JULY 2021—ISSUE 231

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENENYCJAZZRECORD.COM

AMINA
CLAUDINE

MYERS
A LIFETIME OF LOVE

DAVID
MARA
PAUL VAN
FRIEDMAN ROSENBLOOM GYSEGEM

ROY
BROOKSManaging Editor:
Laurence Donohue-Greene
Editorial Director &Production Manager:
Andrey Henkin
To Contact:
The New York City Jazz Record
66 Mt. Airy Road East
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
United States
Phone/Fax: 212-568-9628

JULY 2021—ISSUE 231
ON THE COVER : AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

NEW YORK@NIGHT

Andrey Henkin:ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

INTERVIEW : DAVID FRIEDMAN

Advertising:advertising@nycjazzrecord.com
Calendar:calendar@nycjazzrecord.com
VOXNews:
voxnews@nycjazzrecord.com
US Subscription rates: 12 issues, $40
Canada Subscription rates: 12 issues, $45
International Subscription rates: 12 issues, $50
For subscription assistance, send check, cash ormoney order to the address aboveor email info@nycjazzrecord.com

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, Brian Charette,
Jordannah Elizabeth, Pierre Giroux,
George Kanzler, Steven Loewy
Contributing Photographers
Scott Friedlander, Alan Nahigian,Robert I. Sutherland-Cohen, Adrien H. Tillmann
Fact-checker
Nate Dorward

nycjazzrecord.com

ARTIST FEATURE : MARA ROSENBLOOMENCORE : PAUL VAN GYSEGEM
LEST WE FORGET : ROY BROOKSLABEL SPOTLIGHT : GAUCIMUSICVOXNEWS
OBITUARIESALBUM REVIEWSEVENT CALENDARMISCELLANY

3
4
6
7
8
8
9
9
10
12
28
31

by jordannah elizabeth

by jim motavalli
by john pietaro
by andrey henkinby marilyn lester
by eric wendellby suzanne lorge
by andrey henkinby andrey henkin

If you are reading this, we hope you have some ink smudges on your fingers. For the
first time since March 2020, this gazette exists once again outside of the digital realm.
We are tickled black and white. Not only can you keep yourself informed on all the New
York City (and beyond) jazz happenings, you can also use the paper as a fan, keeping
yourself cool while checking out one of the many outdoor concerts on tap this month.
Twice the value, same price—free! (Of course if your preference is digital, we continue
to offer our editions as free downloads and in full color at nycjazzrecord.com)
The Vision Festival continues its laudable initiative of honoring the career arc ofmusicians during their lifetime. Pianist/singer/composer Amina Claudine Myers (OnThe Cover) is the latest recipient and will present an evening’s worth of her projects at
this year’s edition. Vibraphonist David Friedman (Interview) has a beautiful new album
featuring some of his students from his long teaching career in Germany. Pianist Mara
Rosenbloom (Artist Feature) may someday be up for her own Vision Festival Lifetime
Achievement award but this month makes her debut as a leader in it. Bassist/visual
artist Paul Van Gysegem (Encore) has been actively recording over the last few years,
a welcome return for one of the most interesting musicians to come out of the ‘60s
European avant garde scene. Late drummer Roy Brooks (Lest We Forget) has recently
gotten the deluxe Unearthed Gem treatment with a 1970 concert recording put out byReel to Real. And saxophonist Stephen Gauci, tireless jazz advocate, is featured via his
Gaucimusic imprint (Label Profile), which has kept musicians active with its Pandemic
Duets series and the now-restarted weekly series at Bushwick Public House.

On The Cover: Amina Claudine Myers (photo by Alan Nahigian)
Corrections: In last month’s NY@Night, One Breath Rising has been presenting monthly concerts
since 2015. In the CD Reviews, the bassist on Ted Nash’s album is Carlos Henriquez. And in the
Crossword, Brother Thelonious Ale is still being produced.
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

ON THE COVER

AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS
ALAN NAHIGIANA LIFETIME OF LOVEby jordannah elizabeth

79-year-old pianist, vocalist, composer and visionary

improviser Amina Claudine Myers is admirably active,
continuing to nurture her artistic musical skills as iftime was never a factor and utilizing every moment as
an opportunity to evolve.
She could be considered an improvisational
matriarch simply on the merit of her ability to cultivate
and inspire great works of music with a positive andintuitive nature. One does not have to be a woman to
be matriarchal; this archetype can be honed by being
consistent, trustworthy and reliable in communitybuilding and offering those around them a loving
environment. “I grew up in the country in Arkansas.
I didn’t appreciate where I grew up until I became an
adult. I was exposed to fruit and vegetables fromgardens and picking fruit off the trees, riding my
grandfather ’s horse bareback. The people in Blackwell,
Arkansas were about love. That’s something that has
kept me going. The people would come together andthe women were canning and quilting. There was a lotof love in Blackwell. That has inspired me to be where
I am today,” says Myers.
Myers started studying piano at four years old.
“My great uncle started me on music and I started
taking piano in the nearest town from the white
Catholic nuns who gave me lessons when I was a girl.”
Myers is most known for her involvement, years later,
with the Association for the Advancement of Creative
Musicians (AACM), a groundbreaking collective ofcreative artists springing to life in Chicago in 1965. It
was through connecting and performing with membersof this community that she found her improvisationalfooting, one which has never wavered since her earlydays with the organization.
“My biggest contribution, after I joined the AACM,
I was able to develop my writing skills and it gave me
the opportunity to create and work on improvisation
and write music that could be expanded every time it
was performed,” she says. “There’s what I calltraditional jazz where musicians are inspired bymusicians of the past and the music continues in the
traditional form. Then you have musicians that opened
the music up much more. For instance, at the AACM,
I was exposed to different musicians creating theirown styles, all those musicians took the music andopened it up more and there was more improvisation.”
Myers’ original repertoire is vast. She writes withearnestness and uniqueness, creating works in manydifferent Black music genres, gifting the world withwell-rounded and culturally important pieces. She
takes the time to reminisce about her favorite pieces:“‘Have Mercy on Us’, ‘Jumping in the Sugar Bowl’,‘Hard Time Blues’, which is a tribute to John Lee
Hooker, ‘Straight to You’, that’s blues. Those are someof my favorites.”
She has been awarded the Arthur L. Porter Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Arkansas Jazz Hall Of
Fame, inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fameand this year, “I’ve been fortunate to receive theLifetime Achievement Award from Arts for Art and I’llbe performing at the Vision Festival with my voicechoir of eight singers and Generation IV, which consistsof four female singers honoring the gospel groups ofthe ‘50s, including a few of my compositions, and atrio. So, I’m preparing for that.”
Myers is no stranger to preparation. She hasa method when deciding what she will do fora performance, no matter the format or length. She
studies her own collection of original music anddecides if she will offer new compositional works or
rework the pieces she has written or performed before.
“If I’m doing a concert I do a few new compositions
butdepending
on
what
kind
of
concertit is, I take the music and look over it and sometimes
I do new arrangements and work on them.” This iswhat makes Myers special: her openness to experimentwith work, unfazed by the rigidity of structured
concert performance and trusting of listeners to be justas open when engaging her work through a new lensand arrangement.
This is why Myers deserves to engage with theword legacy. Her work is needed because it is gracefuland amiable. She takes the time to describe what theword means to her, “It’s making a blueprint of yourmusic so you can inspire others. I don’t know if this ishappening with me, but your music never dies. Even
when you pass away, you leave a blueprint to still be
respected and kept in place because you madea difference and left an impression on other people.”
The impression that Myers leaves on others is
profound. She has worked with some of jazz’ greatcomposers and thinks fondly of many of them.
“Another [great] thing for me was performing with
Gene “Jug” Ammons, that was back in the ‘70s. Also,
playing with Archie Shepp in Paris. And there are quite
a few people I performed with who were some of myfavorites, Von Freeman, Muhal Richard Abrams fromthe AACM. I played with many people that I have been
inspired by.” She in turn inspired many. One of hermusical friends, drummer Reggie Nicholson, offeredkind words about her work, “For many years, it has
been a pleasure and a challenge performing Amina’s
music. She has always been an icon of creative musicwith her soulful approach to composing. Her music
has that inner groove and freedom, which is thefoundation of her style.”
After living and working in Chicago, Myers moved
to New York City in 1976, “God has given me the talentand I’ve been blessed to play music that has survived.
It’s through the music. I taught school for six years
when I was living in Chicago, but I resigned andmoved to New York because I wanted to play music
and to play all over the world and try to inspire people.
When I went to New York and ran out of money, I was
always able to have food and have somewhere to stay.
It was a blessing,” she remembers. “If you do what
you’re supposed to do artistically, I find that you will
make it in life. If you stick to whatever talent you haveand you believe in yourself, you’ll be taken care of.”The humility that emerges from Myers’ words isjust as natural as it is for her to create music. She hasn’t
left New York City since her move and despite thecompetitiveness,presenceofegoismandhypermasculinity, Myers remains unscathed andgrateful. “I’ve never been depressed about not getting
any recognition. I’ve never had that kind of feelingbecause most musicians I know hadn’t had any work,
but they were able to create, write and practice theirmusic in their homes. It can be slow but when yourtime comes you’ll make it. If you try to stay positiveand live with love, you will survive.”
She speaks simply, clearly and with the wisdom ofsages, exuding a spirituality that is calming andendearingly matter of fact. This wisdom is rooted inher ability to maintain community to this day and by
thinking broadly about her life and what is mostimportant to understand about the reality of what it is
to be alive. “I belong to a writer ’s club now. We Zoom
and we can do what we want to do. We look at things
we’ve written a year ago or recently. We present it tothe host and we read what we wrote and we discuss it.
So, I’m writing a lot of things about growing up inBlackwell and the people that lived there,” she says.
“I’m really grateful because when I was in college,
I would say I was from Louisville, Kentucky but
I realized now that how we lived, where we were bornand how we grew up plays into the makeup of ourentire lives. It’s set up and I think we knew this before
we were born. And when I look at my life, I see thateverything was supposed to happen the way it
happened. It was all in the master plan before we cometo this Earth. Everything was planned, everything.
This happens to each of us that is alive. Whatever we
do in life is planned before we come.”
It is incredibly important to document and think
about the art that musicians make. They thrive off the
feeling of being seen, heard and written about, but
Myers is much more than a musician. She is a creatorof works that can and should stand the test of time.
Her music is powerful, but what is more powerful is
how Myers sees the world in a way that is achingly
positive, dramatically simple, unconditionally loving
and profoundly graceful. She is a good human being
and that is what should make a truly good musician—one who has the ability to be grateful and touch theworld with her beautiful open heart. v
For more information, visit aminaclaudinemyers.com.
Myers is at Vision Festival Jul. 23rd. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Amina Claudine Myers—Poems for Piano: The Piano
Music of Marion Brown (Sweet Earth, 1979)• Amina Claudine Myers—Salutes Bessie Smith(Leo, 1980)• Amina Claudine Myers—The Circle of Time(Black Saint, 1983)• Lester Bowie & The New York Organ Ensemble—
The Organizer (DIW, 1991)• The New Archie Shepp Quartet—Tomorrow Will Be
Another Day (PAO, 2000)• Amina Claudine Myers—Augmented Variations(Blue Music Group, 2005/2008)

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 3

NEW YORK @ NIGHT
Maybe it was the luminescent panels emanating in The return to live performance at Mezzrow (Jun. 11th)
triangular rays from a central point behind the stage,
each flickering in strange sequences of gaudy color.
Maybe it was Ceramic Dog’s futuro-psychedelic
sound: a farrago comprised of drummer Ches Smith’s
punk energy-cum-avant inklings, Shahzad Ismaily’s
rumbling, sepulchral bass (or Moog synthesizer) and,in the eye of the tempest, guitarist/leader Marc Ribot’s
cosmic blues. Maybe their cooped-up energy justneeded a place to detonate. Whatever it was, the scene
at The Sultan Room (Jun. 10th), an album release party
for Hope (Northern Spy), the trio’s fifth release,
exploded into musical warfare: kinetic, visceral, brainboggling. It began peacefully enough, Ribot hunchedover a vast array of pedals, coaxing eccentric electronic
timbres via slides, taps and shakes while the feedback
surged and swelled. Soon, however, on tunes like
“Digital Handshake” and “Maple Leaf Rage”, it
devolved to a strategically anarchistic shred-fest. On
the former, Smith showed an uncanny ability to playextremely hard and solid even as he pulled against thepulse, inspiring long-winded but consistently robust
salvos from Ribot; on the latter, which suggested themenacing march of invading stormtroopers, gentle
lulls and quiet pulsing offered brief respite from thesonic assault. Donovan’s “Colours” and Ribot’s “John
Brown” were final flare-ups in the prolonged campaign
before the artful violence finally subsided, the battle
over, both sides victorious.
—Tom Greenland

MIKE CLARK AND
MICHAEL ZILBER
MIKE DROP
SSC 1623
AVAILABLE 7/16/21“Mike Clark is not a revivalist: he was actually there, anchoring Herbie Hancock’s
Headhunters, laying down the kinds offunky beats and snappy solos that havemade him one of hip-hop’s favorite sample-sources.” — THE WASHINGTON POSTHANK ROBERTSSCIENCE OF LOVESSC 1625
AVAILABLE 7/23/21

Hank Roberts Has Forged A Compelling
Original Voice As A Composer And A Cellist,
Encompassing Abstract Improvisation, Jazz
Influences, Soulful Folk Melodies, Intricate
New-Music Compositions And VigorousRock Songs.
HANK ROBERTS cello
BRIAN DRYE trombone
DANA LYN violin
MIKE MCGINNIS clarinet, soprano saxophone
JACOB SACKS piano
VINNIE SPERRAZZA drums

Alife change allowed Hank Roberts to undertake one of
the most meaningful projects in his life. The journey
may have begun as a move to New York City, but it evolved
into something deeper, the fostering of new friendships
and a new, collection of music. Science of Love is a testament to Roberts’s craft, perseverance, and ability to propel
the power of love through music.

www.sunnysiderecords.com

R.I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN / JAZZEXPRESSIONS.ORG

T

ADRIEN H. TILLMANN - WWW.AHT1985.COM

MIKE CLARK drums
MICHAEL ZILBER tenor & soprano saxophones
MATT CLARK piano
PETER BARSHAY bass
he moving performances on Mike Clark and Michael
Zilber’s Mike Drop show that kindred spirits can befound no matter the distance. Though both Clark and Zilber came from the West Coast, they found their connection in a love of the serious soul of one of New York City’s
distinctive styles: a seriously swinging, free range jazz.

spurred a euphoria that set ablaze the affable and often
humorous clarinetist/saxophonist Ken Peplowski.
His trio with pianist Rossano Sportiello and drummer
Kevin Dorn opened with a super-charged “(I Would
Do) Anything for You”, Peplowski easily demonstrating
why he’s one of the foremost jazz clarinetists in theworld. Call-and-response riffs with Sportiello, oftrepeated throughout the set, laid down the dynamic
between the two, more a partnership than Sportiello as
sideman. Dorn, mainly in the background, delivered
consistent, understated drumming that emulated morea bass than percussion function. Peplowski’s ability tocall up emotion infused “Body and Soul”, transforming
it into both a prayer and lament. “Mood Indigo” rolled
out in a languorous tempo with spine-tingling,
evocative ease. Like the great Ben Webster, Peplowski
on tenor is a master of ballads, excelling on “The More
I See You” and “I Thought About You”, offeringsmooth, elegant playing using an economy of notes
without sacrificing creative ideas. The versatile
Sportiello, who had been matching Peplowski’s clean
style, switched to his well-known stride persona fora spotlight solo, playing his own melodic and jaunty“Song for Emily”. Leaving no doubt about Peplowski’s
technical mastery and articulate voicing, the swinging
play-out, Duke Ellington’s 1946 version of “Ring Dem
Bells”, confirmed the master ’s dynamic range,
complete with wailing high notes.
—Marilyn Lester

Marc Ribot @ The Sultan Room

Ken Peplowski @ Mezzrow

J un. 3rd was an emotional night for tenor saxophonist J oy is contagious when a performer exudes it. PianistChris Speed, as he would be leaving Brooklyn, hishome since 1995, for Los Angeles the next day. His trio
mates bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Dave King
were on hand to help him say so long (but not goodbye)to the 40 or so gathered fans and friends, whocheerfully, despite clothes wet from the pouring rainoutside, packed themselves into SEEDS, an intimate
performance space/living room in Brooklyn’s Prospect
Heights. The group had done a live-stream from thesame room that afternoon so they were well warmedup for the evening event and King in particular hit the
downbeat at full throttle, holding nothing back as thetrio worked its way through Speed’s serpentine themes
and suave but sticky time signatures (several tunes
were composed in 11/8 meter). King was like a bull ina china shop, which, somehow, for all its furious power,
can charge down the aisles without breaking any
porcelain: just when you thought he had fully violated
the song structure, there he was back on the beat at
precisely the right moment, more ballerina than bull.
Speed didn’t try to play matador to King’s charges,
instead going his own way, his volume at a minimum,
making his presence felt through the integrity of his
ideas, which emanated in a seemingly endless supplyof new variations on or new developments of things
he’d already played. Tordini, whose volume was evenlower than Speed’s, provided a balancing fulcrum forthe radical seesawing of the tenor and drums.
(TG)

4 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

vocalist Champian Fulton at The Django (Jun. 16th)
generously and consistently dispensed that quality,
delivering sophisticated, swinging turns whatever she
played. Opener “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”
clearly established piano and vocal skills on an evenpar. If Blossom Dearie and Duke Ellington had a lovechild, it could well have been Fulton. Her vocal tone isreminiscent of the former—light and girlish—but withmore heft; her attack on the keys is intelligently
percussive: energetic and determined, yet without ahint of heaviness. Superb vocal-phrasing skills were
especially evident in a creative “Bubbles, Bangles andBeads”, a harmonically rich tune derivative of an
Alexander Borodin string quartet. A few numbers
without vocals, such as a jaunty ”What Can I Say After
I Say I’m Sorry?” and “The Jitterbug Waltz”,
demonstrated musical storytelling prowess throughclean technique. The sublime bassist Hide Tanaka andsolid drummer Fukushi Tainaka added delicious
synchronic texture. The former brought an ethereal
quality, sometimes reminiscent of koto playing; hisbowing, especially on “I’ll See You in My Dreams”,
a tour de force. Guest alto saxophonist Nick Hempton
came aboard for the last three numbers of the set. He’sa solid, if unsmiling and serious player (in need of adose of Fulton joy), demonstrating agility on a slow
tempo “Just Friends” and a lightly swinging “You
Turned the Tables on Me”. 		
(ML)

The annual River To River Festival got off to an Some 15 years after making his US recording debut,
auspicious start with a Tribute to Wayne Shorter byEsperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington and Leo
Genovese, outdoors on La Plaza at the Clemente Soto
Vélez Cultural Center (Jun. 10th). The trio got things
started with Carrington’s drums and Genovese’s piano
spontaneously conversing around Spalding’s ringing,repeated electric bass chord, dynamically building in
intensity. This opened the way for Spalding’s highpitched rendering of her global warming warning lyric
to Shorter ’s “Endangered Species”. Switching toacoustic bass, Spalding whistled the opening strains ofMilton Nascimento’s “Tarde”, complemented bytinkling ‘toy piano’ notes and gently jingling bell-tree
tones, before offering a stirring reading of Fernando
Brant’s Portuguese lyric, which graced Shorter ’s Native
Dancer album. The threesome improvised with freeflowing intensity on Shorter ’s “Limbo”, recalling thedauntless spirit of its composer ’s performances withMiles Davis’ quintet and his own Without A Net
quartet. The evening’s high point came with the trio’s
take on Geri Allen’s arrangement of “Nefertiti”, built
around an often-humorous, four-note Latin-tinged
bass ostinato undergirding individual solos. Spalding
wordlessly intoned the opening strains of “Virgo” andwhistled the melody to begin a swinging version of“Face On The Bar Room Floor”. Noting, “We pray to
see the world the way Wayne sees the world,” the trio
closed with his “Infant Eyes”.
—Russ Musto

guitarist Marco Cappelli, an Italian splitting time
between this nation and that, lit up venerable Park
Slope club Barbès (Jun. 16th). 3 Card Trick is theensemble which best displays his prodigious acoustic
guitar chops. In the company of visionary electricguitarist Brandon Seabrook and breath-stealing electricbassist Stomu Takeishi, Cappelli’s instrument (withsympathetic strings over the sound-hole) heartily
grappled the bountiful atmosphere. He is an unsung
master. The set opened with a ballad, which swelled
under the weight of Seabrook’s expansive harmonies
and Takeishi’s percussive, driving undercurrent.
His bass, a fretless five-string beast which Takeishi
seemed both to exalt and palpate, flayed and severed
the global melodies, conjuring an imperative darkness
to counter Cappelli’s Haitian, Spanish, Italian, Indian,Japanese and American (a Martin Denny!) songreconstructions. Seabrook, listening pensively, often
shifted the colors most drastically, all red and blackunder his blurring plectrum, at times reminiscent of
the late Robert Quine. The very electricity seemed topour from his amplifier. Throughout this enthralling
evening, the standout was an adaptation of a preRenaissance piece, which Cappelli generously arranged
and overlayed with a chromatic melody line. The
medieval mode, however, resounded and hypnoticallyglowed like the maddened crowd at a witch-burning as
Takeishi’s line spit fire in response.
—John Pietaro

W H AT ’ S N E W S
For the first time in its history, the Sarah VaughanInternational Vocal Competition awarded two
first-place winners, as judged by bassist Christian
McBride, vocalists Carmen Lundy and Vanessa
Rubin, producer Chuck Mitchell, and WBGOCEO Robert Ottenhoff. Gabrielle Cavassa andTawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim will both receive$5,000 prizes. For more information, visit
njpac.org/sarah-vaughan-international-jazzvocal-competition.
Edition Records has announced two new artist
development initiatives: Directions in Music,“open to artists of any age to be part of a yearlong project focusing on all aspects of their career
growth through a series of workshops, one-toone sessions and development exercises” andCanopy: “to nurture, develop and value thepotential of one artist (group or solo) over thecourse of two years, including looking in detail at
the writing, releasing and development of music.”
For more information, visit editionrecords.com/
edition-launches-new-initiatives-for-artists.

ALAN NAHIGIAN© SCOTT FRIEDLANDER

The Monterey Jazz Festival has announced its
2021 Next Generation Women in Jazz combo
members. The local representative is LauraSimone Martin (bass) of Lawrenceville, N.J. For
more information, visit montereyjazzfestival.org.

Esperanza Spalding @ Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center

Brandon Seabrook/Stomu Takeishi/Marco Cappelli @ Barbès

The final night of the Bronx River Art Center ’s Streams The spirit of Django Reinhardt seemed to hover justof Black Music series (Jun. 19th) opened with theJerome Harris Quartet, giving the versatile guitaristbassist, best known for his years as a member of Sonny
Rollins’ group, the chance to show off his talents as aleader. The band, with bassist Mary Ann McSweeney,
drummer Rosa Avila and alto saxophonist Jeremy
Udden, got things started with an arrangement of Joe
Henderson’s “Punjab”. Harris demonstrated his
strengths both as a part of the frontline and member ofthe rhythm section, doubling the melody with Udden
before soloing and then comping empatheticallybehind Udden and McSweeney’s solos. The bandslipped into a Latin groove with a lively version of Jose
Feliciano’s “Affirmation”, buoyed by Avila’s tonallyexpansive AfroCuban rhythmatism. Bass and drums
introduced Harris original “Cool Pursuit” before
Udden came in playing the charming melody in abrilliant honeyed tone recalling the classic sound of
Lee Konitz, backed by Harris. Harris sang convincingly
on his arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s “The Jungle
Line”, intoning the words “Safaris to the heart of allthat jazz” in a deep, full-bodied voice. Reaching way
back into the jazz repertory, the band played Eubie
Blake’s “Memories Of You” with guitar and altosoloing over a lithely waltzing bassline. Harris’ ballad“Only Then” featured arco bass, before the set ended
with John Scofield’s rollicking “Dark Blue” and asurging samba encore of “Não Tema”.
(RM)

above Drom (Jun. 6th), accompanying Stephane
Wrembel onto the stage. The crowded house, beamingover the return of live performance, extolled in Hot
Club hip. Wrembel’s Django Experiment, comprised of
Daisy Castro (violin), Nick Driscoll (sopranosaxophone), Thor Jensen (rhythm guitar), Ari FolmanCohen (electric bass) and Nick Anderson (drums),
is not simply an homage to the master, but a living,breathing organism taking the music into new realms.
“This is the final night of the annual Django A-Go-Go
Festival,” the guitarist explained. “And each year werecord a new album of this music.” Opening with solo
guitar works, Wrembel tore into the Reinhardt throughcomposed “Improvisation #1”, rapid-fire runssnapping over nylon strings as he drove blue chords
under emotive Gypsy jazz fills. On “What is This Thing
Called Love?”, Castro’s improvisations soared,
capturing the Stephane Grappelli sound but
encompassing the call to Stuff Smith and well beyond.
The ensemble, on the latter, juxtaposed a Charlie
Parker head into the mix, but the real surprise was alengthy “Afro Blue”, which developed into an
arrangement that pushed each member to near-boil.
Castro’s solo took flight, her instrument crying out like
Eric Dolphy’s last days in Europe, even as Driscoll
dreamily crossed barriers of sound and time. Guest
guitarist Lior Krief joined for “All of Me” and “Minor
Swing”, turning up the heat and the heights.
(JP)

The inaugural German Jazz Awards were held
last month, with 31 categories. Among thewinners in the international categories were Wind
Instruments: Jaimie Branch; Drums/Percussion:
Brian Blade; Instrumental Album of the Year:
Carla Bley—Life Goes On (ECM); and Debut
Album: Joel Ross—KingMaker (Blue Note).
The Kitchen has announced Legacy Russell as
its new Executive Director and Chief Curator. Her
previous position was the Associate Curator of
Exhibitions at The Studio Museum in Harlem.
The inaugural edition of the Seifert Jazz Days
will take place Jul. 21st-23rd at the Krzysztof
Penderecki European Centre for Music in
Lusławice (as well as live-streamed) in
conjunction with what would have been Polishviolinist Zbigniew Seifert’s 75th birthday year. For
more information, visit seifertcompetition.com.
Bandleader Maria Schneider’s Data Lords(ArtistShare) was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer
Prize in Music.
Jazz Power Initiative will hold its seventh annual
conference online Jul. 7th, 2021 in collaboration
with Lehman College, City University of New
York. For more information, visit jazzpower.org.
Submit news to ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 5

DAVIDFRIEDMANby jim motavalli

principal instruments, vibraphone and marimba, and wasmuch-appreciated in the studios beginning in the early ‘60s.
Based in Germany since 1987, Friedman founded the jazzprogram at Berlin’s University of the Arts and headed it for
16 years while keeping up a busy schedule as a player.
Friedman’s most recent recording, The Berlin Mallet
Group’s Sogni D’oro (MalletMuse), in fact, features manyof his former students. In 1975, while still based in the U.S.,Friedman formed The Mallet Duo with his friend Dave
Samuels and that led to the vibraphone-marimba quartet
Double Image, which made six albums, including an ECM
date. Friedman has worked with Hubert Laws, Jane Ira
Bloom, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, Horacee Arnold,
Joe Henderson and Ron Carter and has been a session player
for a huge range of musicians, from Yoko Ono and BethOrton to Chic and Billy Joel. He toured widely with Tim
Buckley and appears on the jazz-folk poet’s most influential
record, Happy/Sad. He made 14 solo albums between 1975
and 2019.
The New York City Jazz Record: How did you get
started on the vibraphone?
TNYCJR: I started playing drums when I was 11 years
old. After two years, my drum teacher said that to be
a complete musician I should play a melodic instrument
and he made me play the marimba. I didn’t take to it
immediately, but I took the lessons. For quite a few
years I just dabbled on the instrument, but at somepoint I fell in love with it and decided to make themarimba my main thing. Shortly after that, I discovered
the vibraphone after hearing Milt Jackson.
TNYCJR: Isn’t it true that a lot of vibraphonists started
out as drummers, Lionel Hampton as an example?
DF: There are quite a few who started out like that, yes.
TNYCJR: Where did you grow up?
DF: I was born in New York City and we moved toLong Island when I was about five. My mother played
the accordion and my father the violin.
TNYCJR: Were they into jazz?
DF: At that time, everyone was into jazz. It was
America’s popular music. Everyone liked it, everyone
knew all the tunes and the musicians of the time. It was
the thing next to classical music that people listened
to the most. My parents were well aware of what jazz
was, but early on they weren’t particularly enthused
about the profession of being a jazz musician. WhenI was 11 or 12 and started taking drum lessons, mymother asked the drum teacher if studying jazz would
lead to taking drugs. The teacher guaranteed that it
would happen. But I had been in love with music andespecially jazz from a very early age.

TNYCJR: Who were some of your early influences?
DF: When I was very young I think Count Basie; I wasa big fan and had all his records. Ted Heath—I liked
big bands—Art Blakey, Judy Garland and Sarah
Vaughan. It’s a strange mix of people. I didn’t listen to
many vibes players then and I was totally unaware ofpeople like Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

TNYCJR: Can you share some favorite memories ofartists in the studios?
DF: One is of doing a jingle with Hubert Laws. During
				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 30)

brian charette
Brian Charette Organ Trio
Roxy Hotel, July 3 - 8 - 10:30pm
Eric Zolan (g), Eric Kalb (d)Brian Charette Piano Trio
Smalls, July 22 - 7 & 8:30pm
Alex Claffy (b) Kush Abadey (d)...and live streaming electronica
from Facebook Tuesdays at 9pm:
www.facebook.com/pinchbrian

TNYCJR: What were your earliest professional gigs?
DF: At Jones Beach, playing drums for weddings andbar mitzvahs. I was 12 or 13 and I was the only kid at
school who had money in his pocket. Usually the guys
I worked with were much older than I was.

briancharette.com

TNYCJR: How did your first recording come about?
DF: I was at Juilliard and a guy there, Jonathan Tunick,worked for Liza Minnelli and was an experienced
arranger. I was in my freshman or sophomore year.
Tunick introduced me to a guy named Billy Goldenberg,
an arranger for TV and radio. Goldenberg was the sonof my drum teacher and the first recording I ever did
was for him. That started in 1963.

photo by Tracey Yarad

New CD Release • July 15, 2021

TNYCJR: You have a very varied resumé, from Keith
Sykes to Charlie Mariano to Billy Joel.
DF: I started working in the studios when I was 18.
That same drum teacher who wanted me to play themarimba became a jingle producer in 1962. He started
asking me to play on dates, jingles, TV commercials
and I was barely ready. I was wet behind the ears. And
through that work I started meeting people like
Mundell Lowe, Urbie Green, Bernie Glow and Billyand Don Butterfield, Osie Johnson was playing drums.
All these guys were playing in the studios. And that’s
how I learned how to sight-read very well.
TNYCJR: You played with folkies, too.
DF: Yes, so many folk musicians’ records, plus people
like Laura Nyro and Janis Ian. I worked on an amazing
amount of interesting and not interesting music beinga studio player. And I worked with Tim Buckley. Lee
Underwood [Buckley’s guitarist] wrote in his bookBlue Melody that my sound dominated Tim’s work forabout a year.
TNYCJR: I wish it was longer, actually.
DF: Me too. I was very sad when he decided to change
personnel.
TNYCJR: He comes down in history as somewhat difficult.
DF: Well, consider how young he was, a kid. He hada modicum of success. He was very authentic, kind of

6 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

vibes
out frontv o f

Mike Freeman ZonaVibe

CIRCLES IN A YELLOW ROOM
Mike Freeman • Guido Gonzalez • Jim Gailloreto
Ruben Rodriguez • Roberto Quintero • Joel Mateowww.jazzvibe.com

CONCERTS

Percussionist David Friedman is a major innovator on his

rebellious. A true ‘60s not-quite hippie, but politicallyvery left-wing and very uncompromising and artistic.
Working with him was what I’d imagine working withMiles Davis was like. Tim was one of those musicians
who express their individuality and play exactly what
they want to play. He gave me free rein to do whatever
I wanted to do. It was a true improvising jazz gig in afolk context. Tim liked jazz and listened to it a lot.

FREE

COURTESY OF MALLETMUSE RECORDS

INTERVIEW

June 30th, 2021

Hell’s Kitchen Soul Sauce* 7pm-8:30pm• Pier 84 • Westside Hwy at 44th St., NYC •with Special Guest: Jose Mangual Jr.

July 1st, 2021

Music in Abe Lebewohl Park
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm • St Marks Church •10th Street & 2nd Ave, NYC*Hell’s Kitchen Soul Sauce made possible in part with funding from:
LMCC, NYCDCA, Jazz Foundation and HRPK TrustARTIST FEATU RE

MARAFor more information, visit mararosenbloom.com.
Rosenbloom is at Vision Festival Jul. 29th. See Calendar.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTISTROSENBLOOM

Recommended Listening:• Mara Rosenbloom—School of Fish (s/r, 2008)• Mara Rosenbloom Quartet—Songs From The Ground(Fresh Sound-New Talent, 2011)• Mara Rosenbloom—Flyways: Murmuration(Fresh Sound-New Talent, 2019)• Devin Gray—Algorhythmica (Rataplan, 2019)• Mara Rosenbloom Trio—Respiration(Fresh Sound-New Talent, 2020)• Mara Rosenbloom/Stephen Gauci—
Pandemic Duets (Gaucimusic, 2020)

by john pietaro
F or Wisconsin native pianist Mara Rosenbloom, “Themusic has to include focus, an awareness of everything,
every sound, but it’s also about having trust in theintuitive, the creative mind. That’s always ahead of thethinking mind. If you don’t trust it, it puts you back.
If you trust it, you can move at the speed of light.”
Such depth of perspective is central to the Rosenbloom
philosophy, one grown exponentially over time.
Inspiration arrived in the simple form of a piano in
the family home. “Seeing it made me want to play.
That’s my earliest memory.” Starting lessons at five,
she was afforded the rare introduction to improvisation
at this tender age. “My first teacher taught playing
from the heart. She used the word ‘hara’, describing
what I now would call a meditation,” the pianist
explained. Making vast use of the piano study
collection The Little Avant Garde by Stephen Covello,
Rosenbloom learned to close her eyes and simply play.
The studies embraced free improvisation andinterpretation, using a unique notation brand.
“I cannot recall anything but the intensity, that thiswas a deep and meaningful thing.”
Into the next decade, she began absorbing her
father ’s extensive jazz record collection. “Whenevermy father traveled to New York he’d bring back new
albums. This brought the sound of the city to me.”
Rosenbloom ultimately recognized the need to relocatefrom Madison, deciding to study at NYU. In that time,
she also began composing music and seeking out
contemporary artists. “I met [alto saxophonist] Darius
Jones when he performed on campus and just asked
him to join my band,” breaking the myth of undue
midwestern gentility. She then recruited bassist Sean
Conly and drummer Nick Anderson to complete herquartet, which recorded School of Fish (2008) and Songs
From The Ground (2011).
Of meeting Cooper-Moore at I-Beam, Rosenbloom
says, “He made me really recognize the direction I
needed to go in. When I first asked him about becoming
a student, he turned to Darius and asked: ‘Is she any
good?’ (laughs). I was going to all of his gigs and hereally grilled me, wanting to assess my seriousness,that I had a positive intention for playing this music.”
Her introduction to late pianist Connie Crothers
completed the tutelage. Rosenbloom’s studies lasted
three years, only ending with Crothers’ passing.
“Connie changed my life,” she said. “Cooper had toldme I needed to get more power in my playing, but
I was struggling as to how. She was one of the first to
clarify the mystery, that intuition is the right thing.
When I thought I wasn’t really hearing the music, she
simply asked, ‘Are you sure you’re not hearing it?’ Herawareness of every move was amazing.”
During this period, Rosenbloom made theconscious decision to restructure the band and leadfrom her instrument with Prairie Burn (2016). “I learned
how to trust myself by playing trio [with Conly anddrummer Chad Taylor]. I was terrified at first as Darius
was a very strong component in the quartet and thattook pressure off me.” Fear notwithstanding, herinstinctive decision was correct and outstanding
response to the album led to a performance at Dizzy’s
Club. “I was given this random date to play Dizzy’s
and it ended up being the anniversary of Connie’s
birthday, the year after she’d passed. When we cameout to the stage, I was shocked to see that the place wasentirely sold-out.” Last year, on Valentine’s Day, thethree recorded the powerful followup Respiration, via amentorship grant with Amina Claudine Myers, whom
Rosenbloom called “a mentor of deepening spiritualawareness”.
Unassuming maverick that she is, Rosenbloom has
quietly stared down the sexism rampant in the jazz
community. “It took me a long time to carve out a place
for myself. Now more people understand that I am notjust the chick in the room. Connie said that when she
was young, walking into a club was like walking
through a gauntlet. But Cooper told me that men will
hit on me at first but after I develop as a musician,they’ll just be afraid of me.” (laughs)
Flyways is her exploratory ensemble with theastonishing vocalist Anaïs Maviel (“her technicalfacility in an improvised context has sparkling clarity”)
and rising star bassist Rashaan Carter (“a virtuosic
player of generosity, kindness and heart.”) The band’s
debut Murmuration is comprised of Rosenbloom
compositions, hearty collective improvisations and thelove poetry of Adrienne Rich. As a lesbian who is out
and married, Rosenbloom sees the poetry as,“something I can inhabit based on my own life. The
intensity that you feel when it has to be hidden fromthe larger community, this is something I’ve lived. But
people experience this in different areas of their own
lives. When we perform that set, I know it’s working
due to the reactions we get. When we played this in
Erie, PA, an older woman came up to me and gave me
a tight hug. It was so tender; she was clearly so moved.
Deep human connection is worth everything.”
Another new release is her duo with saxophonist
Stephen Gauci, one of the many Pandemic Duets herecorded during lockdown, and she can also be heard
on the William Parker boxed set The Migration of Silence
Into and Out of the Tone World (AUM Fidelity). Though
Rosenbloom has long focused on her own ensembles,
she also makes time to perform with another noted
William: drummer Hooker, whom she described ashaving “this big, strong personality and he lets you
have it. The way he booms into the room is just like hisdrumming. William is a life-force.” Violist Melanie
Dyer has become another recent partner, one she calls,“sustenance, even when on Zoom,” as is sopranosaxophonist Sam Newsome, with whom she’s
performed in a trio with drummer Andrew Drury.
Rosenbloom is plotting a variety of performances,
but is excited about her first as a headliner at the Vision
Festival with Flyways. “We are going on just before
Oliver Lake!” she expressed with perhaps feigned,
though understandable anxiety. “No pressure there!” v

AMALGAMAMALGAM IS A
CHICAGO-BASED,ARTIST-RUN COLLECTIVE
DEDICATED TO
SHOWCASING WORKS OF
EXPERIMENTAL AND
IMPROVISED MUSIC IN
CHICAGO AND ELSEWHERE.

AMALGAMUSIC.ORG

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 7

ENCORE

PAUL VAN
GYSEGEMby andrey henkin
Discography, while a noble pursuit, is, nonetheless, anincomplete one, trying to characterize a musician’s
career solely by the documents they leave behind,much like an archeologist attempting to recreate along-extinct society from shards of pottery and broken
tools. Absent more voluminous remains, that society—or musician—can only be sketched in the broadest of
strokes, lacking nuance and depth.
This preamble leads to Belgian bassist Paul Van
Gysegem, who, along with pianist Fred Van Hove,made up the small early coterie of free-minded players
in a country more known for traditional jazzers andfusioneers. Collectors of primordial European avant
garde jazz will know his name from his 1971 Futura LP
Aorta. Aficionados of obscure European film may befamiliar with Van Gysegem’s soundtrack (in duo withdrummer Calyer Duncan) to the 1970 Raoul Servais
short Goldframe. And intrepid YouTubers could havestumbled across the footage of Van Gysegem leadinga band with players from Aorta in tenor saxophonist
Nolle Neels, trumpeter Patrick De Groote andvibraphonist Ronald Le Court and American guests
Ambrose Jackson (trumpet), Steve Potts (saxophone)
and Kenneth Tyler (drums) in Belgium in 1972. Thennothing until an early ‘90s album and, in the last
decade-plus, a veritable flurry of recorded activity.
Well, as per the opening paragraph, not nothing but
plenty, just none of it documented, at least the music.
If one wants to see what Van Gysegem was up to in
the intervening decades, one needs to look at hisparallel career as a visual artist, though that adjective
understates the two disciplines’ interconnectivity.
“At the age of 12, I had a dream to become not only a‘master ’ in visual arts in a broad way—painting,making drawings and sculptures—but also to playmusic,” Van Gysegem says. “These two poles defined
my being to a large extent. In between my studies
I drew and painted intensively and also the world ofsound started to thrill me. So I bought a very cheap
study violin with my meager pocket money. At a daily
time I could try out my first improvised sounds, to thetorment of my family. There lies undoubtedly themeeting point between my music and my visual work.
It happened all rather spontaneously and by intuition.”
Van Gysegem’s work can be found in museums
and open spaces, stark geometric forms or abstract
portraiture or explorations of their nexus. His work isalso on his album covers, from Aorta to his most recent
release Square Talks (El Negocito, 2019), the latter witha piece from his “Scores” series. “The language I use in
my work comes close to the spirit and structure—theway of thinking—of the music I play,” Van Gysegem
says. “Not beautiful according to the being-in-vogue
and time bounded-standards of the aesthetica. My
building materials are tension, contrasts, questions andanswers, a dialogue between vulnerability, aggression
and tenderness…The piling up of forms, lines, colors
and notes and by doing so bring ‘something’ to life—that didn’t exist before—was a new experience for me.
It remains a constant challenge. Thus my playing music
and my art are all part of the same language; I am fully
alive to that when performing.”
As a performer, Van Gysegem feels an affinity“with the African and Afro-American jazz scene...
I love the real traditional blues, and also soul music.
Many gifted musicians such as Armstrong, Art Tatumor Ellington also contributed to the actual improvised
music.” He had the chance to perform with a widecross-section of Europe’s finest jazz players: Willem
Breuker, Willem Van Manen, Albert Mangelsdorff,
Gunter Hampel, Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg,
John Stevens and Derek Bailey and expatriates such as
Mal Waldron, Noël McGhie, Steve Potts and JeanneLee. Of Waldron, Van Gysegem says, “He had thisspecial magic drive, so essential in avant garde jazzmusic. He was a friend, brother and soulmate. From1970 until 1998 we had several concerts mostly in duo,
sometimes in trio with Noël McGhie, Kenneth Tyler or

Pierre Courbois on drums.”
As to why he didn’t record for so long, Van
Gysegem speaks simply and with no bitterness: “After
Aorta there were always concerts on a regular basis but
I lacked the support and somebody to take care of theorganizational and practical side, the management side,
so to speak. Besides I was busy in different other areas.”
Prior to the Square Talks album, Van Gysegem had
two other albums on El Negocito, the Ghent-based labelfounded by Rogé Verstraete in 2009. “The encounter
with Rogé meant a new turn in my musical career,” Van
Gysegem says. “A landmark was the big concert heorganized from the café ‘El Negocito’ Castel of theCounts in Ghent on Sep. 26th, 2009. It meant also thelaunch of his label... Rogé is a very remarkable anddynamic organizer. As an active pioneer in this difficult
branch he gives us the power to continue this fascinating
adventure. Thanks to him we had a lot of opportunities
to perform and to release the last three albums. I figured
also on the seventh album of El Negocito, Intersections
by the CO2 Quartet... Rogé has the capacity to move onin spite of many obstacles. He is steady and a real
support for a lot of musicians.” The recent albums havealso been notable as a return to music of Aorta’s De
Groote: “My journey with Patrick De Groote started in1966 when I asked him to become part of my free jazzgroup. Since our first meeting Patrick became a loyal
friend and when he resumed his musical career in 2006
we played again together. We have a common musicalconnection and there is a match. Concerning the music
we play we are on the same level.” v

achieve a gospel of ascendant sound.
Brooks was born in musically-spirited Detroit on
Mar. 9th, 1938, picking up musical knowledge primarily
through his mother, a church singer. He wasprecociously drumming at age three and although helater received a scholarship to the Detroit Institute ofTechnology, he abandoned his studies to tour with reedmaster and jazz innovator Yusef Lateef. Brooks claimed
he learned about drumming by “following the masters”.
In his youth he saw Lionel Hampton and Elvin Jones
play in Detroit, intently observing their work. He also
listened to and studied the techniques of greats Art
Blakey, Max Roach and Papa Jo Jones, among others.
Brooks spent 1959-64 with Horace Silver, playing
hardbop and jazz funk, appearing on Silver ’s classic
Blue Note album Song for My Father. Brooks relocatedto New York City and through the ‘60s-70s freelancedwith a large cast of jazz luminaries, which included
Sonny Stitt, Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker,
Junior Cook, Blue Mitchell, Pharoah Sanders, Wes
Montgomery, Dollar Brand, Jackie McLean, James
Moody, Charles Mingus and Milt Jackson.
Brooks released his first album, Beat, as a leader in1963 and in 1970 he issued The Free Slave with McBee
and Woody Shaw. He also joined Max Roach’s ensemble
M’Boom that year. In 1972, Brooks formed his own
ensemble, The Artistic Truth, and began moving moreheavily toward avant garde musical expression, which
for him also encompassed political and educational

initiatives. Brooks, as a straightahead drummer, wasalready known for a driving style, offbeats anddramatic cymbal effects; now he became focused onwider possibilities of percussion, especially within
Afrocentric forms.
He returned to Detroit in 1977 and establisheda jazz education center for young people as well as theAboriginal Percussion Choir, an ensemble devoted toplaying non-Western percussion instruments. He also
gigged regularly with pianists Kenny Cox and Harold
McKinney and with reedplayer Wendell Harrison;with these three musicians he founded M.U.S.I.C.
(Musicians United to Save Indigenous Culture).
In the ‘80s, Brooks descended deeper into his
struggles with mental health, often going off his
medication. He’d been exhibiting increasingly bizarre
behavior on and off stage and had begun using lithium
to regulate his moods. He was institutionalized briefly
in 1994 and grew increasingly erratic and violent
during the ‘90s, so much so that in 2000 he wassentenced to a four-year prison term for assault. After
his release, he entered a Detroit nursing home, passing
away on Nov. 15th, 2005. In 2011, Roy Brooks & the
Improvisational Sphere—Live At Lelli’s (an Italianrestaurant in Detroit) was released on Italian label
Sagittarius A-Star.
Last month, Reel to Real Records issued
Understanding, an archival recording of a 1970 concert
					(CONTINUED ON PAGE 30)

For more information, visit elnegocitorecords.com
Recommended Listening:• Paul Van Gysegem Sextet—Aorta (Futura, 1971)• Paul Van Gysegem, Roel Richelieu Van Londersele—
H-Ambitieus (Honest Arts Movement, 1991-92)• CO2 Quartet—Intersections (El Negocito, 2010)• Patrick De Groote/Chris Joris/Paul Van Gysegem—
Boundless (El Negocito, 2015-16)• Paul Van Gysegem—3+3 (El Negocito, 2015-16)• Paul Van Gysegem Quintet—Square Talks(El Negocito, 2019)

LEST WE FORGETROY
BROOKSby marilyn lester
Detroit-based drummer Roy Brooks has been gone for16 years, but his legacy remains vivid. He was talented,
creative, innovative, eccentric and ultimately troubled.
Bipolar disorder not only blocked him from achieving
the fame he deserved, but tragically ended his career.
Brooks was a leader, but mostly a sideman, playing
with the crème de la crème of the jazz world. Those
alive today who worked with him, such as bassists
Reggie Workman and Cecil McBee, alto saxophonist
Charles McPherson and fellow drummer Louis Hayes
all have remembered him in interviews with admiration
and respect for his talents.
Brooks ultimately was driven to find a musicaltruth and in the process sought unorthodox ways toachieve it. He played the musical saw, for instance, andinvented the “breath-a-tone”, a device that allowed
him to change the pitch of his drums as he played. Asa self-described “Mystical Afronaut”, he took pride in
his intense singular focus on the use of percussion to

8 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

L ABEL SPOTLIGHTGAUCIMUSICby eric wendell“My music is extremely honest...that’s the power,”says Stephen Gauci, saxophonist and founder of theeponymous label Gaucimusic. Gauci’s robust tone andworkhorse mindset is truthfully original andunparalleled even in a modern scene rife with immense
talent. Said tone has graced many a stage and recordingwith guitarist Nels Cline, drummer Tyshawn Sorey
and bassist William Parker, just a few of the esteemed
improvisers that have showcased his talent.
New-York-born-and-bred Gauci began playing thetenor saxophone after being influenced by thecompilation album Tenors Anyone?, which featured
Wardell Gray, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and Paul
Quinichette. “I used to listen to this album in mybedroom with the lights off [at night] when I was 15.
It felt to me like ‘déjà vu’, like I already knew thelanguage, but had to remember how to speak it. And
I pretty much decided then and there that I had torelearn that language before I could do anything else.
And that set the course of my life going forward,”
states Gauci.
After having recorded albums as a leader forseveral labels (including Clean Feed, Not Two andCadence), Gauci decided to start his own in order tohave more control over the releasing of his music.
As Gauci puts it, “the problem with record labels ingeneral is that every time I want to release something
I have to ask someone else. It’s absurd.”

In addition to showcasing Gauci’s music, one ofthe pillars of Gaucimusic is documenting Brooklyn’s
improvised music scene with emphasis on capturing
music in live settings. Gauci states, “I especially want
to focus on live recordings. Even when they are studiorecordings, they’re generally live in the studio. No
isolation or anything. I feel that music comes out of theground one stands on. In other words, ‘all music is‘local’ or ‘organic’. The label represents/documents areal thing that is happening in a real place. This is why
I’m not all that interested in studio recordings. In
a studio we’re trying to do something. Gaucimusic
isn’t trying to do something. It’s documenting a realthing that happens in a real place.”
One of the hallmarks of Gauci’s output as amusician is the weekly Bushwick Series, which started
in May 2017. Gauci began it after having gone througha period of disillusionment with the New York City
jazz scene. After the death of a close friend, Gauci
knew that time was fragile and if he needed to makea change he would have to do so as soon as possible.
Gauci expands on this by stating, “My friend’s
death spurred me into immediate action and I started
scoping out venues for my new idea, the Bushwick
Series. Life is short and there is no tomorrow, there is
only now. My concept for the Bushwick Series was that
it would be a hybrid performance series. Hybrid
because I wanted it to have the vibe and inclusivenessof a jazz jam session, where musicians perform but
they also hang out all night and check out othermusicians. It’s a cross-pollination atmosphere. And
I also wanted the series to have the elements of aconcert where each group presents its own stuff.”
Frequent collaborator drummer Kevin Shea

Studio Sessions Vol. 1
Cooper-Moore/Stephen Gauci

Live at the Bushwick Series
Gauci/Ewen/Lane/Shea

Studio Sessions Vol. 1
Stephen Gauci/Sandy Ewen

expands on the importance of the Bushwick Series andGauci’s dedication to showcasing improvised music bystating, “As part of his Bushwick Music series, we’ve
improvised together maybe 125 shows in the last couple
years, mostly as a house trio with bassist Adam Lane,so we feel comfortable trusting the sonic process...weare all open to it. I’ve seen Gauci book all the weeklyshows with six different sets of music a night, carry thegear, set up all the equipment and lights, run the door,
book recording sessions, start a label, press and promote
CDs...after all that he shreds the sax. I wish I had half of
his energy. I’m grateful for what he is doing as I havebeen exposed to so many inspiring musicians over thelast few years at his series.”
Such releases include 2019’s Gauci/Ewen/Lane/
Shea, Live at the Bushwick Series with Gauci, Lane, Shea
and guitarist Sandy Ewen and 2019’s Live at the Bushwick
Series, from guitarist Chris Welcome leading an octet
including trumpeter Jaimie Branch and trombonist Ben
Gerstein. In his four-out-of-five-star review for
AllAboutJazz.com, critic Mark Corroto stated, “Everyone
gets a turn to raise the pillars and posts of this building.
But even when things get noisy, there is a coherence tothe music, even as it gets weird.”
When COVID-19 shut down all performances in
New York City, Gauci sought to fight the good fight,
resulting in what he has dubbed the Pandemic Duets.
Each release sees Gauci performing with a different
artist. 13 have been released since November 2020,
Including with pianists Mara Rosenbloom and Matthew
Shipp, bassists Michael Bisio and Ken Filiano anddrummers Gerald Cleaver and Jeff Davis.
Gauci states, “I started planning the pandemic
					(CONTINUED ON PAGE 30)

Pandemic Duets
Mara Rosenbloom/Stephen Gauci

Pandemic Duets
Kevin Shea/Stephen Gauci

VOXNEWS

GREEN SHOOTS
by suzanne lorge

Samara Joy McLendon won the Sarah VaughanInternational Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019, just a
few months before the clubs closed, the tours stopped
and the music industry went into freefall. McLendon
was then in her junior year as a jazz studies major at
SUNY-Purchase and when she graduated this pastspring, she had her debut album ready for release andsome summer touring lined up. Out of the scorchedearth of the pandemic, such green shoots signal a
return to something resembling normal. At last. Bronxborn McLendon tackles a dozen standards on the newalbum, Samara Joy, a multi-platform release (Jul. 9th)by British indie label Whirlwind. For this all-important
record she chose a guitar-based trio (Pasquale Grasso,
bassist Ari Roland and drummer Kenny Washington),an aptly delicate setting for her rich-hued voice andintuitive delivery of Songbook classics like “The
Trouble with Me Is You”, “But Beautiful” and“Everything Happens to Me”. The album comes out
during the European leg of McLendon’s summer tour
(London and Paris with Grasso’s trio, followed by the
Umbria Jazz Festival with the Emmet Cohen Trio). She
returns to the States for the New York release concert—

both live-streamed and in person—at The Jazz Gallery(Jul. 15th), followed by gigs in several East Coast cities
in the days following. That McLendon has been able toinitiate her young career during the pandemic speaks
volumes not only about her abilities as a singer but
also about her grounding as an artist.
As the 2019 Vaughan award winner, McLendon
was invited to perform at the 2020 edition of thecompetition. The date of the contest, originally slated
for November 2020, had moved once or twice before
landing on Jun. 6th of this year. This deferral wasn’t
the only change to business as usual, however. First,
sponsor New Jersey Performing Arts Center allowed
only a limited audience to attend in person and thewhole show was broadcast live online. Further, thisyear the judges decided to split the top prize between
two singers—a rarity for competitions of any sort.
Gabrielle Cavassa, from Louisiana, and Tawanda
Suessbrich-Joaquim, from New Mexico, tied for first,
with New York’s Benny Benack III, a singer/
trumpeter, coming in third and Philadelphia singer/
trombonist Hailey Brinnel coming in fourth. Thanks
to the event’s pandemic-driven technical workarounds,
however, you can see (and hear) a replay of the entire
competition via the NJPAC website, another departurefrom the norm. Make sure to take in McLendon and
Grasso’s preview of two tunes from the new album—asmoothly rueful “Stardust” and crisp rendition of the
Swing era favorite, “Jim”—at the end of the video. For

jazz singers inspired to follow McLendon’s lead, notethat the cutoff for submissions to this year ’s competitionis Sep. 7th. The Sassy Awards, now scheduled for Nov.
14th, celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
More immediately, those languishing with pentup demand for live music will relish the enormous
outpouring of vocal talent this month: bebop master
Sheila Jordan fronts her duo with Cameron Brown at
Soapbox Gallery (Jul. 1st) and at Pangea (Jul. 7th);
Karrin Allyson appears at Jazz Forum Arts (Jul.
2nd-3rd); Jocelyn Medina is at Rockwood Music Hall
(Jul. 7th); Allan Harris at Birdland (Jul. 8th-10th);Paul Jost performs at Soapbox Gallery (Jul. 13th),
followed by Anne Cowherd (Jul. 15th); Tessa Souterjoins pianist Luis Perdomo at Pangea (Jul. 21st);
Dianne Reeves (cohost for the upcoming Sassy
Awards) takes to the 92nd Street Y Jazz in July stage
with the Bill Charlap Trio (Jul. 27th); and Lisa Fischer
plays the Blue Note Jazz Festival (Jul. 22nd-24th).
Finally, Judy Wexler’s deft reworkings of iconic‘60s songs on Back to the Garden (Jewel City Jazz),
released last month, deliver a much-appreciatedantidote for worrisome times. With tunes by the likes
of Bob Dylan, The Youngbloods, Buffalo Springfield,
Joni Mitchell and Carole King, the album’s overarchingmessages of “love, hope and change” are just as
relevant today as they were 50 years ago, Wexler statesin her EPK. For those outside of L.A., her CD release
will air live from Feinstein’s at Vitello’s (Jul. 31st). v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 9

IN MEMORIAM

CURTISFULLERby andrey henkin

JEFF CHAMBERS (Apr. 2nd, 1955 May 18th, 2021) The bassist was active
since the ‘70s in the bands of Buddy
Montgomery,
Bobby
Hutcherson,
Charlie Rouse, Mary Stallings, Jeanie
Bryson, Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Harris,
Mel Martin, Eddie Marshall, Gonzalo
Rubalcaba, Ahmad Jamal and Calvin Keys and as amember of the cooperative band Bebop & Beyond with
albums on Concord and Bluemoon. Chambers diedMay 18th at 66.

ALAN NAHIGIANBOB EDMONDSON (Mar. 5th, 1935 May 29th, 2021) The trombonist wasa longtime member of the Harry James
Orchestra and Herb Alpert’s Tijuana
Brass to go along with credits under
Terry Gibbs, Eric Dolphy, Gerald
Wilson, Shelly Manne, Benny Goodman,
Les McCann, Clare Fischer, Dizzy Gillespie and Shorty
Rogers. Edmondson died May 29th at 86.

Curtis Fuller, trombonist who was the last surviving

member of John Coltrane’s 1957 Blue Train album andled numerous albums since the late ‘50s as well as had
hundreds of sideman credits, died May 8th at 88.
Fuller was born Dec. 15th, 1932 in Detroit. His
father died before he was born and his mother when he
was nine so Fuller was raised in a Jesuit orphanage. He
began studying trombone while attending thelegendary Cass Tech High School, where his particularclass of future jazz stars included Donald Byrd andPaul Chambers. J.J. Johnson was a formative influenceon the young Fuller. As he told our own Russ Musto in
2008, “I heard J.J. on the recording with Charlie Parker,‘Quasimodo’, and then I saw him later... I was in theorphanage. I saw him coming out there playing with
Illinois Jacquet.”
After serving in the army, Fuller returned to
Detroit and joined Yusef Lateef’s band. This was his
ticket to New York in 1957, a banner year with his firstrecords made for Prestige and Blue Note and sideman
work with Pepper Adams, Clifford Jordan, Paul
Quinichette, Lee Morgan, John Jenkins, Sonny Clark
and, most notably, Coltrane’s sole date for Blue Note.
The rest of the decade would see more leader dates forBlue Note, United Artists and Savoy and appearanceswith Blue Mitchell, Wilbur Harden, Abbey Lincoln,
Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Smith, Machito, Gil Evans,
Benny Golson and Art Farmer.
Another major year for Fuller was 1961, when hejoined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. As he told Musto,“I ran into him all the time. He was always there
checking, because Lee Morgan had put the bug in his
ear... Miles, everybody had told him, J.J., everybody...He just came to me one night, ‘I want you in theband...You got any music? Tell me you write. Writea song, we’re going into the studio next week.”
Those sessions would become an eponymous Impulse
record and Fuller ’s song was “Alamode”. Fuller would
work with Blakey through 1964, contributing tunes
like “Arabia”, “Three Blind Mice”, “Time Off”,“Bu’s Delight”, “Little Hughie”, “The Egyptian” and“The High Priest” to the book and returning throughout
the decades for allstar reunions.
Fuller ’s post-Blakey period of 1965-2012 hadalbums for Regent, Roulette, Epic, Warwick, Savoy,
Impulse, Status, United Artists, CBS/Sony, Mainstream,
Timeless, Bee Hive, Sonet, Capri and other labels andmore sideman credits with Philly Joe Jones, Dave
Bailey, Bob Brookmeyer, Jimmy Heath, Jackie McLean,
Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Art Farmer, Phil Woods,
Buddy DeFranco, Hank Mobley, Houston Person,
Wayne Shorter, Charles Tolliver, Albert Heath, Count
Basie, Walter Bishop, Jr., Stanley Turrentine, Dexter
Gordon, Woody Shaw, Cecil Payne, the Paris Reunion
Band and others.

PETER HOLLINGER (1954 - May 31st,2021) The German drummer had his
own and collaborative albums since theearly ‘80s on FMP, View, Creative Works,
Victo, Kip, Unit, ATM, Vexed and Think
Progressive—two with countryman
drummer Mani Neumeier—and credits
under Jon Rose, Mia Zabelka, Heiner Goebbels andAlfred Harth. Hollinger died May 31st at 67.
HANS KENNEL (Apr. 30th, 1939 - May
14th, 2021) The Swiss trumpeter was inModern Jazz Group Freiburg, Jazz RockExperience, Magog and a couple of Steve
Lacy bands and had many of his own
albums since the mid ‘60s on
Plainisphare, hatART, TCB, Leo, Creative
Works and Sonorama. Kennel died May 14th at 82.
ALAIN KIRILI (Aug. 29th, 1946 - May
19th, 2021) The French sculptor ’s NYC
loft hosted many jazz concerts and his
work was both on the covers of albums
by Steve Lacy, Borah Bergman/Roscoe
Mitchell and Jérôme Bourdellon/
Thomas Buckner and the environment
for recordings by Billy Bang, William Parker, Joseph
Jarman, Daniel Carter, Roy Campbell, Sabir Mateen
and Leena Conquest. Kirili died May 19th at 74.
BOB KOESTER (Oct. 30th, 1932 - May
12th, 2021) The Chicago jazz stalwart
was on both sides of the mercantile
equation as owner of what would
become the Jazz Record Mart from 1958
into the new millennium and founderof Delmark Records, which was
instrumental in documenting early efforts of membersof the AACM such as Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony
Braxton, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Maurice
McIntyre; Windy City totems Kahil El’Zabar, Fred
Anderson, George and Von Freeman, Ira Sullivan andMalachi Thompson; and a whole new generation ofChicagoans in Josh Abrams, Jason Ajemian, Josh
Berman, Frank Catalano, Keefe Jackson, Rob Mazurek,
Nicole Mitchell, Jeff Parker, Frank Rosaly, Jason Steinand Corey Wilkes. Koester died May 12th at 88.
STAN McDONALD (Aug. 28th, 1935 May 2021) The saxophonist/clarinetist
was an original member of the Black
Eagle Jazz Band from the early ‘70s-early‘80s, appearing on albums made for
G.H.B., Fat Cat’s Jazz and the group’s
own imprint, and later founded the Blue
Horizon Jazz Band. McDonald died in May at 85.

10 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDMARIO PAVONE (Nov. 11th, 1940 May 15th, 2021) The bassist was an active
leader in the new millennium, releasingnearly a dozen albums for Playscape andClean Feed, this after a smattering ofdates in the ‘70s-90s for Alacra, New
World, Music & Arts and Knitting
Factory Works, all complementing sideman work since
the late ‘60s with Paul Bley, Alan Silva, Bobby Naughton,
Thomas Chapin, Bill Dixon, Creative Improvisers
Orchestra, Anthony Braxton, Peter McEachern and Patty
Waters. Pavone died May 15th at 80.
NORMAN SIMMONS (Oct. 6th, 1929 May 13th, 2021) The pianist had albums
on Argo, Spotlite, Milljac Pub Co.,
Savant and Sound Hills since the mid‘50s and credits under Red Rodney,
Johnny Griffin, Dakota Staton, Carmen
McRae, Red Holloway, Betty Carter,
Roy Eldridge, Harold Ousley, Anita O’Day, Helen
Humes, Joe Williams, Junko Mine, Harold Ashby, Al
Grey, Philip Harper, Frank Wess, Scott Hamilton, Jay
Leonhart, Carol Sloane and others. Simmons died May
13th at 91.
W. ROYAL STOKES (Jun. 27th, 1930 May 1st, 2021) The jazz critic was editorof Jazz Notes and JazzTimes, contributing
writer to The Washington Post andauthor of books The Jazz Scene, Swing
Era New York, Living the Jazz Life andGrowing Up With Jazz as well as liner
notes for albums on Soul Note, Concord, Black Saint,Blue Bird, MusicMasters and Alfa Music. Stokes diedMay 1st at 90. v

180g audiophile vinyl collection

G1008
Ben Webster
My ManG1059
Nat Adderley
Don’t Look Back

G1085
Cedar WaltonFirst Set

G1113
Cedar Walton
Second Set

G1140
Boulou & Elios Ferré
Gypsy Dreams

G1169
Archie Shepp
Mama Rose

G1011
Duke Jordan
Flight To Denmark

G1073/4
Stan Getz
Live at Montmartre (2LP)
set)

G1087
Monnette Sudler
Brighter Days For You

G1122
Chet Baker
The Touch Of Your Lips

G1142
Chet Baker
Daybreak

G1179
Cedar Walton
Third Set

G1029
Tete Montoliu
Tete!

G1079 Archie Shepp &Horace Parlan
Goin’ Home

G1090
Dexter Gordon
Swiss Nights vol. 2

G1125 Niels-HenningØrsted Pedersen
Dancing On The Tables

G1149 Archie Shepp & NielsHenning Ørsted Pedersen
Looking at Bird

G1180 Chet Baker
Someday My Prince Will
Come

G1033
Clifford Jordan
Firm Roots

G1080
Dexter Gordon
Biting The AppleG1097
Sam Jones
Visitation

G1131 Chet Baker& Duke Jordan
No Problem

G1164
Shirley HornViolets For Your Furs

G1186
Johnny Dyani
Afrika

G1050
Dexter Gordon
Swiss Nights vol. 1

G1081
Sheila Jordan
Sheila

G1110
Dexter Gordon
Swiss Nights vol. 3

G1136
Dexter Gordon
Something Different

G1168
Chet Baker
This Is Always

G1207
Chet Baker & Paul Bley
Diane

US Distribution:

G1055 Niels-HenningØrsted Pedersen & Sam
Jones Double Bass

G1083 Niels-HenningØrsted Pedersen
Trio 1

G1111
Shirley Horn
A Lazy Afternoon

G1139 Archie Shepp &Horace Parlan
Trouble In Mindwww.statesidemusic.com
info@statesidemusic.com(843) 455 6499

ALBUM REVIEWS

New LoveCharnett Moffett (Motéma Music)
by Alex Henderson

Bassist Charnett Moffett has been making a name forhimself as early as 1983 when he was featured on
saxophonist Branford Marsalis’ Scenes in the City andhis first album as a leader, Net Man, was released byBlue Note in 1987. Over the years, Moffett has made it
abundantly clear that he had no desire to play one typeof jazz exclusively and he effortlessly moves between
genres on this diverse recording, which finds him
sticking to his originals and the electric bass. Moffett’s
accompaniment includes Motéma founder Jana Herzen
on guitar, Corey Garcia or Malick Koly on drums andIrwin Hall on tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
and alto flute. The latter only appears on half of theselections but has room to stretch out.
New Love gets off to an exuberant, almost giddy
start with “Swinging in the Realms”, which has a
boppish melody. The album takes a moodier turn with
“We Remember” and “Today” and Moffett moves into
the electric avant garde realm with the dissonant“Higher Dimensions”. The fusion offering “Flying in
the Air” hints at Weather Report and “ETQ” has anmood that suggests the music of Ethiopia and Mali.
New Love includes a vocal-oriented section at theend of the CD: “Rejoice”, “Spirit & Bride Song”, “Lovefor the People” and the title track, all with a very
spiritual quality and Moffett showing himself to be acapable singer. “Spirit & Bride Song” has a strong
reggae influence while the title track and “Rejoice”
bring jazz overtones to a blend of soul and rock.
Back in 1984-85, some jazz critics were hailing
Moffett as an important contributor to the hardbop/
postbop revival movement known as the Young Lions.
But from Net Man on it was evident that Moffett wasinterested in much more than that and his eclectic
nature continues to serve him well on New Love.
For more information, visit motema.com. Moffett livestreams Jun. 30th-Jul. 2nd and Jul. 25th at yoshis.com.

Cool Water
Greg Murphy (Whaling City Sound)by Russ Musto

The followup to his chart-topping Bright Idea reunites

keyboard player Greg Murphy with bassist Eric
Wheeler and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts on a genreleaping program bolstered by a host of guests.
The trio kicks things off with an arrangement of“Chim-Chim-Cher-ee”, which clearly identifies Murphy
as an accomplished McCoy Tyner acolyte while also
demonstrating each player’s strength as both soloist
and accompanist. Ku-umba Frank Lacy joins on vocals
for a powerful rendition of Steely Dan hit “Green
Earrings”, which also features a rocking David Kikoski
synthesizer solo. Murphy’s soulful “My Life” adds
Cameroonian vocalist Kaïssa Doumbe Moulongo, who

harmonizes a vocal chorus borrowed from Roy Ayers’“Everybody Loves The Sunshine” with Lacy and thensolos wordlessly and in her native Duala language. The
trio charges straightahead on Murphy’s “Theme For
Ronnie” and then grooves on his “Friendship”, joinedby Kikoski and vibraphonist Bill Ware.
Murphy’s “Free Fur Nina”, a dedication to his
feline pet, is a flowing free improvisation by the trio andhis “Enkare Nairobi”, inspired by a 2019 trip to Kenya,
opens and closes with the recorded voices of the Maasai
women chorus’ greeting song sung upon his United
Nations-sponsored arrival. In between we hear thebuoyant flute of T.K. Blue and vibrant Moulongo singing
her loosely translated interpretation of the song’s words
in Duala. Stirring arco and lyrical pizzicato bass, alongwith romance-drenched pianisms and finessed brush
work, are featured on the trio’s interpretation of Johnny
Green-Edward Heyman-Robert Sour-Frank Eyton’s“Body And Soul”, combining John Coltrane and George
Coleman’s arrangements of the classic ballad.
The band, with Lacy on vocals and Marc Cary’s
synthesizer augmenting Murphy’s keyboards gets
funky on The Isley Brothers’ “Coolin’ Me Out”, then
the trio stretches out acoustically on Wayne Shorter ’s
beautiful “Lost” and Murphy’s hard-hitting “Cuttin’
Trane Corners”, combining melodic segments offormer boss Rashied Ali’s “Cuttin’ Corners” andColtrane’s “Miles’ Mode”. Murphy shows his mettle as
an R&B composer to close: dancing “You Decide” hasLacy and Moulongo on respective lead and background
vocals singing his love song lyric.

a prog-rock ethos via intense passages and broad
instrumental scope. These contrast with pleasing
primeval features, as on the ethereal “Rustling Trees”,
which is a wash of sound standing apart from the fiery
opener. Closer “Dawn” signals a laidback bluesy new
beginning gathering strength by way of Eric Clapton/Frank Zappa-kindred guitar phrasing. But in the end
complete resolution is elusive and the session’s angst
is the apprehension that, although its music succeeds
magnificently, doom may await its subject matter.
For more information, visit jeremycarlstedt.bandcamp.com.
Nilsson and Carlstedt are at Bushwick Public House Jul.
12th. See Calendar.

For more information, visit whalingcitysound.com. Murphy
is at Let Love Inn Jul. 8th with Lawrence Clark, Lorenzo’sJul. 10th, 11th, 17th and 24th, Riverbank State Park Jul.
18th with Ray Blue and Dana Discovery Center Jul. 25th
with Harlem Blues & Jazz Band. See Calendar.

Godejohann—A.R.K.: Music By
R KarlEndangered Species (JazzHausMusik)e •• Bugpowder—Cage
Tennis (Trytone)
Cranes: Matthias Müller/Eve Risser/
c Christian Marien—Formation < Deviation(Relative Pitch)o • Hearth(Susana Santos Silva, Mette Rasmussen,
Ada Rave, Kaja Draksler)—Melt (Clean Feed)m • Julian Lage—Squint (Blue Note)
Lossing/Gerry Hemingway—m • Russ
Twice (Aqua Piazza)
Parker—Mayan Space Statione • William(AUM Fidelity)
Pizzarelli—Better Days Ahead (Solon • John
Guitar Takes on Pat Metheny)d (Ghostlight Deluxe)
Schweizer/Hamid Drake—e • Irène
Celebration (Intakt)
Nina Simone—The Montreux Years (BMG)d •Laurence
Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor• Andreas Kaling/Reinhold Westerheide/..This Earth
The Why (s/r)
by Elliott Simon

This is the debut release from The Why, the duo of

guitarist Anders Nilsson and drummer Jeremy
Carlstedt. It quickly puts the listener on notice that tosave the planet there needs to be a change of epic
proportion. Similar to the iconic beginning andconclusion of “The End” (The Doors, Elektra, 1967),
a hypnotic pattern with an ancient feel announces andechoes that the “Sunset” of our existence has begun.
However, here the analogous apocalyptic message,brilliantly delivered by a slashing psychedelic guitar/
drums repartée, serves as opener rather than closer.
Carlstedt is both articulate and aggressive, using
textural and timbral nuance to state his opinions boldly
whereas Nilsson’s broader arsenal summons all mannerof mind-blowing sounds; together they make for great
conversation. Like all accomplished jazz drummers,
Carlstedt adapts to his surroundings and in this intimate
setting he is exceptional. He carries a hefty rhythmic
load, allowing Nilsson to brandish his chops on several
heavy blues/rock-infused cuts. After “Sunset”, Nilsson
leans on filthy riffs drenched in acid for a short “Clean”,
which Carlstedt’s steady hand keeps on course.
A very personal statement, the session is a twoperson journey that explores old patterns while
discovering new ones as it searches for answers
through improvisation. Compact and economical,
short by today’s standards, aspects still engender

12 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDn • [Ahmed]—Nights on Saturn(communication) (Astral Spirits)e • DonCherry—The Summer House Sessions(Blank Forms)
w • Todd
Cochran—Then and Again, Here and
r
e
l
e
a
s
e
s

Now (Sunnyside)• Harold Danko—Spring Garden(SteepleChase)• Fire!—Defeat (Rune Grammofon)• Stephan Goldbach—Transit(JazzHausMusik)• Johnny Hodges—13 Mars 1961 (Live inParis) (Fremeaux & Associes)• Masabumi Kikuchi—Hanamichi (The Final
Studio Recording) (Red Hook)• Joe Lovano—Garden of Expression (ECM)• Michael Wollny, Emile Parisien,
Tim Lefebvre, Christian Lillinger—
XXXX (ACT Music)
Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director

Brooklyn Mischiefs
Michaël Attias/Simon Nabatov (Leo)by John Sharpe

W hilethe Coronavirus pandemic has beencatastrophic for musicians’ livelihoods, there has beenoccasional compensation in the opportunity to takestock and reflect. With little scope for new liaisons,pianist Simon Nabatov unearthed from his archive this2014 encounter with alto saxophonist Michaël Attias at
Brooklyn’s Ibeam, now deservedly issued by Leo
Records. Although Russian-born Nabatov studied in
the U.S., much of his time in recent years has beenspent in his adopted homeland of Germany. But he’s
never lost touch with the forward-looking New York
scene and after a long pause he’s been making regular
return trips, with this set just adding to the mounting
evidence documenting a fertile connection.
The 53-minute program presents a first meeting ofplayers with an innate lyricism, who, nonetheless, deal
in more than merely one suit. That’s immediately
obvious in the opening “Glimpses & Tangles”, whichquickly moves from mercurial interaction to thoseplaces that can sometimes take years to reach. With his
virtuosic chops, Nabatov provides a rich harmonicframework for Attias to work against. He punctuates
his melodic stream with sudden suspensions, rhythmic

N

U

EW

SE
D

236 West 26 Street, Room 804
New York, NY 10001
Monday-Saturday, 10:00-6:00
Tel: 212-675-4480
Fax: 212-675-4504
Email: jazzrecordcenter@verizon.net
Web: jazzrecordcenter.com
LP’s, CD, Videos (DVD/VHS),Books, Magazines, Posters,
Postcards, T-shirts,
Calendars, Ephemera
Buy, Sell, Trade
Collections bought
and/or appraised
Also carrying specialist labels
e.g. Criss Cross, ECM, Enja, ESP,
Fresh Sound, High Note, Pi, Savant,Sunnyside, Venus and many more.

motifs and frequent excursions into the piano interiorbut, whatever the gambit, Attias responds, utilizing alitany of expression, whether querulous wheezes,
bright calisthenic runs or multiphonic shading.
While both sport an adventurous streak, there’s
still room for the love of a tune. On “Gowanus By
Night” a textural exchange of rubbed strings, harplike
plucks and wavering overtones morphs into a repeatedprogression from Nabatov and what ensues is either anuncredited standard or perhaps simply an adroit
extemporization. But that’s followed by an explicit nod
to the tradition on “Languid/The Spinning Song” assome more wayward dialogue slowly coalesces into aloose rendition of the Herbie Nichols classic, by turns
playful, flamboyant and heartfelt. The joy of creation
leaps out of every pit and pore of this disc.
For more information, visit leorecords.com. Attias is at
Bushwick Public House Jul. 12th. See Calendar.

Turnpike Diaries, Volume 1
Tony Malaby (s/r)
by Brian Charette

Tony Malaby’s new album is actually a field recording.

In the most difficult months of the pandemic, the tenor/
soprano saxophonist started playing sessions under aturnpike bridge close to where he lives in New Jersey.
These grew in frequency and started to attract theattention of other like-minded souls. This first volume
has an interesting lineup of double reeds and basses,
Malaby joined by alto saxophonist Tim Berne and thebass chairs filled by Mark Helias and Michael Formanek.
The group is anchored by drummer Ches Smith, whouses the steel structure as part of his sonic palette.
On opener “Los Jefes”, the horns feel each other out
incounterpoint
andspontaneously
composecountermelodies and atmospheric pads reminiscent of
low-frequency oscillated analog synths. Smith, withcrisp cymbal accents, is constantly stirring but always
appropriate. They begin together but split into smaller
pairings as the piece progresses. The doubled instruments
often serve as foils for each other: one saxophone islyrical while the other is more angular; one bass plucks,
the other bows. Smith’s rim shot ‘thwap’ echoes under
the structure as Malaby and Berne cross in found soundharmony. An occasional surprise unison from the horns
will go right through you. Dueling bass solos serve up a
lovely texture. Overblown harmonics get a plucky
bassline speeding up and slowing down over buzzypress rolls and side stick cymbal hits. The variety ofsaxophone sounds is astonishing; round classical tones
morph effortlessly into circular breathing multiphonics,
wails of some mythical creature.
The other track, “Slap Happy”, is more staccatowith cymbal dings and cross-stick fills. Saxophones pop
and bleep against each other while basses meander in amode. The reeds drift in and out of short solo statements
against a subtle no-beat breakbeat. The melodies slow toatmospheric pads as Smith punctuates and fades. There’s
a section five minutes in which could be a classical étude
except for the high-pitched squeals that feint and tease.
This is a highly organized set of free musicdelivered with tremendous focus. A must for listeners
craving long-form improvisation with brilliant control.
For more information, visit tonymalaby.bandcamp.com.
Malaby is at Bushwick Public House Jul. 12th and 26th,
Barbès Jul. 21st and Vision Festival Jul. 24th. See Calendar.

UNEARTHED GEM

Westward Bound!
Harold Land (Reel to Real)by Dan Bilawsky

The Penthouse—a Seattle club that presented manyof the best passing through the Pacific Northwest
for approximately seven years in the ‘60s—isnothing but a distant memory. Yet it is still managing
to draw attention through a trickle of previously
unreleased recordings.
Engineer and DJ Jim Wilke captured and aired
many a show from that nightspot during a weekly
radio broadcast for KING-FM in that era and today,
some 50-plus years later, a pair of preservationminded labels have been digging into that treasure
trove in order to bring some of the music to light.
Resonance Records released two sets in 2017—
Smokin’ in Seattle, centered on the work of the
Wynton Kelly Trio and Wes Montgomery, andGroovin’ Hard, showcasing The Three Sounds
featuring Gene Harris—and Reel to Real followedwith a Cannonball Adderley collection (Swingin’ in
Seattle) and a two-tenor summit starring Johnny
Griffin and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (Ow!). The latter
imprint, sticking to saxophonists who played The
Penthouse, now turns its attention to Harold Land.
With three different performances brought
together in one beautiful package, containing liner
essays from noted jazz pundits (including album
co-producers Zev Feldman and Cory Weeds) andinsightful transcribed interviews with saxophoneheavies Sonny Rollins and Joe Lovano, Westward
Bound! offers new reasons to celebrate anunderappreciated tenor titan who left this plane 20
years ago this month. Opening on a hit from
December 1962, Land is in excellent form right fromthe start. Sharing the frontline with trumpeter
Carmell Jones and working with the rhythm team of
pianist
Buddy
Montgomery,bassistMonk
Montgomery and drummer Jimmy Lovelace, he hits
the ground running with his original “Vendetta”.
Then the quintet settles into a medium-up swing
feel for Jones’ “Beep Durple” and bounds along
through another Land original, “Happily Dancing/
Deep Harmonies Falling”.
The remaining tracks find Land with quartets,retaining the services of Monk Montgomery but
swapping out personnel in the other rhythm seats.
Pianist Hampton Hawes and drummer Mel Lee areon board for a classy, cooking take on the Richard
Rodgers-Lorenz Hart standard “My Romance” andLand’s bright and bluesy “Triplin’ the Groove”
captured in September 1964 and pianist John Houston
and drummer Philly Joe Jones are in the band and in
the zone for four numbers from August 1965:
a lengthy version of Joseph Kosma-Jacques PrévertJohnny Mercer’s “Autumn Leaves”; gorgeous readingof Alec Wilder-William Engvick’s “Who Can I Turn
To?”; heated workout on Jones’ “Beau-ty”; and pithy
close-out with Dizzy Gillespie-Frank Paparelli’s“Blue ‘N’ Boogie”. Through it all, regardless of year,
sidemen or stylistic circumstances, Land brings his
best. Wonders rarely cease when he puts horn to lips.
For more information, visit cellarlive.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 13

G LO B E U N I T Y

AbrazoVincent Peirani/Emile Parisien (ACT Music)
Albores
Dino Saluzzi (ECM)
Area SismicaJoëlle Léandre/Pascal Contet (We Insist!)by Tom Greenland

The bellows-driven instrument colloquially known as asqueezebox has many variants, two of which, chromatic
button accordion and bandoneón, are considered here
for their application to improvisation, the former playedby two Frenchmen, Vincent Peirani and Pascal Contet,
the latter by Argentinean Dino Saluzzi.
Peirani and soprano saxophonist Émile Parisien
have developed close-knit musical chemistry from thethousand-plus gigs they’ve logged over the last
decade. Abrazo is their second duet album, a tribute totango, but only in the sense that the genre serves as a
jumping-off point for the highly unique and expressiveinterpretations. Parisien handles most of the melodies
and soloing in a manner blending jazz’ traditionalroots with its progressive branches. On “Memento” herecalls the delicacy and authority of Sidney Bechet, on“A Bebernos Los Vientos” the dexterity and ingenuityof Michael Brecker. Peirani is both incessantly rhythmic
and tactfully impressionistic. On Jelly Roll Morton’s“The Crave”, he enriches an old-school accompanimentstyle with fanciful ornaments, volume swells and an
unorthodox rhythmic feel that swings on its own
terms. He is featured on two originals: the pensive“Between T’s” and the fast, flighty “Nouchka”.
Albores (“daybreak”) by Porteño bandoneónistSaluzzi is a deeply introspective and atmospheric solo
album, a companion to and extension of Kultrum andAndina (recorded in 1982 and 1988, respectively),
though here he only performs on bandoneón and any
percussive elements are downplayed in favor of rubato
rhythms that imply rather than establish an underlying
pulse. At 85, with over 60 years in the creative musicbusiness, Saluzzi has much on which to reflect. He
frames his thoughts within rich chord structures lacedwith moving inner lines, as on the hymn-like “Adiós
Maestro Kancheli” (an elegy to the late composer/
mentor), “Ausencias” (“absence”) and relaxed yet
restless “Don Caye—Variaciones sobre obra de
Cayetano Saluzzi” (composed by his father), the latter
two tracks notable for complex counterpoint in themanner of J.S. Bach. Though melancholia pervades thesession, the cumulative effect is calming and healing.
Area Sismica, accordion player Pascal Contet andbassist Joëlle Léandre’s fourth duo album since 1994, isnamed for the venue in Fortì, Italy where it wasrecorded in April 2019. In comparison with thesqueezeboxers
reviewed
above,
Contetisimpressionistic like Peirani and introspective like
Saluzzi, but also an intrepid explorer of timbre andextended techniques, an ethos patently obvious in thewind- and wave-like sounds introducing the opening
track, which segues to rubbings/scrapings of thebellows and tappings/whackings of the instrumentcase to evoke the labored breathing of an uneasily
sleeping giant, all just a prelude to the track’s grindcore
middle section. Léandre’s dynamic sound, now
declarative, now suggestive, toggles between thebestial and ethereal. Throughout, she and Contet spiralover and under each other like a musical double helix.
For more information, visit actmusic.com, ecmrecords.com
and weinsistrecords.com

The Reward (Solo Piano In Four Movements)
Matthew Shipp (RogueArt)
Leonine Aspects
Matthew Shipp/Evan Parker (RogueArt)
Cool With That
East Axis (ESP-Disk’)by Kurt Gottschalk

Last year, in an interview with Troy Collins for the

online journal Point of Departure, pianist Matthew Shippdirectly addressed his penchant toward retirement. “Ihave meant it when I said it, but I keep getting offers—
some I have not been able to refuse,” he said. “I seem tohave a fan base that has not gotten sick of me yet.
I don’t want to keep recording forever and really do feelI am near the end. But I have been able to keep growing.
At some point that will be that as far as records go.”That interview marked a busy year for the pianist,
culminating with his 60th birthday in December andfollowing another announcement of possible retirement
the year before. We can be thankful that the offers keep
coming and that the pianist keeps growing, because
new evidence keeps supporting the notion that Shipphasn’t run out of ideas.
Also at the end of the year, French label RogueArt
released The Reward, a wonderful document of Shipp’s
solo artistry. The set was issued as a double LP toreinforce the idea that it is four suites, not a collectionof 20 tracks, each with its own character.
One hastens to call The Reward a mature work,
especially when “even-handed” is such a nice turn ofphrase in this context, but it’s a tasteful andsophisticated recital, whichever words we choose.
(The studio session was actually recorded in 2015, butmore than 25 years into his recording career, acertain maturity had certainly been achieved.) The
reward itself, according to Shipp’s interjection in thelate poet Steve Dalachinsky’s liner notes, lies in themusic resonating with the listener. It would be
surprising if The Reward failed to resonate with anyone
already tuned into the intellectual idiosyncrasies in
Shipp’s playing.
Shipp is among those special improvising artists
who is rarely better than when he’s on his own. He
does have proclivities that it’s fun to hear tickled,
however, and his seemingly compulsive tendencies
toward rhythm and repetition often come closest to thesurface when he’s not carrying the whole of the burden.
One of Shipp’s finest fellow conversationalists is
British tenor/soprano saxophonist Evan Parker anda month after The Reward, RogueArt issued Leonine
Aspects, their third duo album after the 2011’s Rex,
Wrecks & XXX (also RogueArt) and 2006’s Abbey Road
Duos (Treader). Like The Reward, there’s a sophisticatedrestraint on the humbly titled meeting, recorded live at
the Festival Météo in Mulhouse, France in 2017. The
51-minute venture (followed by a brief reprise)
includes moments of staggering delicacy andprovocative propulsions that suggest somethingunison while not being that at all. There’s a convivial
familiarity between the musicians, which makes,
unsurprisingly, for an engaging dialogue.
In August of last year, Shipp came together witha new quartet—East Axis—for a studio session justreleased by ESP Disk’ under the title Cool With Thatand again it’s a treat to hear the pianist with suchthoughtful collaborators. On the opening track,“A Side”, Shipp acts as an alternate rhythm section,laying separate geometries under Allen Lowe’s crying
saxophone. He enters and leaves again as if controlled
by an on/off switch, making evident that he’s filling
about half the space and reshaping the other half. It’sa fantastic demonstration and makes for a fascinating,shape-shifting listen. Lowe, of course, has his own

14 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

wealth of influences to draw from as a saxophonist,
guitarist and historian who has written about andproduced massive CD sets compiling the developmentsof jazz and blues. He plays hard and fast but is always
listening; he’s an eminently responsive improviser,
evident in the slow sear of “Social Distance” andbluesy “I’m Cool With That”. The rhythm section ofbassist Kevin Ray and drummer Gerald Cleaver play
great support throughout.
When Shipp eventually does follow through withhis threats of retiring from the recording industry(dating back at least to 1999), he’ll have earned his rest.
Until then, we can savor in his business of keeping
busy and keeping it fresh.
For more information, visit roguart.com and espdisk.com.
Shipp is at Vision Festival Jul. 22nd. See Calendar.

EarthSeed
Nicole Mitchell & Lisa E. Harris (FPE)by Robert Bush

F or many years now, flutist, composer and educator

Nicole Mitchell has crafted a position for herself at thevery apex of the creative music field, consistently
releasing projects that push the envelope and challenge
the listener. Her latest effort is a collaboration withvocalist/multi-instrumentalist Lisa E. Harris, whom
she met at the New Quorum Composers Residency in
New Orleans a few years back, bonding over a mutual
admiration for the African-American science fiction
author Octavia Butler. Joining them is the latest
iteration of Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble: Julian
Otis (vocals), Zara Zaharieva (violin), Ben Lamar Gay(trumpet/electronics), Tomeka Reid (cello) andAvreeayl Ra (percussion).
The opener features Mitchell and Harris weavinglines around one another, creating an intoxicating
texture highlighting the strength of each contributor.
One is instantly drawn to the impossibly rich dynamics
of Mitchell’s flute, but it is important to note that she
does not dominate the process at any point on thisdisc. Collaboration is the keyword here.
Harris and Otis work well together and on “Biotic
Seeds”, they effectively divide the narrative, intoning“In all living things is seed” and “Your enemies andyour saviors are within”. Mitchell adds a layer andthen hands off to Reid and Zaharieva with Ra’s subtle
shadings guiding the rhythmic dynamic.
It all comes together on “Yes and Know”, as the
vocalists whirl like dervish dancers and Mitchell andReid tattoo an ostinato onto the stage (this is a live set
recorded at the Art Institute of Chicago). Just as
Mitchell came to dazzle the world back in the day, Reid
has arrived as an instrumental force. Her contributions
to this album are so strong that the absence of a bassist
hardly seems noteworthy.
Over a cello vamp and jangling tambourine, theBlack Earth Ensemble creates a compelling tension aseach instrument adds another layer, leading to analmost orgiastic climax on “Elemental Crux”, with thesingers intoning “Darkness is our mother. The spacewithin… Creativity is our home. The space within”.
Elements of Butler, opera and free jazz make
EarthSeed a delicious sonic treat and another exampleof Mitchell’s ongoing creativity.
For more information, visit fperecs.com. Mitchell is at
Vision Festival Jul. 24th. See Calendar.

Untucked in Hannover
Tom Rainey Obbligato (Intakt)
by Stuart Broomer

Some of the joys of early avant garde jazz came withthe dismantling and repurposing of the Great American
Songbook, whether the effect was satiric (Sonny
Rollins’ “Alexander ’s Ragtime Band”), rhapsodic (Eric
Dolphy’s “Tenderly”) or cathartic (Bill Dixon andArchie Shepp’s “Somewhere”). Drummer Tom Rainey’s
Obbligato takes a fresh approach to standard repertoire,
substituting collective dialogues where the tyranny ofsolos with rhythm once prevailed, creating a musicrich in invention as well as traditional grace andsentiment. Joining Rainey are trumpeter Ralph Alessi,
saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, pianist Jacob Sacks(substituting for band regular Kris Davis) and bassist
Drew Gress, each a masterful student of the material aswell as an adept collective and free improviser.
The songs played here appeared in studio versions
on the group’s two previous Intakt releases but the live
atmosphere of Jazz Club Hannover adds further
inspiration. The group has some of the abstraction ofLennie Tristano’s classic early groups, though here theemphasis is more melodic than harmonic. With Gressand Rainey providing strong underpinnings, Alessi,
Laubrock and Sacks can exchange fragments or craft

1 DIXON L ANE,TARRY TOWN NY

JA Z Z FORUM A RT S.ORG/ T ICKE T S | 914-631-1000

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS 7 & 9:30 PM SETSJ U LY 9 & 10

DUDUK A DAFONSEC A& TH E B R A ZI LI A N
JA Z Z A LL-S TA RSFE AT. M AU C H A A D N E T

J U LY 16 & 17

RUFUS RE ID TRIOFE AT. S TE V E A LLE E& LE N N Y W H ITE
J U LY 23 & 24

GEOFF KE EZE R QUARTE T

FE AT. G I LLI A N M A RG OT

J U LY 3 0 & 31 ( P I C T U R E D)

JIMMY GRE E NE QUARTE T

AU G U S T 6 & 7

SA M AR A JOYFE AT. PASQ UA LE G R ASSO TRI OBRAZILIAN SUNDAYS 4 & 6 PM SETS
FREE SUMMER CONCERTS RETURN!
32 FREE WEEKNIGHT EVENING CONCERTS
AT 5 HUDSON RIVER PARKSJULY 7 - AUGUST 27 • 6:30 - 8:00 PM ALL LOCATIONSPRESE NTE D BY

continuous melody from brief gestures that tumble over
one another. The opening “If I Should Lose You” swings
readily on the propulsion of emphatic brushwork. The
timbres (airy tenor and Harmon muted trumpet) present
a period charm, but those historical associations give
way as the contrapuntal emphasis takes over.
The medley of “What’s New — There Is No Greater
Love” presents shifting perspectives, beginning with
Gress’ improvised intro before Sacks plays a single-note
rendition of the “What’s New” melody under Alessi’s
improvisation, a minimalist approach to theme.
Laubrock and Alessi stretch “Just in Time” from Rainey’s
bop-driven time to a dilating duet that morphs into
Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way”, highlighted
by Sacks’ brilliant economy. Laubrock creates a lyricaldreamscape on “I Fall in Love Too Easily”. Obbligato is
an arresting exercise in time travel, the music shifting
directions to move further into its own identity.
For more information, visit intaktrec.ch. Rainey is at Vision
Festival Jul. 24th with Tony Malaby and Jul. 30th with
Ingrid Laubrock. See Calendar.

Frequency Equilibrium Koan
Michael Gregory Jackson (Golden)
by George Grella

The title of this album says something about thecontents: a set of words, each with a specific andevocative meaning, which, when set against each other,
don’t immediately create a comprehensible logic. But
let them bounce off each other and dance together on
the tongue, or in the mind, and multiple sensations
appear, all of them opening outward into avenues ofcontemplation that have expansive beginnings and noapparent conclusions. Holding the idea of the koan,
a riddle designed to ignore logic and enable
enlightenment, is a useful way to approach this album.
This is music from the New York City Loft scene,
recorded at the Ladies Fort on Bond Street one night in
1977. This does not sound meant for disc, the audio
quality is on the flat and thin side, but the playing isvibrant with the freshness of musicians discoveringsomething new together. In this case, that’s the heady,fragrant mix of freedom, spirituality, blues and groovethat did so much to revive jazz and open up new pathways
between the silence of Miles Davis and the neo-classicists
institutionalizing a rigid definition of “jazz”.
Those familiar with albums from Arthur Blythe
and the World Saxophone Quartet will immediately
latch on to some of the voices here. Abdul Wadud’s cellois one of the signature sounds of the era, as is Julius
Hemphill’s meaty, keening alto. Drummer Pheeroan
akLaff rounds out this quartet of all-stars-before-theywere-stars and there’s a baseline of excitement just to
hear them play together, live and immediate.
The koan part is channeled and cemented byguitarist Michael Gregory Jackson, always a fascinatingmusician, and here, relatively early in his career,playing with an active but self-effacing manner that
falls halfway between the concentrated, willfulaleatory of Derek Bailey and fractured grooves of Bern
Nix and Charlie Ellerbee in Prime Time. This is a pieceof history and a satisfying album on its own,
particularly for those who prefer questions to answers.
For more information, visit michaelgregoryjackson.bandcamp.com.
Jackson is at Vision Festival Jul. 25th with Pheeroan akLaff.
See Calendar.

ANDY WASSERMANSOLO PIANOORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS(TransMedia Sound & Music)
Teleidoscope showcases
eight new contemporary
jazz compositions for solo
piano by Andy Wasserman,interconnecting music’s
unifying form, pattern,prismatic light andcolor within the fieldof tonal gravity.
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 | JULY 2021 15

tOpen a6 pm!
Other Worlds
Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas Soundprints(Greenleaf Music)
Garden of Expression
Joe Lovano (ECM)
by Tyran Grillo

In the wake of two much-lauded rocket launches,
THU
7/1

M I S H A P I AT I G O R S KY T R I OETIENNE CHARLES

7PM
9PM

FRI
7/2

DA N A R A N B A N D
KEN FOWSER QUINTET

7PM
9PM

S AT
7/3

E D C H E R RY T R I O
J E R RY W E L D O N S E X T E T

7PM
9PM

WED
7/7

NAAMA GHEBERV U YO S O TA S H E

7PM
9PM

THU
7/8

DAV I D K I KO S K I
D J A N G O A L L S TA R S

7PM
9PM

FRI
7/9

A N WA R M A R S H A L L T R I O
KEN FOWSER QUINTET

7PM
9PM

S AT
7/10

DAV I D G I B S O N Q UA R T E T
M I K E L E D O N N E Q UA R T E T

7PM
9PM

WED
7/14

VA N E S S A P E R E A
RICHARD CORTEZ

7PM
9PM

THU
7/15

A K I KO T S U R U G A
IAN HENDRICKSON-SMITH

7PM
9PM

FRI
7/16

S TAC Y D I L L A R D
K E N F O W S E R Q UA R T E T

7PM
9PM

SAT
7/17

J O E S AY LO R
B A R RY S T E P H E N S O N Q U I N T E T

7PM
9PM

WED
7/21

H I L L A RY G A R D N E R
ASHLEY PEZZOT TI

7PM
9PM

THU
7/22

NIR FELDERMARK WHITFIELD

7PM
9PM

FRI
7/23

R AY G A L LO N T R I O
KEN FOWSER QUINTET

7PM
9PM

SAT
7/24

AARON KIMMEL TRIOJ O E FA R M S W O R T H

7PM
9PM

WED
7/28

E M I LY B R A D E N
ALEX BARCHINI

7PM
9PM

THU
7/29

NICK HEMPTONF R E D DY D E B O E

7PM
9PM

FRI
7/30

JASON TIEMANNKEN FOWSER QUINTET

7PM
9PM

SAT
7/31

VICTOR GOULD TRIOMICHAEL ARENELLA QUINTET

7PM
9PM

ViEe-wUP

ReserveO N YCTHEDJA.CNOMG

OPENTABLELIN.C O Methe. of
2 av ericas
m
a

evel

Cellar L

T R I B EC A

DINNER, LIBATIONS & LIVE JAZZ!
IN THE OF TRIBECASoundprints returns with a fresh mission on Greenleaf
Music featuring tunes exclusively by its copilots, tenor
saxophonist Joe Lovano and trumpeter Dave Douglas.
Backed by pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Linda May
Han Oh and drummer Joey Baron, they propel
themselves on an extraterrestrial voyage with earthly
charms. Indeed, one can hardly read the opening“Space Exploration”, which sets the intergalactic tone
(helped tremendously by Dave Chisholm’s evocative
cover art), as anything less than a sci-fi mashup.
It’s the first of a handful of Lovano originals,
which includes the fluently conversant horns of“The Flight” and epic pianism of “Sky Miles” before
culminating in punchy bass-driven “Midnight March”,
throughout which the band swings and sways withsynergy that could only have been honed on the
bandstand. Along the way, the group terraforms
Douglas’ variegated planets. The groovy persuasionsof “Life On Earth” (notable for Baron’s brightpointillism) dock smoothly into the muted soliloquies
of “Manitou” as binary prelude to a slingshot maneuver
around the black hole of “Antiquity to Outer Space”.
Throughout, Lovano and Douglas are the kind of pairthat you want in a jazz record: musicians who, despite
their distinct and immediately recognizable syntaxes,
find ways of attuning themselves to the same frequency
whenever the music requires. This is especiallyapparent in “The Transcendentalists”, whichharmonizes with abandon around a fulcrum of lyrical
pianism and assures Houston, without a doubt, that
there isn’t a single problem in sight.
If Other Worlds is the moon’s face, then Garden of
Expression is its dark side. Continuing where their
ECM debut left off, Lovano (playing tenor and soprano,
as well as tarogato and gongs), pianist Marilyn Crispelland drummer Carmen Castaldi take their atmosphericcoherence to the next level with this set of eight pieces.
Lilting tenor in “Chapel Song” manifests spiritualpossibilities from first breath, as keys and time
signatures melt into an echo of their former meanings.
Its nexus of piano and drums functions as the album’s
paper, across which Lovano keeps an honest diary in
his flowing script.
The notes of “Night Creatures” speak with thepower of a supernova, which, through a satellite
telescope, appears peaceful and nebulous but in the
moments of its birth was surely violent at the molecularlevel. Such are the dichotomies being sung, whereinsomething as unseeable as the transmission of a virus
can bring the world to a virtual standstill. The title
track is a melodic wonder, which Crispell cradles asa mother would the head of a newborn while
implications of life dance in “West of the Moon”. With
all the understated charge of a Paul Motian tune (andby no force of comparison, given that Lovano played in
the drummer ’s trio with guitarist Bill Frisell for three
decades), it finds contentment not in the fallback ofa groove but in the ever-changing currents of air thata groove risks prematurely denying.
Lovano’s tenor enables a study in physical contrast.
Between the delicate altissimo of “Sacred Chant” andguttural lows of “Dream on That”, he paints with anastonishing variety of shades in the middle range. His

16 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

soprano in “Zen Like” points to yet another register,
speaking in haiku rather than tanka. Speaking as if in adialect of the same core language, it expresses itself inhumble clarity. With so much to discover on repeatedlistening, perhaps no other description could feel so apt
as that which names Track 5: “Treasured Moments”.
Given this focus on the simple and the beautiful, we
can take the album’s dedication to victims of COVID-19
as more than a reactionary statement but as a prayer
within a prayer. It is as much as we can hope for as abrighter day dawns.
For more information, visit greenleafmusic.com andecmrecords.com. Lovano is at Blue Note Jul. 28th-29th.
See Calendar.

400
Acute Inflections (s/r)
by Marilyn Lester

This CD by the duo Acute Inflections of 17 Bob Marleysongs is certainly unique. Its issue, on the 40th
anniversary of the artist’s untimely death from cancer
at 36, translates wonderfully well in its singularapproach of presenting the works solely through voice
and bass. Marley and his group The Wailers fused ska
and rocksteady riffs into their reggae beats. With 400,
singer-songwriter-dancer-actress Elasea Douglas andvirtuosic bassist Sadiki Pierre offer a hint of Marleystyle reggae, akin to the way a classic dry martini offers
up an imperceptible suggestion of vermouth. From
“Stir It Up” to “Jamming”, the essence of Marley comesthrough with enough kick to satisfy.
The duo has been together for quite some time,
playing gigs and events with a broad repertoire fromjazz to popular and Top-40 hits. Their ease with eachother translates flawlessly into this entire body ofwork. Douglas tackles each number with conviction,accompanied by Pierre, one of those artists who canmake a single instrument sound like an orchestra,
Pierre’s training includes a mastery of a number ofmusical styles from classical to jazz and his artistry isparticularly evident on solos introducing “Could You
Be Loved” and “Waiting in Vain”, applying techniquepercussively, melodically and in all degrees in-between.
His tone is earthy, grounded. At times he plays the
upright as one would a guitar. As for Douglas, her
vocal tone is clear as a bell and phrasing appropriately
intuitive, with hints of honey inflections in her delivery,
which is sometimes melodic, sometimes on the vergeof a kind of reggae-rap.
One of Marley’s mega-hits, “I Shot the Sheriff”, issung as a story song, the narrative authentically told.
The interpretation is intense, the phrasing paced for
maximum dramatic effect. Douglas is accomplished inbringing her actor training to understanding anddelivering the lyric of each of the tunes. Another
Marley hit, “One Love”, is presented, true to its
message, as a hymn. Curiously, a Marley favorite, “No
Woman, No Cry”, is absent. But no matter, there’s
enough prime material to excite any Marley fan who
especially appreciates a fresh take on the canon.
As to the title, the pair explain Marley’s lyrics oflove, unity and freedom have not lost relevance in theprotest of the enslavement of Africans—and all
oppressed people—which began 400 years ago.
For more information, visit acuteinflections.com. This duo
is at Don’t Tell Mama Jul. 28th. See Calendar.

Jesup Wagon
James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet (TAO Forms)
by Dan Bilawsky

George Washington Carver—the subject of this boldand earthy album—planted his feet at the intersection of
the sciences and arts. A polymath whose work as a
researcher, educator and inventor altered the course ofhistory, he upheld the notion that wielding creative
intent and searching for truth are at the core of every
exploration, regardless of classification. Paintbrush,
piano and agricultural implement alike all held keys tounderstanding as Carver saw it and knowledge wasthere to drive possibility. Great belief in this idea(l) wasat the core of his being and tenor saxophonist James
Brandon Lewis echoes that wisdom in this compellingwork. Carver’s philosophy figured into Lewis’ life early
on—his mother, a science teacher, passed along that
trailblazer’s words, story and vision—and a leadingedge artistry binds the two figures on Jesup Wagon.
Fronting and directing his Red Lily Quintet with cornet
player Kirk Knuffke, cellist Chris Hoffman, bassist
William Parker and drummer Chad Taylor, Lewis
encourages everybody to mine each moment fully.
There’s a folk-ish purity to much of what the ensemble
creates in that transitory state, but the framing and thefire inside of the music prove revelatory, not quaint.
Named for Carver’s mobile classroom, this singularstatement finds Lewis shining a light on notable aspectsof a life lived in service of discovery. Opening with thetitle track, the saxophonist leads the way with bucolic
blues calls before hopping on the wagon for a rumbustious
journey across rocky ground. Then he nods to Carver’s
comments about deplorable conditions miring Americans
in difficulties while simultaneously drawing a line to
Africa in sound and sentiment with “Lowlands ofSorrow”; leads dirge-like beginnings toward dynamic
developments as he points right to the peanut (akaarachis hypogaea) on the edgy “Arachis”; and tunefully
plaits motivic materials flowing into poetic tones during
the album’s “Fallen Flowers” centerpiece. Artfully
rugged “Experiment Station”, reflectively sagacious“Seer” and haunting-turned-powerful “Chemurgy” closeout the program and dig ever deeper into Carver’s belief
in the greater good. Serving as an appreciation of one
giant of a man while showcasing the brilliant artistry andvision of another, Jesup Wagon offers a tremendous
education in its unfolding.
For more information, visit taoforms.bandcamp.com. Lewis
is at Vision Festival Jul. 29th. See Calendar.

Invitation
Dave Liebman Generations Quartet (ARMJA)The Rise Up: Stories of Strife, Struggle and Inspiration
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol & Whatsnext?
(featuring Dave Liebman) (Dünya)by Jim Motavalli

The quartet on Invitation, led by Dave Liebman (tenor
and soprano saxophones), played often at the legendary
Deerhead Inn in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania.

Despite the youth of some of the players, interactions
go way back, with Liebman and drummer Ian Froman
serving as collaborators, teachers and mentors. The
playing, mostly on standards, melts the generation gap.
Liebman played with Miles Davis and was
influenced by John Coltrane and the latter ’s early/
mid-period quartet hangs over the work in a good way.
Liebman starts out slightly tentative on the opener,
Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage”, but soon digs infor a keening soprano solo. Billy Test’s piano is greatly
ornamental before Liebman—fully awake now—
dances back in. “Bye Bye Blackbird” is taken at a
slower tempo, fully embracing the melody. Liebman,
again on soprano, is at his most lyrical. Test again solos
and it’s pretty, with McCoy Tyner-esque touches (evenmore evident on the title tune). There’s a pattern here—
Liebman comes back from his piano player ’s solos
with fire in his eyes. For “My Foolish Heart”, Liebman
sticks with soprano and delivers a delicate balladreading. Bassist Evan Gregor is featured. Kudos to thequartet for fully accessing their tender side and—probably—listening to the lyrics before they pushedrecord. And “Summertime” gets a similar reading,albeit with Liebman on tenor. Dig Test’s slightly
discordant intro to Coltrane’s “Village Blues”, a perfect
introduction to Liebman’s soprano. “Speak Low” starts
with Test quoting from Davis’ “Milestones” and (after
Test stretches out) becomes a masterful, midtempo
workout for tenor. The song’s melody appears in thelast 30 seconds and then it’s “Milestones” again for the
fade-out. Postbop saxophone lessons start here.
This is a Pennsylvania-based group; most of thealbum was recorded at a studio in Saylorsburg, with
one track (“You and the Night and the Music”) fromthe Deerhead Inn. Yes, the band is energized by theaudience on that tune but, well, they’re energized
through the whole thing.
In 2017, Liebman commissioned Mehmet Ali
Sanlıkol to write an extended programmatic piece forjazz orchestra, with himself as principal soloist.
The Rise Up is the compelling result. Liebman wanted
both Turkish and Sephardic Jewish elements and got
something with an even wider reach, showcasing threemoments from Middle Eastern history. Each of these“moments” is in three sections, all mixing jazz with
Turkish and Flamenco elements.
Rumi was a 13th century mystical poet, born to
Persian-speaking parents in what is now Afghanistan.
He speaks to us today, because he said things like,“The lover ’s cause is separate from all other causes”.
Programmatic indeed, this section of the work moves
through a happy and traditional section featuring hand
percussion and the ney (nose flute, Rumi’s favorite
instrument) into the turmoil of “A Vicious Murder”.
That section dramatizes a pivotal moment for
Rumi: the supposed murder of his friend and teacher
Shams. Jazz asserts itself here with dominant soprano.
The more pensive “Rumi’s Solitude” documents the 12
years he spent in Anatolia (present-day Turkey)
composing the “ghazals” (Persian poems) that are his
legacy. The large orchestra was conducted by Ken
Schaphorst, with heavenly saxophone riding athwart
it, eyes to the sky.
While Columbus was discovering America(actually, Jamaica) for Spain in 1492, King Ferdinand II
of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile finallyconquered the Muslims of Granada, ending almost 800
years of Muslim rule. Peace and love did not prevail;all Jews were ordered out of Spain that year and into
foreign exile (including to the wide-ranging Ottoman
Empire). That’s presumably the focus of “Spain 1492”,
a beautiful programmatic section with anguished workfrom Liebman. The next section, “Temmuz” (July)marks Spain’s deadline that year and is marked bysadness—the expulsion order wasn’t formally lifted
until 1968. By the third section, the resilient Jewish
community is moving to different rhythms.
The final section, “Sinan”, tells the story of Mimar

Sinan, a Christian kidnapped by the Ottomans. He wasforcibly converted to Islam, but then embraced that
identity and became the architect of the world’s great
mosques. The music is evocative of this history in thebest sense. Listen to Liebman’s luminous work on thealmost urbane “Rise Through the Barracks”.
The Rise Up is a magnificent work, nodding to
Gil Evans’ collaborations with Davis (much admiredby Liebman). But the album also rivals, in its intensity
and historical focus, Coltrane’s Africa/Brass.
For more information, visit davidliebman.com anddunyainc.org. Liebman is at 54 Below Jul. 29th with John
Minnock. See Calendar.

DROP THE NEEDLE

The Ronnell Bright Trio
Ronnell Bright (Polydor-Sam)by Pierre Giroux

Pianist Ronnell Bright turns 91 on Jul. 3rd. Beginningin the mid to late ‘50s he created a niche for himself
as a stellar and sympathetic accompanist andarranger for Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan andNancy Wilson, perhaps overshadowing his prowess
and flair as a jazz pianist. His talent, however, isacknowledged by this limited-edition, 180-gramvinyl LP reissue of one of his early albums, made for
Polydor in Paris in 1958 while on tour with Vaughan.
Accompanied by bassist Richard Davis andEnglish drummer Art Morgan (in Paris with the Ted
Heath Orchestra), it was Bright’s intention to feature
his buoyant compositions as well as showcase his
formidable technical dexterity. “Sail ‘Em” jumps up
brightly with flashy single-note lines. Davis works intenacious fashion and Morgan has a light but
declarative interjection with brushes. While still very
early in his career and based in Chicago, Brighthooked up with bassist Johnny Pate for his firstrecording in 1955 for Talisman Records. Pate’s“Johnny Pate’s Blues” gives Bright an opportunity to
acknowledge his starting point. This uptempo blues
is replete with Bright’s technical ease as he scampers
over the keyboard, Davis and Morgan working tokeep Bright’s explorations warm and alert.
Dizzy Gillespie’s “The Champ” is delivered at
Bud Powell-like speed, Bright racing lucidly througheach register with sustained note striking. As Brightwas beginning his foray into jazz piano in the early‘50s, he had a preference for Nat King Cole’s style,which he thought was understated and innovative.
So given the opportunity to choose the numbers forhis own session, he thought Cole’s “Easy Listening
Blues” would be a good fit. This is a slow-building
traditional blues delivered in a soulful straightahead
groove, mixing a single-note attack along withbeautifully structured block chords.
The final two tracks are both Bright originals:“Chasing Sarah” and “Doxology”. Both are swingers
although the former has a flashy nervousness while
the latter has a more relaxed frame. By now thelistener has become accustomed to Bright’s fleetfingered approach. This is a terrific reissue by anunder-appreciated and overlooked pianist.
For more information, visit samrecords.fr

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 17

Long Tall Sunshine
Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor (Not Two)What’s Next
Uptown Jazz Tentet (Irrabagast)
Volume 3: Anatomical Snuffbox
I Don’t Hear Nothin’ But The Blues (Irrabagast)by George Kanzler

J on Irabagon’s musical interests are more than eclectic.

The saxophonist pursues varied ensemble settings,
some that defy logic and challenge taste. And heembraces the role of a sideman or the collaborator asmuch as he does the leader.
In the piano-less trio format popularized by Sonny
Rollins and Joe Henderson found on Long Tall Sunshineby drummer Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor (completed
by bassist Joe Fonda), Irabagon seems on a quest to
expand his playing parameters. On tenor, he squawks,
overblows and slap-tongues notes and sounds outside
the normal range of the instrument, especially on themost abstract and free piece, “3Dom Factor”. On theother two tenor features (all five tunes are credited to
Altschul), he is more firmly in swinging hardbop,
postbop territory. The title track is a jaunty AAB piece,
which brings out his swinging swagger, while“Martin’s Stew” finds him reworking and mulling overphrases in Rollins-esque fashion. On the ballad “Irina”,
Irabagon builds intensity across registers with alyrically singing tone on alto clarinet. And on “Be Out
S’Cool”, he pushes the upper limits of the soprillo (alsoknown as a piccolo saxophone), amassing skeins ofnotes while circular breathing.

He’s also the tenor saxophonist in the Uptown
Jazz Tentet, in a three-man reed section with alto
saxophonist Andrew Gutauskas and baritone
saxophonist Carl Maraghi, who double on soprano andflute, or bass clarinet and clarinet, respectively. The
Uptown Jazz Tentet is an adroit, supremely flexible
ensemble, which also has two trumpets/flugelhorns(Brandon Lee and Tatum Greenblatt), two trombones(Willie Applewhite and James Burton III) and piano(Adam Birnbaum), bass (Clovis Nicolas) and drums(Aaron Kimmel). The arrangements, by co-leaders Lee,Applewhite and Burton, plus one by Greenblatt, evoke
echoes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gil Evans andThad Jones, displaying nimble interplay andcombinations among and across the sections.
Irabagon’s tenor solos on “Uptown Bass Hit” and“Voyage” are both in-the-pocket sui generis, intensely
swinging. Burton’s arrangement of Kenny Barron’s“Voyage” is compelling, mixing swing and Latin
meters with driving riffs. Lee’s “Change”, a lullaby in
3/4, shows off the band’s collective sound, short solos
blending into the ensemble.
Vol. 3: Anatomical Snuffbox from Irabagon’s
cooperative project I Don’t Hear Nothin’ But the Bluesconsists of one 47-minute track that is more maelstrom
than song. Irabagon’s tenor wails throughout, althoughmostly drowned out by the hammering, heavy metallike guitars of Mick Barr and Ava Mendoza and drumsof Mike Pride. It is an unceasing aural onslaught, hardto get through even one hearing.
For more information, visit nottwo.com and jonirabagon.com.
Irabagon is at Vision Festival Jul. 30th with Ingrid
Laubrock. See Calendar.

speaks to the crowd and introduces the song: “Wewrote this song about a year ago. Shit was real fucked
up at home and it’s still real fucked up. In fact, it may
be much much worse...” The trumpeter ’s show may
have been a part of the pre-pandemic era, but it did notgive any airs about being post-racial. Branch’s song
seems like a foreshadowing of the George Floyd
murder, captioning the mounting pressure-cooker ofAmerica’s unrest. Branch and the band moan as shebelts out lyrics with passion and frustration before
moving into equally impassioned trumpet playing.
The band plays two more songs from the album,“Lesterlude” and “Twenty-Three n Me, Jupiter Redux”,
before breaking off with “Reflections of a Broken Sea”.
The song highlights a bit of Branch’s avant garde
composing, disjointed circular rhythms bending andflowing on and off syncopation. “Sun Tines” openswith mbira once again, then the rhythm section before
they all fall silent to allow Branch to play a spaced-out
experimental solo. She adds echo effects, playing
calmly and romantically, dancing with the silence ofthe room, before the band slowly begins to reintegrate
itself back into the performance.
Branch and her band perform 19 songs. She
introduces the musicians and begins to wind down theset on the 18th, “Love Song”. Ending with energetic,
uptempo jazz on “Theme Nothing”, the band shows nosigns of exhaustion after a two-hour set.
Branch is a special musician. She is charming,
humorous, strong and an extremely talented trumpeter.
The chemistry of her band is admirable. Branch knows
how to curate a setlist to evoke the maximum amountof artistry, social justice and jovial fanfare.
For more information, visit intlanthem.com. This project is
at Vision Festival Jul. 30th. See Calendar.

FLY or DIE LIVEJaimie Branch (International Anthem)by Jordannah Elizabeth

Within the first few moments of delving into themusical landscape of Jaimie Branch’s FLY or DIE LIVE,even the most adept listener can mistake the masterfully
produced live album for a serenely tailored studiorecording. It takes time to adjust and embrace therealization, leaving one with a morsel of envy for thecrowd who were able to experience Branch’s music
washing over them like gentle waves of a sonic river
without any form of distance and barrier.
FLY or DIE LIVE was recorded in Zürich,
Switzerland in January 2020, less than two months
before the world was stopped in international
lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You canhear the confidence of Branch’s band, playing without
fear or any semblance of anxiety, a marker of the pastand the freedom of a pre-pandemic live performance.
The album opens with the title track from theband’s 2019 album Bird Dogs of Paradise. Drummer Chad
Taylor opens the show (and both albums) with precise,spiritually potent mbira along with Lester St. Louis’
lullaby-like cello and Jason Ajemian’s artfully blended
bass. The three bond as instruments become seamlesslyinterwoven, creating a melodic quilt of chimes andevenly dispersed rhythmic tones. Halfway through thesong, Branch enters with sensual, drawn-out tonal
patterns that blanket the bright percussive performance.
Things then move to “Prayer for Amerikkka pt. 1& 2”, also the second track of the aforementioned
album. The song has a moody, blues-based style witha heavy, eerie drumbeat under walking bass. Branch

18 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Live Shows Chicago to New York!
My Original Plan CD Release Parties
Sunday, July 18 @Green Mill, Chicago
Friday, October 1st @Pangea, New York
Singer-Songwriter Joanie Pallatto
Modern Guitar Virtuoso Fareed Haque
Pianist-Composer Sparrow“...the album of a lifetime, so subtle it
could be a variation on samba but withthe force of a runaway train.”—Chris Spector-Midwest Record
Southport Records
chicagosound.com
Lampkin Music Group
lampkinmusicgroup.com

Glass Triangle
Zeena Parkins/Mette Rasmussen/Ryan Sawyer(Relative Pitch)
by John Pietaro

O pening with the solo alto saxophone of Mette

Rasmussen playing a line of wonderfully broken, near
repetitive rhythm, Glass Triangle quickly evolves intoa collective improvisation akin to the agitated surge oftraffic. Rasmussen is out front, the embodiment of
flailing alarms over rushing wind, sparring with Ryan
Sawyer ’s drums, cymbals and assorted metals, but it’s
Zeena Parkins’ domination that is most gripping, mosttelling of her status as a new music leader. Her fully
loaded harp triggers effects that treat not only tone andtimber, but also density and range, creating swirling,careening, throbbing rainbows if not torrents of sound.
Magically-titled opener “Begiunners, begges,
beattle, belt, believers” flows into the next, “Not bygone,
just biggone”, like the best parts of an improvised suite,
linked only by Parkins’ synthesized temple bell sounds.
By the third selection, “Flod of trees”, the trio appears to
be more in the standard free realm, perhaps reminiscentof European improvisation with saxophone, drumset
and an harmonic instrument, albeit here it’s electric
harp straining out the sci-fi amid devastating plucks,
slides and accented chordal clusters. This piece featuresa powerful harp duet with Sawyer’s prodigious aural
assault of terrorist dynamics, an explosion to a whisper,in blindingly fast perpetual motion.
This ensemble is in many ways an extension on
Parkins’ Green Dome trio (which also includes
Sawyer); it’s just as free, just as interdependent acollective and just as conceptual, but now with acompelling challenge to the listener wherein even thesong titles reflect expanse, like experimental poetry’s
dare to the wide-eyed reader. The liner notes by artist
Josiah McElheny describes this as “…hand-written
letters of a Chain of New Hopes…of a world in whichefficiency would not be and will not be the way tojustice.” Glass Triangle would have to be the name forany experiment so bold, so commanding, yet sodeliciously and dangerously fragile.
For more information, visit relativepitchrecords.com. Parkins is
at Vision Festival Jul. 30th with Ingrid Laubrock. See Calendar.

The Art Spirit
Michael Bisio/Kirk Knuffke/Fred Lonberg-Holm(ESP-Disk’)by Mark Keresman

The fields of visual and aural art have long influenced/

overlapped with each other. Robert Henri (1865-1929)
was on the ground floor of what came to be known as
the Ashcan School of American art. In the words ofcritic Robert Hughes, Henri envisioned art to be “asreal a human product as sweat, carrying theunsuppressed smell of human life.” Bassist Michael
Bisio, cornet player Kurt Knuffke and cellist Fred

Lonberg-Holm have picked up the figuratively flung
artistic gauntlet and fashioned a tribute to Henri andhis view(s) of art and life-as-seen-through-art.
Things kick off with “Not a Souvenir of Yesterday”,
an unsentimental, tempered mini-onslaught of restlesssawing. This is followed by the elegiac “r. henri”, 11
tensely mournful minutes of the trio raising a figurative
glass to his memory. Cello moans the blues while bass
brings up the bottom and cornet soars woefully withpensive restraint amid the doom-shrouded environs.
“Use Them” begins with unaccompanied Knuffke,
who coaxes trombone- and tuba-like tones from his
cornet, circular phrases, almost minimalist, until
Lonberg-Holm eases in with deep mournful moans.
“Like Your Work As Much As” has harrowing,careening textures, as if orchestrating a car chase, until
Knuffke comes in with gorgeously pensive playing,
laced with classic bebop syntax, building to ripplingphrases. There’s understated three-way explorations
driven by a subtly percolating, then slightly ominous
rhythm and playfully caustic soloing from LonbergHolm, who runs his cello through electronic devices,lending it a cheerfully gnarly cast. Knuffke too gets intouch with his inner Noisemeister, breathy, plaintive
cries giving way to delightfully warped, crackling,slightly vocalized excursions. The closer, “A Dog Likes
to Gnaw A Bone”, sounds a bit like a continuation of
the previous track but whereas the latter was probingly
explorational, this is more extroverted. Bisio drives thetrio with stirring lines, Knuffke croons primo bop andmakes with free cries, reels and squeals and LonbergHolm pushes his cello into (and beyond) overdrive.
The participants display a rapport and, perhaps
more importantly, a restraint sometimes hard to comeby in these kinds of avant garde combinations.

until Rosen finally switches it all up midstream,changing the feel if not the overall introspective mood.
For a similar atmosphere with an entirely different
historical and cultural aesthetic, dig “Joe’s Train”’s
dueling saxophone lines, given a rock-solid, or solidly
rocking, bass-drum foundation as Smith adds layers ofsometimes barely audible but palpable percussion.
Each saxophonist solos in vocabularies their transgenerational contributions helped to establish until,
for a gorgeous minute or so, collective improvisation
helps the piece run its spiritual course.
To place the music in any one category would beto deny its inventiveness, the obvious care lavished on
all aspects of its production and, above all, thestaggering musicianship. “Bluer than Blue” exemplifies
the multivalence perfectly, this time with McPhee’salto clarinet and Marcus’ tenor in wisely arpeggiatedand skillfully scalar pursuit as Rosen and Smith engage
some of those multi-directional rhythmic discourses so
becoming to them. It is especially gratifying to hear
Smith’s vibraphone in conjunction with McPhee’s
mellow clarinet, two timbres obviously in search ofeach other but only now united. The appearances ofMarcus’ bass flute is always a joy, skewing any facile
notions of nomenclature.
Is it all actually chamber music? Most certainly, it
has that intimacy but, once in a while, a bit of rawness
pushes the music beyond itself and it’s all captured bya recording that is somehow intimate while also being
larger than life. Listen to that bass drum! This is analbum that will hold up to intense listening or justenhance, should the meditative mood strike, and either
approach offers rewards a-plenty.
For more information, visit mahakalamusic.com. McPhee,
Smith and Rosen are at Vision Festival. Jul. 31st. See Calendar.

For more information, visit espdisk.com. Bisio is at Vision
Festival Jul. 31st with Joe McPhee. See Calendar.

Blue Reality Quartet
Michael Marcus, Joe McPhee, Jay Rosen,
Warren Smith (Mahakala Music)
by Marc Medwin

In these days of musical overload, which can far too

often breed post-everything ennui, it’s no mean featfor an aggregate of musicians and record company
folks to find a group setting that actually sounds
unique. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what the Blue
Reality Quartet has accomplished. Percussionists Jay
Rosen and Warren Smith have joined with multiinstrumentalists Michael Marcus and Joe McPhee and,if this debut serves as indicator, it’s a combinatorialcondition well worth further observation.
While readers will doubtless be familiar withthese musicians in varied contexts, including thewonderful Trio X, in which McPhee and Rosen tore itup for years with the late Dominic Duval, nothing
prepares for the album’s opening seconds. The firstsound tells enough of the tale to rope in even the mostjaded listener, a wonderfully glassy bit of percussion
whose sustain is as crisp and clear as its attack is
punchy. Dissolving into the ether with the crystalline
luminosity of a Tibetan singing bowl, it’s soon
complemented by enmeshed gongs and vibraphone,a smidge of bells added for good measure, until themalleted toms become melodic, easing slowly intoa meter with hi-hat and vibraphone in support. Marcus’
bass flute and McPhee’s tenor interweave deft lines

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 19

Ocelot
Yuma Uesaka/Cat Toren/Colin Hinton (577 Records)
by John Sharpe

O n its spare elegant debut, Brooklyn-based Ocelot,

comprising drummer Colin Hinton, reedplayer Yuma
Uesaka and pianist Cat Toren, proves that a refinedsensibility can still turn heads. Uesaka and Hinton’s
paths have crossed before: witness their rapport on the
drummer ’s splendid Simulacra (Panoramic, 2018).
They linked up with Toren the same year, subsequently
touring and working on this program of eight cuts
from across the band. The predominant flavor ismeasured emotionally intense introspection, but
spiced in a variety of unexpected ways.
The initial trait is apparent from the start in
Hinton’s serene “Daimon II”, then yet more so as theykick back even further with “Factum”, which sets up
a spacey forum for carefully weighted interchange
before unfurling into a wistfully hopeful air. But theginger arrives on Uesaka’s “Iterations I”, which begins
with an angular cumulative line from the tenor
saxophone, reminiscent of a young Jan Garbarek in his
blend of poise and passion, then culminates in choked
falsetto and roiling drums, with Toren channeling
Marilyn Crispell at her most animated, before
reconfiguring for a stately coda.

“Sequestration” presents a contrasting highlight asrippling piano lyricism, pure clarinet sustains andatmospheric vibraphone create a meditative feel; theend when piano and vibraphone shimmer in eerie
dissonance is particularly striking. Also noteworthy is“Post”, alternating a caffeinated minimalism, at times
recalling a gamelan orchestra, with a cool tranquility,
until adeptly entwining the strands. Individual
expression comes firmly embedded in the musicalfabric, even in closer “Crocus”, where first Toren spins
an arresting solo from her delicate melody until Uesaka
takes over in vibrato-laden rhapsody and finally Hinton
ushers it out alone in a welter of staggered beats. By
virtue of tight focus, Ocelot shows that restraint doesn’tnecessarily put a cap on excitement and intrigue.
For more information, visit 577records.com. Uesaka is at
Bushwick Public House Jul. 19th. Hinton is at Bushwick
Public House Jul. 12th, 19th and 26th. See Calendar.

Standards
Peter Evans (More Is More)by Jim Motavalli

Trumpeter Peter Evans has led many groups but thisis something totally different, a duet record of mostly
standards, recorded in Lisbon in September 2020 with

20 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

young German pianist Samuel Gapp. The format ischallenging for a trumpeter, but Evans also records inthe most exposed possible setting: solo. Gapp is anavant gardist (but mostly not here) and the combinationof his playing and the inherent beauty of these fivepieces makes for a—relatively—easy listen. Evans said
he had Roy Eldridge, Benny Bailey and Charlie Shavers
in mind during these recordings. They’re in there, butmaybe as heard through a window.
Evans’ playing on “I’ll Remember April” has anote of aggression, supported by anxious chords. The
melody arrives two minutes in and the musicians toss
it around. Evans is the dominant voice—churning aboil and then turning the heat down—but there’s lotsof listening and collective improvisation. “Heaven” isvia Duke Ellington’s second Sacred Concert and the duo
deconstructs the ballad totally. Gapp is featured in an
introverted section Evans then elevates before
embracing (then subverting) the wistful melody. Gruff
growls have nearly become a drone by the conclusion.
“Blues” is a co-written original. Gapp is almost
bouncy, with elements of stride and much else, but
Evans is urgent and unsettled. Gapp’s interesting solo
section will bear repeated listening; the ghost of Jaki
Byard hangs over it. Evans comes back and he’s still
feeling moody, ending the proceedings with nothing
resolved. “Embraceable You” is normally a showcase
for a musician to, well, embrace beauty and Evans does
have that on the agenda. The melody is enveloped, likea warm bath, after two minutes of improvisation. Gapp
offers the most delicate support. It’s lovely to hear
Evans play with the melodic elements, but for the mostpart the subversion is stayed.
For more information, visit peterevanstrumpet.com. Evans is at
Green Lung Studio Jul. 3rd and JACK Jul. 29th-31st. See Calendar.

ON SCREEN

Rainbow Family
George Lewis (Carrier)Plays Clinkers
The Flake (Amalgam)
by George Grella

The presence of soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy, who

would have turned 87 this month (he died in 2004)
brings these very different albums together and that
presence is very much a shadow: Lacy is one of several
musicians on hand to play with and respond to George
Lewis’ computer-controlled interactive improvisational
system and it is his compositional legacy that inspires
The Flake (bass clarinetist Jason Stein, bassist Charlie
Kirchen and drummer Phil Sudderberg).
Rainbow Family is Lewis’ milestone composition,collected on live recordings commissioned by/made in
May 1984 at IRCAM in Paris. Lewis created a system of
networked Apple II computers, analog-digitalconverters and Yamaha DX7 synthesizers—all state-ofthe-art hardware in the day—and created an algorithm
to follow the improvising musicians and respond bysending musical commands to the synthesizers. This
produced musical information that worked with the
improvisers and generated new material, in the mannerof just another musician in a free-improv setting.
To say this was cutting edge stuff at the time is anunderstatement; this was mostly an imaginary notionthat Lewis realized in practice. He was to develop andrefine this through the years, which is all a way topoint out that, heard 35 years later, the results soundprimitive. Lacy, guitarist Derek Bailey, bassist Joëlle
Léandre and reed/windplayer Douglas Ewart wereamong the most imaginative and distinctive
improvisers of their era and their probing ideas,
willingness to surprise themselves and easy creativity
with timbre are things no technology of the ‘80s, oreven now, can match. And there is nothing in electronic
music that sounds more dated than the DX7 of that
decade. But we don’t look at the Wright brothers’ firstflight and complain that their plane was slow, hadlimited range and couldn’t carry passengers—they
took the first step in an enormous leap in humanculture and Rainbow Family is of equal stature andimportance in the combined ranges of improvised
music and music technology.
Plays Clinkers joins other Lacy tribute albums fromthe likes of ROVA Saxophone Quartet and Ideal Breadin following the soprano saxophonist’s ill-defined“poly-free” concept. For The Flake playing their own
version of Lacy’s solo Clinkers album that means
following Lacy’s melodies then launching into free
improvisation. As objective free jazz, this is a successful
album, with a lot of stimulating, knife’s-edge nervous
energy. This is the best these ears have heard Stein;
he spends substantial time in the upper register of his
bass clarinet and his tone is so full and piping that one
can often mistake the instrument. He’s often ferocious
while always clear and coherent.
What one misses in this album and most of theprevious tributes is a sense of Lacy’s logic. There’s areason Lacy was so masterful playing the music of thepreeminent logician of musical modernity, Thelonious
Monk, and it was that Lacy built logical structures thatwere like geodesic domes, made with minimal and airyideas that came together with flexibility and strength.
The “poly” of Lacy was logic, art-song, old-fashioned
group improvisation and free playing and it’s notreally a tribute if you just pick one of those qualities.

SongDreaming
Saadet Türköz/Nils Wogram (Leo)RememberMe
Saadet Türköz and Zim Ngqawana And Friends(Klanggalerie)
by Kurt Gottschalk

Turkic vocalist Saadet Türköz, who turns 60 thismonth, draws from a deep well of inspiration. The
influences of her heritage and upbringing in
metropolitan Istanbul, as well as a fascination withlanguage, a quick mind and impeccable musicality,
have made her a sort of ambassador for free expression
beyond the realms of cultural and national divisions.
SongDreaming, a duo with German trombonist Nils
Wogram, demonstrates well her talent for finding—or creating—a sense of space within the abstraction ofsound. A classically trained musician who has worked
with Rudi Mahall, Aki Takase and Kenny Werner(among, of course, others), Wogram is more thancapable of creating a variety of settings, sometimes also
wielding a melodica, across these 12 brief tracks(the CD runs about the length of an LP). Against drones
and staccato flurries, Türköz sings in Kazakh andTurkish and in her own vocalese. Rather remarkably,
the tracks don’t come off as wandering explorations but
as distinct, if impromptu, folk songs, clear in feeling
if not in precise meaning but full of longing, regret andremorse. It’s a wonderfully heartfelt record.
RememberMe, Türköz’ meeting with the late South
African saxophonist Zim Ngqawana, could be more
frustrating to those expecting more challenging workfrom the adventurous vocalist, but there are rewards
to be found, both as a part of her catalogue and a partof his history. RememberMe was recorded in 2009, twoyears before Ngqawana’s death at 51. Also known as“Zimology”, Ngqawana had studied with both Yusef
Lateef and Archie Shepp under a scholarship at the
University of Massachusetts and returned to South
Africa to work with his countrymen Abdullah Ibrahimand Hugh Masekala. He was as expressive a saxophonist
as Türköz is a singer, although drawing from muchjazzier roots than she or her usual collaborators.
While in a residency in South Africa in 2009,
Türköz was invited to attend a recording session by
Ngqawana. The two met again when the saxophonist
was performing in Türköz’ long-since adopted home of
Zürich and they proceeded to another studio, this timewith Türköz performing. There the story pauses forover a decade, until Türköz—at home underpandemic—came across a reference CD-R of the session.
The masters had long since been lost but fortunately
the session was well engineered. Some judicious editing
cut the 70-minute track to an enjoyable 11 tracks in 43
minutes. Electric bassist Carlo Mombelli (whose
recordings include sessions with Lee Konitz and
Miriam Makeba) sets strong foundations, occasionallywith heavy use of effects, but also manages to push themusic with upper register pep. The younger part of thequintet (all of whom but the singer are South African) is
made up of drummer Justin Guy Badenhorst, whoseversatility ensures a varying energy across the session,
and Kyle Shepherd, who demonstrates both beautiful
and incisive tendencies on both piano and violin.
It’s a fun and free-spirited session, more upbeat
than much of Türköz’ discography but no less bold,with her once again finding fellow musicians
transcending—or simply ignoring—borders andboundaries to find new languages and tell new stories.

Jazz in China
Directed by Eugene Marlow
by Kevin Canfield

Eugene Marlow has established himself as an

authority on the often-overlooked relationshipbetween jazz, an art form that thrives on originality,
and China, a country not known for celebrating
freedom of expression. Which isn’t to say that Jazz in
China, a companion piece to the Baruch College
professor’s illuminating book of the same title, is a
first-rate documentary. Marlow augments his array ofarchival sounds and images with commentary from a
cosmopolitan roster of musicians, writers and fans.
But if this is an informative piece of work, it’s notalways the most stylish or discerning one. Marlow’s
talking-head interviews often resemble casual Zoom
chats and though it’s not a long film, it can be repetitive.
Jazz records from the U.S. made their way toChina on steamships and ocean liners in the 1920s;
so did Charleston-dancing Europeans and Americans,the film notes. By decade’s end, African American
artists such as multi-intstrumentalist Valaida Snow,
pianist Teddy Weatherford and drummer Jack Carter“were very much the talk of” Shanghai, Andrew
David Field, a scholar of Chinese history, tells
Marlow. Jazz was largely dormant in China amid
protracted wars and Mao Zedong’s consolidation of
power, but constraints slackened when Mao died in
1976. Soon thereafter, Americans like French hornplayer Willie Ruff and pianist Dwike Mitchell began
playing for Chinese audiences. It’s difficult toquantify jazz’ current popularity in China, but it
appears to have a foothold in several major cities,
with clubs and festivals drawing young, sizableaudiences and conservatories offering jazz programs.
Marlow’s interviews with Chinese musicians areoften enlightening and funny. Liu Sola, a composer,says she was fixated on “structure” until free jazz
giant Ornette Coleman urged her to “think aboutsounds—don’t think about music.” Bassist Ren
Yuqing liked rock as a kid because virtually the only
American music he knew of was “some Bon Jovi New
Jersey stuff”; later, hearing bassist John Patitucci, herealized that this “music is for me”. For historicalcontext, Marlow turns to academics and writers; each
is well versed, but after a year-plus of pandemic life,
the Zoom-ish qualities of some of theseconversations—the earbuds, the too-close-to-thecamera framing—aren’t exactly invigorating.
Meanwhile, the film’s interviews with jazz club
patrons and music students are interesting—until
they become monotonous. Marlow shows us threedifferent people who say they enjoy jazz because it’s
relaxing music; others like jazz because it goes nicely
with wine or after-work cocktails. In his book, Marlow
recalls seeing a local jazz band play in Shanghai andquickly realizing it wasn’t a top-notch group. “Therest of the crowd, however, was oblivious,” he writes
dismissively of the “mostly non-Chinese” customers.
“They had no clue.” Some of the clubgoers in his film
could fall into the same category and it’s hard tounderstand why he included them.
For more information, visit eugenemarlow.com

For more information, visit carrierrecords.com and amalgamusic.org

For more information, visit leorecords.com and klanggalerie.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 21

Descarga for Bud
Alex Conde (Sedajazz)by Scott Yanow

O ne of the great innovators of jazz piano, Bud Powell,

who passed away 55 years ago this month, changed theway that his instrument is used in jazz. He had atremendous influence on nearly all of the jazz pianists
to emerge since 1945 and that continues to this day, atleast indirectly. But while he was documented fairly
prolifically during his last 20 years, Powell neverplayed AfroCuban or Latin jazz. In fact, the only timethat he was captured on record utilizing a conga player
was on a radio broadcast from May 29th, 1953 in aquintet with Charlie Parker that has Candido playing
two numbers.
Alex Conde, who is originally from Valencia,
Spain, has a background in Flamenco rather than
bebop but jazz greatly interested him even before he
moved to the U.S. to attend Berklee in 2006. He had
previously led four albums, including one called
Descarga for Monk.
It is clear from the beginning of this CD’s opener,“The Fruit”, that this will not be a straight bebop set.
Conde interprets nine Powell compositions in freshways, giving each complex polyrhythms including atango rhythm on “Oblivion”, adding the flavor of
calypso to a relatively boppish “Wail”, changing thephrasing of the melody of “Parisian Thoroughfare”,
turning “Celia” into an uptempo flamenco waltz andutilizing a rumba rhythm on “Tempus Fugit”.
Most of the selections have Conde in a quartet
with either Sergio Martinez or John Santos on
percussion. Of the guests, trumpeter Mike Olmos’ twoappearances (on a 6/4 version of “The Fruit” anduptempo “Tempus Fugit”) are particularly welcome.
While a couple of the pieces are only slightly
recognizable (it would take a little time to identify“Bouncing with Bud”), the inventive treatments andcreative piano solos mostly keep the melody intact
even when the tempo and rhythms are different than
one would expect. The results are enjoyable andconsistently surprising.
For more information, visit sedajazz.es

Hanamichi (The Final Studio Recording)Masabumi Kikuchi (Red Hook)by Thomas Conrad

G ary Peacock once said that Masabumi Kikuchi “wascontinually searching for his ‘voice’. It wasn’t until a
few years before he died that his ‘voice’ found him.”
Hanamichi is Kikuchi’s last studio album, recorded
a year and a half before he died six years ago thismonth. His piano voice bypasses all nonessential
matters and speaks final truths of the human heart. In
the quietude of this music there is a rapt intensity. Its
many silences are the most intense moments of all.
Kikuchi had a long and diverse career, first in his

native Japan, then, for 40 years, in New York. He
played with some major Americans and made two laterecords for ECM. But the idiosyncrasies of his style
kept him on the margins of the jazz scene. He wasinclined toward fully improvised performances, but on
Hanamichi he plays mostly standards. He was an
intuitive artist and there is a fine line between his freepieces and his covers. His remarkable, profound,deeply moving version of “Summertime” offers muchnew spontaneous content. Yet when, from widely
spaced piano markings, Gershwin’s melody appears,
in chiming brightness, it is a revelation. For 11 minutes
Kikuchi pursues his meditations, within whichfragments of “Summertime” keep coalescing anddissolving. “My Favorite Things” is a song aboutchoosing joy. Kikuchi’s two takes choose many
emotions. Some are dark, at the left of the keyboard.
More embody peace and acceptance.
When he plays “Ramona”, from a 1928 silent film,
there is a perfect Kikuchi moment: a seven-second
delay between the first and second notes of the melody.
In kabuki theater a hanamichi is a long raised
platform on which actors enter and exit scenes. In
modern Japanese the term has become a metaphor fora perfect way to end a career, an honorable way toleave the stage. Producer Sun Chung of the new Red
Hook label has expressed regret that he was not able torelease the album during Kikuchi’s lifetime. But
Hanamichi, with its deep music, excellent recorded
sound, insightful liner notes by Kevin Whitehead andtouching photos of Kikuchi’s face and hands, is abeautiful memorial to a unique artist.
For more information, visit redhookrecords.com

Coxhill ‘85
Lol Coxhill (SLAM)
by Mark Keresman

Late soprano saxophonist Lol (né George Lowen)

Coxhill, who died nine years ago this month, still casts
a towering shadow on the UK’s music scene—not justthe jazz and free improvisation spheres, but themainstream and indie rock ones as well. He playeda regular/recurring role in prog-rocker Kevin Ayers’
band Whole World, with UK folk icon Shirley Collins,
Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper and a varied hostof others. Like his American counterpart Steve Lacy,
Coxhill concentrated exclusively on the soprano(though also playing its cousin-horn the sopranino,
heard some here) and they shared a penchant forunaccompanied performances. The recording qualityof this 1985 performance is very good but there is a fairamount of audience-noise to be heard throughout.
“I Thought About You” manages to strike a nicebalance between pensive meandering and gutsy
exploration of this well-known standard. Coxhill has
a fluid approach and coaxes a big soulful, rhapsodic
tone from his horn and drives the chestnut withgregarious swing. “No Stranger” finds Coxhill engaging
in rich blues playing; the audience sounds on this track
are a bit of a distraction but Coxhill’s earnest soulfulness
and potent swagger draw the listener’s attention towhere it belongs, his full-bodied sound, a bit rippling,somewhat tart and full of natural/unhurried swing.
Speaking of swing, “My Old Sopranino” is packed withit, bristling with rollicking, good-time-y verve and somuch puckish drive listeners are unlikely to miss bass
and drums. ”Still For Bunk” is gorgeous balladry with

22 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

small touches of existential ache and regret.
This set also features a few tracks entitled“Dialogue”, preambles containing samples/examplesof Coxhill’s obliquely droll verbal wit—for example,
he tips his hat to the old-school showbiz-ism: “I’vebeen asked to play…(and) been asked not to play…”.
A set of solo saxophone is clearly not for the casual
listener but, for devotees of Coxhill, a master of thestraight reed instrument, those who cannot get enoughof it and/or simply those seeking something different,
Coxhill ’85 is an album that will clearly keep giving toour collective present/future.
For more information, visit slamproductions.net

IN PRINT

Stratusphunk: The Life and Works of George Russell
Duncan Heining (Jazz Internationale)by John SharpeThis extensively revised edition of Duncan Heining’s

2010 biography of composer, theorist and educator
George Russell (1923-2009) shines the spotlight on amusician referred to in the introduction as “one of themost important, if overlooked, figures in jazz”. Thatstatement stems from Russell’s development of one of
the few theoretical texts to come from jazz, his Lydian
Chromatic Concept; his influence on a generation ofjazz icons, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Eric
Dolphy and Bill Evans; as well as a body of work
containing classic discs such as Jazz Workshop and EzzThetics. As Heining makes clear, Russell’s Concept wascentral to his life, but it’s one that may be difficult for
non-musicians to grasp, in spite of the author’s best
efforts. Suffice to say that it ushered in the practice ofmodal jazz, opening up almost limitless possibilities
for improvisers, yet situating those possibilities within
an organized tonal framework and, as such, has had anenormous impact on how jazz developed after bebop.
Russell’s growth is traced from his groundbreaking“Cubano-Be Cubano Bop” for Dizzy Gillespie’s
Orchestra; participation in the conclave around Gil
Evans and rise of Third Stream; celebrated late
‘50s-early ‘60s sides; five-year sojourn in the supportive
environment of Scandinavia; 35-year tenure at New
England Conservatory; and resurgent concert schedulein Europe towards the end of his career. Heining
addresses the man as much as the music, especiallywhen considering Russell’s early years within thecontext of racism facing African-Americans.
Heining’s account benefits from face-to-faceencounters with Russell and he further supplements
his thorough research with a wide-ranging series ofinterviews with partners, friends and colleagues, butultimately there remains the sense of an unbreachedprivate core. No such issues with the music, which
Heining brings to vivid life. He makes you want torevisit what’s known and discover what’s not,including some of the later works such as “TimeSpiral”, the various versions of “Electronic Sonata For
Souls Loved By Nature” and “The African Game”,
which haven’t entered the canon in the same way as“Ezz-thetic” and “All About Rosie” and that really is
the hallmark of any successful musical biography.
For more information, visit amazon.com

“At the intersection of swing, spiritual and free jazz” – A FRO PO P.ORG
OUT NOW!

featuring
JANA HERZEN • COREY GARCIA • IRWIN HALL• MALICK KOLY

Fretless electric bass master Charnett Moffett with his skilled and fearless new trio/quartet delivers a love letter to humanitywith his 17th album, the free-world-jazz-fusion opus, New Love. This intensely engaging album of original improvisational
instrumental and vocal music one moment swings with fervor, and the next swirls with spiritual, contemplative beauty.

Streaming Live From Yoshi’s In June & July
JUNE 23, 24, 25, 30 | JULY 1, 2, 25 | Find full details at CHARNETTMOFFETT.COM

out now!

produced by charnett moffetta joyous pre-covid concert from motéma’s founder withcharnett moffett • brian jackson • corey garcia • irwin hall

1291
Daniel Humair/Samuel Blaser/Heiri Känzig
(OutNote)
18 monologues élastiquesSamuel Blaser (OuthereMusic)
by Steven Loewy

solo trombone recordings. “Grand 8 Garderoben
Foyer” is full of short smears that change bit by bit.
“L’Antichambre Schallschleuse zu Saal 1” toys with
the impressions of breath. “Le grand numéro div”,
with its broad range of sound, incorporates percussive
taps on the bell of the instrument, with wah-wah mutes
leading to a simulated, humorous vocalizing trombone.
Throughout, there is fascinating call and response
between Blaser and...himself. The variety is dizzying,
but Blaser has the tools and technique to keep it busy
and entertaining.

George Floyd, yet the lyrics to “From Sea to Shining
Sea” could have been written yesterday—“I can’t
breathe / I can’t breathe / I felt threatened / I had totake him out”. All the while, Bradford sputters andswaggers and delineates the substance of the blues likea true oracle.
Despite his age, Bradford does not appear to havelost a step as an improvisor and conversationalist. Bothof these documents serve as proof-positive to a legacy
still in the making. The time to celebrate Bradford islong overdue.

For more information, visit outhere-music.com

For more information, visit darktree-records.com andtomatosageconsortium.bandcamp.com

Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser, who, amazingly,

given his fecundity, turns only 40 this month, has madea name for himself with his creative small-group
recordings, which focus on (sometimes spectacular)advanced technique, humor, a slightly thin sound andin-and-out playing to produce clever, compelling andvirtuosic recordings. Blaser occupies that less charted
area between postbop and free jazz and he easily
traverses the lines with consummate alacrity.
On 1291 (a nod to an early Swiss constitutional
document that remains a critical legal document inmodern Switzerland), Blaser reaches back in time tolead his trio and highlight the trombonist’s enormousversatility on such tunes as the Original Dixieland Jazz
Band’s “Original Dixieland One Step”, Kid Ory’s“Ory’s Creole Trombone” (and its glorious sister tune,“Ory’s Original Creole Dixieland One Step”) and
Sidney Bechet’s “Les Oignons”, each played devilishly
through the lens of the trombonist.
Nothing is quite what it seems and Blaser takes
smart liberties to honor the greatness of the tunes
while updating them with growls, multiphonics,
mutes, expanded range and more. Backed by legendary
Swiss Daniel Humair and American born, Europebased bassist Heiri Känzig, both of whom provide
superb support, this is clearly Blaser ’s show, as hewhirls and twists with astonishing delicacy to produce
original works of considerable import.
The range of colors is evident throughout thealbum. The traditional piece “Guggisberglied” opens
quietly with acoustic bass, with trombone joining in awistful near-whisper, jazzy and light. On “LesOignons”, the trombonist opens with a catchy melody,leading to bold multiphonics, in an overall showcaseof the postbop bone. Känzig has strong chops, too,shown to good advantage on his own tunes “7Even”
and “Bass Song”, which also features the fast fingers of
Humair, with Blaser ’s muted, mournful trombone
taking it slow. On Humair ’s “Jim Dine”, muted
trombone, mixed with wah-wah plunges and a simple
melody, spreads some impressive supercharged runs.
The trombonist is best as he navigates complicatedminefields, whether enlarging the breadth of the hornor simply throwing himself at a challenging piece withfull vigor.
Solo jazz instrumental albums are difficult
projects. Even when successful they can make fordifficult listening. The best trombone solo recordings
are ones that portray a huge chest of variegatedtechnique. Blaser is so technically advanced that when
he performs solo, with no backing, he seems to comeinto his own fully.
The numerous short selections, all Blaser originals
with related painting by Joanna Rusinek anddescriptive poems by Blaser, on 18 monologues élastiques
are a lesson in solo jazz trombone and each short piececomes from a different perspective. Martin Ruch, whorecorded the album, played an important role inrecording the trombonist in different portions of thehuge Funkhaus on Nalepastrasse in Berlin, each piecethus taking on its own color and theme.
So, for example, “Missing Marc Suetterlyn Saal 3”,
is a tip of the hat to the late German trombonist Albert
Mangelsdorff, master of multiphonics and father ofon screen
Live at Bing Theatre - Los Angeles, 1985
Roberto Miranda’s Home Music Ensemble with
Bobby Bradford, John Carter, James Newton,
Horace Tapscott (Dark Tree)
Back Where We Came From
Purple Gums (Tomato Sage Consortium)by Robert Bush

Trumpet/cornet master Bobby Bradford, who turns

87 this month, is an American treasure. This has beentrue since the early ‘60s, when he first entered the
public consciousness because of his association with
Ornette Coleman. It was Bradford who initially won
the trumpet seat in Coleman’s early L.A. quartet, but alack of work forced him into other means of supportand he was subsequently replaced by Don Cherry.
Bradford’s group with clarinetist John Carteryielded several albums of the most potent West Coastavant garde jazz ever released and his duos with multiinstrumentalist Vinny Golia are never short of thrilling.
Two recent releases illustrate just how important afigure he represents in the wide arc of creative music.
Live at Bing Theatre is a 1985 session by thewonderful bassist Roberto Miranda (he used a grantfrom the National Endowment for the Arts to fund theconcert, which also served as his Masters Recital
Performance.) The personnel reads like a Who’s Whoof the West Coast avant garde jazz scene, including
Bradford, Carter, James Newton (flute) and Horace
Tapscott (piano). Also on board are his father Louis
Miranda, Sr. (percussion), brother Louis Miranda, Jr.
(drums), Buddy Toscano (drums, timbales), CliffBrooks (timbales, congas, bongos), David Bottenbley(guitar, electric bass, percussion, vocal) and ThomDavid Mason (alto/tenor saxophones, clarinet).
With players like that, the bar is set to the highest
rung and these cats do not disappoint. Bradford has abeautiful sound and presence and he sounds stronger
than an oak on these seven selections, all composed by
the leader. Buoyed by Miranda’s furious walking andan ebullient Tapscott, Bradford stakes out a territory
between the smearing style of Cherry and the highnote alacrity of Freddie Hubbard. Three decades later,
one is particularly struck by the contribution of
Newton, never less than heroic.
Fast forward 34 years and Bradford’s mastery has
evolved exponentially. The incendiary trio Purple
Gums with William Roper (tuba, gemsbok clarinet,bovine femur trumpet, water buffalo horn, khaen,
pungi, lip-reed, spoken word, vocals) and tenor
saxophonist Francis Wong yields Back Where We Came
From, combining spoken word with vocals and all of it
freely improvised.
Listening to the album, it all seems impossible tocontemplate that this could be spontaneously created,
especially the text/poetry/lyrics. The album wasrecorded live in 2019, a full year before the death of

24 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Ivo Perelman: A Musical Storyteller
Directed by Lionel Costa (Quieta Coisa)
by John Sharpe

60 is both an age for taking stock and for rejoicing.

Released to coincide with tenor saxophonist Ivo
Perelman’s celebration, Musical Storyteller, an hourlong documentary by Lionel Costa, charts his
progression from Brazil to arrival in New York andcurrent elevated position in the free jazz firmament. It
contains interviews with Perelman and collaborators,
including musicians, producers and supporters, aswell as footage and stills from the breadth of his career.
Like the Musician Wren, a South American
songbird whose flutey calls begin the film, Perelman
appears as a natural who knew his vocation from ayoung age. After eight years in Los Angeles, frustrated
by the strictures imposed by living as a working
musician, in 1989 Perelman moved to NYC attracted
by the promise of untrammeled expression and eager
to play with the doyens of the scene. An early concert
at the Knitting Factory with vocalist Flora Purim,
pianist Geri Allen, bassist Fred Hopkins and drummer
Andrew Cyrille shows Perelman delivering animpassioned set, which culminates in a Brazilian
popular song, outlined ecstatically with heavy vibratoalongside Purim. At this point the rhythms and folk
melodies of his homeland still heavily inform his style,traits that become less obvious as the years progress.
Drummer Gerry Hemingway notes a conscious
evolution in his playing, something pianist Matthew
Shipp also alludes to in Perelman’s desire to keep
pushing forward to reveal different aspects of his
persona. It’s that exploratory urge which Leo Records
boss Leo Feigin identifies as the reason he’s issued
over 50 of his titles: “He personifies the philosophy ofthe label. Every time he makes it new.” Writer Neil
Tesser also offers insight into Perelman’s development,
particularly his flexible altissimo register. Perelmanhimself explains that he derives his material from life,
from emotive memories. Duets with Shipp featureprominently on the soundtrack, reflecting a restless
discourse guided by intuition and decades ofexperience. Due to the COVID pandemic, some of theinterviews suggest online testimonials lacking theopportunity to dig deeper afforded by in-person
interaction. But putting that to one side, Musical
Storyteller provides a vivid portrait of a singular talent.
For more information, visit quietacoisa.com

WEB-8029_NYCJazzRecord_Ad.pdf

1

6/16/21

6:21 PM

NYC’s most celebrated
summer jazz festival is back!
13 Mars 1961 (Live in Paris)
Johnny Hodges (Fremeaux & Associes)
by Marilyn Lester

A tip of the Ellington top hat to Fremeaux & Associes

for issuing previously unrecorded material with 13
Mars 1961 (Live in Paris). The new CD is a bonanza forlovers of Ellington’s music, especially and in particularof his alto saxophone wizard Johnny Hodges. A halfcentury on and the material sturdily stands the test oftime. Each of the 15 tracks is a jewel in a crown of
elegant classics, played by a septet of the best of
Ellington’s men: Hodges, Ray Nance (trumpet),Lawrence Brown (trombone), Harry Carney (baritone),
Aaron Bell (bass) and Sam Woodyard (drums), with Al
Williams brought in to play the keys. Each shines
mightily in virtuosity, each a testament to the longevity
and excellence of the Ellington Orchestra and its 50
years of continuous existence under the Maestro.
In early March 1961 Ellington went to Paris tofinish up scoring the music for the film Paris Blues.
Producer/promoter Norman Granz organized a 14-day
European tour of The Duke Ellington All Stars directedby Hodges, from which this CD is compiled. True toEllington tradition, opener “Take the ‘A’ Train” (Billy
Strayhorn) is a swinging version with all hands on
deck, featuring a delightfully playful arrangement. All
tracks give a fresh approach. “Mood Indigo”(Ellington -Barney Bigard-Irving Mills), with Hodges
out front, interweaves voicings from the other playerswith subtle nuance. “Jeep’s Blues” (Hodges-Ellington)
likewise features Jeep (one of Hodges’ nicknames)with sophisticated shadings of support playing.
Hodges certainly deserves to be called “legendary”.
He possessed a tone so luminous that any theory of
how he achieved it falls flat. He particularly excelled atblues and ballads. His performances on his original“Blues for Madeleine”, “All of Me” (Gerald MarksSeymour Simons) and “On the Sunny Side of theStreet” (Jimmy McHugh-Dorothy Fields) can literally
take one’s breath away. If one of God’s angels took
up the alto saxophone, it would sound like Hodges,
the voicing sublime and improvisational ability
seemingly effortless.
Of him, Ellington said, “a tone so beautiful it
sometimes brought tears to the eyes.” Hodges joined
Ellington in 1928 and except for a hiatus from 1951-55,
played in the band until a sudden, fatal heart attack in
1970. Ellington said upon his death, “the band will
never sound the same without Johnny.” How could it?
He was praised in life by many, including Charlie
Parker, who called him the Lily Pons (an opera star) of
his instrument. Listening to “I’ve Got It Bad (And That
Ain’t Good)” Ellington-Paul Francis Webster) , it’s easy
to understand the ‘singing’ nature of Hodges’ solos. A
treat is “Squeeze Me” (Fats Waller-Clarence Williams),
with Nance’s vocal and spirited drum riffs. Bell is
exquisite on “Satin Doll” (Ellington-Strayhorn-Mercer).
Hodges was a taciturn man, but expressive in hismusic and understanding of the dynamics of making
music with others. The play-out, “Perdido” (Juan TizolErvin Drake-Hans Lengsfelder, not only demonstrates
these qualities, but also brightly showcases each player
and underscores the band’s cohesive excellence. 13
Mars 1961 (Live in Paris) has another bonus: top-notch
sound quality. Fremeaux & Associes can be especiallyproud of its work on this gem.

IN PERSON & LIVESTREAMED

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

JULY 20 &K

KURT ELLING & BILL CHARLAP
STANDARD TIME
TUE, JUL 20, 7:30 PM

27

DIANNE REEVES MEETS
THE BILL CHARLAP TRIO
TUE, JUL 27, 7:30 PM

GET TICKETS
92y.org/jazzinjuly

For more information, visit fremeaux.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 25

MarksTown
Steve Tintweiss and The Purple Why(INKY DoT MEDIA)
by Pierre Crépon

Q uite rare in a field dominated by verbatim reissues,

word of previously unheard music from avant garde
jazz’ early days is always noteworthy. This is doubly
true when it constitutes the first entry in a band’s
discography, as is the case with The Purple Why. Whenhe founded the group in 1967, bassist Steve Tintweiss
had recorded as a sideman for ESP-Disk’. In 1970, hewould contribute to what was to be Albert Ayler ’s
final statement. This is the third release on thelabel Tintweiss created to issue material from his
personal archives.
MarksTown contains two sets recorded in New
York in the summer of 1968. The music is very much
Tintweiss’: he composes all the themes and bass holds
a central position in the sonic balance, an uncommon
trait in an era when the instrument often struggled justto be heard. Conversely, instead of focusing on sheer
propulsive power, drummer Laurence Cook often
plays accents encircling a space within which trumpeter
James DuBoise and saxophonists Mark Whitecage—
who passed away in March—and Trevor Koehler makemeasured contributions. The inclusion of vocalists
Judy Stuart and Amy Sheffer adds another uncommon
element to the group’s lineups. With Tintweiss
shouting short lines, vocals are a strong presence in themusic, but they are used as devices in specific pieces,
not unlike in certain contemporary music contexts.
The first set was part of a weeklong St. Mark’s
Church benefit for West African state Biafra where
Joan Baez and Jimi Hendrix also appeared. In
informative liner notes, Ben Young writes that
Tintweiss opted to make the best of a last-minute timeslot reduction by playing a medley of the band’srepertoire. Rather than detracting from the music, thecompactness of the set adds dynamic atmospherechanges. At Town Hall, on a bill shared with pianist
Burton Greene—in whose band Tintweiss was amember—The Purple Why had more latitude to stretch
out, giving way to solos that deserve close listening.
The ‘60s avant garde produced more than what jazzworld structures could absorb at the time. MarksTown
is recommended listening to anyone interested inprobing the depths of that era’s New York activity.
For more information, visit spacelightband.com/discs.html

KeshinNatsuki Tamura/Satoko Fujii (Libra)
Prickly Pear Cactus
Ikue Mori/Satoko Fujii/Natsuki Tamura (Libra)
MantleNatsuki Tamura/Satoko Fujii/Ramón López (Not Two)by Steven Loewy

Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura (who turns 70 thismonth), musical collaborators through the years,
continued their massive and consistently remarkable
output through the months of COVID. With more thana half-dozen recordings as a duo and many trio andlarger group outings, the pianist/trumpeter team has

proved to be one of the most inventive and prolific inmodern jazz. With her compositional skills and brilliant
piano and his cocksure, fat-toned trumpet, the two
perform with prescient alacrity, their playing almost
merged as one. These three outstanding 2020
recordings, a duo and two trios, are superb examplesof their recent work, giving a glimpse of diversified
performance and wide palette of sound.
In some ways, Keshin represents the culminationof the Fujii/Tamura partnership. The pieces areaccessible, mostly relaxed, often melodic, with brilliant
use of space, changing tempos, alternatingly intenseand soft-spoken solos and always the wondrous
innocence of naked discovery. One enters, the otherfades, then they play off one another and so forth,
the results being an almost perfect display of duo
performance. They submerge individual egos and,after performing so often together, anticipate eachother ’s moves, filling the space with child-like wonder.
There are moods galore, with “Dreamer” a good
example of a stunningly gorgeous sound, opening
slowly with piano, before trumpet enters and the tworesist showmanship in favor of stellar beauty. The
intimate, spellbinding conversations are never-ending,appearing as one sound. Fujii has built such a strong
reputation as a composer and arranger it is easy toforget her enormous skill as a freestyle improviser.
Similarly, Tamura, with an attractive rough sound,proves himself once again to be one of the great
trumpet stylists. On “Three Scenes”, he cries likea baby, with pinched notes juxtaposed against
swooshes and faux farts, contrasted with innocent,simple and quiet piano lines; Fujii’s solo encompasses
a dense and meaty construction, with classical training
in full display. The piece increases the velocity as
Tamura immerses himself in a hardbop vein. The
album is filled with riches, as opener “Busy Day” offers
a tip-of-the-hat to Carla Bley as it conjures some of theworkings of her classic and quirky I Hate to Sing,
although without the slapstick. The results throughout
Keshin are respite for the soul, as this lovely, thoughtfulrecording is sheer joy.
After a European tour and a recording session in
New York in early 2020, Fujii, Tamura and electronicist
Ikue Mori found themselves in the midst of the COVID
crisis, unable to perform in public. Instead, they
performed remotely, “switching” and “overdubbing”
audio files after strategizing through Zoom, email andcell phone. The results on Prickly Pear Cactus are
surprisingly upbeat, fresh and exciting, in part due
to the way in which Mori weaves her wondrous
electronics against flowing piano lines and rough,alluring brass. The recording is stunningly beautiful,with rolling piano statements boldly leading topounding keys and whooshing splashes from trumpet.
The focus is often on slow, in-depth pure sound and,
although Fujii performs lovingly, she can erupt at any
time, as she does effectively on “Guerrilla Rain”, where
Mori sets down an electronic tablecloth on which Fujii
plates increasingly wild bursts of kinetic energy.
Throughout, Fujii explores various timbre, moods,
time signatures and tempo, with Mori always peeking
through with deceptively simple, though disruptive,
splashes, clanks and tinkles, tasteful yet surreptitiously
subversive, while Tamura lets his presence be knownwith heavenly whispers and Fujii explores the fullrange of the keyboard, in and out. This is a splendid
recording: enriching, sensitive, orchestral and justsubversive enough to discomfit the uninitiated.
Because of the continual changes and both thesimplicity and complexity of the pieces, this Prickly
Pear Cactus may sting, but its taste delights with amagnificent, stately and sweet sheen.
Mantle was recorded in 2019 after a short Japanesetour, with Spanish percussionist Ramón López added
to the Fujii/Tamura mix, expanding the dynamics ofthe duo and opening them up. The highly attuned
Lopez impresses with pleasantly surprising sensitivity

26 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

that lifts Tamura and Fujii in different directions.
During their tour, each of the players took turns
writing an original piece to perform each evening andthey each selected three pieces for this recording.
López’“Metaphors”
opens
with
exquisite
unaccompanied Tamura, whose unique style conjures
the plump offerings of trumpeters Lester Bowie andeven Henry “Red” Allen, but distinctively his own.
When Fujii joins him, they are purely hand-in-glove,notes following notes as if magically perfectly placed.
Tamura’s “Encounter” is a tour de force, with Lopez
featured in a long, sensitive, often riveting percussion
solo, which energizes the trio, Fujii adding muscular
block chords and Tamura bursting forward, seemingly
from out of nowhere. Along the ride there are so many
shifts in tempo, volume and sensitivity that the piecegrabs and never lets go. Another standout, Tamura’s
intense “Came, Left”, opens with delicate snares,
leading to a simple trumpet dirge in the middle
register, dancing over the drums and leading to a
feverish Fujii showing wildly free chops, as trumpet
and percussion intertwine with splendid abandon.
For more information, visit librarecords.com and nottwo.com

The Ox-Mo Incident
Frank Morelli/Keith Oxman (Capri)
by Marco Cangiano

The pairing of bassoon and tenor saxophone, if nota first, is certainly a rare event in jazz. While occasional
incursions of classically-trained musicians into jazz
territory are not new, the reverse is less frequent. Thiseffort by chamber bassoonist/Juilliard alumnus Frank
Morelli and hardbopping saxophonist Keith Oxman is,therefore, not only welcome but also refreshing. Morelli
is a world-class player with an impressive resumé but
this is his first outing into the jazz realm. The meeting
was the outcome of a chance event, which saw Oxman’s
wife Susan, a bassoon specialist herself and a student ofMorelli’s, playing the role of deus ex machina and also
writing the very insightful liner notes. The success of
this CD goes largely to the band—pianist Jeff Jenkins,
bassist Ken Walker and drummer Todd Reid— and thematerial, a mix of standards such as “The Surrey With
the Fringe on Top” and “I Could Have Danced All
Night” with Oxman originals, like the title track and “A
Wasp in Search”, and classic pieces like Fauré’s“Pavanne”, arranged by Morelli, and “Three for Five”,
based on Brahms’ Symphony No. 3.
The most intriguing aspect of this album is therediscovery of standards derived from themes ofclassical repertoire: “Baubles, Bangles and Beads”;
based on a theme from Alexander Borodin’s String
Quartet, No. 2, it is executed in a bossa feel; “Poor
Butterfly” is, not surprisingly, based on Puccini’s
Madame Butterfly; and “Full Moon” comes out of
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto, No. 5. All this may
sound overly engineered, but the result is a date ofunusual lightness and joyfulness, reminiscent of thesound of West Coast cool jazz of the late ‘50s andexperiments à la Third Stream.
Bassoon is the star while tenor sounds a bit
restrained. Whether this CD is a one-off event or the
beginning of a new musical partnership one cannot
say, but this reviewer is clearly rooting for the latter.
For more information, visit caprirecords.com

B OXED SE T

The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and
RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946-1966
Louis Armstrong (Mosaic)
by George Kanzler

Trumpeter-singer Louis Armstrong was active on

the jazz scene for over five decades, although his
pioneering work in creating the parameters of jazz
as we know it in his first decade (early 1920s-early
1930s) often overshadows that he continued to be acreative force well into his last (1961-71). This
comprehensive boxed set exhaustively presents his
studio recordings from post-World War II to 1966 fortwo of the major labels with which he was associated.
The latter ‘40s were the years when he transitioned
from fronting a big band (throughout the ‘30s andWWII) to returning to a small-band format, The AllStars. The mid ‘50s was also when he made two of his
most important and artistically successful LP albums.
Those two albums, Louis Armstrong Plays W.C.
Handy and Satch Plays Fats, comprise three-and-ahalf of the seven CDs in this set. Not only are the twopresented in their original LP released sequences,

but we get to hear all the alternate takes, false starts
and even some of the studio conversations between
Armstrong, the All-Stars and producer George
Avakian. The set also includes a third LP, The Real
Ambassadors, an album for a projected Broadwayshow by Dave and Iola Brubeck, recorded in 1961 bya cast that included Brubeck’s band, Armstrong’s
All-Stars, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and Carmen
McRae. Numerous alternate and partial takes fromthat project are also included. The Real Ambassadors
comes off today as rather dated and didactic andwhile Armstrong and other musicians are obviously
having fun, it sounds more like a middle-school
civics class lesson than a Broadway musical.
The balance of the set, the first two CDs, consistof singles mostly recorded in 1946-47, save for the1955 All-Stars session that produced “Mack theKnife”. Among the highlights are the two sides ofa single by the Esquire All-American 1946 Award
Winners featuring Armstrong with pianist Duke
Ellington and soloing in a sequence with alto
saxophonist Johnny Hodges. There are some fineArmstrong vocals and trumpet solos with rather
pedestrian big bands, including “I Wonder, I Wonder,
I Wonder”, but the zenith of the singles from the ‘40s
are sessions by Armstrong’s Dixieland Seven and thefirst All-Stars recordings. The former, reuniting
Armstrong with trombonist Kid Ory for the firsttime since the 1920s, gives us his first recording ofwhat would be a staple of his live repertoire,“Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans”,
while the latter produced the famous vocal duet by
Armstrong and trombonist Jack Teagarden on“Rockin’ Chair”. “Mack the Knife” includes
numerous alternates and false starts, demonstrating

Armstrong’s varied approach to the lyrics, fromdeclarative to interrogatory, on both his hit solo
version and lesser-known duet with Lotte Lenya.
Both the W.C. Handy and Fats Waller songbook
albums feature the same edition of the All-Stars:
Armstrong joined by trombonist Trummy Young,clarinetist Barney Bigard, pianist Billy Kyle, bassist
Arvell Shaw, drummer Barrett Deems and singer
Velma Middleton. The Handy album begins withnine minutes of “St. Louis Blues” in a medium tempo
slower than Armstrong’s Swing Era romps. It isa rousing performance, with memorable solos from
Young and Armstrong, as well as vocals fromArmstrong and Middleton that add improvised lines
to the lyrics. Avakian created the master mostly fromthe third take, also included, along with an almost
equally vibrant fourth take, in the skein ofalternatives. “St. Louis Blues” is one of 11 Handy
tunes, all indelibly performed, ranging from thefamiliar (“Memphis Blues”, “Careless Love”) to themuch less so: “Hesitating Blues”, “Chantez-Les Bas”,
that latter Armstrong’s favorite from the album,
adding that he, like Young, “got carried away” on
the final choruses.
While some of the Handy material was
instrumental, all nine tunes of the Fats Waller LP
featured Armstrong’s vocals, sometimes in duet with
Middleton, but the trumpet work is also
extraordinary, from the sprightly “Keepin’ Out of
Mischief Now” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” to theballads. “Blue Turning Grey Over You” is Armstrong
at his very best, tender in his vocal, caressing yet
authoritative on both open and muted trumpet.
For more information, visit mosaicrecords.com

Libra Records celebrates Natsuki Tamura’s “Koki” anniversary (70th birthday)!!!
“Mysterious, haunting and startling.” - Larry Appelbaum, JazzTimes“Tamura has entered territory that no one has ever explored.” - Masahiro Imai, Musen to Jikken
On his upcoming
July solo release
KOKI SOLO
Tamura plays trumpet,
piano, wok andeven sings!

NYC’S LONGEST RUNNING JAZZ FESTIVAL
WEDNESDAYS @ GRANT’S TOMB 7:00PM | RIVERSIDE DRIVE 122NDJULY 7: HOUSTON PERSONJULY 21: DANNY MIXON

2021 Libra Records releases

JULY 14: JAY HOGGARDJULY 28: PATIENCE HIGGINSFRIDAYS @MARCUS GARVEY PARK 7:00PM | 5TH AVE 124TH

KOKI SOLO (Libra 101-066)
Beyond (Libra 202-061)

FOLLOWED BY “SEIZE THE KING”
CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM (JULY9,16,23)

Hazuki (Libra 201-063)

JULY 9: JEREMY PELTJULY 16: JAZZ POWER INITIATIVEJULY 23: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY! JULY 30: PHIL YOUNG

Taiko Saito -vibraphone, Satoko Fujii -piano
Satoko Fujii -piano

Keshin (Libra 102-064)

Natsuki Tamura -trumpet, Satoko Fujii -piano

Moon On The Lake (Libra 203-065)

Satoko Fujii -piano, Takashi Sugawa - bass, cello,
Ittetsu Takemura - drums

www.librarecords.com
www.natsukitamura.com
www.satokofujii.com

Schedule is weather permitting and subject to change.
WWW.JAZZMOBILE.ORG FOR MORE DATES!

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 27

CALENDAR
Thursday, July 1êEmmet Cohen Trio with Russell Hall, Kyle Poole		
Birdland 8 pm $30• Eric Krasno Trio with Eric Finland, Eric Kalb
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $55• Pasquale Grasso, Ari Roland, Leroy Williams
		
Bodeguita BK 8 pmêDaryl Sherman
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Vin Scialla and Brooklyn Raga Massive		Culture Lab LIC 6:30 pm• Misha Piatagorsky Trio; Etienne Charles Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêDavid Binney Chris Potter, Adam Rogers, Chris Fishman, Dan Weiss, Daryl Johns				
Nublu 151 8, 10 pm• Tim Hegarty Quartet with Charlie Sigler, Dishan Harper, Winard Harper				
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êSheila Jordan/Cameron Brown
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêMike Freeman ZonaVibe
St. Marks Church 12:30 pm

Friday, July 2êHearing Things: Matt Bauder, JP Schlegelmilch, Vinnie Sperrazza		Barbès 10 pm $20
êEmmet Cohen Trio with Russell Hall, Kyle Poole		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30• Brasstracks
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êDaryl Sherman
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Dan Aran Band; Ken Fowser Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with guest Marty Ehlrich
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $15êSteve Slagle/Bruce BarthMezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Porterfield
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 10 pm $10• Aaron Seeber Quintet with Stacy Dillard, Max Light, Isaac Wilson, Ugonna Okegwo
		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• David Bixler, Jon Cowherd, Ike Sturm, Rogério Boccato
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, July 3• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom				Barbès 8 pm $20
êEmmet Cohen Trio with Russell Hall, Kyle Poole		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30• Brasstracks
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
êEd Cherry Trio; Jerry Weldon Sextet The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêPeter Evans/Levy Lorenzo
Green Lung Studio 7 pm $25
êUri Caine, Mark Helias, Ben Perowsky		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts with Kenji Herbert, Nathan Ellman-Bell				Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 10 pm $10• Adam Larson Quartet with Taylor Eigsti, Matt Clohesy, Jimmy Macbride				
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êEthan Iverson/Ingrid Jensen
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, July 4êArturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble		Birdland 7 pm $30
êEddie Palmieri
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Stefano Doglioni Quartet with Zaid Nasser, Ari Roland, Taro Okamoto				
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Monday, July 5êBinky Griptite

Bar Lunàtico 9:10:30 pm $20

		• Madeleine PeyrouxêEddie Palmieri• Charlie JudkinsêRodney Green

Barbès 7 pm $20
Barbès 9 pm $20
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Nadav Peled’s Unseen Country with Ran Livneh, Eran Fink

Tuesday, July 6• Trio Catarina with Mauro Refosco Bar Lunàtico 9:10:30 pm $20
êMaurice “Mobetta” Brown• Charlie Judkins• Naama GheberêJosh Evans Quintet

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Wednesday, July 7êThe Fringe: George Garzone, John Lockwood, Francisco Mela		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet
Bar Lunàtico 9:10:30 pm $20
êMatt Munisteri with Jon-Erik Kellso and The EarRegulars
		Birdland 8 pm $10êMaurice “Mobetta” Brown
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Charlie Judkins
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Naama Gheber; Vuyo Sotashe The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêJazzMobile: Houston Person
Grant’s Tomb 7 pm
• Ehud Asherie, Paul Sikivie, Charles Goold		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êSheila Jordan/Cameron Brown
Pangea 6 pm $25• Jocelyn Medina Quartet with Pete McCann, Evan Gregor, Ross Pederson				Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 7 pm $15êMichael Blake Quartet with Chris McCarthy, Ben Allison, Allan Mednard				
Smalls 7:30, 9 pm $20• Toru Dodo solo
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Thursday, July 8• Dida Pelled Quartet with Andrew Forman, Dan Pappalardo, Guy Paz

		
Barbès 8 pm $20• Allan Harris Septet with Arcoiris Sandoval, Marty Kenney, Norman Edwards,
Bruce Harris, Irwin Hall, Jhair Sala, Gregoire Maret		
Birdland 8 pm $30
êJohn Scofield Trio with Vicente Archer, Bill Stewart
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Ai Murakami, Zaid Nasser, Lee Hudson, Tardo Hammer		Bodeguita BK 8 pm
• Charlie Judkins
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêDave Kikoski Trio; Django All-Stars The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Arthur Green
Faber Park 3 pmêGilad Hekselman
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Lawrence Clark Quintet with Duane Eubanks, Greg Murphy, Joris Teepe, Darrell Green		
Let Love Inn 8 pm

• Underground Horns
Nublu 151 10:30 pm• Paul Sikivie Sextet with Brandon Lee, Caleb Curtis, Nicole Glover, David Gibson,
Ben Zweig
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êRob Garcia 4 with Noah Preminger, Leo Genovese, Kim Cass		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Friday, July 9• Dana Lyn’s Baby Octopus
Barbès 8 pm $20• Allan Harris Septet with Arcoiris Sandoval, Marty Kenney, Norman Edwards,
Bruce Harris, Irwin Hall, Jhair Sala, Gregoire Maret		
Birdland 8 pm $30
êJohn Scofield Trio with Vicente Archer, Bill Stewart
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Charlie Judkins
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Anwar Marshall Trio; Ken Fowser Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 7:30 pm $25
êCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with guest Don Byron
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $15• Cobalt: Lesley Mok, David Leon, Steve Long, Henry Fraser
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
êJazzMobile: Jeremy Pelt
Marcus Garvey Park 7 pm
êEd Cherry, John DiMartino, Kenny Davis		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êItai Kriss’ Televana
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10• Endless Field; Sara Caswell Quartet; 9 Horses		
ShapeShifter Lab 7 pm $20• Jared Gold Trio with Dave Stryker, McClenty Hunter		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Melt All the Guns: Ralph Alessi, Angelica Sanchez, Devin Gray		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, July 10• Charlie Rosen’s Roaring 20s Octet 54 Below 9:45 pm $35-75• Allan Harris Septet with Arcoiris Sandoval, Marty Kenney, Norman Edwards,

Bruce Harris, Irwin Hall, Jhair Sala, Gregoire Maret		
Birdland 8 pm $30
êJohn Scofield Trio with Vicente Archer, Bill Stewart
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• David Gibson Quartet; Mike Ledonne Quartet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêAaron Rubinstein/Michael Larocca; Michael Bisio/Stephen Gauci
		
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30, 8 pm
• Noah Becker’s Underthought with Alex Levine, Tyrone Allen, Stephen Boegehold
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15• Greg Murphy
Lorenzo’s 6 pm
• Louis Armstrong House Museum Block Party
		Louis Armstrong House 11 amêJonny King, Steve Wilson, Ed Howard		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Benny Benack III Quartet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10• Aaron Neumenwirth, Daniel Carter, Claire de Brunner; Tamio Shirashi				
Oliver Coffee 2 pm $10• Tommy Campbell and Vocal-Eyes with Kevin Burke, Marya Lawrence, Quintin Zoto,
Jeb Patton, Boris Kozlov
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Pete Rodriguez Quintet with John Ellis, Luis Perdomo, Ricky Rodriguez, Rudy Royston
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, July 11• Charlie Rosen’s Roaring 20s Octet 54 Below 9:45 pm $35-75• Arthur Kell and Friends with Brad Shepik, Nate Radley, Allan Mednard

		Bar Lunàtico 9:10:30 pm $20
êJoel Forrester solo
Barbès 7 pm $20
êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble		Birdland 7 pm $30
êJohn Scofield Trio with Vicente Archer, Bill Stewart
		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Sonny Singh; Brian Woodruff Sextet with Duane Eubanks, Hashem Assadullahi,
John Yao, Pete McCann, Matt Clohesy and guest Elisabeth Lohninger
		
Culture Lab LIC 4:30, 6:30 pm• Greg Murphy
Lorenzo’s 12 pm• Irwin Hall Organ Trio with Mark Whitfield		
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10• Bruce Harris Quintet
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Monday, July 12• Charlie Rosen’s Roaring 20s Octet 54 Below 9:45 pm $35-75

êSunny Jain’s Red Baraat!
Barbès 10 pm $20
êKeyon Harrold
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
êJoel Forrester
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêAnders Nilsson, Ken Filiano, Jeremy Carlstedt; Juan Pablo Carletti, Yoni Kretzmer,

Charlotte Greve, Rick Parker, Jake Henry, Kenneth Jimenez; Stephen Gauci,
Adam Lane, Colin Hinton; Tony Malaby, Brandon Lopez, Sean Ali, Billy Mintz;
Sean Conly, Michaël Attias, Francisco Mela		
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10• Ari Hoenig Trio
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Pedro Giraudo Big Band with Alejandro Aviles, Todd Bashore, Luke Batson,
Jeremy Powell, Carl Maraghi, Jonathan Powell, Tatum Greenblatt, Josh Deutsch,
Nicole Davis, Ryan Keberle, Mike Fahie, Mark Miller, Jennifer Wharton, Jess Jurkovic,
Franco Pinna
Terraza 7 7 pm

Tuesday, July 13• Charlie Rosen’s Roaring 20s Octet 54 Below 9:45 pm $35-75
êKeyon HarroldêJoel ForresterêVanisha Gould Trio

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jerry Weldon Sextet with Alonzo Demetrius, Dion Tucker, Mike Bond,
Jason Maximo Clotter, Evan Sherman		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Paul Jost Quartet
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Wednesday, July 14• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		êKeyon HarroldêJoel Forrester• Vanessa Perea; Richard CortezêJazzMobile: Jay HoggardêLew Tabackin• Jenn Jade Ledesna Quartet• Kate Baker TrioêSylvia Cuenca

28 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Birdland 7 pm $10
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
Grant’s Tomb 7 pm
Michiko Studios 7 pm $20
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10
Pangea 6 pm $25
Pier 84 7 pm

• Roni Ben-Hur Quartet with George Cables, Harvie S, Victor Lewis

		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Vinicius Gomes Quintet with Jon Cowherd, Massimo Biolcati, Ari Hoenig,
Rogério Boccato
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Thursday, July 15êDelfeayo Marsalis QuintetêKeyon Harrold

Birdland 8 pm $30
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Saul Rubin, Mark Lewandowski, Charles Goold		
Bodeguita BK 8 pmêJoel Forrester
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêAkiko Tsuruga Trio; Ian Hendrickson-Smith Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêSamara Joy and Pasquale Grasso Trio with Ari Roland, Keith Balla		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25• Jostein Gulbrandsen Trio with Mike McGuirk, Ronen Itzik
		
Scandinavia House 7:30 pm $15êVirginia Mayhew Quartet with Roberta Piket, Harvie S, Billy Mintz
		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Anne Cowherd, Jon Cowherd, Paul Brandenburg
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm
• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom				
Terraza 7 7 pm

Friday, July 16êDelfeayo Marsalis QuintetêJoel Forrester

Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Bryant Park 7 pm
Clove Lakes Park 6 pmêJazzMobile—Taylor Made - Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Dr. Billy Taylor:
Antonio Hart, Chip Jackson, Winard Harper and guests
		
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center 8 pm
• Stacy Dillard Trio; Ken Fowser Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with guest Curtis Stewart
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $15• Morgan Guerin with Bart Plateau, Adam Cordero, Marlena DeStefano, Kalia Vandever,Chern Hwei Fung, Mario Gotoh, Joanna Mattrey, Mike King, Or Bareket, Tyshawn Sorey		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• JazzMobile: Jazz Power Initiative Marcus Garvey Park 7 pmêAaron Diehl
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Joe Dyson Quintet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10êSylvia Cuenca Quintet with Freddie Hendrix, Craig Handy, Dave Kikoski, Essiet Essiet
		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Hayes Greenfield/Dean Johnson Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10• Spanish Harlem Orchestra• Ginetta’s Vendetta

Saturday, July 17• Shoko Nagai’s Tokala with Stomu Takeishi, Satoshi Takeishi

		Barbès 8 pm $20
êKen Peplowski Quartet with Ted Rosenthal, Peter Washington, Matt Wilson				
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30• Louis Prima Jr. and The Witnesses
		
The Cutting Room 7 pm $30-40• Joe Saylor Quartet; Barry Stephenson Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Morgan Guerin with Bart Plateau, Adam Cordero, Marlena DeStefano, Kalia Vandever,Chern Hwei Fung, Mario Gotoh, Joanna Mattrey, Mike King, Or Bareket, Tyshawn Sorey		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Greg Murphy
Lorenzo’s 6 pm
• Brandon McCune
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êE.J. Strickland Quintet
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Steve Sandberg/Jay Rodriguez Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, July 18• Scott Reeves Quintet with Russ Spiegel, Mike Holober, Howard Britz, Andy Watson
		
55Bar 6 pmêStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble		Birdland 7 pm $30• Hector Martignon Quartet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10êRay Blue Quartet with Greg Murphy, Belden Bullock, Steve Johns		Riverbank State Park 3 pm
• Joe Magnarelli Quintet
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Monday, July 19• Sunny Jain’s A.G.E.S. with Adam O’Farrill, Greg McMurray, Eva Lawitts		

		Barbès 10 pm $20
êEddie Palmieri
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Dan Manjovi
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêDavid Leon, Yuma Uesaka, Aaron Quinn, Stephen Boegehold; Jonathan Millberger,
Caleb Duval, Michael Larocca; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton; Wendy
Eisenberg, Gabby Fluke Mogul, Nick Neuberg; Elijah Shiffer, Dan Lehner, Ben Rolston,Colin Hinton; Flip City: David Aaron, Nick Panoutsos, David Gould
		
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10• Joe Farnsworth Quartet
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Tuesday, July 20êJazz in July—Standard Time: Kurt Elling and Bill Charlap with Steve Wilson,

David Wong, Carl Allen

92nd Street Y 7:30 pm $35-50

		• Dan Manjovi• Marianne Solivan Trio
• Abraham Burton Quartet• Lee Tomboulian Trio

Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35
Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêJames Carter Quartet with James Hurt, Gerald Cannon, Kahlil Kwame Bell

Wednesday, July 21êVanisha Gould
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêTony Malaby, Kenny Warren, Billy Mintz, Flin van Hemmen		Barbès 8 pm
• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 7 pm $10êJames Carter Quartet with James Hurt, Gerald Cannon, Kahlil Kwame Bell		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Dan Manjovi
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Hilary Gardner; Ahsley Pezzotti The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêJazzMobile: Danny Mixon
Grant’s Tomb 7 pm
• Steve Carrington Quartet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10• Tessa Souter/Luis Perdomo
Pangea 6 pm $25• Pete Zimmer Quartet with Stacy Dillard, Miki Yamanaka, David Wong		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Jim Ridl
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Thursday, July 22• Joe Alterman Trio
Birdland 8 pm $30• Lamy Istrefi, Jr., Josh Evans, Dezron Douglas, James Hurt		
Bodeguita BK 8 pm
• Dan Manjovi
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêGeorge Braith
Bushwick Inlet Park 6 pmêNir Felder Trio; Mark Whitfield Trio The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Antoine Roney
J. Hood Wright Park 6 pmêDavid Virelles Trio with Matt Brewer, Eric McPherson
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35
êVision Festival: Opening Healing Ceremony with William Parker, Patricia Nicholson,
Jean Carla Rodea, Michael T.A. Thompson; Dave Sewelson’s Music for a Free World
with Aquiles Navarro, Ava Mendoza, Dave Hofstra, Steve Swell, William Parker,
Marvin Bugalu Smith; Cooper-Moore solo; Dave Burrell/Darius Jones;
Matthew Shipp String Trio with Mat Maneri, William Parker
		
Pioneer Works 6 pm $65
êBrian Charette with Alexander Claffy, Kush Abadey
		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Erli Perez Quartet with Hyuna Park, Yoshi Waki, Charles Goold		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Friday, July 23• Joe Alterman Trio
• Dan Manjovi

Birdland 7, 9 pm $30
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with guest Lee Odom		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $15• Ray Gallon Trio; Ken Fowser Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Tivon Pennicott
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35
êJazzMobile: Billy Taylor Centennial Celebration		Marcus Garvey Park 7 pm
• Ben Paterson
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Tamir Shmerling Quartet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10êVision Festival—Celebrating Amina Claudine Myers:
Amina Claudine Myers Voice Octet; Tyehimba Jess; Generation IV:
Amina Claudine Myers, Richarda Abrams, Pyeng Threadgill,
Luna Threadgill-Morderbacher; Amina Claudine Myers Trio with Jerome Harris,
Reggie Nicholson
Pioneer Works 6:30 pm $65• Huntertones
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 9 pm $22êValery Ponomarev Alto Madness Sextet with Chris Hemingway, Todd Bashore,
Mamiko Watanabe, Boris Kozlov, Jerome Gillespie
		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Jason Walker Trio with Jeremy Brown, Fred Cash		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Saturday, July 24• Joe Alterman Trio

Birdland 7, 9 pm $30

êVision Festival: Creative Vision Youth Ensemble; Composers Workshop Ensemble:

Warren Smith, Lloyd Harber, Rod Williams, Larry Roland, Joe Daley, Jack Jeffers,
Omar Kabir, Don Slatoff, Claire Daly, Nigel Inniss, Lee Odom; ElectroFLUTTER:
Fay Victor, Nicole Mitchell, Jamaaladeen Tacuma; Tracie Morris/Cecilia Smith;
Joe Morris/Tomas Fujiwara; Tony Malaby’s Sabino Quartet with Ben Monder,
Michael Formanek, Tom Rainey Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center 5:30 pm $65
êBurnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber		Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center 8 pm
• Aaron Kimmel Trio; Joe Farnsworth Quartet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Tivon Pennicott
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Greg Murphy
Lorenzo’s 6 pm
• Denise King Quintet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10• Matt Mottel 40th Birthday Celebration
		
Oliver Coffee 2 pm $10êSummerstage: Sun Ra Arkestra; Sistazz of the Nitty Gritty: Angel Bat Dawid,
Anaiet Sivad, Brooklynn Skye Scott		
Rumsey Playfield in Central Park 7 pmêStephen Gauci, Wendy Eisenberg, Francisco Mela		
Scholes Street Studio 8, 9:30 pm $15• Mike LeDonne Trio with Alexander Claffy, Joe Farnsworth		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, July 25êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble		Birdland 7 pm $30
êVision Festival: Whit Dickey Trio with Rob Brown, Mat Maneri;
Pheeroan akLaff Liberation Unit with Michael Gregory Jackson, Adegoke Steve Colson;
Raymond Nat Turner; Third Landing: Ava Mendoza, Abiodun Oyewole,
Devin Brahja Waldman, Alexis Marcelo, Luke Stewart, Ches Smith;
James Blood Ulmer Odyssey with Charles Burnham, Warren Benbow				
Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center 6 pm $65
êHarlem Blues & Jazz Band with Ray Blue, Greg Murphy		Dana Discovery Center 3 pm
• Ralph Lalama and Bop-Juice
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Monday, July 26• Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East

Barbès 10 pm $20
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $55• Russ Kassoff
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Prawit Siriwat, Daniel Durst, Abel Taberes; Aron Namenwirth, Daniel Carter, Luisa Muir,
Ayumi Ishito, Eric Plaks, Yutaka Takahashi, Zach Swanson, Jon Panikkar;
Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Sandy Ewen, Colin Hinton; Jeff Davis, Tony Malaby,
Jonathan Goldberger, Matt Pavolka; Sean Ali/Flin Van Hemmen		Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10êMichel Camilo

Tuesday, July 27êJazz in July—Standard Time: Dianne Reeves and Bill Charlap Trio withPeter Washington, Kenny Washington		
92nd Street Y 7:30 pm $35-50
êAruán Ortiz/Don Byron
Bar Lunàtico 9:10:30 pm $20• Russ Kassoff• Jamile Trio

Bryant Park 12:30 pm
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êLawrence Fields/Yasushi Nakamura
		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

CLU B DI RE CTORY

Wednesday, July 28• Randy Ingram Trio with Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert

		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 7 pm $10êJoe Lovano Quartet
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Russ Kassoff
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Emily Braden; Alexa Barchini
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêAcute Inflections
Don’t Tell Mama 7 pm $20
êMars: Tim Berne, David Torn, Craig Taborn, Ches Smith		
Drom 8 pm $20
êJazzMobile: Patience Higgins
Grant’s Tomb 7 pm
• Richie Vitale Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jerome Gillespie, Jr. Trio
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10• Alex Leonard Trio
Pangea 6 pm $25• Steve Blum Molecular Jazz Quartet Pier 84 7 pmêZach Brock Quartet with Jim Ridl, Yasushi Nakamura, Clarence Penn				
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Thursday, July 29• John Minnock with Sean Mason, Carlos Mena, Pablo Eluchans and guest
Dave Liebman

54 Below 9:45 pm $30-70êOrrin Evans Quartet with Immanuel Wilkins

		
Birdland 8 pm $30
êJoe Lovano Quartet
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Julia Banholzer/Neal Caine
Bodeguita BK 8 pm
• Russ Kassoff
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Nick Hempton Trio; Freddy DeBoe Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pmêMingus Big Band
Drom 8 pm $20
êPeter Evans’ Being & Becoming with Joel Ross, Nick Jozwiak, Savannah Harris				
JACK 8 pm $25• Joe Dyson Look Within with Kenyatta Beasley, Emilio Modeste, Mike King,
Barry Stephenson
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25
êVision Festival: Elder Ones: Amirtha Kidambi, Matt Nelson, Eva Lawitts, Max Jaffe;
James Brandon Lewis Quartet with Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones, Chad Taylor;Rock Paper Twister: Julie Ezelle Patton, Janice Lowe, Paul Van Curen, William Parker,
Abou Farman and guest Vinie Burrows; Mara Rosenbloom Flyways with Anaïs Maviel,
Rashaan Carter; Trio 3: Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille and guest				
Pioneer Works 6 pm $65• Oskar Stenmark/Alex Pryrodny Scandinavia House 7:30 pm $15• Alex Claffy Trio with Mike Ledonne		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Benjamin Furman
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm

Friday, July 30êOrrin Evans Quartet with Immanuel Wilkins

		
Birdland 7, 9 pm $30• Al DiMeolaBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Russ Kassoff
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• The Memory of Water: Sunken Cages: Ravish Momin/Ishita Mili and
Miggy Miyajima Quintet with Steve Wilson, Freddie Hendrix, Pete McCann, Noriko Ueda
		
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center 8 pmêCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with guest Shanyse Strickland
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $15• Jason Tiemann Quartet; Ken Fowser Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Greg Osby Quartet; Oran Etkin Open Arms Project		Drom 8 pm $20
êPeter Evans’ Being & Becoming with Joel Ross, Nick Jozwiak, Savannah Harris				
JACK 8 pm $25• Sachal Vasandani
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• JazzMobile: Phil Young
Marcus Garvey Park 7 pm
• Curtis Nowosad Quartet
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10êVision Festival: Brandon Lopez Trio with Gerald Cleaver, Steve Baczkowski;
Ingrid Laubrock’s Monochromes with Jon Irabagon, Zeena Parkins, Tom Rainey;
Jaimie Branch’s FLY or DIE with Lester St. Louis, Jason Ajemian, Chad Taylor;Fred Moten, Brandon Lopez, Gerald Cleaver; David Murray Octet Revival with
DD Jackson, Mingus Murray, Rashaan Carter, Russell Carter, Curtis Stewart, Lee Odom,
Josh Evans, Vincent Chancey
Pioneer Works 6 pm $65
êGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, July 31êOrrin Evans Quartet with Immanuel Wilkins

		
Birdland 7, 9 pm $30• Al DiMeolaBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $65• Riley Mulherkar and Ella Bric
Bryant Park 7 pmêVision Festival—Tribute to Milford Graves: Andrew Cyrille solo; Joe McPhee Octet with
Jason Kao Hwang, Rosie Hertlein, James Keepnews, Brandon Lopez, Michael Bisio,
Warren Smith, Jay Rosen; Shahzad Ismaily solo; John Zorn solo; William Parker,
Lee Mixashawn Rozie, DD Jackson, William Hooker, Francisco Mela		
Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center 6 pm $65
êRaga Maqam: Amir ElSaffa and Brooklyn Raga Massive		
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center 8 pm
• Victor Gould Trio; Michael Arenella Quintet
		
The Django at Roxy Hotel 7, 9 pm
• Groove Collective
Drom 8 pm $20
êPeter Evans’ Being & Becoming with Joel Ross, Nick Jozwiak, Savannah Harris				
JACK 8 pm $25• Lea Bertucci Snsemble with Chris Pitsiokos, Ben Bennett, Shayna Dunkleman
		
Jacob Riis Beach Handball Courts 2, 4, 6 pmêVanisha Gould
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25• The Missing Element/The Afro-Latineers		Little Island 1 pmêTed Nash Trio
Minton’s 7, 9 pm $10• Rachel Z
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Jason Yeager
Soapbox Gallery 8 pmêGerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10• 54 Below 254 West 54th Street(646-476-3551) Subway: N, Q, R to 57th Street;
B, D, E to Seventh Avenue www.54below.com• 55Bar 55 Christopher Street(212-929-9883) Subway: 1, 2 to Christopher Street - Sheridan Squarewww.55bar.com• 92nd Street Y Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street(212-415-5500) Subway: 6 to 96th Street www.92y.org• Bar Bayeux 1066 Nostrand Avenue(347-533-7845) Subway: 2, 5 to Sterling Street• Bar Lunàtico 486 Halsey Street(917-495-9473) Subway: C to Kingston-Throop Avenues
www.barlunatico.com• Barbès 376 9th Street at 6th Avenue, Brooklyn(718-965-9177) Subway: F to 7th Avenue www.barbesbrooklyn.com• Birdland and Birdland Theater 315 W. 44th Street(212-581-3080) Subway: A, C, E, to 42nd Street www.birdlandjazz.com• Blue Note 131 W. 3rd Street at 6th Avenue(212-475-8592) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, M to W. 4th Street
www.bluenotejazz.com• Bodeguita BK 6 Suydam Street
Subway: J, M, Z to Myrtle Avenue/Broadway www.bodeguitabar.com• Bryant Park 5th and 6th Avenues between 40th and 42nd Streets		
Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 42nd Street www.bryantpark.org• Bushwick Inlet Park Kent Avenue between N. 7th and 12th Streets
Subway: L to Bedford Avenue• Bushwick Public House 1288 Myrtle Avenue(917-966-8500) Subway: G to Myrtle - Willoughby Avenue then B54
www.bushwickpublichouse.com• Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center 107 Suffolk Street
Subway: F, J, M, Z to Delancey Street www.csvcenter.com• Clove Lakes Park 1150 Clove Road, Staten Island Bus: X12• Culture Lab LIC 5-25 46th Avenue, Long Island City
(347-848-0030) Subway: 7 to Vernon Boulevard/Jackson Avenue
www.facebook.com/culturelablic• The Cutting Room 44 E. 32nd Street(212-691-1900) Subway: 6 to 33rd Street www.thecuttingroomnyc.com• Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center Broadway and 62nd Street
Subway: 1 to 66th Street• Dana Discovery Center 110th Street and Fifth Avenue
Subway: 2 to 110th Street• The Django at The Roxy Hotel 2 Sixth Avenue (212-519-6600)
Subway: A, C, E to Canal Street; 1 to Franklin Street
www.thedjangonyc.com• Don’t Tell Mama 343 W. 46th Street(212-757-0788) Subway: A, C, E, F, V to 42nd Street-Port Authority
www.donttellmama.com• Downtown Music Gallery 13 Monroe Street (212-473-0043)
Subway: F to East Broadway www.downtownmusicgallery.com• Drom 85 Avenue A(212-777-1157) Subway: F to Second Avenue www.dromnyc.com• Faber Park Richmond Terrace, Staten Island(212-639-9675) Bus: SIMC3C Bus to Faber Park www.nycgovparks.org• Grant’s Tomb 122nd Street and Riverside Drive Subway: 1 to 125th Street• Greater Calvary Baptist Church 55 W. 124th Street(404-227-3748) Subway: 2, 3 to 125th Street• Green Lung Studio 117 9th Street, ste. 122(614-623-2601) Subway: F, G to Smith/9th Streets
www.greenlungstudio.com• J. Hood Wright Park W. 173rd Street and Haven Avenue(212-927-1563) Subway: A to 175th Street www.nycgovparks.org• JACK 20 Putnam Avenue, Brooklyn
Subway: C, S to Franklin Avenue www.jackny.org• Jacob Riis Beach Handball Courts 157 Rockaway Beach Boulevard(718-318-4300) Bus: Q35 Bus to Jacob Riis Park
www.nyharborparks.org• The Jazz Gallery 1160 Broadway, 5th floor (212-242-1063)
Subway: N, R to 28th Street www.jazzgallery.org• Let Love Inn 27-20 23rd Avenue, Queens(718-777-5683) Subway: N, W to Ditmars Boulevard
www.letloveinn.com• Little Island Pier 55 at Hudson River Park Greenway		
Subway: A, C, E, L to 14th Street www.littleisland.org• Lorenzo’s 1100 South Avenue, Staten Island(718-477-2400) Subway: 4 to Wall Street; 3 to Park Place. X17 bus
www.lorenzosdining.com• Louis Armstrong House Museum 34-56 107th Street, Queens(718-478-8274) Subway: 103rd Street-Corona Plaza
www.louisarmstronghouse.org• Marcus Garvey Park 122nd Street and Mt. Morris Park West		
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to 125th Street• Mezzrow 163 W. 10th Street(646-476-4346) Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.mezzrow.com• Michiko Studios 149 W. 46th Street, 3rd Floor(212-302-4011) Subway: B, D, F, M to 47-50 Streets
www.michikostudios.com• Minton’s 206 W. 118th Street (between St. Nicholas Avenue andAdam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd) (212-243-2222)
Subway: B, C to 116th Street www.mintonsharlem.com• Nublu 151 151 Avenue C(212-979-9925) Subway: 6 to Astor Place www.nublu.net• Oliver Coffee 5 Oliver Street
Subway: F to East Broadway www.olivercoffee.com• Pangea 178 Second Avenue(212-995-0900) Subway: L to First Avenue www.pangeanyc.com• Pier 84 W. 44th Street and Hudson River				Subway: A, C, E, F, V to 42nd Street-Port Authority• Pioneer Works 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn(718-596-3001) Bus: B61 www.pioneerworks.org• Riverbank State Park 679 Riverside Drive at 145th Street		
Subway: A, C, 1 to 145th Street• Rockwood Music Hall 196 Allen Street (212-477-4155)
Subway: F, V to Second Avenue www.rockwoodmusichall.com• Rumsey Playfield in Central Park 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue		(212-360-2777) Subway: B, D to 72nd Street www.summerstage.org• St. Marks Church 2nd Avenue and 10th Street(212-674-6377) Subway: 6 to Astor Place• Scandinavia House 58 Park Ave. at 37th Street(212-879-9779) Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 42nd Street-Grand Central
www.scandinaviahouse.org• Scholes Street Studio 375 Lorimer Street(718-964-8763) Subway: L to Lorimer Street
www.scholesstreetstudio.com• ShapeShifter Lab 18 Whitwell Place(646-820-9452) Subway: R to Union Street www.shapeshifterlab.com• Smalls 183 W 10th Street at Seventh Avenue (212-252-5091)
Subway: 1 to Christopher Street www.smallsjazzclub.com• Soapbox Gallery 636 Dean Street Subway: 2, 3 to Bergen Street• Terraza 7 40-19 Gleane Street(718-803-9602) Subway: 7 to 82nd Street www.terrazacafe.com• Williamsburg Music Center 367 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY(718-384-1654) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 29

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
a break we played “On Green Dolphin Street” together
and on the basis of that he hired me to be in his band.
The next thing I remember is doing Wayne Shorter ’s
album Odyssey of Iska and feeling totally unprepared toplay with these amazing musicians. But I overcame myfeelings of inadequacy and just played what I thought
was appropriate. It was my first recording on electronic
vibes, which were very unusual for that time. And myfriend Steve Khan, the guitar player, came to the studioand helped me set up the equipment.
Most amazing was when I was 23 and 24, playing
on the Leonard Bernstein Mass with 12 or 13 otherpercussionists from the New York Philharmonic, theMet and the New York City Ballet. Bernstein was
conducting. I was playing vibraphone. During the
break I was noodling around, playing changes, and allof a sudden I turned around and there was Bernstein.
He said, “I bet you didn’t learn that at Juilliard.”
I wonder how he knew I went to Juilliard.
TNYCJR: When did the studio era end for you?
DF: Around 1986 everything was petering out,
musicians were working in smaller studios and there
was more work with synthesizers. I went to Germany
in 1987 and it was mostly the end of my commercialmusic career, but not the end of my recording career.
It wasn’t totally the end of the studio work, because
there was a jingle producer named David Horowitz
who told me, “Whenever you’re coming to the Statesgive me a call and I’ll get you something.” He was true
to his word and whenever I came back to New York
there were some recordings for me.
TNYCJR: Why did you go to Germany specifically?
DF: I met a woman and she lived in Germany. And
I was very lucky to get an offer to teach at the university
and create their very first jazz department. I had had
a classical musical education and never a jazz lesson in
my life. But I was considered an expert pedagogue.
I did everything intuitively and still do.
TNYCJR: I love your new album with the Berlin Mallet
Ensemble. It’s gorgeous.
DF: They are my former students. They are beautiful
arrangers and they are rhythmic players who reallyknow how to play together. There are ensembles thatplay what is written and interpret new music. In thiscase there are arrangements, but they are only
springboards for the improvisation that happens. I’m
proud of all these mallet players and I guess I feel I had
something to do with their development. They’reamazing to play with, open, spontaneous and genuine
virtuosos on their instruments.
The record came out and then COVID hit, so we’ve
never done a gig but we’d like to. Taiko Saito is theorganizer and she instigated the whole project. She isa wonderful composer and vibraphone player who
became my student in 1990. We have a Japanese
woman, an Austrian guy, a couple of Germans. I’m theonly American.
TNYCJR: I think of Europe as being jazz-friendly andhospitable to musicians in general, with grants andother support.
DF: Absolutely. And there are quite a few Americanmusicians here and everywhere in Europe, at the
moment. Quite a few. Now we’re seeing the clubs andconcert halls opening here and teachers are giving
lessons live and not online.
I just did a four-day online workshop with Joe
Locke, Stefon Harris, Warren Wolf and Tony Miceli.
We only did it online because of COVID. Otherwise wewould have done it somewhere in the States andI would have come over. I’ve done a lot of streamed
concerts, but I’m totally sick of them. I just want toplay live or stay home. Some poor people are on Zoom
all day long.
TNYCJR: Do you think the future of mallet percussion
is in good hands, with all the young players?
DF: Absolutely. To name a few, Joel Ross, Simon
Moullier, Sasha Berliner.
TNYCJR: Would anything lure you back to the U.S to live?
DF: [Immediately] No. Did I wait long enough before
answering? I love living here. I have a beautiful rooftop
apartment with two terraces. I like the lifestyle here.
During the Trump period, it was terrible, I suffered,watching CNN every day. I would turn off the soundwhen he came on the TV. v

has plenty on its plate for the remainder of 2021. This
includes additional Pandemic Duets with Lane, Shea, Eli
Wallace, Kenneth Jimenez, Lisa Hoppe, Cooper-Moore
and also a solo Gauci recording. In addition to this,Gauci is planning on several Bushwick Series releases
with the series itself coming back this month. With hissignature positivity, Gauci states, “Bach would go rightback to the table, light a candle and write through thenight, regardless of [the] outcome. So will I.” v
For more information, visit gaucimusic.bandcamp.com.
Gauci’s Bushwick Series is at Bushwick Public House
Mondays. Gauci is also at Downtown Music Gallery Jul.
10th and Scholes Street Studio July. 24th. See Calendar.

For more information, visit david-friedman.de
Recommended Listening:• Wayne Shorter—Odyssey of Iska (Blue Note, 1970)• Double Image—Dawn (ECM, 1978)• Chet Baker—Peace (Enja, 1982)• David Friedman—Air Sculpture (Traumton, 1994)• Daniel Humair, Marvin Stamm, David Friedman,
Sébastien Boisseau—Ear Mix (Sketch, 2002)• David Friedman Generations Trio—Thursday(Malletmuse, 2014)(LEST WE FORGET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8)with Brooks leading a quintet (Shaw, tenor saxophonist
Carlos Garnett, pianist Harold Mabern and McBee)
at Baltimore’s Famous Ballroom. In support of Black
Lives Matter, proceeds from the release go directly to
the Detroit Sound Conservancy, a non-profit for thepreservation, education and conservation of Detroit’s
musical heritage. Historian Mark Stryker, the album’s
liner notes author, astutely and succinctly captures
Brooks’ legacy, writing that Understanding “shines along-overdue spotlight on Brooks. A product of
Detroit’s mid-century jazz explosion, Brooks was a
deeply swinging drummer of uncommon creativity,
flexibility, fire and conceptual imagination.” v
Recommended Listening:• Horace Silver—Horace-Scope (Blue Note, 1960)• Yusef Lateef—A Flat, G Flat And C (Impulse!, 1966)• Roy Brooks—Understanding (Reel to Real, 1970)• Roy Brooks & The Artistic Truth—
Ethnic Expressions (Im-Hotep, 1973)• Max Roach—M’Boom (Columbia, 1979)• Roy Brooks—Duet in Detroit(Enja, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989)(LABEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)
duets series of recordings. It was tricky because, atfirst, musicians were reluctant to get in a room andplay, no matter how many precautions. What I realized
within the first two weeks was that the pandemic is thegreat equalizer. Everyone was out of business. For astart up like Gaucimusic, that can be an opportunity to
put out some great programming while the otherstations are ‘out for lunch’. That’s the idea of Pandemic
Duets from the promotional/publicity side. They act as
a way to keep the label and social network growing
and as a bridge until things open up.”Even with the uncertainly that still surrounds theperforming arts scene of New York City, Gaucimusic

30 JULY 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDSUBSCRIPTIONSAVAILABLE$40 DOMESTIC / $45 CANADA$50 INTERNATIONALPAYMENT CAN BE MADE BY CHECK,MONEY ORDER OR PAYPAL
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
LDGREENE@NYCJAZZRECORD.COM
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ON JAZZ& IMPROVISED MUSIC IN NEW YORK CITY
“Simply the hippest journal about jazz in
New York that has ever been published” - Joe Lovano“The most comprehensive periodical on the musicthat I have ever read” - Andrew Cyrille
FACEBOOK/NYCJAZZRECORD
INSTAGRAM: TNYCJRTWITTER: @NYCJAZZRECORD

www.nycjazzrecord.com

MISCELLANY
ONbyTHISDAYAndrey Henkin

British Festival of Jazz Concert
Various Artists (Decca)
July 14th, 1951

Miles in Tokyo
Miles Davis (CBS/Sony)
July 14th, 1964

Two Big Mice
Slam Stewart/Major Holley (Black And Blue)
July 14th, 1977

Catechism
Dennis González (DAAGNIM)
July 14th, 1987

London’s Royal Festival Hall was the

In 1964, trumpeter Miles Davis, fiveSlam Stewart (b. 1914, Englewood,

Dallas is hardly known as a jazz city,

site of this concert, made under the
auspices of the National Federationof Jazz Organisations. Six bands
performed, all in the Dixieland/tradjazz style popular at the time, excerptsof their sets compiled on this 10” LP.
The most famous were those led bytrumpeter/clarinetist
Humphrey
Lyttelton and pianist Graeme Bell (thelatter actually from Australia) but
appearing were some other futurenames in trombonist Keith Christie,
cornet player Ken Colyer, pianist Stan
Butcher and drummer John Sangster.

months after playing Lincoln Center
for an NAACP benefit, made his first
trip to Japan, performing in Tokyoand Kyoto. It came at a transitional
period for Davis. His quintet was influx, with Sam Rivers, recommended
by the group’s drummer and fellow
Bostonian Tony Williams, in on tenor
saxophone for a recently departed
George Coleman, but leaving rightafter, replaced by Wayne Shorter. Theband, with pianist Herbie Hancockand bassist Ron Carter, plays music
harking back to Davis’ ‘50s ensembles.

NJ) and Major Holley (b. 1924, Detroit,MI) were bassists both known forsinging along to their bowed solos(as well as playing with Coleman
Hawkins 18 years apart). This is thefirst of two co-led LPs, the second
coming in 1981. On both is drummer
Oliver Jackson while this one includes
pianist Hank Jones and, if two basses
weren’t enough, a third played by
George Duvivier (b. 1920, NYC). Bothleaders bring tunes, the set filled out
by Cole Porter, André Persiani andnursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice”.

especially next to nearby and muchsmaller Fort Worth. Trumpeter Dennis
González, hailing from Abilene, 200
miles west, has made it his creative
homebase though since the late ‘70s,
founding the Dallas Association for
Avant-Garde and Neo Impressionistic
Music (DAAGNIM). But this album
was made far away in London andwith a mixed cast of Keith Tippett,
Elton Dean, Marcio Mattos and Louis
Moholo (UK) alongside Kim Corbett
and Ron Blakeslee (Texas) playing
mostly González’ music.

Live in Vitoria-Gasteiz
Linda Sharrock (Amadeo)
July 14th, 1995

Linda

and
Sonny
Sharrockcollaborated on a few records in thelate ‘60s-mid ‘70s then, after divorcing,both left music for a few years. Linda
would restart her career in Europe,
singing with various groups andleading her own projects. A regularpartner has been Austrian reedplayer
Wolfgang Puschnig, who appears on
this live set from the titular Spanish
festival. Completing the trio is Turkish
percussionist Arto Tunçboyacıyan forcollaborative
originals,
OrnetteColeman’s “Ramblin’” and Billie
Holiday’s “God Bless The Child”.

BIRTHDAYS
July 7†Tiny Grimes 1916-89†Frank Rehak 1926-87
Doc Severinsen b.1927†Hank Mobley 1930-86†Joe Zawinul 1932-2007
Sue Evans b.1951
Michael Henderson b.1951
JA Granelli b.1966
Orlando le Fleming b.1976

July 1†Earle Warren 1914-94†Rashied Ali 1935-2009†Ndugu Chancler 1952-2018
Erik Friedlander b.1960
Sameer Gupta b.1976
Brandee Younger b.1983
July 2†Charlie Kennedy 1927-2009
Richard Wyands b.1928
Ahmad Jamal b.1930†William Fielder 1938-2009
Mike Abene b.1942
Gary Dial b.1954

July 11
Henry Lowther b.1941†Tomasz Stanko 1942-2018
Travis Sullivan b.1971
Will Vinson b.1977
July 12†Sam “The Man” Taylor
1916-90†Paul Gonsalves 1920-74†Conte Condoli 1927-2001†Big John Patton 1935-2002†Jean-François Jenny-Clark
1944-98
Mark Soskin b.1953
Ken Thompson b.1976
Ron Caswell b.1977

July 8†Bill Challis 1904-94†Louis Jordan 1908-75†Johnny Mince 1912-97†Billy Eckstine 1914-93†Ken Hanna 1921-82
Roy Babbington b.1940
Sakari Kukko b.1953
Russ Johnson b.1965
Kendrick Scott b.1980
Tyshawn Sorey b.1980
Matt Wigton b.1980

July 3†Johnny Coles 1926-96
Ronnell Bright b.1930†Ron Collier 1930-2003†Pete Fountain 1930-2016
Rhoda Scott b.1938
Dr. Lonnie Smith b.1942
John Klemmer b.1946

July 13†George Lewis (cl) 1900-68†Bengt-Arne Wallin 1926-2015†Leroy Vinnegar 1928-99†Albert Ayler 1936-70†Earl Grubbs 1942-89
George Lewis (tb) b.1952

July 9†Joe Darensbourg 1906-85†June Richmond 1915-62†Duke Burrell 1920-93†Alex Welsh 1929-82†Frank Wright 1935-90

July 4†Aaron Sachs 1923-2014
Conrad Bauer b.1943
Butch Miles b.1944
Fred Wesley b.1943
Matt Steckler b.1974

July 14†Billy Kyle 1914-66†Alan Dawson 1929-96
Lauren Sevian b.1979

July 10†Noble Sissle 1889-1975†Ivie Anderson 1905-49†Cootie Williams 1910-85†Milt Buckner 1915-77†Dick Cary 1916-94†Major Holley 1924-90†Buddy Clark 1929-99†Arnie Lawrence 1938-2005†Lee Morgan 1938-72
Brian Priestley b.1940

July 5†Ray Biondi 1905-81†Bruce Turner 1922-93
Sha b.1983
July 6†Betty Smith 1929-2011
Chris White b.1936
Klaus Kugel b.1959
Torben Waldorff b.1963

July 17†Mary Osborne 1921-92†Ray Copeland 1926-84†Vince Guaraldi 1928-76†Joe Morello 1928-2011†Ben Riley 1933-2017†Nick Brignola 1936-2002
Chico Freeman b.1949
Mark Feldman b.1955

July 15†Philly Joe Jones 1923-85†Joe Harriott 1928-73†Henry P. Warner 1940-2014
Rodrigo Amado b.1964
Petros Klampanis b.1981
July 16†Teddy Buckner 1909-94†Cal Tjader 1925-82
Bobby Previte b.1957

July 18†Charlie LaVere 1910-83†Ray McKinley 1910-95†Don Bagley 1927-2012†Carl Fontana 1928-2003†Buschi Niebergall 1938-’80s†Dudu Pukwana 1938-90
William Hooker b.1946
Theo Croker b.1985
July 19†Buster Bailey 1902-67†Cliff Jackson 1902-70†Charlie Teagarden 1913-84
Bobby Bradford b.1934†Carmell Jones 1936-96
Didier Levallet b.1944
July 20†Bill Dillard 1911-95†Joachim Ernst Berendt
1922-2000†Ernie Wilkins 1922-99
Peter Ind b.1928†Charles Tyler 1941-82
Samuel Blaser b.1981
July 21
Helen Merrill b.1930†Sonny Clark 1931-63
Plas Johnson b.1931
Scott Wendholt b.1965

July 22†Al Haig 1924-82†Bill Perkins 1924-2003†Keter Betts 1928-2005†Junior Cook 1934-92†Johannes Bauer 1954-2016
Al Di Meola b.1954

July 26†Gus Aiken 1902-1973†Erskine Hawkins 1914-93†Louie Bellson 1924-2009†Charli Persip 1929-2020
Joanne Brackeen b.1938
Natsuki Tamura b.1951

July 23†Emmett Berry 1915-93†Johnny Hartman 1923-83†Claude Luter 1923-2006
Bill Lee b.1928†Richie Kamuca 1930-77†Steve Lacy 1934-2004
Daoud-David Williams b.1943
Khan Jamal b.1946
Loren Schoenberg b.1958
Achille Succi b.1971

July 27†Charlie Queener 1923-97
Charlie Shoemake b.1937
Carl Grubbs b.1944
Joel Harrison b.1957
Jean Toussaint b.1960

July 24†Joe Thomas 1909-84†Billy Taylor 1921-2010
Ronnie Lang b.1927†Rudy Collins 1934-88
Mike Mainieri b.1938
Charles McPherson b.1939
Jon Faddis b.1953
Barry Romberg b.1959
James Zollar b.1959
Etienne Charles b.1983
July 25†Darnell Howard 1895-1966†Johnny Wiggs 1899-1977†Johnny Hodges 1907-70†Jef Gilson 1926-2012†Annie Ross 1930-2020†Don Ellis 1934-78
Günter Lenz b.1938
Brian Blade b.1970
Mike DiRubbo b.1970

July 28†Corky Corcoran 1924-79†Jim Galloway 1936-2014
Nnenna Freelon b.1954
Delfeayo Marsalis b.1965
July 29†Don Redman 1900-64†Charlie Christian 1916-42†Joe Beck 1945-2008
July 30†Hilton Jefferson 1903-68†Roy Porter 1923-98†Frank Smith 1927-74†Vernell Fournier 1928-2000
James Spaulding b.1937
Hal Smith b.1953
Kevin Mahogany b.1958
July 31†Hank Jones 1918-2010†Ahmet Ertegun 1923-2006†Bjarne Nerem 1923-91
Kenny Burrell b.1931
Michael Wolff b.1952
Stanley Jordan b.1959

SHA

July 5th, 1983
Mysterious,
single-namedbass clarinetist Sha was born
Stefan Haslebacher in Bern,
Switzerland. His formal
music education came at the
MHS Luzern and in private
study with Don Li, John
Voirol, Nat Su and Sujay
Bobade. In 2003, he firstrecorded with countryman
pianist Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin on
Rea (Ronin Rhythm Records),
a relationship that would
flower into five more albums
with Ronin (all for ECM) as
well as two with Bärtsch’s
Mobile (one each on Ronin
Rhythm and ECM) and a duo
project. Additionally, Sha hasrecorded with Zimoun, Stvn
Wlsn and Markus Reuter andreleased four of his own
albums on Ronin Rhythm:
Chessboxing
VolumeOne(2008), Greatest Hits (2011),
Feckel For Lovers (2015) andMonbijou (2020).
(AH)

CROSSWORD
1

2

3

4

5

9

10

12

13

6

7

ACROSS

8

11

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

27

28

30

31

32

35

33

26

29

34

36

1. Jazz before it was jazz
5. It and JALC present Summergarden concerts
9. Drummer Drake
10. Concert tickets used to yield these
12. Japanese alto saxophonist Sakata
13. Soul-jazz saxophonist Prince Billy ____ Wright
14. Filipino-​American vocalist David
15. Saalfelden Jazz Festival country (abbr.)
16. Central and Prospect Parks both have one
22. Chicago-based quartet of which 9 Across wasa member
23. Chet Baker and Bud Shank led the band for his story
27. Jim Pepper jazz standard “Witchi-____-To”
28. Jazz festival held in Abbiategrasso, Italy
30. Turkish bandleader İşmen
33. Hellish Lublin jazz festival
35. Amiri Baraka and Steve Dalachinsky
36. Lennie Tristano > Sal Mosca > Larry ____
37. Jazz opponent?
38. Homebase of ODIN Records
DOWN

37

38

1. Danish guitar Bro
By Andrey Henkin 			

2. Pianist/singer Claudine Myers
3. Charles Thompson or Roland Hanna
4. Take 6 were all members of this church (abbr.)
5. UWS college with a noted jazz program
6. Omar Sosa record label
7. The M in AACM?
8. Cellist Wadud
9. You want this in your sandwich not on your bandstand
11. Kenny Dorham tune “Baby ____”
17. Billy Bang fought there
18. Repeated, singer Bridgewater
19. Portuguese trumpet monogram
20. Pianist O’Brien
21. Central Dutch town hosting an annual jazz festival
23. Bass clarinetist Stein
24. Singer Cyrille
25. Bassist Ahmed ____-Malik
26. Puerto Rican percussionist Ubaldo
27. Jazz musicians take it from here
29. English tenor saxophonist/clarinet/flutist Vic
31. Phone co. that partnered with the Monterey and
Sonoma jazz festivals
32. Label founded by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg releasing
albums by Clarice Assad and New Swing Sextet
33. Treme broadcaster
34. Late bassist Victor Bailey suffered from it

visit nycjazzrecord.com for answers

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | JULY 2021 31