JUNE 2021—ISSUE 230

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENENYCJAZZRECORD.COM

DIGITALONLYEDITIONROBERT
GLASPER
MODERN(IZING) JAZZPATIENCEHIGGINS

GREG
LEWIS

ROBERTOMIRANDA

DEWEY
JOHNSONManaging Editor:
Laurence Donohue-Greene
Editorial Director &Production Manager:
Andrey Henkin
To Contact:
The New York City Jazz Record
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United States
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JUNE 2021—ISSUE 230
ON THE COVER : ROBERT GLASPER

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

NEW YORK@NIGHT

Andrey Henkin:ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

INTERVIEW : PATIENCE HIGGINSGeneral Inquiries:
info@nycjazzrecord.com
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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, Michael Cobb,
Jordannah Elizabeth, Pierre Giroux,
George Kanzler, Sylvia Levine,
Steven Loewy, Monique Ngozi Nri,Kyle Oleksiuk
Contributing Photographers
Erin Baiano, Miles Bitton,
Jason Todd Cooper, Tom Greenland
Fact-checker
Nate Dorward

nycjazzrecord.com

ARTIST FEATURE : GREG LEWISENCORE : ROBERTO MIRANDALEST WE FORGET : DEWEY JOHNSONLABEL SPOTLIGHT : OUTSIDE IN MUSICVOXNEWS
OBITUARIESALBUM REVIEWSEVENT CALENDARMISCELLANY

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by jordannah elizabeth

by sylvia levineby michael cobb
by anders griffen
by eric wendellby john pietaro
by suzanne lorge
by andrey henkinby andrey henkin

Nearly 52 years ago, astronaut Neil Armstrong, alighting on the moon’s surface,uttered his iconic quote, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Progress is measured in many ways but here at the gazette’s offices, we take our own
small step, publishing an Event Calendar for the first time since March 2020, and view
it as a giant leap for New York City’s art scene and the health of the world in general.
While there are other jazz capitals, NYC being so relatively silent for so long just felt
wrong; the isolation experienced by the world’s greatest concentration of jazzmusicians was palpable. Now, with the warm weather, there are outdoor concerts and,with COVID 19 infection rates dropping and vaccinations rising, we are starting toreturn to indoor performances. Certainly the density of concerts is far from what it
was—one page versus several—but more will come and that is not just a step, it is awhole dance routine.
This month we have features on keyboard player Robert Glasper (On The Cover), whoplays a week at the newly reopened Blue Note; saxophonist Patience Higgins (Interview),
participating in some outdoor JazzMobile events; and organ player Greg Lewis (Artist
Feature) appearing every weekend at Williamsburg Music Center, which is celebratingits 40th anniversary. And our Album Reviews mix the live-streams that have kept us
going over the last year-plus with in-person events helping us heal after a long periodof darkness and despair.

On The Cover: Robert Glasper (photo by Jason Todd Cooper)
Corrections: In last month’s NY@Night on Philip Harper, the name of the series was omitted:
it is Brooklyn Rooftop Series on the Socceroof.
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

ON THE COVER

ROBERT GLASPER
MODERN(IZING) JAZZ

G rammy award-winning keyboardist and Black music

aficionado Robert Glasper has never been afraid tospeak his mind. The 47-year-old jazz musician has
attained heights of acclaim many musicians 20 years
his senior will never reach, but this is because Glasper
cast his net wide and decisively chose to step awayfrom traditionalism and mastering jazz standards fora living to chart new territory, creating hip-hop andR&B fusion, which, 10 years ago, had not been done on
the scale in which he was working.
Since receiving his start as a traditional jazzmusician under Christian McBride and other leaders
right out of college, Glasper has been called upon to
speak about the future of jazz, seen as a beacon of lightwith his hand on the pulse of musical youth culture
and speaking freely about the disconnect between
what is happening in jazz and postmodern popular
culture. Still young in his own right, he feels a bit offrustration, wondering how jazz is going to survive
without making efforts to connect with the newgeneration. “Name one jazz song that talks about a cell
phone, name one jazz song that talks about Instagram
or something that’s happening in this decade. Whenpeople sing a jazz song it’s something from 1940 andthey’re like, ‘How come no one is listening to this?’” heexpresses via phone from Los Angeles.
“It’s because you’re not singing anything [young
people] can relate to,” he continues. When asked what
he would do if he were given a superpower to remake
the entire international jazz scene, he replied as if he
had already pondered the question years before.
“I’d definitely put more female musicians in the scene.
I’d put more Black musicians in the scene,” he pauses
then says, “I feel like most of the time, jazz is closed off
to other styles of music. I hate that because it stunts thegrowth of the music. The music has grown from the
1920s to now because of the outside influence of music.
Outside music defines the times. It’s not that you haveto work with a hip-hop group every time but I wish
people would be more open to that and be open towhat happens now.”
Glasper has made these declarations before, but
the repetition of his philosophy on the futuristic
movement of jazz is one of the things that is keeping
the concept of modern hip-hop and R&B jazz fusion
alive. He’s not beating a dead horse. He’s trying to
draw the horse to water to refresh and replenish an
animal that is slower and aging. Nonetheless, jazz still
has the capacity for vitality if nourished. Glasper
wants to see jazz survive, so he expresses his sentiments
continuously but he doesn’t just speak. He makes
tangible efforts to draw in new audiences and works
with like-minded jazz musicians who are collaborating
and updating the idea of the look and feel of jazz.
His most recent release Live (Blue Note) comesfrom his allstar band R+R = Now: multi-instrumentalist
Terrace Martin, trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde
Adjuah, bassist Derrick Hodge, keyboard player Taylor
McFerrin and drummer Justin Tyson. This followup to
the 2018 studio album Collagically Speaking wasrecorded at Glasper ’s Blue Note Club residency in

MILES BITTON

by jordannah elizabeth

2018 and released in early 2021.
So much has happened in the span of three years
between the recording and release: a global pandemic
and unprecedented international protests rallying
against police brutality in the United States. “It’s notthat we were playing protest songs. There are people
who, because of the times we’re in, were like, ‘Let’s playprotest songs’ but there’s another side of it that says,
hey, people are hurting right now,” says Glasper. “Musicis healing. It’s medicine and I was happy that R+R=NOWLive came out at that particular time because people
were not able to go to live shows. We made it so that thelive concert actually feels live. You can hear glasses
clinking. You hear the audience. I wanted to makepeople feel like they were there. To give that experienceright now, I think it was something that was needed.”
These insights into the daily plight of humanity
are what keeps Glasper hip to the pulse of culture. He
looks around for inspiration and has a knack fortiming. He uses morsels of his private reality to nameand create compositions that stand out, even if theinspiration comes from painful experiences. He spoke
about the title of Live’s opening track “Resting
Warrior”: “Right before we did the album, my little
cousin passed away and I watched her take her last
breath. I was in Houston sitting with her in the hospitalfor the last three days [of her life] and the doctor camein and told us [she’s going to pass away] tomorrow. We
all just gathered around the bed and watched her fightto breathe. Then she took her last breath and then was
at rest. After that, we went into the studio to do Liveand that reminded me of that.”
The album reflects a pre-pandemic era when theworld was open and jazz clubs were buzzing with lifeand enthusiastic fanfare. But during the pandemic,
Glasper took the time to make changes in his life, movingfrom New York to Los Angeles to pursue film scoring
after winning a Grammy for his work on Don Cheadle’s
Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead and composing the entire
score for The Photograph starring Issa Rae, which was
released on Valentine’s Day 2020. “I’ve said you shouldcome out of the pandemic being better at something than
you were before the pandemic. I’ve gotten better atrecording and I’ve delved into film scoring.”
But before Glasper established his new creative
path of film scoring he had to overcome controversy
due to his explanation of a term he coined called the“Musical Clitoris” while candidly speaking in aninterview with fellow pianist Ethan Iverson. Women in
the jazz community were angered and taken aback at
his comments where he expressed that he believed thatwomen didn’t like jazz solos but drawn-out rhythmic
patterns instead. This generalization led to accusationsof sexism. “I wasn’t saying all women. If I said it thatway, that was a mistake. If someone would have asked
me, I would have said that I was trying to say was a lotof women don’t want to hear solos for 30 minutes.
I can tell you that because of my experience.
I have more women at my shows than any other jazzmusician, period. It’s not even close. So, this subject,
I can speak on it.” Glasper defended himself, “I’vebeen in the business for so long I’ve never had anybody
call me sexist. I’m not sexist. Any woman that knows
me would tell you I’m not sexist. People looked at one
interview and took that now you’re saying I’m sexist.”
Whether or not women in the jazz community
believe Glasper to be sexist, or believe that he wascreating a term that he felt fit his live music
performances, which are constructed through theobservation and the energy of his crowds, doesn’tmean a powerful man should not be questioned whencommenting on women’s sexual body parts. He may
see it as a way to express himself but Glasper is not a
woman nor does he have a clitoris. Nonetheless, hechose to use the term for describing his artistic
ideology, which for some seemed problematic. “TheMusic Clitoris is a term I use because [jazz] musicians
don’t like to get on a groove, they like to solo [toomuch] and it annoys me. I say, ‘Hey, this groove feels
so good. Let’s stay there’ and the more you stay there
the better the groove feels. I’ll stay on a groove for 10
minutes and I call it the Music Clitoris. It’s talking
about sex but it’s not downing women. I’m grown.
I can talk about sex. To me, that’s the best way todescribe it. Jazz musicians hit a groove and it feels
good, then they fuck it up and put a solo in the middle.”
When Glasper speaks his mind, it is not always forthe faint of heart, “To put it in a less vulgar way, I liketo supply the room and you can move your own
furniture in. When I get a groove, I leave it open so
there are no solos on top so there’s room for yourthoughts. The groove can be therapy, it can be forprayer. This is another way of saying it. That’s
something I’ve always said and it makes sense to me.”
When listening to his albums, seeing him performor hearing him speak, it is always up to the observer totake their stance on the relevance of his work as much as
any other artist but, because of Glasper’s talent andexperience, which is vast, he keeps himself in the top
tier of modern jazz musicians. No one should be shamed
for their opinion of his perspective and contributions
and no apologies should be made for him for the words
he speaks. Glasper is going to live his life and makemusic that continues to define the culture. He has a
responsibility and is future-minded so, one hopes, hiswords and presence will bring people together while
keeping himself accountable for what is happening withhim, his music, the jazz world and beyond. v
For more information, visit robertglasper.com. Glasper is atBlue Note Jun. 15th-20th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Robert Glasper Trio—Mood(Fresh Sound-New Talent, 2002)• Robert Glasper—Canvas (Blue Note, 2005)• Robert Glasper—In My Element (Blue Note, 2006)• Robert Glasper—Covered (Blue Note, 2014)• Blue Note All-Stars—Our Point Of View
(Blue Note, 2015)• Robert Glasper—Fuck Yo Feelings (Instrumental)(Loma Vista, 2019)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 3

NEW YORK @ NIGHT
It felt more like a Baghdad gahwat (coffeehouse) than a G iven Lakecia Benjamin’s own tilt toward soulfulness

DAHVEEDBEHROOZIECHOSSSC 1618
AVAILABLE 6/4/21—Behroozi’s rhapsodic, wide-screen pianism, is as inspired by such jazz masters as
Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock and Gonzalo
Rubalcaba as its classical exemplars Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich and Glenn
Gould.
DAHVEED BEHROOZI piano
THOMAS MORGAN bass
BILLY MINTZ drums

TODD COCHRAN
TC3

jazz concert. About ten people sat in a close circle
paying rapt attention as singer Hamid Al-Saadi, apreeminent qari’, or reciter, of Iraqi maqam music,
santur (zither) player Amir ElSaffar and violinist/
percussionist Zafir Tawil performed an inspired set ofmodal compositions/improvisations on a rainy
evening (May 9th) in the cozy backroom of Barbès in
Brooklyn’s Park Slope. It was during the last few daysof Ramadan and the ensemble hadn’t performed inover a year, so there was a sense of expectancy, followedby relief to be playing live again, followed by outrightjoy, the smiles on and off stage growing wider as the
deeply spiritual music worked its magic. Al-Saadi’s
voice, both potent and supple, sounded like a sleepy
bear emerging from hibernation, testing the newseason, finding its footing, expanding into a formidable
presence, evoking cries of “Allah!” from audience
members who felt his spirit. When he wasn’t
improvising on the violin, Tawil provided rhythmic
impetus on the doumbek (goblet drum) or daf (framedrum) while ElSaffar ’s wooden hammers danced overthe santur strings, devising intricate sequences, cuingthe others through sinuous transitions. Beginning withmaqam Bayat, moving from the main theme tosecondary melodies, developing climaxes andcadences, the music was both highly structured andhighly improvised and, like jazz, blossomed throughthe unique personality of each artist. —Tom Greenlandand spirituality, it’s natural that she’d gravitate to andplumb the depths of saxophone icon John Coltrane,
and, as she notes, his oft under-appreciated other half,
Alice Coltrane. Drawing from her recent album,
Pursuance: The Coltranes (Ropeadope), her live-stream
at Dizzy’s Club (May 13th) paid homage to the pairwith demonstrable thoughtfulness, sensitivity andsimpatico. Opener “Liberia”, with its intense rhythmic
introduction before a more melodic playout,
demonstrated her high level of dexterity and commandof the alto, including an ability to create a flittering
dance of tones among solidly landed notes. “Syeeda’sSong Flute” left no doubt about her articulate voicing
and superior concentration. A short turn on “Amazing
Grace” (she’d just lost several relatives to COVID-19)
was a hymn to the deceased. Pianist Chris Rob, bassist
Lonnie Plaxico and drummer EJ Strickland shoneparticularly on Alice’s “Walk with Me”, providing
earthy counterpoint to Benjamin’s high-flying andsomewhat ethereal solo turns. But it was with John’s“Alabama” that Benjamin and the trio made hairs
stand on end. Each segment of the extended piece,
composed in response to the 1963 16th Street Baptist
Church bombing in Birmingham, evoked intense
emotion, beginning with wailing saxophone crying out
in anguish, moving to articulations of rage, outrage,
beseeching and helplessness and ending withimperturbable determination.
—Marilyn Lester

Zafir Tawil/Hamid Al Saadi/Amir ElSaffar @ Barbès

Lakecia Benjamin @ Dizzy’s Club

THEN AND AGAIN
HERE AND NOW
SSC 1608
AVAILABLE 6/11/21

TODD COCHRAN piano
JOHN LEFTWICH bass
MICHAEL CARVIN drums

DENNY ZEITLINGEORGE MARSHTELEPATHY
SSC 1620
AVAILABLE 6/25/21—Denny Zeitlin and George Marsh werealready together on the soundtrack of
the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body
Snatchers whose electro-acoustic-symphonic score Denny Zeitlin wrote.
—We often feel like we are some kind ofgalactic orchestra. —Denny Zeitlin
DENNY ZEITLIN piano, keyboards, synthesizers
GEORGE MARSH drums, percussion

www.sunnysiderecords.com

TOM GREENLAND—Pianist Todd Cochran emphaticallymarks his acoustic reincarnation after
nearly a half century solo recording hiatus.

It felt more like a Prohibition-era speakeasy than a jazz G abrielle Stravelli, whose star has risen over the lastconcert. Drinkers at the bar and diners at the tables
were yakking away through the entire set, their voices
rising as the liquor took effect, with maybe only a halfdozen people in the whole room watching as the
onstage quartet ran through a set of swing/bop
standards. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the end ofeach number was greeted with a burst of applause,that distinctively warm sounding applause that tells
you people have been touched. It was Saturday night(May 8th) at The Django in the cellar of the Roxy Hotelin TriBeCa and clearly guitarist Pasquale Grasso was
getting his musical message across to the otherwise
distracted crowd. Though known among jazzconnoisseurs for his prodigious ability to make a single
guitar sound like an orchestra, here, accompanied bybass clarinetist Stefano Doglioni, bassist Ari Roland
and drummer Keith Balla, Grasso had the chance toshow what he can do with a rhythm section to bolster
him and room to stretch out. On standards like “April
in Paris”, “Ghost of a Chance”, “Spring Is Here”, “Fineand Dandy”, Charlie Parker ’s “Quasimodo” and“Now’s the Time” and less common tunes like Fats
Navarro’s “Fats Flats” and Bud Powell’s “Crossing the
Channel”, Grasso stretched his nimble, spider-likehands across the fret-board to spin delicate, finely
crafted lines into an intricate melodic web, sending out
seductive vibrations to ensnare the unsuspecting
revelers, all without raising his volume.
(TG)

4 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

half decade, has the great good fortune of two sidemen
completely in sync with her style and persona. Livestreaming from Soapbox Gallery (May 6th) the
melodic Michael Kanan on piano and Pat O’Leary on
bass were a perfect match for the singer ’s own
musicianship and upbeat delivery. They supported herwell in addition to shining in their own spotlight
moments. In choice of material, Stravelli is a versatile
performer, but in this outing she concentrated mostly
on Great American Songbook standards. The overall
impression, thus, was a very trad presentation. She
was in an Ella Fitzgerald mode on a few tunes, such as“Lady Be Good”, complete with accomplished scat, as
well as a Gershwin medley. Original material, “Messin’
Around” had a blues undertone within a toe-tapping
tempo. The duo with Kanan, “In My Darkest Place”,
was dirge-like. More Broadway-style (think Andrew
Lloyd Webber), it proved Stravelli’s range andevocative abilities with a lyric. In that vein, a highpoint was the singer ’s interpretation of Cole Porter ’s“Get Out of Town”; not only did Stravelli excel atphrasing, but she captured the irony of the lyric
perfectly, which eludes many lesser singers. A swing
version of “I Could Have Danced All Night” pleasantly
ended the sturdy set, with a beautifully phrased,swinging encore of “I’m Putting All My Eggs in One
Basket”, conjuring up images of the lithely dancing
Fred Astaire. 				(ML)In an effort to “to help kickstart the performing arts The National Jazz Museum in Harlem regularly flows
sector and New York City’s revival” Restart Stages at
Lincoln Center began presenting outdoor concertsaround its Upper West Side headquarters. A breezy
performance by Juilliard Jazz Orchestra in Damrosch
Park (May 20th) gave testament to the fact the city was
returning to some normalcy. Conducted by eminent
Ellington scholar David Berger, the polished young
17-piece ensemble proved that both music’s future andrich history were in good hands with more than adozen mostly seldom-heard compositions from themaestro’s iconic canon. Throughout the night thegroup’s smooth section work and capable solo efforts
confirmed the enduring significance of Ellington’smusic. The band began by reaching way back to theearly days of jazz, playing “East St. Louis Toodle-oo”,
with plunger-muted trumpet and warbling clarinet
sounding over strummed banjo and a slow sousaphone
beat, conjuring the imagery of an early 20th Century
cotillion. The classic sound of the Ellington Orchestra
as a dance band came to life with a bouncy renderingof “Sepia Panorama” while its symphonic quality wasevident on the imagistic “Apes and Peacocks”. The
Duke’s status as a popular songwriter was confirmedon respective vocal performances by Olivia Chindamo
and Mar Vilaseca of “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart”
and “So Far So Good”. The band swung like mad on“Red Hot Jazz” then pulled out all the stops with its
closer, “Braggin’ In Brass”.
—Russ Mustowith events celebrating African American heritage andrecently (May 4th) it presented the richest of traditions.
So named for the utterly driven poem of the master
Langston Hughes, Jazzonia: The Marriage of Poetry
and Jazz demonstrated a living tradition birthed in theneighborhood. In this Part Two of a three-evening
celebration (the first was a roundtable discussion), theMuseum rang out with the sounds of contemporary
spoken word, vocals and, of course, music. Poet
Altovise Laster ’s stirring segment was inspired by
Nina Simone, offering a plethora of liberation
statements. She worked, however, to bring the music
into her own, avoiding the original lyrics and drawing
on the emotion and esteem of Simone’s classics. Overand through the songs, Laster created and emoted,
casting poetry affirmations such as “This ghost of awoman / has come back to life”. Next, Alabama poet/
vocalist Lacresha Berry presented an energetic (“poetry
should walk your dog, baby”) segment, incorporating
commanding alto vocals into recitation for a set
inspired by Billie Holiday. Lifting blues cadences withleaps and rhythmic shifts, Berry said, “this is all about
visibility...This ain’t about seeing; it’s about vision.”
The City Love Band was featured on instrumentals
including a dazzling “I Put a Spell on You”. Guitarist
Kappa Tanabe shone throughout, supported in uptown
style by pianist Andre Chez Lewis, bassist Kenji
Tokunaga and drummer Alex Durant. —John Pietaro

W H AT ’ S N E W S
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of StrataEast Records, co-founder/trumpeter Charles
Tolliver will headline a live-stream concert on
Jun. 16th at 7:30 pm with Buster Williams, Lenny
White, George Cables, Billy Harper and guests.
For more information, visit sonicly.com/Projects/
Experience/661/1695.
The Apollo Theater will live-stream its springfund-raiser, “Apollo Resounding”, Jun. 7th at 7:30
pm with performers including Stefon Harris. For
more information, visit apollotheater.org.
Winners of the fourth annual Ella Fitzgerald
Jazz Vocal Competition have been named: thefirst place winner is Lucy Wijnands of Kansas
City, Missouri; second place winner is Taisha
Estrada of Washington, DC; and three third placewinners are Atrin Madani (Berlin, Germany),
Ariana Stefanidis (New York, NY) and Naledi
Masilo (Cape Town, South Africa). For more
information, visit ellafitzgeraldcompetition.org.
Newly elected members to the AmericanAcademyof Arts & Sciences include trumpeter Terence
Blanchard and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. For
more information, visit amacad.org.

ERIN BAIANO

Guitarist Julian Lage, saxophonist Melissa
Aldana and trombonist Marshall Gilkes will join
the New England Conservatory’s Jazz
Studies Faculty for the 2021-2022 academic
year. For more information, visit necmusic.edu.

Juilliard Jazz Orchestra @ Damrosch Park

Jazzonia @ National Jazz Museum in Harlem

H earkening back to the ‘70s Loft scene, Robby Ameen O ne Breath Rising (OBR) has been presenting monthly
has been hosting regular Thursday evening
performances by his quartet in downtown Manhattan’s
Poster Museum. Leading a band of longtime colleagues
from the world of Latin jazz, Bob Franceschini(saxophones), Edsel Gomez (Fender Rhodes electric
piano) and Lincoln Goines (acoustic bass), the veteran
drummer got the second night (May 6th) of the series
started by reaching back into his repertoire of originals
with an updated rendition of his 2009 piece“Swiftboating”.
Drivenbymulti-directional
drumming—cowbell clanging and tambourine-topped
sock cymbal rattling—Franceschini took off blowing
bold tenor with palpable intensity over the jagged
melodic line, his dark tone at times reminiscent ofArchie Shepp and Gato Barbieri, before the song closed
out with a climactic drum solo. The set continued witha piece from Ameen’s latest album, Diluvio, “Fast Eye”,
a soulful outing with Gomez’ swirling upper-registernotes dancing around an insistent left-hand bassline
evoking the spirit of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters
and a drum solo over a zigzagging vamp recalling theFort Apache Band’s arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s“Evidence”. Things got even funkier with “Cremant”,
a feature for Goines. The set ended with he and Ameen
dueting to kick off an extended version of Wayne
Shorter ’s “Footprints”, a staple from their decadeswith the late Dave Valentin, which had Franceschini
wailing on soprano saxophone. 		
(RM)

concerts by a diverse array of artists in the African
American tradition, as per the organization’s mission
statement, since April 2019. A year later, the organizers
began live-streams bridging performance andeducation to a growing Zoom-generated community.
Lee Odom’s set (May 16th) featured the saxophonist/clarinetist in a variety of settings, opening with aunique improvisatory trio with off-camera pianist anddrummer, aged 11 and 14, respectively. Even with the
distance and the sound quality of the children’s
broadcast, the music flowed in a succinct, naturally
communicative manner, well illustrating the OBR
collaborative concept. Odom turned from soprano toalto for the second piece, “Bricks and Dead Ivies”,
a stirring duo with poet Lydia Percy. “When I arrived
in New York, she took me to the Blue Note to see
Pharoah Sanders and this changed everything.” Percy’s
spoken word was pre-recorded, as was the intermittent
accompaniment, with Odom’s warm obbligato creatinga spiraling melody over and through the poetry. Even
when avoiding the timbre of a particular vintage, theyoung lionness has the uncanny ability to conjure thespirits: her clarinet cries of Johnny Dodds and hersoprano Sidney Bechet. Maybe it’s her southern roots
or maybe it’s Harlem, but the emotional impact isthere, even when playing free. After the concert, Odom
spoke with the viewers, adding a certain salon
experience to the proceedings. 		
(JP)

Winners of the 2021 Jazz Journalists
Association Awards have been announced:
bassist Ron Carter received the Lifetime
Achievement Award; drummer Terri Lyne
Carrington was named Musician of the Year; Maria
Schneider’s Data Lords (ArtistShare) was namedRecord of the Year; Thelonious Monk—Palo Alto
(Impulse) was named Historical Record of theYear; and Resonance won Record Label of theYear. For the complete list, visit jjajazzawards.org.
Jazz at Lincoln Center has named Grand Seiko
as “Official Timekeeper” of Jazz at Lincoln
Center’s 2020-21/2021-22 season.
Guitarist Nate Knipscher has been named thethird John Abercrombie Jazz Scholarshipgrant recipient. For more information, visit
johnabercrombiejazzfund.org.
A new website devoted to the life and music oflate pianist Gil Coggins, who worked with Miles
Davis, Lester Young, Jackie McLean and others,
has been created. For more information, visit
gilcoggins.com.
Submit news to ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 5

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTISTINTERVIEW

PATIENCEHIGGINSby sylvia levine

R eedplayer Patience Higgins is one of those musicians

everyone has heard and heard of but the extent of his talents
and musical experience has stayed largely under the radar.
From leading Monday night sessions at St. Nick’s Pub foryears and performing with numerous long-running
Broadway shows to a chair in the Duke Ellington Orchestra
and participating in at least 57 recordings (so far) andtraveling the world with jazz and pop groups and shows,
Higgins has fit into a broad range of musical situations.
He is as comfortable playing with Lionel Hampton as with
Hamiet Bluiett as with Bobby Watson as with…well, thisreporter last saw him in the baritone chair with the Peter
Leitch New Life Orchestra one afternoon pre-pandemic.
And let’s not forget to mention his affinity for tap and his
long-running association with tap master Savion Glover.
We recently spoke to Higgins by phone and he generously
gave us an hour of his time to discuss his career.
The New York City Jazz Record: Can we start at the
beginning of this journey—coming to New York fromGreenville, South Carolina?
Patience Higgins: I came to NY in 1978—just out ofhigh school.
TNYCJR: You were already a musician at that point?
PH: Yes. I was already a musician when I came to the
Big Apple.
TNYCJR: Did you have a great teacher back home inSouth Carolina? Like in Chicago, everybody studied
with Captain Walter Dyett. Did you have somebody
special teaching you like that?
PH: I did have a very very good teacher, Mr. Lewinson,back in South Carolina. And he was really a goodwoodwind teacher and player. That’s where I got myfoundation. Later, I had other private teachers along
the way.
TNYCJR: He encouraged you to go to New York?
PH: Yes, he did and we kept in touch after I came here.
TNYCJR: A big move for a young man. Did you know
anyone here to connect with?
PH: I knew three people.
TNYCJR: Hopefully they were glad to see you?
PH: Yes, they were. And I was also very fortunate. It
was a lot of serendipity. I met a fellow musician at a
jam session and we became fast friends. It turned out
we both were looking for a residence, somewhere to
live. We found a loft in Midtown, 7th Avenue and 50thStreet. Being in that residence was a turning point.
A lot of musicians had their rehearsal spaces or musicaloffices there. And I met some gentlemen who became
mentors and introduced me to the business of music.
TNYCJR: Would you care to name names?
PH: Yes, of course. There was Seldon Powell, Frank
Wess and a little after that Dr. Barry Harris and thena little later George Coleman.
TNYCJR: Mr. Coleman probably made you playthrough the keys on every tune—he is known for doingthat to young musicians.
PH: Through the keys!
TNYCJR: Were you already a multi-instrumentalist atthat point? I mean you play all these instruments—you
basically need a moving van to carry all your horns.
PH: This is true. I was playing saxophone and fluteand clarinet and added on instruments as time wenton, to all the saxophones, the clarinets, flutes and thendouble reed instruments—oboe, English horn…
TNYCJR: Being so versatile a musician probably wasa big help in getting into shows—all that high-paying
steady work!
PH: My association with Seldon Powell was myintroduction into the world of Broadway. He was the
saxophonist in the Broadway show called Ain’t
Misbehavin’. And he had a rehearsal space in thebuilding where I was living. I met him just seeing him
coming in and out of the building. He took me under
his wing and eventually asked me to be a sub for him
on that show.
TNYCJR: Beginner ’s luck!
PH: Exactly. That band was an incredible array ofmusicians, led by Hank Jones, who was the MusicalDirector. And it included Norris Turney and Arvell
Shaw and Eddie Bert, Virgil Jones and it was a truly
wonderful experience to be with these older musicians.
I think it is one of the things that younger musicians
should always be striving to do, to associate themselveswith older musicians. And basically this taught me theaspects of music, not just music but also the social
aspects that go along with being a professionalmusician: for example, things like better an hour early
for an engagement than a minute late. Be early forevery gig. Dress appropriately. Be well groomed.
TNYCJR: Clean your shoes.
PH: Right! Don’t wait for the phone to ring to startpracticing. Practice the things you need to work on
more than the things you do well! Of course, always becordial and respectful and be open to constructive

6 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

criticism. Don’t take a gig that requires skills that you
know you do not have! You could ruin your reputation.
Develop yourself musically first to be ready when theopportunity comes again.
TNYCJR: They don’t teach you those things in schoolnow.
PH: No, they don’t.
TNYCJR: I am pretty sure they don’t when you see
people on the bandstand that look like they just got outof bed.
				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 29)

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTISTARTIST FEATU RE

GREG
LEWIS

For more information, visit greglewismusic.com. Lewis is at
Williamsburg Music Center Fridays and Saturdays. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Sam Newsome’s Groove Project—24/7(Satchmo Jazz, 2002)• Greg Lewis—Organ Monk (s/r, 2010)• Greg Lewis—Organ Monk: Uwo In The Black(s/r, 2012)• Greg Lewis—Organ Monk: American Standard(s/r, 2012)• Greg Lewis—Organ Monk Blue (s/r, 2016)• Gregory Lewis—Organ Monk: The Breathe Suite(s/r, 2017)by michael cobb
Greg Lewis is a highly regarded organ player, pianist

and composer on New York City’s jazz, blues and funkscenes, deeply committed to expanding his jazz roots
and developing his own musical vocabulary. He wasintroduced to music by his late father’s record
collection. “My father and grandfather played piano.
I grew up listening to Trane, Monk, Miles, Bud Powell,
all the typical greats. Monk was my dad’s favorite
musician. Unfortunately, he was murdered at age 39;
I didn’t get a chance to talk to him as an adult.” Lewis
grew up in Long Island City, Queens and picked up
piano by hearing music around the house and in his
community. “My uncles were into jazz and hipped me
to artists like Keith Jarrett. As kids we wondered why
they listened to music without words. I was listening to
piano players like Kenny Drew and Herbie Nichols andI was getting into all their trio piano albums. My uncles
would let me copy them from vinyl to tape,” he says.
Other music filtered in via his surroundings.
“I really liked Sly Stone and Billy Preston, who I’m sureinfluenced me. The first record I bought as a kid was
Funkadelic’s ‘(Not Just) Knee Deep’ [from Uncle Jam
Wants You]. And growing up in the projects you couldn’t
not be into hip-hop, Grandmaster Flash and all that.
When that came about, people started looking for othermusic to sample than James Brown. Sampling inspired
artists to dig deeper.” At 11, Lewis began studying piano
and was playing professionally by the time he was ateenager. Early gigs included “a group called The Family
when I was 18 and we began playing to convicts inprisons including Rahway in New Jersey. It was coolbecause they loved any kind of entertainment.”
While Lewis was attending The New School, his
mentor, pianist Gil Coggins, sent him as a sub to a gig
one night. Lewis expected a piano but instead found a
Hammond B-3. It was a defining moment: “I felt thepower of the organ and thought, ‘wow this is crazy.’
The draw bars allow you to play a full chord with only
one note; that’s why it sounds so tremendous. Whenyou play organ, you have to think like a bass player
simultaneously. It’s a different mindset than piano.
There are things you can do on both instruments thatare unique, but there’s no sound like the Hammond.”
Over the years Lewis studied with Jaki Byard at
The New School and hung out with legends like Randy
Weston. Lewis studied and absorbed the seminal
works of ragtime pioneers Eubie Blake, Scott Joplin,jazz pianists Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Sonny Clark
and organ players like Jimmy Smith, Larry Young,
Chester Thompson, Santana’s Gregg Alan Rolie andJohn Lord of Deep Purple.
Lewis feels connections between the different
musical forms that made their way back and forth from
Europe to America. “Everything is related from African
to European piano, classical organ music, slaves
moaning on the boats, working in the fields and church
music. I pull from everything I hear. I don’t say I’ma jazz musician. I love everything from Yngwie
Malmsteen, whose technique I admire, to Monk.”

Of the latter he says, “He was clearly a genius.
Nobody taught him to write like that. A genius issomeone who does what has never been done before.
He was coming out of Art Tatum and Willie ‘The Lion’
Smith, but he had his own way. Monk’s voicings using
tritone and flat fives, dissonant minor second intervals
were unique. Monk was known as the High Priest of
Bebop. He’d hit dissonant chords that at the timemight’ve sounded wrong to many, an ugly beauty, but
now people appreciate it more.”
When asked how his environment affected hismusic, Lewis says, “I think it’s a cultural thing. The
way your mama talks to you, the way you eat yourfood, the way it tastes. It’s the church aspect, the way
the rhythm gets revved up, the way a mother swings ababy in her arms. If in your culture everyone’s clappingon two and four, it’s a different feel from one and three.
I don’t know why that is, but in the Black community
the swing is on two and four. There’s nothing wrong
with one and three, but if you’re playing bebop, you’ll
get cursed out for that. I think it goes even deeper.
Africans who were brought here as slaves weren’t
allowed to play drums, because that was a way tocommunicate. The masters didn’t want that, but they
still kept that culture and those rhythms,” he adds.
Friends, family, teachers and community members
all helped in his musical education. “I was lucky tomeet a guy named Jim Harrison who hipped me torecords by Elmo Hope, Freddie Redd, who did The
Connection with Jackie McLean. The first person who
made me believe I could play was Jaki Byard...He wasa beast and the baddest stride pianist I ever saw playlive...I also got a chance to study with Walter Davis, Jr.
who reminded me that I had to learn with my ears. He
told me, ‘You gotta listen.’ We’d just hang out morethan anything. They spoke in riddles, a lot of thosecats. It was like listening to a philosopher...And Gil
Coggins, who had incredible comping. He played withMiles, who only let him comp, not solo.”
Lewis’ album The Breathe Suite includes a piece
titled “Eric Garner”, addressing police violence.
“When I got the New Jazz Works Grant in 2014, it wasaround the time when Michael Brown was murdered,
which blew my mind. I felt inspired to dedicate thesesongs to all the people who’ve suffered. I needed towrite something because I thought this doesn’t makeany sense and it’s still happening. I want people toremember these names. Who was Eric Garner? Who
was Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old kid walking homewith Skittles? Really, you shot him? And George Floyd?
Oh man, come on! James Baldwin said, ‘To be an
educated Black person in this country is to be enraged.’
I can’t carry that anger around all the time, but when
you think about it, it’s been going on forever. Charles
Mingus wrote ‘Fables of Faubus’, Nina Simone sang
about it in ‘Mississippi Goddam’, Trane wrote about it
in ‘Alabama’. Why do we all have stories like this? It’s
because of the systemic racism in this country. So, I felt
I had to say something too.” v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 7

ENCOREROBERTOMIRANDAby anders griffen
Bassist Roberto Miranda has been on many musicaladventures, performing and recording with his
mentors—Horace Tapscott, John Carter and Bobby
Bradford and later, Kenny Burrell—as well as artists
like Charles Lloyd, Tim Berne, Vinny Golia, Michele
Rosewoman and James Newton, among many others.
This year Dark Tree Records released Live at Bing
Theatre by Roberto Miranda’s Home Music Ensemble,
an apt name for that group, which had immediatefamily and his greater musical family performing withhim. It was Miranda’s Master ’s recital at U.S.C.,
recorded live on May 25th, 1985. His mentors Tapscott,
Carter and Bradford are part of the band, but his father
and brother are both in the fold as well. That was the
only time anything like that happened. He also
appears on one track from this year ’s celebrated box
set of Julius Hemphill’s archival recordings, The BoyéMulti-National Crusade For Harmony (New World
Records). Over the course of almost 60 years, Miranda
has established an international reach while his work
has focused locally, in Los Angeles, where he has madehis home.
“In between the ages of birth and just before my
8th birthday, I spent approximately half my time in
Puerto Rico and half my time in New York City. Since
then, I’ve been in Los Angeles,” he says. Miranda’s
parents were from Puerto Rico. Louis Raphael, Sr., wasa vocalist and percussionist from Ponce, Puerto Rico.
As a young man, his voice was the first to be broadcast
on the radio in that city. As a musician, he worked with
Perez Prado, Joe Loco and Ruth Natal and he appearedon The Ed Sullivan Show. Miranda’s father was his firstmusic teacher. “My Dad sang and played congas,
bongos and the smaller instruments, clave, guiro. He

played all those instruments and he taught those
instruments to me and my brother. One of thefavorite memories I have of my life is watching myparents dance to Latin music. Man! That still is anincredible memory.”
Years later in school, his brother played percussionin concert band and Miranda asked for a trumpet. All
those chairs were taken, he was told, so he requested
a guitar, but was told that was not a band instrument.
They did need bass players, however, so that’s when he
first played bass but gave it up after the semester. The
brothers had formed a band together in which Louis
played drum set and Roberto played congas. As
teenagers they started a social club and held dances.
“Almost everybody in the club was a musician. We
would actually throw dances. We did one dance at alodge or something in Echo Park and hundreds ofpeople came. I remember being on the bandstand andlooking out and just seeing hundreds of teenagers
doing a dance that was popular at that time called ‘thestroll’. It was really cool.” When their bass player was
no longer permitted by his parents to play with thesocial club band, Miranda picked up the bass again.
This time he never put it down again and it wasn’t long
before he met his musical mentors.
“The Underground Musicians Association and the
Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra were both underway by
the time I got to them. Underground Musicians
Association changed its name to The Union of God’s
Musicians’ and Artists’ Ascension, UGMAA. I met mythree mentors—Horace Tapscott, Bobby Bradford andJohn Carter—I met all three of them when I was 19
years old. I played with Horace and John from the time
I was 19 until they died. Every once in a while, I stillplay with Bobby. They just really accepted me andloved me and nurtured me. They weren’t that mucholder than me. Maybe somewhere between 10 and 15
years older. I loved all three of them. Those were theguys who really taught me. Even though I ended up
going to school and getting an undergraduate andgraduate degree in music, at least with relationship toreally playing the music professionally and, I want to
say at the street level, or... I can’t think of another word
for it right now, but those were the guys that reallytaught me.”Miranda recalls that he made his first recording atage 21 with pianist Larry Nash and drummer Woody“Sonship” Theus, who were both just 16 at the time.
The name of the album was The Beginning and it also
featured saxophonists Herman Riley and Pony
Poindexter and trumpeter Luis Gasca (who, undercontract elsewhere, used a pseudonym). The drummer
became a dear friend and was instrumental in Miranda
ending up on a record with Charles Lloyd (Waves,
A&M, 1972), even though, as it was happening,
Miranda didn’t even know he was being recorded.
“Sonship Theus was a very close friend of mine.
Both of us shared a love for the Lord. And we shareda love for this music. I would get together with Sonship,
he was a wonderful practicer. He would practicea roll—just a roll—for a solid hour. And then I would
walk. And we would do that for a solid hour, man, justwalking bass, roll, bass foot and hi-hat. And then wewould begin to stretch out. We did a lot of playing
together. Another good, close friend of mine at the time
was a guitar player by the name of Tommy Trujillo.
[He] and Sonship were both playing with Charles
Lloyd. The bass player in the band at that time wasa wonderful bass player by the name of Wolfgang
Melz. Tommy and Sonship just asked me to come by
the recording, they were doing a record and I met
Charles. I brought my bass, so he stuck me into a bass
booth and just asked me to play along with them. So,
I was listening to the music that they were playing
with headphones on, playing bass in this isolatedroom. The next thing I know, I’m playing bass on thealbum and I was touring with the group.”
Miranda’s own education coincided with his career
as an educator. Besides attending UCLA he went to
California State University Dominguez Hills, where heearned his Bachelor ’s degree and simultaneously
taught at Compton Community College. He was also
gigging and teaching privately and then got aninvitation from the Jazz Department head, ThomasDavid Mason. In exchange for being his teachingassistant and playing in his big band, he worked
toward his Master ’s degree tuition-free. He also
					
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 29)

take lessons at the Granoff School of Music, whose
alumni include Coltrane, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie
and saxophonist Sonny Fortune. In 1960, Johnson
traveled out to Los Angeles where he joined his brotherFred and acted as a mentor and teacher to saxophonist
Noah Howard. Not long after, Johnson moved to San
Francisco where he lived in a musician’s commune that
acted as a meeting place for musicians coming throughincluding Coltrane, bassist Jimmy Garrison andsaxophonists Ornette Coleman and Sonny Simmons.
In 1963, Johnson moved to New York City where
he started a band with saxophonist Giuseppi Logan,bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Rashied Ali.
Johnson was a workhorse willing to put the necessary
time and effort to creating beautiful art with Driscoll
extolling, “in work he was concentrated, attentive,
willing to rehearse for unlimited time.”
In 1964, Johnson appeared on pianist Paul Bley’s
ESP-Disk’ album Barrage. Perhaps the best record of his
talents, Johnson’s interplay with alto saxophonist
Marshall Allen is at times adversarial; a competition ofimmense force that brings listeners to their knees, as isevident on “Around Again” where the sonic assault of
the main melody is brief yet effective. Johnson’s solofrom 1:37-2:22 is an unrestrained bundle of notes just
waiting to pop.
Johnson received a big bump in his profile when
Coltrane invited him to participate in the recording
sessions that would result in Ascension. Still fresh off ofthe success of A Love Supreme, Ascension serves as atranscendent moment in Coltrane’s career and abeautiful example of Johnson’s prowess, who had theprime aural real estate on both sides of the recording,taking the first solo after Coltrane. Johnson settles
nicely into a cluster of informal notes that both mirror
Coltrane’s soul-embarking heights while traversing
brilliantly through the ensemble.
Not long after Coltrane’s death in 1967, Johnson
suffered a nervous breakdown, his mental healthkeeping him away from the scene for periods of time.
The same year, Johnson played the concert that would,
in 2020, be released as First Time Out: Live at Slugs 1967
with drummer Rashied Ali, tenor saxophonist Ramon
Morris and pianist Stanley Cowell. The two-track
album showcases a more tender side to Johnson’s
playing; “Ballade” showcases a beautiful and mellow
tone, which, when paired against his work on Ascension,
sounds like that of two different musicians.
After subsequent stretches of time where he washomeless or working a succession of day jobs, Johnson
participated on the sessions for drummer Paul
Murphy’s recording Cloudburst, which also included
Driscoll. Driscoll shared one of Johnson’s philosophieson improvisation: “You can create an improvisationand form easily. Start on A, freely improvise and end
on an A. That way you cannot be lost, you always
know where you are going.” Driscoll elaborates on this					
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 29)

LEST WE FORGET

DEWEY
JOHNSONby eric wendell
W hen trumpeter Dewey Johnson recorded withsaxophonist John Coltrane on the free-jazz masterpieceAscension, Johnson countered Coltrane’s soul-searchingbarks with brisk billows beyond his 25 years. While
not as experienced as many others on the sessions, hissoul nonetheless spoke the truth on a career that was
not well documented but left an indelible mark on
those with whom he spoke the truth.
Unfortunately,
thetrappings
ofmissedopportunities and difficulties of modern life deprived
jazz history of his enormous talents. The little musicaloutput that remains showcases a player who was bothresourceful and unbridled, revered by his peers.
Collaborator pianist Mary Anne Driscoll describedhim as “kind, generous, introspective.”
Johnson was born on Nov. 6th, 1939 in Philadelphia.
Coming from a musical family, he took up the trumpet
and began to perform with his brothers. Johnson
eventually dropped out of high school and began to

8 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

L ABEL SPOTLIGHTOUTSIDEIN
MUSIC
by john pietaro“O utside In grew organically,” Nick Finzer explained.

“And, today, it’s not only a label but an artist-focused
media company.” The trombonist chose to develop his
company, birthed initially as a vehicle to release his
own recordings, another way. Finzer became a New
Yorker some 11 years ago after relocating for graduate
studies at Juilliard. The move proved fruitful: he began
playing with the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Anat
Cohen Tentet and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra,
among others, as well as embarking on any number ofjazz education ventures. But it was as a bandleader
that he came to know the struggles of getting his music
recorded and much more so, heard. “I never expected
to have my own label, but this just developed.”Upon closer inspection it’s obvious that this is notjust another musician-run indie. Outside In has aunique approach to producing and distributing wherein
the artist retains full ownership of intellectual property
rights. Similar to grassroots book publishers that fit no
specific category, Outside In partners with its artists todevelop projects; the artist pays the initial cost but
retains 80% of the proceeds. “We work closely withevery artist to give as much support as we can ondevelopment, distribution and marketing,” he added.
The label has several imprints geared toward the needsof clients, from youth to mid-level and career musicians,
but in each case offering variously-priced options.
Outside In has grown consistently during its

Live from Denton
Nick Finzer Cast of Characters

Soul Conversations
Ulysses Owens, Jr. Big Bandrelatively brief existence, particularly attracting thoseseeking independence with backing, as well as the rising
voices desperately in need of global exposure. Currently,
Finzer and company are releasing between 30 and 40
albums per year for a roster of artists that’s varied andever-expanding: Roxy Coss has been working with thelabel as of late and the celebrated saxophonist andfeminist-activist’s most recent album Quintet is one
highlight; the preview cut from Andrew Gutauskas’latest shows the baritone saxophonist’s quite hip quartet
recording a piece evocative of Gerry Mulligan’s
progressive catalog of the late ‘50s; and drummer
Ulysses Owens, Jr.’s tenaciously swinging big band’s
new single “Harlem, Harlem, Harlem” was recorded
live at Dizzy’s Club and carries with it utterly classic
uptown drive and authenticity.
Another associated artist is Min Xiao-Fen, Chinese
pipa virtuoso and vocalist who has brought thetraditional instrument full-throttle into the West,having performed with Wadada Leo Smith, Derek
Bailey and more. Her album White Lotus is out thismonth and features not only her stunning artistry but
also that of guitarist Rez Abbasi. And then there’s
vibraphonist Simon Moullier, hailing from France,
who released his Spirit Song last fall. Deemed a singularvoice on the instrument by Herbie Hancock and “thebest vibes player” by Quincy Jones, Moullier is a younglion, surely soon to claim every major accolade.
Another artist is Hailey Brinnel, a swing music doublethreat: trombonist and vocalist whose debut, I’m
Forever Blowing Bubbles, is an homage to the great, often
undersung artists and bands of the 1920s-40s.
Outside In is far from shy about use of marketing
campaigns not normally associated with the music

First Step
Philippe Lemm Trioindustry, jazz in particular. “We really push artists tobecome involved in their own publicity, both via
traditional press and social media,” says Finzer. “Someembrace this idea more than others, but we allow themto take it where they want it to go. We also haveagreements with multiple podcasters and vendors.
Younger listeners have responded well to this. They
may not always buy the records, but they are
downloading and engaging in the brand collaboration
we have established. Currently, we’re not only working
with music brands for endorsement deals, but lifestylebrands including clothing, sunglasses, sneakers andmany other items.” As a result, Outside In has
established distinctive business partnerships: “It’s avital way for the artist to sustain him or herself.”
Further, the label is building a veritable community
among its artists with a series of collaborative efforts,
creative company picnics, if you will, minus the BBQ.
“So far we’ve had three projects to get various
bandleaders into the studio and do audio/visual
recordings of each other’s music and are already aiming
for more. The label sponsors these gatherings and helps
to cross-pollinate the artists and their releases.” Given
Finzer’s background, it’s no surprise that Outside In
has also sponsored numerous educational events,
inspiring and possibly grooming the next generation totake the step forward. “It’s so hard to do it on your own
and our philosophy is all about working in a close
relationship with our artists.” v
For more information. visit outsideinmusic.com. Artists
performing this month include Philippe Lemm at Little
Island Jun. 24th (See Calendar) and Min Xiao-Fen livestreaming Jun. 29th at iamavl.com.

Look Out!
Andrew Gutauskas

White Lotus (featuring Rez Abbasi)
Min Xiao-Fen

VOXNEWS

FACES UNMASKED
by suzanne lorge

When the Blue Note reopens with its much-anticipatedfestival this month, British composer/arranger Jacob
Collier will be the only headlining vocalist in the lineup.
A teenaged Collier surprised the music world almosta decade ago with precocious arrangements of various
pop tunes, released via YouTube videos of himself,collarbone up, singing all the parts a cappella. Since
then Collier has worked with musicians both inside andoutside the jazz world, including Quincy Jones, Herbie
Hancock, Dr. Dre, Snarky Puppy and the WDR Big
Band. His debut jazz album, In My Room (Membran),with the latter group, won him two Grammys forarranging and his second, Djesse Vol. I (Hajanga), with
Metropole Orkest, went on to solidify his reputation asa jazz trailblazer for his generation. But it would be a
mistake to tag him as a jazz singer. Collier followed thefirst release Djesse—an ambitious four-installment
opus—with two others, Djesse Vol. II and Djesse Vol. III,original forays into the many musical worlds that firstinspired Collier’s capacious musicianship. His melodyrich, deeply layered compositions on these records favor
his warm baritone and the vocal contributions of morethan a dozen up-and-coming guest singers, most ofwhom defy ready classification—just like Collier. So
when he plays Blue Note (Jun. 21st), better to think of
him as a musician who sings jazz and release all
expectations except one: how glorious it will be to hear
live music in a club again.
Downtown Brooklyn’s Roulette, one of the few
premier spaces for concertizing during the pandemic,
will also be one of the first to open its doors to audiences.
Among the ensembles on offer there this month isAmirtha Kidambi (vocals, harmonium, synth,electronics, compositions), who will play with her trio
Elder Ones (Jun. 10th). If their new work is anything
like their 2019 release From Untruth (Northern Spy), theroom will reverberate with a visceral mix of sounds,
unmitigated emotion and societal soul searching.
For the most part, however, business as usual stillmeans remote performing. Fact is, as the pandemic
wanes without disappearing completely, it’s getting
harder to remember a past or to imagine a future
without live-streamed concerts. For singer/composers
Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa and writer Jordannah
Elizabeth, online collaborations only expand theiralready extensive creative reach. Together these threejazz leaders have formed Mutual Mentorship forMusicians (M3 ), an organization that engenders
creative partnerships among womxn musicians fromaround the globe. This month the National Jazz
Museum in Harlem will host their virtual M3 festival(Jun. 12th-13th), with six world premieres featuring

Fay Victor, Ganavya Doraiswamy, Shanta Nurullah,
Miriam Elhajli, Richie Seivwright, Monnette Sudler,
Michele Rosewoman and Malika Zarra.
With all postponements in the past, The Sarah
Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, too, will
embrace remote performance with a Facebook broadcastof the contest from NJPAC’s Prudential Hall. The four
U.S.-based
finalists—Hailey
Brinnel,TawandaSuessbrich-Joaquim, Benny Benack III and Gabrielle
Cavassa—will compete via live-stream (Jun. 6th), joinedby 2019 winner Samara Joy McLendon. (This gig is justa preview for McLendon, whose career next monthpicks up where it left off pre-pandemic, with the releaseof her debut album and a full roster of high-profile
dates.) Two days later, singers Cécile McLorin Salvant
and Angélique Kidjo, both multiple Grammy winners,
will share their thoughts on how to remain open andexpressive during challenging times. Their free joint
lecture, “Creativity Cannot Be Locked Down”, will
stream on the NJPAC Facebook page (Jun. 8th).
The Blues Alley Jazz Society also found it expeditious
to conduct the Ella Fitzgerald Competition virtually thisyear. Though newly inaugurated, this competition draws
contestants from around the world; Kansas City native
Lucy Wijnands took the top spot on April 24 against
finalists from as far away as Germany and South Africa.
(Coincidentally, both Wijnands and McLendon werenamed Ella Fitzgerald Scholars at SUNY Purchase, where
each studied with vocalist/educator Alexis Cole.) v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 9

IN MEMORIAMSONNYSIMMONS
by andrey henkinSÉRGIO BRANDÃO (Mar. 16th, 1956 Apr. 2nd, 2021) The Brazilian electricbassist worked with Kip Hanrahan,Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Paquito
D’Rivera, Nana Vasconcelos, Carlos
Franzetti, Tania Marie, Hiram Bullock,
Herbie Mann, Toninho Horta, Cyro
Baptista, Dave Pietro, Andrei Kondakov, RogerDavidson and Romero Lubambo. Brandão died Apr.
2nd at 65.
WILLIAM A. BROWER (May 9th, 1948
- Apr. 12th, 2021) The author, journalist,
producer and jazz activist wrote liner
notes for various albums, contributed
reviews to DownBeat and JazzTimes,
co-founded the Capital City Jazz
Festival, stage-managed the New
Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, presented concerts
for decades for the Congressional Black Caucus andundertook oral histories for Howard University and
The Smithsonian Institute. Brower died Apr. 12th at 72.

Alto and tenor saxophonist and oboe and English

horn player Sonny Simmons, among the original
proponents of The New Thing, who worked under Eric
Dolphy and Elvin Jones/Jimmy Garrison, alongside
Prince Lasha and on his own albums since the mid‘60s, died Apr. 6th at 87.
Simmons was born in Sicily Island, LA on Aug.
4th, 1933 but grew up in Oakland, CA. Talking to
Clifford Allen for this gazette in 2004, Simmons
recalled his time in Louisiana: “The most beautiful
music I heard on the island was from the birds and thesinging cranes and all those beautiful creatures on theisland. The whole island sounded like a symphony inthe spring and the summer—it was so beautiful, andI think about that to this day how beautiful mychildhood was. Music was in my soul and so that was
my background.” Simmons started studying musicseriously while in high school, beginning with English
horn and then moving to saxophones.
Simmons’ first recording was with future longterm
partner Prince Lasha on the latter ’s The Cry!
(Contemporary, 1962). The next year the two moved to
New York where they would work with Don Cherry,
Dolphy (Conversations, FM) and Jones/Garrison(Illumination!, Impulse). Of his work with Dolphy,
Simmons recalled to Allen, “I had just composed a newpiece called ‘Music Matador ’...Dolphy fell in love with
it...I was blown away because these cats were myheroes and I couldn’t even tie up their shoelaces!
For some reason they really dug me, so he said, ‘man,
I love that composition you wrote; I want to record you
and I’m taking you on a record date.’” In 1966, Simmons
debuted as a leader for ESP-Disk’ with Staying On The
Watch, the first of several albums through the beginningof the ‘70s on Arhoolie and Contemporary.
Despite this auspicious beginning, the ‘70s-80s
were fallow times for Simmons, who even spent a long
period homeless in San Francisco. (“There was a strong
rumor in the ‘80s that I was dead, and that affected mycareer worldwide.”) He had a career resurgence in theearly ‘90s though, recording a pair of albums for
Qwest: Ancient Ritual (1992) and American Jungle (1995).
This was followed by albums on CIMP, both of which
included younger fellow reedplayer Michael Marcus.
It was with him that Simmons established The
Cosmosomatics, which made several albums in the
new millennium for Boxholder, Bleu Regard, Not Two,Soul Note and Saptak Jazz. Concurrently, Simmons
had his own albums for Parallactic, Marge, Arhoolie
once more, Jazzaway, Hello World!, Ayler, Improvising
Beings and Svart. Speaking of his second act to Allen,
Simmons said, “It’s a goddamn battlefield now,
nothing like it was back in the Golden Era, the ‘60s and‘70s. It’s nothing like that, when all the cats were alive.
I’m one of the few buffalo that’s left from that era.”

EULIS CATHEY (Jun. 13th, 1953 - Apr.
27th, 2021) The radio personality andproducer worked on albums for Verve,
Novus, Atlantic and N-Coded from the‘90s through the new millennium andhad programs on WBGO and SiriusXM.
Cathey died Apr. 27th at 67.
ISLA ECKINGER (May 6th, 1939 - Apr.
8th, 2021) The Swiss bassist was mostnotable for making, as part of Mal
Waldron’s trio, the first album on ECM
Records in 1969 but got his start a
decade earlier as a trombonist with
Bruno Spoerri then, on bass, worked
with visiting Americans like Buck Clayton, Benny
Bailey, Hank Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Horace Parlan, Jon
Hendricks, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Clark Terry andWaldron, fellow Europeans Dusko Goykovich, Joe
Haider, Oscar Klein, Leszek Żądło, Fritz Pauer, Albert
Mangelsdorff, Zbigniew Seifert, Gianni Basso, Cees
Slinger and Stéphane Grappelli, international players
like Makaya Ntshoko and bands like Four For Jazz,
Tremble Kids and Hot Mallets and who released ahandful of albums since the ‘90s on TCB and Enja.
Eckinger died Apr. 7th at 81.
KLAUS MÜMPFER (Apr. 20th, 1942 Apr. 17th, 2021) The German’s photos
appeared on albums by Vocal Summit,
John Tchicai, Gregor Huebner, Peter
Erskine and Iro Haarla on Moers Music,
Taso Music Production, ACT and TUM.
Mümpfer died Apr. 17th at 78.
ERIK NILSSON (1935 - Apr. 4th, 2021)
The Swedish reedplayer worked with
Georg Riedel, Bengt-Arne Wallin, Jan
Johansson, Alice Babs, Lennart Åberg,
Nils Lindberg, Arne Domnérus, George
Russell, Eje Thelin, Mike Westbrook,
Terje Rypdal and others, plus had adecades-long membership in the Swedish Radio Jazz
Group. Nilsson died Apr. 4th at 85.
VICTOR PAZ (Aug. 30th, 1932 - Apr.
3rd, 2021) The Panamanian trumpeter
was active since the mid ‘60s with Celia
Cruz, Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie Palmieri,
Grant Green, Houston Person, Cal
Tjader, Charles Earland, Deodato, Fania
All Stars, Gato Barbieri, Bill Evans, Bob
James, Mongo Santamaria, Buddy Rich, Lionel
Hampton, Joe Farrell, Harold Vick, Jimmy Owens,
Stanley Turrentine and others. Paz died Apr. 3rd at 88.

10 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDBOB PORTER (Jun. 20th, 1940 - Apr.
10th, 2021) The producer and liner notes
writer worked on hundreds of albums—
both new and reissues in both
capacities—since the mid ‘60s for
Prestige, Cadet, Muse, Savoy, Palo Alto,
Epic, Milestone, Verve, Columbia,
Atlantic, Bee Hive, Blue Note, Bluebird, BGP, Rhino and
32Jazz and was a fixture on WBGO since its inception
with such programs as Portraits in Blue, Saturday Morning
Function and Swing Party. Porter died Apr. 10th at 80.
AL SCHMITT (Apr. 17th, 1930 - Apr.
26th, 2021) The Grammy-winningengineer and producer worked onalbums by Chris Connor, Shorty Rogers,
Lena Horne, Marty Paich, Paul Horn,
Hugo Montenegro, Neal Hefti, Peter
Nero, George Benson, João Gilberto,
Claus Ogerman, Sam Rivers, Sonny Rollins, Casiopea,
Yellowjackets, Larry Carlton, Bill Watrous, Miles
Davis, Diane Schuur, Mark Whitfield, Bob James, Sal
Marquez, Joe Sample, Chick Corea, Diana Krall, Arturo
Sandoval, Eric Reed, Danilo Pérez, Carmen Lundy, Dee
Dee Bridgewater, Herbie Hancock, Jane Monheit, Kat
Edmonson, Chris Botti, Taylor Eigsti, Lisa Hilton,
Norah Jones, Paul Kuhn and many others. Schmitt
died Apr. 26th at 91.
BOSSE SKOGLUND (Apr. 10th, 1936 Apr. 10th, 2021) The Swedish drummer
had an impossibly rare 1963 album on
Bird Notes with Bengt Nordström and
Don Cherry to go along with credits
under Lars Gullin, Staffan Abeleen,
Arnold Johansson, Åke Persson,
Gunnar Lindqvist, Bernt Rosengren, Bengt Berger,
Johnny Dyani and Christer Bothén. Skoglund died
Apr. 10th at 85.
AMEDEO TOMMASI (Dec. 1st, 1935 Apr. 14th, 2021) The Italian pianist had
well over a dozen albums since the late
‘60s on Cetra, Canopo, Cenacolo,
Cardium, Costanza and Cinedelic after
early credits with Chet Baker, René
Thomas, Bobby Jaspar, Conte Candoli
and Jacques Peltzer. Tommasi died Apr. 14th at 85.
SUNAO WADA (Jan. 13th, 1934 - Apr.
29th, 2021) The Japanese guitarist
worked with Tsuyoshi Yamamoto,
Ushio Sakai and others and released
several albums as a leader in the ‘70s on
Three Blind Mice. Wada died Apr. 29that 87. v

Intakt CD 362

Intakt CD 363

Kaja Draksler: Piano · Petter Eldh: Bass
Christian Lillinger: Drums

Irène Schweizer: Piano · Hamid Drake: Drums

BROKEN SHADOWSBROKEN SHADOWSTim Berne: Alto Sax · Chris Speed: Tenor Sax
Reid Anderson: Bass · Dave King: Drums

Intakt CD 360

IRENE SCHWEIZER - HAMID DRAKECELEBRATIONLIVE IN NICKELSDORF

Intakt CD 364

KAJA DRAKSLER – PETTER ELDH –CHRISTIAN LILLINGERPUNKT.VRT.PLASTIK SOMIT

Intakt CD 354

Intakt CD 353

INTAKT RECORDS WWW.INTAKTREC.CH

MARK FELDMANSOUNDING POINT

Chris Speed: Clarinets

Ralph Alessi: Trumpet · Ingrid Laubrock: Saxophone
Jacob Sacks: Piano · Drew Gress: Bass
Tom Rainey: Drums

Mark Feldman: Violin

ALEXANDER HAWKINSTOGETHERNESS MUSICFOR SIXTEEN MUSICIANS
FT. EVAN PARKER + RIOT ENSEMBLE

DISTRIBUTED BY: VIRTUAL LABEL GROUPNYCJR_FP_Jun2021.indd 1

Intakt CD 365

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TOM RAINEY OBBLIGATO
UNTUCKED IN HANNOVER

Intakt CD 361

CHRIS SPEED
LIGHT LINEMICHAEL FORMANEKIMPERFECT MEASURESSILKE EBERHARD TRIO
BEING THE UP AND DOWN

Michael Formanek: Double Bass

Silke Eberhard: Alto Saxophone · Jan Roder: Bass
Kay Lübke: Drums

AVAILABLE IN NYC: DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERYDIGITAL DOWNLOADS: INTAKTREC.BANDCAMP.COM

5/20/21 10:09 AM

ALBUM REVIEWS

Eponymous
Nortonk (Biophilia)
by Dan Bilawsky

The eponymous debut from this chordless quartet isa wild yet well-mapped ride. Overflowing with feisty
and freewheeling action, the music projects a certain
disregard for order. But that’s not to say it embraceschaos. Quite the contrary, since virtually everything
Nortonk builds is architecturally sound in some way,
shape or form. With clear direction, this forwardthinking foursome creates intricate, rhythmically savvy
compositions stressing their own structures. Brazen
blowing may suggest a brash form of slack-style
expressionism, but when you dig below the surface
there are concrete foundations supporting this work.
Alto saxophonist Gideon Forbes, trumpeter
Thomas Killackey, bassist Stephen Pale and drummer
Steven Crammer contend with obvious touchstones intheir choice of format—the Ornette Coleman Quartet,to mention a prime example—but in tipping theircollective hat to history, these young experimentalists
make no grand concessions. This is original music
through and through. Kicking things off with Forbes’
tortuous “Chutes and Ladders”, Nortonk shows great
regard for off-kilter engagement and arrangement. The
saxophonist’s “Spiders” follows, opening withtremulous unease, showcasing the Pale-Crammer
partnership and arriving at a place where hornlines
cross and finally coalesce.
With only six tracks on the program, a fondnessfor evolutionary movement and no run-on
performances to speak of, this album seems made for
impact. Killackey’s “Duuzh” puts driving ambitions to
the test. Crammer ’s “GLaDOS”, introduced withfrayed minimalism before alternately developing anddiving into the unknown, comes off like a quickshifting character study intent on pointing out bothwickedness and wit. And Pale’s “Quat” disorients anddelights as it bumps, grooves and snakes along.
By the time Killackey’s “Herzog” brings things toa close, something as paradoxical as its formation ofa cathartic calm seems perfectly normal. Nortonk justhas a way of making anything and everything fit
together. Some of these pieces came into being early on
when the group formed in 2017 and others weredeveloped closer to the recording of this album in
February 2020, but all of them highlight a dynamic
artistry boding well for this outfit’s present and future.
For more information, visit biophiliarecords.com. This band
live-streams Jun. 1st at fb.me/e/2miiSk4ZG.

Lost
Adam Kolker (Sunnyside)by Marco Cangiano

For his fourth album on Sunnyside, tenor/sopranosaxophonist Adam Kolker has assembled a simpaticoquartet—Bruce Barth (piano), Ugonna Okegwo (bass)

and Billy Hart (drums)—to reinterpret some of Wayne
Shorter’s gems. Kolker’s return to a standard quartet isparticularly welcome as it provides ample room for his
lead voice. His tenor sound is a unique mix of Shorterand Stan Getz whereas his soprano is less derivative.
The CD is consistent and consequential in its choice ofmaterial and overall mood, including the two standards.
Even if only two of the compositions are by Shorter,
all the others tunes, including Kolker’s two originals,
have featured or been inspired by him. The best example
is Gil Evans’ “The Time of the Barracudas”, acomposition very rarely executed these days. The
quartet, thanks mainly to repeated piano chords, aptly
reproduces the sound of the original 1963 orchestra.
Kolker’s solo is very inspired and develops slowly at
first, then proceeds assertively over the nimble support
provided by warm bass and tasteful drumming. Kolker
seems to have a knack for storytelling and ballads: hissoprano-based interpretation of Jimmy Van HeusenEddie DeLange’s “Darn That Dream” is among the mostheartful and original one will hear whereas BronisławKaper-Gus Kahn’s “While My Lady Sleeps” proceeds
slowly with soprano meandering around the theme.
Shorter ’s sense of mystery and suspense is well
captured in his title track and “Dance Cadaverous”,
both of them executed at a slightly slower pace thanthe originals, the latter featuring somewhat angularsoprano. This is also heard on Kolker ’s “Flips”, whereshades of Thelonious Monk are present as is theinevitable reference to Steve Lacy.
Throughout the CD Hart provides a clinic on theuse of brushes, exemplified in Kolker ’s “Hidden
Treasure”, and Okegwo’s lines explain why he is one of
the most sought-after players on the New York scene
but the relative surprise is Barth’s rather complex andyet supple comping (as on “The Time of the Barracudas”
and “Hidden Treasure”) and restrained solos (listen for
instance to “Darn That Dream” and the title track),
which contribute to one of the most peaceful andbalanced quartet CDs of the year so far.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Kolker
live-streams Jun. 2nd at barbayeux.com.

Better Days Ahead (Solo Guitar Takes on Pat Metheny)
John Pizzarelli (Ghostlight)
by Jim Motavalli

Like his late father Bucky, John Pizzarelli epitomizes

swing music and jazzy interpretations of the Great
American Songbook. In a long career, he’s recorded
every possible take on that repertoire. But it wasalways obvious—sometimes in the live parodies andmedleys he did—that other forms of music had bubbled
up into his consciousness.
But Better Days is not Pizzarelli’s rock album.
It’s something rather more welcome. Call it the masterguitarist’s Jim Hall move. In the wake of both hisparents dying of COVID (within a week of each other),Pizzarelli canceled his live dates, took out his sevenstring guitar and recorded solo interpretations of
Pat Metheny tunes, some of which he’d known since
he was a teenager. The result is pure magic, on parwith a classic like Chick Corea/Gary Burton’s Crystal
Silence. Does it sound anything like the swinging
Pizzarelli you know and love? Not at all.
Metheny’s “Better Days Ahead”, on the Letter
From Home album, is, for instance, an AfroBrazilian
type of thing with a bright melody line and burbling

12 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

hand percussion. Pizzarelli’s version is—like the wholeproject—introspective
and
spare
and
lovely,reminiscent of Baden Powell and other masters ofdelicate feelings.
By contrast, Metheny recorded “September
Fifteenth” in a meditative duet with recently departed
keyboard player Lyle Mays, who brought a lot ofsynthesizer wizardry to his work. There’s a live take ofthe two of them on YouTube, with Mays synthesizing
strings as he uses the other hand to pick out the melody.
Pizzarelli has said he figured out a way to reproduce
Mays’ sustained keyboard lines in his solo context andthat work is in the grooves.
The respect these two musicians have for eachother is palpable. “To say it was flattering to have John
address these tunes is an understatement,” Methenysays in the press materials. He sent Pizzarelli somemuch-needed lead sheets to help the project along.
Pizzarelli took his father to see Metheny’s groupand dad, a master of understatement, came away
saying, “The guy is good.” Both Pizzarelli and Methenyhave roots in the swing tradition, but Metheny chose to
stretch out in a number of unexpected and inspiring
directions. Pizzarelli has been absorbing that
influence, but the evidence was—until now—notreadily apparent on his CDs. Am I forgetting that hemade an album called Meets the Beatles? No, that one
was a swinger, too.
The Better Days album is of a piece. It would bepointless to dissect it tune by tune. The best experienceis had by just putting it on and relaxing. Totally. It’sa balm you can apply, proof that there are indeed betterdays ahead.
For more information, visit ghostlightrecords.com. Pizzarelli
live-streams Thursdays at facebook.com/JohnPizzarelliOfficial.

Long Tall Sunshine (Not Two)R • Dahveed
Behroozi—Echos (Sunnyside)e • Jaimie Branch—FLY
or DIE LIVE
(International Anthem)c • Fire!—Defeat (Rune Grammofon)
In Airports x Aarhus Jazz Orchestra—o • Girls
Leap (Kaja)
Marcus, Joe McPhee, Jay Rosen,m • Michael
Warren Smith—Blue Reality Quartet(Mahakala Music)m • Wadada
Leo Smith—Trumpet (TUM)e • Martial Solal—Coming
Yesterday: Live atSalle Gaveau 2019 (Challenge)n • Sons of Kemet—Black To The Future(Impulse)d • Three-Layer
Cake—Stove Top (RareNoise)e Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editord• Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor—

n
e
w
r
e
l
e
a
s
e
s

• Chris Abrahams/Mark Wastell—
A Thousand Sacred Steps (Confront)• Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor—
Long Tall Sunshine (Not Two)
• Zach Brock—Light Shines Through(Soapbox Sessions, Vol. 1) (s/r)• Instant Composers Pool—Incipient ICP(1966-71) (Corbett vs. Dempsey)• Michael Gregory Jackson—
Frequency Equilibrium Koan (Golden)• James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet—
Jesup Wagon (TAO Forms)• Johan Lindström Septett—
On The Asylum (Moserobie)• Roberto Miranda’s Home Music Ensemble—
Live at Bing Theatre—Los Angeles (1985)(Dark Tree)• Red Trio & Celebration Band—
Suite 10 Years Anniversary (NoBusiness)• Paul Van Gysegem Quintet—
Square Talks (El Negocito)
Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director

Pandemic Duets
Mara Rosenbloom/Stephen Gauci (Gaucimusic)
by John Sharpe

W hen everything shut down in March 2020 due to

COVID, New York City native tenor saxophonist
Stephen Gauci initiated what he thought would bea set of five duet recordings in a refusal to be cowed by
the lack of performance opportunities. In fact, thedigital-only collection mushroomed to some 19 entries
since that summer, with the encounter with pianist
Mara Rosenbloom, of just over 35-minute duration,
among the first. With her jostling rhythmic drive andmuscular lyricism, Rosenbloom is an astute choice topartner with Gauci’s similarly forceful tenor saxophone
conception on ten freewheeling exchanges.
Reflecting mentors who include esteemed pianists
Cooper-Moore and the late Connie Crothers, Rosenbloom
uses inside virtues to inform an outside sensibility, witha stream of repeated motifs welded into a flexible
responsive line. While Gauci’s accomplished mix ofovertone manipulation and multiphonics remains a key
element of his singular approach, he realigns normallyoblique phrasing to connect with emphatic chording, somuch so that he’s just about in the pocket on the earthy“#1” and nears the outskirts of melody with breathy
vibrato-laden skirl on the ballad tempo “#2”.
Such empathetic dialogue arises elsewhere too:
contemplative, almost mournful “#4” and extended
journey of “#6”, which roves far from its tuneful
beginnings, picking up locomotive energy fromRosenbloom to fuel Gauci’s ascent from gruff squawk to
querulous falsetto. On “#9” Gauci paraphrases
Rosenbloom’s reiterations as the basis for a fast moving
call and response in which the pianist even evokes
stride stylings. But the listening also manifests in theeffective contrasts found on “#5” when piano answers
altissimo squeals with a thunderous bottom-end rumble.
Brevity imparts weight to each of the improvisations,testament to a focused and well-matched pairing.

Jackson. The younger Jackson was a swinging stylist
informed by the likes of Don Lamond, Louie Bellson,
Buddy Rich and Alan Dawson. This brilliant live set waswonderfully recorded by Mack Emerman (Miami’s
Criteria Recording Studio) and offers a panoply ofmusical touchstones from jazz, pop and reggae to samba
and originals, all of which benefit from Alexander’s
immeasurable technique and pianistic flair.
Disc 1 opens with “Arthur ’s Theme”, from the
popular 1981 movie. The theme is readily identifiable
and establishes the structure upon which Alexanderhangs his interpretation. Humming along at a brisk
tempo supported by an expressive rhythm section, thistune acquires a new and interesting personality. The
title track is a Duke Ellington standard taken ata leisurely swinging pace. Jackson’s stirring brushwork
gives Alexander the road map to explore the mood andstructure of the composition. The interpretation ofBrazilian guitarist Luiz Bonfá’s classic bossa nova
number “Samba De Orfeu” finds the samba beat kept
intact but the tempo taken up a notch with Alexander
showing a dexterous left hand. Thomas carries someweight with a nimble-fingered hand drum solo.
Disc 2 starts out in a funky blues fashion with theMilt Jackson composition “Blues For Edith”. Alexander
uses his Jamaican roots to give a soulful reading to thenumber. Richard Evans’ “Montevideo” may not bewell known, but is worth consideration given
Alexander ’s full-speed-ahead rendition, bursting with
South American rhythm and authoritative attack byThomas and especially Jackson in crisp solointerjections. Johnny Green-Edward Heyman ballad“Body And Soul” is given a respectful treatment: after
a straightforward run-through of the melody,
Alexander settles into tasteful tempo for fluent phrases
and thoughtful lines, all the while leaning on the solid
bassline. The side ends as it began with another Milt
Jackson tune, “SKJ”; taken at a brisk clip, it has a linear
framework allowing the band to scamper through thenumber with suppleness.
In addition to quality music, the packaging
contains a 41-page booklet filled with stories, pictures,interviews
andappreciations
from
piano
contemporaries and heirs such as Kenny Barron, Benny
Green, Emmet Cohen and Christian Sands.

past 25 years. His love of bebop and Brazilian music issimilar to Thielemans’ but he has his own sound as hehas shown on a couple dozen albums as a leader.
Meurkens is generally the lead voice on drummer
Reid Hoyson’s Strollin’. He and organ player Tony
Monaco had long wanted to record together; this wastheir first opportunity, a band completed by guitarist
Mark Lucas and sometimes George Jones on congas.
The set includes such standards as “Yardbird Suite”,
Horace Silver’s “Strollin’”, “You Don’t Know What
Love Is” and a sensitive version of “A Child Is Born”,
plus three originals apiece from Meurkens and Monaco
and one from Lucas. The playing is relaxed and melodic
with concise solos. Hoyson, very much in a supportiverole (just taking a few breaks on the only cooker, “Aglio
E Olio”), is the producer, a Pittsburgh fixture whoformerly worked with the late Richie Cole. Most notable
is the blend between harmonica and organ. Whilenothing startling takes place, the music is quite pleasing.
Manhattan Samba gives one an opportunity to hear
the other musical side of Meurkens. His rhythm section(pianist Helio Alves, either Gustavo Amarante or
Fernando Huargo on bass and drummer Portinho)
plays infectious modern samba rhythms throughout
most of the eight numbers, five of which Meurkens
composed. Among the more memorable performances
are the title track (a second cousin of “Giant Steps”),
which has a heated harmonica-piano tradeoff; catchy“One For Manfredo”; Meurkens’ haunting playing on
Ivan Lins’ “Dona Palmeira”; and the delightful“Frenzelosa (Choro No. 2)” with its tongue-twister
theme the leader plays flawlessly in unison with Alves.
For more information, visit reidhoyson.bandcamp.com andhendrikmeurkens.com. Meurkens is at Jazz Forum Arts Jun.
13th. Visit jazzforumarts.org.

Sunday, June 6, 2021 @7pm

For more information, visit resonancerecords.org. Alexander
is at Jazz Forum Arts Jun. 4th-5th. Visit jazzforumarts.org.

For more information, visit gaucimusic.bandcamp.com.
Rosenbloom live-streams Jun. 3rd at artsforart.org.

Strollin’
Tony Monaco, Hendrik Meurkens, Reid Hoyson,
Mark Lucas (Reid Hoyson Productions)
Manhattan Samba
Hendrik Meurkens (Height Advantage)by Scott Yanow
Love You Madly: Live at Bubba’s
Monty Alexander (Resonance)by Pierre Giroux

N ot unlike the traveler in the ancient land Shelleydescribes in the sonnet Ozymandias, producers George
Klabin and Zev Feldman of Resonance keep unearthing
musical treasures. One of the most recent, recorded in1982 at Bubba’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had beenburied in the collection of pianist Monty Alexander.
In this joyous two-disc romp, Alexander revels in
his forcefulness as bassist Paul Berner, percussionist
Robert Thomas Jr. and drummer Duffy Jackson deliveron the cohesiveness and give-and-take of small-group
jazz. Jackson, who died last March, came froma musical family, his father prominent bassist Chubby

The history of jazz harmonica can be divided into
three parts. First came Larry Adler (1914-2001),
probably the instrument’s first virtuoso. Although heplayed a wide variety of settings ranging fromsymphony orchestras to small cabaret groups, his
occasional jazz forays (including the John Kirby Sextet
and Django Reinhardt/Stéphane Grappelli Quintet of
the Hot Club of France) put him at the top. Starting inthe ‘50s, Toots Thielemans (1922-2016) was the king for
60 years, holding his own with the likes of Oscar
Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie while also being a veryskilled guitarist and whistler. With his passing, several
jazz harmonica players have helped to fill the gap.
Hendrik Meurkens, who started out as a vibraphonist(which he still plays), has been a major force for the

THE DJANGOEXPERIMENT
CD Release Show
Stephane Wrembel: Guitar
Thor Jensen: Guitar
Daisy Castro: Violin
Nick Driscoll: Saxophone-Clarinet
Ari Folman - Cohen: Bass
Nick Anderson: Drums
85 Avenue A
New York, NY
www.dromnyc.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 13

G LO B E U N I T Y

Purvs
Liudas Mockūnas/Arvydas Kazlauskas (Jersika)
The Father, the Sons & The Junnu
Juhani Aaltonen, Jonas Kullhammar, Christian
Meaas Svendsen, Ilmari Heikinheimo (Moserobie)
Rebellion(s)Sylvain Rifflet, Jon Irabagon, Sébastien Boisseau,
Jim Black (BMC Records)
by Tom Greenland

Next to the human voice, saxophone is arguably themost expressive instrument in jazz, so when creative
saxophonists pair up emotive possibilities are myriad.
New projects suggest two horns are better than one.
Lithuanian saxophonists Liudas Mockūnas and
Arvydas Kazlauskas have conservatory backgrounds,
so when they apply their imaginations to improv, as
on Purvs, a duo album recorded in a Latvian peat bog(Disc 1) and a peat amphitheater (Disc 2), the variety
of tones and timbres is considerable. Most of the 14
tracks feature Mockūnas on bass saxophone,
Kazlauskas on baritone, so the prevailing ambitus is
low-pitched, but Mockūnas also plays sopranino,soprano (both at the same time on “Gyvatyne”), tenor
and keyless overtone saxophones while Kazlauskas
doubles on soprano and tenor. Half the fun is figuring
out who’s playing what when, a task made harder by
the fact that both negotiate the extreme ranges of
their horns so deftly that the low-pitched horns
sound like high-pitched ones and vice versa.
Consistently excellent, the second set nudges the firstfor its superior energy, thanks to a live audience.
The Father, the Sons & The Junnu is a collaboration
between saxophonists Juhani Aaltonen (tenor, flute)
and Jonas Kullhammar (tenor and baritone), bassist
Christian Meaas Svendsen and drummer Ilmari
Heikinheimo, recorded in Helsinki. “Junnu”, a pivotal
figure in Finnish improv, now in his mid 80s, isremarkably vital, particularly on flute, pacing theyounger men (Swede Kullhammar is in his mid 40s, theother two in their mid 30s) like a seasoned thoroughbred.
“Il Ju Jo Christ”, featuring tenor and baritone at fullstrength, and “Sorrow Wave”, featuring two tenors,
blend rock, swing and skronk with ease and power,
though some of the most attractive moments occur
when Aaltonen opts for flute, lithely slipping in and outof harmony in counterpoint to Kullhammar’s
turbulence. “Kiirohige” has a particularly fine moment
when tenor, flute and bass all entwine.
Rebellion(s), saxophonists Sylvain Rifflet (France,
tenor) and Jon Irabagon (mezzo-soprano, sopranino)with French bassist Sébastien Boisseau and drummer
Jim Black, is an overtly political project inspired by
activists who voiced their opposition to political,
racial and sexual repression, climate change and gun
control. Irabagon’s horns—mezzo-soprano pitchedjust above an alto, sopranino pitched a fourth above asoprano—govern the upper register, Rifflet occupying
the middle, the reeds separate but simpatico, together
creating a snug balance of structure and freedom as
they navigate the fluid song forms marked by afloating backbeat. Standouts include “The Adults in
the Room”, which begins as an accompaniment to arecording of Emma Gonzalèz’ notorious anti-N.R.A.
rant, but later ‘de-quantizes’ the groove (à la J Dilla),and “America: Daybreak”, an Ornette Colemanesque freebop workout rife with uncanny rhythmic
modulations and spiky interplay.
For more information, visit
moserobie.com and bmcrecords.hu

jersikarecords.com,

Sarah Vaughan (with Clifford Brown)
Sarah Vaughan (Verve/UMe Acoustic Sounds Series)
Live at The Berlin Philharmonie 1969
Sarah Vaughan (The Lost Recordings)
by George Kanzler

Stringers & Struts
Dave Rempis/Jeff Parker/Ingebrigt Håker Flaten/
Jeremy Cunningham (Aerophonic)
Closed For Safety Reasons
TOC & Dave Rempis (Circum-Disc)Sud des Alpes
Rempis Percussion Quartet (Aerophonic)
by Steven Loewy

The albums here portray singer Sarah Vaughan at very The startling intensity of saxophonist Dave Rempis isdifferent moments in her four-decade-plus career.
Captured with an allstar sextet on Sarah Vaughan at 30,
she was a singer possessed of incredible vocal andmusical gifts, interacting effortlessly and often playfully,
with the musicians. On Live at the Berlin Philharmonie
1969, Vaughan at 45 was a very self-conscious diva,
exploiting the richness of her voice to impress inperformances that were tour de force extravaganzas.
On the earlier album, Vaughan interacts with themembers of the sextet as if one of them. On “Lullaby ofBirdland” she wordlessly sings along with the horns on
arranger Ernie Wilkins’ boppish intro and trades fours,
scatting, with trumpeter Clifford Brown, tenor
saxophonist Paul Quinichette and flutist Herbie Mann(this was the only time she recorded with the hornplayers). The rhythm section was her working trio:
Jimmy Jones (piano), Joe Benjamin (bass) and Roy
Haynes (drums). The arrangements are simple, leaving
plenty of space for horn solos as well as obbligati behind
vocals. For instance, “Jim” begins with a four-bar intro
combining wordless vocals and flute, followed byVaughan singing the lyrics as Mann and Quinichette
alternate playing obbligati, Brown’s open trumpet
taking a chorus before the lyrics are reprised, again withflute and sax obbligati. Tempos vary—from slow ballad“Embraceable You”, the only track without horns—to
uptempo swing, “It’s Crazy”, but most fall in the
middle, easy swing. Even “September Song” picks up
after a slow introductory verse. Vaughan is often
playful, altering harmonies or swooping down or up
from the melody. She can be jaunty (“He’s My Guy”) or
adventurous (“You’re Not the Kind”) but she’s always
fully engaged and fully aware of what the musiciansaround her are doing.
Live at the Berlin Philharmonie 1969 album consists of
two different concerts performed on Nov. 9th, 1969. The
second one has been released before, but the first isdebuted here. Vaughan was no longer signed to a label
and was into her transition from singing in clubs todoing stage concerts, presenting herself as a diva; shewould continue as mainly a concert stage performer,
with occasional club appearances, for the rest of her
career (she died in 1990). Presenting herself as a diva
was still a work-in-progress in 1969. These recordings
emphasize the rich tones and textures of her voice, often
in long legato phrasing and predominately at slow, oreven semi-rubato, tempos. The second CD is full of such
moments; even “Fly Me To the Moon” is done at a snail’space. The CD also gives (too much) prominence to the
melodramatic songs of Jimmy Webb, “By the Time I Get
To Phoenix” and ‘Didn’t We”. The three uptempo songs
are all dealt with in about two minutes apiece, with thebulk of the CD featuring vocal pyrotechnics. The firstand newly released CD has better balanced repertoire
and is a fine addition to Vaughan’s discography.
It includes a bossa-tinged “And I Love Him”; slow,
smoldering “Alfie”; gorgeously unhurried “Misty”; andlush “My Funny Valentine”. She also reprises andinfuses with rich vocal magic songs she recorded earlyin her career: “Passing Strangers” and “Tenderly”.

often the first thing you think of when hearing his music.
But while he is, in part, a flamethrower, he also has total
control of his horn and is a curator, organizer of concerts
and participant in a large number of independent
projects, often documented on his Aerophonic label.
On Stringers & Struts, Rempis is joined by longtime
collaborators Jeff Parker (guitar), Ingebrigt Håker
Flaten (bass) and Jeremy Cunningham (drums). Of thethree pieces, only “Caviste” is under 20 minutes, but
Rempis has no difficulty with lengthy outings, as heplays with an unrelenting fervor and paces his solos
well. “Cutwater” opens gently and takes some time tobuild, Rempis improvising beautifully over the rhythm
section, complemented by engaging solos by Parker
and Håker Flaten. The guitarist whirls, slides andbursts outside, sometimes reminiscent of guitarist
Derek Bailey in his seeming randomness. On“Harmany”, which lasts more than 25 minutes, nuanceis the word, rhythm members joining and dropping
out, Rempis gradually building his solo, saxophoneand guitar dominating. Similarly, closer “Caviste”
starts slowly then features extended techniques,
including flutter tonguing and twisted stretched notes,
and some lovely boppish lines from baritone saxophone.
Rempis traveled to France in late 2019, following ashort North American tour, to record Closed For Safety
Reasons with the brilliantly eclectic TOC: Jérémie Ternoy(Fender Rhodes), Peter Orins (drums) and Ivan Cruz
(guitar). TOC is less jazz-oriented than what Rempis
often records, so he adjusts his style just slightly to fit,
immersing himself in the rollicking collective. Opening“No Sleep at LaZone” has Rempis blowing relentlesslyand “Snow Storm in Saillans” finds him in the midst ofa major conflagration. The title piece changes colors, but
retains the off-balance scorched earth ruminations,changing directions throughout, with Rempis in aphantasmagoria of sound. On closer “Temporary Lease”,
tenor saxophonist Sakina Abdou is added, with stunning
consequences; he and Rempis blend with the harddriving, almost trancelike rhythms, with greater focus on
the collective, leading to exciting results that never wane.
Recorded live in Switzerland in 2019, Sud des Alpesis the tenth release of The Rempis Percussion Quartet:
Rempis and Håker Flaten with drummers Tim Daisy
and Frank Rosaly. The pieces are long, but exciting,with variations in volume, tempo and density. “There’sa Jam on the Line” begins quietly enough: drums andbass setting the stage for Rempis; the pace a bit lessurgent; the lines from Rempis jazzier than usual. But
by the end, he is pounding with usual blasts and wild
forays. 20-minute-plus “Theme de Yoyo/Evacuation”
starts with the Art Ensemble of Chicago piece, slowly
building to another blustery finale while strong drums
and muscular bass devastate. “Late Arrival” is thequartet in full bloom, drums and bass pushing hard.
These four have been together for years and it shows intheir performance. The titles of the first and third
pieces correspond to the considerable delays theyexperienced in arriving by train to Switzerland for theconcert, perhaps spurring them to a great performance.

For more information, visit umgcatalog.com
andthelostrecordings.store. The Sarah Vaughan International
Jazz Vocal Competition live-streams Jun. 6th at njpac.org.

For more information, visit aerophonicrecords.com andcircum-disc.com. Rempis live-streams Wednesdays attwitch.tv/daverempis.

14 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Transformation: Personal Stories of Change,
Acceptance, and Evolution
Glenn Close/Ted Nash (Tiger Turn)by Marilyn Lester

Tony Award-winning actress Glenn Close andGrammy winner Ted Nash have collaborated on aconcept album that ambitiously—and successfully—
captures the joy and angst of human existence. The two
close friends had decided to address changethematically, further inspired by Nash’s daughtertransitioning successfully to male. Music by Nash,played by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis (JLCO), coupled with texts curated
by Close, prove equally literate. The narratives, keenly
delivered by Close, Wayne Brady, Amy Irving, Matthew
Stevenson, Eli Nash and others include work by Ted
Hughes, Conrad Aiken, Edward O. Wilson, Tony
Kushner and Judith Clark.
Nash is no stranger to thematic suites. In
Transformation he’s composed a strong, evocative score,executed by the consummate playing of JLCO
members, including standouts like Sherman Irby
(woodwinds), Ryan Kisor (trumpet), Vincent Gardner(trombone) and Dan Nimmer (piano). Total immersion
begins with “Creation, Part 1”, a thundering, jolting
verbal and musical rendering of the chaos of creation,
followed by a dive into an instrumental “Creation, PartII”, which announces the jubilation of what’s just comeinto being.
One of the most affecting pieces is “A Piece by theAngriest Black Man in America (or, How I Learned to
Forgive Myself for Being a Black Man in America)”with text and narration by Brady. The narrative is
exceedingly raw, with accompaniment primarily bybassist Carlos Henriques and drummer Obed Calvaire,adding an intensity that cuts forcefully to the core.
As effective as the stunning beginning is the last
track, “Reaching the Tropopause”, with text from
Kushner ’s Angels in America. With tenor saxophone(Victor Goines) and trumpet (Marsalis) out front,
exultant, dramatic voicings of hope fade into thequietude of peace. The sum total of Transformation:
Personal Stories of Change, Acceptance, and Evolution isa musical ride through the human condition, astutely
represented, compactly delivered and absolutely
worth experiencing.
For more information, visit tednash.com. Nash live-streams
Jun. 8th at soapboxgallery.org.

Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses
Jen Shyu & Jade Tongue (Pi)
Recognition
Sara Serpa (Biophilia)
by Tom Greenland

In March 2020, vocalists/composers Jen Shyu and Sara
Serpa (along with Jordannah Elizabeth) conceived of
the Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M 3), an
initiative fostering international collaboration between
female artists, both performing at the organization’s

inaugural concert held last December. Each has recently
released an album that together offer an intriguing
comparison of these highly distinctive artists.
Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses is a high-watermark in Jen Shyu’s eclectic oeuvre, even as it suggests
there may be better to come, if future work finds a way
to focus and unify her disparate visions. After achallenging year of quarantine, racial turmoil and,above all, the sudden loss of her father, Shyu had a lot
about which to think and compose. Here she enlists
Jade Tongue, an empathetic ensemble comprised oftrumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, violist Mat Maneri,bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Dan Weiss.
The opening four-part suite, “Living’s a Gift”,
uses lyrics written by local middle school students tojuxtapose the joy of Spring with the less joyous realitiesof quarantined living, Shyu interpreting the children’s
words in a free-form melodic style reminiscent of Joni
Mitchell, overdubbing her vocals to create harmonicechoes as Akinmusire weaves subtle contrapuntal lines
in the background. “Lament for Breonna Taylor”, anelegy based on Taylor ’s mother ’s public statements
about the tragic shooting of her daughter by police in
2020, directly segues to “The Human Color”, a remakeof an earlier version recorded with Jade Tongue,
containing the ever-relevant lines: “Skin rubs off andwhat remains? The human color of our veins”. Several
pieces draw on Shyu’s fieldwork in Southeast Asia—“A Cure for the Heart’s Longing” and “When I Have
Power” based on the Javanese and Resuk (from East
Timor) languages, respectively—while “Body of Tears”
is a translation into Indonesian of the email she
received announcing her father ’s death, all interpreted
in her highly flexible vocal style and laced with
instrumental commentary.
Two more songs are played on biwa (a shortnecked lute), sung in traditional yodeling Japanesestyle, a product of Shyu’s most recent fieldwork,
followed by two originals that contain some of her
most impressive singing, with English lyrics addressing
difficult choices, life and death, concluding with a(wo)manifesto to carry on.
Like Shyu, Sara Serpa has a well-trained, puretoned voice seemingly capable of almost anything,though she has often eschewed lyrics in favor of an
overtly instrumental approach to her music. Recognitionis the soundtrack to a silent film she constructed fromher grandfather ’s Super 8 home movies made in 1961of Angola in the grip of Portuguese colonial rule.
Having grown up in Lisbon, she is concerned to redress
the lack of public recognition of Portugal’s role inhuman rights violations, hence the album’s title.
To flesh out her atmospheric themes and intricate
contrapuntal arrangements she recruited harpist Zeena
Parkins, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner and pianist
David Virelles. Many of the pieces are adroitly
arranged, employing the tenor as a unison, harmony orcontrary melody; the piano as a more free-flowing
accompaniment, adding basslines, vamps and reactive
flourishes spanning the keyboard; the harp as a subtler
but no less potent presence, which thickens and colors.
Most of the time Serpa’s dulcet mezzo-sopranofunctions as the lead horn, sounding with classicalpurity even as her improvisations become moreadventurous—a great example of this musical “multilingualism” is heard on “Control and Oppression”—
but on “Beautiful Gardens” and “Queen Nzinga” shedelivers spoken word, the latter to bluesy improvised
accompaniment.
The final piece, “Unity and Struggle”, uses vocal
overdubs to evoke a madrigal texture, set in 5/4 timewith lyrics by Bissau-Guinean revolutionary Amílcar
Cabral, capped by a strangely lyrical tenor solo.
For more information, visit pirecordings.com andbiophiliarecords.com. Shyu and Serpa present the Mutual
Mentorship for Musicians (M³) Festival live-stream Jun.
12th-13th at jazzmuseuminharlem.org.

ANDY WASSERMANSOLO PIANOORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS(TransMedia Sound & Music)
PoleStar showcases eight
new Contemporary Jazz
original compositions
for solo piano by Andy
Wasserman, presenting aunifying theme dedicatedto the guiding central
star from the heavens
and within the heart.
This contemporary Jazz
music is structured on afoundation of his four
decades of work as
editorial assistant andCertified Instructorof George Russell’s
Lydian Chromatic
Concept of Tonal
Organization.

AVAILABLE ON“Wasserman produced forays into the bright,
the glimmering, the burning, the clouded-over,icy and distant, with use of falling phrases overshifting, widely gripped harmonies as well as
blues-drenched, ringing major sevenths, ninths
and elevenths...the rolling complexities in
Wasserman’s works are beautifully, almost
mystically woven together.”
The New York City Jazz Record
January 2021 - NY@Night LiveStream review“PEREGRINATION” ALBUM LIVE:https://vimeo.com/534999491
WEEKLY LIVESTREAMED CONCERTS
Tune in, join the upbeat vibes andlet this LIVE music rejuvenate you!
Every Sunday, 7:00pm Eastern/4:00 Pacific
Solo piano concert of fresh, brand-new,original compositions and improvisations
performed on a beautifully restored,
resonant 1924 Steinway “M” grand piano
FREE: no registration, tickets or log-in required!
Watch on ROKU TV and at

ANDYWASSERMAN.COM

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 15

Purest Form
James Francies (Blue Note)by Russ Musto

The sophomore Blue Note release by James Francies

finds the young keyboard wizard melding bothcontemporary and jazz-fusion with hip-hop, R&B andelectronica in starkly original compositions.
The date opens with atmospheric keyboards
ambiently accompanying a solemn recitation by hiswife Brenda Francies of her poem “Adoration”. Fellow
Houston natives bassist Burniss Travis III and drummer
Jeremy Dutton feature on the dynamically rhythmic“Levitate”. Saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, Blue Notelabelmate and another Houstonian, joins the fray on“Transfiguration”, choir-like keyboards and fluid piano
undergirding soaring alto. Houston-based vocalist
Peyton sings her lyric to Francies’ “Blown Away”,
a slowly grooving ballad, followed by Elliott Skinnerintoning his words to Francies’ yearning “Rose Water”.
The instrumental group expands to a sextet withthe addition of guitarist Mike Moreno and vibraphonist
Joel Ross on a high-flying arrangement of Richard
Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things”.
Francies’ classical training is evident on his “Stratus” inthe company of a string quartet. “713” (Houston’s areacode) is a soulful tribute performed by the trio. Francies’

vocals augment his piano and keyboards on “Melting”,
a stirring duet with drum programmer DJ Dahi.
The quintet with Wilkins and Ross lets loose on“Where We Stand”, after which James Francies, Sr.,
accompanied by the trio, reads from his memoir on“Freedmen’s Town”, detailing his upbringing in
Houston’s Fourth Ward. Vocalist Bilal makes anappearance on “Eyes Wide Shut”, an otherworldly
outing that also features strident guitar. The voices ofFrancies and late mother Shawana are heard with thestring quartet on the terse interlude “Still Here” before
he closes things out alone with his mournful “Oasis”.
For more information, visit bluenote.com. Francies livestreams Jun. 2nd with Jeff “Tain” Watts at barbayeux.com.

Aging
Lucie Vítková/James Ilgenfritz (Infrequent Seams)
by Tyran Grillo

Even in moments of clarity, one comes across roughspots that won’t seem to go away. Similarly, in times ofchaos, glimpses of lucidity stand out like meteors
against the night sky. In both circumstances, thoseanomalies often prove to be highly instructive—each alearning moment that may be cultivated only throughyears of introspection. Such is the humbling

16 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

opportunity of opening one’s ears to the sonicconstellations of Aging. This collaboration between
Lucie Vítková and James Ilgenfritz places the latter ’s
contrabass in the former ’s compositional matrix.
Across seven parts, nominally distinguished only
by a consecutive Roman numeral, the experience
unfolds fractally: the closer one gets to an intriguingdetail, the more one recognizes the supporting patterns
that gave it context in the first place. And while
Ilgenfritz plays his instrument with fingers and bow,
Vítková’s meticulous preparations and electronic
integrations allow the digital soul of its acoustic bodyto breathe beyond its cage. Hints of sirens resound likevoices struggling against a historical silencing, as if thevery weight of the past were cause for emergency. And
yet, within that tautness is also hope and, perhaps,
victory over the tectonic shifts of human error, madepalpable when Ilgenfritz sheds his technologicalclothing (as in “IV”), standing naked before the mirrorof time and singing for no other honor than the act
itself. But then, there are passages (as in “V”) during
which the bass seems barely to breathe the stasis ofself-awareness. And if the more jagged figurations
articulated in “VI” jump out with contrast, it’s only
because being given something to wield and interpretis a tradition to which we’ve become socially averse.
This is, perhaps, why one cannot help but hear inthis grinding a way of speaking that feels even moreorganic to us in 2021 than when it was recorded in2016. Wandering inside this veritable hurdy-gurdy of
introspection, we cling not to the promise of escape but
to the reality of knowing how much work needs to bedone to listen.
For more information, visit infrequentseams.com. This duolive-streams Jun. 18th at infrequentseamsstreamfest.com.

Soundtrack
Dmitry Baevsky Quartet (Fresh Sound-New Talent)by Ken Dryden

A native of Saint Petersburg, Russia, alto saxophonist

Dmitry Baevsky showed promise at a young age,earning a full scholarship to The New School.
Flourishing in the tough environment of New York
City, Baevsky’s mastery of his instrument, plus his
knack of seeking out the best available players has
contributed to his success. For his latest CD, herecruited pianist Jeb Patton (a seasoned veteranchampioned by Jimmy Heath), bassist David Wong(like Patton, an in-demand Heath alum) and drummer
Pete Van Nostrand, who also has a lengthy resumé.
Baevsky avoids the pitfalls of leaders who
overwhelm the listener with new compositions that are
rarely memorable or a setlist filled with predictablewarhorses everyone plays. Instead he draws frommusic of several continents, genres and styles, focusing
primarily on songs that are likely unfamiliar or jazz
gems that aren’t played all that often.
One thing that stands out is that Baevsky is
confident enough that he doesn’t automatically takethe initial solo, putting the spotlight first on thetalented Patton. The unusual opening track, “Evening
Song”, was written by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi, a 20th

Century Soviet songwriter. The lilting melody seems
so familiar and Baevsky’s full tone and brisk setting
make it an obvious highlight.
There are works by jazz greats, including a hiptreatment of Sonny Rollins’ “Grand Street” with an
impeccable groove set by Wong and strong choruses by
Patton and Baevsky. The leader ’s swaggering renditionof Ahmad Jamal’s “Tranquility” reveals
another
obscurity deserving greater recognition. The best
known piece is Vernon Duke’s “Autumn In New York”,
lush alto saxophone savoring every note. Among theoriginals, Baevsky’s rapid-fire, constantly twisting“Over And Out” is a brilliant salute to the manysaxophone greats who preceded him.
For more information, visit freshsoundrecords.com. Baevsky
live-streams Jun. 19th at gmfjazzsummit.com.

First Steps
Philippe Lemm Trio (Outside In Music)
by Elliott Simon

Sobering statistics have rightly been daily headlines

this past year with over 33 million reported cases of
COVID-19 in the U.S. However, during that same
period another 44 million adults experienced mental
illness. In 2020 it claimed pianist Angelo Di Loreto atage 30, a member of drummer Phillipe Lemm’s trio.
The trio began about a decade ago at the Manhattan
School of Music, completed by bassist Jeff Koch.
First Steps is the group’s third release andshowcases a mature trio functioning as an impeccable
unit. From opening “The Kiln”, a melodic portrait withvibraphonist Simon Moullier artfully decorating thelines, to the mélange of emotions captured in closer“Caffeinated Souls” the session is full of life andexquisitely propulsive. The program is meant to bea reflection of Lemm’s background in dance anddespite a few missteps he, Koch and Di Loreto are insync across ten cuts for an inspired rhythmic journey.
“Malambo” and “Elysian Voices” are from Di Loreto,the former a Latin-tinged adventure illustrating his
technical and stylistic command across multiple genres
and the latter a pensive observation flaunting delicate
touch and ensemble playing.
Moullier returns for “Kalief”, a timely andsweeping examination of the tragic story of Kalief
Browder who died by his own hand two years after his
incarceration at Rikers Island after a massive criminal
justice system failure. Earlier interpretations of pop
tunes such as Simon and Garfunkel’s “ScarboroughFair” (City Birds, Outside In Music, 2018) and Kansas’“Dust in the Wind” (New Amsterdam, Outside In Music,
2016) are now joined by a powerful version of Peter
Gabriel’s inspirational “Don’t Give Up”, which takes
on new meaning given its current context. A vivacious
offering, First Steps is tragically the last from this trio,
which, through captivating polyrhythms, engaging
compositions and expert musicianship, produced astylish and crystal clear sound.
For more information, visit outsideinmusic.com. Lemm is at
Little Island Jun. 24th. See Calendar.

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THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 17

Vol. 1: Sonar | Vol. 2: The Middle Playfield | Vol. 3: After Life
Playfield (577 Records-Orbit)
by John Pietaro

The overzealous critic may refer to Daniel Carter’s

enduring career renewals as “nine lives”, but the multiinstrumentalist’s work has actually been contained in
the current one. For these three Playfield volumes,
Carter’s plenitude of winds—saxophones, clarinet,trumpet and flute—as well as his poetry, braved theworst of COVID among new company. The ensemble
features Luisa Muhr, a self-described “multi-lingual
vocal & movement performer/improvisor/installation
artist/sound artist/director/theater maker”, theproper antagonist for the guy who has performed withdamned near everyone. It is unfortunate that her impact
is only heard (re: vocals), as during the sessions Muhr’s
visceral theatrics must have been a major aspect.
Playfield is completed by pianist Eric Plaks, drummer
Jon Panikkar, saxophonist Ayumi Ishito, bassist Zachary
Swanson and guitarists Aron Namenwirth andcontemporary music composer Yutaka Takahashi.
Volume 1’s “Sonar”, a 28+ minute foray, quickly
establishes the communal nature of the band: no one
seems to be in the lead and everyone’s voice is vital.
The piece refutes star soloist cult-of-personality avant
garde for the genre’s collective heart and “Sonar” is anamalgam of its forces. Carter offers a level of leadershiponly during the latter two minutes wherein his tenor ’s
crafted melody signals the way home. Throughout, thework is free and open, sans emotional ruptures of any
kind, with cascading dynamics, pianissimo to mezzo
forte. Further, the rhythm of Plaks, Swanson andPanikkar are subtle throughout, painting color
commentary rather than forcing drive.
For “The Middle”, Volume 2 of this triptych, themusic opens with Carter’s trumpet lead, riding neartandem with flowing voice, complemented by tenor
saxophone and fleeting guitars. The ensemble responded
to Carter’s poetry declaring “a pen won a gloss the sky– skis summery ran other in these waves of beaming
life, disorientations kind of severe clarity without everhaving sensed any beginning to know an inkling ofbirth of the whole…” Yet, the whole is all that seemed tomatter. This work begins where the last volume closed
yet moves much further into the concept of ensemble.
Listen for the improv-composed dual leads and various
harmonic groupings around Carter or Ishito’s horns.
Muhr often takes on the role of secondary or tertiary‘horn’, the ensemble dancing as joyously as Prime Timewithin this realm of free music and contemporary
mores. And while there are lovely, soaring flights invoice, winds or the other instruments, the concept
becomes clear that the collective sound’s relevance wasin direct response to a society in separation.
Volume 3, “After Life”, opens with a moving duo ofMuhr and Carter’s alto saxophone, joined fluidly by the
rest. Among the three, this is the ultimate ensemblecreated work, one so well threaded as almost to appear
through-composed in completion. Shades of electric
Miles bubble up throughout, the ghost of Pete Cosey
split evenly between Namenwirth and Takahashi’s
drizzling of effects while Plaks’ Rhodes-like Nord pianocolors the outer edges of shadow. The voodoo permeateson every corner as Playfield carves mystic space between
the amplified journey of then and just now. Listen
carefully as Playfield wordlessly casts Carter’s verse:“under myriad influences ultimately hyper-natural after
wall said do one remaining field of play”, riding andwhispering against the harmonies of any given moment.
For more information, visit 577records.com. Luisa Muhr is
at Roulette Jun. 24th. See Calendar.

18 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

J azz/Asian fusion is almost as common as using food

GEORG GRAEWE QUARTET
Amsterdam, October 1998
RA CD 029
Frank Gratkowski – as, cl
Georg Graewe – p
Kent Kessler – db
Hamid Drake – dr

metaphors to describe such musical meetings. White
Lotus, the new album by pipa player Min Xiao-Fen
with guitarist Rez Abbasi, is not quite fusion, however.
Sadly, though, this review will nevertheless employ afood metaphor.
White Lotus is a soundtrack Xiao-Fen composed
for the 1934 silent film The Goddess by acclaimed
Chinese director Wu Yonggang (1907-82). The score,for strings—pipa, sanxian, guqin, ruan, acoustic andelectric guitars—and Xiao-Fen’s voice, doesn’t seem tofollow strict cuing of action. It may, but the music
stretches out beyond simple cues enough that themusic stands on its own.
The score leans toward Chinese tradition at times,
feels jazzy at other moments and recalls cinema themesat times; the boldness of Ennio Morricone could wellcome to the listener ’s mind at passing moments.
But Xiao-Fen and Abbasi never seek common
ground in the music. They’re not melding traditions.
They’re at the same table, they’re having the same
conversation, they’re breaking bread and sharing wine,
but they don’t lose their separate identities. The
Karachi, Pakistan-born guitarist certainly knows athing or two about bridging cultures, but here he’s
mostly playing to the jazzy side of the equation, only
occasionally delving into some amplified layers andloops. Xiao-Fen is always a wonder and the rich soundof Abbasi suits her well.
Wu’s film concerns a young mother who turns toprostitution to support her son in Shanghai, providing
plenty of pathos for the music. Xiao-Fen wrote themesfor each of the characters, using Buddhist chants forthe young mother. It’s there that her evocative singing
is the most surprising: a guttural voice emanates fromdeep in her throat, nestled within more vocal tracks.
Even without the film, it’s a powerful effect.
There are plenty of subtle surprises within White
Lotus. By never quite meeting in the middle, Xiao-Fen
and Abbasi leave a comfortable open space in which
the music can move.

FRISQUE CONCORDANCEDistinct Machinery
RA CD 031/32
John Butcher – ts,ss
Georg Graewe – p
Wilbert de Joode – db
Mark Sanders – drWhite Lotus (featuring Rez Abbasi)
Min Xiao-Fen (Outside In Music)
by Kurt Gottschalk

GEORG GRAEWE TRIO
in concert
RA DVD 030
Georg Graewe – pPeter Herbert – db
Wolfgang Reisinger – dr

For more information, visit autrecords.com andvalleyofsearch.com. Brennan is at Roulette Jun. 24th with
Luisa Muhr. See Calendar.

GEORG GRAEWE & SFO
Fortschritt und Vergnügen
RA CD 032
Frank Gratkowski· Maria Gstättner
Martin Siewert· Sara Kowal
Joanna Lewis· Laura Strobl· Asja Valcic
Peter Herbert· Els Vandeweyer
Wolfgang Reisinger· Georg Graewevibraphone-averse, but there are more of us (it is here
asserted without evidence) who love the instrument,
who revel in the sheer voluptuousness of its sonorities.
With the sustain pedal down, those throbbing roundnotes might hang forever in the air. When played on
the vibraphone, any melody sounds more romantic, as
it resonates with the human heart.
But it is a specialty instrument with relatively few
practitioners. It always feels like vibraphonists are in
short supply. Therefore these two debut recordings are
newsworthy events, especially because Nazareno
Caputo, from Italy, and Patricia Brennan, from Mexico,
are rethinking how to communicate on their chosen
vehicle. Caputo’s Phylum is a trio date with bass
(Ferdinando Romano) and drums (Mattia Galeotti).
Vibraphone trios are surprisingly uncommon (groups
with vibraphone usually contain another chording
instrument, piano or guitar). Brennan’s Maquishti
presents an even less common ensemble format: solo
vibraphone albums are all but unknown (Brennan does
add marimba and electronic effects to her toolkit).
Caputo has college degrees in two fields: music
and architecture. He thinks of them as closely related.
He has said, “In architecture, structure is an elementthat is often hidden, distinct from the envelope.” He
has called Phylum “research focused on the structural,
timbric, melodic elements of music.” The description
sounds dry and academic. The music does not, but its
initial challenges are intellectual. Caputo’s structures
are not entirely hidden, but they are sublimated andelusive. In pieces like “Adi” and “Dulce”, triads andfugues and canons can be glimpsed, flying by. “Abside”
is even described as a “compositional game” dedicatedto Bach that starts from a four-note motif (B-A-C-H).
Such structural elements, atypical for jazz, give Phylum
a fresh context.
But Caputo’s interest in these forms is to eithertransfigure or dissolve them. Phylum succeeds because
aesthetic spontaneity always prevails over cerebral
theory. Whatever its starting hypothesis, every piece isquickly swept away in improvisational invention,
sometimes for 13 or 16 minutes. No vibraphonist injazz has more interesting new ideas per minute than
Caputo. The stark trio setting allows the space andtime for those ideas to flower and spread outward andto incorporate illuminating new content from his twocollaborators.
If Phylum requires a creative listener, Maquishti
needs a listener both creative and supremely patient.
In some ensembles, the vibraphone functions as a
piano surrogate. But the vibraphone, with its threeoctaves, is much more limited as a stand-alone
instrument. On some tracks, Brennan’s use of electronic
effects enables her to accompany herself. But mostoften she proceeds with only occasional and minimalenhancements, moving haltingly and carefully,
marking out patterns as she becomes conscious ofthem. This music evolves so quietly and gradually that
it often feels ponderous and even static. It contains solittle dynamic contrast and so few clear climaxes,
Brennan constantly risks lulling listeners into
inattention.
The most viable pieces, like “Improvisation III”,
access the full range of stimuli at Brennan’s disposal,

INAWHIRL
Streugebilde
RA CD 036
Sara Kowal - harp
Georg Graewe - piano
Dieb13 – turntables

There are those in the jazz community who are

RANDOM ACOUSTICS p r e s e n t s ...

GEORG GRAEWE
stills and stories
RA CD 028
Georg Graewe – piano solo

PhylumNazareno Caputo (AUT)
Maquishti
Patricia Brennan (Valley Of Search)by Thomas Conradfrom thick deep chords to delicate treble chimings,
with washes of effects as background. At such moments
Brennan becomes a sound conjurer, presiding overarcane ceremonies, creating mysterious sonorous
landscapes, orchestral in scale. The rapt atmospheres
justify a claim on the CD’s wrapper, that she “usesmallet percussion as a vessel”. Yet Maquishti always
feels more random and gestural than thematic ordevelopmental. Brennan’s habit of obsessively
repeating every idea she comes across slows this music
to a crawl.
Both of these albums will be of special interest to
vibraphone lovers: Phylum because it introduces themost promising vibraphonist to enter jazz since Joel
Ross, Maquishti because it is a bold, brave, failed
vibraphone experiment.

www.randomacoustics.net
Forced Exposure· Squidco· DowntownMusicGallery

For more information, visit outsideinmusic.com. This
project live-streams Jun. 29th at iamavl.com.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 19

Path of Seven Colors
Ches Smith’s We All Break (Pyroclastic)
by Robert Bush

Drummer Ches Smith has consistently raised interest

with singular projects and worthy collaborators.
According to the liner notes for Path of Seven Colors,
Smith became enamored of the music of Haitian Vodou
after being called to accompany a Haitian dance class in
2000. He much kept this fascination under wraps forthe next 15 years as he slowly began to assimilate hisknowledge of this complex world of rhythms andpolyrhythms before assembling the band We All Breakto record an eponymously titled disc in 2015. Last year,
he expanded We All Break to include bass (NickDunston), saxophone (Miguel Zenón), lead vocals(Sirene Dantor Rene) and another percussionist (Fanfan
Jean-Guy Rene) to augment Matt Mitchell (piano),
Daniel Brevil and Markus Schwartz (tanbou and vocals)from the previous album. Path of Seven Colors is nothing
short of stunning. Featuring a mix of original material
and traditional Haitian rhythms, each selection springs
forward with a true sense of spiritual ebullience.
From the opening “Woule Pou Mwen”, it’s clearthat something special is happening. An earlyhighlight, “Here’s the Light” leans on the traditional
Yanvalou rhythm and the intricate interlocking of the
piano, bass and four drummers give Zenón and the
vocalists a prime vehicle to ornament. The vibe ishighly infectious and doesn’t let up. Rene comes to theforefront leading the band’s call and response on“Leaves Arrive”, and, at about the six-minute markDunston unwinds with a nasty solo. There are sometunes that seem more closely related to jazz thanothers—“Women of Iron” features excellent extended
solos from Zenón and Mitchell—but mostly the album
succeeds on its own singular fusion of the two
traditions. “Lord of Healing” combines four different
Petwo rhythms and is the magnum opus of the disc,clocking in at more than 14 minutes and taking thelistener on a distinct journey while ratcheting theexcitement quotient ever higher.
The earlier effort is wonderful on its own terms,
but Path of Seven Colors delivers on the initial premisein an exponential package. It would be a shame if it
does not end up on multiple “Best Of” lists for 2021.
For more information, visit pyroclasticrecords.com. Smithis at The Sultan Room Jun. 10th with Marc Ribot andRoulette Jun. 25th with Sonya Belaya. See Calendar.

Reciprocity
María Grand (Biophilia)
by Philip Freeman

Tenor saxophonist María Grand’s third record as aleader is also the studio debut of a new trio with bassist
Kanoa Mendenhall and drummer Savannah Harris. The
first thing we hear is their three voices, reciting thephrase, “The joy of being exactly who you are”,

overlapping like they’re singing a round. The
composition they play afterward, “Creation: The Joy Of
Being”, begins as a rubato ballad, not free but pulsing
and shifting as though the music is a living thing,slowly rising from the earth and stretching its limbs. By
the halfway mark, it comes together and Harris’ sharp,
cracking snare creates a dervish-like dancing feel.
The women sing again on “Fundamental Pt. I”,
chanting about “the fundamental power” in an almost
religious manner over a deep bowed bass drone.
“Fundamental Pt. II” is the exact opposite of its hushed,reverent predecessor; bass and drums set up a bouncing,ticking rhythm as quick and fragile as a hummingbird’sheart and Grand leaps forward, using them like a
trampoline. As it winds down, though, she sings the
lyrics from the first part again, linking the two pieces.
Grand’s rich tone is immediately, obviously part of
the jazz tradition. She has the muscularity and resonanceof JD Allen, though her nods to the blues are more
oblique and melodic lines longer and more winding. Her
voice has a Björk-ian false fragility; she reaches for thin,upper-register notes, but when she drops back down
into a more natural range you know it’s a feint.
Mendenhall and Harris mostly recite rather than singtheir parts and on “Creation: Interlude” there’s hummingover a swinging, stop-start bass-and-drum groove.
Reciprocity was written and recorded while Grandwas pregnant; the final track, “Creation: Welcome,Starseed”, lives up to its title, beginning with barely
audible bass scrapes and gently exhaled half-notesfrom the saxophone, before slowly taking shape as akind of embracing, womb-like sound world.
For more information, visit biophilia.com. Grand is at
Roulette Jun. 25th with Sonya Belaya. See Calendar.

Musa
Lauren Henderson (Brontosaurus)
by Alex Henderson

Although English is its primary vehicle, vocal jazz has

also worked well in a variety of languages. Singer
Lauren Henderson favors a bilingual approach onMusa, performing in English and Spanish, expressive
in both on an album combining post-bop with elementsof Latin music and R&B.
Henderson, a Massachusetts native active on the
New York City scene, is subtle and understated and she
favors a dusky, noir-ish approach whether performing
in English on Cole Porter’s “I Concentrate on You”,
Richard Rodgers’ “The Sweetest Sounds” and Dimitri
Tiomkin-Ned Washington’s “Wild Is the Wind” orSpanish on “La Marejada”, “Corazón, No Llores”(“Heart, Don’t Cry”), “Ahora” (“Now”) and “Luz”(“Light”). If Shirley Horn or Julie London had performedin Spanish extensively and incorporated a strong R&B
influence, the results could have sounded like Musa.
Opener “I Concentrate on You”, among theEnglish-language offerings, establishes a Latin feelright away thanks to its Cuban-tinged arrangement.
Henderson maintains that aesthetic with the help ofher cohesive trio: pianist Sullivan Fortner (who assists
with the arrangements), bassist Eric Wheeler anddrummer Joe Dyson. Other musicians featured on
Musa include trumpeter Marquis Hill and Spanish
guitarist Paco Soto, yet the trio is the core ofHenderson’s backing. The haunting “Wild Is theWind”, unveiled in the 1957 film of the same name, hasbeen performed by a long list of vocalists over the

20 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

years but Henderson doesn’t emulate famousrecordings of the past but, rather, turns the song into asort of Latin bolero. Henderson offers two arrangementsof her dreamy original “Leeward”, which has a strong
quiet storm appeal and isn’t unlike something singer
Sade would record. Both versions find Hill channelingMiles Davis and one features rapper Daniel J. Watts on
spoken word, generating an introspective mood.
Latin music has been having a positive influence
on jazz for generations, and Henderson helps keep thattime-honored tradition going on Musa.
For more information, visit laurenhendersonmusic.com.
Henderson live-streams Jun. 30th at soapboxgallery.org.

IN PRINT

This Uncontainable Feeling of Freedom
Christian Broecking (Intakt)
by Kurt Gottschalk

In a 1980 profile of Irène Schweizer, who turns 80 thismonth, in the East German magazine Melodie, journalist
Bert Noglik describes the pianist as “friendly, reserved,
modest—a woman who doesn’t need to draw attention
to herself, because her playing speaks for itself.” That
portrayal of Schweizer, then just approaching 40, mightrun deeper than Noglik intended. This Uncontainable
Feeling of Freedom reveals an artist committed to social
causes and to building structures to support the music,
even if it’s not often apparent in her work or she hasn’t
often felt compelled to draw attention to the fact thatshe’s doing it. The main line through Christian
Broecking’s detailed biography is, of course,
Schweizer’s long career in music, but in the course of
its 471 pages we discover an almost stoic commitment
to feminism, anti-racism and gay rights issues and toestablishing performing and recording opportunities(and compensation) for artists.
Biographies often work through painstaking
details of heritage and upbringing before getting to thelife worth writing about, but Broecking quickly
establishes Schweizer’s musical and politicalinfluences; early awareness that she was lesbian;lifelong impact of meeting musicians from South Africa(including Abdullah Ibrahim and The Blue Notes)
when she was just beginning to work; years of playing
only with men; and subsequent fostering of female
improvisers in Europe. The book reads almost like anoral history, the story largely pushed by publishedreports and the many musicians interviewed like Han
Bennink, Peter Brötzmann, Hamid Drake, Jöelle
Léandre, George Lewis, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Maggie
Nicols, Evan Parker and Alexander von Schlippenbach.
Schweizer herself often recedes into modesty.
As such, it’s not a terribly personal biography. The
narrative is set by a chronology of gigs, recordings andresponses. By virtue of her involvement, we gain
firsthand insight into the Feminist Improvising Group,
Zurich’s Workshop for Improvised Music, Taktlos
festival and Fabrikjazz, Intakt and Ohr labels. It’s avaluable and very readable history of the emergence ofjazz in Switzerland and the connections forged throughEurope, Africa and America by charting the course
taken by a woman who was there from the beginning.
For more information, visit intaktrec.ch

This Bitter Earth
Veronica Swift (Mack Avenue)
by Dan Bilawsky

V ocalist Veronica Swift doesn’t shy away fromweighty matters on This Bitter Earth. Instead, she uses
this platform to address societal ills that beset womenand humankind as a whole. Nothing is off limits, bothin terms of subject and source material, and a significant
number of these selections deal in hard truths thatneed to be said and deserve to be heard.
With Swift’s status as one of her generation’sfinest vocalists already secured, she now ascends toeven greater heights as one of its moral compasses.
Backed by an ace trio of pianist Emmet Cohen, bassist
Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Bryan Carter andborrowing judiciously from Broadway, jazz singersongwriter territory, R&B and other spaces, she singsand soars with absolute integrity. Sarcasm and humor
assist in properly framing sexism in “How Lovely to
Be a Woman” (from Bye Bye Birdie). A menacing take on“You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” magnifies that
South Pacific classic’s message about ingrained racism.
The Gerry Goffin-Carole King-penned “He Hit Me(And It Felt Like a Kiss)” moves away from The
Crystals’ classic arrangement and uses a strippeddown sound to represent the battered impacted bydomestic violence. And a trip across Dave Frishberg’s“The Sports Page” pushes wit and full-voiced verities
about subjective standpoints and fake news.
Mixing the aforementioned material with musicfrom The Jungle Book, the Gershwins, The Dresden
Dolls and Bob Dorough (among others), Swift shows
serious breadth while exhibiting a gift for binding
dissimilar gems. Her team, completely in step,
brilliantly amplifies her actions. The Cohen-fronted
trio does exemplary work, both with understatement
and in unreserved environments; guests like alto
saxophonist (and flutist) Aaron Johnson and guitarist
Armand Hirsch make their respective marks withclass; and a polished string quartet, giving life toseveral Steven Feifke arrangements, adds anotherlayer of sophistication to the proceedings. Everybody
involved works in true service of these songs, assisting
Swift in crafting a program that resonates on so manydifferent levels. As unflinchingly frank yet eminently
listenable albums go, it really doesn’t get much better
than This Bitter Earth.
For more information, visit mackavenue.com

Light Shines Through (Soapbox Sessions, Vol. 1)
Zach Brock (s/r)
by Marco Cangiano

Zach Brock has rapidly become a point of reference

for modern violin, The natural influence is Jean-Luc
Ponty but all jazz violinists of the last half-century canbe heard one way or the other in Brock’s synthesis; it isstriking and very welcome to hear traces of the late
Zbigniew Seifert. Brock’s discography documents
evolution in terms of his partners, formations andrepertoire, from jazz standards to free forms.
Light Shines Through marks an apex, a solo
performance recorded during a recent monthly residency
at Brooklyn’s Soapbox Gallery, touching and expandingon all Brock’s influences and inspirations. It is described
as a ”musical meditation on 2020” via acoustic violin
with some sparse use of electronics. Conceived as a suite,which can reference in the five segment titles—“Reckoning”, “Desolation”, “Compassion”, “(Re)invention” and “Resolve”—to A Love Supreme, it is a very
personal reaction to the annus horribilis we just left
behind and hope for what lies ahead.
Each note within each of the sequences is carved out
as a quest for its very essence. “Compassion” aptly
synthesizes this approach—it is also sort of a turning
point right in the middle of the performance: a repeateddramatic pattern of two chords upon which the violincries by keeping the musical phrasing to a minimum infavor of long held notes. The initial “Reckoning” is in
itself a mini-suite with evolving moods and a few nods to
Ponty and also occasional blue notes reminiscent of
Sugarcane Harris. “(Re)invention” is a pizzicato showcase
marking a shift from the gravity predominant in the firsttwo segments to a sense of levity and hopefulness
culminating in the final “Resolve”. This segment is themost complex, different musical experiences coming
together on an insistent drone shifting into a rock-imbued
riff not far from certain Hendrix effects. It all disappears
toward the end, leaving room in the last couple ofminutes for a celebratory dirge dissolving into silence.
For more information, visit zachbrock.com. Brock is at
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 Jun. 15th and Soapbox
Gallery Jun. 23rd

ON SCREEN

The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Directed by Lee Daniels
by Kevin Canfield

It’s better than many Hollywood biopics, but The

United States vs. Billie Holiday bears flaws common to
the genre, one that has yielded two previous films
about the matchless vocalist. The actress in the title
role (Oscar-nominated Andra Day) delivers a terrific,
multi-dimensional performance; some of thoseplaying her antagonists aren’t so great. Celebrated
songs are played with verve, but few can be heard infull. The screenplay is effective—except whencharacters are obliged to deliver dialogue laden with
thumbnail history lessons and awkward exposition.
Directed by Lee Daniels, co-creator of the popular
music-industry soap opera Empire, the film covers
two of the best-known chapters from Holiday’s
biography: her gallant performance of the Abel
Meeropol-written “Strange Fruit”, a heartrending
song about the lynching of African Americans(performed in previous Holiday biopics by Diana
Ross and Audra McDonald); and the drug-relatedarrests that coincided with her growing fame. SuzanLori Parks’ script, based on a book by journalist
Johann Hari, intertwines the storylines, depicting a
campaign by federal agents to prevent Holiday fromdenouncing the racist murders of Black people. “Shekeeps singing this ‘Strange Fruit’ song and it’scausing a lot of people to think the wrong things,”
seethes Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner
Harry Anslinger (Garrett Hedlund). He can’t arrest
her for performing, so Anslinger and fellow
investigators torment Holiday, repeatedly arresting—and sometimes framing—her for drug possession; thepersecution hastens her death at 44. It’s a patent
oversimplification of Holiday’s story, but given whatpasses for truth in some biopics, it’s not an egregious
one. Like countless others, Holiday was victimized
by paired evils: bigotry and harsh drug laws.
Trevante Rhodes gives a nuanced performanceas an undercover Fed who comes to regret his
infiltration of Holiday’s band, but, as played by
Hedlund and a roster of lesser-knowns, most of his
officemates are mediocre. Pair a so-so actor with a bitof stilted dialogue—“People are calling the song a
musical starting gun for the so-called Civil Rights
movement”—and the results aren’t good. Meanwhile,
Daniels does what every director of a music biopic
must, omitting scores of songs and shortening others,
making way for as much offstage action as possible.
This doesn’t diminish the power of Day’s
performance. Late in the film while touring theSouth, she comes upon the aftermath of a lynchingthat has destroyed a Black family; she nearlycollapses, then starts running, sickened by the brutal
crime. Soon thereafter, she sings “Strange Fruit” inits entirety. Impeccably shot by cinematographer
Andrew Dunn, the scene is composed of longcloseups that capture the pain and resolve in Day’s
face and voice. In her autobiography, Holiday called
the song “my personal protest”. If her version is
unrivaled, Day’s is an impressive tribute.
For more information, visit hulu.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 21

IN PRINT

Soul on Soul: The Life and Music of Mary Lou Williams
Tammy K. Kernodle (University of Illinois Press)by Monique Ngozi Nri

16 years after it was published, this revised edition,a holistic view of the “life and music” of Mary Lou
Williams, who died 40 years ago, will perhaps finda different and more discerning audience, arriving
as it does on the heels of the “#MeToo” movement
and a feminist insistence on being heard, recognizedand believed. Tammy K. Kernodle couches her
exploration in a spiritual space, her experience ofMary Lou’s Mass, what she calls “worship musicwith a progressive social consciousness”, bringing
her to explore Williams’ work at the “intersection ofher faith and her love of jazz music.”
The first chapter sets the scene: Jim Crow southwith a mother who played the pump organ and sangin church; a father who abandoned them; anda stepfather and grandfather who encouraged heramazing ability to play what she heard by ear.
A life of poverty was to haunt Williams for most of herlife, but it was also one rich with family and music.
In 1915, her family moved to Pittsburgh where
she began formal education in music. She progressedto playing in Union bands, soaking up theatmosphere at rent parties and clubs her stepfather
would sneak her into to play. Kernodle is careful todescribe the way in which male support from herfamily gave her a level of self-esteem, allowing her
to play confidently as an instrumentalist and stayaway from the feminine roles so many other Black
women musicians were forced to play. It is said thatthroughout her life she did not smile duringperformances and made little attempt to engage
with her audience. Williams traveled on her own at
an early age on the Theatre Owners Booking
Association circuit, the breadwinner for her family.
In addition to the strength as a player, Williams
was sought after as a composer and arranger. The
book discusses comparisons with other female
musicians of the time, Hazel Scott in particular, who
was seemingly a far more activist figure. Williams’
love life and marriages are intertwined with thestory of her music. Of her marriages to John Williams
and trumpeter Harold “Shorty” Baker, she said “[I]didn’t marry men, I married horns. After about two
weeks of marriage, I was ready to get up and write
some music.” She traveled extensively in Europe
but also faced many periods with little money andwithout steady companionship. The latter part ofthe book deals with her spiritual conversion; work
to help drug addicts, for whom she established the
Bel Canto Foundation; and, in the last year of herlife, The Mary Lou Williams Foundation, providing
music scholarships for gifted children.
The preface to this edition tracks Williams’
legacy from Geri Allen’s leadership of the Mary Lou
Williams Collective to Dr. Billy Taylor ’s founding of
the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at
the Kennedy Center. The book contains a shortdiscography as well as a photo section, showing astunningly attractive woman as she ages.
For more information, visit press.uillinois.edu

including Archie Shepp, Daniel Carter, Heroes Are
Gangleaders, Wadada Leo Smith and Anthony Pirog aswell as leading his own ensembles and composing newworks. The opportunities for a new new music seem
strident if this trio soon hits performance stages. Not
since CoDoNa has world music been so pleasantly
upended.

Transcendance
Luke Stewart/Devin Brahja Waldman/
Jarvis Earnshaw (Syrinx-Cassette)
by John Pietaro

For more information, visit jarvisearnshaw.bandcamp.com/
album/syrinx-cassette-transcendance. Stewart live-streams
Jun. 18th with Jaimie Branch and Jun. 24th with Luisa
Muhr, both at roulette.org.

The linking of free improvisation and world music

was a given. From the moment this wide category of
the non-Western, lost and little known was ‘collected’by musicologists, performance practice became fully
realized. In the folk and classical music of lands east,
south and north of the U.S. and Western Europe, as
well as the cultures scattered by war, empire andpestilence, it became ordained that music breathes
with improvisation. When global sounds became
accessible in the ‘50s, then wholly available in the ‘80s,
jazz artists absorbed it with a passion. But this trio
isn’t just another in the phalanx of world improvisers;
here are sounds as far from “New Age” as thediscerning listener would hope.
Devin Brahja Waldman’s alto saxophone carries
the sculpted, pointed tone of the soprano, even whenremoved from the forum of global sounds. Here, thatoboe-like quality, almost akin to the Indian pungi (thesnake charmer woodwind), is particularly evident in
his solo piece. Listen for the saxophonist improvisingagainst his own spacious reverberation and the modal
twists and turns of phrase he paints over imaginary
South Asian ruins. Haunting is a term often used by
critics, but it’s difficult to find a more fitting description
in this case. Especially when this quality is sustained
through much of the album, reminiscent of ‘80s ECM
releases with staples such as Jan Garbarek andL. Shankar. One big difference, however, is the additionof the musicians’ voices, plus tape loops and effects
woven neatly into the acoustic soundscape.
The tape loops (which slowly increase as thealbum proceeds) are manipulated by sitar player Jarvis
Earnshaw, a global traveler who grew up in Japan,
moved to India to study music and then landed in New
York. A visual artist as well as musician, Earnshaw
makes apparent his art schooling in both Tokyo and
Brooklyn via the conceptual approach to his instrument
and the ensemble itself. His performance background
ranges from new music perennial Daniel Carter andWarhol violinist Walter Steding to poet Anne Waldman
and The Cockettes. Mystical, yes, but never at theexpense of artistry or technique, the ingredients
missing from far too many attempts in this camp. On“Until Tomorrow” his sitar blends with its own
sympathetic strings, Waldman’s horn and an echoey
tenor vocal to create a beautiful tapestry soon
splintered by delightfully conflicting rhythms and a
tonal center well beyond mode or key. Tape loops andarco bass effects become the storm center, countering
the rest and building the work in intensity with Ornette
Coleman-reminiscent saxophone runs over theinsistent vocal, now agitated by the repetition of its
own tape loop.
Bassist Luke Stewart has been developing a
reputation over several years as an improviser for mostany setting, on either the upright or bass guitar. His
fluid, integrated lines, boldly working from the widest
swath of influences, are themselves a statement of thegrowth of new music. Here, on upright, his instrument
is both a lead and accompanying voice, usuallysimultaneously. When sitar becomes prominent on thetitle cut, the instrument almost seems extended by theupper reaches of the bass, so interconnected is this trio.
Stewart is seemingly everywhere these days, with a CV

22 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Aliens & Wizards
Spike Wilner (Cellar Music Group)
by Dan Bilawsky

Spike Wilner ’s prowess as a pianist is often eclipsed

by his work as one of jazz’ greatest advocates. And
that’s not surprising, given the fact that his tirelessefforts to get musicians gigging are practicallyunrivaled. In the best of times it’s hard not to marvel at
how Wilner drives an entire scene as the proprietor
and operator of two venerated venues—Smalls andMezzrow, both in New York’s Greenwich Village—andin the age of COVID-19 he’s damn near earned
sainthood in trying to keep the doors open, lights on
and music flowing.
With all of the time and energy this altruist gives
to the jazz community, his playing, beyond regularperformances at those aforementioned clubs,
frequently takes a back seat. So every now and then astatement like this is necessary to remind the wider
world of this man’s musical standing.
Aliens & Wizards, with Wilner ’s long-running trioof bassist Tyler Mitchell and drummer Anthony
Pinciotti (the same band had a 2017 release on Cellar
Live, Odalisque), is a clear testament to creative
determination. Much of its music came about throughexplorations on the 88s during the early months of thepandemic pause and it was recorded in August of 2020,
when uncertainty still clouded most every moment.
But there’s absolutely nothing dour about this program.
It actually cuts against the grain of the times. Opening
with the late Johnny Ellis’ “Righty-O!”, the mood isbright as can be. Then there’s a pair of classicallyinspired originals: “Non Troppo”, nodding to
Beethoven in buoyant fashion, and “Adagio”,
a wondrous reverie that the pianist wrote in tribute to
his wife and daughter.
Four additional Wilner compositions appear
across the playlist: spirit-seeking “Mindset”; freewilled title track; soulful and pure-hearted “Prayer for
Peace”; and solidly swinging “Trick Baby”. Sterlinginterpretations of classics “Blue Gardenia” (Lee and
Bob Russell) and “Stella by Starlight” (Victor Young)rest near the center of the set.
While this album presents obvious assertions
about artistry, it also speaks clearly to outreach andsupport. Aliens & Wizards marks the beginning ofa partnership between Cellar Music Group and the
SmallsLIVE Foundation, paving the way for future
releases from other artists commissioned by the latterentity. Even in recording and collaborating on therelease of his own music, Spike Wilner can’t help but
consider new ways to champion the greater good.
For more information, visit cellarlive.com. Wilner is at
Mezzrow Jun. 10th. See Calendar.

Charity and Love
Frank Carlberg/Gabriel Bolaños (Red Piano)
ZodiacChris Pattishall (s/r)
by George Grella

Mary Lou Williams, who died 40 years ago, released

her classic Zodiac Suite 76 years ago, not a traditional
duration for ceremonial honors but, nevertheless, thisspring we have these two albums, one an explicit
response to Williams’ piece, the other a personal andexpressionistic exploration of the mysteries ofinspiration and influence. Though the two albums
share electronic elements (one of the credits on Chris
Pattishall’s Zodiac goes to Rafiq Bhatia for “sounddesign, programming”), these records are about as far
apart as it gets on the jazz spectrum while still being
loosely connected.
Charity and Love is almost completely off thatspectrum, the only elements of jazz language theoccasional rich chord that pianist Frank Carlberg lays
down and one of the only links to Williams one willhear is the sound of her voice, captured from aninterview and heavily chopped and processed byelectronic music composer Gabriel Bolaños. There’s asnippet of Williams talking about why music getslabeled “jazz”, but otherwise her voice is reduced topure sound and molded into sonic bricks for an
intriguing soundscape through which piano dips anddarts. The results are beguiling, in the most abstract
sense this is a fine acousmatic album, with a blend ofelectronic and acoustic sound, which is balanced andwell shaped by the two artists.
Carlberg improvises to the extent that
predetermined material can be hard to identify, though
he works in a couple of quotes from Williams’ “Taurus”
into the opening title track. This album is less about
the individual tracks than the overall form. By thesecond title, “Mary Lou, May Blue”, the two players
have left jazz behind and are experimenting with usingmusical phrases and simple events to weave together
acoustic and electronic textures. This is a sensual
experience for the ear and steps out of the usual framesof song form and even audible beats into complex andthrilling processes. Carlberg and Bolaños subvert theusual jazz tribute album by making something more
like a kind of daydream about how one could feelhearing Williams play. Carlberg said this is not atribute album, more a celebratory one, and all themusic is distilled down to the impetus of pure passion.
Despite the electronic treatments, pianist
Pattishall’s Zodiac is very much in the standard vein.
He’s not enthralled by the Zodiac Suite—which means
he plays “Taurus” to start, when Williams opens with
“Aries”—but he does return to the original music again
and again, especially “Gemini” and “Aries”, to weave
together his arrangements of the Zodiac Suite and thesolo turns that the members of the band take. The
playing is fine, but there’s something uneasy about thelistening experience. We’re a long way from Williams’
mix of boogie-woogie and Debussy, which is too bad,because as style and compositional quality, the tworemain some of the freshest and most fulfillinginnovations in music in the past 150 years.
Pattishall and band seem a little too knowing, notin any condescending way but in the sense thatmusicians these days are so well schooled and havesuch extensive knowledge of the historical musicallandscape. They know how everything goes and a lot of
the playing shows off what they know, but theunderstanding, or live quality, is not as deep. Under

Williams’ hands, “Taurus” is slippery and insinuating,the march “Leo” is a marvelous set of transitions
between parade ground, Satie and Bix Beiderbecke. But
here “Taurus” sounds like a respectful reading of a pageof sheet music and “Leo” is heavy and pounding,exceedingly vertical and without any swing. What’smore, the electronic treatment gives the music a video
game aesthetic, which may be a quick, sugar-like rush
for some, but leaves a bad taste of commerce andmaterialism.
Perhaps the issue is tribute. Pattishall made atribute album and he shows he’s listened to Williams
by playing her back to us. Carlberg did not makea tribute album and he shows he’s listened to Williams
by playing what she means to him to us. The former isnotable, the latter is memorable.
For more information, visit redpianorecords.com andchrispattishall.com

Celebration
Irène Schweizer/Hamid Drake (Intakt)
by John Sharpe

Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer is one of the pioneers ofEuropean free jazz. Celebrating her 80th birthday thismonth, she remains an active and vibrant presence asevidenced by Celebration, which not only marks her
own milestone, but also the 40th edition of Austria’s
Nickelsdorf Jazz Konfrontationen—one of the world’s
premier creative music festivals—where it wasrecorded in 2019. Longtime collaborator drummer
Hamid Drake joins Schweizer for the festivities in a
sparkling set overflowing with snappy interchange
and good humor.
Schweizer allies a percussive approach, informed
by Cecil Taylor, to a strong sense of time, founded onher love of the South African grooves of Abdullah
Ibrahim and Johnny Dyani. As a consequence
throughout her career she has enjoyed a particularaffinity with drummers who are liberated to ornamentand embellish, as attested by recordings withcountryman Pierre Favre, South African Louis MoholoMoholo, Dutch Han Bennink, German Günter Sommer
and Andrew Cyrille. She first encountered Drake, 14
years her junior, in 1995 and the pair has renewed thebond regularly ever since, leading to an almost
telepathic understanding. Although the liners confirm
that there was no discussion prior to taking the stage,
you wouldn’t realize that from the breathtaking
rapport that ensues.
Drake’s talent for on-the-fly syncopation manifests
from the off as he matches Schweizer in a headlong
staccato dash on “A Former Dialogue”. But another ofthe pianist’s traits is also on display here: a predilection
for deftly inserting tuneful motifs amid the abstraction
to suggest song form and the feeling of structure.
Drake responds by calling on the breadth of the
tradition, with bursts of crisp rhythmic ingenuity
repurposed for the moment at hand, which give wings
to Schweizer ’s playful inventions.
But whether on the patterned textures of“Stringfever”, where the pianist beats the innards, theimpulsive “Twister”, which alternates solo andaccompanied sections, or the rolling vamp of the rootsy“Blues For Crelier”, the conversation between theprincipals is suitably receptive, joyous and exuberant.

ON SCREEN

Love Longing Loss
Directed by Dorothy Darr
by Kevin CanfieldO ne day last spring, Charles Lloyd picked up asaxophone and walked into the woods near his
California home, where he played some ruminativenotes for an audience of one: his wife Dorothy Darr,
an artist and filmmaker who’s been chronicling
Lloyd’s career for decades. Lloyd, a National
Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master who hasrecorded dozens of albums as a leader, had planned
to conclude 2020 with two shows at Pierre Boulez
Saal in Berlin. Instead, the pandemic forced him tostay home in Santa Barbara, playing and writing
music on the piano, the tenor saxophone, the bass
flute and the tarogato.
Darr took the opportunity to make another in
her series of documentaries about Lloyd. Shooting
on a smartphone and other devices, she’s fashioned
an appealing film about creativity amid crisis, as
embodied by her 83-year-old husband.
Commissioned by Pierre Boulez Saal, Love
Longing Loss: At Home with Charles Lloyd During aYear of the Plague is a profoundly personal response
to a significant moment in human history—and amovie with delightful footage of a robe-clad oldtimer annotating sheet music. “The plague is uponus,” Lloyd says. He misses friends, fellow artists. He
replenishes himself by writing and playing pieces
that celebrate his ancestors. As a Black man who’s“also a copper man”—some of his forbears were
Choctaw—Lloyd is moved to compose laments.
Standing before a large painting of musicians andanimals, he performs a powerful threnody on bass
flute and maracas, strands of white hair poking out
from beneath a knit cap. It’s a captivating scene,sonically and visually. Darr amplifies the themewith archival photos of racist crimes and segregatedschools, interspersing the appalling images with
footage of Marian Anderson, Rosa Parks and others
who refused to let the bigots win. The segment gives
way to footage of the Pacific lapping against a rocky
shore, apt imagery given the eternal resolve
demonstrated by those who’ve sought equal rights.
Darr ’s winning nature scenes—along with thebriny edge of the continent, she takes us to grassy
meadows, sun-flecked hillsides and woodland
glades—speak to Lloyd’s reverence for the outdoors
and his engagement with other timeless sources ofinspiration, among them the music from his
Memphis childhood. “In our Black schools, every
morning in assembly we would sing ‘Lift Every
Voice and Sing’,” he recalls before giving an
impromptu vocal rendition of the James Weldon
Johnson composition. He stops after a few lines,
then changes his mind and finishes the first verse,
singing about the “rising sun” and the “new day”.
He leans gently from side to side. His voice ishushed. It’s a wonderful sequence. Just an hour
long, this documentary has more than its share ofsuch moments.
For more information, visit boulezsaal.de. This film
streams through Jun. 11th.

For more information, visit intaktrec.ch

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 23

Elaboration of Particulars
Tony Oxley/Alan Davie (Confront)
by Marc Medwin

There’s nothing better than the delicious contradictionsof a duo with a multivalently singular vision. While
percussionist Tony Oxley, who turns 83 this month, hasbeen active on what might be called the Euro-free
improvised music scene since the mid ‘60s, even thatdesignation does little to delineate the place longfostered innovation and a stunning ear have secured
for him. The sounds of his radically configured kit
mirror the enthusiasm with which he has played musicfrom various and overlapping traditions well beyond
any preconceived conventions associated withimprovisation or composition. The late painter, writerand musician Alan Davie’s similarly inclusive
approaches to freedom transgressed many boundaries,
blurring form in ways it would be unjustly narrow tocall abstract. A common approach to diversity led him
and Oxley to form a duo in 1970. Now, Confront adds
an entire disc of unreleased music, taped in 1977-78 in
Davie’s home studio, to a slim but absolutely
fascinating discography.
At the time and since 1969, Oxley incorporated
electronics into his already transparent and crystalline
non-repetitive approach to the assemblage of soundcarriers with which he’d expanded notions of what adrummer could accomplish. For these sessions, Davie,
often heard on saxophone, played piano, various
percussion and is credited with ring modulation. This
double dose of electronic manipulation ensures sonicunity, even as acoustic sounds swirl and bubble towarda surface they don’t always reach. If the second
particular in this eight-part suite evokes passages from
Carla Bley’s Escalator Over The Hill, with its rawly ringmodulated genre-bending, there is also, ironically, asimultaneous clarity and obfuscation of each texture as
piano and drums swim in a liquification of their own
making, emanating and then transformed just as
quickly. Contrast that density in diversity with the
opening of the fourth particular. There, traditionaltimbre, dispatched with the stereotypical rapidity andpointillism of early-generation London ‘free’improvisers, is altered with a subtlety almost beyond
cognition but with only a bit of delay and perhaps
reverb heightening awareness of tone and overtone.
That hallowed but deftly controlled whirlwind ofnear-instantaneous communication is prevalent
without exclusivity and the third particular drives thepoint home. It’s a six-minute voyage, much of it
through dark but spare regions and even a tempo anddensity increase does nothing to dispel a sense of calm
exploration. The electronics here are a revelation, as
they take on a multiphonic melody of their own,
residing in a nebulous space between homophony andpolyphony; it is precisely these instances that make therelease of these performances so unique and integral toan understanding of the music’s evolution. The same istrue with Davie’s piano and percussion simultaneities,
as heard from the first particular. When first hearing
them, it seemed that a composition was being
performed, an indication of the complete and complex
communication throughout and of Davie’s creative
spirit in this particular manifestation.
The final piece of the puzzle, or icing on the cake,is the sessions’ recorded sound, which is breathtaking.
Each overtone is captured in a vast spatial environment
and even Davie’s piano and percussion fill entirely

different sections of the soundstage. Again, the spaces
created highlight and obscure each occurrence, eachvaried iteration a treasure of vague but palpable
allusion that unifies the whole, as the titles suggest.
Each cymbal and drum stroke, piano sonority andattendant electronic exhortation thrums with theexcitement of discovery and rings with the satisfactionof event in fruition. Music such as this exists within
and transcends its time, each audition a multivalentglance at the creative histories and microhistories
caught, enshrined and discarded by those brave souls
who created them.
For more information, visit confrontrecordings.com

Quartet (Standards) 2020
Anthony Braxton(Tri-Centric Foundation/New Braxton House)
12 COMP (ZIM) 2017
Anthony Braxton (Firehouse 12)
by Kurt Gottschalk

If it’s Tuesday, Anthony Braxton, who turns 76 thismonth, must have a new, radical rethinking of Westernmusical traditions to offer. Two new sets, comprisingsome 22 hours of music in total, present the mastercomposer/conceptualist’s new ZIM system and a new
standards quartet while representing some of the mostapproachable yet uncompromising music he’s made.
Braxton has had other bands dedicated to playing
the repertoire, most intriguingly the early ’90s group inwhich he played piano. Hearing his approach to known
compositions on a very different instrument allowed
for an abstract triangulation on his musical mind.
Attack (it seemed) wasn’t about mood and reverence
wasn’t about revival. Quartet (Standards) 2020, a67-track set, has him back on saxophone with thewonderful Alexander Hawkins on the piano. The songselection skews from Cole Porter and Antônio Carlos
Jobim to John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Thelonious
Monk to Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach and the end themefrom The Carol Burnett Show. The latter tunes aren’t
played for laughs but treated with the same level ofreverence, suggesting the older and mellowed Rahsaan
Roland Kirk we never got to have. That said, Simon’s
ballads don’t seem to provide the same traction thattunes like “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” or“Late in the Evening” could have provided for thequartet, although “Old Friends” (from the 1968 Simonand Garfunkel album Bookends) does provide for a
lovely duet between Braxton and Hawkins. And theirtake on “Alfie” is unforgettable. From the classics to thepop, this is familiar music, a highly enjoyable andslightly adventurous afternoon in the park.
Braxton’s work doesn’t often inspire thoughts
about arrangement. There are simply too many otherissues to deal with and he’s often more an architect ofpossible outcomes than an arranger—even if, in amuch broader sense, he’s arranging (and presumably
encouraging) the direction(s) of the work. In all
likelihood, Braxton would credit the band—Hawkins,
bassist Neil Charles and drummer Stephen Davis—theprocess and the particular time-space continuum forthe arrangements. But there’s a certain sensibility to
the way this standards band works. There are, ofcourse, extended forays into variations on themes andvariations on those variations. There’s the requisite
level of vamping and soloing; that, in fact, constitutes
much of the collection. But within the standards, there
are sections of fantastic newness.
Which sets up the possibility of talking about

24 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Braxton not just as composer but as arranger of the 10hours of music on 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017, because Braxton
didn’t just devise the mechanisms, he drives them: he’s
the engineer. He set into motion the wheels in which
each musician makes decisions that lend toward thegreater good. He wrote the rules that give them
freedom to act.
As is often the case, Braxton’s own notes on thisnew aspect of his lifelong explorations are as
illuminating as they are obfuscating, but one point totake away from the liner notes to the ZIM set is that thisis music that exists in space (which, of course, all music
does, but let’s set that aside). He describes the “triuniverse state of sonic and visual movement (including
system/recognition) extending into a world ofarchitecture and spatial-design holism - as a utility, as acode and as memory.” He suggests that ZIM could also
be explored by means of a video of a golf tournament,
likens it to “a glider airplane that circles in a downward
and/or upward spiral” and notes that “the musicians
are literally ‘skiing’ in the notated musics.” This isn’t
music that exists in Braxton’s mind (as do the internalmusical monologues of, say, Laurie Anderson), or in themind of the listener (like a Sam Cooke song) or within acommunity consciousness (like a Bach cantata). ZIM ismusic that could exist in a public space, with people
coming and going. This may be an oversimplified
reading of his comments but, like the pictograms insome of his composition titles, his text while less thancrystalline, does help to create a sonic picture.
The previous system Echo Echo Mirror House
seemed to be a city space, busy with people doing theirown things, many wearing headphones playing theirown soundtracks. ZIM is far less chaotic, far less multidirectional (arguably nondirectional, even). It could
still be off-putting to those who expect regular metersand clearly repeated themes in their music—it wouldbe, safe to say, a bit of an odd public park—but it’s
decidedly less obtrusive and in that regard is amongsome of the most plainly beautiful music of which
Braxton has conceived. Without a rhythm section, it
drifts in lovely and ambiguous ways.
Put in another way, this isn’t antisocial music, orasocial music. This is social music for passing strangers. I
imagine this as the realization of the sound-park
discussed (literally discussed, by a speaking pianist) in
Braxton’s Composition No. 171. The space is now open to
the public and we’re free to look (or listen) around. Thisis likely wildly inaccurate within the immense structural
systems that Braxton (patiently and painstakingly, it
seems) is trying to release from his magnificent mind, but
it’s what I see when I listen around.
For the players, ZIM—like all of Braxton’ssystems—is a communal effort. There is notatedmaterial which (again, it seems) is there not just for the
performers to read, but to explore. I have in the past
described Braxton’s group compositions as being likeclassical anarchy: it’s not mayhem and recklessabandon, it’s not Mad Max free jazz, it’s an effort
wherein participants enjoy greater freedom byadhering to a system of rules designed for the benefitof the whole. There are passages of fiery playing in the
ZIM set, notably on Compositions 412 and 415, but
overall it’s actually quite lovely in a brainiac kind ofway. The set is performed by two sextets, two septets
and a nonet, with slightly varying personnel andinstrumentation, but built around brass (includingtuba) and strings (violin, cello and two harps). There’s
no rhythm section and the only saxophonist other than
Braxton is Ingrid Laubrock on the four nonet pieces.
Adam Matlock’s accordion (technically anotherwoodwind) in all but one of the configurations often
proves to be an asset, not quite connecting the dots but
coloring some of the space between them. It may not beeasy, but it isn’t cacophony and rewards repeat listens.
For more information, visit newbraxtonhouse.bandcamp.com
and firehouse12.com/label

“come and taste the melodies” before concluding with afitting burst of seemingly stifled, snorting laughter.
Graewe serves up an anarchist banquet in which theclash of tastes take precedence over the parts themselves.

UNEARTHED GEM

For more information, visit randomacoustics.net

Fortschritt und Vernügen
Georg Graewe & Sonic Fiction Orchestra(Random Acoustics)
by Stuart Broomer

The Summer House Sessions
Don Cherry (Blank Forms)
by Andrey Henkin

In his liner note to Fortschritt und Vergnügen (“Progress

and Pleasure”), German pianist/composer Georg
Graewe, who turns 65 this month, provides a brief
history of the 11-member Sonic Fiction Orchestra:
initially assembled for the 2006 Konfrontationen
festival, the group went through long periods ofdormancy and personnel changes. Following that
12-year elision, the group performed nine concerts at
Porgy & Bess in Vienna in 2018-19, then spent ninemonths, including time off for the COVID lockdown,
doing studio sessions. A few minutes spent listening to
the resultant 72-minute CD suggests why it could havetaken so long.
Graewe’s music is challenging in multiple ways,
for players and listeners alike, and the scores often
require conducting. The ensemble combines a chamber
ensemble (clarinet, bassoon, harp, string trio) with
instruments more typically associated with idiomaticor improvised music (electric guitar, pizzicato bass,
drumkit). These varied textures often alternate in a
strange dialogue of forms as well as timbres. The
prevailing Dadaist aesthetic—Anton Webern and SpikeJones are climbing the family tree—delights incollisions: passages of icily abstracted beauty may be
deeply felt, but they’re temporary, as is every otherincidental texture. Standardized styles blur as well as
crash, with Graewe at the piano sometimes sounding
like a Second School of Vienna Duke Ellington. The
shortest track lasts a minute, the longest 35. Graewe isscrupulous about time. The appearances of guest
musicians are listed with exactitude: drummer Didi
Kern appears on “Semaphore# 8” from 00’48” ‒ 01’02”.
That opening track, “from a collection ofminiatures sketched out for piano”, is a mad explosionof disconnected bits collaged together, some of themhyperkinetic
keyboard
passages(harpsichord,clavichord or altered piano), sudden vocal or violin
intrusions, a chaos of electronics possibly traceable
only to the engineer. “LichtTanz” (Light Dance) isa moody sequence of contrasting textures: composedsequences incorporate a string trio (violinist Joanna
Lewis, violist Laura Strobl and cellist Asja Valcic) while
there’s an extended improvised passage of piano trio
(Graewe, bassist Peter Herbert, drummer Wolfgang
Reisinger). Other bits include a couple of seconds of
unaccompanied laughter and a burst of Martin
Siewert’s fuzz-tone guitar accompanied by bassist
Wilbert de Joode and drummer Michael Vatcher, thelatter two otherwise unheard here.
The longest work, 35-minute “Reshift E / Sections
1 – 17”, is based on a 12-tone row and its harmonic
derivatives. It makes frequent use of the full ensemble
and the range of Graewe’s musical palette, including
passages of such fluent and idiomatic ease that theysound improvised, yet integrate seamlessly withcomposed components. Frank Gratkowski goes fromliquid-toned ‘classical’ clarinet to skronk sopranino
saxophone on adjoining segments. Siewert plays bothclassical and distorted electric guitars. There’s alsoa sudden conducted passage of dissonant sustained
chords and a plaintively abstract viola solo.
The brief concluding piece further extends themusical range with a satire on lieder by an unnamed
singer. “Song of the Beautiful Mouth” includes lyrics likeIn a cultural reverse of Vikings streaming down into

Plays
Chick Corea (Concord)by Robert Bush

Since he turned professional in the early ‘60s, Armando“Chick” Corea blazed a luminous path, which found
him collaborating with everyone from Blue Mitchell toMiles Davis before striking out as a leader for far moregroups and projects than can be recounted here. He
became one of the most significant models of the postMcCoy Tyner aesthetic, along with Keith Jarrett andHerbie Hancock.
His sudden death last February came as a shock to
the jazz community—mostly because he seemed to be
the picture of health and energetic activity in the
period leading up to his passing (he would have turned
80 this month). For anyone looking to understand thewide scope of Corea’s interests, Plays is a great place tostart. For those who’ve been following him for years,
this live (mostly solo piano) two-disc document is still
a compelling send-off.
Most of the first disc consists of Corea playing
homage to a variety of legendary musicians/
composers, mostly from the classical music realm,
although he also plays tribute to Bill Evans, Antônio
Carlos Jobim and Thelonious Monk. Corea has arelaxed and endearing stage manner and throughout
this effort, he reaches out to the audience as if they
were gathered in his living room. Early on, he evengets them to commit to a sing-along, testing theirability to follow his lead before launching into arendition of Mozart’s “Piano Sonata in F (part 2
Adagio)”. His “Improvisation on Scarlatti” featuresbright, staccato phrases that intersect at odd angles.
Corea’s sumptuous sense of harmony and melodic
structure make his version of Jerome Kern’s“Yesterdays” an instant highlight and, like most of thememorable pieces on this album, it seems to fit the
pianist like a glove. The fit with other composers,
however, especially the three Monk interpretations,doesn’t fare as well. It would be hard to imagine a
pianist/composer more radically removed from Corea
than Monk. That was made perfectly clear on thesecond disc of Trio Music (ECM, 1982). That’s no knockon Corea, just a testament to Monk’s singular originality.
Disc 2 contains a variety of tributes and dedications
to composers and players in Corea’s peer group.
He begins Stevie Wonder ’s “Pastime Paradise” with aseries of wicked ornaments before lighting on thefamiliar melody about two minutes in. Next up is an
homage to Paco de Lucía, “Yellow Nimbus”, which
toggles between passages of pastel beauty and darker,
more pugilistic material.
The rest of the second disc capitalizes on Corea’s
comfort level with the audience, whereby he invites
people up onto the stage to compose a portrait of them,or engage in a duet. According to the notes, Corea wasunaware that both audience members he called up(Yaron Herman and Charles Heisser) were professionalmusicians who acquitted themselves well.

primordial Europe for pillage, American jazzmusicians, centuries later, came to Scandinavia andleft an indelible positive impact on the local players.
In Denmark, it was Dexter Gordon. Norway, George
Russell. And trumpeter Don Cherry may have had
left the greatest mark of all, living in Sweden andinspiring a generation who followed.
Cherry is the focus of an expansive exhibition
curated by Blank Forms (running through Jul. 16th).
Entitled “Organic Music Societies: Don and Moki
Cherry”, it examines the decade-long collaboration
between Cherry and Swedish visual artist Moki(née Monika Marianne Karlsson) and the time thatCherry spent in Sweden, a period that led torecordings like Organic Music Society (Caprice, 1972,lending its title to the exhibition) and Eternal Now(Sonet, 1973). Along with the exhibition catalogue,
a nearly-500-page tome with interviews, essays,
photographs and reproductions of ephemera, Blank
Forms has also released this previously unheard
performance from Jul. 20th, 1968, recorded at
Cherry’s summer house in Nacka, Sweden.
The album, released as an LP (cover art by Moki),or CD with additional tracks from the same day (somewith and some without Cherry), finds the trumpeter,
also on flute and percussion, leading an international
ensemble mostly of his generation in a loose setting
closer to a drum circle in a Grateful Dead show parking
lot than a club date (children playing can be heard in
the quieter moments). Swedes Bernt Rosengren (tenor
saxophone, flute, clarinet), Tommy Koverhult (tenor
saxophone, flute), Torbjörn Hultkrantz (bass) and Leif
Wennerström (drums) had worked with Cherry before,
appearing on LPs like the aforementioned Eternal Now
and some later-released archival dates. Americanbassist Kent Carter had recorded alongside Cherry on
Giorgio Gaslini’s Nuovi Sentimenti (La Voce Del
Padrone, 1966) and French drummer Jacques Thollot
was on Cherry’s 1968 MPS album Eternal Rhythm (aswas Rosengren) while this appears to be the only
document of Cherry with Turkish drummer Bülent
Ateş who was based in Germany.
The 46-minute piece is percussive without being
overwhelming. Things are at their sparsest whenflutes dominate, recreating the sound of songbirds
chirping happily away in a tree. But these momentsof confluence do give way to more fire-music
segments when trumpet and reeds do battle. Themes
from earlier Cherry albums appear and the groupcoalesces around them, creating structural pillars
among the freer moments. The bonus tracks on the
CD—4 pieces between 6 and 17 minutes—arenotable for the inclusion of two other significant
Swedes: drummer Sune Spångberg (veteran of the‘50s bands of Lars Gullin and part of the rhythm
section, alongside Hultkrantz, on Albert Ayler ’s firstalbum in 1962) and reedplayer Gunnar Lindqvist,
leader of the short-lived G.L. Unit.
For more information, visit blankforms.org

For more information, visit concord.com.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 25

UNE AD 05.20.21

tOpen a6 pm!

Contemptment
Noah Preminger (SteepleChase)by Ken Dryden

N oah Preminger, who turns 35 this month, has been
WED
6/2

MAR VILASECACHARLES TURNER

7PM
9PM

THR
6/3

E D C H E R RY T R I O
F R E D DY D E B O E

7PM
9PM

FRI
6/4

DAV I D G I B S O N Q UA R T E T
K E N F O W S E R Q UA R T E T

7PM
9PM

SAT
6/5

AARON KIMMEL TRIOE VA N S H E R M A N Q U I N T E T

7PM
9PM

WED
6/9

LU C Y Y E G H I A Z A RYA N
VA N I S H A G O U L D

7PM
9PM

THR
6/10

A N D R E W L AT O N A
BRUCE HARRISALBUM RELEASE EVENT

7PM
9PM

FRI
6/11

J O E S AY LO R Q UA R T E T
KEN FOWSER QUINTET

7PM
9PM

SAT
6/12

J E R RY W E L D O N
E M M E T C O H E N Q UA R T E T

7PM
9PM

WED
6/16

C H A M P I A N F U LT O N
JOHNNY O’NEAL

7PM
9PM

THR
6/17

SEAN MASON
IAN HENDRICKSON-SMITH

7PM
9PM

FRI
6/18

J O E M AG N A R E L L I Q UA R T E T
KEN FOWSER QUINTET

7PM
9PM

SAT
6/19

DAV I D H A Z E LT I N E T R I O
DA N N N Y J O N O K U C H I& THE REVISIONISTS

7PM
9PM

WED
6/23

TA H I R A C L AY T O N
SASHA DOBSON

7PM
9PM

THR
6/24

MIKE LEDONNEMARK WHITFIELD

7PM
9PM

FRI
6/25

ANTHONY WONSEY TRIOKEN FOWSER QUINTET

7PM
9PM

SAT
6/26

J O S H B R U N E AU Q UA R T E T
J O E FA R N S W O R T H

7PM
9PM

WED
6/30

M A R T I N A DA S I LVA
MICHAEL STEPHENSON

7PM
9PM

one of the top tenor saxophonists of his generation,
making his presence felt over the past decade with amany recordings featuring numerous challenging
compositions. Whether his playing approach is
muscular, intimate or free-spirited, there is never a
feeling of wasted notes or runaway solos. This CD wasrecorded not long after the gifted trumpeter Jason
Palmer left his band, but the brilliant young guitarist
Max Light brings a new dimension to the quartet,
joining bassist Kim Cass and drummer Dan Weiss.
Recorded just prior to the COVID-19 shutdown,
the band sounds firmly in control. The strength of theperformances includes the variety within the leader ’ssongs, plus arrangements relying more on a cooperative
spirit rather than soloist and rhythm. Most of thesession is devoted to Preminger ’s compositions,starting with the turbulently expressive “The Late90s”, which features the saxophonist’s adventurous
soloing over a tight line. Tricky “Hygge” constantly
changes direction and tempo, even detouring into abrief lounge music parody to add a bit of humor.
“Kamaguchi” is enveloped in a feeling of sadness,
beginning with unaccompanied guitar and continuingwith mournful, deliberate saxophone.
Many musicians of Preminger ’s age have a knackfor finding rock songs that adapt readily to jazz, often
from the most unlikely bands. The Red Hot Chili
Peppers’ “Porcelain”, minus its rather morose lyric, istransformed by an imaginative, spacious arrangement,with the rhythm section interacting rather thanaccompanying. The tension never lets up in Preminger ’sominous title track, with explosive solos all aroundand terrific interplay. The late guitarist Sonny
Sharrock’s “Promises Kept” is a fitting closing track forthis memorable date.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk

Japan Suite
François Carrier, Masayo Koketsu,
Daisuke Fuwa, Takashi Itani (NoBusiness)by Steven Loewy

F or years, alto saxophonist François Carrier, who

ViEe-wUP

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OPENTABLELIN.C O Methe. of
2 av ericas
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evel

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T R I B EC A

DINNER, LIBATIONS & LIVE JAZZ!
IN THE OF TRIBECA

turns 60 this month, has impressed with searing tone,
fluid technique and ability to play with a wide range ofperformers. Mostly immersed in free improvisation,
Carrier straddles the difficult line between in and out
blowing, with largely inspiring results. Japan Suite,
recorded in 2019, finds him with three highly acclaimed
Japanese improvisers in a live outing.
What makes this album a bit unusual is that the
piano-less quartet features very different sounding
alto saxophonists, Carrier is joined by Masayo Koketsu,
who has a much rougher, guttural sound, showing

26 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

influences as diverse as Frank Lowe and at times
Arthur Doyle. It helps, too, to have such good backing
from bassist Daisuke Fuwa and Takasha Itani.
All six pieces reflect Carrier ’s striking lyrical tone,
which contrasts well with his disjointed though fluid
technique. The parallels with Ornette Coleman areapparent, though Carrier ’s concept emphasizes his
virtuosity and expansive style. He can run up anddown his horn with abandon, pummeling withaggressive, fast, but often beautiful lines. On thelengthy opener (at more than 25 minutes), “Uchi-soto(Inside outside)”, solid bass sets a solid foundation for
Carrier ’s lines, full of unmitigated inventiveness while“Kachu-fugetsu (flower, bird, wind, moon)” has adazzling display of wild saxophones rising above bass
and percussion. “Rakuyou (Falling leaves)” focuses on
Carrier ’s gorgeous sound, but Koketsu roughs it up
with gruff barks and when the saxophones roll in the
mud without any support, they acquit themselves
magnificently. “Ogose (Town Ogose)” turns down thetemperature, opening with a quiet bass solo and very
soft drums, Carrier gently building volume andintensity to the end, with a surprisingly soft landing.
“Yuzo (Citron”) presents the saxophones in a passionate
romp and closer “Kaze To Kumo Ni Noburo (Climb thewind and clouds)” ends abruptly (and humorously)
after a few minutes.
For more information, visit nobusinessrecords.com

CheckmateJohn Hart (SteepleChase)by Kyle Oleksiuk

Q uoth the Jazz Messengers website: “The third album

by John Hart on SteepleChase was recorded a few
weeks before the onset of the Corona Virus pandemic.
Now after a long dark year of lockdown we can call‘checkmate’ on the virus.” For the sake of this album,
we’d better. Not only because it would be tremendously
anticlimactic to record an album at the start of thepandemic, then release it at what you think is the end,
only for it to turn out that the end is still months away
but because Checkmate is an album best listened to ingroups of people. It’s functional, extremely pleasantand doesn’t demand too much of your attention. It’smuch closer to carpet than a tapestry. To imagine thekind of music that Checkmate is, older readers may
recall restaurant or party bands of their youth,
performers who were to be heard but not seen; foryounger readers, the once-ubiquitous YouTube mix“LoFi Hip Hop Radio - Beats to Relax/Study To”.
Checkmate is no Muzak, though. Each of themusicians on this album is a fine player and together
they boast a unique instrumentation, which mostlisteners will rarely have heard before—a quartet ofbaritone saxophone (Gary Smulyan), guitar (JohnHart), bass (David Wong) and drums (Andy Watson).
There are a number of similar quartets that replace thebaritone with a tenor, but bandleader Hart, who turns
60 this month, himself can only recall one other album
with this exact instrumentation—In Passing by theguitarist Mick Goodrick. The honking tone of the
baritone, blended with Hart’s soft electric strumming,
makes this album a joy to listen to. Even if it’s notcommanding much of your attention, the unconscious
mind is drinking deeply of Checkmate.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk

B OXED SE T

The Complete Joe Henderson Blue Note Studio Sessions
Joe Henderson (Mosaic)
by Stuart Broomer

As a sideman, Joe Henderson defined Blue Note’s

mid ‘60s sound, his relaxed precision and hard-edged
warmth marking jukebox hits and free jazz alike,from Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father” and Lee
Morgan’s “Sidewinder” to Andrew Hill’s Black Fire,with Grant Green’s epic Idle Moments in the middle.
Meanwhile the saxophonist’s own sessions
defined a forceful personal language. This five-CD
set chronicles both Henderson’s own recordings andhis partnership with bop trumpeter Kenny Dorham,
the former ascendant, the latter making his lastrecords. The set documents seven LPs, two under
Dorham’s name and five under Henderson’s, thefirst three of which were also quintets with Dorham.
Henderson debuted on Dorham’s Una Mas (OneMore Time), a 1963 recording inspired by a 1960
encounter with bossa nova in Brazil. It’s a fascinating
facet of the era that a music strongly associated withthe feathery textures of Stan Getz and the singing

Gilbertos influenced Dorham and Henderson’s
hardbop quintet, but their muscular take on thegenre made the title track a jazz hit.
The same pattern shaped Henderson’s first LP,
Page One. Dorham generously contributed his own“Blue Bossa”, a certain hit following Una Mas, while
Henderson’s “Recorda Me” showed his own knackwith the form. The saxophonist was developing
rapidly, his playfulness mated to sheer command; acertain droll funk phrase can slip into a rapid bop
line, harmonic and rhythmic puzzles are insinuatedinto a down-home blues.
Dorham’s
subtleintrospection—theconcentrated lyricism, the flutter tonguing, thestrange split-tone melodies—provide a distinct
contrast to Henderson’s momentum. Other
partnerships emerge with the supporting players:
drummer Pete LaRoca, as adept at Latin as free jazz,
appears here and on the next Henderson LP, Our
Thing while pianist McCoy Tyner turns up on twolater Henderson Blue Note titles. The latter, the third
session in little more than five months, may be thehigh point of the collaboration, with pianist Hill’sloose, exploratory lines providing optimum
inspiration for Henderson, pressing his quicksilver
harmonic and rhythmic invention a step further.
1964 would also produce three of the LPs here,
beginning with Henderson’s In ‘n Out, in which
Henderson and Dorham are paired with the mostaggressive rhythm section heard here: Tyner;
drummer Elvin Jones, then, too, in the John Coltrane
quartet; and bassist Richard Davis, an aggressively
virtuosic accompanist. The three bring a wellinginsistence to the music: if Henderson could always
make expressive use of split-tone wails and honks in

his solos, here Jones makes it inevitable; the intensity
lowers during Tyner ’s solo and stays there for
Dorham, but Henderson returns to raise the pressure
before the final theme statement.
Dorham’s Trompeta Toccata, a final collaboration,
restored the Latin emphasis of Una Mas while pianist
Tommy Flanagan and drummer Albert Heath werelikely more comfortable fits for Dorham. As
Henderson pours out repeating coils of rapid,
overheated notes on his own “Mamacita”, the rhythm
section maintains form rather than feeding the fire.
Henderson’s final Blue Note sessions reflect his
evolution. Inner Urge, a quartet date with Tyner,
Jones and bassist Bob Cranshaw, is a personalstatement filled with different energies. “El Barrio”
begins with a honking reverie before Henderson
improvises a melody over minimal underpinnings
while “Isotope” suggests Thelonious Monk.
Mode for Joe, from 1966, was another departurefor Henderson, leading a septet with trumpeter Lee
Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller and vibraphonist
Bobby Hutcherson contributing to an orchestralrichness. The ultimate effect is a different view ofHenderson than Inner Urge, an equally compelling
but more complex, broader musical vision.
The set also includes three previously unreleased
takes and five tunes that Henderson contributed tosideman dates, among them “Step Lightly” withBlue Mitchell; “The Kicker” with Hutcherson;“Mo’ Joe” with Silver; and “If” with Larry Young.
None is a throwaway. When Henderson recorded
The Kicker for Milestone in 1967, he reclaimed them,along with “Mamacita” from Trompeta Toccata.
For more information, visit mosaicrecords.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 27

CALENDAR
Tuesday, June 1êSlavic Soul Party

Barbès 7, 9 pm $20• David Colding
Bronx Boro Hall Greenmarket 11 am• Todd Robbins
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêSarah Hanahan Trio; Mark Turner Quintet with Jason Palmer, Joe Martin,
Marcus Gilmore, Jonathan Pinson		Central Park Seneca Village 1, 3 pm
• Jamile Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• David Gibson
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Wednesday, June 2• Sandcatchers: Yoshi Fruchter, Myk Freedman, Michael Bates, Tim Keiper and guest
Erik Friedlander
Barbès 7, 9 pm $25• Todd Robbins
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Mar Vilaseca; Charles Turner
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Ray Gallon
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• C. Spencer Yeh
Roulette 8 pm $25
êMike Clark

Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Thursday, June 3• Gyan Riley solo
• Todd Robbins

Barbès 7, 9 pm $20
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
êEd Cherry Trio; Freddy Deboe
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêBill Frisell and Okwui Okpokwasili The Greens on The Rooftop at Pier 17 7 pm
• Trina Basu, Arun Ramamurthy, Damon Banks, Dan Kurfirst		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
êMara Rosenbloom, Melanie Dyer, Sean Conly		Open Source Gallery 6:30 pmêChris Speed Trio with Chris Tordini, Dave King		SEEDS 8:30 pm $15• Davis Whitfield
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Friday, June 4• Todd Robbins
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• David Gibson Quartet; Ken Fowser Quartet

		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêCraig Harris Harlem Nightsongs with guest Helga Davis		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20• Tide Pools: Alfredo Colon, Hannah Marks, Connor Parks		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15êAlan Broadbent
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êWayne Escoffery
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Bruce Barth Trio with Vicente Archer, Kush Abadey
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêNeil Clarke’s Mongo Jazz
Sunset Park 6 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, June 5• Arnt Arntzen Trio with Vince Giordano, Danny Tobias

		Barbès 7, 9 pm $25
êAnton Kot and Friends; Ed Cherry Trio		
Bronx River Art Center 4, 7 pm $10• Aaron Kimmel Trio; Evan Sherman Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
êOr Bareket Quartet Morgan Guerin, Jeremy Corren, Savannah Harris		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15• Gene Pritsker’s Sound Liberation with Todd Rewoldt, Franz Hackl, Charles Coleman,Jose Moura, Damien Bassman, Chad Harper, Erik T. Johnson, Robert C. Ford;
Dan Cooper Quartet with Itai Kriss, Alon Nechushtan, John Ferrari
		
Jim Kempner Fine Art Gallery 6:30 pm $20• Peter Zak
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Amirtha Kidambi/Lea Bertucci; Lele Dai; Sam Weinberg/Jason Nazary
		Oliver Coffee 2 pm
• Behn Gillece
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Claudia Acuña/Jon Cowherd
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, June 6êGeorge Braith
Domino Park 11 amêStephane Wrembel’s The Django Experiment with Thor Jensen, Daisy Castro,

Nick Driscoll, Ari Folman-Cohen, Nick Anderson
		Drom 7:30 pm $35• Andy Statman with Jay Gandhi, Ehren Hanson, David Ellenbogen		
Jalopy 5:30, 7:30 pm $25• Benny Benack III
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10• Chris Byars
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Monday, June 7• Armen Donelian
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Jim Campilongo 4-TET with Luca Benedetti, Dan Rieser, Andy Hess		

Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 7 pm $20

Tuesday, June 8êArt Baron and FriendsêSlavic Soul Party

Astor Place Greenmarket 11 am
Barbès 7, 9 pm $20
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Elmhurst Greenmarket 11 am
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
Parkchester Greenmarket 11 amêBen Allison, Ted Nash, Steve Cardenas
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

• Armen Donelian• Michael Flythe• Naama Gheber• Annette A. Aguilar

Wednesday, June 9• Armen Donelian
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Lucy Yeghiazaryan; Vanisha Gould The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêCyrille Aimee
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êSusie Ibarra Talking Gong with Claire Chase, Alex Peh		• Peter Slavov

Roulette 8 pm $25
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Thursday, June 10êMichaël Attias Lumisong Quartet with Santiago Liebson, Matt Pavolka, Mark Ferber		Barbès 7, 9 pm $25• Armen Donelian
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêTribute to Wayne Shorter: Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese		
Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center 7:30 pm• Andrew Latona; Bruce Harris
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Lex Korten Trio with Adam Olszewski, Kayvon Gordon
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15• Spike Wilner
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones with Matt Nelson, Max Jaffe, Eva Lawitts
		
Roulette 8 pm $25• Alex Norris
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êMarc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog with Shahzad Ismaily, Ches Smith		The Sultan Room 7:30 pm $30

Friday, June 11

Monday, June 21• Curtis Hasselbring Curhachestra with Raphael McGregor, Adam Minkoff, Dan Rieser
		
Barbès 7, 9 pm $25• Armen Donelian
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Santi Debriano Flash of the Spirit Clove Lakes Park 6 pm
• Joe Saylor Quartet; Ken Fowser Quintet• Gottfried Stöger’s Dreamhunter with Walter Fischbacher, Marcos Varela, Peter Kronreif		Austrian Cultural Forum 2 pm
• Deanna Witkowski
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Joe Farnsworth
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêCraig Harris Harlem Nightsongs with guest Jay Rodriguez
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20• Victor Gould Trio with Tamir Shmerling, Anwar Marshall		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
êKen Peplowski
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Rafik Willamson Quartet
St. Albans Park 6:30 pm• Jared Gold
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, June 12• Sunny Jain A.G.E.S. with Adam O’Farrill, Greg McMurray, Eva Lawitts
		Barbès 7, 9 pm $25• Global Praise and Deliverance; Alegba Jahyile and Friends
		Bronx River Art Center 4, 7 pm $10• Jerry Weldon; Emmet Cohen
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Nicola Caminiti with Lex Korten, Ben Tiberio, Evan Hyde		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15êKen Peplowski
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Sound House: Bill Stevens, Doug Cuomo, Gary Fogel		
Prince George Gallery 4 pm
• Tony Middleton Quartet with Jon Weber, Marco Panascia, Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax
		
The Roxy Lounge at Roxy Hotel 8, 9:30 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, June 13êStephane Wrembel/Sara L’Abriola Barbès 7, 9 pm $25
êJazzMobile: Patience Higgins
Riverside Park 7 pm

• Bruce Harris• Larry Ham• Ari Hoenig

Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Monday, June 14

Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Tuesday, June 15êSlavic Soul PartyêRobert Glasper

Barbès 7, 9 pm $20
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Larry Ham
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Lucy Wijnands
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Bob Lanzetti, Zach Brock, Keita Ogawa
		
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 7 pm $15• Eric Alexander
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Paul Jost Quartet
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Wednesday, June 16êMarco Cappelli’s 3 Card Trick with Brandon Seabrook, Stomu Takeishi

		Barbès 7, 9 pm $25
êRobert Glasper
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Larry Ham
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêChampian Fulton; Johnny O’Neal The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Tardo Hammer
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jim Ridl
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm
• Annette St. John
Soundview Park 1 pm

Thursday, June 17êRobert Glasper

Tuesday, June 22êSlavic Soul Party

Barbès 7, 9 pm $20
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêSamara Joy
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êSteve Nelson
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Spin Cycle: Scott Neumann, Tom Christensen, Pete McCann, Phil Palombi
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm
• Sungazer: Adam Neely/Shawn Crowder
		The Sultan Room 7 pm $25• Ghost-Note• Deanna Witkowski

Wednesday, June 23êTony Malaby’s Sabino with Ben Monder, Michael Formanek, Tom Rainey

		Barbès 7, 9 pm $25• Ghost-Note
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Deanna Witkowski
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Tahira Clayton; Sasha Dobson The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêJazzMobile: Patience Higgins
Grant’s Tomb 7 pm
• Greg Murphy
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Akiko Tsuruga
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êZack Brock Quartet
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm
• Sungazer: Adam Neely/Shawn Crowder
		The Sultan Room 7 pm $25• Tablatun: David Rothenberg, Matthew Aidekman, Mike Lukshis
		Zürcher Gallery 8 pm $15

Thursday, June 24• Danny Walsh Quintet

		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Deanna Witkowski
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Craig Holiday Haynes
Bushwick Inlet Park 6 pm
• Mike Ledonne; Mark Whitfield The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêPeter Evans Being & Becoming with Joel Ross, Nick Jozwiak, Savannah Harris		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $20• Philippe Lemm Trio with Addison Frei, Jeff Koch		
Little Island 12 pm• Luisa Muhr’s Babəl with Jen Anaya, Trina Basu, Judith Berkson, Patricia Brennan,
Wendy Eisenberg, Rebecca El-Saleh, Tamrin Goldberg, Luke Stewart				
Roulette 8 pm $25
êLew Tabackin
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Friday, June 25êRavi Coltrane Quartet with Orrin Evans, Dezron Douglas, Johnathan Blake		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Deanna Witkowski
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêAnthony Wonsey Trio; Ken Fowser Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêCraig Harris Harlem Nightsongs with guest TK Blue		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20• Luke Carlos O’Reilly
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Huntertones
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 10:45 pm $15• Sonya Belaya’s Cognitive Distortions, Ancestral Patterns with Grey McMurray,
María Grand, Tyrone Allen, Ches Smith, Bergamot Quartet: Ledah Finck, Sarah Thomas,
Amy Huimei Tan, Irène Han
Roulette 8 pm $25• Joel Frahm
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, June 26

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Larry Ham
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Sean Mason; Ian Hendrickson-Smith		The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêDezron Douglas Quartet with Emilio Modeste, George Burton, Joe Dyson
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25• Joel Frahm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Roberta Piket
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Roseanna Vitro
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêKenny Barron, Buster Williams, Lenny White		
Socceroof 7:30 pm $25• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom		
Terraza 7 7 pm

Friday, June 18• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom		
Barbès 7, 9 pm $25
êRobert Glasper
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Larry Ham
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêJoe Magnarelli Quartet; Ken Fowser Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêCraig Harris Harlem Nightsongs with guest Darius Jones		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20
êAngelica Sanchez Trio with Michael Formanek, Billy Hart		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $20
êGeorge Cables
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êJaimie Branch Birthday Show: Anteloper with Jason Nazary; Jamie Branch Trio with
Luke Stewart, Mike Pride
Roulette 8 pm $25• Hayes Greenfield/Dean Johnson Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, June 19• Robert Glasper

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65

êCharlie Burnham Trio with Marvin Sewell, Fred Cash		
Barbès 7, 9 pm $25
êRavi Coltrane Quartet with Orrin Evans, Dezron Douglas, Johnathan Blake		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Josh Bruneau Quartet; Joe Farnsworth		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêKris Davis Capricorn Climber with Mat Maneri, Ingrid Laubrock, Trevor Dunn,
Tom Rainey
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30
êLawrence Fields
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êPatience Higgins
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10êDavid Weiss
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Jamie Baum Trio with Andy Milne, Joe Martin
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, June 27• Nicole Henry

Sunday, June 20êStephane Wrembel/Thor Jensen

Barbès 7, 9 pm $25
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êThomas Heberer, Joe Fonda, Joe Hertenstein		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

• Robert Glasper• The Hudson Horns• Joe Magnarelli

28 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

54 Below 7 pm $55-105

êStephane Wrembel/Josh Kaye
Barbès 7, 9 pm $25
êRavi Coltrane Quartet with Orrin Evans, Dezron Douglas, Johnathan Blake		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Charu Suri Raga Jazz with Umer Piracha
		Drom 7 pm $15êKris Davis Capricorn Climber with Mat Maneri, Ingrid Laubrock, Trevor Dunn,
Tom Rainey
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $30• Charles Ruggiero
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Monday, June 28êJoel Ross

• Daryl ShermanêVictor LewisêJerome Harris Quartet; Wayne Tucker and The Bad Mothas

		Bronx River Art Center 4, 7 pm $10• David Hazeltine Trio; Dannny Jonokuchi and The Revisionists
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Tomas Fujiwara, Mary Halvorson, Taylor Ho Bynum		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25• Mark Soskin
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Joaquin Pozo y La Clave Suena Poe Park 1 pm
• Anaïs Maviel and The Rhythm Method with Leah Asher, Marina Kifferstein, Carrie Frey,
Meaghan Burke
Roulette 8 pm $25• Tulivu’s Seasoned Elegance
St. John’s Recreation Center 2 pmêChris Potter/Ari Hoenig
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Asser Levy Recreation Center 5 pmêRavi Coltrane Quartet with Orrin Evans, Dezron Douglas, Johnathan BlakeêSlavic Soul Party

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Tuesday, June 29
Barbès 7, 9 pm $20• Eric Krasno Trio with Eric Finland, Eric Kalb
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $55• Daryl Sherman
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Vanessa Perea
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20

Wednesday, June 30• Rick Fiori
92nd Street Greenmarket 11 am• Eric Krasno Trio with Eric Finland, Eric Kalb
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $55• Daryl Sherman
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Martina Dasilva; Michael Stephenson The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêMike Freeman ZonaVibe with Guido Gonzalez, Ruben Rodriguez, Roberto Quintero,

Joel Mateo and guests Jose Mangual, Jr., JR DeJesus, Luis Soto		
Pier 84 7 pm
• Isiah Collier
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Lauren Henderson Trio
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm
• Ari Hoenig Trio with Gabriel Chakarji, Edward Perez		
Terraza 7 7 pm

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
PH: I know! It’s true. Another one is, be sensitive to theaudience you are playing for and let them know you
appreciate them. Again, all things they don’t teach you
in school.
TNYCJR: I’d like to hear about the different musicalsituations you are in. Some people call you the King ofHarlem because you have done and continue to do
every gig in Harlem! Been on every bandstand inHarlem. Talk to me about uptown.
PH: My association with the Harlem scene or uptown
scene came through a tenure at St. Nick’s Pub at 149th
Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, which, way before
I got there, had been a hangout of Billy Strayhorn and
The Copasetics, the great ensemble of tap dance people,
and not too far from Duke Ellington’s residence when
he lived in Harlem. The Copasetics would rehearse
there but it was not called St. Nick’s at that time. It was
Luckey’s Rendezvous. A piano player named Luckey
Roberts owned it. Then later I had a residency at thisclub and from there just began to perform at just about
every place in Harlem.
There was a tap dancing group that hung there too
after I had come to New York. A few of them were in
the show Black and Blue, which I was also in. Opened in
1989. That is where I met Savion Glover who I stillwork with a lot. I met that whole crew from that show.
Buster Brown and Lon Chaney, Bunny Briggs, Jimmy
Slyde… It was a social hang too. That became my hang.
Savion was the young phenom in that show. We got tobe friends. It was such a wonderful experience—themusic and the dance. I became enamored with it.
TNYCJR: How did that happen that you got the steadyMonday nights at St. Nick’s? You were there a longtime, right, I guess from the early ‘90s?
PH: That came about through a lady by the name ofRoberta Alloway, who was looking to have music in
her neighborhood because she was tired of going
downtown and coming back uptown. So she knew thismusician and asked them to put together a group. And
she went to the owner of St. Nick’s Pub and said she
wanted to bring music there... And from there it
blossomed. I was there a good dozen years. That was
the genesis of the Sugar Hill Quartet. St. Nick’s Pub.

TNYCJR: You have just the one album as a leader,although you have been on many others.
PH: Yes, on the Mapleshade label. It was done live at
St. Nick’s Pub with my Sugar Hill Quartet—called Livein Harlem. The recording included some of the guests
who sat in with us. It was kind of a document of the
band’s time there.
TNYCJR: What do you have coming up? Of course,with the pandemic, no one has much coming up but doyou have some potential gigs?
PH: Specifically, I do have JazzMobile’s Jazz Fest
coming up this summer. They will be doing outdoor
events—Grant’s Tomb, Central Park. Everything will
be outside, of course. Broadway will be opening again
in September, I hear. The last Broadway show I wasdoing before the lockdown was Avenue Q, which was athree Tony-award winning show. It ran for six years!
TNYCJR: Your philosophy—you have played such a
broad spectrum of music. Do you have a philosophy
that you could put into words that would allow you tobe the best you can be with both the Ellington Orchestra
and Aretha and more out players like David Murray,
Muhal Richard Abrams, Hamiet Bluiett.
PH: Basically, my outlook is to have respect for themusic and respect for the people that think that I am
capable and qualified to be part of their endeavors. As
Duke Ellington said, “There are only two kinds ofmusic, good and the other kind.” And I just approach itas, first of all, I love music and the vast array of themusical spectrum. There is no best, there is only
different. That is basically my approach. I try andapproach the music on the highest level that I can do it.
I have been fortunate to experience and be a part of all
types of music. v
For more information, visit facebook.com/CountGigula.
Higgins is at Riverside Park Jun. 13th and Grant’s Tomb
Jun. 23rd, both as part of JazzMobile, and Minton’s Jun.
26th. See Calendar.

job as a middle school music teacher where I wasteaching nothing but music at the middle school level
close to my home. So, I ended up altogether teaching
24 years with L.A. Unified and all of that time I was
also teaching at UCLA.”
Teaching at UCLA, Miranda was deeply influenced
and became very close to its Jazz Department head,
Kenny Burrell. They both have very practical guidance
for their students. “Kenny really loves this music. He is
one of the true legends of the music and he’s a veryhonest and forthright educator and passionate in a real
quiet kind of way. I got a chance to really see Kennyteach really closely and I’ve been part of that jazzstudies program, I think this is my 26th year. So, I was
there when Kenny started the actual jazz studies
program. So, I got a chance to really watch him and see
how he went about sharing this music with the students
who expressed interest. He made it clear that some ofyou may be performers, some of you are going to becomposers, some be arrangers, some of you may domusic copying, editing, some of you may do film music,
some of you will be teachers, educators in different
levels of education from primary school all the way up
to the advanced college [and] university levels. There’s
also the thing about being an author and writing. I
don’t know that many people know that Stanley Crouch
was a really good drummer. So, you need to really
understand that there are many careers, or manydifferent ways for you to share this music, be honestwith yourself and figure out what it is you want to do.”Miranda continues to teach at UCLA, gigs whenpossible and is focused on composing. “I’m working on
a project now where I’m trying to write music based
upon Old Testament characters, Biblical characters. I’m
also trying to write something that might end up being
for classical guitar. I don’t know what it wants to be yet.
I’d also like to do a Latin album. Just straight, flat out,stone cold, Latin jazz album. I try to practice every day.
Sometimes it’s not possible because I might just get
more into composition or doing other things. I like to doa lot of yard work. We like to grow food at my home andI like to hang out with my family. That’s my life.” v
For more information, visit robertomirandamusic.com

Recommended Listening:• Gary Saracho—En Medio (ABC Impulse!, 1973)• Sam Rivers Winds of Manhattan—
Colours (Black Saint, 1982)• Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra—Blu Blu Blu(Black Saint, 1990)• Errol Parker Tentet—A Night in Tunisia(Sahara, 1991)• Patience Higgins’ Sugar Hill Quartet—
Live in Harlem (Mapleshade, 1996)• Bluiett Baritone Nation—Blueblack (Justin Time, 2001)

Recommended Listening:• Vinny Golia—Spirits in Fellowship (Nine Winds, 1977)• Roberto Miguel Miranda—The Creator’s Musician(Nimbus West, 1980)• John Carter Quintet—Night Fire (Black Saint, 1980)• Horace Tapscott—Live at Lobero (Vol. I & II)(Nimbus West, 1981)• Roberto Miranda’s Home Music Ensemble—
Live at Bing Theatre—Los Angeles (Dark Tree, 1985)• Bobby Bradford/Hafez Modirzadeh—Live at the Blue Whale (NoBusiness, 2017)

TNYCJR: Broadway was dark on Mondays.

(ENCORE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8)(LEST WE FORGET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8)

PH: Exactly. I did a lot of Broadway shows, but I was
also a member of the Ellington Orchestra [under
Mercer Ellington] for a long period of time. That cameabout through my association with a member of theband, [trombonist] Raymond Harris. We had done a
gig together with Archie Shepp’s band, his big band.

received permission to start a class called AfroLatinAmerican-Jazz-Ensemble, which is still going today.
After earning his Master ’s degree, he started teachingfor Los Angeles Unified School District.
“I actually started teaching elementary school.
I taught in Spanish to kids that didn’t speak any
English at all. After nine years of teaching elementary
school, I decided to just stop doing that and just teachmusic as an independent contractor. I was teachingkids who had had some difficulties and were in
detention centers. I would go to those places and teachmusic. I actually taught a form of composition thatI devised to elementary school children. I taught inInglewood School District for a while and thenI decided to go back to L.A. Unified because I realized
that, as an independent contractor, I was actually
paying [more in taxes than I was] taking home. I got a

by stating, “He preferred for himself short, intense
solos. He listened carefully and was always very
supportive.”
Johnson passed on three years ago this month on
Jun. 27th, 2018. What little remains is a true sonic force
who was never given his due. Obscurity aside, what
we do have is the work of a musician that was loved,
admired and will live on forever. v

TNYCJR: Who else was in the band?
PH: The original band was the late great Andy McCloudon bass and Eli Fontaine on drums and we hadrotating piano players, but finally settled on
Marcus Persiani. People sat in all the time. This wasduring the time, you know, when I was doing many
many other things.

TNYCJR: Although you spent a lot of time uptown,
you didn’t actually live there, right?
PH: I didn’t live up there but I spent a lot of time
uptown. Uptown, downtown, all around the town.
TNYCJR: You have done some teaching.
PH: I teach with the JazzMobile program—been
associated with that program at least 10 years.

Recommended Listening:• Paul Bley Quintet—Barrage (ESP-Disk’, 1964)• John Coltrane—Ascension (Impulse!, 1965)• Rashied Ali—First Time Out: Live at Slugs 1967
(Survival, 1967)• Paul Murphy—Red Snapper: Paul Murphy at CBS(Cadence Jazz, 1982)• Paul Murphy—Cloudburst (Mad Murphy, 1983)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JUNE 2021 29

MISCELLANY
ONbyTHISDAYAndrey Henkin

Shades of Jelly Roll
Merle Koch (Carnival)
June 2nd, 1959

Last Date
Eric Dolphy (Fontana)June 2nd, 1964

Clay
Yosuke Yamashita (Enja)
June 2nd, 1974

Autumn in ParisCharles Tyler/Brus Trio (Silkheart)
June 2nd, 1988

Jazz For Thousand Oaks
Buddy Collette (UFO-BASS)
June 2nd, 1996

Pianist Jelly Roll Morton died in Los

When released in 1964, this album

Pianist Yosuke Yamashita’s trio ofBrus Trio were Swedish pianist Arne

Tenor/alto saxophonist/clarinetist/

Angeles in 1941, 18 years before thisdate waxed in his hometown of New
Orleans, one of two releases by the
local Carnival label owned by Mina
Lea and Bill Crais. Pianist Merle Kochof Lexington, Nebraska was in the
midst of his tenure with clarinetist
Pete Fountain and for much of the LP
plays solo on pieces by Morton, suchas “The Pearls”, or other early jazz
fare. For four tunes, including “Buddy
Bolden’s Blues”, “Doc” Souchon joins
on vocals, the nickname no joke for a
top New Orleans surgeon at the time.

was accurately titled, that is until alive recording from Paris nine days
later surfaced, released in 1988. So
let’s split the difference and call thisalto saxophonist/bass clarinetist/
flutist Eric Dolphy’s last studio date,made in Holland with the local trio of
Misha Mengelberg (piano), Jacques
Schols (bass) and Han Bennink(drums) at the end of the famed 1964
Charles Mingus European tour, 28
days before Dolphy’s death at 36. The
set is tunes by Dolphy, Mengelberg,
Monk and Gene de Paul-Don Raye.

tenor saxophonist Seiichi Nakamura
and drummer Takeo Moriyama wasfounded in 1969. It made or appearedon 10 albums through 1972. In 197375, alto saxophonist Akira Sakata
replaced
Nakamura,Moriyamaleaving in 1976. This was the band’s
first full-length album after one pieceon the Inspiration & Power 14 Free Jazz
Festival 1 omnibus. Both that Tokyo
recording and this set from Germany’s
Moers Festival contain the Moriyamapenned title track, the other tune
Yamashita’s “Mina’s Second Theme”.

Forsén and bassist Ulf Åkerhielm andlate South African expat drummer
Gilbert Mathews, active from theearly ‘80s-early ‘10s. Only three of
their seven releases were in trio, theothers with guest horns like Roscoe
Mitchell, John Tchicai or, here, alto
saxophonist Charles Tyler four years
before his death at 50. This Stockholm
set is two tunes each by Forsén andÅkerhielm plus the title track fromTyler’s 1976 Nessa LP Saga of the
Outlaws. The concurrent CD edition
had two additional Tyler songs.

flutist Buddy Collette worked withfellow Watts-ian Charles Mingus in
the late ‘40s and taught another son of
Watts in Eric Dolphy, outliving bothby decades. He made a handful ofrecordings in the last 15 years of his
life, an era when he was known moreas an educator and composer. For thisconcert of his music (plus Ronnell
Bright and Duke Ellington) at L.A.
suburb Thousand Oaks, Collette’sband is Bright, Al Aarons, George
Bohanon, Ndugu Chancler, Sam
Most, Richard Simon and Al Viola.

BIRTHDAYS
June 1†Nelson Riddle 1921-85†Herbie Lovelle 1924-2009†Hal McKusick 1924-2012†Lennie Niehaus 1929-2020
Rossano Sportiello b.1974
June 2†Ernie Hood 1923-91†Gildo Mahones 1929-2018
John Pisano b.1931
Pierre Favre b.1937
Irène Schweizer b.1941
Matthew Garrison b.1970
Noah Preminger b.1986
June 3†Carl Pruitt 1918-1977†Al Harewood 1923-2014
Phil Nimmons b.1923†Dakota Staton 1932-2007†Bob Wallis 1934-91†Ted Curson 1935-2012
Grachan Moncur III b.1937
Corey Wilkes b.1979
June 4†Teddy Kotick 1928-86†Oliver Nelson 1932-75†Alan Branscombe 1936-86†Mark Whitecage 1937-2021
Ted Daniel b.1943
Anthony Braxton b.1945
Paquito D’Rivera b.1948
Winard Harper b.1962
June 5†Kurt Edelhagen 1920-82†Specs Powell 1922-2007†Pete Jolly 1932-2004†Misha Mengelberg 1935-2017†Jerry Gonzalez 1949-2018

June 6†Jimmie Lunceford 1902-47†Raymond Burke 1904-86†Gil Cuppini 1924-96†Grant Green 1931-79
Monty Alexander b.1944†Zbigniew Seifert 1946-79
Paul Lovens b.1949
G. Calvin Weston b.1959

June 11†Clarence “Pine Top” Smith
1904-29†Shelly Manne 1920-84†Hazel Scott 1920-81†Bob Gordon 1928-55
Nils Lindberg b.1933
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie b.1939
Jamaaladeen Tacuma b.1956
Alex Sipiagin b.1967
Assif Tsahar b.1969

June 7†Gene Porter 1910-1993†Tal Farlow 1921-98†Tina Brooks 1932-74
Norberto Tamburrino b.1964
Devin Gray b.1983

June 12†Marcus Belgrave 1936-2015
Kent Carter b.1939†Chick Corea 1941-2021
Jesper Lundgaard b.1954†Geri Allen 1957-2017
Oscar Feldman b.1961
Christian Munthe b.1962
Peter Beets b.1971

June 8†Billie Pierce 1907-74†Erwin Lehn 1919-2010†Kenny Clare 1929-85†Bill Watrous 1939-2018
Julie Tippetts b.1947
Uri Caine b.1956

June 13†Charlie Elgar 1885-1973†Doc Cheatham 1905-97†Eddie Beal 1910-84†Phil Bodner 1919-2008†Attila Zoller 1927-98†Buddy Catlett 1933-2014
Frank Strozier b.1937
Harold Danko b.1947
Mike Khoury b.1969

June 9†Les Paul 1915-2009†Jimmy Gourley 1926-2008†Eje Thelin 1938-90
Kenny Barron b.1943
Mick Goodrick b.1945
June 10†Chink Martin 1886-1981†Willie Lewis 1905-71†Dicky Wells 1907-85†Guy Pedersen 1930-2005†John Stevens 1940-94
Gary Thomas b.1961
Charnett Moffett b.1967
Jonathan Kreisberg b.1972
Ben Holmes b.1979

June 14†John Simmons 1918-79
Burton Greene b.1937
Pete Lemer b.1942
Marcus Miller b.1959
Gary Husband b.1960
Diallo House b.1977
Loren Stillman b.1980
Ben Syversen b.1983

June 15†Allan Reuss 1915-1988†Erroll Garner 1921-77†Jaki Byard 1922-99†Mel Moore 1923-89
Tony Oxley b.1938
June 16†”Lucky” Thompson 1924-2005†Clarence Shaw 1926-73†Joe Thomas 1933-2017
Tom Harrell b.1946
Fredy Studer b.1948
Mike Baggetta b.1979
Ryan Keberle b.1980

June 21†Dewey Jackson 1900-94†Jamil Nasser 1932-2010
Lalo Schifrin b.1932†Jon Hiseman 1944-2018
Chuck Anderson b.1947
Eric Reed b.1970
June 22†Ray Mantilla 1934-2020
Hermeto Pascoal b.1936
Heikki Sarmanto b.1939
Eddie Prévost b.1942
Ed “Milko” Wilson b.1944

June 26†Teddy Grace 1905-92†Don Lanphere 1928-2003†Jimmy Deuchar 1930-93
Dave Grusin b.1934
Reggie Workman b.1937
Joey Baron b.1955
Bill Cunliffe b.1956
Mathias Eick b.1979
June 27†Elmo Hope 1923-67
George Braith b.1939
Todd Herbert b.1970

June 23
June 17†Eli Robinson 1908-72†Lorenzo Holden 1924-87†Milt Hinton 1910-2000†Frank E. Jackson, Sr. 1924-2013 †Eddie Miller 1911-91
Chuck Rainey b.1940†Helen Humes 1913-81
Tom Varner b.1957†Lance Harrison 1920-2000†George Russell 1923-2009
June 18†Sahib Shihab 1925-89†Sammy Cahn 1913-93†Hank Shaw 1926-2006
William Hooker b.1946
Donald Harrison b.1960

June 28†Jimmy Mundy 1907-83†Arnold Shaw 1909-89†Gene Traxler 1913-91†Pete Candoli 1923-2008
Bobby White b.1926
John Lee b.1952
Tierney Sutton b.1963
Aaron Alexander b.1966
Jesse Stacken b.1978

June 19†Joe Thomas 1909-86†Jerry Jerome 1912-2001†Al Kiger 1932-2013
Chuck Berghofer b.1937
Paul Nieman b.1950
Billy Drummond b.1959
John Hollenbeck b.1968

June 24†Charlie Margulis 1903-67†Manny Albam 1922-2001†George Gruntz 1932-2013†Frank Lowe 1943-2003†Clint Houston 1946-2000
Greg Burk b.1969†Bernardo Sassetti 1970-2012

June 29†Mousey Alexander 1922-88†Ralph Burns 1922-2001†Ove Lind 1926-1991
Julian Priester b.1935
Ike Sturm b.1978

June 20†Doc Evans 1907-77†Lamar Wright 1907-73†Thomas Jefferson 1920-86†Eric Dolphy 1928-64†Joe Venuto 1929-2019
Anders Nilsson b.1974

June 25†Johnny Smith 1922-2013†Bill Russo 1928-2003
Joe Chambers b.1942
Bobby Naughton b.1944
Marian Petrescu b.1970
John Yao b.1977

June 30†Harry Shields 1899-1971†Grady Watts 1908-86†Lena Horne 1917-2010†Andrew Hill 1937-2007
Chris Hinze b.1938
Jasper Van’t Hof b.1947
Stanley Clarke b.1951
Ken Fowser b.1982

BOBBY NAUGHTON

June 25th, 1944

Vibraphonist/pianist Bobby
Naughton’s OTIC label,though small in output, is thehome of some significant
recordings. From 1969-81, itfeatured early appearances byMark Whitecage and Mario
Pavone (sadly both recently
deceased) and Naughton’s
collaborations with Leo Smithand Perry Robinson, plus arare solo vibraphone session.
Naughton went on to recordin the bands of Smith, Pavone,
Anthony Braxton and Roscoe
Mitchell and was a founding
member of the Creative
Improvisors Orchestra before
leaving music for a few
decades.
In
thenewmillennium he returned,
reviving OTIC with archival
releases and a new trio with
Joe Fonda and old collaborator
Laurence Cook and reforming
his trio with Smith andDwight Andrews.
(AH)

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visit nycjazzrecord.com for answers

30 JUNE 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDACROSS

33. What an LP does
34. Jazz hands is when the fingers of the hand deviateaway from this35. 2003 Nik Bärtsch’s Mobile Tonus-Music album
36. The Isotope Ensemble devoted an album to thiselement (abbr.)

1. Animal on the cover of 1969-70 EMI Odeon album bySweden’s G.L. Unit
4. 1970 Albert Mangelsdorff MPS album Never Let It ____
7. Tristano acolyte Ronnie
9. The Five ____
10. Albert or Don
DOWN
12. Bassist Billy, drummer Dae and percussionist Frederick
13. You need this to count off a tune in Germany
1. Simplest song form
14. Saxophonist Domnérus
2. It comes at the end of the gig
15. Dolphy’s Miss
3. Noble study?
16. Early Megadeth drummer Samuelson who started his 4. How many a debut album is released
musical career in jazz fusion
5. Opposite of a 1969 Tony Williams album?
18. Latin jazz exotica singer Sumac
6. “Jazz Hands” also means this
20. Legendary engineering monogram
8. Recently passed bassist Skeat
21. Threadgill/Hopkins/McCall
9. 19th Century Spanish classical guitarist Fernando
22. He and Thad founded what became the Vanguard
whose music was covered by Laurindo Almeida,
Jazz Orchestra
Christopher Hinze and others
23. Billy Bang wrote a song for this offensive on his
11. Notable Boston jazz bar
Vietnam: The Aftermath album
12. 1964 Paul Bley ESP-Disk’ album
24. Traveling musicians are very aware of this org.
15. Vienna ____ Orchestra
25. Bassist who worked with both Monk and Sun Ra
17. Terp Records catalogue prefix
26. ‘70s jazz venue
19. Brother Thelonious was one
28. Doubled, a Swiss Dixieland Jazz Five
27. Like the JFA
30. Calisthenic bassist Joe?
29. Stanton Moore is an artist-in-residence at this univ.
31. Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, Oscar Pettiford
30. Fresh Sound Records catalogue prefixes
and Kenny Clarke were All Stars at this 1960
32. He shares DNA with CannonballGerman festival