from” during
four purposeful group fabrications touching on an arrayof influences. Perhaps that point is best affirmed by“Black Hills”, which leans closest to the norms, withsoprano surging over a loose-limbed groove fromwalking bass and ticking ride. Newsome gradually
stretches the parameters, moving with Coulter into
squalling freeform as the bass pounds, before the piece
culminates in another nod to the canon with “BlueMonk”. Elsewhere the predominant mode is unfetteredtextural exchange following an unpredictable trajectory.
Scrapes, drones and rattles sometimes belie an obvious
instrumental source, perfectly illustrated in the openingof the lengthy “Big Horn” where overblown upper
partials are winningly joined by either arco bass
harmonics or bowed cymbals, or both! On “Owl Creek”
Newsome extemporizes a folk-tinged air, shadowed bytolling bass and tinkling percussion, creating a bucolic
scene before things take a decisive left turn with swift
abrasions, effervescent pops and slobbered gurgles.
More experimental still, but equally simpatico, is
Subspace Interception, on which Newsome partners withfellow soprano enthusiast Kayla Milmine at Toronto’s
2020 Women From Space Festival (she co-organizes theevent and also leads the Toronto Improvisers Orchestra).
In just under 30 minutes the pair probe the limits ofwhat’s possible on their axes, communicating in an
expressive language of squawks, knocks and blurts.
Two long improvs allow thorough investigation of theplethora of combinations available. At one pointmechanical noises evoke a distant subway train,
juxtaposed against distorted hoots. But then a third
voice of choked whistles enters defying easy attribution.
Yet some of the most gripping moments arrive courtesyof more conventional dialogue, in episodes ofintertwined middle-register dash animated by lapping
overtones. On “Subspace Geometry” Newsome flirts

12 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

with lyricism as his hanging chimes furnish a clinking
backdrop while Milmine answers in a slightly moreacerbic mood. Shifting in and out of consonance, theygenerate some delicious oscillating tones as they draw
slightly apart. Each on occasion contributes reiterated
phrases that add anchoring structural ingredients to theinterplay, one such coming in the passage of minimalist
counterpoint, which ends the title track on a high. They
finish on a humorous note, with the brief concluding“Subspace Malfunction” suggesting a grumpy shouting
match between two squeaky teddy bears.
For more information, visit samnewsome2.bandcamp.com.
Newsome live-streams Feb. 11th with Fay Victor at roulette.org.

ON SCREEN

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
by Kurt Gottschalk

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the kind of movie that’s

worth walking into blind. But for the curious
cinephile compelled to know what they’re getting
into, it’s important to note that it is not particularly
a movie about Ma Rainey. She’s in there, but she’s
not the subject. The blues legend’s name functions
as an adjective in the title and the movie revolves
around her, but it’s not about her and Viola Davis—
who turns in a fantastic performance as the titularcharacter—is not the performer given the mostscreen time in the feature.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom isn’t a biopic. Rather,it’s a movie about the musicians who made Rainey’srecord “Black Bottom” and about the afternoon thatrecord was made. It’s a movie about playing music
and talking jive. It’s a movie about Black culture andabout hitting bottom and, sometimes, pullingyourself up again. It’s a movie about egos and age
and character and conflict.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a mood piece, an
adaptation of the play of the same name that’s thickwith cinematic atmosphere. Director George C.
Wolfe—who brought Angels in America: Millennium
Approaches and Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk tothe stage—does a stellar job of putting August
Wilson’s 1982 stage play on the screen. Without
extending the scene beyond the street outside thedowntown Chicago recording studio, Wolfe keeps
the story alive. The feeling of the walls closing incomes from the hot afternoon and the mounting
character tensions, not from the fact that thenarrative never leaves the studio.
The film will be remembered as Chadwick
Boseman’s final role and that’s fine because it’s amovie that deserves to be remembered and talked
about, whatever gets it there. Boseman—who
succumbed to cancer in August 2020 at the age of
43—is remarkable as the upstart trumpeter who’s
too cocksure to ingratiate himself to anyone. Hisarrogance anchors the story and Boseman, whowent so far as to learn trumpet fingerings for thepart, elicits equal parts sympathy and fury. Ma
Rainey’s Black Bottom is a powerful movie that, by
not saying much, says an awful lot.
For more information, visit netflix.com

BLACKHISTORY
MONTH

Live in Willisau
James Brandon Lewis/Chad Taylor (Intakt)
Molecular
James Brandon Lewis Quartet (Intakt)
Emergence
Orientation of We (OFF)by George Grella

The first of the three albums under review here brings

the return of the duo that produced the fine 2018
release Radiant Imprints. Saxophonist James Brandon
Lewis and drummer Chad Taylor are also two of thebusiest musicians in contemporary jazz, recording
regularly as leaders, members of other ensembles andsidemen. There’s no accident to that; the two bringstrong, distinctive voices to everything they do anda stylistic range that has become a de facto requirementfor 21st Century jazz musicians. And no surprise, Livein Willisau is an excellent album, deeper than the firstfrom the pair and one of the top releases of 2020.
The title is a direct and deliberate response andhomage to the classic Dewey Redman/Ed Blackwell
duo album Red and Black, also recorded live (in 1980) at
the Willisau Jazz Festival. Lewis has a touch of
Redman’s keen edge but is otherwise his own man andhe and Taylor are very much doing their own thing,other than playing a tidy, spirited version of “William”
from Red and Black. The two work up a punchy New
Orleans strut on that one, but with their own seasoning,which means a generous amount of hip-hop inflections
and go-go beats. They also play a pithy, buttery take ofDuke Ellington’s “Come Sunday”, with Taylor on
mbira, but the rest of the material is all their own,
including the opening “Twenty Four”, a rewrite ofJohn Coltrane material. The encore, a fantasy on“Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, saves the original
melody for the end and stands alone as an invention
from Lewis and Taylor.
Lewis consistently thrives in a live context,
something the two studio albums set into relief. Taylor
is behind the drum kit again for Molecular alongside
pianist Aruán Ortiz and bassist Brad Jones, but even so
there is a mellower quality to the album. In subtle
ways, Lewis seems to chafe against the proceedings.
It’s not a bad thing and he himself may not be aware ofit and it happens even on the uptempo “Helix”, where
he seems to be reaching for something outside of thetune. What makes his playing so refreshing andinvolving is that where dozens of other saxophonists
would launch into the type of smeared altissimo
passages that have been a signifier of freedom for
decades, Lewis looks for opportunities via articulationand finer rhythmic sub-divisions. He’s not searchingfor emotional fire or catharsis, but some other aesthetic
that might be right next door. That makes his playing
exciting and satisfying and never pedestrian. Plus, he’s
always direct; the hip-hop phrasing he moves in andout of is natural, tough-minded and expressive. The
album has something of a sleeper quality, the first
listen leaves a good impression, but follow-ups deepen
the experience and tracks like the title cut are soulful,passionate and inventive. A real winner.
Orientation of We is a collaborative quartet
comprised of Lewis, trumpeter Michael Irwin, bassist
Max Johnson and drummer Joe Hertenstein. The
manner of their playing on Emergence is related to theOrnette Coleman Quartet, though this group isoriented around riffs and clear-cut harmonic
procedures. Irwin is an immediate connection, stabbingout concise lead lines and antiphonal responses withmore than a little of Don Cherry’s grainy tone. Lewis is
not the leader, but the inherent strength of his playing,
the muscular passion and searching tone—not for the
first time one thinks of Tina Brooks when hearing

him—rises above the rest of this ensemble. That’s nosmall feat, especially with the rock-solid rhythm
section. The recording session was back in 2017 and allthese musicians have gone on to other things in thisage when no one can afford to keep a working band
together. That’s no small shame, as this one off is full ofintelligent, sympathetic interplay and gripping
forward motion.

ON SCREEN

For more information, visit intaktrec.ch and stilll-off.
bandcamp.com. Lewis live-streams Feb. 18th at
artsforart.org/onlinesalon.html.
Soul (Pixar)
by Andrey Henkin

For its 23rd film, Pixar has put into the lead role a

Spirit Groove (featuring David Murray)
Kahil El’Zabar (Spiritmuse)
Pathways & Passages
Cosmic Vibrations (feat. Dwight Trible) (Spiritmuse)by Jim Motavalli

These are two albums with a commitment to thespiritual jazz fostered by Pharoah Sanders, Archie
Shepp, Leon Thomas, Andy Bey and their fellow
travelers back in the late ‘60s. Especially Bey andThomas, because these are both vocal albums.
Drummer Kahil El’Zabar ’s Spirit Groove benefits
mightily from David Murray’s tenor saxophone. The
tunes are essentially long vamps and when the players
come together, as on compact “Trane in Mind” and “In
the Spirit”, it’s transcendent. When things meander, as
on lengthy “One World Family”, it’s less so. El’Zabar
also sings with some soulfulness, but the lyrics soundimprovised. A key track is “Katon”, which downplays
the vocalizing to achieve an incantatory movement
driven by African thumb piano and shimmering piano
from Justin Dillard. Murray enters stealthily and issoon emitting squeaks, squeals, squawks and whateverelse works. “Songs of Myself” is similarly good.
“Necktar” has a catchy melody and more strong
Murray, but also El’Zabar chanting “open up the door”
over and over. The longest track, the 20-minute “In My
House”, has some moments but overstays its welcome.
Pathways & Passages also looks back at some greatmusic, but doesn’t work quite as well. Vocalist DwightTrible, who loves funereal tempos, sounds like Bey
meeting Arthur Prysock. The results are somewhat
lugubrious. Standards “Some Other Time” and “Blue
Skies”, for instance, unfold slowly. Trible is anexpressive singer, however, and this Los Angeles-based
music may grow on listeners—loose sounds like these,with lots of enthusiastic percussion, were a staple atcommunity center concerts in the ‘70s. Again, thumbpiano—a period favorite—is front and center, as are thecongas. “Olbap” is the best track and really builds arolling groove. Trible here channels his inner Thomas,
but is somewhat down in the mix. There’s nice tenor
work by Pablo Calogero, again off-center in the mix,
and on “Passages”, otherwise another percussion
workout; he adds a light dance step to the second halfof the tune. “Motherless Child” is a decent vehicle for
Trible’s more expressive singing. Is that really Derf
Reklaw playing that oh-so-’70s flute on “Movin’ On”?
No, it’s Fred Walker with his name reversed. As Derf,
he was the flute and sax player in the 1982 crime drama
Penitentiary II. Truth in advertising department: The
liner notes credit “Some Other Time” to the Cosmic
Vibrations, but it was written for 1944’s On the Town by
Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Betty Comden and
Adolph Green. And the group didn’t write “MotherlessChild” either—it’s an old spiritual.

Black man after, in order (and including sequels),a white toy, bug, monster, fish, white superhero, car,rat, robot, white old man, white girl, dinosaur,
Mexican boy and elf. Soul (directed by Pete Docter
and written by Docter, Mike Jones and Kemp Powers)
is a day-plus in the life of 30-something pianist Joe
Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx, played by Jonathan
Batiste), whom we see in his unfulfilling job as a
middle school band teacher, finally getting his break
to be in a high-profile jazz group, falling down an
open manhole, arriving in some non-denominational
pre/post-life and spending the rest of the movie
trying to cheat death and return to Earth by counseling22, an ancient recalcitrant soul (Tina Fey), about thewonders of existence on Earth, finally making it backin time for opening night of the rest of his life.
As such, Soul is the anti-Whiplash, both it and the2014 Damien Chazelle film featuring teachers putting
important life lessons to needy students in thecontext of jazz. And if the message and audience iswildly different—and no one will confuse Gardner’s
wide-eyed wonder with Terence Fletcher’s violent
bullying—the use of jazz as a vehicle feels similarly
tacked-on. Both movies could have been made about
young football players and coaches or graduate
students in chemistry and their advisers—or Gardnerand Andrew Neiman could have been classicalmusicians—showing the power and responsibility ofthe educator on the educatee and how the roles canbe reversed. Adding to this is that the music in theworld in which Gardner spends much of the movie isscored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, a mild
video game-like soundscape rather than, say, Duke
Ellington’s Sacred Concerts. And while there arecultural tropes to be found, such as Gardner’s deadmusician father and strong single mother or thebarbershop as community center, attention was also
paid to making these less caricature-like. For those
who remember Crayola’s “flesh” crayon, the otherBlack characters in Soul have a wide range of skintones, hair types and speech patterns.
Those observations aside, Soul is as pleasant andcharming as an Erroll Garner LP. The producers madethe effort to have the jazz portions of the film feel
authentic: note the fluttering gullet of saxophonist
Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett/Tia Fuller) andangle of attack of Gardner’s fingers on the keyboard
or the way that Williams auditions Gardner without
telling him what song he will be playing, small details
jazz fans will appreciate. A particularly nice characteris the adolescent Connie, a budding trombonist
mentored by Gardner. Soul is also a paean to New
York City, with The Half-Note club obviously
patterned after the Village Vanguard; 22 (occupying
Gardner’s body) navigating the subway; and cameos
by the hapless Knicks and Pizza Rat. Similar to 2009’s
Up, the only other Pixar film this reviewer has seen,
Soul takes on important questions of existence in aslightly sappy but, ultimately, moving fashion.
For more information, visit disneyplus.com

For more information, visit spiritmuserecords.bandcamp.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 13

BLACK Y
HISTORHMONT

G LO B E U N I T Y

Dialectic Soul
Asher Gamedze (On The Corner)
To Know Without Knowing
Mulatu Astatke & The Black Jesus Experience (Agogo)
We Are Sent Here By History
Shabaka & The Ancestors (Impulse)by Tom Greenland

In observing Black History Month in the wake ofsignificant socio-political unrest, it helps to rememberthat the unquenchable spirit and undeniable genius
of African American artists who created jazz
exemplifies their struggle and triumph in the face ofadversity, a struggle still heard in the music.
Drummer Asher Gamedze hails from Cape Town.
His debut Dialectic Soul is with trumpeter Robin
Fassie-Kock, tenor saxophonist Buddy Wells andbassist Thembinkosi Mavimbela, plus guest vocalist
Nono Nkoane. “Dialectic” here refers to the African
struggle for identity and power in the face ofcolonialism and its aftermath, heard in the music’s
perpetual motion, even at its gentlest moments, asanimated bass and drums buffet slow-moving themes.
Opener “State of Emergence Suite”, almost 19 minutes
long, is notable for organic transitions between
diverse moods and textures. “Siyabulela”, featuring
Nkoane, is a calming, intimate hymn; “Interregnum”
a free-swinging accompaniment to (English) spoken
word; “Eternality” boasts fine bop-tinged horn solos.
“The Speculative Fourth” closes the set with a light,
catchy tune buoyed by a Cape Town beat.
To Know Without Knowing is the second
collaboration by Ethiopian vibraphonist and father ofEthio-jazz Mulatu Astatke and Melbourne-based
nonet Black Jesus Experience. It too mixes politics andspirituality. In “Living On Stolen Land”, for example,
vocalist Vida Sunshyne bemoans the Maori people’s
estrangement from their lands, followed by MC“Monk” Monkhouse’s rap on the foresaking of ancientsacred ways, all underpinned by riff-based Ethiopian
melodies, chromatically enhanced modal harmonies
and club-friendly rhythms. On the title track,
Monkhouse speaks of greed for oil and gold—our egos
“eating up everything”—while the band stretches out
over a syncopated six-beat groove, milking it to the lastdrop of sweat. Genres—boogaloo (“Blue Light”), funk(“Lijay”), disco/house (“Mascaram Setaba”), go-go (“AChance to Give”)—are reworked, Ethio-style, to insurethat even the bitterest political truths are ingested witha spoonful of sugar.
Shabaka Hutchings & The Ancestors joins the
Barbadian-British tenor saxophonist, a central figurein London’s jazz scene, with musicians from theJohannesburg (and Soweto) scenes: vocalist
Siyabonga Mthembu, alto saxophonist Mthunzi
Mvubu, bassist Ariel Zamonsky, drummer Tumi
Mogorosi and percussionist Gontse Makhene. We
Are Sent Here By History is the band’s second outing,built around the sound of twining horns, evocative
singing (part Teddy Pendergrass, part Luciano
Pavarotti) and charismatic pulse-keeping. It’s a little
hard to describe how well this all works—hints of
mid-period Coltrane, jam bands and something else
altogether—but tracks like “Behold, the Deceiver”,“The Coming of the Strange Ones” and “’Til theFreedom Comes Home” achieve an uncanny alchemyof simplicity and complexity, seriousness and play.
For more information, visit onthecornerrecords.bandcamp.com,
agogo-records.com and impulserecords.com

HH
Lionel Loueke (Edition)
Three
Gilfema (Sounderscore)by Tom Greenland

G uitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke’s work is a study incontrasts. On two new releases, a solo tribute to his
mentor Herbie Hancock, and a reunion of his trio withbassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth,collectively known as Gilfema, he displays thecontradictory aspects of his art: cerebral exploration
alongside body-based grooves; a soft, intimate
fingerstyle attack filtered through hard, metallic signal
processors; danceable beats in spite of not-so-danceable
time signatures; spontaneous jams remodeled via
studio overdubs and effects; and the revamping of
local styles to suit a cosmopolitan sensibility.
Having toured with Hancock since 2005 andappeared on three of his albums, Loueke is wellacquainted with the maestro’s repertoire and modi
operandi. HH gives him a chance to revisit Hancock’s
songs (plus two originals) alone, all but two tracks
performed on seven-string acoustic guitar, augmented
by overdubs and loops. Using his right thumb forbasslines, slapping backbeats with his palm andplucking melodies and chords on the high strings withhis fingers—a technique very similar to Tuck Andress—
Loueke achieves a balanced, orchestral effect on theguitar, transparent yet full. His scat-like vocals, lacedwith audible breathing and African-style lingual clicks,
are part and parcel of this effect. His voice, limber in themanner of Bobby McFerrin or George Benson, sometimes
follows, sometimes leads the guitar, an equal partner inthe proceedings. A big asset of the album, and of
Loueke’s playing in general, is his ability to stay relaxed,
no matter how intricate the musical environs, ensuringthat the music always feels good. His covers of “Hang
Up Your Hang Ups”, “Cantaloupe Island” (taken
slowly) and “Rockit” (one of the album’s highlights) are
patently funky while “Driftin’”, “Butterfly”, reggaefied“Watermelon Man”, “Come Running to Me” and“Voyage Maiden” (an original) are equally rhythmic,
but add more elements of open-endedness and surprise.
“Tell Me a Bedtime Story”, “Dolphin Dance”, “Speak
Like a Child” and “Homage to HH” (a second original)
are slower in tempo, but perhaps broader in imagination.
The scratchy, brittle tones of “One Finger Snap” close
the album on a colder, sharper note.
Gilfema is truly cosmopolitan: Biolcati is SwedishItalian, Nemeth is Hungarian and Loueke, born in
Benin, lived in Ivory Coast and Paris, France before
moving to Boston, where he started his musicalrelationship with the others at Berklee College ofMusic, continuing it in Los Angeles when they attended
the Thelonious Monk Institute. Three is actually thetrio’s fourth album (if you count 2015’s Gaïa, anegalitarian effort ‘led’ by Loueke), but the first under
their own name since 2008’s Gilfema + 2. The groupshares an affinity for Afropop—including Afrobeat,soukous and highlife—and other international dancemusics, infusing these with the chromaticism and oddmeters of contemporary jazz practice. So a highlife
tune like “Têkê” is played in 3/4, Afrobeat “Happiness”
and soukous “Brio” are played in 5/4 and “13th Floor
to Heaven”, which shows the influence of Malian kora
music, is played in 13/4. But anybody dancing to thisCD probably won’t notice because the trio is able todeliver these pieces with an effortless, deep-in-thepocket feel, a tribute to Biolcati and Nemeth’s tighthook-up. Loueke’s background playing in African

14 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

dance bands is evident on the soukous, where hissunny sound and bouncy rhythms recall master players
like Diblo Dibala and Rigo Star, even as his chromaticnote choices reflect a more progressive/experimental
ethos. His cover of Jimi Hendrix’ “Little Wing” (in 9/8)
recalls another African guitarist, Ali Farka Touré, in its
bluesy ambiance. Like Hendrix, Loueke seems to viewthe guitar as a sandbox of possibilities, leading him toexperiment (successfully) with a variety of unorthodox
extended techniques. Other notable influences on thegroup’s style are calypso (“Fleuve Congo”), New
Orleans funk (“Algorythm and Blues”) and samba(“Left Undone”).
For more information,
sounderscore.com

visit

editionrecords.com

andAt AngelicA 2000 Bologna
Cecil Taylor (i dischi di angelica)
Birdland, Neuburg 2011
Cecil Taylor/Tony Oxley (Fundacja Słuchaj!)by Phil Freeman

Cecil Taylor ’s discography is nowhere near as large as

it should be, given the uniqueness of his compositional
and improvisational language and the many projects
he undertook in his lifetime. Multiple Taylor bands
were apparently never recorded at all; you saw them
live or you missed out. However, in the nearly three
years since his death in April 2018, several recordings
have emerged which do add something to his legacy.
At AngelicA 2000 Bologna is a two-CD set
documenting a solo performance at the titular music
festival. The first disc contains a single hour-long piece,“Dance of All Seasons”, broken into three movements of
between 12 and 27 minutes. The performance isferocious; Taylor is operating in a florid, Romantic
mode, shifting at lightning speed between rumbles fromdeep in the left-hand side of the keyboard to actionpacked passages recalling the soundtracks to silent
films to upper-register outbursts, the notes spilling
everywhere like diamond shards. In its beauty and its
power, it’s comparable to similar heavy-duty solo Taylor
discs like Air Above Mountains or The Willisau Concert.
But the second disc is arguably even more interesting to
the hardcore fan, as it features nearly 50 minutes of
Taylor answering questions from the audience. Anyone
who ever interviewed him will agree that he rarely
answered questions directly, using them instead asspringboards for disquisitions on whatever topic was
fascinating him at the time. But here, he’s sharing his
creative and musical philosophy in a generous and open
manner, genuinely pleased to be in front of an intelligent
and interested audience. Both discs of this set are musthear, for different reasons.
Birdland, Neuburg 2011 is a duo of Taylor andlongtime musical partner Tony Oxley. It’s so precisely
and closely mic’d one can hear the piano bench creaking
during the quieter segments, but at the same time themost obstreperous passages remain beautiful, never
becoming overwhelming. These two played together,
off and on, from Taylor’s Berlin residency in 1988 until
his final public performances at the Whitney Museumin 2016. Their shared language is in full flower here; thedrummer’s trademark high-tuned toms rattle like coffee
cans tapped with a pencil as Taylor plays in an
uncommonly beautiful manner, dipping deep into hiswell of classical technique. On headphones, piano on
the left and drums on the right, it’s gloriously immersive.
For more information, visit aaa-angelica.com and fsrecords.net

BLACKHISTORYMONTH

Let My People Go
Archie Shepp/Jason Moran (Archieball)by Tyran Grillo

Living as we now do in a world that feels orphaned

from its ancestral histories, there’s no more appropriate
space to cry out for resurrection than the womb-like
expanse of traditional Negro spiritual “Sometimes I
Feel Like A Motherless Child”. Saxophonist Archie
Shepp turns this melody inside out as salvific blood
drips along the keys of Jason Moran’s piano.
Thus, the duo establishes the rhythm of a hymn
trapped somewhere between Earth’s crust and themagma churning beneath. If we don’t already feel thewords coursing through our ears from the first note,
we find them unraveled in Shepp’s own singing voice,of which hints of reed hang in the air like a signaturefragrance, as also in Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” andanother traditional spiritual, “Go Down Moses”. In
both Duke Ellington-Billy Strayhorn’s “Isfahan” andMoran’s “He Cares”, the listener is greeted by truth
while John Coltrane’s “Wise One” unfurls a territory
limited only by our imagination to map it. Here, voicesof the past hit the open air of the future, only to findthey need oxygen masks just to inhale. Thelonious
Monk’s “‘Round Midnight” reminds us that only in thedarkest hours can our thoughts churn in an ocean freeof pollution—water for its own sake, primed for thevessels of our attempts to make sense of it all.
In light of all this preaching of ebony, ivory andeverything in between, it would be unwise to think of
the album as a catharsis, for a catharsis implies that wehave transcended the bonds that necessitate thoughtsof escape. No. We must gaze upon the fetters and chains
until they burn after-images into our brains, so that we
may never forget what the world would have us deny:
many had to die for us to stand here, poised on the cuspof a tide that could just as easily turn in our favor as
against it. Though still a long way from home, we strive
to see that candlelight in the window telling us: Just
one more leg of this journey and the doors of relief will
spread their wings to receive you. At least here, wehave a feather to hold to our hearts as we press on.
For more information, visit archieball.com

Live at The Gardenia Club
3 More Sounds (Skipper Prod.)by Pierre Giroux

The Three Sounds—pianist Gene Harris, bassist Andy

Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy—recorded
prolifically for Blue Note between 1956-74. Harris wasa multifaceted and enthusiastic performer. 3 MoreSounds is a high-energy trio with pianist Robert Turner,
bassist Henry Franklin and drummer Carl Burnett(who turns 80 this month) and in many ways The ThreeSounds personified (Franklin and Burnett were hired
by Harris after The Three Sounds disbanded in 1973).
In this February 2020 live recording from the

Gardenia Club in East Hollywood California, before an
attentive and enthusiastic audience, the trio runs
through a set of well known popular and jazz standards
that jump off the disc. Starting with the Burton Lanecomposition “On A Clear Day” the trio swings out, led
by Turner. He covers the keys with abandon, has
formidable technique and uses block chords, cadencesand embellishments with a sure-footed spirit ofinquiry. Ahmad Jamal’s “Night Mist Blues” is next up
with a knock-out groove as Turner digs a trenchthrough the blues theme. Franklin has a terrific solo
turn showing he has a soulful instinct and imposing
fluency. For the Charles Lloyd song “Sombrero Sam”
and the John Lennon-Paul McCartney classic “Eleanor
Rigby”, flutist Louis Van Taylor adds fluid coloration
to the proceedings. The former has a Latin vibe withflowing rhythmic undercurrents and Van Taylor shows
he is an assertive partner in the mix. The latter is a fullblown tour de force running just over 11 minutes. The
number is anchored in the rhythm of its pop roots,with Franklin taking an early resourceful turn, before
Van Taylor joins the fray. He offers a rough and readysolo in keeping with the character of the arrangement.
From start to finish the number is filled with precocious
swagger. The Erroll Garner opus “Misty” is a perfect fit
for the pianistic talents of Turner, who delivers a lovely
lyrical take on the theme by providing evocative
harmonic gradations as he ruminates over the
keyboard. He fills the arrangement with his big twohanded sound and nimble technique.
The set closes in appropriate fashion with a stellar
rendition of the Miles Davis standard “Milestones”,
with each band member getting a chance to strut his
stuff. Burnett opens the frame with an extensive andbustling workout, Turner then states the theme using
his fluid technique to show his command of thematerial and Franklin takes the number to a close withhis clean big tone and nimble playing.

essence of his sound.
There is good playing throughout, with Chad
Fowler (soprano and tenor saxophone) and Christopher
Parker (piano) continual standouts. On the opener,“Decision in Paradise”, soprano aggressively hovers
above the intense group playing, propelled hard byAnders Griffen’s muscular drumming, with help fromwild piano and bassist Bernard Santacruz. Similar
patterns emerge elsewhere, often with surprising
twists. The opening bass and drums duo on “Addiction
Ain’t Fiction” segues to a lilting, though sometimes
aggressive, saxophone solo, which leads to a hardhitting contribution by Parker, then joined by expansive
saxophone, with tricky rhythms advanced by Griffen.
There is also a shorter alternate track that gives someinsight into the improvisational process of the group,as the arrangement and solos follow a different tack.
“In Trane’s Name” is true to its namesake andFowler, no less than Lowe, mines it for delicious
chunks of fluid, powerful blowing, backed by theenergetic rhythm section, making for a compellinginterpretation and often exhilarating experience. The
alternate take adds Bobby Lavell on tenor saxophone,with similar exciting results, as the horns ride themelody in unison.
Lowe often used expanded small riffs as building
blocks and on “Fuschia Norval”, the group takes thesimple melody and expands it through a lengthy,
scintillating saxophone solo, which progressively
moves outside. Talented vocalist Kelly Hurt, a cousinof Lowe, is featured on the pop-infused title track,with Fowler ’s explosive sound giving the piece someneeded weight. Hopefully, this recording will not be
the last from this very gifted group.
For more information, visit mahakalamusic.com

For more information, visit sprecords.com

Nothing But Love: The Music of Frank Lowe
Various Artists (Mahakala Music)
by Steven Loewy

Improvisations andCompositions for
Bassoon, Pianoand Electronics

Tenor saxophonist Frank Lowe was a force from the‘70s through the end of the century (and a bit beyond)before his untimely demise and the way his sound andstyle evolved left an important mark on the world ofavant garde jazz. Make no mistake: Lowe could be as
intense and wild as they come, but he also exhibited alove of the jazz tradition and some of his best work
came when he worked in small groups with fellow
giants such as trombonist Joseph Bowie, cornet player
Butch Morris and violinist Billy Bang. Lowe was an
exciting performer and while John Coltrane exercised a
considerable influence on his playing, over time heshifted, never giving up his ability to thrash and burn,but focusing more on melody and longer syncopatedlines. His music was full of surprises.
Nothing But Love: The Music of Frank Lowe brings
together a group of musicians who had each recorded
or otherwise played with Lowe and were influenced byhis music, although they had never before performed
together. The seven pieces written by Lowe are tightly
performed and, in the best tradition of successful
tributes, the album does not have the feel of a
retrospective but instead properly uses Lowe’s tunes
and soloing as an inspiration without losing the

The President:
Live at CBGB’s
and The Kitchen.
Demos, Studio
Outtakes andRarities.
Release date February 12
available on bandcamp

waynehorvitz.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 15

BLACK Y
HISTORH
MONT

Slipknots Through A Looking Glass
Eric Revis (Pyroclastic)by Eric Wendell

On Slipknots Through A Looking Glass, bassist Eric Revis

offers up a collection of songs beautifully displaying
his penchant for finding groove in avant garde settings.
Essayed by pianist Kris Davis, tenor saxophonist Bill
McHenry, alto saxophonist Darius Jones and drummer
Chad Taylor (drummer Justin Faulkner on two
selections), Revis’ compositional aesthetic finds theemotional counterpoints in the human condition.
Beginning with “Baby Renfro”, an insistent bass
groove mixed with prepared piano shows a heightened
sense of determination. The song shows the group at
its funkiest, knee-deep in a firm structure for the groupto play off. The pulpy noir of “Earl & The Three-Fifths
Compromise” is an early highlight as Revis holds
down a solid foundation while McHenry and Jones
weave in and out of each other ’s melodic characters.
The through-line of the record is the three separate
parts of the title track. “Part 1” haunts your ears withtwo bass tracks played in stereo while a squealing
saxophone is faintly heard in the distance, creating an
evocative feel. This is quickly interrupted by “Shutter”,
the “rocker” on the album; purposeful with Revis’
eighth note feel setting the stage.
While Revis’ groove, McHenry’s snarl and Jones’
bite are praiseworthy, it’s Davis that makes the soundof the group what it is. This is evident on “ProByte”,
with a sparse solo piano introduction that is forlorn
and melancholic. Reflective without being reductive,
the song slowly builds to higher and higher peaks.
“House of Leaves” is the group at its most abstract,a sparseness running on the tightest of ropes. Davis isespecially adept at keeping the dialogue moving
forward, guiding the group to its ultimate denouement.
The album ends with the final part of the title track,
multi-tracked basses climbing and crawling over one
another in a subtle battle royale.
Much like the title may suggest, Revis’ musicreflects a musical image that can easily be undone. And
that is its very strength; the idea that at any moment allthese disparate tones can easily go off the rails.
For more information, visit pyroclasticrecords.com

Dance Chaos MusicXNN (Eschatology)
Eponymous
Ekstere + Daniel Carter (Noncept)
Pandemic Duets
Daniel Carter/Stephen Gauci (Gaucimusic)
by John Pietaro

The name Daniel Carter is mythic among New York’s

free jazz core, a tireless stalwart since the late ‘60s. Less
aware critics have described him as a “leader” among
his flock, but rarely if ever has Carter given himself
such a designation, even while at the helm. What makes
this artist so unique, beyond his mastery of woodwinds
and moving performances on trumpet, piano and more,is a burning enthusiasm to seek out new voices andexperiences. To Carter, the act of creating music withothers is sacred, whether with a respected elder ofrenown or a promising youth with that special spark.
He is persistently on the lookout for the latter and, withsuch tenacity, always in good company.
XNN, a quartet with saxophonist Ben Cohen,
pianist Eli Wallace and drummer Dan Kurfirst, is one ofthose gatherings that would be advised to remain
together as a working unit, so vibrant is its
communicative ensemble power. From the opening
notes of section 1 (Dance Chaos Magic is one
improvisation with several brief tacits), the band
demonstrates the strengths adherent in music so purely
improvised. Carter’s instruments—soprano, alto andtenor saxophones, clarinet, flute and trumpet—paintlines at once celebratory and lamentative, gently casting
melodies that fit within Cohen’s tenor counterpoint.
Founder of record label Eschatology, which released
this recording, Brooklyn transplant Cohen is part of a
thriving underground that includes house concert
series Outskirts and the band Johnny Fuck-Face’s Music
for Children (gotta love that). Wallace is co-director of
Outskirts and has also made music with the likes ofBilly Mintz and Ingrid Laubrock while Kurfirst has
performed globally, his rhythmic focus reaching just as
wide. Together, they do create music to be remembered.
The album doesn’t so much explore a soundscape as
carry the listener onto one. In the work’s latter part, thehorns embrace one another passionately as piano
moves through levels of preparedness (from strings
fully muted to only partially so) and Kurfirst cultivatesthe storm with care, playing a kind of metallic pedal
point at the center of his drumkit.
Ekstere + Daniel Carter is a combo of both veteransand newcomers: drummer/percussionist Todd Capp;
multi-instrumentalist Kurt Ralske, here restricting
himself to only soprano saxophone; bassist Che Chen,
best known as co-founder of 75 Dollar Bill and a multiinstrumentalist of vast palette; and Talice Lee, a rapidly
rising violinist. Ekstere is Esperanto for “outside”,
where the music naturally lies, but this destination isreached within the softest dynamic range, almost
breathlessly so. Carter ’s alto rides on waves of lush
(but never complacent) long tones by violin and voice(both by Lee) melding with soprano saxophone andgroaning bowed bass, while Capp seems to breatheover his percussives, sweeping across metals and skins
elegantly. The effect, if it can be described, is a union of‘80s ECM, Pauline Oliveros, Paul Winter ’s Canyon
Consort and strains of Erik Satie. If ‘new age’ music
sounded like this, it would have left a lasting impact
on us all. But at no point does this music lean into mere
drone as the sparse, languid motion of each instrument
is continuous. Alto in “Vespers”, lighter still, embraces
the airflow as it pairs with the slight textures of violin.
Midway through, trumpet appears, unmuted but stillat near whisper. Rarely has so much music existed insuch a range, but this quartet paints a vast canvas of
intimate dynamics.
In contrast, Carter ’s collections of wind duos withfellow reeds player Stephen Gauci, Pandemic Duets,
demonstrate a clear restlessness if not agitation sopresent as to be essential components. As closely asthese emotions accompany our collective experience ofcoronavirus, so is the effect heard on these linear
improvisations. Each of the nine relatively brief works
evoke different aspects of pandemic and lockdown andas such, are approached disparately, of varying tempo,
intensity and instrumentation. Whether heard in pairsof saxophones, flutes, clarinets or various mixes(Carter also incorporates trumpet), the intricate parts
carving the whole easily draw in the listener. Of special
note is selection three, a flute duo in which thesonorities are brilliantly close, casting microtonal
shimmers about nervous voices, with the longer tones
somehow reminiscent of the haunting PBS Open Mind
theme, “World Without Time” (interestingly enoughthis was by the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra). While someworks here are classic “new thing” jazz, i.e. selection 1

16 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

and others expand this into carefully constructed calland-response (4), there is the moving flute and clarinet
pairing that defies both tonality and stereotype. As isthe case with most Carter collaborations, there is a
powerful awareness of every surrounding and thismakes for great strength in the duet. By selection 7,
alto streams an elegy against tenor pulsations, still, theinstrumentalists are never at odds with the other ’swalk. If anything, the divergent paths they encounterare assets of thriving.
For more information, visit eschatologyrecords.bandcamp.com,
toddcapp.bandcamp.com and gaucimusic.bandcamp.com. Carterlive-streams Feb. 16th at artsforart.org/onlinesalon.html.

IN PRINT

Bebop Fairy Tales: An Historical Fiction Trilogy
on Jazz, Intolerance and BaseballMark Ruffin (Amazon Books)
by Marilyn Lester

40 years in radio (author Mark Ruffin is theafternoon drivetime DJ for SiriusXM’s Real Jazz
channel), 30 years of writing experience, a passion
for baseball and plenty of inspiration are the anchorsof Bebop Fairy Tales: An Historical Fiction Trilogy on
Jazz, Intolerance and Baseball.
Readers will be entertained, informed and often
amused by Ruffin’s direct, no-frills style ofwriting. He’s an able storyteller with an ear for
dialogue and the ability to pack color into an
economy of words, all the while hitting hard on
themes of intolerance and injustice. Timely andsometimes raw, Ruffin never gives up on positivity:
perseverance wins the day.
Via a tried-and-true literary device, the threetales in 220 pages place real people—and authentic
facts about them—into creatively imagined
circumstances, within the framework of the bebop
era. And what better way to address injustice, racialand otherwise, than through jazz, a musical form
long associated with the concept of freedom andequality?
Each story is cleverly named after a classic jazz
tune, inspired by its composer. In “The SaturdayNight Fish Fry” (Louis Jordan) jazz saxophonist
Gene
AmmonsandBroadway
director/choreographer Bob Fosse meet in New Orleans in
the late ‘40s and, over two days of raucous exploits,some hard truths are revealed. “Round Midnight
With The Ku Klux Klan” (Thelonious Monk), set in1957 in Mississippi, follows the bullied andeffeminate protagonist who meets the pianist in
New York with life-changing importance. “TheSidewinder” (Lee Morgan), set in Philadelphia from1964-80, parses the relationship between a Black boy
and a Jewish boy from opposite sides of town. It’s ahistory-packed story that’s also a valentine to theCity of Brotherly Love.
In an interview about his book, Ruffin declared,“intolerance is stupid”. Bebop Fairy Tales: An
Historical Fiction Trilogy on Jazz, Intolerance andBaseball makes that case and much more quite
definitively.
For more information, visit markruffin.com

BLACKHISTORY
MONTH

Flanagans Shenanigans
Tommy Flanagan (Storyville)
by Jim Motavalli

N icely recorded work from the late Detroit-born

bebop pianist Tommy Flanagan is always welcome.
His career spanned more than 50 years (including gigs
with Charlie Parker as a teenager). Flanagan’s
Shenanigans, originally issued in 1994, is a useful
70-minute memento of an ambitious gig Flanagan
played in Denmark in 1993, celebrating his win of the
Jazzpar Prize, which was an annual Danish jazz prize
founded by trumpeter Arnvid Meyer and existed from1990-2004, the winner getting 200,000 Danish Kroner.
(The liner notes say the album was recorded in 1996,
but this is apparently a typo.)
The pianist is featured in front of a large andenthusiastic audience playing as a trio with the Danish
bassist Jesper Lundgaard and drummer Lewis Nash;in a quartet adding Jesper Thilo on tenor saxophone;
and with the Windtet: Henrik Bolberg Pedersen(trumpet), Vincent Nilsson and Steen Hanson (baritonehorn), Jan zum Vohrde (alto saxophone, flute), Uffe
Markussen (tenor and soprano saxophone, bass
clarinet) and Flemming Madsen (baritone saxophone,bass clarinet). Flanagan, who died eight years later,sounds great on all of it.

The trio material is quite fine. Thad Jones’ “Let’s”
is a tricky, uptempo number, which retains the pianist’s
trademark lightness of touch. Flanagan and Nash play
like they’re glued together and Lundgaard’s fleet solo
demonstrates he should be better known outside
Scandinavia. Jimmy Van Heusen-Johnny Burke’s “But
Beautiful” is, as it was for Johnny Hartman, lyrical andwistful. Ditto Tom McIntosh’s “The Balanced Scales”,
another ballad.
The pleasantly jerky midtempo title piece,
dedicated to Flanagan, is by late Memphis pianist
James Williams. It’s bright and busy and everyone
shines, including Lundgaard who gets another solo.
Dizzy Gillespie was on Flanagan’s mind, because hedied earlier that year. The trio’s tribute is an extended
12-minute version of “Tin Tin Deo” that’s gleefully
shape-shifting and percussive.
Thilo comes out of Coleman Hawkins and is quite
relaxed and assured in his showcase, Quincy Jones’“For Lena and Lennie”. The three large band pieces, allof them Flanagan’s own, are deftly arranged by Ole
Kock Hansen. The laid-back “Beyond the Bluebird”
has some strong ensemble writing. “Eclypso”, whichJohn Coltrane recorded, combines calypso and Latin
influences in its engaging head. Some of the horn work
is slightly off-mic, but the trumpet comes through loudand clear.
For more information, visit storyvillerecords.com

in the details, then here we are served one heaping
plateful after another of them. While like-minded joy
overflows its cup in Clifton Davis’ “Never Can Say
Goodbye” and “Toilet Paper Romance” (an original
with which they ended every show), it bends a knee inthe shadow of inward turns like Bush’s “This Woman’s
Work” by validating the safety of dreams.
It’s all there in the title, which in everyday usage
means an irresistible compulsion yet which in legaleseconnotes unforeseeable circumstances preventing thefulfillment of a contract. If the latter doesn’t describe
the moral loophole of 2020, what does?
For more information, visit intlanthem.com

DROP THE NEEDLE

Welcome To Love
Pharoah Sanders (Timeless-Tidal Waves Music)
by George Kanzler

Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders is firmly associatedForce Majeure
Dezron Douglas/Brandee Younger(International Anthem)by Tyran Grillo

As COVID-19 continues to occupy the foreground of

our collective mind, even as its primacy is under threatby the tumult of political schadenfreude, bassist
Dezron Douglas and harpist Brandee Younger give us
just what we need in this curated selection from theirweekly collaborations, live-streamed throughout the
pandemic as sonic scripture in a time of foolishdoctrines.
The duo dives into the swirling waters of Alice
Coltrane’s “Gospel Trane”, throughout which schoolsof hopeful fish swim in synergy. This is the language ofthe here and now, wrung dry of all animosity andrehydrated with love, flipping the dynamic of social
distancing to reveal a creative intimacy—fierce andinextinguishable—beneath it all.
Subsequent repertoire spans the gamut from
Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5 and Pharoah Sanders to
Kate Bush, Sting and The Carpenters. With so much tochew on, we are reminded of how much beauty we’velost access to over the past year, not only in terms ofsound but also in terms of national sentiment, dialogue,
and, above all, listening.
In tracks like John Coltrane’s “Equinox” there isan abiding sense of duality, slipping one hand out of
our zeitgeist toward the past and another toward thefuture. Thus, each instrument brings its own
histories to the table, hashing out the lingering
oppressions of colonial and plantation mentalities
until only indistinguishable molecules are left todissipate in the air.
Sanders-Leon Thomas’ “The Creator Has A MasterPlan” is the heart of this quest, which by the end has
only heart left to give. That same blessed hope isoutwardly expressed in Joe Raposo’s “Sing”. If God iswith the “spiritual, ecstatic” jazz of late John
Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, as a prominent memberof the jazz avant garde in the ‘60s, when he was stillin his 20s. But there is another side to Sanders, one
highlighted on this two-LP audiophile reissue of a
CD he made with a quartet in 1990 for the Dutchlabel Timeless. Sanders had been adding classic andcontemporary pop songs/standards to his repertoire
for a decade when he recorded this music with his
working quartet of William Henderson (piano, with
Sanders from 1981-98), Stafford James (bassist for
Sanders in 1989-90) and Eccleston W. Wainwright(drums). This all-ballad album is an homage toColtrane’s 1962 Ballads album on Impulse!
The parallels to Coltrane are evident. Sanders’approach to ballads mirrors that of his former boss,from affectionate limning of the melodies, oftenwith just piano accompaniment at first, to warm,
restrained improvisations sans the fire andintensity found in Coltrane and Sanders recordings
together. Then there’s the repertoire: three of thesongs here—Gene DePaul-Don Raye’s “You Don’t
Know What Love Is”, Frank Loesser-Jimmy
McHugh’s “Say It Isn’t So” and Jimmy Van HeusenPhil Silvers’ “Nancy (With the Laughing Face)”—arealso on Ballads.
If you only listened to the first three sides ofthese two discs, you’d be right to think it is little
more than a sincere, dedicated tribute to Coltrane’sballad playing. However, the final side of the second
disc is distinctly Sanders, mainly the first two tracks.
J.J. Johnson’s “Lament” is given an almost somnolent
treatment, opening with solo piano followed by arco
bass before Sanders, on resonant soprano, brings on
the melody to take it out. The Sanders original “BirdSong” is a six-plus minute a cappella tour de force
for its composer on tenor, applying the techniquesof his avant garde skills, including over-blowing,
overtones and circular breathing, all in the service of
creating a masterful improvisation. The side ends
with a take on John Blackburn-Karl Suessdorf’s“Moonlight in Vermont” that suggests Sanders waswell acquainted with Stan Getz’ version.
For more information, visit tidalwavesmusic.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 17

BLACK Y
HISTORHMONTU NEARTHED GEMS

Palais des Beaux Arts 1963
Thelonious Monk (Tidal Waves Music)
by Duck Baker

This excellent release went somewhat unnoticed,

owing in part to the attention given to the nearly
contemporaneous appearance of Palo Alto last year, but
Monk fans will find this previously unissued dateextremely rewarding in its own right, provided they
can find it at all; it came out as a limited-release LP and
may already be hard to track down.
The concert was recorded in Brussels during
a European tour that Monk nearly didn’t make (hecomplained that his hand hurt and had to be enticedout of bed on the day of departure). It was among thelast recordings of what we could call the first edition of
the “classic” Monk quartet with tenor saxophonist
Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and drummer Frankie
Dunlop. Palo Alto, though few reviewers mentioned
the fact, seems to be the very last recording of the lastclassic lineup. In both cases the group was very
comfortable with the material they played night afternight, but still inspired by it and finding new ways toexpand on it.
Dunlop is the big difference maker between thefirst and later classic lineups. A unique stylist who
combined the driving swing of the big band era andthe unpredictable accents of bebop, Dunlop is
considered by many the perfect drummer for Monk.
Not that Ben Riley wasn’t an entirely worthy successor;
the latter ’s more subtle touch added crucial shading tosome of the group’s greatest recordings (Live At The It
Club, e.g.), but Dunlop did have something special and
we really hear it at Palais des Beaux Arts. He even getsan unaccompanied solo track.
The sound quality is excellent and that makes it
a perfect companion to the superb 2018 Gearbox release
Mønk, which was recorded in Copenhagen four days
earlier. Even the fact that “Bye Ya” and “Monk’s
Dream” were played at both concerts is a plus, since
the performances are so utterly different.

flow, a continuously inventive line peppered withmyriad shifts and accents and propelled by a force thatmade him as much rhythm section as soloist.
The material, presented in reverse chronologicalorder, opens with a radio studio set of shortperformances of modern jazz and Broadway standards,
which could have made up one side of a standard LP ofthe day. Rollins is a towering presence and the tunes
assume forms at once personal and perfect. Jacobs andBennink, who together represented the poles of Dutch
jazz—Jacobs a modernist traditionalist, Bennink thequintessential anarchist avant-gardist—were also thecountry’s finest rhythm team, regular accompanists totouring mainstream masters like Johnny Griffin, Dexter
Gordon and Clark Terry. For Jacobs and Bennink alike,
Rollins, straddling the divide, was a special inspiration.
Televised evening takes from that last night begin
to stretch, the live audience and unrestrained lengths
amplifying Rollins’ fluid creativity and encouraging
Bennink’s rambunctiously precise explosions. The last
two LPs then chronicle the group’s first club
performance two nights before at Academie voor
Beeldende Kunst Arnhem. Tunes that appear in refinedform on the later dates—Rollins standbys like “Four”
and “Sonnymoon for Two”—stretch into improvisedodysseys, intense or playful by turn, with Rollins
sometimes interpolating other tunes or just changing
tack completely, all in relation to the moment’s
dialogue.
Rollins in Holland is at once heroic and joyous
music-making that links hardbop and free jazz. It’sboth testimony to Rollins’ singular genius and aharbinger of upcoming developments in Dutch musicas well: Bennink and saxophonist Willem Breuker ’s
New Acoustic Swing Duo, the first masterpiece of New
Dutch Swing, was made just six months later. The
sound isn’t particularly good. High frequencies arethin on the live material and even the studio recordings
suffer a certain excess of echo, but if sound quality
impacts your listening to great jazz, you’ll miss half of
it and the sound here is infinitely better than Charlie
Parker ’s Bird at St. Nick’s.
For more information, visit resonancerecords.org

For more information, visit tidalwavesmusic.com

Cherry Jam
Don Cherry (Gearbox)
by Pierre Crépon

Unfortunately, garbage is the word for a large part of

Rollins in Holland
Sonny Rollins (Resonance)by Stuart Broomer

Rollins in Holland, available as a three-LP or two-CD

set, documents performances in May 1967 when Sonny
Rollins played a series of gigs with the Dutch rhythm
section of bassist Ruud Jacobs and drummer Han
Bennink. It’s a remarkable release for a few reasons. In
the late ‘60s, Rollins wasn’t making trips to recording
studios: East Broadway Run Down was recorded a year
before and Next Album would only come in 1972. If
Rollins wasn’t making official statements, however, he
was still practicing his spontaneous art at a consummate
level. Rollins has had few creative peers in jazz and his
gifts as an improviser included an unmatched melodic

the product sold using Don Cherry’s name lately. The
formula is simple: download a radio session that has
circulated for years, slap terrible typography on arandom Google Images search result and order a vinyl
run. With this product that literally anyone could put
together, shell entities named Alternative Fox, Lepo
Glasbo, Hi Hat and ‘unaware’ resellers have to be
thanked for making the market for proper archival
releases even more impracticable than it already was.
Therefore, a cover housing actually uncirculated
Cherry music and featuring licensing credits isa welcome sight. Cherry Jam, a 12” record played at 45
RPM, contains a short 1965 session from the archives ofDenmark’s national public radio. Those 20 minutes ofmusic are divided between three Cherry originals anda standard. The trumpeter is the guest of a local quartet
made up of pianist Atli Bjørn, tenor saxophonist
Mogens Bollerup, bassist Benny Nielsen and drummer
Simon Koppel. The era could suggest avant garde

18 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

playing, but the music is in a traditional bop format.
For reasons unknown, this release gives October
1965 as the recording date although Danmarks Radioarchives place the session on Feb. 2nd, 1965. The few
months in between mattered much in Cherry’s career.
In Europe, following a quartet tour with Albert Ayler ’s
greatest formation, he would assemble in Paris theband with whom he made his first major mark as
leader, playing the fast-paced suites made up of myriad
themes segueing into each other heard on his classic
Complete Communion.
Until then, working with Ornette Coleman or
Sonny Rollins, Cherry had rarely recorded his own
compositions. Hearing them outside of the suite
context is in retrospect where Cherry Jam’s main interest
lies, as the musicians play competently but without
reaching fascinating heights. Cherry Jam may ultimately
be valuable more for what it is not than what it is,showing how the form of Cherry’s music needed theradical evolution it would soon undergo truly to takeflight. Cherry’s ‘60s work deserves the most complete
and qualitative documentation possible, just what
Gearbox Records has helped accomplish.
For more information, visit doncherrymusic.bandcamp.com

The Lost Berlin Tapes
Ella Fitzgerald (Verve)
by Kurt Gottschalk

The thing with newly uncovered Ella Fitzgerald live

recordings is that while there are unlikely to berevelations, a listen or two is sure to turn up a gem anda few more runs through will lead to the realizationthat every track is a gem. While the singer ’s
performance career is quite well captured andcatalogued at this point, the truth of the matter is that
she wasn’t an artist to give anything less than her all(even after learning between sets that her sister had
died, as happened in 1966 at the Jazz à Juan festival on
the French Riveria, where she was appearing with theDuke Ellington Orchestra). Her concerts were infusedwith joy and it’s hard to imagine anyone not feeling itcome through.
The Lost Berlin Tapes was recorded two years after
her much acclaimed and Grammy Hall of Fameinducted Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife, but its release
clearly trades off of that beloved title. Guitarist Jim
Hall didn’t make the trip this time and Stan Levey
replaces Gus Johnson on drums. Pianist Paul Smith,then, becomes the star player in what was likely one of
Fitzgerald’s least distinguished bands, rounded out bybassist Wilfred Middlebrooks. Smith had been working
with the singer for four years at the time of the Berlin
return engagement and would continue to work withher for another 20 years. He’s a solid player andoccasionally shines—he slices time convincingly on“Takin’ a Chance on Love”—but the date is clearlyFitzgerald’s. The audience was there for her and theband is not about to get in the way.
Other gems include rockin’ takes on “Here ComesCharlie” and “The Jersey Bounce” and a lovely “My
Kind of Boy”. There are hits, of course—“Cheek to
Cheek”, “I Won’t Dance”, “Summertime” and, ofcourse, “Mack the Knife”. The Lost Berlin Tapes isn’t anessential Fitzgerald title, but there won’t be a moment
you’re sorry that you’re listening.
For more information, visit vervemusicgroup.com

BLACKHISTORYMONTH

B OXED SE T

The Music of William Parker / Migration of Silence
Into and Out of The Tone World (Vol. 1-10)
William Parker (Centering/AUM Fidelity)
by George Grella

A 10-CD boxed set in today’s marketplace nearly

always means some kind of retrospective compilationof an artist’s substantive career. But in the case ofbassist, composer and bandleader William Parker,
Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World isjust a document of his ongoing music-making, awindow into a prolific career as one of the centers oforbit in modern jazz. In terms of size, this is not
Parker’s first project of its kind; the 2013 Wood FluteSongs was an eight-CD collection of live recordings ofvarious ensembles. That early set, in relative
comparison, may be an on-the-fly look at a working
musician while this one is very much a demonstrationof Parker’s current multiple paths and endeavors and,while not a summing up, is a substantial statement
toward a definition of just who Parker is today.
The original release date was delayed, so now
Migrations appears coincidentally with Duke
University Press’ publication of Universal Tonality:
The Life and Music of William Parker by Cisco Bradley.
Like the music, the book is a monograph, a statement
on and analysis of the artist that is based on his
biography but sees his work as a process. The
emphasis in both music and writing is one ofphilosophy over praxis. This set is packed withmusic and also concepts, the latter primarily
exploring Parker ’s relationship to text and musicalcomposition. After taking in all the music, one initial
response is that it seems, unexpectedly, incomplete.
One reason for this is an instinctive response toholding a box (any box), a neat, geometric container
defining the limits of what’s inside against what
couldn’t fit in. The container carves an abstract,internal world out of external reality much more
profoundly than does a CD case or an LP jacket. And
the subtitle states “Volumes 1-10”, with the
implication that there will be more to come.
The other reason is musical: taken as a whole the
10 discs create an accumulation of music that feels
unbalanced. Overall, this release is an importantstatement, not a monument but something betterand more vital, merely the work that one of the mostimportant figures in modern jazz is in the middle
of—Parker produced 10 CDs because that’s what hedoes as a musician and the quality of the music ismostly very high, with a great amount of success andsatisfaction inside. But not everything works or is of
the same quality and Parker ’s concepts captured
within can be ungainly and even self-defeating. And
Migrations cannot answer the question it itself could
not anticipate—recorded through the first half of2019, the music offers no clue to what Parker can andmight be doing on the far side of the isolation during
the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the last several years, Parker has beenworking more and more with singers and vocal
material and there’s a vocalist who is a lead voice—if
not the most important one—on seven of the volumes.
One album, Afternoon Poem, is Lisa Sokolov a cappellaon all but one track and Parker wrote all the lyrics.

That last element is the one consistent and stubborn
flaw throughout the collection, as Parker’s lyrics are
not nearly on the same level as his formidable
musicianship. Some of them make for excellent vocal
music, some look good on the page but are not set
well into music and some are banal and dull.
Where once Parker ’s Raining on the Moon group,with Leena Conquest singing, stood out as a separate,though wonderful, branch of his music, Migrations
cements his direction over the last few years, which
has been to place the written lyric as a primaryconcern over purely musical expression. Migrations
is a new order of magnitude, obviously in terms ofsheer mass but also in the way, as a whole, thealbums place the words in a more intimate andintegral place in Parker ’s art. The political slogans
and urban pastoralism of previous albums are here,
but so is the sense that the poetry is not about Parker
trying to make a statement; rather, it turns out, thepoetry has been central to Parker ’s creativity since
his formative years. What Universal Tonality shows is
not only that Parker has been writing out words for
decades, but that his aesthetic, social and politicalbeing really got its start with his teenage exposure to
the Black Arts movement in general and the writingof Amiri Baraka (with whom he has collaborated),
Nikki Giovanni and Gil Scott-Heron in particular.
Still, the problem remains that Parker ’s music isfull of life, buoyancy and surprise while his poetry
often limits the expressive possibilities of his music.
The best of the vocal albums and the very best album
in the set is Harlem Speaks, which on its own would
easily be one of the top jazz albums of the last several
years. Its success shows what can happen when
everything comes together. One reason the album is
so marvelous is that the great Fay Victor is the
vocalist (with Parker and drummer Hamid Drake)
and she’s a very different singer than the others inthese volumes. Or perhaps the better contrast is that
Parker tends to favor pure-toned sopranos andmusic that has a shape and color closer to folk music
than to jazz while Victor is definitely, robustly, a jazz
singer, turning phrases around and giving themrhythmic punch and variety. The opening track,“Dancing at the Savoy”, is just her and Drakeworking in dynamic tandem and it has the greatest
energy of any other single track in the whole box.
The other strength of the album is that it strips down
the music to the great pair of Parker and Drake, thefinest jazz rhythm section of this generation, and the
combination of swing and rhythm-and-blues
flavored soulful pulse remains one of the great
sensual pleasures in jazz.
Harlem Speaks also features, by far, the best lyrics
in the set. Again, some credit goes to Victor, who
could turn an E.U.L.A. into something hip, butcontent-wise these words are about evocative
memories and sensations, metaphors, impressions,the stuff of songs. On the other discs, the musicalconstruction is singer with accompaniment (Harlem
Speaks sounds like the work of a band) and thisexposes the substance of the songs. Volume 6, Mexico,
has the most fascinating sound in the set, the musicarranged for an ensemble that includes oud,harmonica (Ariel Bart, who has a substantial
presence throughout the set) and various horns, allbacking Jean Carla Rodea. The music is a great
example of Parker ’s work, with a warm, danceable
pulse framing an instrumental interplay that isbalanced between freedom and mutually supporting
polyphony. The music often feels profound, but
lyrics like “We are not criminals / We are not drug
dealers / We are human beings / More than yousee” are so ordinary in style and sentiment that they
shatter the spell the music strives to weave.
On “I Will Die For You”, from Afternoon Poem,
Sokolov sings “I am from Israel / You are from

Palestine / I will die for you / Will you die for me?”
One admires the commitment she puts into this(all the singers have nothing but their sincerest
hearts in all the music) but this is pretty tough totake musically and since this is an anodyne rightthinking statement, one is put into the position of
being churlish for not enjoying it as music. Parker ’s
intent is admirable, but one feels manipulated. Not
that Parker is anything but guileless, the agenda isjust for him to express this idea through a singer, but
good sentiment alone doesn’t guarantee good music
and often words have superior effect when they are
merely read or spoken, not sung. One odd result ofParker ’s texts is that the vocal music is quite
listenable because he’s so good at shaping melodies
and phrases in his composing, he raises the level of
the words more than they deserve.
This material, and much of the set, is obviously
squarely in the tradition of political/protest jazz.
Political music is notoriously difficult to pull off asmusic and jazz that works as such is indelible in theheart—We Insist!, Attica Blues, ”Fables of Faubus”,“Black and Blue”, “Strange Fruit”—but when it fails
it feels like the words wield an iron bar that smashes
apart the music rather than the object of protest.
Music is mostly not about anything specific, it’sa sensation from and for the soul and when words
make it about something they need the same artificeof color and shape and metaphor that is the domainof music. At this point in his career, Parker ’s poetrylags behind his playing and composing. Hearing
samples of James Baldwin speaking on The Majesty of
Jah drives home the potential power in Parker ’smusic when met by the right words. This is anotherhigh point, an excellent stand-alone album. There isa necessary fire in Baldwin’s words (Parker has aninherent gentleness that is deeply admirable) that isa better companion to the relaxed, focused lope ofthe music. One of the masterpieces in Parker ’s
discography is I Plan to Stay a Believer: The Inside
Music of Curtis Mayfield and Jah is a companion to theearlier album, hot words and warm, positive soul
making not just an unbeatable message, but the kindof music that inspires social and political movements.
This set is a substantial composer ’s statement.
Volume 2, Child of Sound, is a solo piano album, with
Eri Yamamoto playing Parker ’s music. Without
Parker ’s presence, one hears in greater relief what afine composer he is; there are many lovely, soulfulsong-like tracks, like “The Golden Light” and a
version of the title track from the Mexico album.
There’s a generous 14 tracks, but there are times one
wishes Yamamoto was given more space to spin out
some deeper improvisations; these are simple headsolos-head arrangements. A disc of music dedicatedto Italian filmmakers like Fellini and Antonioni, withAndrea Wolper singing, is sincere but also
disconnected from the spirit and meaning of the films
themselves, as if Parker is working from sensations ofmemories rather than memories themselves.
The final two discs put deeper emphasis on Parker
as organizer of music and musicians, but aesthetically
sit apart from the other recordings. The Fastest Train
has Parker playing flutes, along with two other flutists,
in an extended series of colorful improvisations
shaped into a narrative suite. It’s a demonstration ofParker’s “universal tonality” concept, which according
to Bradley is a belief that improvisation is a place
where all musicians, regardless of heritage, can meet.
Manzanar is music for string quartet with added
players—half is fascinating, the other half sounds likeit needs a bit more rehearsal. But these are errors ofcommission, of a fine musician exploring his tone
world, and as a whole this is a new a welcome
continent in Parker’s discography.
For more information, visit aumfidelity.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 19

Trio GrandeWill Vinson/Gilad Hekselman/Antonio Sánchez(Whirlwind)by Tom Conrad

J azz has become music without borders. No one thinks

it remarkable that three of the most creative jazzmusicians in New York started out in Mexico (Antonio
Sánchez), the UK (Will Vinson) and Israel (Gilad
Hekselman). Sánchez, the biggest name, is Pat
Metheny’s drummer. He should have won an Oscar forhis brilliant soundtrack to the 2014 film Birdman, but
his score was ruled ineligible on a technicality. Vinson
is one of the most intriguing alto saxophonists to enter
jazz in the new millennium. Hekselman is a primary
representative of the ongoing “Israeli Invasion”
currently expanding the jazz art form.
Their new project, Trio Grande, arrives with highexpectations and meets them, although not in ways
you expect. Most of what happens here is surprisingly
loud, edgy and untamed. These virtuosos are interested
in kicking your ass. It starts with Sánchez and his
wicked grooves and onslaughts of energy. If there is abreakout on this album it is Hekselman. An outlaw
guitar gunslinger lurks in his sophisticated soul.
Sometimes he and Sánchez recall John McLaughlin andBilly Cobham. On the latter ’s “Gocta” they unleash
sublime maniacal fury worthy of the first Mahavishnu
Orchestra. “Scoville”, Hekselman’s tribute to John
Scofield, makes art from distortion. Yet largely becauseof Hekselman, the emotional range of this music iswide enough to include rapt, pristine melodicism like“Will You Let It”.
Solo firepower continuously asserts itself. For
example, Vinson’s escalating levels of complexity on
Sánchez’ “Firenze” are stunning. But Trio Grande isgreater than the sum of its exceptional individual
parts. These guys are committed to a single ensemble
purpose. On Vinson’s infectious ritual “Oberkampf”,
the solos of Hekselman and Vinson are vivid treble
elaborations within one overarching story. If you justlet “Oberkampf” wash over you, you may not noticewhen Hekselman’s piercing cries become Vinson’s
calls. They are the same passion.
This album came out in November 2020, a brightmoment at the end of a dark year.
For more information, visit whirlwindrecordings.com.
Hekselman live-streams Feb. 4th at jazzgallery.org/
tjgonline.

That’s It!
Rosanno Sportiello (Arbors)by Scott Yanow

The past decade has really been the golden age of jazz

piano. While most of the early innovators have longsince passed, there are numerous brilliant interpreterscurrently active, probably more than at any time injazz history, playing creatively in every style.

If he had been around in the ‘40s, RossanoSportiello would not only have been a poll winner but
also a household name. A superb stride and swing
pianist who is versatile enough to fit into more modern
settings, Sportiello has his own sound within the jazz
tradition. For proof, one listen to his recent solo recital,
That’s It!, should suffice although few listeners will
want to hear these performances just once.
On superior obscurities, originals and vintage
standards, Sportiello is heard in top form. He starts out
with a melodic revival of “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”
and his lyrical original “She Is There” and then getscooking. He strides his way through “Stars Fell On
Alabama”, gets hot on his “Song For Emily”, bringsback “Guilty” (a Richard Whiting gem that is rarely
performed) and then stomps on “Fine And Dandy”.
The momentum never slows down even when thetempo does. While Sportiello hints in spots at Teddy
Wilson, Fats Waller, Art Tatum and other ‘30s greats, henever sounds like a duplicate of any of his predecessors.
And of his originals, one could imagine the title track
becoming a standard someday along with “Nonno
Bob’s Delight”; the latter starts out as a waltz before
becoming a hard-swinger with bass lines reminiscentof Dave McKenna. That’s It! is simply one of the finest
solo piano albums in recent memory.

Allison finally comes to the forefront on “Siquijor”,
taking a decidedly Charlie Haden-esque approach
where the spaces between the notes are as important as
the notes themselves. The band takes it ‘out’ fora minute in the appropriately titled “Signpost Up
Ahead” with nervous energy, but the title track is pure
melodic bliss. Lots of interplay and memorable
melodies bring another guitar/piano tandem tomind—Pat Metheny and and the recently departed
Lyle Mays—not a bad comparison and not one madelightly.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Cardenas
live-streams Feb. 10th at facebook.com/barbayeux.

For more information, visit arborsrecords.com. Sportiellolive-streams Sundays at facebook.com/RossanoSportiello.

R Social Distancing (Saponegro)
Allemano Four—Vegetables (Lumo)e •• Lina
Binker and Moses—Escape The Flames(Gearbox)c • Emmet
Cohen—Future Stride(Mack Avenue)o • ChrisCorsano—Mezzalunam (Catalytic
Sound)•
Jeremiah
Cymerman/Charlie
Looker—m A Horizon Made of Canvas (Astral
Spirits)
Dahl Trinity—Mirrors Withine • Carsten(Storyville)n • HalGalper Quintet—Live at the Berlin
Philharmonic 1977 (Origin)d • Muriel Grossman—Quiet Earth (RR Gems)
Mela—MPT Trio Volume 1e • Francisco(577 Records)
d Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor• Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet—		Blue Has A Range
Steve Cardenas (Sunnyside)
by Robert Bush

It’s all about the tone. These days, everyone’s got

chops and the ability to navigate difficult meters, but
unless a player has command over their personaltimbre, all that technical prowess doesn’t amount tomuch. Steve Cardenas has that tone. It’s a warm andfluid legato and shares qualities of giants likeJohn Abercrombie or Emily Remler while remaining
clearly identifiable. On Blue Has A Range, (his sixth
date as a leader) Cardenas helms a tight ensemble of
Jon Cowherd (piano), Ben Allison (bass) and Brian
Blade (drums).
The first thing that grabs the listener on opener“Lost And Found” is Blade’s pristine ride cymbal ping,then the leader ’s honey-like tone and the obvious
simpatico between Cowherd and Cardenas. Allison is alittle buried in the mix, but the overall quartet sonics
are quite satisfying. “Blue Language” goes for a
sharper, staccato effect, with plentiful chord
substitutions from the guitarist, which manage to
avoid clashing with Cowherd. They’ve got a great
relationship and seem to be able to finish each other ’sphrases with ease. An early favorite is “Language Of
Love”, a pensive, airy ballad that lingers sweetly in theear. Cardenas digs in for an emotional solo blending
bluesy asides with modal repetition before the handoff
to Cowherd, who responds in kind.
“Highline” is a midtempo swinger in the traditionof Blue Note era Wayne Shorter. After clearing thedecks with the melodic statement in unison, theprincipals turn to Blade, whose architecturally solid
expository pays big dividends. It’s easy to see why heis such an in-demand drummer: very few people cansolo like that and still return to a slow simmer. He’s amaster of the fine details, a rimshot here, a cymbal
swell there, all in the service of the song at hand.

20 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDn • Tim Berne/Matt Mitchell Duo—
Spiders (Out Of Your Head)e • Cortex—Legal
Tender (Clean Feed)
Dahl Trinity—w • Carsten
Mirrors Within (Storyville)• The Flake—Plays Clinkers (Amalgam)

Galper Quintet—Live at the Berlinr • HalPhilharmonic 1977 (Origin)e • Elisabeth Harnik/Paal Nilssen-Love—
Tangram (Catalytic Sound)l • Ellis
Marsalis—Ellis (Newvelle)
Mela—MPT Trio Volume 1e • Francisco(577 Records)a • Roscoe Mitchell/Mazzol & Arhythmic
Perfection—Four Sure (Bocian)s • Archie
Shepp/Jason Moran—e Let My People Go (Archieball)s Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director

Portrait of the Artist: The Music of Gregg Hill
Ben Rosenblum Trio (Cold Plunge)
Kites and Strings
Ben Rosenblum Nebula Project (One Trick Dog)by Dan Bilawsky

In some respects these two albums couldn’t be moredifferent. One is a live trio date where Ben Rosenblum
leads exclusively from the piano and performs
somebody else’s music. The other is a studio set froman expandable sextet, with Rosenblum often pulling
double duty on accordion and piano while focusing on
his own compositions.
The contrast is written clearly through context,
but the commonalities—a balance between historicalprecedent and personal voicings, the use of the same
nuanced rhythm core to bring out the best in different
situations, an artful coloring of compositions andinterpretations with a multihued complexion—also
prove obvious. Complementary in every way, these
two albums offer a more complete picture of this risingstar than either would be able to provide on its own.
Rosenblum is right at home in the trio format,
having opted for that setting on his first two albums.
And it serves him well on Portrait of the Artist: The
Music of Gregg Hill, where he explores the music of thetitular Michigan-based composer.
Premiering a fair number of Hill’s pieces on recordand given free rein to mold them to his liking with thehelp of bassist Marty Jaffe and drummer Ben Zweig,
Rosenblum finds a way to honor the music and its
inspirations while remaining true to his own vision.
Mysticism and hints of Bill Evans factor into the title
track; the language and muscularity of McCoy Tyner
loom large on “Modal Yodel”; and an Ellingtonian
grace floats on by during the gorgeous daydreams in“New Sunday”. Not to be left out, Thelonious Monk
also receives his due with some quotes during bopbased closer “Thank You Notes”. All at once,
Rosenblum minds Hill’s writing, mines the masters
and maximizes his own potential.
Kites and Strings, the debut from Rosenblum’s
Nebula Project, is something else entirely. It’s a work
bent on offering luminous beauty and striking
juxtapositions through the use of a colorful palette andthe embrace of broad influences.
There’s a bright nod to Cedar Walton with opener“Cedar Place”; an intriguing blend of the leader ’s
accordion and guest Jake Chapman’s vibraphone
during the odd-metered title track; an acknowledgementof classicism’s reach on “Motif from Brahms (op. 98)”;
and Klezmer-carnival slant in the zany “Fight or
Flight”. Three covers make it into the mix—Leonard
Bernstein’s “Somewhere”, Neil Young’s “Philadelphia”
and the chorale-like Bulgarian traditional “Izpoved”—
but it’s the original music that shines brightest. Witha gift for shaping seemingly odd phrases into theinevitable, the smarts to utilize the full textural
possibilities offered through his bandmates (i.e.
trumpeter Wayne Tucker, reedplayer Jasper Dutz andguitarist Rafael Rosa), a simpatico relationship with
Jaffe and Zweig underscoring these performances andhis own accordion and piano at the fore, Rosenblum’s
personality truly resounds throughout this brilliant
production.
For more information, visit gregghilljazz.com andonetrickdogrecords.com. Rosenblum live-streams Feb. 12th
at timucua.com/event/live-at-timucua-ben-rosenblum-trioin-person-830-pm and Feb. 14th at artsgarage.org/event/ben-rosenblum-trio-a-jazz-valentines-celebration.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 21

Cell Walk
Sara Schoenbeck/Wayne Horvitz (Songlines)by Mark Keresman

The duo is the most intimate of musical settings—two

players, probing, responding, thrusting and parrying,
the give and take. One never quite knows where things
may end up and that’s part of the appeal.
This pair has previous familiarity and make theirnotes count. Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon) has played with
Butch Morris, Yusef Lateef, Joe Morris and Anthony
Braxton while Wayne Horvitz (piano and electronics),
once one-fifth of John Zorn’s incredible Naked City, hassince been a composer and improviser in a variety ofcontexts. Cell Walk was recorded at two locales: July
2019 in Vancouver and January 2020 in Brooklyn.
“Twinning” is a somber ballad, bassoon conveying
incredible wistfulness and longing against sparse, dark
piano chords. As conducive to a saturnine mood as thisis, it’s soon eclipsed by “No Blood Relations”, withsubtle Bach-like chords and elegantly pleading bassoon,
phrased with echoes of Anglo-American folk motifs.
“Ironbound” carries echoes of early 20th Century
European classical music, especially Mahler via thebassoon and Debussy and Poulenc via the piano.
Despite the snappy title, “American Bandstand” isa pensive near-dirge, its melodic line dripping withangst. The most outstanding track is “The Fifth Day”.
Horvitz’ notes are steady but spare, like a mild springrain on a metal awning, and Schoenbeck virtuallycroons in a manner not unlike early ‘60s John Coltrane,
poetic, passionate, but also with a sense of economy
and restraint. “Tin Palace” finds Schoenbeck really
going to town, driving the twisty tune the way a
postbop saxophonist would while Horvitz provides
torrents of sober, determined swing.
If you like soulful reed instruments, wittily selfeffacing piano and sonic atmosphere you could cut
with a knife, this is the ticket.
For more information, visit songlines.com. Horvitz livestreams Feb. 18th at pdxjazz.com.

Human Rites Trio
Jason Kao Hwang (True Sound)by Robert Bush

V iolinist/violist Jason Kao Hwang’s trio with Ken

Filiano (bass) and Andrew Drury (drums) is one of themost finely honed small groups in the improvised
music scene, and, after 15 years together, this album
reflects how much progress they have made.
The disc opens with the multi-part “Words Asleep
Spoken Awake”, a jumpy, disjointed theme where bothstrings concentrate on the bow while crackling drums
pull in a contrary motion. Things get out pretty quickly,
but settle into an agitated groove when Filiano shifts
into pizzicato while Drury continues to stretch with
explosive commentary. The band veers off into a manic
swing feel on “Part II”, Hwang executing maximum
tension on an early solo, followed by a truly monstrous
arco exposition from Filiano. Drury concludes bydefying all expectations of a typical drum solo: blowing
air through a plumbing fixture to create a sound that
could have come from a herd of angry elephants.
Hwang explores strictly plucked textures on theviola for “Conscious Concave Concrete”, initiating
a series of dark vamps, which also combine various
Korean folk elements. Filiano is one of the finest bassists
operating on planet Earth and when he lays down aloping groove on “2 AM”, the gravity sets Hwang into
one of his most emotionally satisfying moments of thesession. Filiano responds in kind, rock solid with nevera hint of a false move and eventually handing off toDrury for a supremely balanced composition. A band
doesn’t coalesce like this without considerable
chemistry developed through serious history. They
deliver their magnum opus on ominously titled “Battle
For The Indelible Truth”, a 12-minute explosive
dialogue between violin and percussion.
It all comes together on the closing “Defiance”, thetelepathic interplay, the storytelling, the rotating
narratives and the sterling musicianship. Recorded
over two days in August of 2019, the album is dedicatedto the nurses, doctors and frontline workers who saved
so many lives during the pandemic of 2020, as well as
the 430,000 lives (and counting) we have lost.
For more information, visit jasonkaohwang.com. Hwang livestreams Feb. 19th at kerrytownconcerthouse.com/edgefest.

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22 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Flyways: Murmuration | Respiration
Mara Rosenbloom (Fresh Sound-New Talent)by John Pietaro

Mara Rosenbloom’s trajectory within New York’s

improvisational music community has steeply andconsistently pointed skyward. The pianist’s refined
instrumental and compositional vision, masterful ear
and derring-do has placed her in the upper echelon ofaccompanists, collaborators and, increasingly, into therole of ensemble leader. After considerable work with
William Hooker, Vinny Golia, William Parker, Sam
Newsome and her own ensembles, Flyways is built ona change best described as atmospheric.
On Murmuration, recorded in 2019, Rosenbloom isthe heart of a threesome with vocalist Anaïs Maviel(here also playing surdo) and bassist Rashaan Carter.
As always, the pianist’s hands carve waves of sound,albeit suited to the timbers in her midst.
On the lengthy foray of “I Know What I Dreamed
Of” with a lyric drawn from the work of the late poet
Adrienne Rich, the ensemble shines in a manner
befitting the poet as well as the muses. Renowned forher feminism, LGBTQ and anti-war activism (shereceived the National Book Award simultaneous to
Audre Lorde and Alice Walker), Rich stood as a model
for lesbians and all people of conscience; see her Of
Woman Born: Motherhood as Institution and Experience(1976) for an important view within.
With Murmuration, Maviel’s extended range andarsenal of improvisation create suits of armor andjournalistic probes, reaching skyward as Rosenbloom
and Carter drop thickets of harmonies across bothwordage and soundscape. The pianist, who neverallows a moment to pass where a thoughtful musicalpassage is left undone, unspoken, revels in bass andsurdo fills, which toss motifs over the edge, prompting
her only to create further and beyond. This ensemble
should be heard at Weill Recital Hall for full effect, its
blending of postmodern classical music and organic
improvisation carrying that much weight.
Beyond this, other works on Murmuration are brief
but telling. The opening themes as well as later pieces
inspired by bird calls (some heard on the tracks),
another Rich work (“Dream of a Common Language”)
and, of course, the trio’s reimagining of “These FoolishThings”, long associated with Lennie Tristano and here
dedicated to the beloved, late Connie Crothers. This
closer is an intimate modernist statement, played solo
by Rosenbloom for her late mentor and a perfectvehicle to close the recording, leaving the listener not
only wanting more, but warmly, wanting Crothers.
On Respiration the pianist is in a more traditionalsetting with the assured invention of her trio of bassist
Sean Conly and drummer Chad Taylor. The album
opens with a brief improvisation on a theme by Amina
Claudine Myers before morphing into a Rosenbloom
original, “The Choo”, which calls on memories of later‘60s R&B-fueled jazz. Here Conly’s forward-moving
improvisations aspirate the melodic structure and solo
sections (the magic between pianist and bassist doesbring on thoughts of the first great Bill Evans Trio;‘nuff said).
But listen carefully, too, to the reconstructions ofJuan Tizol’s noted “Caravan”, a major aspect of theDuke Ellington catalog for decades. Respiration’s fourth
selection bridges the immortal theme to a Crothersesque fantasia, which is utterly riveting, nearly ten
minutes long and nary a moment wasted: modal
happenings,
atonalescapades
andrhythmicrevampings of Tizol bring the ear both back andforward simultaneously.
By the ninth and closing cut, “Caravan Reprise –Keep Marching”, Rosenbloom and company seem tohave driven the past out of the work, building andempowering it for the fight-back of these days. Morethan anything else, this piece carries the banner of a
Carla Bley arrangement, bursting with the essential
elements even as it lures the ear into unheralded,
previously unimagined territory. And it’s nohappenstance that Bley has always and, as recently as
2020, featured themes of social justice in her catalog.
How much longer before Rosenbloom stands at thehelm of the world’s stage? Anything beyond
immediately post-COVID would be criminal.
For more information, visit freshsoundrecords.com. Rosenbloom
live-streams Feb. 19th at kerrytownconcerthouse.com/edgefest.

Heart
Endangered Quartet (Panoramic)
by Kurt Gottschalk

The growing seriousness of Roy Nathanson neverceases to surprise. From the Groucho-with-an-altodemeanor in the early days of The Jazz Passengers to
his emergence as a poet and storyteller, Nathanson
seems to have gradually lowered the comedic mask toreveal the more human face of love and happiness.
Endangered Quartet isn’t Nathanson’s band, but
he and trombone-at-arms Curtis Fowlkes are the bestknown figures. Their professional partnership goesback some 40 years and the complementary sensibility
they’ve nurtured is always a pleasure. The drummerlesscollective also includes violinist Jesse Mills and bassist
Tim Kiah, both of whom, along with Fowlkes, provide
occasional vocals on this, the band’s debut release,which comes shovel-ready for such exultant
exclamations as “sonic Snuggie” and “nothin’ says
lovin’ like something from the oven.”
The band’s strategy is well suggested byarrangements of pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach,
Ornette Coleman and John Lennon-Paul McCartney,
all structured formalists—even Coleman, whose twoparts of “The Circle With a Hole in the Middle” serveas 90-second markers, almost like film cues, on thealbum. The Beatles’ “Blackbird” basks in familiarity
while dropping all of the lyrics but “blackbird fly”. But
the opening track, a fairly jazzy take on Bach’s Chorale
BWV 244/44, is the one that really sets the pace.
Baroque arrangements for New Orleans street
band isn’t what Heart is actually about, but it often
feels that way.
Nine more pieces are contributed by the band
members in varying configurations (including theshort “Sweet Intentions”, credited collectively to thegroup), sometimes with added credit given to producer
Hugo Dwyer, who produced many of The Jazz
Passengers releases as well as some of Nathanson’s
other projects. He gives the band an appropriately
close and warm sound. The album closes with a takeon the folk ballad “Goodnight, Irene” (credited here to
Huddie Ledbetter), perhaps the most contented suicidesong ever written. They play it sweet and slow, alullaby for troubled times, giving it plenty of heart.
For more information, visit newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com.
Roy Nathanson live-streams excerpts from his latest book
Conversations and Other Songs Feb. 20th atmadhat-press.com.

Live at The Baked Potato
Soft Machine (Moonjune)by Marc Medwin

The bells toll, deeply ominous but somehowtransparent, as if trading in foreboding for the
succeeding celebratory atmosphere. Leading the way
is drummer John Marshall’s no-holds-barred tap-androll crescendo, just before that now-iconic funky-fresh
groove arrives, slammed into gear by Marshall and
Roy Babbington’s bass, both locked in for the durationof “Hazard Profile”’s first part as the Soft Machine
album Bundles comes to life. More than four decades
later, in the distinguished company of sopranosaxophonist/flutist Theo Travis and guitarist John
Etheridge, Marshall and Babbington reprise that roleon this excellent live album, which was recorded two
years ago this month by the current Softs lineup in Los
Angeles. It’s only one of many moments that bridge
the often-un-bridgeable gap between nostalgia and thevigor of spontaneous music making.
In 2018, when the band kicked off its 50th
anniversary tour, they brought “Profile” in after aMarshall drum solo. That’s also the case here and it’sa joy to hear the driving force behind so many key
sessions having a chance to indulge his gifts for colorand impeccable timing complexity. Yet, when
Babbington and Etheridge hit that riff hard and Travis
floats that soprano saxophone melody over it all, theband’s unique sense of swing, tight but relaxed, comes
into sharp focus. It’s present in a very different way on
the gorgeous “Tale of Taliesin”, carrying thecomposition along its circuitously repetitive and modal
path. Again, Marshall’s constantly morphing snare
patterns bring spirit and gentle drive to guide the tune
toward its climactic second phase.
To point out solo contributions would be tounderappreciate this group synergy, but there are many.
Babbington’s deliciously understated opening to “TheMan Who Waved At Trains” should be a model of the
dignity and virtuosic delicacy with which all bassists
should learn to approach the instrument, but his
expertly judicious use of effect, as on his growly lowregister contributions to “Hidden Details”, is also well
worth study, as is Etheridge’s perfect use of octave
doublings during those crafty webs of scale and motive
he spins with the effortlessness of the master at play.
Yet, it’s his heartbreakingly understated introduction to“Heart Off Guard”, a crystalline world of subtly
contained dynamic contrast, which is one of thisalbum’s finest moments. Another is the intro to “OutBloody-Rageous”. To consider Travis only for his
excellent windwork is to deny his contributions to theworld of looping. The fragmentations, proportions andoctave displacements achieved on that Fender-Rhodesderived loop nest is a marvel to behold, as is yet anothertight band entrance ushering in the tone proper.
The mix of old and new tunes is predictable; theunity and vitality with which both are rendered is not.
The recording and playing are equal in immediacy andit’s all captured in front of an audience whose
appreciation knows no bounds, as their reaction to“Hazard Profile” makes abundantly clear. Live at The
Baked Potato is as fine a representation of this band onstage as you’re likely to get without hearing them inperson and their spiritedly wise optimism is a soundfor sore ears.
For more information, visit moonjune.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 23

The Lake and the Music
Lajos Dudas (JazzSick)by Elliott Simon

The sundry environs of Germany’s Lake Constancehave inspired clarinetist Lajos Dudas, who turns 80
this month, on The Lake and the Music. Dudas uses
classical, folk and jazz approaches in the context ofa broad range of jazz styles and his 50 Years with Jazz
Clarinet (JazzSick Records, 2011) is a delightful career
retrospective. Here, Dudas teams with long-timebandmate guitarist Philipp van Endert and drummer
Kurt Billker while tapping three bassists, two
percussionists and a pair of guests for a pleasurable
program of mainstream jazz classics.
Dudas shares a close bond with van Endert andtheir interplay is at the session’s core. Their connection
is obvious on the rocking opener, Richard RodgersLorenz Hart’s “The Lady is a Tramp”, and a lovely sendup of Horace Silver’s “Filthy McNasty”, which gets its
chill from bassist Martin Gjakonovski and Gerd Dudek’s
flute. Dudas also pairs with Dudek’s soprano saxophone
for a jaunty version of Gerald Marks-Seymour Simons’“All of Me” supported by outstanding bassist Vitold
Rek and percussionist Janos Szudy. Rek and Szudy are
elegant together and gorgeously color Sonny Rollins’“St. Thomas” and Tommy Vig closer “But I…?”

Dudas spends a lot of time in the upper clarinet
registers and his control is still amazingly focusedthroughout but with guest vibraphonist Karl Berger hedips down to the lower register on George Gershwin’s“A Foggy Day”. The highlights are a beautiful portrayalof the deep sadness in Rezső Seress’ “Gloomy Sunday”
and a straightahead swinging take on Attila Zoller ’s“A Thousand Dreams”. On the former, van Endert andguest percussionist Jochen Büttner artfully set themood for Dudas’ best emotive playing as he tearfully
voices the tune’s despair while bassist Leonard E.
Jones and van Endert pep up the latter to support
wonderfully fleet clarinet lines.
While not as adventurous as his prior works,
Dudas remains a rare musical treasure who has
mastered his instrument in a way transcending genre.
For more information, visit jazzsick.com

Don’t Stop The Groove
Lyman Woodard Organization(Corridor-Pure Pleasure)
by Kyle Oleksiuk

Don’t Stop The Groove by the Lyman Woodard
Organization reissues a LP of a Jan. 26th, 1979 show at
Cobb’s Corner nightclub in Detroit. It was the last

24 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

performance of an era in Detroit jazz: one day later, theowner of the club, Henry Normile, was shot and killedin his apartment and, as the album’s liner notes put it,“the heart of the Detroit jazz scene was ripped apart.”
Don’t Stop The Groove is a snapshot of and testament tojust how alive that heart had been just a day before.
Woodard, who died 12 years ago this month, andthe other musicians of the Organization—Marcus
Belgrave and Ron Jackson (trumpets), Kerry Campbell(soprano saxophone), Allan Barnes (tenor saxophone),
Robert Lowe (guitar, vocals), Lorenzo Brown(percussion, vocals), Leonard King (drums) and Leroy
Emmanuel (vocals)—play with unflagging manicenergy for the album’s 32-minute runtime. Woodard’s
simple, shimmering organ sound is a joy, as are Brown’s
machine gun conga drums and Lowe’s understated but
electric electric guitar. The horn section, which includes
trumpet heavyweight Belgrave, lets out yes-Lord pealsof notes in perfect time that add exclamation points tothe end of each bar. Every player has a perfectly
proportioned sense of their relationship to the groove—
they fit it like a hand in a glove (or…).
Don’t Stop The Groove is a perfect party album.
Though 40+ years old, it has aged like wine into an
instant classic of R&B-soul-disco-jazz. Only once does
it descend from fantastic to pretty good: on the first
track, when the band spends a few minutes chanting“don’t stop the groove, cause it put ‘cha in the mood,
don’t stop”. The audience in the nightclub clearlyenjoyed it, but on the recording, without the atmosphereof infectious fun everyone at Cobb’s Corner was
audibly enjoying on that winter ’s night in Detroit, thechanting quickly gets tiresome. Besides that, though,the advertising is true: the groove don’t stop.
For more information, visit purepleasurerecords.com

The Longrun Development of the Universe #5 for Misha
Carl Ludwig Hübsch/Matthias Schubert/
Wolter Wierbos (Jazzwerkstatt)
Artblau: Other Kinds of Blue
Carl Ludwig Hübsch (Impakt)
by Anna Steegmann

The trio of the The Longrun Development of the Universe

has worked together for 20 years. Tuba player Carl
Ludwig Hübsch, who turns 55 this month, dedicatedthis recording to Misha Mengelberg who died in 2017.
The CD contains three compositions by the Dutch jazzpianist and composer, with all other tracks by Hübsch.
The musicians are well-known improvisers andinstrumentalists: Matthias Schubert (tenor saxophone)
played with Günter Hampel and Albert Mangelsdorff;
Wolter Wierbos (trombone) is a longtime member of
the ICP Orchestra and Gerry Hemingway Quintet;
and Hübsch has been a sideman with Arthur Blythe,
Tomasz Stańko and Lester Bowie.
Tuba, tenor saxophone and trombone is an unusual
grouping for a full-length recording. The listener can
detect influences of the Dutch improvisational school,
New Music and modern jazz. The nine often-lengthy
tracks appear mostly freely improvised; there are no
melodies and individual solos come and go. The
opening Mengelberg composition “De Sprong, O
Romantiek Der Hazen” is slow, sparse and the mostgripping of all tracks. Each instrument shines in its
own right and instrumental sections alternate with
Hübsch’s haunting vocals. Very free and associative,“BrozziRolloKachel” presents the tuba in unusuallyhigh registers, a bold musical interplay, a bit disjointed
like colliding traffic.
You have to be a true aficionado of experimental
and improvisational music and open to surprises andsound combinations not heard before to appreciate thisrecording. Some of the tracks feel unwieldy, almost
inaccessible, and could be more enjoyable in an
intimate club setting where listeners can witness themusicians performing their magic on their instruments.
Artblau is more welcoming. Hübsch’s inspiration
was trumpeter Miles Davis’ legendary 1959 recording
Kind of Blue. He aimed not for rehashing but instead a
new take on the music. With him is a nine-member
ensemble of Cologne-based musicians (the North
Rhine-Westphalia city is Hübsch’s homebase): Angelika
Sheridan (flutes), Salim Javaid (soprano saxophone),
Leonhard Huhn (alto), Matthias Muche (trombone),
Philip Zoubek (piano), Akiko Ahrendt (violin),
Elisabeth Coudoux (cello), Constantin Herzog (bass)
and Etienne Nillesen (extended snare drum), plus
Pauline Buss (viola on track 12). Hübsch wanted to
expose style-forming elements of Kind of Blue andpresent them in a different, abstract and contemporary
manner using decomposition, restructuring andreaction. Traditional jazz is the background, new music
and improvisation foregrounded.
The CD also includes compositions by Hübsch
and ensemble members interspersed with the Davistracks. The very brief opener ”Go Catches” (Hübsch) isslow, beautiful and deeply felt. Easy-going ”Two Freds
are Free” (Huhn) features a bass and melody groupand ends with traces of Cannonball Adderley’s
saxophone. Other tracks like “Freifeld” (Hübsch),conceived as a reduced and rearranged version of“Freddie Freeloader”, are more challenging andsomewhat disjointed.
For more information, visit jazzwerkstatt.eu and impaktkoeln.bandcamp.com

Bluu Afroo
Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra(featuring Stephen Riley)(SteepleChase)by Robert Iannapollo

In 2021, Danish guitarist Pierre Dørge celebrates not

only his 75th birthday (Feb. 28th) but also the 40th yearof his New Jungle Orchestra (NJO). Both are quiteconsiderable achievements, but the latter is a bit moreamazing: maintaining a group, which, despite its
evolution over time, has stayed true to its initial visionof a ten-piece ensemble playing vibrant music fromboth the historical and free side of the jazz spectrum,
as well as bringing in various African and other world
traditions, blended into a seamless whole.
The band started with Dørge, keyboardist Irene
Becker and saxophonist Morten Carlsen (who left thegroup some 35 years later) as the core. The initial
membership seemed loose but included some of
Denmark and the world’s finest: saxophonists John
Tchicai (a mentor and whose 1968 MPS album
Afrodisiaca was Dørge’s recording debut), Jesper
Zeuthen and Simon Spang-Hanssen, drummers
Marilyn Mazur and Hamid Drake, Johnny (bass) andThomas Dyani (percussion), trumpeter Harry Beckett
and bassist Hugo Rasmussen.
By the late ‘80s the personnel began to stabilize.
Of the current members, trombonist Kenneth Agerholm
came aboard in 1985, saxophonist Jakob Mygind
during the early 90s and reed player Anders Banke in2000. The crack rhythm team of bassist Thommy
Andersson, drummer Martin Andersen and Ghanianpercussionist Ayi Solomon has also been in place since
the early aughts. This is a well-seasoned ensemble.
Bluu Afroo is the 23rd NJO album. The program isby Dørge with the exception of two by Becker (“Sister”
and “Dancing In The Jungle”). “Mingus’ Birthday
Party” begins with a blast and enters into a driving
rhythm with lively solos by trumpeter Tobias Wiklund(a new member) and Agerholm. But curiously, thetrack changes midstream with a lovely unaccompanied
solo by Becker before it concludes with a gauzyinterlude and a final orchestral blast.
Ellington is a major influence on Dørge’s music
and “Mama Asili” is a fine demonstration. It’s a feature
for a guest soloist, American tenor saxophonist
Stephen Riley, a fellow SteepleChase artist (producer
Nils Winther likes to mix and match the members of
his roster). Riley’s breathy solo is in homage to thegreat tenor players of Ellingtonia, Ben Webster andPaul Gonsalves. And it’s nice to see Dørge resurrect“Rocking At Planet Pluto”, a bopping theme
reminiscent of Ellington’s “Rockin’ In Rhythm”. The
track was previously recorded as “Sunday In Zurich”
on the 1990 Olfsen album Live In Chicago but the newtitle seems more appropriate. Solomon’s subtle
percussive underpinning brings the African element
to the fore on “Elefante Imposante”, pushing the piecealong throughout, allowing Dørge’s (as well as theorchestra) modal explorations free rein.
Bluu Afroo bounces around from track to track,
each different from the next and all pithy ranging from
3:43 to 7:07, and never flags, basically the modus
operandi for most NJO albums and performances. And
for a 40-year-old band to remain this productive, that’s
saying something.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk

All For Now
Gary Versace (SteepleChase)by Thomas Conrad

G ary Versace is a special national resource. Justconsider: he may be the most in-demand sideman injazz. Everyone from cinch Grammy winners (Maria
Schneider) to edgy adventurers (Matt Moran) chooses
Versace because his presence improves any band. In
his discography as a sideman (now around 80 titles),he is mostly called upon to play Hammond B3, Fender
Rhodes, accordion and even melodica. In his sparetime, Versace leads a world-class acoustic piano trio.
All For Now is his piano trio debut on SteepleChaseafter four earlier albums and first for the label since2006. Versace writes captivating songs like “Backs andAll”, which begins as a softly circling pool of brightchimings. From this simple opening he extends long
strands of melody and countermelody and creates arich design. When he cuts loose, as on “Two Peas”,
he displays chops of extreme ambidextrous pianistic
athleticism.
He is also an innovative interpreter. George and
Ira Gershwin’s ”The Man I Love” is the funkiest on
record. It is normally a brooding, even dreamy song.
Somebody forgot to tell Versace. He gives it a heavy
bass vamp and a gut-level groove. His piano solo isa joyous celebration, bouncing over all those backbeats.
Irene Higginbotham-Ervin Drake-Dan Fisher ’s “Good
Morning Heartache” is different because Versace’s
chord voicings intensify the song’s original poignant
intention and his new melodies elaborate on thesadness. Track eight is a wild free ride that is not
obviously Bud Powell’s “Celia” until the end.
There are two kinds of piano trios: those that use
the bassist and drummer as accompanists and thosethat use them as partners. Versace’s trio is unmistakably
the latter. It is fitting that this great sideman knows
how to use sidemen. Bassist Jay Anderson and drummer
Obed Calvaire are beautifully essential. On Versace’s
ballad “Ours”, Versace and Anderson play the melody
in unison and then alternate solo choruses. Anderson’svariations deepen Versace’s ideas. Versace clears spacefor Calvaire to insert a crisp, elegant spontaneous
cymbal composition into the middle of “Celia”.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk

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THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | FEBRUARY 2021 25

MISCELLANY
ONbyTHISDAYAndrey Henkin

Jazz Concert
Mezz Mezzrow (Vogue)
February 5th, 1952

Prehn Quartet
Tom Prehn (V 58)
February 5th, 1967

The Personal Dimension
Toshiko Akiyoshi (Victor)
February 5th, 1971

Some order, long understood
Wayne Horvitz (Black Saint)
February 5th, 1982

The Watcher
Leon Lee Dorsey (Landmark)February 5th, 1994

Clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Mezz

This extremely rare early-ish example

The cover captures a moment in time:

According to keyboard player Wayne

From the ‘80s onwards, bassist Leon

Mezzrow is notorious in jazz for his
marijuana operation in ‘30s Harlem(Mezz became slang for the drug) andhis 1946 autobiography Really theBlues, wherein his self-perception as
Negro was laid out in its use of Blackvernacular. All this overshadowed his
playing, first in his native Chicago
and then New York. His last 20 years(he died in 1972 just shy of 73) werespent in Paris, whose Salle Pleyel was
the site of this concert with Mowgli
Jospin, Guy Lafitte, Lee Collins,
Claude Bolling and Zutty Singleton.

of Danish avant garde jazz was given
a higher profile when it was reissued
in 2001 as part of Atavistic’s Unheard
Music Series. It was the only releaseon V 58 and last document of pianist
Tom Prehn’s quartet with tenor
saxophonist Fritz Krogh and bassist
Poul Ehlers, Preben Vang taking overon drums for Finn Slumstrup, none
besides Ehlers going on to do any
further jazz recording. Tunes by theleader, Krogh and Ehlers, plus Middle
Ages liturgical piece ”L’hommearmé”, recall period ESP-Disk’ LPs.

a hand-drawn poster for a concert at
Carnegie Hall by pianist Toshiko
Akiyoshi, seats $3, presented with the
Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies, four
years after it was settled permanently
in Newark. The leader, splitting time
between her native Japan and the US,
is joined by husband Lew Tabackin(tenorsaxophone/flute)and,strangely as neither is on the poster,bassist Lyn Christie and drummer Bill
Goodwin, for two Akiyoshi tunes,
one by noted koto composer Michio
Miyagi and “Lover Man”.

Horvitz years after the fact, this LP,
a document of a concert at One Henry
Street, is an edited version of what
actually transpired, almost all writtenmaterial excised from the title pieceand “Psalm” because they were toolong for the sides of an LP. With thatcaveat, this is Horvitz’ first release ona ‘major’ label and features him on
piano (both acoustic and amplified),organ, synthesizer and electronics,
joined in a one-time, convened-forthe-gig trio with the late Butch Morris(cornet) and William Parker (bass).

Lee Dorsey’s trajectory pointed only
upwards. Following sessions with
Lionel Hampton, Arthur Prysock,John Gordon and Oliver Lake was aEuropean tour with Art Blakey’s Jazz
Messengers. Five years later was thisleader debut with Vincent Herring(alto and soprano saxophones), Don
Braden (tenor), Lafayette Harris, Jr.
(piano) and Cecil Brooks III (drums,
Jimmy Madison subbing on one track)
for seven originals and four covers,a peak moment for the now-respectededucator at Berklee.

BIRTHDAYS
February 1†James P. Johnson 1894-1955†Tricky Sam Nanton 1904-46
Sadao Watanabe b.1933
Tyrone Brown b.1940
Bugge Wesseltoft b.1964
Joshua Redman b.1969
February 2†Sonny Stitt 1924-82†Mimi Perrin 1926-2010†Stan Getz 1927-91
James Blood Ulmer b.1942
Louis Sclavis b.1953
February 3†Lil Hardin Armstrong
1898-1971†Snooky Young 1919-2011†Chico Alvarez 1920-92
John Handy b.1933
Leroy Williams b.1937
Bob Stewart b.1945
Greg Tardy b.1966
Rob Garcia b.1969
February 4†Harold “Duke” DeJean
1909-2002†Jutta Hipp 1925-2003†Wally Cirillo 1927-77†Tony Fruscella 1927-69
Newman Taylor Baker b.1943†John Stubblefield 1945-2005
Vincent Chancey b.1950
February 5†Gene Schroeder 1915-75
Rick Laird b.1941
Bill Mays b.1944
Art Lande b.1947
Shai Maestro b.1987

February 6†Ernie Royal 1921-83†Sammy Nestico 1924-2021†Tom McIntosh 1927-2017†Nelson Boyd 1928-1985
Oleg Kiryev b.1964
Larry Grenadier b.1966
Michael Griener b.1968
Scott Amendola b.1969

February 11†Matt Dennis 1914-2002†Martin Drew 1944-2010
Raoul Björkenheim b.1956†Didier Lockwood 1956-2018
Ethan Iverson b.1972
Jaleel Shaw b.1978
February 12†Paul Bascomb 1912-86†Tex Beneke 1914-2000†Hans Koller 1921-2003†Art Mardigan 1923-77†Mel Powell 1923-98
Juini Booth b.1948
Bill Laswell b.1955
Ron Horton b.1960
Szilárd Mezei b.1974

February 7†Eubie Blake 1887-1983†Ray Crawford 1924-97†Ray Alexander 1925-2002†King Curtis 1934-71
T.K. Blue b. 1953
February 8†Lonnie Johnson 1889-1970†Buddy Morrow 1919-2010†Pony Poindexter 1926-88†Eddie Locke 1930-2009
Renee Manning b.1955

February 13†Wingy Manone 1900-82†Les Hite 1903-62†Wardell Gray 1921-55†Ron Jefferson 1926-2003
Keith Nichols b.1945

February 9†Walter Page 1900-57†Peanuts Holland 1910-79†Joe Dodge 1922-2004†Joe Maneri 1927-2009
Steve Wilson b.1961
Daniela Schaechter b.1972
Behn Gillece b.1982

February 14†Perry Bradford 1893-1970†Jack Lesberg 1920-2005
Elliot Lawrence b.1925
Phillip Greenlief b.1959
Jason Palmer b.1979

February 10†Chick Webb 1909-39†Sir Roland Hanna 1932-2002†Walter Perkins 1932-2004†Rahn Burton 1934-2013
Rufus Reid b.1944†”Butch” Morris 1947-2013
Michael Weiss b.1958
Paolo Fresu b.1961

February 15†Harold Arlen 1905-86†Walter Fuller 1910-2003†Nathan Davis 1937-2018
Kirk Lightsey b.1937
Henry Threadgill b.1944†Edward Vesala 1945-99
Herlin Riley b.1957
Dena DeRose b.1966

February 16†Bill Doggett 1916-96†Charlie Fowlkes 1916-80
Howard Riley b.1943†Jeff Clayton 1954-2020
February 17†Wallace Bishop 1906-86†Charlie Spivak 1906-82†Harry Dial 1907-1987†Alec Wilder 1907-80†Buddy DeFranco 1923-2014†Buddy Jones 1924-2000
Fred Frith b.1949
Nicole Mitchell b.1967
February 18†Hazy Osterwald 1922-2012†Frank Butler 1928-84†Billy Butler 1928-91
Jeanfrançois Prins b.1967
Gordon Grdina b.1977
February 19†Johnny Dunn 1897-1937
Fred Van Hove b.1937†Ron Mathewson 1944-2020
Blaise Siwula b.1950
David Murray b.1955
February 20†Fred Robinson 1901-84†Oscar Aleman 1909-80†Frank Isola 1925-2004†Bobby Jaspar 1926-63†Nancy Wilson 1937-2018†Lew Soloff 1944-2015
Anthony Davis b.1951
Leroy Jones b.1958
Darek Oles b.1963
Iain Ballamy b.1964
Craig Taborn b.1970

February 21†Tadd Dameron 1917-65†Eddie Higgins 1932-2009†Nina Simone 1933-2003†Graham Collier 1937-2011
Akira Sakata b.1945
Herb Robertson b.1951
Warren Vaché b.1951
Matt Darriau b.1960
Christian Howes b.1972

February 25†Tiny Parham 1900-43†Ray Perry 1915-50†Fred Katz 1919-2013†Rene Thomas 1927-75†Sandy Brown 1929-75†Tommy Newsom b.1929-2007†Åke Persson 1932-75
Brian Drye b.1975

February 26
February 22†Dave Pell 1925-2017†James Reese Europe 1881-1919 †Chris Anderson 1926-2008†Rex Stewart 1907-67†Hagood Hardy 1937-97†Claude “Fiddler” Williams
Trevor Watts b.1939
1908-2004
Yosuke Yamashita b.1942†Buddy Tate 1914-2001
Guy Klucevsek b.1948†Joe Wilder 1922-2014
Hilliard Greene b.1958
Dave Bailey b.1926
George Haslam b.1939
February 27
Marc Charig b.1944†Leo Watson 1898-1950
Harvey Mason b.1947†Mildred Bailey 1907-51
Joe La Barbera b.1948†Abe Most 1920-2002†Dexter Gordon 1923-90
February 23†Chuck Wayne 1923-97†Hall Overton 1920-72
Rob Brown b.1962†Johnny Carisi 1922-92
Joey Calderazzo b.1965†Richard Boone 1930-99†Les Condon 1930-2008
February 28
Wayne Escoffery b.1975†Louis Metcalf 1905-81†Svend Asmussen 1916-2017
February 24†Bill Douglass 1923-94†Eddie Chamblee 1920-99†Donald Garrett 1932-89†Ralph Pena 1927-69†Willie Bobo 1934-83†Andrzej Kurylewicz 1932-2007 Charles Gayle b.1939†Michel Legrand 1932-2019
Pierre Dørge b.1946†David “Fathead” Newman
Mikko Innanen b.1978
1933-2009†Steve Berrios 1945-2013
February 29
Vladimir Chekasin b.1947†Jimmy Dorsey 1904-56
Bob Magnusson b.1947†Paul Rutherford 1940-2007
Maggie Nicols b.1948†Richie Cole 1948-2020

VINCENT CHANCEY

February 4th, 1950

Despite playing the French
horn, an instrument still
somewhat obscure in the
annals of jazz, Vincent
Chancey has been a key
contributor to numerous
ensembles since the ‘70s.
Among his myriad credits
are membership in the Sun
Ra Arkestra, Carla Bley Big
Band, Lester Bowie’s Brass
Fantasy, Liberation Music
Orchestra,
Composer’s
Workshop Ensemble andMuhal Richard Abrams
Orchestra. These go alongwith sideman credits under
Ahmed Abdullah, John
Lindberg, David Murray,
Herb
Robertson,
JuliusHemphill, Butch Morris,Peter Kowald, Bill Horvitz,
Leroy Jenkins, Marty Ehrlichand many others as well asfour albums as a leader, mostrecently the 1987 archival
release The Spell.
(AH)

CROSSWORD
1

2

3

4

8

5

6

ACROSS

7

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

20

21

22

23

24

26

27

29

19

25

28

30

31

32

33

34

By Andrey Henkin 			18

1. At the heart of Horace?
4. Panthera Producicus
8. Elis Regina nickname
9. Bonguero Iglesias who played with Cachao in the ‘50s
10. Miles Davis album of Palle Mikkelborg compositions
12. Time Zone of the Telluride Jazz Festival (abbr.)
13. Corvus Bassicus
14. This oil/gas company sponsored the first Australian
Jazz Summit
15. Italian trumpeter Sergio
17. Pye Nixa catalogue prefix
20. 1954 Bennie Moten His Master’s Voice compilation
Kay ____ Jazz
21. Oscar Hammerstein and Greg Ward are these
22. Julia Ward Howe, composer of often-covered-in-jazz“Battle Hymn of the Republic” was head of thisFeminist org.
23. With One, rapper whose songs have sampled
Stanley Turrentine, Clifford Brown, Jimmy McGriffand others
24. Jazzkaar country
26. 1961-62 Grant Green Blue Note album Born ____ Blue
28. Halichoerus Guitaricus

visit nycjazzrecord.com for answers

26 FEBRUARY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

29. Audio device quality test prog.
30. 1978 David Hardiman’s San Francisco All-Star Big
Band Theresa album ____ Be All Right
31. Delaware Water Gap’s Deer Head and Tokyo’s Pit
32. With Forms, Whit Dickey label
33. Esox Vibraphonicus
34. This diplomatic org. has hosted concerts by
Dado Moroni, Enrico Pieranunzi and others
DOWN
1. Pavo Bassicus
2. Like many a free jazz trumpeter
3. ‘50s pianist/vocalist Simpson’s hallucinogenic voyage?
4. Illness afflicting Kermit Driscoll
5. Seminal Max Roach album without Abbey Lincoln?
6. Pianist Horace and drummer Christian
7. The standard “Tea For Two” originated here
11. Scott Hall was in this org.
16. Recording engineer Justin
18. Mongo Santamaria wrote a tune for this Basquederived ballgame
19. Petrochelidon Bassicus
25. Type of malleted drum
27. Sun Ra’s favorite type of verse?