YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENESEPTEMBER 2021—ISSUE 233

NYCJAZZRECORD.COM

HELEN

SUNG
SUNG SONGJOSHUAABRAMSCAROLINE
DAVIS

MIKE
NOCK

DEWEY
REDMAN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

SEPTEMBER 2021—ISSUE 233
NEW YORK@NIGHT

Laurence Donohue-Greene:ldgreene@nycjazzrecord.com

INTERVIEW : JOSHUA ABRAMSAndrey Henkin:ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

ARTIST FEATURE : CAROLINE DAVISON THE COVER : HELEN SUNG

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Staff Writers
Duck Baker, Stuart Broomer,
Robert Bush, Kevin Canfield,
Marco Cangiano, Thomas Conrad,
Pierre Crépon, Ken Dryden,
Donald Elfman, Phil Freeman,
Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland,
George Grella, Anders Griffen, Tyran Grillo,Alex Henderson, Robert Iannapollo,
Mark Keresman, Marilyn Lester,
Suzanne Lorge, Marc Medwin,
Jim Motavalli, Russ Musto,
John Pietaro, Joel Roberts,
John Sharpe, Elliott Simon,
Anna Steegmann, Scott Yanow
Contributing Writers
Dan Bilawsky, Jordannah Elizabeth,
Pierre Giroux, Kira Grunenberg,
George Kanzler, Francesco Martinelli,Monique Ngozi Nri
Contributing Photographers
Joseph Boggess, Peter Gannushkin,
Alan Nahigian, Ron Perillo, Sherry Rubel,
Robert I. Sutherland-Cohen,
Adrien H. Tillmann, Kathy Villacorta
Fact-checker
Nate Dorward

nycjazzrecord.com

ENCORE : MIKE NOCKLEST WE FORGET : DEWEY REDMANLABEL SPOTLIGHT : RATAPLANVOXNEWS
OBITUARIESALBUM REVIEWSEVENT CALENDARMISCELLANY

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by george grellaby jordannah elizabeth
by russ mustoby jim motavalli
by alex hendersonby john sharpeby suzanne lorge
by andrey henkinby andrey henkin

In our nearly 20-year history, one of the most gratifying progressions has been amusician graduating from our now-defunct Listen Up! column to being the subject ofan Artist Feature to making it on to our cover. It has only happened three times so far—Mary Halvorson, Melissa Aldana and Tyshawn Sorey—but it speaks to the developmentof an artist over time, from scrappy to seeking to solidified. To this honored class we add
pianist Helen Sung, who both celebrates her third album for Sunnyside at Flushing
Town Hall and participates in Birdland’s annual John Coltrane celebration.
Our other features cover a typically wide swathe of jazz stardom: bassist Joshua Abrams(Interview), active since the ‘90s and coming to Le Poisson Rouge in support of thenewest album from his longtime vehicle Natural Information Society; saxophonist
Caroline Davis (Artist Feature), who has her own third Sunnyside album to present at
The Jazz Gallery; New Zealand-born, Australia-based pianist Mike Nock (Encore), whoturns 81 this month and has been a major figure for over six decades; reedplayer Dewey
Redman (Lest We Forget), who died 15 years ago this month but resurfaces with two
new archival releases via former sidemen Mark Helias and Barney McAll; and Rataplan
Records, led by drummer Devin Gray (Listen Up! in April 2012), which celebrates two
new releases at Downtown Music Gallery.
Despite troubling trends in the course of the pandemic, more NYC clubs are opening,reflected in an ever-growing Event Calendar and CD Review section brimming withartists performing all over the city throughout the month.

On The Cover: Helen Sung (photo by Kathy Villacorta)
All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors.

2 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

CHUCK OWEN & THE JAZZ SURGEONE SET ONLY! SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 @ 5:00 P.M.

Described as “...imaginative, paradigm-shiftingand often exhilarating…episodic, dramaticand picturesque…”, seven-time Grammy® finalist,
Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge celebrate their
new recording’s release in grand fashion withONE SET at Birdland. Don’t Miss It!
315 W. 44TH ST. NEW YORK, NY 10036 • BIRDLANDJAZZ.COM

CD RELEASE CELEBRATIONNEW YORK @ NIGHT
Despite COVID-19’s Delta variant, New Yorkers are J azz on the Great Hill presented by Jazzmobile (Aug.
cautiously congregating to absorb the healing powersof live jazz. In the balmy breeze of the Brooklyn
Museum’s rear courtyard (Aug. 7th), their equipment
set up in front of a large blackboard on which children
had chalked their names in bright pastel colors,
Brandee Younger’s trio with bassist Dezron Douglas
and drummer Marcus Gilmore, presented by Carnegie
Hall, dispensed the salubrious vibrations that would
slowly, surely cure the crowd of any lingering ailments.
With a new album (Somewhere Different, Impulse!)
about to drop, the harpist was eager to share her latest
material, which included two floating modal numbers,“Tickled Pink” and “Love & Struggle”; pogoing/
punky “Reclamation”; terse but alluring “Unrest: II”;
and funky “Spirit U Will” (by Douglas)—the latter two
premiere performances. To round out the set she added“Hortense” (from her 2011 EP Prelude) in reggae styleand tributed heroes Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane
with a cover of the former ’s “Games” and a mash-upof the latter ’s “Journey in Satchidananda” with Mongo
Santamaria’s “Afro Blue”. Though the loud, slightly
distorted bass initially dominated the lower volume
harp, the audio mix was soon rectified and the music
likewise jelled, accruing a curative effect that bonded
trio and audience. Most endearing of all was apreschool girl in braids and a colorful dress that stoodtransfixed before Younger for much of the set. A jazz
harp maestra in the making?
—Tom Greenland

AVAILABLE 9/17/21
Quartet+ is music composed and arranged by

women, made possible by a NYC Women’s Fund
grant. Largely conceived during the Covid-19 pandemic, it celebrates the dynamic creativity of thecity I call home, a place that I still find magical,
where wonderful things can happen that probably
aren’t possible anywhere else – like this project!
In addition to my compositions, I am delighted topresent new arrangements of works by landmark
women in jazz: Mary Lou Williams, Geri Allen, Marian McPartland, Carla Bley, and Toshiko Akiyoshi,
true pioneers and giants all. I also loved writing
for strings and recording in this “double quartet”
format, getting the chance to draw from my yearsof studying classical violin. Looking back over the
past year or so, if I remember anything, it will be
the bittersweet reminder of the impermanence of
all things. I imagine this is why musicians makerecords – in live performance once the last note isplayed, the moment is over and everyone moves
on... at least until the next concert where we do it
all over again. May there be many more such concerts, and let us keep coming together to sharemusic whenever we can – hopefully in person
again, very soon!
—Helen Sung (NYC, 2021)

www.sunnysiderecords.com

ALAN NAHIGIAN

HELEN SUNG piano
JOHN ELLIS tenor, soprano, flute
DAVID WONG bass
KENDRICK SCOTT drums(Special Guest) HARLEM QUARTET string quartet

R.I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN / JAZZEXPRESSIONS.ORG

HELEN SUNGQUARTET+7th) offered three splendid hours of jazz, a feast after
pandemic deprivation. Hosting was R&B, blues andjazz singer Alyson Williams, whose quick wit andverve kept the pace brisk. Part one belonged tosaxophonist/vocalist Camille Thurman and theDarrell Green Quartet, featuring Wallace Roney, Jr. on
trumpet. Thurman offered no vocalizing, but a fullplate of prime bebop with Roney in top form. Allan
Harris, an accomplished singer, guitarist and composer,
brought a nonet to demonstrate why he’s a great
showman as well as storyteller. With music from his
new concept album, Kate’s Soulfood, Harris delivered
plenty of rhythm, with a big, bright punch. Picking up
the guitar only toward the end of the set, Harris
excelled on “Run Through America”, a protest song
worthy of any of the classics of the genre. Wrapping up
the day, the 17-piece Dizzy Gillespie Big Band offereda full-bodied tribute to the music of saxophonist Jimmy
Heath, the former member of Gillespie’s band andbebop composer who passed in January 2020. The
players delivered a big, brassy sound with a lot of
hipness in the mix. The appearance of singer Roberta
Gambarini for a handful of tunes offered the perfectcoda. A highlight: this amazing master of vocalese andscat powered through a staple of her own repertoire,a super-speed tempo of “Lover, Come Back to Me”(Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II), vocalizing
like a bird in ecstatic flight.
—Marilyn Lester

Brandee Younger @ Brooklyn Museum of Art

Allan Harris @ The Great Hill in Central ParkF or three years before the pandemic, saxophonist There’s very good reason that David Hazeltine is one
Stephen Gauci hosted a Monday night improvised
music series in the basement of Brooklyn’s Bushwick
Public House, a low-ceilinged space festooned with
Christmas lights and graffiti, its walls checkerboarded
with slatted black foam squares, its floor strewn with
amps, drumkits and other equipment. Since July, he’sback in action and your correspondent was (Aug. 9th)
privy to five sets of free jazz. First up at was a trio of
drummer Patrick Golden and reedplayers Daniel
Carter and Jim Clouse, the set notable for the interplay
between horns, Carter switching between trumpet,
bass clarinet and alto, soprano or tenor saxophones,
Clouse favoring soprano or tenor. Carter also featured
prominently in the second event, quietly ‘leading’ thesextet (with Gauci, keyboardist Eric Plaks, guitarist
Aron Namenwirth, bassist Charley Sabatino, drummer
Colin Hinton) through a set intermittently galvanized
by Gauci’s kinetic interjections on clarinet or tenor.
Gauci and Hinton reappeared in the third set withbassist Sean Conly, which alternated between drum
and bass or trio exchanges, when Gauci delivered someof his most potent musical statements. Fourth was
Adam Caine’s two-guitar quartet with Bob Lanzetti, an
edgy, loud, song-driven set boasting strong solos fromboth. Last came a sensitive quintet led by drummer
Henry Mermer and bassist Henry Fraser, which was
not afraid to explore lingering silences, gradually
growing these into stirring climaxes.
(TG)

4 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

of the most recorded contemporary jazz pianists of themodern era. He’s a smart, articulate player delivering
substantive, solid mainstream jazz and that’s definitely
cause for celebration. Reliability and authenticity are
his strengths and assets. What Hazeltine also brings to
the table is the ability to augment basically lyricalplaying with a wide array of creative ideas that add toimprovisation while close to the melody or away fromit. In his show at The Django at The Roxy Hotel (Aug.
12th), Hazeltine offered one standard with a melodic
through-line, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (JeromeKern), enhanced with the hint of a bossa nova beat.
That number, along with Kurt Weill’s “My Ship”
and Thelonious Monk’s “Ask Me Now”, confirmed a
vocalist’s style of arranging: an establishing verse
before launching into the equivalent of a chorus.
Several numbers were his own compositions, notably
a tribute to his mother, “Pearls”, a joyful swing, and“Insight”, the music flowing easily with animpressive balance of emotion and technique. Bassist
Neal Miner delivered a likewise balanced and superbly
deft support, sounding almost supernaturally attuned
to Hazeltine, firmly centered in each and every
creative turn on the keys. Drummer Joe Strasser,rooted in the primordial jazz ethos of Louis Bellson
and Gene Krupa, demonstrated impressive technique,but was too assertive for Hazeltine’s sensitive andelegant stylings. 				(ML)Trombonist Craig Harris brought his Nation of Back some 90 years or so, Arnt Arntzen wouldn’t beviewed as unique. Plectrum banjo players who could
locomote a jazz band with the force of a drummer,
play chordal melodies and vexing, stinging solos werecommon in the 1920s-30s. In some circles, they wereeven commodities (remember Johnny St. Cyr withLouis Armstrong’s Hot 5?). But the growth ofelectric recording technology saw less need for thebanjo’s bite and it came to be replaced by the guitar.
Time be damned. Arntzen is the would-be banjo kingright now, bravely proving it within the stripped-down
trio of Danny Tobias (trumpet) and Vince Giordano(bass and bass saxophone), at Barbès (Aug. 12th).
Okay, so Giordano was near metronomic playing his
low-boy sock cymbals even while switching
instruments, but the drive, harmonies, passing tones
and fills were emanated from Arntzen’s period Vega.
The instrument has probably seen many a stage, but
this banjo player called on the ghosts of jazz past while
never falling into Dixie hokum; the trio pumped withsuch intensity that the room soon filled with throbbing
20-somethings. Standards like “I’ll See You in My
Dreams”, “Somebody Stole My Gal”, “Black and Blue”
and “Dinah” breathed new life as improvisational
segments between bass saxophone and trumpet
shattered the myths, propelled by Arntzen’s quarternote command and dazzling breaks. By set’s end theroom shook like the old Gennett studio each time therailroad whizzed by. Pass the hooch!
—John Pietaro

Craig Harris @ Marcus Garvey Park

Tony Bennett has announced his retirement from live
performance at 95 after August shows at Radio City MusicHall with Lady Gaga, capping a seven-decade career.
The 2021 Festival of New Trumpet Music will take placevirtually from Sep. 8th-15th with a theme of “Brass Without
Borders” and including live-streamed performances fromvarious countries and a special tribute to Randy Brecker.
For more information and to live-stream, visit fontmusic.
org/festival2021.
The Robert D. Bielecki Foundation has announced its
latest round of grants recipients: Henry Threadgill, $20,000 insupport for “Immigration and the Return of the Cheap Suit”,
a multimedia project premiering at Roulette in May 2022;
Artists Space, $10,000 Exhibition/Performance Grant for“Milford Graves: Fundamental Frequency” Exhibition and
Performance Series premiere in October 2021; Avreeayl Ra,$5,000 Unrestricted Grant; Sun Ra House Part 2, $4,000
Additional Repairs and Restoration; Nick Mazzarella,
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Avreeayl Ra, $1,000 Grant insupport for a forthcoming recording on Astral Spirits; Phyllis
Chen, $500 Composition Commission in support for “ToneGrove”, a piece for two music boxes based on the weavingsof Bauhaus artist Anni Albers (in collaboration with
LigoranoReese); and Dave Liebman/Adam Rudolph/
Tyshawn Sorey Trio, $1,000 Performance Grant in support
of a performance at The Jazz Gallery in September 2021.
For more information, visit rdbf.org.

The Louis Armstrong House’s 2021 Virtual Gala,“Ambassador Satch”, will take place Sep. 23rd at 7 pm. For
more information, visit louisarmstronghouse.org/gala.
Arnt Arntzen Trio @ Barbès

Allstar hardbopping septet The Cookers wasted no Chick Corea, lost six months ago but long before
time firing up the Blue Note bandstand, kicking off thesecond set of its one-nighter (Aug. 3rd) with a piecefrom their forthcoming album, George Cables’ “TheMystery Of Monifa Brown”. The pianist’s hard-hitting
homage to the WBGO DJ recalled his days as a memberof Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, his insistent staccato
percussive vamp and Billy Hart’s propulsive drums
driving extended incendiary solos by alto saxophonist
Donald Harrison and trumpeter David Weiss, before
Cables took his own turn. The band continued with
Billy Harper ’s “Destiny Is Yours”, an easy-grooving
waltz featuring his dark sinewy tenor saxophone andEddie Henderson’s bright lyrical trumpet. Cables’
fluid lines, buoyed by Cecil McBee’s Spanish-tinged
bassline and Hart’s cadenced rhythms, introduced
Harper ’s “Priestess”, the horns playing the stirring
melody in unison, after which the composer
stepped out front, blowing bold serpentine lines prior
to a spirited trumpet solo by David Weiss. The bandslowed things down with McBee’s lush ballad, “Close
To You”, a feature for newly minted NEA Jazz Master
Harrison, who blew sweetly, ending with animpassioned four-plus-minute-long cadenza, earning
him an extended ovation. The set closed out featuring
the band’s other 2021 NEA Jazz Master, Hart, on
Freddie Hubbard’s Jazz Messenger Civil Rights era
anthem, “The Core”, on which he soloed withunbridled intensity. 			
(RM)

W H AT ’ S N E W S

The Jazz Foundation of America, in collaboration with Blue
Note Records, Concord Music Group, Mack Avenue Music
Group, Nonesuch Records, Universal Music Group, Verve
Label Group and Warner Music Group, will release RELIEF,
a compilation of previously unreleased music, on LP, CD anddigitally (Sep. 24th), the proceeds of which will support
ongoing efforts to aid musicians affected by the international
shutdown of venues and other performance opportunities in
the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. For more information,
visit store.jazzfoundation.org.

PHOTO BY SHERRY RUBELADRIEN H. TILLMANN - WWW.AHT1985.COM

Imagination band to Marcus Garvey Park (Aug. 13th)
for a Nocturnal Nubian Ball for Conscientious Ballers
and Cultural Shot Callers, co-presented by Harlem
Stage and Jazzmobile. The group, with trumpeter
Eddie Allen, saxophonist Jay Rodriguez, keyboard
players Adam Klipple and Yayoi Ikawa, electric bassist
Calvin Jones and drummer Damon Due White, got
things started laying down a funky groove. Singers
Carla Cook, Helga Davis, Sam McKelton and Du’Bois
A’Keen danced on to the stage chanting the group’s
theme song, “CAB”, exhorting “It’s in the pocket, we
just can’t stop it!” Cook scatted on “Makanda” and got
down on “Harlem”. The mood mellowed for Davis’
plaintive vocal on “On My Mind”, then picked up with
Jones’ funky beat leading the band into “Ceddo”. Cookbrought the house down on “I Found God” andA’Keen’s spoken words on “The Writer”, “It all
depends on the skin you’re livin’ in”, elicited knowing
cheers. Davis sang heavenly on “Lovejoy” and Cooktenderly on “Life”. “Song For A Friend” had singers
imploring “Take the time to be kind”. Then Harris
introduced 97-year-old Sun Ra Arkestra leader
Marshall Allen, who played alto and EWI with youthfulintensity on “Wildseed” and “Keep Your Razor Sharp”
and ethereal exoticism on “Pleiades”. The pair blew
rowdily on Harris’ “Ali Interpolations” and prettily on“Reminiscing”. The band swung “Discipline 27” thenended funking out with “Deep Thought”. —Russ Mustoanyone could accept, remains legendary, alive within
the hearts he so moved. Pianist Dred Scott celebrated
the legend with an evening of performance andreminiscence at Mezzrow (Aug. 4th). The club’s uberhip vibe featuring modernist artwork and vintage jazzposters in addition to the classic silhouette of namesakeMezz, was a welcome home for such repertoire.
Arriving early enough to catch the first set’s encore—“Spain”!—for this reviewer it was clear that Scott, to
our gain, had been harboring this gig since February.
The material, drawn from decades of Corea works, wasbalanced by both vintage and genre, Scott’s dry banter
acting as a welcome contrast to the performance
intensity. Opening with 1983’s “Quintet #3”, the trio
immediately danced over the pulsation, a sort of slow
drag and samba mix, Scott’s ringing parallel fifths
enflaming the atmosphere under Matt Clohesy’s
broiling bass and drummer Diego Voglino’s gallop. By
the time “The One-Step” from 1978’s Friends was heard,
the familiar warmth built into the song became acommunal experience, getting along famously with
one’s Manhattan. “There’s a difference between a song
and a piece,” Scott reminded the tightly packed room
just before launching into Corea’s quite epic “Quartet#1”. Opening with a piano solo screaming of Gershwin,
Scott’s hands blurred the grace notes taunting bluelines. “Humpty Dumpty” and “Matrix” also tookflight, topping off a fitting homage.
(JP)

The complete output of two waves of commissions madeduring the pandemic through funding by The Jazz Coalition,
are now available for viewing at jazzcoalition.org/
commission-recipients.
Bassist and co-founder of ShapeShifter Lab Matt Garrisonhas produced an artist app available through the AppleStore, which includes albums, audio and video content,
charts and scores, lessons and live-streams. For more
information, visit apps.apple.com/us/app/matt-garrison/
id1070972204.
The Detroit Jazz Festival, scheduled to take place Sep.
3rd-6th, has been transformed into a live-streaming event.
For more information, visit detroitjazzfest.org.
Miller Theatre, as part of its “Live from Columbia” livestream series, will present Arturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin
Jazz Orchestra Sep. 18th at 4 pm. For more information, visit
millertheatre.com/events/arturo-ofarrill-the-afro-latin-jazzorchestra-live-from-columbia.
The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, in partnership with Lantern
Organization and Mega Development the New York City
Department of Housing Development and Preservation, hasannounced plans for Timbale Terrace, a 16,000 square feet
Afro Latin Music & Arts Center along with 330 affordable
housing units in East Harlem.
Submit news to ahenkin@nycjazzrecord.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 5

PETER GANNUSHKIN/DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET

INTERVIEWJOSHUAABRAMSby george grella

J oshua Abrams is, assuredly, the only musician whose

credits include The Roots—in that band’s early years—andan ensemble conducted by New York School composer Earle
Brown. Despite the seemingly disparate worlds, that is anaesthetic that fits in well with jazz in general and Abrams’
own approach to the music in particular, which is to reachbeyond the mainstream idea of jazz rhythms and song form,
album tracks with heads and solos, via his Natural
Information Society. That band, organized around Abrams
playing guimbri (North African bass lute), pioneers aunique blend of traditional Gnawa musical ideas, largescale form and an idea of improvisation that doesn’t parse
between group and solo voices.
The New York City Jazz Record: How did you firstpick up the guimbri?
Joshua Abrams: I first heard the instrument on[Moroccan Gnawa musician] Maleem Mahmoud
Ghania’s legendary recording with Pharoah Sanders,
The Trance of Seven Colors. I found Ghania’s sound andstyle completely enthralling. The guimbri’s tone
reminded me of gut strings on a bass and I was
mystified how it produced notes simultaneously with
its percussive attack. I imagined it to be like a proto 808[Roland drum machine]. Years later I got to hang out
with Maalem Najib Soudani and he sold me my first
instrument. My first recording playing the guimbri
was at [drummer] Hamid Drake’s request on his album
with [late tenor saxophonist] Fred Anderson, From The
River To the Ocean [Thrill Jockey, 2007].
TNYCJR: Who is Soudani and how did you get
together with him?
JA: He is a master musician of the Gnawa tradition
living in Essaouira [port city on Morocco’s Atlantic
coast]. I met him through saxophonist Patrick Brennan,
whom I met through Hamid Drake. I got to see him
playing the guimbri up close and that helped me begin
to understand some of the fundamental techniqueinvolved in approaching the instrument.
TNYCJR: How did the Natural Information Society[NIS] come to be?
JA: I formed the group after the release of my first LPof the same name on Eremite [recorded in 2008-09].
I imagined an ensemble that combined the process ofinterwoven, slowly evolving music with propulsive
rhythmic structures. Our first tour was as a trio with
Lisa Alvarado and Mikel Patrick Avery in the fall of2010. That tour also began our practice of incorporating
Lisa’s large-scale free hanging paintings as sets andcontext-shifters. We crossed the border into Canada
twice in my 1988 Volvo 240 wagon. The routing wasa mess and my car broke down in nearly every city.
TNYCJR: What were Alvarado and Avery playing on

this tour? With the trio, could you still create the soundand force and textures of the Natural Information
record?
JA: Natural Information is mostly composed of trio
music with a few additional solo pieces so forminga trio to tour made sense musically and practically. On
that first tour Lisa played electronics and percussion
before switching to harmonium a few months later.
Mikel played drums. We played some of thecompositions from the album and some of the pieces
that would later appear on the next record, Represencing.
I think of recorded music and performance as two very
different experiences and am not too concerned withtrying to duplicate a record. I am concerned with themusic having vitality, the possibility of growth andbeing engaging.
TNYCJR: What are the qualities of the guimbri thatyou think make it right for music that has more to dowith drone than song form or Western harmonies?
Would the acoustic or electric bass work in the NIS?
Would the guimbri work in a jazz group playing
standards?
JA: I wouldn’t characterize NIS’ music as drone-based.
That said, limitation can be a source of possibility. In
case of the guimbri it is limited to three strings and one
octave range. These limitations lend themselves toworking with minimal music, where small changes are
given room to be appreciated. I’ve considered Natural
Information Society as a forum to create new settings
for the guimbri. I’ve also recorded pieces with double
bass on four of the group’s seven albums, one beinga collaboration with Bitchin’ Bajas. I am much more
fluent on the double bass than I am on the guimbri, butboth instruments inform how I approach the other.
TNYCJR: Can you explain how that happens between
the instruments? What does one bring to the other?
JA: When I started playing guimbri I approached it asa bassist but with time and experience it has become its
own thing. I think the guimbri has a very vocal quality
and that insight has changed my orientation when
I play. Its sound cuts through other frequencies
differently than a bass and it brings out a different
relationship to the music’s rhythm. I think playing theguimbri has changed my outlook on how the double
bass sits within an ensemble and can articulate melody.
The bass is still my primary instrument and some of
my technique and work exploring articulation has
carried over to my approach to the guimbri.
TNYCJR: How ‘traditional’—e.g., Gnawa—do you
think the NIS is? Is it a hybrid of traditional andmodern Western music?
JA: I don’t think of Natural Information Society’s

6 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

music as traditional in the sense you are implying. It is
not a hybrid in that sense. It is music developed in
Chicago. If NIS’ music draws on a tradition it would be
my experiences playing at Fred Anderson’s Velvet
Lounge or at venues throughout the city. Chicago hasa long tradition of creative music-making, open ears
and minds that create new forms.
TNYCJR: Okay, but in terms of musical form, a lotof NIS is non-Western. Let me put it a different way,
is Chicago a good place to explore non-song formmusic-making?
				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

RON PERILLO / PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTISTARTIST FEATU RE

CAROLINE
DAVIS

For more information, visit carolinedavis.org. Davis’
Portals, Volume 1: Mourning project is at The Jazz Gallery
Sep. 10th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Zing!—Magnetic Flux (ears&eyes, 2007)• Pedway—Passion Ball (ears&eyes, 2012)• Whirlpool (with Ron Miles)—Dancing on the Inside(ears&eyes, 2014)• Caroline Davis—Alula (New Amsterdam, 2017)• Caroline Davis & Rob Clearfield’s Persona—
Anthems (Sunnyside, 2018)• Caroline Davis—Portals, Volume 1: Mourning(Sunnyside, 2020)

by jordannah elizabeth
Saxophonist Caroline Davis has garnered recognition

and attracted a number of opportunities to hone andrefine her complex compositional fervor into an
impressive catalogue of music since the release of her
debut album, Live Work & Play, in 2012.
What makes Davis unique is that she researches
and interprets her music through a scientific andpsychological lens, studying, for instance, the physicalbehavior of the human heart in order to understandand wholly express her feelings about her father ’sdiagnosis of heart arrhythmia for her 2018 album Heart
Tonic (Sunnyside). The saxophonist’s Ph.D. in Music
Cognition roots Davis as an expert on “cognitive
sciences, anatomical structures, trauma and the brain”,
undergirding her approach to outlining and writing
her compositions.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the practice ofhealing and how it’s a metaphor for the work that I’m
always doing, which is looking into science and datadriven fields of study,” says Davis from her Brooklyn
home. “But there’s another side that is very much
related to feeling and knowing intuitively. I’ve always
been fascinated by people putting those two ways of
being on opposite ends of the binary, but I don’t really
believe it’s a binary. I feel it’s more of a spectrum.
So, science can be driven by intuition and vice versa.
I create with those two aspects as a continuum.”
For her newest album, Portals, Volume 1: Mourning(Sunnyside), Davis continues to explore her
relationship with her father, now in death after his
passing in 2019. “I went to a writing retreat at
MacDowell artists’ colony right after he died. It was sobeautiful to be sitting there in nature and I came up
with a bunch of sketches and I wrote a diary. I was
thinking about all of the frequencies that are associatedwith grief.”
Davis’ exploration of vibrational frequencies she
felt can be considered a positive way to stay grounded
and in touch with the energetic working of one’s body:“Is this a high frequency or low frequency or middle
range frequency? I was asking myself that question
every day I was there. That turned into a texture andmy [musical ideas] transformed. I used that as a seed
to design all of the music I was writing at the time. And
over 2019 and 2020, I was writing and orchestrating thelarge ensemble with strings.”
Portals marks an important milestone in Davis’
career as she expanded her band beyond her regularquintet, comprised of trumpeter Marquis Hill, pianist
Julian Shore, bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Allan
Mednard, creating additional parts for a string quartet.
Violinists Mazz Swift and Josh Henderson, violist
Joanna Mattrey and cellist Mariel Roberts were allagents of manifestation as they joined Davis’ large
ensemble with the goal of recording a new type ofwork Davis had never previously attempted.
As a composer, she stretched herself to express her
experience of grief and mourning by broadening hersound and creating an improvisational musicalstructure that is multi-layered and constantly evolving.
But the emergence of Portals didn’t come without its
difficult moments. “Through 2019, I struggled withfinishing the pieces because of the grief and mourning.
[My dad’s death] was just so unexpected. It was likehealing myself through his death.”
Beyond the expansion of her compositional gifts
as she embarked on composing for strings, Davis
broadens her experience through work with womenand non-binary musicians in jazz and creative music.
She participated in Sara Serpa and Jen Shyu’s Mutual
Mentorship for Musicians program earlier this year,
sharing experiences of human beings who traverse thelandscape of the male-dominated jazz community.
“I look forward to more representation at visible
events. I’m seeing a lot of festivals and events comingback and a lot of my friends and colleagues are noticingthat there’s still an imbalance in reference to theprogramming and the curation of these events.”
There is, of course, a long road ahead before jazzindustry gatekeepers and programmers will actively
include a diversity of artists. ”There are so many
women and non-binary and trans people who are
doing work. I would like to see them on moreprogramming, but we’re seeing the pattern, which isslightly upsetting. It’s not about having women in jazzor a gender-focused festival that is separate. I wish it
would be more integrated and more visible for thosehumans who are expressing themselves in different
ways and not just male energy everywhere.”
When asked about a remedy, or rather, what malejazz musicians can learn from women and diverse
composers, Davis spoke clearly about the attributes
men glean from herself and her femme, trans andnon-binary community. “Patience and growth. I meanthat on the level of the music. It’s not a generalization
because I’ve heard plenty of music made by women,
non-binary and other identities, and I sense growth intheir music. It’s not just high, fast and loud,” says
Davis. “I played a gig and it was this larger ensemble
and there were two women on stage out of 21 musicians.
The music was written in a certain way and the solos
needed to be high energy, even if the song is slow, andit feels forced. I can imagine if it looked different andthere were other people represented there. How would
it sound different?”
Davis’ music and presence are already different inthat her unique mode of musical exploration andsound, derived from her individuality more than areimagining of music already composed andperformed, makes her an important part of theevolution of jazz and creative music.
She challenges the status quo and kindly offers
herself to the world by bravely and honestly speaking
about her experiences of illness, death and travel,
finding ways to navigate and embed herself selflessly
and legitimately in tight-knit musical circles. With
time, Davis will be embraced and appreciated for her
talent and vulnerable candor. v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 7

ON THE COVER

JOSEPH BOGGESS PHOTOGRAPHY

HELEN
SUNG
SUNG SONG
by russ musto“G od must have really wanted me to be a jazzmusician because it’s something I never would havethought of for myself,” Helen Sung says withwonderment at how she has arrived at her place in theworld of music, distant from where she could haveenvisioned herself ending up when she began classicalmusic studies in her native Houston, Texas before theage of ten. A daughter of Taiwanese immigrant parents,
she recalls, “I was trained by a very strict teacher fromthe Russian school who basically instilled in me thatthe only music worth listening to was classical music.
So as a dutiful Asian student I followed her lockstep.”
She continued her classical piano studies at theprestigious Houston High School for the Performing
Arts, then went on to earn undergraduate and graduate
degrees in classical piano from the University of Texas
at Austin’s Butler School of Music.
It was while finishing up her studies at Butler thata seemingly ordinary event motivated the young
student to veer from what had been her chosen path:“One day a friend of mine—we were typical classicalmusic majors who spent most of our time in practicerooms and didn’t know much else—she said to me,‘Harry Connick, Jr. is in town, let’s go hear him.’
I wasn’t familiar with who he was, but she said, you’ll
really like him, so I said okay. He had his big band andthat was very entertaining, but in the middle of theconcert he sat down and played some solo piano pieces
and I remember being so struck that I wanted to jumpout of the chair and scream. Here’s a guy playing the
piano in a way I’d been taught never to do my whole
life, almost attacking it. But the music was so alive,
it grabbed me in a way no other music had before.”
Sung began spending hours on end in theuniversity library listening to all the jazz recordings
she could get her hands on and investigating theuniversity’s fledgling jazz program, eventuallyenrolling in a beginner jazz piano course. While her
friends thought that she was simply engaging in a “fundiversion”, Sung quickly realized it was much more.
Her musical path was about to take a serious detour,
one that would bring her east to Boston when she was
accepted into the inaugural class of the Thelonious
Monk Institute at the New England Conservatory.
She described the program, where her teachers
included the likes of Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Barry
Harris, Jackie McLean, Wynton Marsalis and Jon
Faddis, as “a really great kick in the pants.” She notes,“Ron Carter was Artistic Director at the time and oneof the things he told us was that if you want to findyour own voice, you have to write music. As a classicalmusic major growing up it was something I was never
told to do…I never thought to do.” Following her
graduation in 1997 Sung gigged around Boston for acouple of years, leading her own trio and accompanying
local singers before relocating to New York in 1999.
As the new century unfolded Sung began to gain
greater notice through her work with Terry, a brief stintwith Wayne Shorter and as a member of Jazz Messenger
alum bassist Lonnie Plaxico’s group. In 2004 she recordedat the International Jazz Festival of Bern with Terry’s

Young Titans of Jazz Band. That same year she released
her debut record, Push, finding her own voice by penningseven of the date’s ten pieces, garnering Kenny Barron’s
praise as a “brilliant composer”. Years later, her mentor
Carter recalling a duo concert at Chelsea’s Rubin
Museum, noted, “I’d forgotten how good she plays.
I always look forward to playing her songs because she’s
got some nice concepts that I should get more involved
with in understanding why they work so well. They are
specific to how she sees melodies and how she comps.
She has a nice way of making the chords move that
I don’t normally see in playing other people’s melodies.
She earns those plaudits, man believe me.”On her sophomore release, Helenistique, Sung put
her own stamp on Great American Songbook standards
and jazz classics by Barron, Joe Henderson, Ellington
and Monk, of which she’s said, “That’s something that
I like to do, presenting really well known songs in
unexpected ways.” On 2007’s Sungbird, she merged herclassical background with her increasingly personal
compositional voice on a program intermingling
originals with solo piano interpretations of individual
movements from Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz’“Espana, Op. 156”. That same year she achieved greaterinternational recognition as winner of the Kennedy
Center ’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition.
Sung’s burgeoning reputation found her
increasingly busy, both as a leader and supporting
player, recording with Ronnie Cuber, Joe Chambers
and Terri Lyne Carrington. She says, “Every experienceof listening to and playing with other people is vital.
Some things might be personally more exciting or
meaningful, but all of it is important because jazz is
a music that really lives in the ‘doing of’ onstage,emulating those we admire and growing through both
failure and success. I love what I heard Kenny Barron
say about jazz: unlike classical music, which you
perfect in the practice room before stepping on stage,
with jazz music you step onstage to perfect it.” Oneof her most consequential experiences has been her
tenure with the Mingus Big Band. She asserts, “Mingus’
compositions are a primer on fearless creativity,
masterfully integrating different styles and genres,
crafting unforgettable melodies and grooves. I also
really admire how engaged he was with the times,
powerfully speaking to societal issues through his art.”
Sung’s 2013 album Anthem For A New Day signaled
her increasing confidence in her future as an importantvoice in the jazz community. “Lament for Kalief
Browder,” from her 2017 landmark collaboration withpoet Dana Gioia, Sung With Words, is a dedication to
the Bronx teenager who committed suicide afterenduring three years of incarceration at Rikers Island
without a trial. Her involvement with Carrington’sBerklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and RoxyCoss’ Women In Jazz Organization has prompted her
to speak out on issues facing female artists, something
she had avoided in the past, and more recently she
played an important role as pianist in Karrin Allyson’s
allstar female group on her 2019 release Shoulder toShoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage.

8 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Sung’s forthcoming effort, Quartet+, pairing herband of saxophonist/flutist John Ellis, bassist David
Wong and drummer Kendrick Scott with the strings ofGrammy Award-winning Harlem Quartet, celebrates
the work of five notable female jazz pianist maestras:
Toshiko Akiyoshi, Geri Allen, Carla Bley, Marian
McPartland and Mary Lou Williams, with original
arrangements of one of each’s classic compositions,alongside five of her own pieces. She stresses, “Thewomen artists whose music I arranged for this album,
their artistic achievements are incredibly inspiring andthey are true pioneers. I love how diverse the musicalselections are, showcasing the depth and range andutter creativity of these brilliant women. I am able todo what I’m doing today because of them. Theiramazing lives and perseverance made room for womenin jazz and I’m delighted to honor them on the album.”The date was co-produced with violinist Regina
Carter who says, “Helen is such a thoughtful andconscientious person and it translates to everything
she does. I was a second pair of ears for her, especiallyfor the string parts she wrote, but she was very clear on
what she wanted to hear. She asked me to read overher string parts before the recording, verifying thateverything she had written made sense and wasplayable. She used to play violin so the string parts she
wrote were very musical and also challenging, but
it all made musical sense.” Wong echoes that, saying,“Helen has such a clear sonic picture in her mind, so
it’s a joy and a challenge to bring some of that to life.”
Sung confesses, “Making a new record is already agargantuan undertaking, but to do it during a pandemic?
Whew, it was epic. I have to thank my manager Kim
Gumbel for being such a strong partner and advocate on
my behalf. I couldn’t have done it without her. The
logistics alone were overwhelming with all the COVID19 precautions and I had never recorded such a large
ensemble before.” Sung has produced a masterful work
all the more impressive for the time in which it was
created. The year 2021 is shaping up to be an even morememorable one for Sung with the awarding of a
Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition. Asked
how she reacted to the news, the now-renowned
pianist/composer
answeredwithcharacteristic
humility, admitting, “I think it went something like this:total shock, followed by excitement and joy and then...
uh oh, now I’ve got a ton of work to do!” v
For more information, visit helensung.com. Sung’s
Quartet+ project is at Flushing Town Hall Sep. 16th andshe is also at Birdland Sep. 21st-25th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Helen Sung—Push (Fresh Sound-New Talent, 2001)• Brother Thelonious Quintet—Eponymous(Northcoast Brewing Co., 2009)• Helen Sung—re(Conception) (SteepleChase, 2009)• Helen Sung—Going Express (Sunnyside, 2009)• Helen Sung—Anthem for a New Day (Concord, 2013)• Helen Sung (with special guest Harlem Quartet)—
Quartet+ (Sunnyside, 2021)

JAZZ AT THE LAKE
September 17,18,19 2021 Shepard Park, Lake George NY
Presented by

Friday, Sept 17

Blind Visionaries:
Daniel Kelly Trio
The Seeing with
Photography Collective
Saturday, Sept 18

Helen Sung Quartet +Dayna Stephens
QuartetAaron Parks Little Big
Yosvany Terry Quintet
Sunday, Sept 19

Stephanie Chou
Ingrid Jensen Band
Black Art Jazz
Collective
For more information
lakegeorgearts.org(518) 668-2616

ENCOREMIKE
NOCK
by jim motavalli“What’s jazz these days?” pianist Mike Nock asks

from his home in Sydney, Australia. “I’d say a thousand
flowers are blooming.”
Nock is actually a New Zealander, but theopportunities were in the U.S. and, for the past 35
years, Australia. His American period was extremely
fertile, though his San Francisco band The Fourth Way
doesn’t get the credit it deserves for being there at thecreation of fusion. Or maybe the problem is that thegroup was essentially before fusion.
Nock began playing early, at 18, primarily inAustralia. His trio toured England, but proved shortlived. Like many top foreign-born jazz musicians,
Nock’s introduction to America was via a scholarship
to Berklee College of Music, in his case circa 1961. He
was 21. The problem was his scholarship was for only
$3,000, so he was essentially starving. “Three thousand
dollars won’t buy a cup of coffee now and it basicallydidn’t back then, either,” Nock said. Even a job washingdishes didn’t pay all the bills.
“But after I’d been there a few months I was savedby an offer to play jazz piano four days a week at a clubin Newton,” Nock said. “They even had a grand piano.
Alex Cirin from Cincinnati was on bass. Chet somebody
on guitar.” The breaks kept coming, because Nock was
recruited for trumpeter Herb Pomeroy’s fantastic
Boston-based big band, featuring at various times Alan
Dawson, Hal Galper, Michael Gibbs, Dusko Goykovich
and the great Sam Rivers. Nock and Rivers hit it off
and they were soon doing gigs together, as varied as
Provincetown and, with Dave Holland, Hong Kong.
Nock describes Rivers, one of his favorite musicians,
as “uncompromising”, which is probably why his gig
with Miles Davis was so short.

Still a student, Nock met and played with a
15-year-old Tony Williams right before theaforementioned Mr. Davis called. “Tony was probably
the biggest influence on me,” Nock said. “He changed
the world I lived in.” Williams was soon to be a fusion
pioneer himself, of course. As a teacher of kids the
drummer ’s age, Nock said he saw a lot of musicians
who were virtuoso players but lacked the concomitantemotional commitment.
After getting married so he wouldn’t get deported,a phone call from Yusef Lateef abruptly ended Nock’s
Berklee enrollment and Boston dalliance. “He said, ‘It’s
Yusef, come to Washington tomorrow. We’re going on
tour.’ I didn’t see my new wife for a year.” Nock waswith Lateef from 1963-65 and has the highest praise forhis former boss. “He was so committed to the music
and I loved being around that,” he said. Nock is on
Lateef’s Live at Pep’s and 1984 albums.
After leaving Lateef, Nock was living in New Yorkwhen he got another call, this time from saxophonist
John Handy. “He wanted me in San Francisco,” Nocksaid. “I was living on the Lower East Side and I’d had
it up to here with the drugs there, so I was receptive.
But after a festival in France, there basically were very
few gigs with Handy. The money wasn’t there.” But
Nock did play on Handy’s 1968 Projections album,
which is where he met the violinist and future Fourth
Way member Michael White.
Another call: from Dionne Warwick! “It wasn’t jazz,of course,” Nock said. “She was great and even let me
open some of her shows. The money was good, but
eventually I saw it as a trap—I wanted to play my own
music.” Nock recruited drummer Eddie Marshall to playwith Warwick and they talked about working together.
That began with collaboration on Nock’s first solo album,
Almanac (1967, released in 1977), which also had bassist
Cecil McBee and saxophonist Bennie Maupin.
Nock said the first stray rays of fusion were aroundthen, with one adherent being flute player Jeremy
Steig, whose 1968 Jeremy and the Satyrs record had rockelements. Critic Ritchie Unterberger claims the music
is “better on paper than in execution ... at times, about
the only thing separating this from run-of-the-millblues-rock or soul-rock was the very jazzy flute.” Still,it started something. The Tony Williams Lifetime wasstill a year in the future and Davis’ Bitches Brew two
years. That same year, 1968, The Fourth Way was
founded, with Marshall, White and bassist Ron
McClure (replacing James Leary, who was there for aminute). Perhaps improbably, the group was signed toCapitol and/or its subsidiary Harvest and put out
three groundbreaking LPs. “At the time, being on amajor label was pretty good for us,” Nock says. “There
was a buzz in those days.” Nock was central to theband’s sound and a principal composer. He had met
inventor Harold Rhodes, who introduced him to his
revolutionary electric piano. “The Fender Rhodes
made it happen,” Nock said. “It enabled the piano
player to have an equal voice and a sustained note that
could cut through. I loved it immediately and had tolearn a new way of playing, using effects pedals and aring modulator. At 80 now I don’t want to be carrying
a Fender Rhodes around, but I still appreciate thatspecial thing the early Rhodes pianos had.”
White wanted to do his own music and was soon
making spiritual jazz albums for Impulse. That was theend of The Fourth Way. The group could have continued
with other players and saxophonist Hadley Caliman
did some gigs, but Nock says the four members had
a unique chemistry and with anyone else it would havebeen something else.
Nock returned to Australia around 1985. “I feltthat my destiny was to come back and share what I had
learned in America,” Nock said. He was an artist in
residence in Brisbane and then at the Sydney
Conservatorium of Music until 2018. New Zealand?
Well, he was appointed an Officer of the New ZealandOrder of Merit for services to Jazz in 2003. But he is inAustralia to stay.
Nock has made dozens of leader albums, as well assideman dates with Handy, Lateef, Steig, Tal Farlow,
John Klemmer, Eric Kloss and David Liebman. He
points listeners toward In, Out and Around (1978) withMichael Brecker (“he played his ass off”), George Mrazand Al Foster (“the first time that rhythm section
played together”) and Ondas with Eddie Gomez and
Jon Christensen (“celebrating its 40th anniversary”).
					(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

Ed Blackwell (drums) and it was also during the ‘70s
that he played extensively with pianist Keith Jarrett’s
American Quartet.
The ‘80s-90s found Redman leading his owngroups in addition to pursuing a variety of work as asideman. Redman was employed by a wide range ofplayers, from guitarist Pat Metheny on 1980’s 80/81 todrummer Paul Motian on 1988’s Monk in Motian. The
saxophonist was also part of different lineups ofHaden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, an adventurous
band combining postbop and avant garde jazz withovertly political themes.
Two previously unreleased recordings by Redman
have surfaced. Released by pianist Barney McAll in
June, the digital-only Live in Chicago contains
a performance from March 2002 with Redman leading
a quartet of McAll, bassist John Menegon and drummer
Matt Wilson. The group favors an inside/outside
approach and includes some familiar standards suchas Ray Noble’s “The Very Thought of You” and Axel
Stordahl-Paul Weston’s “I Should Care”.
“Dewey used to say, ‘When you play free, play
free. When you play bluesy, play bluesy—and justreact, because it’s all music’,” McAll remembers. “He
wasn’t concerned with genres or styles; he just wasa deep-flowing river of sound and melody in whatevercontext he found himself in. He was one of the few thatskirted the divide between free and more ‘insideplaying’ but he was just a natural-flowing musician

who was playing in the present moment and reallylistening. So, what came out of his horn was real andpeople could feel how real it was. It was emotionallyvery powerful.”
McAll continues, “I like to say that his seemingly
eternal flow of melody was anciently familiar. Like you
have heard it before, but it’s also the first time you
have heard it. He was also a virtuoso and could readwell and could interpret melody in a very intuitive anddeep way. If you listen to his work with Keith Jarrett’sgroups, he is negotiating very complex musicalequations with great ease and flow. And if you hear
him with Ornette Coleman, it’s a whole other way ofplaying, but he is very much Dewey in both contexts
because he had a rare blend of deep intellect, bluesy
funk and a completely free approach. I don’t know
many other musicians who had all these qualities soplentifully.”
The other posthumous release is the also digitalonly Pillars & Columns, a duo with bassist Mark Helias
recorded in 1981 at a time when Helias was part of aquartet that Redman was leading, the other members
Eddie Moore on drums and Fred Simmons or Charles
Eubanks on piano. “Pillars & Columns is from a duoconcert that I remember booking with Dewey aspart of a series in Massachusetts,” Helias notes. “It was
the only duo gig we ever did, instead mostly playing intrio with Edward Blackwell or in Dewey’s quartet.
					(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

LEST WE FORGET

DEWEY
REDMANby alex henderson
15years have passed since the death of tenor
saxophonist Dewey Redman, who was 75 when hedied of liver failure on Sep. 2nd, 2006. He continues tobe remembered as a master of the avant garde who wasalso quite capable of playing postbop and standards.
Although the tenor was his main instrument, Redman
also played alto, clarinet musette and suona(a traditional Chinese double reed instrument).
Redman was born in Fort Worth, Texas on May
17th, 1931. His roots were bop but during the ‘60s hefully embraced the free jazz revolution. 1968 marked
the beginning of his association with another Fort
Worth native: pioneering alto saxophonist Ornette
Coleman, one of the founding fathers of avant gardejazz. Redman remained with Coleman until 1972,
continuing to perform with fellow Coleman sidemen
after that. The ‘70s/’80s quartet Old and New Dreams
united Redman with fellow Coleman alumni Don
Cherry (trumpet), Charlie Haden (acoustic bass) and

10 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

L ABEL SPOTLIGHT

RATAPLAN
by john sharpeMusician-run labels have gone from being an outlier
to near ubiquitous. Certainly it’s a course that drummer
Devin Gray of Rataplan Records would advocate
anyone to pursue, particularly if creative integrity isa concern. Gray recognized early, even before attending
college, that he was embarked on a career where therewards were likely to be aesthetic rather thanmonetary and that self-determination was the way
forward. But once in NYC, taking his Masters at the
Manhattan School of Music, Gray worked hard to
establish himself on the scene, leaving no time tolaunch a label as well. Having financed the recordingof his leadership debut Dirigo Rataplan by aheavyweight quartet comprising saxophonist Ellery
Eskelin, trumpeter Dave Ballou and one of his mentors
from Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory, bassist
Michael Formanek, in 2012, Gray was struggling to get
it out. Happily Chris Speed’s Skirl imprint came to therescue. Further albums ensued. But it wasn’t until he
had Dirigo Rataplan II in the can in 2018 that he took theplunge and established his own outlet. Gray lays out
his rationale: “I was sitting there in Brooklyn thinking
do I need to email more people? No, I’m going to start
my own record label. No harsh feelings. Nothing aboutmoney or ownership. I can get my compositional
approach out in a way I’m OK with, so I can get onto
the next artistic thing.”
Befitting a drummer-led outfit, the moniker of the

27 Licks
Gerald Cleaver & Devin Gray

Melt All the Guns
Gray/Alessi/Sanchez

group derives from the Latin motto of his native Maine“dirigo”, meaning “I direct”, and the French “rataplan”,
an onomatopoeic word referring to an iterative
percussive sound. It seemed an appropriate handle forthe label too, especially so as Gray has been prominent
on all nine releases to date in some combination orother. Each tends towards the imaginative andadventurous, with Gray’s unpredictable chartsinterpreted by classy collaborators who vary fromsaxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and pianist Cory Smythe
on Cloud Sounds to guitarists Ryan Ferreira andJonathan Goldberger and bassist Chris Tordini on theodysseys of Fashionable Pop Music. Among thecatalogue, two recent releases stand out. One is Melt
All The Guns by another starry trio, completed bytrumpeter Ralph Alessi and pianist Angelica Sanchez.
Gray explains: “I wrote some music for them because
there were some gigs I had and I wanted to play withthem. Ralph’s music has been such an influence on me
over the years. The same with Angie. I wrote a book ofmusic for them and then we ended up recording about
half of it.”As is obvious from the thought that went into what
to call his first band and then label, names are important
to Gray. Where did the title come from? “I put a pretty
strong political stance on it, because I was reallyfeeling that at the time. I wanted to see what would
happen if I said something that wasn’t just an abstract
jazz title, but was something with a little bit moreweight. I think it went well. The label gives me that
freedom to pressure myself into doing things, taking
more chances even. It comes down to what are you
trying to say as an artist, what’s the message you’retrying to get out there.”

Relative Resonance
Devin Gray

The second noteworthy recent release, 27 Licks,
a duet with fellow percussion maven Gerald Cleaver,showcases a series of joint improvisations, which
demonstrate that instrumental focus is no constraint
on invention and intrigue. “That’s the accumulation of
10, 15 years of knowing each other.” On one track
Cleaver sustains a press roll for over three minutes,
which pithily illustrates Gray’s approach to framing
music. “I think about the moments that are the mostinteresting and that’s what I want people to hear.
Instead of sitting there and listening to a 45-minute set,enjoying 15 minutes of it a lot and knowing it took thewhole time to be able to do it, what if we grab thosemoments that I really like.” As a result the duration ofsome of the label’s releases is more EP than LP. For
Gray it’s all down to artistic imperatives. “Make themusic the way you hear it. I think the shorter medium
also fits the internet structures. I like experimenting
with length in general anyway, with live gigs, evenwith vinyl records.”
Gray has several other sessions ready to see thelight of day. “I have about five records right now that
I’m working on. I have a solo record, because I’ve neverdone that. It wasn’t pandemic-inspired. It was recorded
before but it’s finished now and I’m trying to figure out
what to do with that. There’s a thing with [guitarist]
Wendy Eisenberg and [violinist] Jessica Pavone. Also I
did another record with [accordion player] Andrea
Parkins and [reedplayer] Frank Gratkowski, that one’s
in the can. Another one with [cellist] Mariel Roberts
and [saxophonist] Angela Morris in New York.”
Enthused by Speed’s curation of Skirl, Gray also
wishes Rataplan to serve as a platform for other				(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

Dirigo Rataplan II
Eskelin/Formanek/Ballou/Gray

Fashionable Pop Music
Devin GrayVOX NEWS

FOUND THINGS
by suzanne lorge

In the mid ‘70s, Alice Coltrane—both an in-demand
musician and a keeper of her late husband John’s
legacy—began to remove herself from the hectic worldof touring and recording, instead delving ever moredeeply into the contemplative philosophies of Eastern
spiritual traditions. By the early ‘80s, she had changed
her name to Turiyasangitananda and founded anashram northwest of Los Angeles. Rough recordings
from that time, never widely distributed, reveal that
her music had changed, too. In July, Impulse! Records/
UMe released Kirtan: Turiya Sings, a 1981 recording ofjust Wurlitzer organ and voice, a first-ever suchcombination for the prolific multi-instrumentalist.
Both John and Alice had released seminal recordings
on Impulse!, so it’s fitting that the legendary label
would include this long-forgotten collection as part ofits 60th anniversary celebration this year. On the nine
tracks, Coltrane sings in Sanskrit, her voice reverential
and chant-like as the organ holds blues and gospel
chords underneath. On cuts like “Jai Ramachandra”
and “Rama Katha” she uses simple repetition to create
mood and wide spaces to generate tension; she doesn’t
move until the right moment arrives. Though you canhear references to both American roots music(“Charanam”) and European classical (“Yamuna Tira
Vihari”) in these meditative pieces, she doesn’t
improvise or ornament any of the passionately phrasedlines in expected ways; the focus remains on the
mantram, as fits her devotion. The purpose of thismusic is “to praise the name of the Supreme”, writes
saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, Alice and John’s son. “On
this album, your heart and spirit will be turned toward
divine inspiration and appreciation.”
There are other historic releases now on offer. Thissummer, BMG/ Montreux Sounds started releasing
two-disc, live recordings of iconic singers who played
the Montreux Jazz Festival over the years, part of thelabel’s massive UNESCO-cited heritage collection. The
first, Nina Simone: The Montreux Years, presents her fullprogram from her first Montreux performance in 1968
and culls tunes from her subsequent four, 1976 through1990. Schooled at Juilliard, Simone didn’t like playing
festivals much, but she used their spotlight to heradvantage. Hear the 1976 version of “Little Girl Blue”,
with its altered lyrics about liberation and Langston
Hughes’ searing words on “Backlash Blues”. The second
release, Etta James: The Montreux Years, chronicles her
first European concert in 1975 and five festival concertsfrom 1977 to 1993. The high-octane blues singer, backed
by rock and jazz heavyweights of the day like pianist
Rick Wakeman and saxophonist David Newman, sets
the ear aflame with tunes like “Breakin’ Up Somebody’sHome” and “Tell Mama”. James’ voice is simply
irrepressible in these live performances.
Grammy-winning singer Ledisi recreates some ofSimone’s most powerful musical statements on Ledisi
Sings Nina (Listen Back). These seven tracks pull theactivist-singer ’s message into current musical parlance,
integrating a large-ensemble sound with a modern
R&B sensibility. Ledisi, who credits Simone’s musicwith lifting her out of a debilitating depression, sings
full throttle, in contrast with Simone’s low-growling
contralto. These two emotional powerhouses share atalent, though: the ability to slay with a song.
More historic recordings: The Lost Recording’s
Sarah Vaughan Live at the Berlin Philarmonie 1969 has
her still at her interpretive best on standards and pop
tunes of the day by Burt Bacharach, The Beatles andJimmy Webb. And this month Capri Records will
release Sheila Jordan’s Comes Love: Lost Session 1960,
recorded at New York’s Olmsted Sound Studios for the
now-forgotten Chatam Records. The names of theplayers in the trio remain lost, but Jordan’s innate bop
perspicacity and confident charm are unmistakable.
This record, predating Jordan’s 1963 debut on Blue
Note, is now her first known album.
As more performance spaces reopen and gigs
return, it’s important to turn out. Catch Kurt Elling
and Jazzmeia Horn honoring Jon Hendricks’ legacy at
Dizzy’s Club (Sep. 9th-12th); Gregory Porter at NJPAC(Sep. 24th) and Duchess at Birdland (Sep. 30th). v

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 11

IN MEMORIAM

RICK
LAIRD
by andrey henkin

JUINI BOOTH (Feb. 12th, 1948 - Jul. 11th,2021) The bassist was active since the late‘60s, working with Marzette Watts, Sonny
Simmons, Shelly Manne, Gary Bartz,
Larry Young, McCoy Tyner, Freddie
Hubbard, Masabumi Kikuchi, Joe Bonner,
Hamiet Bluiett, Elvin Jones, Chico
Freeman, Junior Cook, Ernie Krivda, Steve Grossman,
Beaver Harris, Sun Ra, Charles Gayle, Franklin Kiermyer,
Ilhan Ersahin and others. Booth died Jul. 11th at 73.

COURTESY OF JANE MERYLL

DINO J.A. DEANE (Feb. 16th, 1950 Jul. 23rd, 2021) The trombonist/keyboard player had collaborative
albums on Dossier, Ear-Rational, FMP,
Victo and Zerx with Bill Horvitz, Butch
Morris, Lê Quan Ninh, Myra Melford
and others to go along with credits
under Morris, Jon Hassell, John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz
and Stephanie Richards. Deane died Jul. 23rd at 71.

Rick Laird, Irish bassist best known for anchoring thefirst iteration of the Mahavishnu Orchestra from 197173 but with an impressive jazz resumé on either side ofthat tenure and later a long career in photography,
died Jul. 4th at 80 of lung cancer.
Laird was born Feb. 5th, 1941 in Dublin. He thenmoved to New Zealand at 16, followed by a couple ofyears in Australia (where he worked with anotherfuture-fusioneer-in-America, The Fourth Way founder
pianist Mike Nock) and then, in his early 20s, relocation
to London. It was there that his jazz career took off andwhile Laird is not as celebrated as peers like Stanley
Clarke or Miroslav Vitous or later genre players like
Jaco Pastorius or Ralphe Armstrong, he actually had amuch greater jazz pedigree as part of the 1964-66 houseband for Ronnie Scott’s club, backing visiting Americans
like Prince Lasha, Al Cohn/Zoot Sims, Annie Ross,
Sonny Stitt, Wes Montgomery, Victor Feldman, Roland
Kirk, Don Byas, Yusef Lateef, Ben Webster, Sonny
Rollins and more. Laird then received a scholarship to
study at Berklee College of Music and, in 1969, got his
first major gig as part of Buddy Rich’s big band.
In 1971, a connection from Ronnie Scott’s, British
guitarist John McLaughlin, already in New York andestablished through work with Miles Davis, called toinclude him in a new band inspired by Davis’ jazz-rock
explorations. That band was the Mahavishnu Orchestra(MO), originally completed by violinist Jerry Goodman,
Czech keyboard player Jan Hammer and drummer
Billy Cobham. Of all the bands to come out of the Davis
circle, MO burned the brightest for the shortest periodof time (though McLaughlin would keep using thename for other bands). MO released three albums in its
lifespan—studio dates Inner Mounting Flame and Birds
of Fire and live set Between Nothingness and Eternity(another studio session, The Lost Trident Sessions, wasreleased in 1999)—and played over 300 gigs between
1971 and its disbandment after a final concert on Dec.
30th, 1973. Laird was the least flashy of the group (apartfrom his Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite bass), using hislong experience as a rhythm section player to groundthe proceedings for the pyrotechnics of his bandmates.
Laird stayed busy, working with Clive Stevens,
Horacee Arnold, Eddie Jefferson, Richie Cole, Vic Juris,
Eddie Daniels, Stan Getz and others. He also released
his sole album as a leader, 1976’s Soft Focus for Muse, aquartet date with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson,
pianist Tom Grant and drummer Ron Steen. But by theearly ‘80s Laird shifted his “focus”, hanging up his bass
and devoting himself fully to photography, a side gig
he had begun in the ‘70s. Laird’s portraiture has graced
albums by McLaughlin, Cobham, Nock, Sun Ra, Dave
Liebman, John Abercrombie, Attila Zoller, Michael
Brecker, Cindy Blackman, Larry Coryell, Lee Konitz,
Jack DeJohnette, Bill Barron and many others.

JERRY GRANELLI (Dec. 30th, 1940 Jul. 20th, 2021) The Canada-based
drummer, despite being best known for
his work in 1965 on Vince Guaraldi’s
A Charlie Brown Christmas (for which he
was initially not even credited), hada long career: with Guaraldi prior toCharlie Brown then Jon Hendricks, Denny Zeitlin, Mose
Allison, Ralph Towner, Jay Clayton, Jane Ira Bloom,
Lee Konitz, Robben Ford, Charlie Mariano and more to
go along with albums since the ‘70s on Excalibur, JMT,ITM Pacific, Loveslave, Songlines, Veal, Addo and,most recently, Sunnyside. Granelli died Jul. 20th at 80.
ANTTI HYTTI (Oct. 12th, 1952 - Jul.
3rd, 2021) The Finnish bassist/vocalist
was a founding member of Piirpauke
and worked with Tomasz Stańko,Edward Vesala, Juhani Aaltonen, JoneTakamäki, Iro Haarla and others. Hytti
died Jul. 3rd at 68.
ELLIOT LAWRENCE (Feb. 14th, 1925 Jul. 2nd, 2021) The pianist, though
better known for his later career as
a composer/arranger for film and TV,
got his start leading dance bands in the‘50s playing period jazz tunes foralbums on Fantasy, Vik, Jazztone andVogue and recording with the reunited Four Brothersand Manny Albam. Lawrence died Jul. 2nd at 96.
CLARENCE McDONALD (1945 - Jul.
21st, 2021) The pianist/keyboard player/
producer recorded with Blue Mitchell,
Sonny Criss, The Manhattan Transfer,
Nancy Wilson, Freddie Hubbard andStanley Turrentine among his many pop
credits. McDonald died Jul. 21st at 75.
DON MARQUIS (??? - Jul. 29th, 2021)
The jazz scholar, based in New Orleanssince the ‘60s, published In Search of Buddy
Bolden: First Man of Jazz in 1978 (andconsulted on the 2019 film Bolden) and was
integral in founding of the New Orleans
Jazz Museum. Marquis died Jul. 29th at 88.
JOEY MORANT (1938 - Jul. 29th, 2021)
The trumpeter/vocalist worked with
Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, George
Benson, Lionel Hampton Orchestra, RoyAyers, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman,
Benny Golson, Gene Ammons, Earl
Bostic and others and released albums
on Amy-Mala-Bell, Double L, SSS International and, in
2018, Blujazz. Morant died Jul. 29th at 82.

12 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDBENNY MUSTAFA (Sep. 22nd, 1939 - Jul.
2nd, 2021) The Indonesian drummer
worked with Bubi Chen, Jack Lesmana,
Ireng Maulana and others but his mostnotable credit was on Tony Scott and The
Indonesian All Stars’ 1967 SABA LP
Djanger Bali. Mustafa died Jul. 2nd at 81.
VIC PITT (Sep. 26th, 1941 - Jul. 27th,2021) The British bassist/tuba player,
whose brother Tony was a guitarist andbanjo player, was part of the U.K.’s tradjazz scene with two of The Three Bs in
Kenny Ball (1960-76) and Chris Barber(1979 into the new millennium) and also
worked with Wally Fawkes, John Crocker, Ian Wheeler,
Pat Halcox and others. Pitt died Jul. 27th at 79.
BILL RAMSEY (Apr. 17th, 1931 - Jul.
2nd, 2021) The singer, though born in
Ohio, based his career in Germany after
serving there with the U.S. Air Force,
recording for Polydor, Columbia,
Electrola, Cornet and Intercord, both asa featured performer and in collaboration
with Paul Kuhn, Inge Brandenburg, Toots Thielemans,
Dieter Reith and others. Ramsey died Jul. 2nd at 90.
SAM REED (Oct. 18th, 1935 - Jul. 7th,2021) The stalwart Philly saxophonist
worked with The Metronomes, The
Ambassadors, Grady Tate and Sunshipand was a longtime member of Odean
Pope’s Saxophone Choir, appearing on
albums the band made for Soul Note inthe ‘80s-90s. Reed died Jul. 7th at 85. v

(INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6)
JA: That is a slippery statement to put on the group.
I suppose it depends where you consider the invisible
cultural borders between East and West to exist. Whatabout North, South, Up, Down and Center? If you aretrying to assert that the formal structure of NIS’ musicis lifted from traditional sources I would disagree andquestion what music you have in mind. If we played
the same music arranged for violin, banjo andsousaphones would you make the same claim? Perhaps
that is an association based on the group’s
instrumentation? Should music be categorized by its
instrumentation or by how it sounds?
All that said, I tend to be musically omnivorous
and am inspired by sounds from all over: traditional
folk music, contemporary music, acoustic, electronic,
sacred, secular etc. The influence of traditional folk
musics on “Western” music could almost be considereda tradition in itself. I’m thinking about Béla Bartók,
Igor Stravinsky or Don Cherry, to name a few. In
different ways they all drew from the well of traditional
folk musics. Does that make the music they influenced
Eastern or Western? Hopefully through playing theguimbri in NIS I can respectfully point a few more ears
to the vast musical contributions the Gnawa haveshared with the world.
To get back to your question, Chicago is a fantastic
place to explore all kinds of music-making, in part
because there have and continue to be so many dynamic
exploratory musicians who are willing to crossboundaries of genre and try to arrive at new sounds.
Chicago’s music scene has also remained fertile because
there are venues and audiences that have historicallysupported and been engaged with that sort of
exploratory trajectory—shout out to Constellation.
TNYCJR: Do you use microtonality or non-equal
tempered tunings/scales in NIS?
JA: Not so much but it is an area that the music could
explore in the future.
TNYCJR: NIS has an ensemble sound and aesthetic, atleast to this listener. How do you incorporate a leadvoice like Evan Parker into NIS’ musical values?
JA: I’m glad that comes through for you. In July of 2019
we had two nights at Café OTO in London. Evan joined
us the second night and we played a new composition
that became the [new] record. Evan is a luminary of themusic and his language is masterfully realized. I felt
the two languages could interweave and run paralleleffectively, if we left space for him to go where hewanted. Both approaches draw inspiration from themusic of John Coltrane. I think both of our languages
offer joy to those paying attention to the nuances.
TNYCJR: How much of the music is notated and how
much comes out of spontaneous moments in concert?
JA: descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is composed of
12 sections of completely notated, interlocking
material. The more the group becomes familiar withthe material the more malleable it becomes. We look tofind new possibilities each time we play and sometimes
we revisit what we find and then proceed further.
Adding Evan to the mix supercharged our exploration.
We were running in parallel with a master improviser.
It is about learning to listen and respond together.
TNYCJR: In performance, is there a leader, or canvarious musicians indicate cues for changes or
movement to a new section or idea?
JA: I guide the group through the sections and pacing,sometimes by cue, sometimes through introducing
musical material.

TNYCJR: Is the NIS abstract music in the Westernsense, or social music in a more traditional sense?

even though he had a long recovery after a truck ran
over him. “Jazz has been good to me,” he said. v

JA: NIS looks to break down those dichotomies.
Abstract music is social music.

For more information, visit mikenock.com

TNYCJR: What for you is the social purpose oringredient of abstract music?
JA: Perhaps we have semantic differences but take themost ‘abstract’ concert you can think of, it still isa social experience, right? Or looking at it from anotherperspective, isn’t all recorded music abstracted fromthe musicians and situations where it was created?
Bebop isn’t typically thought of as dance music. But
I remember the great pianist Jodie Christian telling me
about a club that he used to frequent in Chicago. There
were three rooms for dancers divided into beginner,intermediate and advanced skill levels. And in theroom for the most advanced dancers the musicians
played bebop. In the late ‘90s-00s Jeff Parker and I
would DJ at a tavern called Danny’s. And we would
have the crowd dancing to all kinds of music. One time
when John Coltrane’s birthday fell on a Saturday night
Jeff put on A Love Supreme and the dance floor was
rocking to “Acknowledgement”. So to me it is lessabout whether music is straightforward or abstract andmore about music’s living exchange with the listener.
TNYCJR: Do you make music in NIS with any nonmusical goal in mind?
JA: I think music is a conduit for shared energy. I try to
make music that feels vital.
TNYCJR: How well do you think the NIS fits into jazz
venues, with audiences in seats or at tables? What’s theideal performing situation for NIS?
JA: Our music fits well where people feel like listening.
How people listen is their choice and experience. They
could be dancing or sitting very still. We have played
concerts at jazz clubs, rock clubs, concert halls,
festivals, churches, cemeteries, museums, meetinghalls, cinemas, fountains, boats, The Henry Miller
Library, parks and parking garages… v
For more information, visit joshuaabramsmusic.com.
Abrams’ Natural Information Society with guest William
Parker is at Le Poisson Rouge Sep. 27th. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:• Joshua Abrams—Cipher (Delmark, 2002)• Mike Reed’s Loose Assembly—The Speed of Change(482 Music, 2007)• Joshua Abrams—Natural Information(Eremite, 2008-9)• Nicole Mitchell’s Ice Crystals—Aquarius(Delmark, 2012)• Dave Rempis/Joshua Abrams/Avreeayl Ra +Jim Baker—Perihelion (Aerophonic, 2015-16)• Natural Information Society with Evan Parker—
descension (Out of Our Constrictions)(Eremite-Aguirre, 2019)(ENCORE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10)
In Australia, Nock had a long stint running the
Naxos Jazz label, putting out albums by the New York
Jazz Collective, singer Jackie Allen, Donny McCaslin
and dozens more. The label owner, whose experience
was in classical music, sent him 10 albums he’d put
out. And when Nock told him exactly what was wrong
with them he got the gig. “I didn’t go looking for it,
it came to me,” he said. “We sold more than half amillion records before he pulled the plug.”
Secure in Sydney, Nock says he’s “been lucky,”

Recommended Listening:• Yusef Lateef—1984 (Impulse!, 1965)• The Fourth Way—The Sun and Moon Have Come
Together (Harvest, 1968)• Mike Nock Quartet—In Out And Around(Timeless, 1978)• Mike Nock—Ondas (ECM, 1981)• Mike Nock Trio—Not We But One (Naxos Jazz, 1996)• Mike Nock/Dave Liebman—Duologue(Birdland, 2004)(LEST WE FORGET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10)
Upon listening to the tape, I felt it was a great example
of Dewey’s improvisational approach and flow.
I thought it should be heard.” Helias stresses thatwhatever type of jazz he was playing, Redman wasquite recognizable. “I think it is more germane to
discuss the uniqueness of Dewey Redman’s sound andform of musical expression,” Helias observes. “He wasvery original in his voice and approach... I would saythat Dewey always found a way into the music,
whatever it was, to broaden it and make it better. He
came into my first Enja recording and put a stamp on
the session with a kind of lyricism and energy that stillrings so true to this day, a wonderful, funny and gentle
man of the highest integrity.”
15 years after Redman’s death, McAll still has fondmemories of the years they played together. “Dewey
was rare,” McAll says. “Dewey related to me that he
was from a line of griots stemming back to Africa andI certainly feel that is true. And when you listen to him
play, you know it’s true in your very soul.” v
Recommended Listening:• Dewey Redman—Look For The Black Star
(Fontana, 1966)• Ornette Coleman—New York Is Now(Blue Note, 1968)• Keith Jarrett—Backhand (ABC Impulse!, 1974)• Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden,
Ed Blackwell—Old And New Dreams (ECM, 1976)• Dewey Redman/Ed Blackwell—
Communication (Black Saint, 1980)• Dewey Redman—Live in Chicago(Extra Celestial Arts, 2002)(LABEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11)
artists as well and has been actively soliciting submissions.
“I’m listening for the thing that I’m really going to connect
with, that I really want to put what I have behind.”
Gray doesn’t have a fixed schedule for releases.
“Because it’s me doing it and it also depends on if the
bands can play. But quarterly maybe is the answer.”
Although a grind, Gray is clear that the route offers its
own recompense: “To me it’s really liberating to havecomplete control over the whole process, especiallycompositionally. I don’t think at this point that anyone’s
going to come along and give me $10,000 to do myrecord in the way I want it done. That’s not a negative
statement; it’s actually a really positive statement,
where people have more resources than ever to be able
to think creatively for themselves. I do want to encourageother musicians, maybe the next generation younger
than me, to keep going and to trust if they have an idea,
they should trust in themselves to follow through.” v
For more information, visit rataplanrecordsnyc.bandcamp.com.
A Rataplan showcase is at Downtown Music Gallery Sep. 25th.
See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 13

ALBUM REVIEWS

Too Close for Comfort
George Cables (HighNote)
Willisau 1978 (Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series 45)
Dexter Gordon (TCB)
by Ken Dryden

G eorge Cables has rebounded with a vengeancefollowing a scary health challenge that temporarily
sidelined the pianist prior to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Too Close for Comfort, his seventh CD for HighNote,features him leading a trio with bassist Essiet Essiet
and drummer Victor Lewis, in-demand veterans who
have been his regular collaborators for years.
Cables mixes in several standards on this studiosession, beginning with an angular romp through theJerry Bock-George David Weiss-Larry Holofcener title
track, jokingly referring in his liner notes to the social
distancing suggested to slow the spread of the virus.
His lyrical, deliberate setting of J. Fred Coots-Sam M.
Lewis’ “For All We Know”, played as a duet with
Essiet, reinforces his reputation as a masterful balladinterpreter, as their intimate dialogue brings out new
facets of this time-tested favorite.
A prolific composer who has a knack for creatingcatchy melodies, Cables introduces several new works
in this outing. “Circle Of Love” is an upbeat, breezy
jazz waltz infused with the pianist’s creative spirit.
The Latin-tinged “This Is My Song” is even livelier, as
the composer ’s bright melodic line reflects his positive
outlook, even in the midst of dealing with theseriousness of his recent illness. Yet it is his poignant
miniature, the ballad “A Valentine For You”, whichpacks the most emotional punch. This solo pianofeature seems destined to become a frequent request
during his live sets, ranking alongside his beloved“Lullaby”.
Cables took part in numerous recordings by thelate vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson during the ‘70s80s and Hutcherson recorded many of Cables’ works,
so it isn’t surprising that Cables returns the favor with
two of the jazz master ’s compositions. The intensesamba setting of “Rose Poses” glistens with Cables’
strident, rich chords while the twisting treatment of“Teddy” showcases Lewis’ deft touch.
Fellow pianist Tadataka Unno brought his “Crazy
Love” to Cables’ home and asked him to give it a title.
Cables was immediately drawn to it and dives headfirst into this demanding, constantly shifting vehicle,
a duet, featuring Lewis’ hand percussion.
After spending over a decade living and working
in Europe, Dexter Gordon came home to the U.S. toplay at the Village Vanguard in 1976, resulting in
critical accolades and a huge boost to his career. By thefollowing year, he had hired both Cables and bassist
Rufus Reid while Lewis, on loan from Woody Shaw,soon returned to the trumpeter and Eddie Gladden
was his recommended replacement. Cables remained
a fixture with Gordon through the end of 1978. Thisrhythm section performed and recorded frequently
with Gordon in the late ‘70s and a number of previously
unissued live recordings have been released since thetenor saxophonist’s death in 1990.
This 1978 concert from Willisau is typical for thislate period in Gordon’s career, full of extended forays.
His big toned-blowing incorporates more than a few
humorous quotes worked into his solos, the solid
rhythm section driving him. While Gordon takes mostof the solo space, he allows plenty of room for hisband. Cables’ comping is first rate, as he is a capablesoloist and takes advantage of the spotlight. The
Bronisław
Kaper-Ned
Washington
warhorse“On Green Dolphin Street” features Gordon’s playful
side, with Cables’ intricate improvisation showing thewide scope of his fertile imagination. The Willard
Robison-Dedette Lee Hill standard “Old Folks” openswith Reid providing Gordon’s sole backing, though
Cables’ glistening, spacious chords and lyrical,
understated solo stand out. Even better is Cables’ long
feature in Horace Silver ’s “Strollin’”, with his rapidfire right hand making full use of the upper half of the
keyboard. Reid and Gladden make a formidable teamsupporting Gordon and Cables. This 1978 broadcast by
Swiss Radio, sourced from the station’s tapes, has
excellent fidelity. While there are a lot of later period
Dexter Gordon live CDs available, this long hidden
gem is worth the investment.

meaning of the tune—“no fear of loving”—comes
flying across. In each of Andrade’s numbers, Ben-Hurtakes on a supportive role, providing exactly what sheneeds to attain her musical goals. Quiet, contemplative
moments are achieved in “Caminhos Cruzados”(Antônio Carlos Jobim-Newton Mendonça) but
perhaps the holistic spirit of Samba do Arraial is best
captured in “Coisa Feita” (Joâo Bosco-Aldir BlancPaulo Emilio), a lively, jaunty bossa nova reflective of
the happy life-loving Brazilian people, perfectly voiced
to lift the spirits.
For more information, visit tratore.com.br. Ben-Hur is at
Soapbox Gallery Sep. 1st. See Calendar.

For more information, visit jazzdepot.com and tcb.ch.
Cables is at Birdland Aug. 31st-Sep. 4th as part of theStrata-East 50th Anniversary Celebration. See Calendar.

Samba do Arraial (special guest Leny Andrade)Roni Ben-Hur/Percio Sapia Quartet (Tratore)by Marilyn Lester

It’s easy to understand why bebop-trained guitarist
Roni Ben-Hur gravitated to Brazilian samba music
early in his career. His new CD with the Percio Sepia
Quartet is an ode to the legacy of Tropicália, therevisionist movement of the ‘50s-60s in Brazil, which
not only upended traditional styles—as bebop did here
in the U.S.—but caused some of its luminaries, such as
Caetano Veloso, to flee the country for a time.
One of Tropicália’s leaders was guitarist Joâo
Gilberto, who pioneered a ‘radical’ approach to his
instrument, violão gago or slamming guitar, with its
changing patterns and syncopated swing. It’s atechnique Ben-Hur shows off splendidly in “Bebê”(Hermeto Pascoal), flying through the piece like a
speeding train, finally building a dramatic arc to afierce conclusion with percussionist Sepia and hisquartet. This modern arrangement of “Bebê”, a politicalstatement about consumerism, is quite different thanthe original, sung by Gal Costa and arranged by
Rogério Duprat as a pseudo American-style pop
standard. Ben-Hur, with all the stops pulled out, also
demonstrates his virtuosic and creatively limberpicking and fret work with a modernized“Bala com Bala” (João Bosco). The original, a vocal by
Elis Regina, featured the singer shooting out the lyric
in an amazing and impressive rapid-fire vocalese.
A highlight of Samba do Arraial is a fairly
traditional “Berimbau” (Baden Powell), with its
capoeira samba beat and happy-making tempo. The
progress of the tune gives all players ample opportunity
to shine within its swinging rhythmic style. On the
opposite side of the coin is a tricked-out “Sabiá”(Antônio Carlos Jobim-Chico Buarque). Here,
instruments such as agogo bells, reco-recos, berimbau,
whistles and rainsticks intrude on the musical integrityof the number with jarring unpleasantness.
Four of the ten tracks include vocals by Brazilian
superstar performer Leny Andrade, who, at 78, lacks
the vocal clarity and strength of her youth. But whatcertainly remains strong and has deepened with age is
her interpretive ability, wrapped in immaculate
phrasing and delivered with perfect timing. Torch song
“Medo de Amar” (Antônio Carlos Jobim-Vinicius deMoraes) is a master class for vocalists. Even without anunderstanding of Portuguese, the raw emotion and

14 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Come IN (Double Moon)
R • Jane
Bloom/Mark Helias—e SomeIraKindof Tomorrow (Radiolegs Music)• Christer Bothén 3—Omen (Bocian)c • Blossom Dearie—Little Jazz Bird (1952-1959)(Fremeaux & Associes)o • Frank
Kimbrough—Ancestors (Sunnyside)•
Jeff
Ledererm Eightfold PathSunwatcher—(little(i)music)
Mela (featuring Matthew Shippm • Francisco
William Parker)—Music Frees Our
e andSouls, Vol. 1 (577 Records)
Ndosi and Body MemOri—n • Mankwe
felt/not said (Auspice NOW)
Niescier/Alexander Hawkins—d • Angelika
Soul in Plain Sight (Intakt)e • Jaleel Shaw—Echoes (s/r)
d Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor• Ray Anderson Pocket Brass Band—

Archer/Charlotte Keeffe/n • Martin
Martin Pyne—Hi Res Heart (Discus-Music)
Coe/John Horler—e • Tony
Dancing in the Dark (Gearbox)
Dunmall, Keith Tippett, Philip Gibbs,
w • PaulPete Fairclough—Onosante (577 Records)

r
e
l
e
a
s
e
s

• Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio—
Moon on the Lake (Libra)• Arturo O’Farrill/The Afro Latin Jazz
Ensemble—...dreaming in lions... (Blue Note)• Evan Parker ElectroAcoustic Ensemble(with Sainkho Namtchylak)—Fixing theFluctuating Ideas (Les Disques Victo)• William Parker—Mayan Space Station(AUM Fidelity)• Rich Perry—Happy Destiny (SteepleChase)• Mattias Risberg—Still (Kullen Reko)• David Sanford Big Band—A Prayer For
Lester Bowie (featuring Hugh Ragin)(Greenleaf Music)
Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director

Guitar Talk
Joel Harrison (AGS Recordings)
by Robert Bush

G uitarist Joel Harrison has been quietly assemblinga stellar body of work since his debut in 1996. 20
albums later, Harrison is back with a riveting collectionof duets with four fellow guitarists (Ben Monder, Steve
Cardenas, Pete McCann and David Gilmore) plus theelectric bass of Steve Swallow.
In his liner notes, Harrison states that he had been
avoiding the writing of simple, instrumental melodies infavor of other challenges, but had come back to theconcept for these sessions. The album is dedicated to thememory of Vic Juris, for whom Harrison penned thememorable “Sunday Night With Vic”, hoping to include
him on the date. McCann spells Juris on this one andreturns on “Rebound”, which could refer to theprodigious amounts of delay/reverb both employ. It
swings in its own sweet way and McCann is a definite
keeper. Monder and Harrison are a solid match,
illustrated on the swelling, orchestral “Autumn in
Olivebridge” and “Winter Solstice”, the latter an exercise
in melodic clarity. The default motif is probably thepensive ballad that kind of hangs in the air, as in the duet
between Harrison and Cardenas on “I Knew Right
Away”. The tunes with Swallow are especially potent.
On the first, Harrison’s solo is chock-full of Pat Methenyesque double-stops while Swallow’s contribution
explores aggressive counterpoint. The second, “I’m Still
Asking the Question”, is a loping, bluesy groove
reaffirming their ties to the jazz tradition. “Black
Mountain Breakdown” with Gilmore has a morebaroque, on the beat feel to it. At times, these duets recall
the spirit (if not the letter) of Sargasso Sea, the 1976 ECM
masterpiece by John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner.
In an album devoted to the art of the duet, what ismost striking is the penultimate tune, a solo guitar
exploration of Duke Ellington’s “Reflections in D”.
It is gorgeous and timeless and Harrison’s interpretation
continues to linger in the ear.
For more information, visit agsrecordings.bandcamp.com.
This project is at Soapbox Gallery Sep. 2nd. See Calendar.

Managing the Mask
Craig Harris (Aquastra Music)
by George Kanzler

Trombonist Craig Harris creates a varied tonallandscape with an innovative tentet on this ambitious
album, which includes everything from funky, hip-hop
inspired rhythms and collective improvising to mildly
didactic vocals and fetching ballads.
Harris makes especially good use of flutes, as all
three reedplayers double, often in striking ensembles.
Muted brass and flutes dominate “Wildseed”, from its
rubato opening to cushioning solos from Jay Rodriguez(bass clarinet) and Harris. A high-register trumpet solo
follows as flutes give way to communal improvisingby trombone, trumpets, bass clarinet and saxophones.
Flutes are also prominent in ensemble voicings on“Keep Your Razor Sharp”, “Take the Time”, “Song for
a Friend” and “Lovejoy”.
The rhythm section is also distinctive, not only for
its use of martial and hip-hop patterns and odd meterslike 7/4, but also a heavily electronic cast. Electric
keyboards (Yayoi Ikawa or Adam Kipple), save for a B3style organ solo (Kipple) on “24 Days an Hour”, andelectric bass (Calvin Jones) create expansive aural
textures over the patterned drumming of Tony Lewis.
There is an ethereal feel under Harris’ most emotive,
tender solo on elegy “Requiem for Fred Hampton” andJones creates a throbbing pulse on the dramaticallybuilding “Makanda”, flute and brass-led ensemble
figures jabbing and probing behind flute, alto andbaritone in tandem and trumpet (Eddie Allen) solos.
4 of the 14 tracks include Harris’ vocals, sermonlike intonations for short, repeating lyrics/phrases.
The longest lyric, on “Deep Thought Music”, asserts“We just wanna play the real soul music” and “We justwanna play the great Black music / Yes the world
could really use it”. Others are just the title, sometimes
slightly expanded, as in “Take the Time”: “Take thetime to be kind, help someone in a bind”.
Harris is the main solist. He has a deep, burnishedtone and skews to the middle and lower registers of the
instrument, delivering long, resonant phrases. An
exception is “Lovejoy”, wherein he unleashes more avant
techniques while ascending to stratospheric registers.
For more information, visit craigsharris.com. Harris is at
Greater Calvary Baptist Church Fridays. See Calendar.

Selflessness
Dave Liebman Expansions (Dot Time)by Scott Yanow

Dave Liebman, who celebrates his 75th birthday thismonth, first saw John Coltrane perform in 1962 when
he was 15 and considers him his most importantmusical influence. While one can hear that in his
playing at times, Liebman has had an original voice on
his instruments (tenor and soprano saxophones andflute) since at least the early ‘70s when he worked witherstwhile Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones.
Liebman has paid tribute to Coltrane withindividual songs, special concerts and such recordingsas Homage To John Coltrane, Compassion, Joy, John
Coltrane’s Meditations and Lieb Plays the blues à la Trane.
For Selflessness, he utilizes his group Expansions,a quintet with alto saxophonist Matt Vashlishan,
pianist Bobby Avey, bassist Tony Marino and drummer
Alex Ritz and himself sticking to soprano (other than
one spot on flute). But although they perform eightpieces that Coltrane recorded during 1960-66 (plus“Lazy Bird” from 1957), at no time does Liebman’squintet sound imitative.
Uptempo blues “Mr. Day” has inventive solos from
Vashlishan and Avey even if their contributions are
eclipsed by the fiery Liebman, who displays his own
approach to sheets of sound. He is melancholy on themildly unsettling “Compassion” while accompanied by
Vashlishan’s wind synthesizer. An introspective piano
introduction leads to an unusual version of “MyFavorite Things”, recast in 4/4 time instead of as awaltz. Both of the saxophonists make impressive
statements although the song loses a bit of its
personality in this time signature. “Olé”, which features

Liebman’s wooden flute, Vashlishan’s clarinet and Ritz
on frame drums, is given a very atmospheric treatment
while “Lazy Bird” is reinvented with a completely
different set of chord changes. Avoiding performing
Coltrane’s warhorses, Liebman and his group conclude
by reviving such relatively obscure numbers as spiritual“Peace On Earth”, passionate “One Up, One Down”,
the futuristic title track and somber “Dear Lord”.
Liebman and Co. succeed at updating Coltrane’s
music to the 21st century without losing the essence ofthe vintage material.
For more information, visit dottimerecords.com. This
project is at Dizzy’s Club Sep. 4th-5th. See Calendar.

UNEARTHED GEM

Antibes ‘75
Billy Harper Quintet (Sam)by Andrey Henkin

Jazz à Juan, held since 1960 on France’s Côte d’Azur,is one of Europe’s most venerable jazz festivals:
Charles Mingus had a legendary performance there in
1960; Archie Shepp and The Full Moon Ensemble
released two volumes of their 1970 concert on BYGActuel; and a 2002 reissue of John Coltrane’s
A Love Supreme included the only live performance ofthat music from the festival’s 1966 edition.
Added to those and documented appearancesby Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie andElla Fitzgerald is this newly unearthed set by tenor
saxophonist Billy Harper, waxed on Jul. 24th, 1975
as part of the 15th anniversary festivities in a triple
bill with Mingus and German pianist Joachim Kühn.
This LP contains two-thirds of Harper ’spresentation—as recorded by Radio France—in nicepackaging with an insert of photos and essay by
French music journalist Bernard Loupias. The leader
is accompanied by trumpeter Virgil Jones, pianist
Joe Bonner, bassist David Friesen and drummer
Malcolm Pinson. This is the same band that hadrecorded Harper ’s Black Saint a few days earlier(inaugurating the Italian label of the same name)and comes two years after Harper ’s leader debut,
Capra Black, for Strata-East. “Croquet Ballet” comesfrom that Black Saint album and “Cry of Hunger”
appeared on Capra Black, while the not-included“Priestess” would be officially recorded two years
later for Harper ’s Denon LP Love On The Sudan.
It was inevitable for Harper, coming up in theyears after Coltrane’s death, to be assigned the mantle
as one of his successors. There is merit to that, as heshares an ecstatic quality, one that takes the saxophoneout of the club and brings it into the church, using it tochannel greater truths. The two pieces are lengthy
workouts, drawing from ‘60s energy music but
tempered with a more insistent rhythmic underpinning,courtesy of Pinson, who would continue to work with
Harper through the end of the decade. Jones is a nicefoil, pushing the band like Harper during his solo
turns, and Bonner’s work with Pharoah Sanders
prepared him well for these kinds of forays.
For more information, visit samrecords.fr. Harper is at
Birdland Aug. 31st-Sep. 4th as part of the Strata-East
50th Anniversary Celebration. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 15

G LO B E U N I T Y

LOIRaf Vertessen Quartet (El Negocito)
WallDabin Ryu (s/r)
Spirit Song
Simon Moullier (Outside In Music)
by Tom Greenland

A debut record as leader, a ‘maiden voyage’, is an

exciting moment when most personal musicalvisions can be laid bare. Reviewed below are suchvoyages, each a hint of what earful surprises theartist may bring with future expeditions.
Ever since Belgian drummer Raf Vertessen
relocated to our city in 2016 he has circulated increative company: his quartet is tenor saxophonist
Anna Webber, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and bassist
Nick Dunston and his inaugural album, LOI, wasmixed and mastered by Jaimie Branch and Eivind
Opsvik, respectively. The hour-long suite wasrecorded in Köln’s LOFT after a two-week tour.
While the leader is certainly active, his playing
vibrant, his tuneful yet elastic compositions the
focal point, his input is nevertheless subservient to
the overall sound, which has remarkable dialectic
exchanges between Webber, the most adventurousof the four, and O’Farrill, who, despite his laid-backpersona, exudes the ebullience of a latter-day
Clifford Brown. Dunston, least audible of all, is
nonetheless an essential cornerstone, completingthe synergism of this delightfully listenable outing.
Still in her 20s, Korean pianist Dabin Ryu has
trained for two decades in classical and jazz. Wallsymbolizes (she writes) the fear an artist mustovercome to “fully express” herself. One listen to thisimpressive debut, which she composed, arranged
and produced, leaves no doubt that she scaled that“wall”, fully expressing herself with animation andfinesse in myriad styles and formats. On “Stillborn”
we hear her pensive, intelligent soliloquy; on the title
track (Pt. I) she duets with vocalist Anthony Marsden,comping in a contemporary classical vein; on “TaxiDriver” (with bassist Benjamin Young and drummer
Willis Edmundson) she stretches out in a progressive
R&B style; on the title track (Pt. II) and “Suspicion”
her two-alto quartet (with Nathan See and Zoe
Obadia) navigates quirky but catchy phrases with
pinpoint accuracy; and on “The Light”, arranged fornonet, she evokes a big(ger) band sound throughclever, spot-on arranging.
French vibraphonist Simon Moullier’s approachto Spirit Song is more prescriptive than Vertessen, lessmediated than Ryu, but rather a forum for his alluring
melodies and showcase for his liquid but fiery playing
style. Like Joel Ross, he is pushing the instrument’s
boundaries, developing distinctive tones and textureseven as he is finding ways to supplement and augment
his musical mise en scène; on two tracks he employs acustom chromatic balafon, creating a dense polyphoniccanvas on “Bala” via electronic looping. The project,from two sessions (in 2017 and 2020), with bassist
Luca Alemanno and drummer Jongkuk Kim, pianists
Simon Chivallon or Isaac Wilson and tenor
saxophonists Dayna Stephens or Morgan Guerin, is
unified by Moullier’s idiosyncratic style: floating yet
funky, layered yet transparent, syncopated yetsmooth, ecstatic yet subdued, rigorous yet accessible.
For more information, visit elnegocitorecrods.com,
dabinryumusic.com and outsideinmusic.com

Virtual Birdland
Arturo O’Farrill/Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ZOHO)...dreaming in lions...
Arturo O’Farrill/The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble (Blue Note)by Russ Musto

Shortly after its two-and-a-half-decade-long Sundaynight residency at Birdland shut down in the spring of2020 due to COVID pandemic restrictions, Arturo
O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Orchestra took tocyberspace and began a weekly series of virtual
performances streamed on Facebook and YouTube.
Painstakingly assembled from the individual tracks
laid down in isolation by each of the band’s 18 musicians
and some guests from locations near and far, theresultant music is a powerful testament to resiliency.
The ten pieces on Virtual Birdland are among thebest of the more than 100 recorded as part of the series.
The orchestra’s horn sections and soloists are propelledby the driving polyrhythmic underpinning provided
by the pianist/bandleader and his rhythm section
mates, bassist Bam Bam Rodriguez, drummer Vince
Cherico, conguero Keisel Jimenez and bongocero Carly
Maldonado. Things begin with O’Farrill’s “Gulab
Jamón”, a bubbling melting pot of influences, including
not only the Indian and Latin referenced in its title, butalso European classical and American blues.
The multi-layered French language vocal of guest
Malika Zarra is heard on Kali Rodriguez-Peña’sarrangement of her “Pouvoir”, a lilting affair in thefestive Moroccan Chaabi rhythmic tradition, which
also features the melodious trombone of Mariel
Bildsten and a climactic Jimenez conga solo. Jerusalemborn trombonist Rafi Malkiel’s “Desert” is an engaging
quintal-metered excursion soundly conjuring theimagery of a Middle Eastern caravan with fluent solos
by the composer (quoting Ornette’s “Lonely Woman”)
and trumpeter Seneca Black (referencing John
Coltrane’s “Impressions”). Barcelonan Miguel Blanco’s
beautiful arrangement of the Larry Willis Fort ApacheBand classic “Nightfall” provides rich harmonic
support for lyrical improvisations by trumpeter Rachel
Therrien and tenor saxophonist Ivan Renta.
“Ana Mashoof” by Kuwait’s Ghazi Faisal
Al-Mulaifi, arranged by Belgian trumpeter Rémy
Labbé, reflecting the Middle Eastern roots of AfroCuban
jazz, features the guitarist/composer ’s Arabic vocal
and Kuwaiti percussion ensemble Boom.Diwan.
The music travels to Brazil via Chico O’Farrill’sorchestration of Paquito D’Rivera’s “Samba For
Carmen”, composer and Adam O’Farrill wailing on
alto and trumpet, respectively, and Letieres Leite’s“Alafia”, a percussion-driven Candomblé tour de force
with a roaring Larry Bustamante baritone saxophonesolo. The date concludes in more tipico fashion withbolero “En La Oscuridad”, featuring Renta’s ardent
tenor; Papo Vazquez’ “Cimarron”, a propulsive bomba
jazz masterwork; and Tito Puente’s rousing Palladium
Ballroom-era classic “Para Los Rumberos”.
O’Farrill’s Blue Note debut, …dreaming in lions...,has him on piano and electric keyboards leading thesmaller Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble: Rodriguez, drummer
son Zack with Cherico, who doubles on African
percussion in the section with Maldonado andconguero Victor Pablo Garcia Gaetan; Malkiel(euphonium and trombone); other son Adam
(flugelhorn and trumpet); Alejandro Aviles (saxophones
and flute); and Travis Reuter (guitar). The program iscomprised of two suites composed for Cuba’s Malpaso
Dance Company. The music traverses a variety ofmoods, tonal shades and textures and rhythmic modes

16 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

designed to accompany and inspire dancers.
The opening five-movement suite, Despedida,reflects on sensations associated with saying goodbye
and the finality of farewell. The first movement,“Del Mar”, begins with delicate subtlety. “Intruso”
follows, generating agitated rhythmic intensity andswelling dynamics. “Beauty Cocoon” is exoticallyflavored while “Ensayo Silencio” rocks bluesily before
the suite closes with the tango-tinged “La Llorona”. The
title suite, in 13 movements, was inspired by the vivid
imagery of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man And The
Sea and more expansively exhibits O’Farrill’s virtuosic
command of the orchestral harmonic palette andpolyrhythmic versatility in an ambitious masterpiece.
For more information, visit zohomusic.com and bluenote.com.
The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble project is at Birdland Sep.
7th-11th. See Calendar.

Tinctures In Time (Community Music, Vol. 1)
Steven Bernstein’s Milennial Territory Orchestra(Royal Potato Family)
by Tom Greenland

Like so many musicians sequestered by the pandemic,

slide trumpeter/arranger Steven Bernstein put his
extra time to good use, composing and recording
a series of four albums—all recorded live in a Brooklyn
studio over four days in early 2020—with his Millennial
Territory Orchestra (MTO). The first to be released(this fall), Tinctures of Time, is the only one in thegroup’s catalog to include all original repertoire.
The prime strength is the improvisatory interplay
encouraged by the arrangements, allowing the volublemusical personalities of the leader ’s ‘posse’ (many ofwhom have been playing with him for decades)
to arise and shine. Examples include clarinetist Doug
Wieselman’s gentle, deeply soulful work on “Quart ofRelativity” and “Angels”; Curtis Fowlkes’ molten
trombone and Charlie Burnham’s conversational wahwah violin on “The Gift”; Eric Lawrence’s barnstorming
baritone saxophone on the boogalooing “High Light”;
and Peter Apfelbaum’s King Curtis-meets-Charles
Gayle tenor saxophone solo on “Satori Slapdown” andhis even more unique Ornette Coleman-esque outré
melodicism on “Angels Too” (the second of two takeson this Americana hymn).
The pieces are generally slow, often minor keyed,many tracks grounded in one of Matt Munisteri’s
guitar patterns, soon anchored by Ben Allison’s incisive
acoustic bass and Ben Perowsky’s supple but solid
drums, the charts designed to leave ample space forindividual interpolation, each voice shifting between
fore- and background in the manner of a collectively
mixed reggae dub track.
Unfortunately, the project obviates one of the
MTO’s core strengths: idiosyncratic interpretation ofwell-known popular songs with hummable melodies.
So while Bernstein’s originals boast persuasive shapes
and flow, they lack the hook-laden familiarity of thegroup’s previous cover songs, which allowed listeners
to compare something they already knew withsomething they’d just discovered: the surprise anddelight of hearing how Bernstein and Co. can reimagineand ‘trance-mogrify’ a tune like The Beatles’ “All You
Need Is Love” or Sly Stone’s “Everyday People”.
For more information, visit royalpotatofamily.com. This
project is at City Winery Sep. 8th. See Calendar.

Tunnel To Light
Travis Laplante/Jason Nazary (Tripticks Tapes)by George Grella

Travis Laplante is one of the most physically dynamic

saxophonists in contemporary music. He’s a master ofcircular breathing and he uses that as an expressive
tool to channel a palpable force of musical intensity
through his tenor. You can feel sinew and muscle andlung in his playing. That strikes the listener
immediately with the opening title track on this new
duo album with percussionist Jason Nazary.
“Tunnel to Light” is full of that force and exciting
intensity; it sounds like the musicians are indeed
digging their way out of hardship to a better place.
Coming first, it promises a lot about the record, but thefollowing tracks don’t all fulfill that, or match the gripof the opener. Issued on cassette, with an A- and B-Side,
the album is split between three acoustic improvisations
and a single long piece on the B-Side, “Bell High
Locust”. The dichotomy in the music mirrors that of
the two sides, the success of the foaming dialogue
between the two stands apart from the meandering
solipsism of the second side.
Blame circumstances. Side A is Laplante andNazary playing together. Side B is a construction maderemotely during the pandemic, Nazary first

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improvising with percussion and electronics, thenpassing the audio to Laplante, who plays through andover it. There is a lot of activity between the two, butabsolutely no bond. Laplante follows the electronics,
but he’s responding to events, not another person.
Nazary’s palette of sounds is also limited and mostly
dull, lots of shiny clicks and clichéd synthesis, withsome interesting close-mic’d acoustic instruments.
Where the two together are disciplined and meaningful,apart there’s a kind of slowly moving ADHD, too muchhappening too slowly, nothing established.
Stick with Side A for some exhilarating playing,
not a single dull moment and dramatic shape. Then hit
rewind.
For more information, visit triptickstapes.bandcamp.com.
This project is at The Record Shop Sep. 9th. See Calendar.

Death in the Gilded Age
Gabby Fluke-Mogul, Matteo Liberatore,
Joanna Mattrey, Ava Mendoza (Tripticks Tapes)
Mayan Space Station
William Parker (AUM Fidelity)
Sentinel
Erik Friedlander (Skipstone)
by Stuart Broomer

California-raised, Brooklyn-residing guitarist Ava

Mendoza has made a significant imprint across a broadmusical spectrum in the past decade, whether leading
Unnatural Ways or collaborating with a range ofmusicians who include Nels Cline, Fred Frith, William
Hooker, Jon Irabagon, Nate Wooley and John Zorn.
These recent recordings demonstrate some of her
eclecticism, from free improvisation to a kind of jazz
power trio to tightly organized, composition-focusedmusic. It’s also a series of engagements with thoseother kinds of strings: violin, viola, cello and bass.
Death in the Gilded Age, a cassette release, presents
a free-improvising quartet consisting entirely of
strings: electric guitar with Gabby Fluke-Mogul’s
violin, Matteo Liberatore’s acoustic guitar and Joanna
Mattrey’s viola. There is a nest of divergent sounds,
the opening “Cadre” matching slack strings, whistling
harmonics, pizzicato strings and guitar scrapings, allmoving fluidly from omni-directional to near rhythmic
unison. The longest track is “Country Lullaby” at 5:27.
Though freely improvised, it sounds initially like it
was hatched on a hilltop in Appalachia with the sun
shining. Gradually bits of concordant noise emerge,
one vaguely like a sawmill. The piece drifts to a freeensemble, each musician finding their own path, but it
maintains a sense of organic reflection for allof its alternative directions. Demonstrating a masterful
economy, the shortest track is “Two-Faced”; a very fastpassage of clipped picking for electric guitar andstrings, it is a subtle fusion of amplified and acoustic
sounds until guitar adds reverb and then it all
disappears in little more than a minute.
William Parker ’s Mayan Space Station has beenheralded as the eminent bassist’s first album with atrio including electric guitar in a jazz-rock mode, with
Mendoza joining Parker and drummer Gerald Cleaver.
Parker, however, is no stranger to pressing his music inmainstream directions, including his exploration ofCurtis Mayfield’s music. It’s not that much of a stretch
to the improvisatory flights of Jimi Hendrix or Eddie
Hazel or the energized feedback that Sonny Sharrock
brought to free jazz. Mayan Space Station foregrounds
Mendoza’s spiky clarity of line in a trio of special
rhythmic force, a group with a narrow timbral range,
which delivers an hour of intense music, developing
continuously and finding new dimensions in Parker ’s
compositions. Parker and Cleaver are a brilliant

rhythm team, whether it’s the latter aligning adrumbeat with the former to create a hybrid bass
sound or the two creating a perfectly synced rhythmic
acceleration. The title track, first recorded by Parker ’s
Little Huey Orchestra, emphasizes Mendoza’s ability
to develop a long, engaging solo while “The Wall
Tumbles Down” is a highlight, gradually expanding
from an intense dialogue into a sonic invention inwhich Mendoza’s extended glissandi become sirens in
the kind of disturbing mimesis that distinguished
Hendrix’ “Machine Gun”.
Cellist Erik Friedlander ’s Sentinel presents both a
new trio of that name, with Mendoza and drummer
Diego Espinosa, and a program of Friedlander ’s
compositions, with strong melodies and often forcefulrhythmic impetus. It suggests a jazz group with roots
in rock, emphasized by the hard-edged, sometimes
overdriven sound of guitar and strong cello ostinatos.
Friedlander picks up on resonances and techniquesfrom a broad geographic swath, from the Middle Eastfor the extended “Ember” to the American West with
“Feeling You”, Mendoza finding her inner Bill Frisellin its near-country lyricism. The rhythmic emphasis is
everywhere, with the brief “Bristle Cone” a feature for
Espinoza’s inventive percussion. Apart from a series ofengaging themes, what makes the music so successful
is the balance achieved by Friedlander and Mendoza:each moving in and out of the foreground, providing
shifting sounds, strong foundations or sudden
virtuosic bursts, whether sudden guitar chords orcello’s corresponding arco wails.
For more information, visit triptickstapes.bandcamp.com,
aumfidelity.com and erikfriedlander.com. Mendoza is at
Green Lung Studio Sep. 11th as part of The Whatever
Guitar Festival. See Calendar.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 17

JAZZFESTARTSWESTCHESTER, THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS & THE WHITE PLAINS BID

WHITE PLAINSSEPT 9-12, 2021

Presenting Sponsor:

Samba de Maracatu
Joe Chambers (Blue Note)by Francesco Martinelli

JazzFest welcomes jazz
greats, as well as risingstars this September!

Joe Chambers returns to Blue Note with Samba deMaracatu, reaffirming his stature as a composer,
vibraphonist and drummer. Chambers’ career spans six
decades, from early associations with some of the mostforward-looking musicians of the ‘60s like Wayne
Shorter, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson and Andrew
Hill, to Max Roach’s percussion-only ensemble M’Boomand his own albums since 1974’s groundbreaking The
Almoravid. A specialist of AfroBrazilian rhythms with along-standing interest in West African music, Chambers,in the tradition established by Sidney Bechet’s 1941
“Sheik of Araby”, dialogues with himself on drums andvibraphone accompanied by pianist Brad Merritt andbassist Steve Haines.
All the references to such an illustrious career are,however, transformed for the current times, without aspeck of nostalgia. “Circles” was written for M’Boomin the ‘70s, reinterpreted in contrapuntal style on
Chambers’ 1998 Blue Note date Mirrors and now
energized by a samba/baion rhythm while Shorter ’s“Rio”, itself another Brazilian tribute, takes a bossa
nova inflection and the title track is a reference to the
AfroBrazilian music of the state of Pernambuco.
Besides new interpretations of standards like
Arthur Schwartz-Howard Dietz’ “You and the Nightand the Music” and Jay Livingston-Ray Evans’ “Never
Let Me Go”, the latter with vocalist Stephanie Jordan,
the album features a glowing tribute to Hutchersonwith his mesmerizing “Visions”, recorded with
Chambers in 1968, and a reworking of “Ecaroh” by
Horace Silver. “Sabah al Nur” sounds quite exotic but itmeans merely “Good morning” (literally, morning
light) and you hear the salutation frequently in Arabicspeaking countries. In this case it’s the title of an
evocative tune by Austrian jazz guitarist Karl Ratzer.
DJ Premier sampled Chambers’ 1977 “Mind Rain”
to construct Nas’ classic “New York State of Mind” in1994 and outstanding “New York State of Mind Rain”
brings the process full circle with MC Parrain narratingin verse the history in between and up to now.
Absorbing, varied and above all resolutely
contemporary, this is the offering of a true master.

ARTISTS INCLUDE:

Erena Terakubo• Emmet Cohen Trio • Theo Croker
Quartet • Erena Terakubo • Ray Blue
Quartet with special guest Samara Joy• Gabrielle Garoartsw.org/jazzfest#WPJazzFest
Sponsors:

For more information, visit bluenote.com. Chambers is atGovernor’s Island Sep. 11th. See Calendar.

Pandemic Duets
Adam Lane/Stephen Gauci
Ken Filiano/Stephen Gauci
David Leon/Stephen Gauci(Gaucimusic)
by John Sharpe

When everything shut down in March 2020 due to

COVID-19, New York City native tenor saxophonist
Stephen Gauci initiated what he thought would bea set of five duet recordings in a refusal to be cowed by
the lack of performance opportunities. In fact, thedownload-only collection ran to some 19 albums overthat summer, combining seasoned performers withnewer voices. Each partners with Gauci’s distinctive

18 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

amalgam of falsetto squeal, meaty bottom register,
gruff overtones and unpredictable syntax in a series of
spontaneous inventions, exposing different facets ofthe saxophonist’s craft.
Bassist Adam Lane has been a cornerstone of
Gauci’s Trio/Quartet, which has acted as the house bandat his Bushwick Improvisers Series at Bushwick Public
House since its inception in 2017, but prior to that hehelmed a string of fine releases for variously-sized
ensembles back in the early 2000s. The upshot is that heis an accomplished improviser, with a strong sense ofform, singularly well equipped to meld with Gauci’s
striking conception. In fact, the eight cuts here constituteone of the best recent showcases for Lane’s nimble,
nuanced work. But although brief unaccompaniedinterludes emerge it is largely an intense two-way streamof consciousness affair. A palpable bond exists between
the two, nowhere better exemplified than in the second
half of “#2”, Lane extemporizing a deep dirge-like
melody, accompanied by sombre, prolonged, but subtly
shaded, saxophone yowls. Elsewhere Lane creates aframework that varies from choppy pizzicato to slippery
arco, which buoys Gauci’s fluid corkscrewing lines. But
even at pace, there’s a measured cohesion to theirinteraction, which makes this one of the most satisfying
entries in the series.
Bassist Ken Filiano also shares history with Gauci,
appearing with him in assorted configurations between
2006-11. Having first come to prominence in thecompany of West Coast reedplayer Vinny Golia, Filiano
has since become a mainstay of the NYC scene, highly
appreciated for his robust tone, whether plucked orbowed, supple swing and flair for drama. In tandem
the pair hew close to the free jazz template on “#5”,
where muscular saxophone skronk draws a vigorous
bass rejoinder, making clear the connection by echoing
the saxophone’s machine gun stutter at one point; evenso the piece ends with Filiano laying down a tollingnote, eliciting a near ballad response from Gauci. On“#7” Filiano repeatedly mirrors Gauci’s angularphrases in a fugue-like start, then, before it wears thin,
they shift into freewheeling discourse. Sitting alongsidesuch anticipated fare are more challenging situations,as Filiano utilizes electronics, loops and what sounds
like an octave divider as well as thumb piano andchimes. Gauci responds obliquely, often with awavering altissimo, in murmurs and blurts, in whatsuggests a voyage of discovery for both participants.
Cuban-American
saxophonist
David
Leon
furnishes Gauci with a less familiar sparring partner.
Although only at the start of his career, Leon alreadyembraces a variety of modes. While he won the 2017
ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer ’s Awardand subsequently appeared at the Newport Jazz
Festival, this duet gives him the chance to air his
experimental side. He brings alto and sopranosaxophones, flute and piccolo to the session and thecover shows him blowing the first two simultaneously,
an effect which he uses sparingly only on the opening
track. Gauci meanwhile expands his arsenal toencompass clarinet and flute, meaning that the ten
improvisations feature a wide range of textures,
broadened yet further by the extended techniques both
employ. When alone Leon favors reiterated motifs, likethe cycle of squiggling figures he establishes on “#5”,
which Gauci embellishes further before they embark
on a passage of intertwining multiphonics. Thosemoments when both hurtle in a welter of split tones,
false-fingered distortion and dissonant wails, likea single 20-digit virtuoso, are among the highlights.
Nonetheless, with its change of tack, the overlapping
sustains and carefully controlled harmonics of “#9”represent yet another strong suit to be explored.
For more information, visit gaucimusic.com. Gauci andLeon are at Downtown Music Gallery Sep. 11th and Gauci
and Lane are at Bushwick Public House Sep. 13th, 20th and27th. See Calendar.

Stove Top
Three-Layer Cake (RareNoise)
Voluptuaries
Brandon Seabrook/Simon Nabatov (Leo)by John Pietaro

As per Webster’s Dictionary, onomatopoeia is “the useof words whose sound suggests the sense”.
This definition seems to contain the boundlessness
appropriate to the universe of sound emitted by electricguitarist/banjo player Brandon Seabrook. Stretchingconsiderably beyond musical scales and tunings, hismusic would best be described in terms onomatopoetic.
His work with Anthony Braxton, Bill Laswell, Gerald
Cleaver, Marco Cappelli and Jessica Lurie, as well as
within his own ensembles, speaks for itself. Seabrook’s
mix of learned post-punk, free improvisation andsound art is evident in most every stroke and on these
releases his manic engagements only thrive further.
The trio Three-Layer Cake is something of a
Downtown prophecy come to fruition, fulfilling thepromise of that moment in time when punk aesthetics
painted raw experimentalism and free jazz liberation.
Electric bassist Mike Watt is best known as a founderof Minutemen and fIREHOSE, through which heincreasingly demonstrated the chops and concepts todrive punk’s ethos into daring challenge. Taking it astep further, Watt’s partnership with Black Flag bassist
Kira Roessler cast the uniquely dark harmonies of Dos
and he’s since gone on to compose three punk operas.
It seems natural that he would coalesce with Seabrookand drummer/percussionist Mike Pride, another
Braxton associate whose CV includes Butch Morris,
Nels Cline, Sonny Simmons, Marc Ribot, Nona
Hendryx, William Parker and Tim Dahl. Pride is also a
proponent of something called “death free jazz”, which
this writer means to seek out next. True to form, Stove
Top kicks off with “Beatified, Bedraggled and Bombed”,
a gripping, vexing work featuring streams of rapid
tremolo lines by flat-picked tenor banjo. Seabrook’s
very physical approach to technique is near matchedby Watt, whose free-reining bass is wrapped in a sheathof driving industrialism. And Pride, moving between
full throbbing drumkit and shakers, fills the atmospherewith electric organ, blending with Seabrook’s tapes
and bowed banjo, the overdrive of which hangs in the
pot of his Bacon & Day Silver Bell banjo. The heart of
the album, “Tiller”, features an angular melody pairing
banjo with Pride’s overdubbed marimba to an utterly
alluring outcome. The effect is only bested by the twocollectively improvising in contrasting directions as
distorted guitar, gargantuan bass and explosive
drumming push relentlessly. But it doesn’t stop there.
“Big Burner” is reminiscent of Massacre’s best(remember “Legs”?), the guitar ’s searing effects
echoing for long moments after the listening. But then“Luminous Range – Anxious Valve”, a postmodernist
suite filled with spy guitar, glockenspiel, roving
bass and free drumming, may just be the last word on
jazz-cum-no-wave, among the height of this sacredanti-genre.
The layers propelling Stove Top are enacted as
real-time duet on Voluptuaries by Seabrook (here only
on electric guitar) and pianist Simon Nabatov. Leadingwith the crashing, tearing “Daggers”, the pair
improvise their way through a dozen titles, calling on
the many facets of free music, at points all in the samephrase. But even on the motion-filled opener, Seabrookand Nabatov’s coda stops time, allowing the reverb of
both instruments to linger ominously as Seabrookmanipulates his volume knob and Nabatov his sustain

pedal. Similarly, on “Who Never Dies”, after burning
through rapid-fire runs, the pair shifts dynamics
considerably and the piano’s lower strings are plucked,
the effect somewhat reminiscent of Harry Partch’s
percussive metallic tubing. “Dust Storms”, however,is the piece that lures the ear, a moving evocative piano
melody, at once modern and romantic, colored by open
chording, tremolo bar and volume manipulations,as well as use of detuning the instrument’s low E string
to fathoms below. “Grospeak” contains the same
evocative power, more so, though here the masterful,dark piano playing recalls a distant howling on astarless night. The duet itself—its levels andsympathetic interplay—seems to have reached its
zenith on this piece, with the piano’s maximalism boththwarted and advanced by the electric bite of guitar.
For more information, visit rarenoiserecords.com andleorecords.com. Seabrook is at Barbès Sep. 12th as part of
The Whatever Guitar Festival and Barbès Sep. 22nd with
Henry Fraser. See Calendar.

MARC COPLAND - JOHN (PIANO SOLO)“Marc Copland is such a treasure.”—NYC Jazz Record
Sky Stories
Emily Kuhn (BACE)
by Anna Steegmann“Editor’s Pick”—Down Beat

Trumpeter Emily Kuhn moved to Chicago in 2016 and“A genius.”—allaboutjazz.com

soon made a name for herself as a bandleader, arranger,
sidewoman, composer and educator. Chicago Jazz
Magazine noted her “charismatic style and a sophisticationthat belies her youth” and she was nominated “Best Jazz
musician” in The Chicago Reader’s 2020 poll.
Kuhn’s debut album Sky Stories, her love letter toher adopted home, merges folk, Latin, world andclassical music in a program of mostly originals. Thesevarious threads flow freely between improvisation andorchestration. The album features two bands. Helios isa chamber jazz group with vocals by Mercedes Inez
Martinez, Max Bessesen (alto, tenor and sopranosaxophone), Evan Levine (bass), Gustavo Cortiñas(drums), Ben Cruz (guitar), Myra Hinrichs, Lucia
Thomas, Ochin Pakhi and Erendira Izguerra (violins),
Christine Fliginger (viola) and Danny Hoppe (cello).
Three of the ten tracks are by a jazz quartet made up ofKuhn and fellow trumpeter Joe Suihkonen, bassist
Katie Ernst and drummer Nate Friedman.		
“Horizon” and “Anthem” are introspective with
distinctive melodies over pulsing, repetitive basslines.
“Fit” is an avant garde jazz composition reminiscent of
Ornette Coleman featuring Friedman and Kuhn’s
persuasive playing. “Beanstalk” showcases hardhitting, explosive, lively rhythms. “Catch Me” shineswith its sophisticated instrumentation. “Roses” starts
with Martinez’ otherworldly dazzling singing and turns
into a bossa nova, heartfelt trumpet captivating thelistener. “Queen for an Hour” is high-spirited withplayful melodic lines, flamenco rhythms and abundant
space for improvisation. “Jet Trails and Shooting Stars”
again features Martinez and great plucked basslines toaccompany the violins. Sky Stories fluctuates between
contemporary sounds and string arrangements
evocative of classic jazz recordings, such as Kuhn’s slow
and steady take on the Johnny Green-Edward HeymanRobert Sour-Frank Eyton standard “Body and Soul”.
This is an outstanding debut and Kuhn is amusician to pay attention to as her career unfolds.
For more information, visit bacerecords.com. Kuhn livestreams Sep. 13th at facebook.com/festivalofnewtrumpetmusic.

DAVID LIEBMAN / RANDY BRECKER /MARC COPLAND / DREW GRESS /JOEY BARON - QUINT5T“Five masters.”—NYC Jazz Record“CHOC (highest rating)….
Merci, Messieurs.”—Jazz Magazine (France)“Exceptional...Liebman seems
to be constantly reaching
new artistic peaks.”—Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

To order:innervoicejazz.com/buy-cds
squidco.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 19

on screen

Live at Birdland
Count Basie Orchestra (Candid)
by Pierre Giroux
Summer of Soul
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Hulu)
by Kevin Canfield

Max Roach isn’t in Summer of Soul for very long, but

the late musician’s brief appearance is a primeexample of what Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s
documentary does so well. First, we see Roach seatedat his drums before a wall of colorful parallelograms.
This is the stage backdrop for the 1969 Harlem
Cultural Festival and Roach is zipping through “It’s
Time”, the title track from one of his signature albums.
Next, we hear from Raoul Roach, who tells Thompson
about the racial consciousness informing his father’smusic. This is followed by an archival interview withthe drummer himself, who stresses the importance ofBlack-owned music businesses. Finally, we return to
the 1969 festival, where Roach and wife Abbey Lincoln
perform an exuberant version of John Coltrane’s“Africa”. In a two-minute montage, Thompson gives
us vibrancy, history and biography.
Summer of Soul chronicles a concert series held
52 years ago in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus
Garvey Park). The multi-weekend Harlem Cultural
Festival, organized by promoter Tony Lawrence,drew a primarily African American audience ofabout 300,000, who saw Mahalia Jackson, Stevie
Wonder, The 5th Dimension and many others
perform at the foot of rocky hills near 120th Street in
Manhattan. Hal Tulchin, a TV producer, filmed theproceedings
but
couldn’t
persuadewhite
entertainment executives to release it. The reels sat
unseen until the 2010s, when Thompson learned of
their existence. His film celebrates the dynamism of
performances providing entertainment and catharsis
to festivalgoers coping with the recent assassinationsof Black leaders, needless deaths of thousands ofAfrican American soldiers in Vietnam and countless
instances of state-sanctioned discrimination.
Attendees say the shows were beautiful,inspiring events. The footage backs this up. As
vibraphonist Roy Ayers and flutist Herbie Mann
play a buoyant “Chain of Fools”, Thompson cuts toa little girl in a pink dress, dancing with a hand in
the air and delighting the audience. We see Jackson,
Mavis Staples and saxophonist Ben Branch team up
for a rousing “Precious Lord”; the song, a favorite ofMartin Luther King, Jr.’s, has particular resonancegiven that, as the Rev. Al Sharpton tells Thompson,
King spoke his final words to Branch. Several of theperformances are backed by thumbnail history
lessons. The Staples Singers’ appearance gives
Thompson a reason to reflect on gospel’s roots inBlack churches. Thompson’s interview with writer
Greg Tate, who discusses the late ‘60s “embrace of
neo-super Blackness”, dovetails with footage of Sly
Stone, fearless and charismatic in purple satin andblack fringe. When trumpeter Hugh Masekela takes
the stage, the conversation turns to South Africa’s
brutal Apartheid regime. This is an ambitious,
intelligent, enthralling film, a documentary
capturingthevitalityofanimportant,underappreciated chapter in music history.
For more information, visit hulu.com

Count Basie’s “Atomic” band was recognized for its

great soloists (trumpeter Thad Jones and saxophonists
Frank Foster and Frank Wess), great arrangers (Neal
Hefti/Ernie Wilkins/Quincy Jones) and perhaps thebest rhythm section in jazz (guitarist Freddie Green,
bassist Eddie Jones and superb drummer Sonny
Payne). On Jun. 27th-28th, 1961 the band recorded
Basie At Birdland for Roulette Records, one of the mostenjoyable recordings the band made during this period.
Count Basie Orchestra (CBO) directed by Scotty
Barnhart came to Birdland from Jan. 15th-18th, 2020 torecord this live session and honor that aggregation in amost fitting way. Over two CDs, many of thetouchstones of the Basie book are played, including
five numbers from the original Basie At Birdland album.
CBO is a disciplined organization, dedicated tocontinuing the tradition of exceptionalism that drove
the formative iteration of this band. It swings with anatural jauntiness and provides solid footing fromwhich soloists can create their expressive statements.
The Foster composition “Easin’ It” is a goodjumping-off point, a midtempo swinger with a strong
intro from pianist Glen Pearson filled with single-notelines and two-handed block chords. Keeping
everything straight, both the trumpet and trombone
sections demonstrate cohesion following thearrangement.
On the Wilkins number “Basie”, the band is in full
throttle uptempo mode with tenor saxophonist Doug
Lawrence riding fearlessly over the band, propelled bydrummer Robert Boone, Jr. For a change of pace, theJones opus “I Need To Be Bee’d With” has a solid
groove with a stellar intro from Pearson showing
excellently crafted chords and thoughtful lines. Thentrombonist Clarence Banks jumps in using his plunger
mute to create sounds that have a sly warmth andcrying tone.
There are many other whipsmart performances
including “The Kid From Red Bank”, “Kansas City
Shout” and “Moten Swing” (featuring a soulful trumpet
solo from Barnhart), as well as a classy version of “Shiny
Stockings” that has former Basie drummer Butch Miles(1975-79 and then with the ghost band from 1997-2007)
showing he still has game. Both discs close with theBasie theme “One O’clock Jump”, which brings to mind
the old saying “often imitated, never duplicated”.
For more information, visit candidseptreleases.pages.dev.
This band is at Birdland Sep. 14th-18th. See Calendar.

Heritage/Evolution, Volume 2
PRISM Quartet (Xas)by Jim MotavalliThe

second album in the Heritage/Evolutioncommissioning series brings together three stellar

20 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

saxophonists—Ravi Coltrane, Joe Lovano and Chris
Potter—as guests of the PRISM Quartet. The first
volume came out in 2015 and had contributions from
Dave Liebman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Greg Osby,
Tim Ries, Steve Lehman and Miguel Zenón.
Without being in any way commerciallycompromised, the music on this disc—and there’s a lotof it (76:20 to be specific)—is very accessible. It’s
challenging without being difficult, if that’s a thing.
The album recalls Charlie Parker with Strings (1950), an
album most scorned for decades before being
acknowledged for its brilliance.
Readers of this gazette will know the jazz guys,
but maybe not the saxophonists who make up the
PRISM Quartet: Timothy McAllister (soprano), Zachary
Shemon (alto), Matthew Levy (tenor) and Taimur
Sullivan (baritone). Like the Kronos Quartet, they’rean adventurous group who stray far from their classicalroots. The quartet has commissioned hundreds ofworks and is already planning a third edition, alsowith Zenón.
“Forbidden Drive”, by Levy, features a full-bodied
Lovano on tenor. The piece is a lengthy written score,over which Lovano freely improvises. Trumpeter
Randy Brecker works with European orchestras onmusic like this and it’s as if they were born to play thisway. The piece moves through both bright andsomber passages.
Potter ’s work, “10 Improvisations”, includes
interludes and improvisations that constitute a slightly
edgier listen than Levy’s piece. There are even hints ofminimalism in the sections and In C composer Terry
Riley would approve. Potter is featured with Coltrane
and the short “Interlude 1” appears to be those two‘talking’ to each one another in a remarkabledialogue. “Improvisation 2”, without the guests, ismovie music for a night scene. “Improvisation 3”, with
Potter and great work from Sullivan, is lovely andalmost swings.
Lovano’s own piece is “Super Sonix”, from 2017,
in seven sections. He cites Third Stream pioneer
Gunther Schuller, as well as Ornette Coleman, as
influences. The music is loosely structured, with plentyof space for improvisation. “Following the Sound”
includes bells and gongs out of the Art Ensemble ofChicago. Lovano picks up the soprano for “Natural
Beauty” and dialogues in fits and starts with the
Quartet. On “Sound Sculpture” there’s somecollective improvisation that never gets dissonant. It’sa wild listen on headphones. “On a Roll” has an
ensemble part that splinters into individual statements
against the group’s cushion before resurfacing. The
melody is memorable. “On Hipsters & Flipsters”,
Lovano is at the drum kit, which gives the section an
initialjazz
feel
beforethetrain
departs,
destination out.
Coltrane’s composition is “Tones for M” (for his
aunt, Mary Lyerly Alexander, the “Cousin Mary” of
dad John’s tune who died in 2019) and it provides asomewhat somber ending for the record. The composer
is on sopranino and Potter is on bass clarinet. The pair
improvise collectively on these instruments, as thetension builds, and respond to each other in colorfulexchanges. It’s over too soon.
Classical music has almost never mixed well withrock, but the sound of an improvising saxophone
against the warm pillow of an orchestra will never get
old. Four saxophones does not an orchestra make, but
PRISM’s work with these first-rank jazz improvisors istruly remarkable and will endure.
Hearing Volume 2 will make listeners want to seekout Volume 1 and also to attend some of the live
concerts that PRISM is doing with jazz artists.
For more information, visit prismquartet.com. This projectis at The DiMenna Center Sep. 15th with guests Melissa
Aldana, Terell Stafford, Chris Potter and Rudresh
Mahanthappa. See Calendar.

African Ripples
Keith Brown Trio (Spacetime)by Dan Bilawsky

Autobiographical and universal elements are at play inthis album’s sophisticated and profound sounds. Pianist
Keith Brown wrote and packaged this work with theexpress intention of presenting and exploring his“personal experiences through Black music and how it
has rippled out in so many different directions.” But
that’s not to say this project is an endeavor of selfinvolvement. In fact, anything but. As Brown is quick tonote, these ripples fan out to all of us, highlighting themany and varied connections common to our existence.
Teaming up with bassist Dezron Douglas andalternating drummers Terreon “Tank” Gully andDarrell Green, Brown delivers his own modernistic
take on the piano trio format with captivating originals
and the occasional choice cover fitting the theme.
Shifting tides keep ears on their toes during “Truth andComfort”. Uncertainty gives way to propulsive rhythmon the punchy “NAFID”. A frenetic energy seemingly
speaks to city life’s pace on “118 & 8th”. And a
relatively reflective glide, stylish bounce anddownshifted exit groove share space on “What’s Left
Behind”. Add to that a hip update on Jesse GreerRaymond Klages’ “Just You, Just Me” and two different
trio angles (out of four takes in total) on the Fats Waller
title track and you begin to see just how much(common) ground this crew is capable of covering.
Though the trio has top billing and makes asignificant splash with its standalone performances,
Brown brings numerous guests into the fold. Trumpeter
Russell Gunn and tenor saxophonist Anthony Waremake for a stellar pairing on several tracks, including
the hip and cooled-out “512 Arkansas St.” andpowerfully seductive “Song of Samson”. Camille
Thurman delivers wordless wonders on Brown’s
uplifting “Queen” and Melanie Charles soulfully sings
her way through Stevie Wonder’s “Come Back as a
Flower”, both with backing vocal support from Tamara
Brown. Nêgah Santos adds percussive color andcharacter with(in) her two appearances. And Cyrus
Aaron contributes moving spoken word art to the“African Ripples Epigraph” opener and penultimate“Prayer for My Nephews”. All of these visitors, working
cooperatively with the core trio, ably assist Brown inbringing his beautifully connective vision to life.
For more information, visit facebook.com/spacetimerecordsmusic.
Brown is at Mezzrow Sep. 17th. See Calendar.

Happy Destiny
Rich Perry (SteepleChase)by Marco CangianoRich Perry is a well-known entity in modern jazz.

A pillar of both the Vanguard and Maria Schneider
Orchestras, since 1993 he has recorded 26 CDs for
SteepleChase and worked with artists ranging fromPaul Bley to George Mraz. He is a highly appreciatedinterpreter of jazz standards but also an original voicearound which the likes of Schneider can tailor complex
compositions capable of leveraging his somewhat dark
yet lyrical sound and unhurried phrasing.
This is Perry’s second CD of his compositions andit is a beauty, moving seamlessly from one piece to thenext while conveying Perry’s emotions and feelings.
The band, as on the earlier originals CD Other Matters,
is Gary Versace (piano) and Jay Anderson (bass)—bothin the Schneider Orchestra—and John Riley (drums).
Quite a few pieces come across as free-flowing
improvisations, leaving ample space for the leader but
also Versace (“Iron Buddha, Pt. 2”, in particular) to
explore directions their emotions lead them. The two
immediately establish a close dialogue, in great
evidence on pieces like “Rebellion Dogs” and the two
versions of the title track. The almost minimalistic“Plant Based” showcases Perry’s more hard-edged
sound, buoyed by essential piano. Anderson and Riley
provide tasteful and steady support throughout.
Happy Destiny sounds more consistent than Other
Matters but still delivers a fair amount of diversity acrossthe pieces, from the understated funkiness of “Everything
Hurts”, underlined by Versace’s tangent reference to
Monk’s “Misterioso”, to the somewhat ethereal “Luft”,
reminiscent of Miles Davis’ “Nefertiti” atmosphere.
For more information, visit steeplechase.dk. Perry is at
Smalls Sep. 17th with Mark Soskin. See Calendar.

a series of duet albums demonstrative of their bond.
The pianist seems to relish his parts in Snakeoil, but
operates with a little more freedom in the duo. On
Spiders he breezes through the themes yet it’s during
Berne’s solos where Mitchell clearly shines.
Harmonically he anticipates where Berne is heading.
“Julius” is rife with surprising detours but when they
arrive at the final theme, stated in unison, it’s anarresting moment. Spiders shows they still clearly still
have plenty to say to and with each other.
For
more
information,
visit
intaktrec.chandoutofyourheadrecords.com. Berne and Mitchell are at
Soapbox Gallery Sep. 4th. See Calendar.

David Janeway Trio
Appearing:
September 5th, from 8-10 pm
Jazz Forum Jam Session
Tarrytown, NY
Jazzforumarts.org
September 10th, from 8-9:30
Maureen’s Jazz Cellar
Nyack, NY
Maureensjazzcellar.com“...Janeway is not afraid to experiment in the
moment and has a range of technique thatallows him to test the waters fearlessly... he isconstantly evolving, and I have never heard one
player have so many different ways oftexturizing.” (Monique Avakian, The Patch)

November 3rd,two sets at 730 and 9 pm
Mezzrow, NYC
Smallslive.com“David Janeway is an extraordinary pianist withgreat facility and a wealth of ideas. He exhibits
maturity and depth in his playing.”(Eddie Henderson)

For further info and bookings:
DavidJaneway.com orconnect on facebook.com/
david.janeway.5

CDs, downloads and streaming available atAmazon, Statesidemusic.com,
Apple Music & Spotify.
Listen to Track 1 here: http://steeplechase.dk/
sample/716043314522_01_001.mp3

The Deceptive 4 - Live
Tim Berne’s Snakeoil (Intakt)
Spiders
Tim Berne/Matt Mitchell (Out of Your Head)by Robert Iannapollo

The link on these two albums lies in both alto

saxophonist Tim Berne and pianist Matt Mitchell. The
release of Berne’s first album (The Five Year Plan, 1979)
promised great things, something he has consistently
delivered for the past 40 years, in composition,
improvisation and through a series of well-conceived
bands. Perhaps the most successful has been thequartet Snakeoil, which, since 2013, has released fivealbums on ECM and Intakt. Initially a quartet of Berne,
Mitchell, clarinetist Oscar Noriega and drummer/
vibraphonist Ches Smith, it expanded to a five-piecewith the addition of guitarist Ryan Ferreira.
For The Deceptive 4 - Live, they’ve reverted back to
the original lineup and that’s not a bad thing. Snakeoil
is known for its high-energy performances of complex
compositions. While there’s a lot to absorb throughout
this double-disc set of music taken from shows at
Firehouse 12, Ibeam Brooklyn and Roulette, it’s theatypical moments that stand out. “Spare/Citta” begins
in a misterioso quiet mood, gradually accruing
momentum and energy, yet the initial impression lurks
in the background throughout. The brief (only six
minutes) “Scanners” has a jaunty, playful quality rightup to its abrupt conclusion. ”Deception” contains anunusual duet between Mitchell and Smith. Noriega is
an excellent foil for Berne and Smith drives theensemble with complex rhythms built into thecompositions. The lack of bass has never hampered thegroup and actually gives it a lighter, more nimble
sound, making the complexity seem natural, lessobtrusive. The Deceptive 4 - Live is a strong release andbodes well for the band’s continued future.
Over the past decade, Mitchell has been one ofBerne’s most frequent collaborators. They’ve produced

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 21

Martian Kitties
Gordon Grdina/Jim Black (Astral Spirits)
by Kira Grunenberg

Martian Kitties, the duo debut of guitarist/oud player

Gordon Grdina and drummer/electronics player Jim
Black, projects an aura equal parts zany andsophisticated. The surface imagery is that of juvenile
science-fiction, an easily envisioned combination of two
concepts: space aliens and cats. However, when
considered in the context of a grander creative work likea novel, film or, in this case, an album, this subject holds
vast and intriguing potential surrounding the deeper
layers of interpretation achievable through extensive
world-building and/or detailed conceptualization.
The LP provides plenty of the sonically unexpected,
thanks to the tonal versatility shared between Grdina
and Black’s four-instrument toolkit and uninhibited
nature of the 13 compositions, whose attributes,
including rhythmic balance, melodic solidity andduration, vary throughout. The latter quality goes toextremes, with six tracks running less than two minutes
while also going to great lengths to ensure every
moment within is kept active with as much
performative activity as possible.
One
could
hope
to
find
predictable,
conceptual respite in “Short Scale”, yet, past theintermittent, rapid, step-wise oud flourishes, there islittle stability to be had. Black’s snare hits, loud andcrisp, clash with the tempo and rhythm of Grdina’s
passages, forcing the listener to remain alert to thechanges. A similarly restless flow arises on the longest
track, “Brushes with Death”, but the imbalances arepresented through a more mentally forgiving ebb andflow of tonal freneticism and deliberation of tempo,
giving the music a more approachable stride.
The sheer potpourri of timbres is too dense tocount but much like the busyness of an abstract
expressionist painting or the grandiosity of space, thebigger picture leads to an inspiring setting worth
repeated, profound rumination.
For more information, visit astralspirits.bandcamp.com.
Grdina is at Ibeam Brooklyn Sep. 25th. See Calendar.

Mirror Mirror
Eliane Elias (Candid)
by Ken Dryden

Since immigrating to the U.S. from Brazil in the ‘70s,

accomplished pianist Eliane Elias has explored
postbop, classical, fusion and more in addition to themusic of her homeland. These sessions feature herplaying duets with two giants of piano, the late Chick

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22 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Corea and Cuban master Chucho Valdés. With theirshared interests, creativity and versatility, Elias meshes
well with both, as their collective gifts of inventive
improvising, strong rhythm and anticipating eachother ’s direction makes them much more than a“gimmick”, as the late pianist Tommy Flanagan once
described piano duo recordings.
The performances are reminiscent of some of thebest episodes of Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz NPR
radio series, minus the occasional vocal responses by
one pianist to another ’s lick. The songs featuring Elias
and Corea are more widely known, beginning with aninvigorating workout of his “Armando’s Rhumba”,
a piece he recorded numerous times yet never ina duo piano setting. Kenny Dorham’s “Blue Bossa” haslong been a jazz standard and the players excel atfinding new paths within it. Corea’s “Mirror Mirror”
dates from the late ‘70s, recorded in a duet withvibraphonist Gary Burton and as a sideman with tenor
saxophonist Joe Henderson. The most straightahead
performance is the rollicking treatment of the standard“There’ll Never Be Another You”, where they just don’t
seem to want to stop.
Elias suggested songs by Spanish and Mexican
composers to Valdés, all tunes that he knew but was
surprised at her familiarity. Brazilian and Cuban
rhythms blend perfectly in their interpretation of “Esta
Tarde Vi Llover” and the setting of “Corazón Partío”
becomes very intense while retaining the romance of
its infectious theme. The introduction to the subtler
ballad “Sabor A Mi” brings to mind Bill Evans’arrangement of Leonard Bernstein’s “Some OtherTime” before its elegant theme is revealed.
For more information, visit candidseptreleases.pages.dev.
Elias is at City Winery Sep. 15th. See Calendar.

“My Ship”, written for the 1941 Broadway musicallandmark Lady in the Dark, which, in this dreamy
rendition, is so very reminiscent of Gil Evans’ 1957
haunting arrangement for Miles Davis. The slow tempo
also gives Kent ample opportunity to focus on the
lyric to imbue it with meaning. For those whose
preference is for a deeper, more robust vocal tone, Kent
makes the case for a different approach to jazzinterpretation and enjoyment.
Songs From Other Places
Stacey Kent (Candid)
by Marilyn Lester

BILL EVANSPREVIOUSLY UNRELEASEDBILL EVANS TRIO
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For more information, visit candidseptreleases.pages.dev.
This project is at Birdland Sep. 28th-Oct. 2nd See Calendar.

V ocalist Stacey Kent, like many entertainers denied

the joy of live performance, searched for ways toexpress her gifts during the pandemic lockdown. Whatshe (and others) found was that still being able to makerecords offered a creative lifeline. The result is Songs
From Other Places, an eclectic romp through thegeography of the mind, the map and emotion. The
connective tissue of this landscape is the Blossom
Dearie-esque voice of Kent—light and girlish—andhow she uses it carefully to craft each tune she sings.
A Brazil-ianized opener, “I Wish I Could Go
Traveling Again”, was written for Kent by Kazuo
Ishiguro and Jim Tomlinson; its double-entendre lyricof personal and philosophic desire sets the tone of thealbum’s through-line of exploration. This same quality
closes the album, with an intensely reflective
interpretationof
StevieNicks’“Landslide”,
underscoring another quality Kent brings to the music.
In addition to an innate feeling for jazz, shepossesses the ethos of a folk singer, a sensibility thatcertainly applies to her way with vocal narrative. She’sa fine storyteller.
Two originals by Ishiguro and Tomlinson, “Craigie
Burn” and “Tango In Macao”, spotlight Kent’s strength
in lyric interpretation, particularly in telling a story
economically. The latter number is also a lot of fun,revealing the singer ’s ability to put across humor andwit successfully.
Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “Imagina”, sung in
excellent Portuguese, allows Kent to use her vocal
flexibility way into high notes that dance lyrically toa solid vocal choreography. In “Les Voyages” (Raymond
Lévesque), sung in French, an air of Edith Piaf isinvoked with a poignancy that could be considered atrue tribute to the late icon.
These two numbers are enhanced by flute andmusette accordion, respectively, but all other songs on
Songs From Other Places have only the piano of Art
Hirahara, whose airy style perfectly matches Kent’s
vocalizations. It is a partnership so satisfying thatthe addition of any other instrument would almost be
an intrusion.
An especially evocative piece is Kurt Weill’sEverybody Still Digs Bill Evans:
A Career Retrospective(1956-1980)

Sounds from the Ancestors
Kenny Garrett (Mack Avenue)by George Kanzler

Alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett taps deep roots on

Sounds from the Ancestors, an all-originals album
redolent of ritual, repetition and rhythm. Augmenting
his quartet of pianist Vernell Brown Jr., bassist Corcoran
Holt and drummer Ronald Bruner with percussionist
Rudy Bird, as well as adding voices, otherpercussionists/snare drummers and a trumpeter onvarious tracks, Garrett often achieves an incantatory
feel on these eight tracks.
“It’s Time to Come Home” opens and closes thealbum, the opener augmenting the quintet (includingBird) with the voice of Jean Baylor and bata drum andvocals of Dreiser Durruthy. The closer, dubbed the“original” version, is just the quintet. The piece is built
on a sinuous, repetitive polyrhythm mining AfroCuban
and West African roots, under an insinuating yet
simple, repeating melody.
Garrett, with his muscular tone and forthrightattack, which pares away most of the arpeggios andfleet runs we have come to expect from modern alto
players, has mastered the art (sometimes associatedwith Minimalist classical composers) of incrementallyenhanced or evolving repetition. On “It’s Time toCome Home” his solo builds slow, legato lines,
eventually blending into a second theme with (on theopener) saxophone joined by Baylor ’s wordless vocal.
It concludes with a rap-like incantation from
Durruthy in a Cuban dialect of Yoruba, accompanied
by his bata drum.
Two tracks pay tribute to deceased musicians withwhom Garrett has worked. “Hargrove”, for trumpeter
Roy, adds trumpeter Maurice Brown as well as threesingers, Linny Smith, Chris Ashley Anthony andSheherazade Holman, to the quintet. A midtempo
shuffle with a backbeat, it interpolates parts of John
Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”, including the singers
intoning the title phrase behind trumpet, alto andtandem solos. “For Art’s Sake” pays tribute to drummer
Blakey, with Bruner and Bird prominent, the theme
augmented by electric piano (Garrett) and Fender
Rhodes (Johnny Mercier) as well as piano.
Snare drums come to the fore on the longest andone of the most arresting tracks: “Soldiers of theFields/Soldats des Champs”. Lenny White is added asa second snare drummer alongside Bird, theirparadiddles and intertwined rhythms generating
tremendous momentum under solos from alto andpiano, including, in the second part, Garrett’s mostintense, ecstatic statement on the album.

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For more information, visit mackavenue.com. Garrett is atBlue Note Sep. 9th-12th. See Calendar.
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Live From LockdownChampian Fulton (s/r)
by Scott Yanow

During the worst days of the pandemic, it would not
be an understatement to say that jazz musicians had avery difficult time. Even the most fortunate, those who
had savings and/or could teach and occasionallyperform online, missed live audiences and interactingwith other players. If one played the ‘wrong’ instrument(nearly everything except piano and guitar) and did
not have a family member who was skilled on acomplementary instrument, the options were much
more limited in live-stream performances and live
(as opposed to overdubbed) recordings.
Champian Fulton was more fortunate than mostsince she is a self-sufficient pianist-singer who has
often performed solo, including on her weekly webcast
Live From Lockdown. With her strong left hand, masteryof swing standards and distinctive singing, which,while not derivative, could fit easily into ‘40s-50s jazz,
one never misses other instruments when she performs
by herself. She has helped keep a tradition alive not bycopying the past but by simply being herself.
Live From Lockdown is a duet album with her father,
the excellent flugelhornist/trumpeter Stephen Fulton.
Inspired by the sound, swing and wit of Clark Terry,the elder Fulton has his share of solo space while often
being in a supportive role behind his daughter ’s
powerful playing; his double time runs on “What Is
This Thing Called Love” are particularly impressive.
Recorded on Nov. 13th, 2020, a few months before
COVID vaccines became available, the music on Live
From Lockdown is quite optimistic and an escape fromthe world’s problems. The Fultons’ performances ofsuch timeless numbers as “I Hadn’t Anyone Till You”,“Moonglow”, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” and“Look For The Silver Lining”, plus a couple ofthemeless blues, lets one know that, with luck, theworld is not coming to an end. One just has to play themusic louder and continue being patient.
For more information, visit champian.net. Fulton is at
Mezzrow Sep. 8th. See Calendar.

On Common Ground
Mike Sopko, Bill Laswell, Tyshawn Sorey(MOD Technologies)
by George GrellaBill Laswell has a devoted following, but this reviewer

has always found him to be a frustrating of beguilingmusician. His bass playing and the production work
he does for himself and other musicians from behindthe mixing board have distinctive and prominent
styles. For many listeners that’s more than sufficient.
But for at least one, the long chain of music throughthe decades—various iterations of Material; albums ofworld music put out on his Axiom label; ambient
records—has been forged with links of style that shinewith brilliance but don’t seem to have the heft orstrength to pull along anything of real significance.
This new album is another link. Credited to the trioof guitarist Mike Sopko, drummer Tyshawn Sorey andLaswell, this is very much a Laswell production. Fromthe start, the sound is a dead giveaway. There are
multiple instrumental colors that lie in a sonicemulsification placing everything not only on the surface
but seemingly in the same location. It’s not stuffy, butthere’s too little air and light in between the instruments
to allow for anything other than a mellow hue. One
expects musicians to come pouring out of the speakers,
but instead the playing seems to collapse to some inward
point that never escapes the studio confines.
The sonic homogeneity reflects what’s going on
musically. There are five tracks, a total duration of 55
minutes, and just not enough variation to sustain thewhole experience. Energy is the primary focus, with
Sopko scrabbling around the fretboard, Laswellthrobbing underneath, Sorey filling up every otherspace. There’s little in the way of specific rhythms or
riffs; Sopko works with sound as much as notes,
Laswell plays some riffs but mostly via rubato andSorey undertakes what is essentially an extended solo.
Individual moments are interesting, but the musicians
themselves seem little interested in details. It’smonotonous and slightly snobbish, like high-end
furniture that looks sleek and can’t be sat on.
For more information, visit modreloaded.com. Sorey is at
Scholes Street Studio Sep. 18th with Stephen Gauci,
Le Poisson Rouge Sep. 26th with Vijay Iyer and The Jazz
Gallery Sep. 30th with Dave Liebman and Adam Rudolph.
See Calendar.

Proof
Bloop (Lumo)
by Stuart Broomer

O ver the past two decades, trumpeter Lina Allemano

has established herself as a key figure in jazz in Canada,
an essential component in several bands and, since2005, the leader of a stellar quartet with a subtly
conversational dynamic all its own.
In 2013 she began to study extended techniqueswith Axel Dörner while dividing her time between
Toronto and Berlin. The results can be heard on lastyear ’s Glimmer Glammer (Lumo), a solo recording
ranging from stark bugle calls to circular breathing
and multiphonics, and its exploratory spirit is further
developed with Bloop, a Toronto duo with Mike Smith
contributing live processing and electronic effects totransform the trumpet.
Allemano is a master of sonority, capable of dry
lyricism and fire and that range has only expanded
through the application of extended techniques anduse of multiple small percussion instruments. Smith’s
processing, from loops to marked mutations andmultiplications, makes Allemano a virtual orchestra.
The duo’s subtlety is apparent in the opening“Enchantments”, from the initial wind-chime-likepercussive rattle of tin and/or glass, with phrase
endings that reveal processing. The initially doubled
trumpet sound further blurs the question of extended
technique or signal processing in a dream-like piece inwhich trumpet voices are gradually added
electronically.
The mix of acoustic and electronic mutation
continues in “Decanted”, with rapid flurries of muffled

24 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

notes, and in the sometimes pointillist, sometimes
garbled explosions of “Recanting”. That titlingcomplements the creative ambiguities of the music,
extending from these punning mysteries that linkwine-making and changed beliefs to prophetic
mushrooms. On “Oracle of Chanterelle” Smith
processes Allemano’s warm flugelhorn-like tone intoa drone and duet. “Cremini Oracle” presents a solemn
choir of muted and open trumpets of sufficiently stark
grandeur to suggest the electronic medieval.
For
more
information,
visit
Allemano live-streams Sep. 12th
festivalofnewtrumpetmusic.

linaallemano.com.
at facebook.com/

Remedy
Thomas Heberer/Joe Fonda/Joe Hertenstein(Fundacja Słuchaj)by John Sharpe

During lockdown the trio of trumpeter Thomas Heberer

and drummer Joe Hertenstein, Germans who split theirtime between New York and their homeland, and bassist
Joe Fonda, worked up the exploratory repertoire heard
on Remedy. Each brings pieces to the party, but authorshipis less important than the comprehensive group spin
they put on them. Thus every track on the hour-longprogram comes packed with engaging incident.
Even though there are only three of them, they
think orchestrally. So the frequent drum breaks in the
splendid opener “The Closer You Are, The Further It
Gets” consolidate and further the writing rather thanbeing just ‘solos’. Here and elsewhere Hertenstein’s
fluent amalgamation of crisp execution and savvy tonalorganization recalls the great Ed Blackwell in his pomp.
Similarly Heberer, a superb technician exhibiting
unhurried control, finesses the thematic materials andunleashes a panoply of assorted textures in the ensuinginterplay, using switches in tone, from dirty growl totightly muted, as markers of structural change. Then, toround off the package, there’s Fonda’s richly voicedarco or vibrantly kinetic pizzicato, moving between

New!

astute counterpoint and propulsive swing.
Imaginative arrangements further advance thecohesion, like the buzzy trumpet drawl and percussive
flurries inserted behind Fonda’s twisting plucked
feature in the final part of the multifaceted “You Are
There-Roadmap 616-James J.”. Incidental flashes of wit
illuminate the album, as when bugle-reveilleinterjection elicits an immediate drum-corps-type
response during a passage of bass and drum interaction
on “Zebra”. Among many highlights, Fonda’s “For
Wadada Leo Smith”, which appears in two versions,feels like something its dedicatee could have penned
with its lightly elegiac air and ordered use of space.
For more information, visit fsrecords.net. Heberer is at
Bushwick Public House Sep. 20th. Fonda is at The Loft at
100 Greene Street Sep. 19th. See Calendar.

Solipsisms (for unaccompanied C melody saxophone)Scott Robinson (ScienSonic)
by Dan Bilawsky

When multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson organizedhis 12-set residency at The Stone in 2016, it was shaped
as a story of development in size and scope. Duos gave
way to trios and quartets. An evening of interstellar
engagement with saxophonist Marshall Allen (inquintet and dectet settings) upped the ante. And thesteady buildup culminated with the debut of theoutsized Orchestra of the Impossible. There were otherhigh points along the way but not to be lost in the mix
was the one show that found him all by his lonesome.
Starting off the week with nothing but a C melody
saxophone in his hands, Robinson broke new groundin his storied career. Delivering the first unaccompanied
show he’s ever performed on a single instrument, hewillingly let himself go while taking a mildly (andunderstandably) solipsistic approach. Blocking out theexterior and focusing on the moment, he miraculously
created a world through himself. Preserved andpresented here exactly as it happened, save for someapplause removed to minimize distraction(s) andmaintain artistic continuity, that show is now an
opportunity for listeners to get lost in their own spaces.
With the exception of a relaxed and elegant, midset reading of “I’ve Got the World on a String”, all of thesequentially numbered performances are improvisations.
“Solipsism #1”—the longest at just under eightminutes—sells mystery with long tones, space and lines
of intrigue and “Solipsism #3”—the shortest, at around
two-and-a-half minutes—delivers pops, clipped notes,
squawks and tremolo(s) with taste and tension fixed
into its figure(s). The rest make vastly different
impressions: “Solipsism #4” uses extended techniques
and found sounds in finding its footing; wildly offbeat“Solipsism #8” plays like the tale of a revving andsputtering engine; and, perhaps most striking of all,“Solipsism #9” interrupts refined expression(s) withthorny asides. Direct, curious, edgy and honest, it
simply doesn’t get any more real than this set.
For more information, visit sciensonic.net. Robinson is at
Smalls Sep. 29th. See Calendar.

Claus Boesser-Ferrari
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THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 25

IN PRINT

Omen
Christer Bothén 3 (Bocian)by Andrey Henkin
Guitar Talk: Conversations with Visionary Players
Joel Harrison (Terra Nova Press)by Robert Bush

Every year it seems, there are scores of books thatflood the jazz lexicon, mostly about instrumental
technique, with the occasional biography tossed infor good measure. A book of interviews with top
musicians conducted by a significant player,
however, only comes along once in a blue moon. The
obvious prototype is the monumentally hip Notes
and Tones: Musician-to-Musician Interviews, publishedin 1977 by the iconic drummer Art Taylor.
Why there aren’t a plethora of books in that vein
is anyone’s guess. Guitar Talk by Joel Harrison goes along way toward righting that wrong. Harrison
conducts interviews with 27 of the most important
guitarists in the jazz field over the course of this 300+
page book. Like Notes and Tones, this is a documentthat the interested reader can return to repeatedly.
This writer found Guitar Talk to be an absolutepage-turner, basically staying up most of the night
to consume the whole thing in one sitting. A largepart of its charm lies in the fact that Harrison has an
obvious affinity for every one of the players, whichenables him to ask pointed and intelligent questions.
Where else would one discover that Ralph
Towner played at the original Woodstock with folkie
Tim Hardin? Apparently, the gig didn’t go that well,because Towner is grateful that no tapes exist.
Harrison’s conversation with Pat Metheny rightfully
centered on the importance of melody, which
Metheny hears everywhere. He also reveals that hewill often play a new tune hundreds of times todetermine if it can take the nightly pounding of aworld tour.
Many people are aware of Michael Gregory
Jackson’s time with Oliver Lake and other membersof the Black Artists Group but his days in a threepiece punk band that gigged at CBGB’s was a gem
typical of what these interviews reveal.
Bill Frisell emphasized the importance of James
Brown, The Beatles, Wes Montgomery and John
McLaughlin to him as a younger player. It was his
anecdote about losing all of his guitar pedals to theairlines on his way to a gig, however, which proved
most inspiring (turns out he didn’t need all of thegear to sound like Bill Frisell after all).
Nels Cline recalls being on the verge of taking
another day-job when he got the call from Wilco thatwould change his life. Vernon Reid riffs on theimportance of instrumental pop music and thelongevity of Living Colour. Brandon Ross stresses theimportance of Joni Mitchell to his early development.
Another highlight is Harrison’s conversation
with Mary Halvorson, who could just be the mostdangerous player in the book. She gets into her timewith composer/multi-instrumentalist Anthony
Braxton and how his approach and encouragement
continues to inspire her to this day.
Anyone interested in the state of jazz guitar
needs to grab Guitar Talk in a hurry. Hopefully asequel is on the way.
For more information, visit terranovapress.com

Swedish bass clarinetist Christer Bothén, who turns 80

this month, has been having a bit of a late-career
renaissance, mostly through work with younger
countryman Mats Gustafsson’s large ensembles of thepast decade Fire! Orchestra and NU Ensemble. The
latter (who wrote the liner notes herein) is a championof a particular generation of avant garde players (Joe
McPhee, Akira Sakata, et al.) and with Bothén there is
not only the shared origins but also Bothén’s early workwith Don Cherry—a major Gustafsson influence—
during the trumpeter’s ‘70s Scandinavian sojourn.
That is not to say that Bothén has not been busy
over the decades. Some of his work has been in what
can broadly be classified as world music, as practiced
with Cherry and informed by his own travels andcollaborations where he plays instruments like thedonso n’goni and guimbri alongside his clarinets,
while other efforts are more within an avant garde
realm in groups of varying sizes and instrumentation,
including a quintet for five contrabass clarinets.
Omen is a compelling trio date, which begs for
Bothén to have a greater reputation outside of Sweden.
The LP, released by Poland’s Bocian imprint andoriginally with Bothén’s individual artwork before
Gustafsson’s notes were added for later pressings,
finds the leader on both bass clarinet and contrabass
clarinet with bassist Vilhelm Bromander and drummer
Konrad Agnas, 46 and 48 years younger, respectively
and the former a regular collaborator. Bothén wrote thefive tracks and his playing has a range and depth thatmakes the unusual format seem quite varied, whether
he is soaring alto-like over perky rhythms, adding
malevolent undercurrents to arco basslines orcaterwauling through mechanized hardbop.
For more information, visit bocian.bandcamp.com

Both come from the archives of sidemen who
worked with Redman, but while both are very valuable,
they are also very different. Pillars & Columns wasrecorded in a concert setting and both the program andthe sound quality reflect this. Live in Chicago, on theother hand, is a club date where Redman and his
working band of pianist Barney McAll, bassist John
Menegon and drummer Matt Wilson stretch out atlength in a more informal setting and while the soundquality is not bad, the balance is not all we would wish.
One imagines that a record of the best tracks, possiblywith some editing, might have made a stronger
impression, but McAll decided to release what one
assumes is everything that was recorded, which is
fully two and a half hours of music! Redman is insuperb form throughout, whether playing standards(“I Should Care”), straightahead blues (“Blues for
J.A.M.”) or his own challenging originals (“Walls Bridges”, “i-Pimp”, “Le Clit”). Was there ever anothermajor post-free tenor stylist who could blow the earlier
modern style so convincingly? Possibly, but not many
come to mind. If there is a criticism of this release, it’sthat some of the soloing by the sidemen on thestandards and blues sound a bit generic, in contrast
with the great support they give on Redman’s more
modern originals (Redman and Wilson are a terrificpairing). But what’s to criticize? McAll is making all
this music available on Bandcamp on what is a “donate
what you can” basis and every track has magic
moments. All this reviewer can say is thank you.
Pillars & Columns is a more focused performance.
Though bassist Mark Helias no longer remembers why
this was a duo concert (at the time he was in Redman’s
working quartet, along with pianist Fred Simmons anddrummer Eddie Moore), hearing Redman in thiscontext just deepens our appreciation of his genius. In
fact, the music here seems even more focused than not
only other live dates featuring Redman but many of
the studio albums; anyone would think it was plannedlong in advance. The concert opens with Charlie
Parker ’s “Dewey Square”, a good way for the players
to get into things and also pay homage to their musicalancestors. Each of the remaining tracks is a world unto
itself, from the beautiful way “Daystar Nightlight”
unfolds (it’s even stronger than the original) to themasterful “Gotta Get Some Sleep”, on which Redman
seems to play inside and outside at the same time
while Helias stays right with him, as if it’s all perfectly
normal. The bassist’s gorgeous solo on “Daystar”
deserves special mention, as does his solo piece“Albert”. Redman saves his most extroverted blowing
for the closing “Rush Hour”, which includes some of
his trademark vocalizing through the horn.
For more information, visit extracelestialarts.bandcamp.com
and markhelias.bandcamp.com

Live in Chicago
Dewey Redman Quartet (Extra Celestial Arts)
Pillars & Columns
Dewey Redman/Mark Helias (Radiolegs Music)
by Duck Baker

Dewey Redman never got the recognition he deserved
during his lifetime and unfortunately that has notchanged since his passing 15 years ago this month.
Ornette Coleman devotees do appreciate all the great
work Redman did in Coleman’s groups and with Old
And New Dreams and many Keith Jarrett fans regard
the American Quartet with Redman, Charlie Haden
and Paul Motian as Jarrett’s best band. But Redman’s
own records as a leader have not gotten enoughattention, not even the two masterpieces on Impulse(The Ear of the Behearer and Coincide). One supposes thatnone of this is going to change anytime soon, but atleast listeners who appreciate this giant’s contributions
can take solace in the fact that recordings like the twounder consideration here are being put before us.

26 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDThe New EP from Jazz pianist/composer
Howard Britz’ music is melodic, open
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listen & download:

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Quintet Sessions 1979
Wolfgang Lackerschmid/Chet Baker (Sandra-Dot Time)
Summer Changes
Wolfgang Lackerschmid (Dot Time)
by Jim Motavalli

It’s surprising these 1979 quintet sessions, released asa German LP back then, aren’t better known. They
represent a super session of sorts, teaming German
vibraphonist Wolfgang Lackerschmid (who turns 65
this month) in a Stuttgart studio with an allstar groupfrom the U.S.: Chet Baker (trumpet), Larry Coryell(guitar), Buster Williams (bass) and Tony Williams(drums). Lackerschmid was in Baker ’s band at the time
and the pair played duos, preserved on the successful
Ballads for Two recording. Coryell, then playing with
Sonny Rollins, wanted to make it a trio. Baker didn’t
think they needed a rhythm section, but his agent did
and the resulting sessions are what we have here.
It’s a nice record overall, but suffers from its hastyorganization. Coryell (who has four compositions) andLackerschmid are both featured and Baker (mostly)
holds up his end. Nothing need be said about thepeerless contribution from the two Williamses, who
flew in and didn’t get much rehearsal time. “Mr. Biko”,
a Tony Williams tune, is a modern postbop swinger,
with guitar, trumpet and vibraphone tripling on thehead. It’s fusion- and ego-free, with all the players
serving the tune.
There are two takes of Lackerschmid’s moody“Balzwaltz”, with the second one existing because
Tony Williams exclaimed that the composer ’s solo was“bad”. Lackerschmid was not versed in this jazz lingo,
so he insisted they take the tune again. Buster Williams
sounds particularly good on the second version and
Baker more probing. But the first take includes Baker
singing wordlessly, perhaps making it up on the spot.
Coryell’s “The Latin One” has Baker up front but
sounding a bit tentative. The composer is a bit better,but also seems to be finding his way through it.
Lackerschmid shines in support, but maybe this is theone that needed a second take.
Baker and Coryell are fortunately more caffeinatedfor another midtempo Coryell tune, “Rue Gregoire du
Tour”, and the former ’s lovely tone is on display.
Coryell displays the mainstream chops he was only
sporadically featuring at the time, with fusion
burning hot. And Lackerschmid, who doesn’t solo as
frequently as he could, is briefly wonderful here, as is
Buster Williams. The latter ’s reentry into the tune is amaster class.
All these musicians would have played the sole
standard, “Here’s That Rainy Day”, a zillion times andit’s taken as a very slow ballad. Kudos to Buster
Williams for his ultra-sensitive work. Baker is OK, but
not exerting himself and he and Coryell seem to be
having trouble getting into sync.
Buster Williams’ “Toku Do” is probably the
liveliest tune on the album, with Baker sounding much
more energized than elsewhere. Was a cattle prod
involved? Coryell also takes his strongest solo of thealbum. And all the while, Tony Williams is audibly
pushing the band forward. The program is roundedout with a rehearsal take of “Rue Gregoire”.
A much more recent look into Lackerschmid’s
work, which deserves more exposure in the U.S., isafforded by Summer Changes. It was recorded in 2018with another all-American band: Mark Soskin (piano),
Jay Anderson (bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums).
It’s a better feature for the leader and—it has to besaid—a more rehearsed and effective record than

Quintet Sessions 1979. Comparisons to Gary Burton(Coryell’s onetime boss) are probably apt.
This group really jells in the studio, playing theleader ’s tunes (plus Krzysztof Komeda’s “Rosemary’s
Baby” and Nat Simon’s “Poinciana”). Piano andvibraphone are a natural combination and these two
had been playing together in several contexts. The title
track is particularly pretty, with Lackerschmid andSoskin in control.
“Lemon Moon” is both lively and lovely, withan almost Motown undertone. It should be better
known. Soskin really plays brightly on it and he andLackerschmid weave colorful tapestries when theygroove together. Dig the jet propellant that is Nussbaum
on this one.
The ballad “Mother ’s Dream”, given its first
outing, is a showcase for vibraphone and bass. “We
Ain’t No Magicians” is a tribute to the late Bobby
Hutcherson, a onetime collaborator of Lackerschmid,
whose best playing is here, in a loping, gently glowing
solo. Soskin follows, inspired by the boss to play abuilding solo that culminates in a luminous crescendo.
A highlight of the album.
“Rosemary’s Baby” is from the movie of that nameand grooves along, with Nussbaum enjoying a compact
solo spot. “Poinciana” has Anderson and Soskin locked
in, Lackerschmid stating and embellishing thememorable melody. Vibraphone and piano once again
knit to bring the venerable warhorse fully home.
“Studenwatzer” ends the album on an up-note, withAnderson displaying why he is a first-call bassist.
Even if you’ve never heard of Wolfgang
Lackerschmid, take a chance on this one. It will reward
repeated listening.
For more information, visit dottimerecords.com

The Wind Cries Mary
Claus Boesser-Ferrari (Acoustic Music)
by Elliott Simon

Although there is not a Fender Stratocaster in sight,
German guitarist Claus Boesser-Ferrari tackles aspectsof The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s well-known earlycatalog on The Wind Cries Mary. Right before his death
51 years ago this month, Hendrix was moving awayfrom his classic psychedelic blues/rock trio formulaand heading in a more free direction. Boesser-Ferrari
gives that a nod and deconstructs and reconstructs
these well-known songs using parlor, resonator, 6-, 7-,
8- and 12-string guitars in combination with octave
pedals, overdrive, reverb and hand percussion. Pieces
like the title cut are spontaneously expanded andexplored to make them unrecognizable but on othercuts the tune rediscovers itself and the signifier
becomes the focus.
A cross-medium music/dance improvisation gave
rise to some of these cuts and in this milieu,
interpretation coexists with performance. BoesserFerrari is very comfortable there, for example spending
an extended period of time probing tempo changes tothe opening of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”.
After listening to these ‘analyses’, the originals will not
be ‘experienced’ in the same way and the session
supports the assertion that the best way for a listenerto get inside overly familiar music is to hear anothermusician play it.
As Boesser-Ferrari teases out themes for
exploration, he clearly dominates these classics and thetension with the original bubbles below the surface. He
takes over “Fire” with explosive percussive techniques,finds the hidden flamenco aspect of “Hey Joe” and thenuses searing guitar licks to revamp it to birth “Little
Joe”. However, not surprisingly, Hendrix rises up andmeets Boesser-Ferrari as an equal on “Third Stone fromthe Sun” for a program highlight. A beautiful
reimagination of Albert Ayler’s “Ghosts” and a cleverly
juxtaposed “Third Wind” (“Third Stone From the Sky”
and “The Wind Cries Mary”), round things out. It is not
too much of a stretch to say that if Hendrix had lived,
this is the kind of music he would have been making.
For more information, visit acoustic-music.de

on screenFire Music
Directed by Tom Surgal (Submarine)
by Kurt Gottschalk

The easy criticism of documentary Fire Music is that it

imagines New York as the wellspring and eternal fontof free improvisation, which, apparently, it isn’t. In its
88 minutes, about 5 minutes are given to Chicago andanother 5 to Europe. The rest is tightly focused not juston the city but also on the fairly brief span of 1956-70. If
we take that as a given, however, rather than a criticism,
it proves to be the strength of the film, allowing thenarrative to go deep without getting bogged down and,hopefully, without losing the uninitiated.
Director Tom Surgal knows the ground he’s
covering. His work as a drummer includes projects
with Nels Cline and Thurston Moore (both credited as
executive producers) and his duo White Out with Lin
Culbertson, who serves as co-producer. That familiarity
with form is evident in the way he assembles the film
and the subjects. The story orbits around the greats—
Albert Ayler, Karl Berger, John Coltrane, Don Cherry,
Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus—buttold by an impressive roster of players. With no voiceover narration, we get plenty of history and perspective
straight from the mouths of Carla Bley, Dave Burrell,
Oliver Lake, Evan Parker, Prince Lasha, Ingrid Sertso,
Sirone, John Tchicai, Sonny Simmons and many others.
Through original and archival footage, more than
three dozen musicians are represented, discussing thepivotal years in free, and Black, musical expression.
All the unfiltered talk points to what might betaken as a second criticism: while the film is laced withmusic, familiar themes laid under the artists being
discussed, there is not much by way of performancefootage. Those who aren’t familiar with the history willbe left with a strong feeling of the times and the
movement, but may not take away from it names ofmusicians they want to hear more. 20 or 25 minutes ofthe fire which gave the film its name would have still
kept it under the two-hour mark while striking theheart as much as the head.
But as it is, it is also a smart and satisfying overview,
with nice camerawork and artful montages and editing.
Fire Music does a fine job at framing a particular andshining moment in American music, the vibrations ofwhich we are still feeling today.
For more information, visit firemusic.org. This film premieres at
Film Forum Sep. 10th. For more information, visit filmforum.org.

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 27

Beauty ResistanceJoëlle Léandre (Not Two)by John Sharpe

French bassist Joëlle Léandre, turning 70 this month, isa consummate improviser allying unrivaled facility toboundless imagination. As such, she has become
a fixture in the annual Jazz Autumn in the Polish city of
Kraków, regularly gracing the stage of the legendary
Alchemia club. Her residency at the 2019 edition was
captured and is presented as a handsome three-CD set(though it would easily fit on two discs), which slots
into a discography with over 200 entries since 1981.
While youthful contact with American expatriate freejazzers like Frank Wright, Bobby Few and Alan Silva in
Paris fired up her passion and independent spirit, manyof her early recitals were in new music, particularly
works by two of her major touchstones, John Cage andGiacinto Scelsi, who both composed specifically for her.
But it wasn’t until she played with iconoclastic English
guitarist Derek Bailey in New York in 1982 that her
dedication to free improvisation took flight. Léandre
has long since outgrown explicit influences, but they
still inform her authoritative tone, ecstatic andincantatory phrasing and adventurous outlook.
On the first CD, Léandre forms part of a quartet
completed by a pair of Poles, clarinetist Mateus Rybicki
and another double bassist Zbigniew Kozera, andSlovenian percussionist Zlatko Kaučič. Staccato pulses,
separated by silence, begin the piece, as if they arecollectively taking stock and preparing the next move.
Standard fare for what is likely another first-time
meeting for Léandre, among a lengthy catalogue ofsuch events. It must be a challenge for another bassist
to partner with the Frenchwoman, but Kozera makesa sterling effort, often adopting oppositional stances:arco versus pizzicato, high against low. Nonethelessit’s Léandre’s contributions that make the music seem
whole, her entrances transforming monochrome tocolor. Highlights include a wonderful passage ofoverlapping sustained notes in which the pitches
oscillate between dissonance and harmony and latera series of intersecting repeated figures from bleating
clarinet and sawn and plucked basses, punctuated by
Kaučič’s astutely-judged thuds.
For Léandre the duet is the format that has seensome of her most extraordinary performances, asevidenced by encounters with Anthony Braxton,
George Lewis and India Cooke. Fortunately thiscollection includes two further examples of this most
responsive and mercurial art. Disc 2 contains a
24-minute set of Léandre and Kaučič. The latter can be
as much a visual as sonic presence and he conjures araft of unconventional textures, papery rustles, zither
string glissandos, sudden bangs and what sounds likehis voice through water. Léandre pitches her reactionsin terms of corresponding dynamics, rather than any
attempt to mirror the sounds. She too integrates
theatrical aspects into her presentation, using her voice
to complement or subvert. At times she wheezes andgroans like someone unwell, then counterpoints her
assertive bowing with a sweet melody.
A striking facet of Léandre’s resumé has been thenumber of occasions she has doubled up with anotherbassist, William Parker, Barre Phillips and Barry Guy
being notable colleagues. There’s another to add to thislist, as the pick of the three discs is the 37-minute final
CD, Léandre in consort with the customized acoustic
bass guitar of Rafał Mazur. As one of his country’s

foremost improvisers, Mazur has collaborated withalmost every overseas visitor. Whether with bow or
fingers he extracts a distinctive dry woody timbre fromhis instrument, supplemented by buzzing swooshes as
he slides along the fingerboard. Both go at it full tilt in
an intense set of five spontaneous pieces ranging fromnervy caffeinated collisions of sharp attacks andangular slurs to exchanges of ringing harmonics
interposed amid space via explosive thrums and trills.
At the end of the third number, Léandre thanks theaudience for its enthusiasm by tapping the body of her
bass. Mazur follows her lead and before anyone knowsit, the knocking forms the basis of an encore alternating
scraped abrasions with mesmerizing reiterations, anexquisite illustration of living in the moment, a credo
for Léandre’s entire career.

in which Campbell plays on muted trumpet, flugelhorn
and flute something akin to folk melody, softer, gentler
yet still with such an unfamiliar tonality. The picture
thus painted is ethereal, creating and providing afuturistic space reminiscent of Sun Ra. Raoul Van derWiede uses his cello as a percussive instrument.
Perhaps this is the point of the experiment, to allow
one the space to place in it or on it whatever springs to
the imagination. If the enthusiastic applause andexcitement of the presenter at the end of the set areanything to go by, the time was definitely right!
For more information, visit 577records.bandcamp.com.
Dikeman is at Dizzy’s Club Sep. 23rd-24th with William
Parker. See Calendar.

For more information, visit nottwo.com

When The Time Is Right
Roy Campbell, John Dikeman, Raoul Van der Weide,Peter Jacquemyn, Klaus Kugel (577 Records)
by Monique Ngozi Nri

This CD appears at a moment in New York when an

exhibition and book exploring the life and work of Don
and Moki Cherry, Organic Music Societies, recently
closed and the BBC aired a 2011 program entitled Blue
Notes, Cold Nights discussing Cherry and other Blackmusicians’ relationship to Europe and also Scandinavia
in particular. The critical element of these relationships
was the desire of Black musicians to live and play
freely, outside as much as possible, of the daily vortex
of U.S. racism and the music business. This recording
is a legacy of those roots.
Trumpeter Roy Campbell (who would have turned
69 this month; he died in 2014) was a disciple of Cherry
and others in the collective avant garde jazz movement.
He lived in the Netherlands in the ‘90s and this music,
a single 37:46 piece recorded at the Bimhuis in
Amsterdam as part of Doek 2013 Festival, springs fromthat space. Of his collaboration with Campbell, though
they played together a total of six times and only oncein this ensemble, saxophonist John Dikeman recalls,“Roy was a truly authentic voice. He also had theamazing ability to play in very different situations ofcompletely different dynamics or aesthetics. He did soeffortlessly and somehow managed to fit completely inevery environment and still sound exactly like himself.”
Both share an interest in folk music and Egyptology,a reference to which could be gleaned from the almost
hieroglyphic forms of musicians in black and whiteadorning the cover. Peter Jacquemyn, who is both thebassist on the recording and a sculptor, contributed thesedrawings. His experiments with the voice sound likea didgeridoo at points. This limited 500-CD edition isstraight and to the point: a black and white photo ofCampbell playing his horn confronts one when the CD islifted from the sleeve; there are no notes, but the
introduction to the CD on the label’s website includes
this quote: After their improvisation, Campbell told his
fellow musicians, “what I liked the most is that from thevery beginning, we went directly to the point.”
The set opens with a single note from Dikeman,
which is quickly engulfed in a rain of sound, trumpet
wailing as if addressing a different crowd and a fiery
rhythm section completed by drummer Klaus Kugel
driving the group forward with breathless energy.
In contrast, there are lyrical, meditative interludes

28 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Lockdown
Sylvie Courvoiser/Ned Rothenberg/Julian Sartorius(Clean Feed)by Stuart Broomer

Recorded in a Bern, Switzerland studio in October

2020, the complex moods of the COVID-19 lockdown
are reflected in the music of this trio of pianist Sylvie
Courvoisier, drummer Julian Sartorius and Ned
Rothenberg (alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet andshakuhachi, who turns 65 this month). The mood isoften serious, but the work is hardly despairing, witha level of execution that is itself matter for celebration.
The music is divided between composed structuresand improvisations. The disc begins with threecompositions, followed by four improvisations, thena concluding composition. Courvoisier’s “La Cigale”
moves through dimensions, from densely clattering
piano with rambunctious percussion and intense alto
runs to off-kilter, dissonant piano wanderings.
Rothenberg’s “Outlander”, too, has a suite-like form,
shifting from lively interludes to quiet reflection to
bursting life, with him shifting instruments andtechniques. Courvoisier’s “Requiem d’un Songe” hasmoments of stellar three-way dialogue and foregrounds
refined melodic drumming. For all their distinctions,the pieces reflect the special terrain of improvisers withstrong European classical/Romantic/Expressionist
influences, the music often characterized by dense
harmonies, virtuosic execution and dramatic intensity,
imbuing them with an enhanced sense of scale.
The collective compositions add further dimension.
“Deep Rabbit Hole” teems with life, a wealth of delicate
detail that begins in a muted forest of shakuhachi fowl
and expands from there. An internal dialogue arises in
the quietly busy “Quarantina”, wandering clarinet lines
turning to cry or metallic buzz, bright prepared piano
springing to new life. “After Lunch” is a burst of
tumbling energy while “Popcorn” is a strange
collocation of repeating figures, with a kind of abstracted
blues feeling arising from insistent pentatonic piano
figures with hand-damped strings.
Courvoisier ’s concluding “D’Agala” (title trackfrom her 2018 trio release) is a slow reflection, almost
all melody, here achieving an uncanny quality that
could encapsulate at least one dimension of Lockdown’s
movement: it is lightly somber. Along with resilienceand remembrance, the session also brims with passion,a tempered celebration of spontaneous intensity.
For more information, visit cleanfeed-records.com. Rothenberg
is at Washington Square Park Sep. 21st with Sarah Weaver.
See Calendar.

B OXED SE T

Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans
Bill Evans (Concord-Craft)by George Kanzler

In this era when streaming services are eclipsing therelevance of physical recordings on discs, this isa rare and welcome exception, an opulent, careerencompassing set of five CDs, encased in a clothbound coffee table book with 48 pages of text andlarge black and white photographs. Although there
is a plethora of Bill Evans albums in release, many ofthem live dates rescued from oblivion since theadvancements of digital remastering and coming
decades after his death 41 years ago this month, thisis the first anthology encompassing the pianist’s
career across multiple record labels.
A compilation like this, distilling a career of
myriad recordings down to five discs, roughly six
hours, is comparable to a museum show presenting
an artist’s oeuvre through a small, but representative,
sample of that work. Curated well, such a show canilluminate the work; one this reviewer saw recently,
Calder-Picasso, does just that, presenting a new and

September 2021

different angle on two seminal 20th Century artists
and how they shared concerns and impulses.
The producer of this album, Nick Phillips, uses his
selections to highlight facets of Evans’ artistry,illuminating aspects of his talent and worksometimes overlooked.
In the later ‘50s and the ‘60s, Evans forged a
new way of playing, putting him among the mostimportant and influential of postbop pianists. His
unique approach to voicings and chords, subtly
dynamic manipulation of touch and tone andmelding of left and right hands into conversational
colloquy, often obliterating usual bar lines, createda new paradigm. And he furthered it byreimagining the piano-bass-drums trio in similar
fashion, making it a triumvirate rather than a pianowith rhythm accompaniment.
The album consists of five volumes (CDs), thefirst two titled Trialogues, featuring him in the classic
piano-bass-drums format that was his most famous.
Volume Three, Monologues, consists of solo piano
tracks, including instances of overdubbed pianos, in
one case with an electric piano too. Volume Four,
Dialogues & Confluences, collects duo and group(quartet and quintet) tracks. Volume Five, Epilogue,
is yet another newly discovered live trio date, froma club in Vancouver in 1976.
Neil Tesser ’s astute and revelatory booklet
notes include two quotations gleaned from broadcast
interviews Evans did. They may well be the best
expressions of his jazz aesthetic: “It’s very importantto remember that no matter how far I might diverge
or find freedom in this format [the trio], it only is‘free’ insofar as it has reference to the strictness ofthe original form. And that’s what gives it its

strength. There is no freedom without being inreference to something.” And: “No matter how muchhuman feeling you put into something, if it’sarchitecturally weak, it’s going to be weak regardless;and if it’s architecturally strong and you add thehuman feeling, it’s just that much heavier.”
Those statements do a lot to explain why Evans’repertoire was steeped in classic American pop
standards as well as his own, well-crafted,
compositions. There are only three tunes duplicatedamong this set’s 61 tracks. One is the Irving Berlin
standard “How Deep Is The Ocean”, heard in astudio recording by his first “classic” trio withbassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. That
reflective performance contrasts with a faster, lessintrospective take from the live club set on Disc Fivewith bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eliot
Zigmund. His own “Waltz for Debby” is also heard
by the “classic” trio, as well as in a short, poignant
solo take on Disc Three. Miles Davis’ “Nardis”—an
Evans favorite Davis never recorded—appears solo
on Disc Three and in the Vancouver live set.
Surprisingly, considering his trio aesthetic,
Evans’ favorite drummer was the powerhouse Philly
Joe Jones, who is heard not only in an early trio
recording, but also prominently in different quintets
with Freddie Hubbard, Zoot Sims, Harold Land, Jim
Hall and Kenny Burrell. From those tracks to ethereal,empathetic duos with guitarist Hall and bassists
Gomez and Marc Johnson and hard-swinging quintet
tracks with tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, trumpeters
Hubbard or Tom Harrell, Disc Four is full of revelatory
moments that expand our appreciation of Evans.
For more information, visit craftrecordings.com

new releases CD - download - streaming

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Alex Norris trumpet
Ari Ambrose tenor sax
Jeremy Manasia pianoPaul Gill bass
Brian Floody drums
SCCD 31918

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David Janeway piano
Cameron Brown bass
Billy Hart drums—KVNF Radio

Gary Versace piano
Jay Anderson bass
Billy Drummond drums“It’sbeautiful…”

Anthony Ferrara tenor sax

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US distribution:www.statesidemusic.com email: info@statesidemusic.com

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THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 29

CALENDAR
Wednesday, September 1êGilad Hekselman Trio with Jon Michel, Obed Calvaire		
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom		Bar Lunàtico 9 pm $10• Andy Statman Trio with Jim Whitney, Larry Eagle
		
Barbès 8 pm $20
êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5 pm $30
êStrata-East 50th Anniversary Celebration: Charles Tolliver Quintet with Billy Harper,
George Cables, Buster Williams, Lenny White		
Birdland 9:30 pm $40• Augie Haas Quartet
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êEddie Palmieri
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Isaac ben Ayala
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Aaron Edgecomb; Tatsuya Nakatani, Frank Meadows, Gabby Fluke-Mogul				
Downtown Music Gallery 7 pm
• Alphonso Horne and The Gotham Kings
		
Little Island 7:30 pm• Randy Ingram, Drew Gress, Billy Hart
		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• The Royal Bopsters
Pangea 6:30, 9 pm $25• Darryl Yokley Quartet
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êSheila Jordan, Roni Ben-Hur, Harvie S		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $25

Thursday, September 2êStrata-East 50th Anniversary Celebration: Charles Tolliver Quintet with Billy Harper,

George Cables, Buster Williams, Lenny White		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Ashley Pezzotti Quartet with Sean Mason, Alex Claffy, Joe Farnsworth				
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Jacob Melsha Trio
Broadway Plaza 6 pm
• Isaac ben Ayala
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet with Julian Lee, Philip Norris, TJ Reddick				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Dr. Mambo Quintet
Faber Park 3 pmêPreservation Hall Jazz Band
Club Car at the McKittrick Hotel 6:30 pm $95-175• Greg Murphy, Eric Wheeler, Jeff “Tain” Watts
		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Max Johnson Heroes Trio with Jason Rigby, Jeff Davis		
Scholes Street Studio 7:30 pm• Nick Hempton Quartet with Ed Cherry, Kyle Koehler, Fukushi Tainaka		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êJoel Harrison Guitar Festival with Ben Monder, Steve Cardenas, Pete McCann,David Gilmore
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20

Friday, September 3• Oscar Noriega’s Crooked Quartet with Marta Sanchez, Christopher Tordini,
Jason Nazary

Barbès 5 pm $20• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom				Barbès 8 pm $20
êStrata-East 50th Anniversary Celebration: Charles Tolliver Quintet with Billy Harper,
George Cables, Buster Williams, Lenny White		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Connie Han Trio
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Al Di MeolaBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $55• Isaac ben Ayala
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet with Julian Lee, Philip Norris, TJ Reddick				Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40
êCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with Jay Rodriguez, James Stewart, Frank Vacin,
Eddie Allen, Franz Hackl, Yayoi Ikawa
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20
êMichael Wolff Trio with Ben Allison, Allan Mednard
		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êArooj Aftab and The Vulture Prince Ensemble with Maeve Gilchrist, Shahzad Ismaily,
Gyan Riley, Darian Donovan Thomas, Greg Fox, Kenji Herbert; Yasmin Williams		
		
Pioneer Works 7 pm $25
êEd Cherry Trio with Kyle Koehler, Jeff “ Tain” Watts		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Emilio Teubal New Post-Trio with Pablo Lanouguere, Chris Michael		Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• Gerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, September 4• Lucian Ban/Mat Maneri

Barbès 8 pm $20

êStrata-East 50th Anniversary Celebration: Charles Tolliver Quintet with Billy Harper,

George Cables, Buster Williams, Lenny White		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Connie Han Trio
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Al Di MeolaBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $55• Dom Salvador Samba Jazz Sextet Central Park Summerstage, Rumsey Playfield 5 pmêDave Liebman Expansions with Matt Vashlishan, Bobby Avey, Tony Marino, Alex Ritz
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Dayramir González & Habana enTRANCé Quartet		
Drom 8 pm $20• Sam Weinberg, Henry Fraser, Weasel Walter; Sandy Ewen solo;
Tamio Shiraishi/Gyna Bootleg
Hart Bar 6 pm
• Yayoi Ikawa
Little Island 6:30 pm• Chris PattishallMezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Troy Weekes and Ji-Groove
Minton’s 8, 10 pm $30
êLew Tabackin Trio
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êTim Berne/Matt Mitchell
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• Gerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, September 5• Itamar Borochov

Bar Lunàtico 9 pm $10êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30• Al Di MeolaBlue Note 8, 10:30 pm $55
êDave Liebman Expansions with Matt Vashlishan, Bobby Avey, Tony Marino, Alex Ritz
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Gene Pritsker 50th Birthday Concert: Paul Mack, Charles Coleman, Anya Migdal,
Adriana Valdés, Sean Satin, Greg Baker, Lara St. John, Lynn Bechtold, Erik T.Johnson,
Robert C. Ford, Magdalena Stern-Baczewska, Kathleen Supove, Franz Hackl,
Charlie Porter, Michiyo Suzuki, John Clark, Dave Taylor, Dan Cooper, Jose Moura,
Damien Bassman, Peter Jarvis, David Rozenblatt Milica Paranosic		Drom 5 pm $15• JazzWomen!: Shirazette Tinnin, Brittany Anjou, Chelsea Baratz, Allicyn Jaffe,

Mimi Jones, Katty Rodriguez, Arcoiris Sandoval, Lessie Vonner, Charenee Wade		
Little Island 7:30 pm• Todd Herbert Quartet
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Monday, September 6• Hyuna Park Trio
Birdland 7 pm $30• Yuka Aikawa
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Ari Hoenig Trio with Gadi Lehavi, Ben Tiberio		êJoe Farnsworth Quintet

Fifth Hammer 6:30 pm
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Tuesday, September 7êTadataka Unno Trio with Danton Boller, Jerome Jennings

		Barbès 8 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble with Ivan Renta, Jim Seeley,Rafi Malkiel, Vince Cherico, Zack O’Farrill, Victor Pablo, Carly Maldonado,
Juanma Trujillo, Bam Bam Rodriguez
		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êJames Francies
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25• Yuka Aikawa
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Ari Hoenig Trio with Dennis Bulhoes, Eduardo Belo		
Domaine Wine Bar 8:30 pm• Daryl Sherman Trio
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Theo Hill Quartet
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Paul Jost Quartet
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20

Wednesday, September 8
êJD Allen Trio
Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pmêDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble with Ivan Renta, Jim Seeley,Rafi Malkiel, Vince Cherico, Zack O’Farrill, Victor Pablo, Carly Maldonado,
Juanma Trujillo, Bam Bam Rodriguez
		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êJames Francies
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25• Yuka Aikawa
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêSteven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra
		City Winery 7:30 pm $20• Chris Cuzme Band with Ari Hoenig Fifth Hammer 6:30 pm• Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center 7 pm
• Roots To Shoots
Little Island 6 pmêChampian Fulton Trio with Hide Tanaka, Fukushi Tainaka		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êLew Tabackin Trio
Michiko Studios 7 pm $20• Hipster Assassins: Felix Pastorius, Mike Bendy, Kenny Grohowski, Chris Ward,
John Bendy
Nublu 151 9, 11 pm $20• Roseanna Vitro Quartet
Pangea 7 pm $25• Firey String Sistas!
Pier 84 7 pmêMary Halvorson’s Amaryllis and Belladonna with Adam O’Farrill, Jacob Garchik,
Patricia Brennan, Nick Dunston, Tomas Fujiwara and The Mivos Quartet:
Olivia De Prato, Maya Bennardo, Victor Lowrie Tafoya, Tyler J. Borden				
Roulette 8 pm $25• Jamie Reynolds Quartet
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Ashley Pezzotti Quartet with Sean Mason, Jason Clotter, TJ Reddick		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• Chloe Perrier and The French Heart Jazz Band		
Triad Theater 7 pm $15-25

Thursday, September 9• Naked Lore: Ben Holmes, Brad Shepik, Shane Shanahan		Barbès 8 pm $20• Freethiopiques: Jessica Lurie, Greg Glassman, Brian Marsella, Jon Madof,
Yoshie Fruchter, Chris Stromquist Barbès 10 pm $20
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble with Ivan Renta, Jim Seeley,Rafi Malkiel, Vince Cherico, Zack O’Farrill, Victor Pablo, Carly Maldonado,
Juanma Trujillo, Bam Bam Rodriguez
		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Hila Kulik Group with Wayne Tucker, Tamir Shmerling, Dani Danor		
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
êKenny Garrett
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Summer Camargo Trio
Broadway Plaza 6 pm
• Ghost-Note; Sungazer
Brooklyn Bowl 8 pm $20• Yuka Aikawa
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêJon Hendricks Centennial Celebration: Kurt Elling, Jazzmeia Horn, Kevin Burke,
Aria Hendricks, Michele Hendricks with Andy Farber, Steve Ash, Neil Miner,
Andy Watson
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Ori-Gen Collective Festival: Rogério and Anne Boccato; Sofia Rei and JC Maillard;
Pablo Aslan’s Piazzollazo; Bacalao Men		Drom 7 pm $20• Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke, Oren Ambarchi; Tamio Shiraishi, Julia Santoli,
Austin Sley Julian; David Watson/Ikue Mori; Manāt
		First Unitarian Church 7:30 pm $15• Sara Caswell Quartet with Jesse Lewis, Ike Sturm, Jared Schonig
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25
êTravis Laplante/Jason Nazary; Jaimie Branch/Tcheser Holmes; Tim Angulo,
Laura Cocks, Henry Fraser, Joanna Mattrey		
The Record Shop 8 pm $10êMary Halvorson’s Amaryllis and Belladonna with Adam O’Farrill, Jacob Garchik,
Patricia Brennan, Nick Dunston, Tomas Fujiwara and The Mivos Quartet:
Olivia De Prato, Maya Bennardo, Victor Lowrie Tafoya, Tyler J. Borden				
Roulette 8 pm $25• Helio Alves Quartet with Chico Pinheiro, Joe Martin, Jonhathan Blake				
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Steve Sandberg
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• John Morton/Scott Colley
Zürcher Gallery 8:30 pm $20

Friday, September 10• Chet Doxas Trio with Ethan Iverson, Thomas Morgan		
Bar Bayeux 8 pm
• Curtis Hasselbring Curhachestra with Raphael McGregor, Adam Minkoff, Dan Rieser
		
Barbès 8 pm $20• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble with Ivan Renta, Jim Seeley,Rafi Malkiel, Vince Cherico, Zack O’Farrill, Victor Pablo, Carly Maldonado,
Juanma Trujillo, Bam Bam Rodriguez
		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Nellie McKay
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $40
êKenny Garrett
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Yuka Aikawa
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêGregory Lewis Organ Monk
Clove Lakes Park 6 pm

30 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORDêJon Hendricks Centennial Celebration: Kurt Elling, Jazzmeia Horn, Kevin Burke,

Aria Hendricks, Michele Hendricks with Andy Farber, Steve Ash, Neil Miner,
Andy Watson
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Ori-Gen Collective Festival: Duo Chuño; Samuel Torres and Eric Kurimski; Kavita Shah;
Mireya Ramos

Drom 7 pm $20

êCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with Jay Rodriguez, James Stewart, Frank Vacin,

Eddie Allen, Franz Hackl, Yayoi Ikawa
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20
êCaroline Davis’ Portals with Mike Rodriguez, Julian Shore, Chris Tordini, Sara Caswell,
Josh Henderson, Joanna Mattrey, Mariel Roberts
		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Aakash Mittal with Rajna Swaminathan, Miles Okazaki, Jasmine Wilson, Shurmila Dhar,
Eddy Kwon, Trevor New, Stephan Crump		
Merkin Concert Hall 7:30 pm $30
êTom Rainey Trio with Gary Versace, Drew Gress		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Rasmus Sorensen
Red Room at KGB Bar 9 pmêRon McClure
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Projeto Do Momento: Helio Alves, Paul Socolow, Dennis Bulhoēs
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• Gerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

ChrisBotti

nov 5 - 21
Chaka
Khan
DianneReevesChristian
McBride

Anat
Cohen

Django Festival Allstars
featuring Samson Schmitt,
Ludovic Beier, Pierre Blanchard,
Doudou Cuillerier& Antonio Lucusati
Fri, Nov 5 @ 6 & 8:30PM
With energy and swing, theDjango Festival Allstars pay tributeto legendary gypsy jazz guitarist
Django Reinhardt.
Chaka Khanwith special guest
Leela James
Sat, Nov 6 @ 8PM
You know it’s going to be a party
when Chaka Khan hits the stage!
Join us for an evening of fun
and funk at NJPAC.
Nimbus Dance
Sat, Nov 6 @ 7PM
Nimbus Dance joins forces with tango
virtuoso Pedro Giraudo for the world
premiere of Raucous Caucus Tango!

Christian McBride’s
The Movement Revisited:
A Musical Portrait of Four Icons
Thu, Nov 11 @ 7:30PM
Celebrate the great leaders of
the Civil Rights Movement in thisevening of readings and jazz
starring Christian McBride.
Divine Sass:
Lillias White Sings Sarah VaughanFri, Nov 12 @ 7PM
TONY® Award-winning singer
Lillias White and her trio return
to NJPAC for a tribute to thelegendary Sarah Vaughan.
Chris Botti
Fri, Nov 12 @ 8PM
GRAMMY® Award-winning trumpeter
Chris Botti is America’s largest-selling
jazz instrumentalist. Find out why!
Dianne Reeves and Artemis
featuring Renee Rosnes,
Anat Cohen, Ingrid Jensen,
Nicole Glover, Noriko Ueda
and Allison Miller
Sat, Nov 13 @ 8PM
An evening with the extraordinary
women of jazz!

Dorthaan’s Place:
Cyrus Chestnut
Sun, Nov 14 @ 11AM & 1PM
Enjoy the piano stylings ofCyrus Chestnut during brunch
at NICO Kitchen + Bar.
Sarah Vaughan International
Jazz Vocal Competition
Sun, Nov 14 @ 3PM
Celebrate the 10th annualcompetition with special
performances by jazz greats
Christian McBride andDianne Reeves!
Swingin’ at 96: Anat Cohen and
the Newport All-Stars SaluteGeorge Wein
Sat, Nov 20 @ 7:30PM
Featuring Kenny Barron,
Randy Brecker, Christian McBride,
Lewis Nash, Lew Tabackin,Peter Washington and Duchess.
Maria Schneider Orchestra
Sun, Nov 21 @ 3 & 7PM“Revelatory, riveting, daring
and beyond categorization”:
NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider’sorchestra takes the stage.

Visit njpac.org or call 1.888.MY.NJPAC • For full jazz lineup visit njpac.org/jazz
New Jersey Performing Arts Center • One Center Street • Newark, NJ

9_19_Jazz Record Ad.indd 1

8/19/21 2:37 PM

CHRISROGERS“ELECTRIC BAND”
A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TOMILES DAVISThe Bitter End
Tuesday September 14th
8:30-10, doors @8pm
$15 cover(proof of vaccination required)
The Bitter End (www.bitterend.com)
147 Bleecker St. NYC
Chris Rogers - trumpet / assorted brass
Ted Nash - tenor / soprano saxophone
Jon Ballantyne - keys
Theo Rogers - guitar
Dan Asher - bass
Tony Lewis - drums
A DCM Event

LATEST ALBUMVOYAGE HOME
featuring
Michael Breckeron
Art of Life
Records
RANDY BRECKER: “I can categorically say that
Chris is AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME on this CD!”DOWNBEAT: 4.5 stars“Best Albums of 2017”“Rogers’ hip, relentlessly grooving
compositions steal the show.”
All About Jazz: 4 stars“Trumpeter Chris Rogers’ long-awaited debut
album as a performer, composer and bandleader…
the charts and the musicianship is all first rate.
The late great Michael Brecker delivers mighty
solos reflective of his legendary status.”
World Jazz News:“Drawn upon his Miles/Brecker/Harrell/
Woody Shaw influences, Rogers’ impeccable
trumpet playing – articulate, exploratory,
adventurous, utterly musical and virtuosic –is eminently showcased.”

Saturday, September 11• Holy Ground Land of Two Towers: Isaiah Barr’s Onyx Collective		
Abrons Arts Center 7 pm $21êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble with Ivan Renta, Jim Seeley,Rafi Malkiel, Vince Cherico, Zack O’Farrill, Victor Pablo, Carly Maldonado,
Juanma Trujillo, Bam Bam Rodriguez
		
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Nellie McKay
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $40
êKenny Garrett
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Karrin Allyson/Gil Goldstein
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $32
êJon Hendricks Centennial Celebration: Kurt Elling, Jazzmeia Horn, Kevin Burke,
Aria Hendricks, Michele Hendricks with Andy Farber, Steve Ash, Neil Miner,
Andy Watson
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40
êDavid Leon/Stephen Gauci; Stephen Gauci, Hans Tammen, Jeremy Carlstedt		
		
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30, 8 pmêJazz by the Water: Ray Blue Quintet; Kim Clarke Quintet; Eugenie Jones and Friends
with guest Bobby Sanabria; Paul Brown with guest Joaquin Pozo; Rob Fulton Quintet;
Joe Chambers’ Samba de Maracatu with Rick Germanson, Mark Lewandwski,
Bobby Sanabria
Governors Island 12 pm
êThe Whatever Guitar Festival: Naeemah Z. Maddox; Sandy Ewen; Teddy Kumpel;
Ava Mendoza
Green Lung Studio 6 pm
• WeFreeStrings; Amirtha Kidambi Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center 7 pm
• Yosvany Terry
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Gary Lucas 40th Anniversary Show: Gods and Monsters and guests Thurston Moore,
Trixie Whitley, Richard Barone, Felice Rosser, Emily Duff		
Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $25• Larry Ham Trio with Lee Hudson, Tom Melito		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Tamm E Hunt with Patience Higgins, Ronnie Burrage		Minton’s 8, 10 pm $30• Davis Whitfield
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Gerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, September 12êThe Whatever Guitar Festival: Harvey Valdes; Miriam Elhajli; Wendy Eisenberg;

Brandon Seabrook

Barbès 4 pm
Barbès 9 pm $20• Steven Feifke Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30• Cady Huffman/Mary Ann McSweeney
		Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $40
êKenny Garrett
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• To Be Baptized: A Performance Tribute to John Lewis and C. T. Vivian:Carl Hancock Rux, Christopher Bruce and The Resistance Revival Chorus				
Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center 8 pmêJon Hendricks Centennial Celebration: Kurt Elling, Jazzmeia Horn, Kevin Burke,
Aria Hendricks, Michele Hendricks with Andy Farber, Steve Ash, Neil Miner,
Andy Watson
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Thurston Moore
Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $25
êDan Levinson Trio with Kris Tokarski, Kevin Dorn		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jonathan Michel
Minton’s 8, 10 pm $30• Brandon Sanders
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êStephane Wrembel

Monday, September 13• Arthur Kell Quartet with Brad Shepik, Nate Radley, Allan Mednard

		Bar Lunàtico 9 pm $10• Roy Eaton
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Rick Cutler, Vinnie Zummo, Dave Katzenberg; Zoh Amba, Luke Stewart,
Francisco Mela; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton; Eric Plaks, Jon Leco,
Ayumi Ishito, Randy Steffes; Stelios Mihas Ensemble		Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10êSherman Irby and Momentum
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $32• Cloud Explosion: Elias Meister, Francesco Marcocci, Juan Chiavassa		
		Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 10 pm $10• Ari Hoenig Trio
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

Tuesday, September 14êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êMiles Davis Tribute: Chris Rogers Electric Band with Ted Nash, Jon Ballantyne,
Theo Rogers, Dan Asher, Tony Lewis
		
The Bitter End 8:30 pm $15• Roy Eaton
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Ari Hoenig Trio with Dennis Bulhoes, Eduardo Belo		
Domaine Wine Bar 8:30 pm• Naama GheberMezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20
êMax Johnson Dream Quintet with Ingrid Laubrock, Sam Newsome, Mark Dresser,
Satoshi Takeishi
Scholes Street Studio 8 pmêKirk Lightsey
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• David Ambrosio
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êRon Miles Quintet with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Thomas Morgan, Brian Blade		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Wednesday, September 15êAaron Burnett, Ravi Coltrane, Nick Jozwiak, Johnathan BlakeCHRISROGERSJAZZ.COM

		Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Yasser Tejeda and Palotrè
Bar Lunàtico 9 pm $10• Miss Maybell and The Jazz Age Artistes with Charlie Judkins, Brian Nalepka				Barbès 8 pm $15êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5 pm $30
êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Roy Eaton
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Eliane Elias
City Winery 7 pm $35-55
êPRISM Quartet: Timothy McAllister, Zachary Shemon, Matthew Levy, Taimur Sullivan
and guests Melissa Aldana, Chris Potter, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Terell Stafford
		
The DiMenna Center 7 pm $30• Pedrito Martinez
Drom 8 pm $30• Alonzo Demetrius Quartet
Drom 10:15 pm $15• Kirk Lightsey
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Tim Newman
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Jim Ridl
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êRon Miles Quintet with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Thomas Morgan, Brian Blade				Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

32 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Thursday, September 16êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Ronny Whyte with Cecilia Coleman, Scott Hardy, Ray Marchica, Ron Horton				Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Melanie Charles Trio
Broadway Plaza 6 pm
• Roy Eaton
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Philippe Lemm Trio
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $32
êCatherine Russell with Matt Munisteri, Mark Shane, Tal Ronen, Mark McLean				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êHelen Sung Quartet+ with John Ellis, David Wong, Kendrick Scott and guest
Harlem Quartet
Flushing Town Hall 8 pm
• Ben Tiberio
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25• Three of a Kind: Michael Valeanu, Jon Boutellier, Clovis Nicolas		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Lee Pardini Group with Trevor Menear, Louis Cato, Jordan Rose		
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 10:30 pm $12• Jerome Sabbagh/Greg Tuohey Group with Joe Martin, Kush Abadey
		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êLafayette Harris
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êRon Miles Quintet with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Thomas Morgan, Brian Blade				Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Friday, September 17• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom				Barbès 8 pm $20• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30
êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Eric Harland’s Mixed Tape with BIGYUKI, Casey Benjamin, Carrtoons		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Roy Eaton
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêCatherine Russell with Matt Munisteri, Mark Shane, Tal Ronen, Mark McLean				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with Jay Rodriguez, James Stewart, Frank Vacin,
Eddie Allen, Franz Hackl, Yayoi Ikawa
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20• Ross Kratter Jazz Orchestra with Brian Schatz, John DiSanto, Jeremy Powell,
Stan Killian, Andrew Hadro, Charles Clausen, Marty Bound, Alex Norris, Stuart Mack,
Ric Becker, Gina Benalcazar, Chris Zatorski, Dan Jordan, Grant Braider, David Salter,
Will Armstrong, Rick Erwin
Hungarian House 8:30, 10 pm $30• Kendrick Scott
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Keith Brown
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Davis Whitfield 4tet and The Maniacs of the 4th Dimension
		
Minton’s 8, 10 pm $30• Aaron Parks Little Big with Greg Tuohey, Chris Morrissey, Josh Dion		
Nublu 151 8 pm $20
êMark Soskin Quartet with Rich Perry, Jay Anderson, Matt Wilson
		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Hayes Greenfield/Dean Johnson Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êRon Miles Quintet with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Thomas Morgan, Brian Blade				Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Gerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, September 18êCount Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Eric Harland’s Mixed Tape with BIGYUKI, Casey Benjamin, Carrtoons		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Karrin Allyson/Gil Goldstein
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $32
êCatherine Russell with Matt Munisteri, Mark Shane, Tal Ronen, Mark McLean				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Kendrick Scott
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Jeb Patton
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Denise King 5tet
Minton’s 8, 10 pm $30• Lenny Pickett’s A Short March into the Future with Steven Bernstein, Ravi Best,Ron Blake, Jasper Dutz, Vitor Gonçalves, John Hadfield, Tyler McDiarmid,
Valerie Naranjo, Rebecca Patterson, Marcus Rojas, Ricardo Rodriguez				
Roulette 8 pm $25
êStephen Gauci, Santiago Leibson, Luke Stewart, Tyshawn Sorey		
Scholes Street Studio 8, 9:30 pm $15• Mike Boone
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Tracey Yarad
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• Tribute to Oscar Peterson and Modern Jazz Quartet: Lenore Raphael Trio with
Steve Hobbs, Hilliard Greene
Triad Theater 7:30 pm $25
êRon Miles Quintet with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Thomas Morgan, Brian Blade				Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êHarriet Tubman: Brandon Ross, Melvin Gibbs, JT Lewis;
JJJJJerome Ellis/Holland Andrews
		
Weeksville Heritage Center 6 pm
• Gerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Sunday, September 19êBeyond Flute—Howling for Jeremy Steig Solo Flute Festival: Cheryl Pyle,

Haruna Fukazawa, Gene Coleman, Andrea Brachfeld, Premik Russell Tubbs,
Chip Shelton, Jay Rodriguez, John Kruth, Sylvain Leroux, Nick Gianni
		
6BC Garden 4 pm
• Mike Neer Quartet with Tom Beckham, Matt Pavolka, Ron Oswanski		Barbès 7 pm $20
êStephane Wrembel
Barbès 9 pm $20
êPete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra Birdland 5 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30• Eric Harland’s Mixed Tape with BIGYUKI, Casey Benjamin, Carrtoons		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Opening The Gates: Amirtha Kidambi, Kalia Vandever, Charlotte Greve, Marta Sanchez,
Endea Owens, Lesley Mok
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 7:30 pmêCatherine Russell with Matt Munisteri, Mark Shane, Tal Ronen, Mark McLean				
Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Gottfried Stoger/Marc Copland Hudson View Gardens Lounge 5 pm
• Moor Morther
The Kitchen 7 pm
• Joe Fonda and From The Source with Brenda Bufalino, Sam Bardfeld, Kenny Wessel,
Rob Garcia
The Loft at 100 Greene Street 7 pm
• Jacob Khalil
Minton’s 8, 10 pm $30• Jade Systelian
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êRon Miles Quintet with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Thomas Morgan, Brian Blade		
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Monday, September 20• Sam Dillon Quartet
Birdland 8:30 pm $30• Michael Olatuja and Lagos Pepper Soup

		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25• Kuni Mikami
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Alec Goldfarb Ensemble; Blaise Siwula, Dmitry Ishenko, Dave Miller; Stephen Gauci,
Adam Lane, Colin Hinton; Juan Pablo Carletti’s Biggish Ensemble with Yoni Kretzmer,
Rick Parker, Thomas Heberer, Kenneth Jimenez; Flip City: David Aaron,
Nick Panoutsos, David Gould
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10• Ari Hoenig Trio with Gadi Lehavi, Ben Tiberio		Fifth Hammer 6:30 pmêJeff “Tain” Watts
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Tuesday, September 21êColtrane Revisited 20th Anniversary: Eric Alexander, Jaleel Shaw, Helen Sung,

Lonnie Plaxico, Steve Smith

Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40

êPeter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, Bill Stewart

		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Kuni Mikami
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Lucy Yeghiazaryan/Vanisha Gould Church Street School For Music and Art 8 pm
• Ari Hoenig Trio with Dennis Bulhoes, Eduardo Belo		
Domaine Wine Bar 8:30 pm• Ashley Pezzotti
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Christoph Irniger Trio with Raffaele Bossard, Ziv Ravitz and guest Michaël Attias 				
ShapeShifter Lab 7 pm $10êFrank Lacy
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Tim Horner Quartet with Allan Bezama, Jim Ridl, Dean Johnson
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35
êSarah Weaver with Yoon Sun Choi, Ned Rothenberg, Marty Ehrlich, James Zollar,
Jen Baker, David Taylor
Washington Square Park 7 pm

Wednesday, September 22• Owen Howard Quintet with John Ellis, Dave Smith, Pete McCann, Matt Pavolka		Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Saul Rubin Trio with Charles Goold, Mark Lewandowski
		Bar Lunàtico 9 pm $10êHenry Fraser Trio with Brandon Seabrook, Francisco Mela		
Barbès 7, 8:30 pm $15êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5 pm $30
êColtrane Revisited 20th Anniversary: Eric Alexander, Jaleel Shaw, Helen Sung,
Lonnie Plaxico, Steve Smith
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êTed Rosenthal Trio
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Cory Henry
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Kuni Mikami
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Isaiah J. Thompson
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $32• Henry Hey
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Jane Irving Trio
Pangea 7 pm $25• TC III
Pier 84 7 pm
• Dan Aran
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Zach Brock
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Thursday, September 23êColtrane Revisited 20th Anniversary: Eric Alexander, Jaleel Shaw, Helen Sung,

Lonnie Plaxico, Steve Smith

Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
Broadway Plaza 6 pm
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêWilliam Parker’s Celestial Light House with Dave Burrell, James Brandon Lewis,
John Dikeman, Rob Brown, Taylor Ho Bynum, Hamid Drake		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Sana Nagano Group with Peter Apfelbaum, Keisuke Matsuno, Ken Filiano, Danny Sher		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $15-25• Taylor Eigsti
Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $40• Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra conducted by Marc Cary		
Manhattan School of Music Neidorff-Karpati Hall 7:30 pmêJohn Coltrane Birthday Celebration		Marcus Garvey Park 6 pm
• CounterCurrent: Rico Jones, Alex Heffron, Hunter Roberts, Braxton Khan 				Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 10:30 pm $12êAnna Webber’s Simple Trio with Matt Mitchell, John Hollenbeck;
Idiom VI Large Ensemble: Anna Webber, Nathaniel Morgan, Yuma Uesaka,
Nolan Tsang, David Byrd-Marrow, Jacob Garchik, Erica Dicker, Joanna Mattrey,
Mariel Roberts, Matt Mitchell, Nick Dunston, John Hollenbeck, Eric Wubbels				
Roulette 8 pm $25• Curtis Nowosad
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Marilyn Kleinberg Trio with John Di Martino, & Noriko Ueda
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• Ari Hoenig Trio
Terraza 7 7 pmêBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Pasquale Grasso Trio
• Cory Henry• Nicole Glover Trio
• Kuni Mikami

Friday, September 24• Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet with Nick Danielson, Rodolfo Zanetti, Ahmed Alom				Barbès 8 pm $20• Birdland Big Band
Birdland 5 pm $30
êColtrane Revisited 20th Anniversary: Eric Alexander, Jaleel Shaw, Helen Sung,
Lonnie Plaxico, Steve Smith
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Cory Henry
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Kuni Mikami
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêWilliam Parker’s Celestial Light House with Dave Burrell, James Brandon Lewis,
John Dikeman, Rob Brown, Taylor Ho Bynum, Hamid Drake		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êCraig Harris and Harlem Nightsongs with Jay Rodriguez, James Stewart, Frank Vacin,
Eddie Allen, Franz Hackl, Yayoi Ikawa
		Greater Calvary Baptist Church 7 pm $20• Mike Moreno
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Tardo Hammer Trio with Lee Hudson, Steve Williams
		
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Christopher McBride and The Whole Proof		
Minton’s 8, 10 pm $30• Rasmus Sorensen
Red Room at KGB Bar 9 pm
• Seamus Blake
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20

êVinnie Sperrazza Trio with Ethan Iverson, Michael Formanek

		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Gerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10

Saturday, September 25• Dan Tepfer and Semplice Players: Emma Frucht, Jessica Ryou, George Meyer,
Sean Hawthorne

Bargemusic 4 pm $35

êColtrane Revisited 20th Anniversary: Eric Alexander, Jaleel Shaw, Helen Sung,

Lonnie Plaxico, Steve Smith

Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45
Chelsea Table & Stage 7 pm $32
êEndea Owens and The Cookout Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45• Rataplan Records Showcase
Downtown Music Gallery 6:30 pmêGordon Grdina, Matthew Shipp, Mark Helias
		Ibeam Brooklyn 8:30 pm $15• Fabian Almazan Group with Dayna Stephens, Charles Altura, Chris Tordini, Henry Cole		The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35
êDavid Hazeltine
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Bloar: Sam Weinberg, Andrew Smiley, Henry Fraser, Jason Nazary;
Martin Escalante/Tete Leguia; Camilo Angeles/Concepcion Huerta
		
The Record Shop 8:30 pm $10• Arianna Neikrug
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 9 pm $10• Seamus Blake
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• The Rainbow Project: Mary Foster Conklin, John Di Martino, Sara Caswell				Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35• Gerry Eastman Ensemble with Greg Lewis, Taru Alexander		Williamsburg Music Center 9:30 pm $10• Cory Henry• Aubrey Logan

Thursday, September 30êNels Cline Consentrik Quartet with Ingrid Laubrock, Chris Lightcap, Tom Rainey				
Beacon Theatre 7:30 pm $49.50
êStacey Kent/Art Hirahara
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êDuchess: Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou with Michael Cabe,
Matt Aronoff, Jared Schonig
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Godwin Louis/Jonathan Barber Broadway Plaza 6 pm
• Sue Maskaleris
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Grace Kelly
Chelsea Table & Stage 7, 9:30 pm $27• Brandon Goldberg Quintet with Stacy Dillard, Josh Evans, Ben Wolfe, Donald Edwards
		Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $40• Anne Waldman with Devin Brahja Waldman, William Parker; Caroline Partamian		First Unitarian Congregational Society 8 pm $15êThe Unknowable: Dave Liebman, Adam Rudolph, Tyshawn Sorey		
The Jazz Gallery 7:30, 9:30 pm $25-35• Jeremy Manasia
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Ferenc Nemeth
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• James Schlefer
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Sunday, September 26êStephane Wrembel

Barbès 9 pm $20• Dan Tepfer and Semplice Players: Emma Frucht, Jessica Ryou, George Meyer,
Sean Hawthorne
Bargemusic 6 pm $35• Chuck Owen and The Jazz Surge Birdland 5 pm $30
êArturo O’Farrill and The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble		Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $30• Cory Henry
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $45• Trio vs Trio: Jay Gandhi/Abhik Mukherjee Trio; Michel Gentile, Tony Romano,
Rob Garcia
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 7:30 pm $15• Bashiri Johnson 40 Year Career/Birthday Celebration
		The Cutting Room 7 pm $20-25êEndea Owens and The Cookout Dizzy’s Club 7:30, 9:30 pm $45
êVijay Iyer Trio with Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey		
Le Poisson Rouge 7, 9:30 pm $35-45• Shabnam Abedi 4tet
Minton’s 8, 10 pm $30• Tadd Shull
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Monday, September 27• Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience		Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $35• Sue Maskaleris
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêNicole Connelly Ensemble; Robert Dick, Adam Caine, Ken Filiano,
Michael TA Thompson; Stephen Gauci, Adam Lane, Colin Hinton;
Adam Lane Ensemble with Tony Malaby, Nick Lyons, Billy Mintz
		
Bushwick Public House 7 pm $10• Ari Hoenig Trio with Gadi Lehavi, Ben Tiberio		Fifth Hammer 6:30 pmêJoshua Abrams Natural Information Society with Lisa Alvarado, Mikel Avery,
Jason Stein and guest William Parker; Steve Gunn/John Truscinski		Le Poisson Rouge 8 pm $25• Lea Bertucci/Ben Vida
Roulette 8 pm $25
êMatt Wilson Quartet with Jeff Lederer		
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êVanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Tuesday, September 28êJohn Ellis and Double WideêStacey Kent/Art Hirahara

Bar Lunàtico 9 pm $10
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40• Julius Rodriguez
Blue Note 8, 10:30 pm $25• Sue Maskaleris
Bryant Park 12:30 pm• Ari Hoenig Trio with Dennis Bulhoes, Eduardo Belo		
Domaine Wine Bar 8:30 pm• Theo Croker
Le Poisson Rouge 8:30 pm $25-55• Carolyn Leonhart
Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Nick Dunston’s La Operación - Reverberated with Stephanie Lamprea, Anna Webber,
Clifton Joey Guidry III, Weston Olencki, Ches Smith		
Roulette 8 pm $25
êOrrin Evans
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20• Yuhan Su’s Liberated Gesture with Simona Premazzi, Marty Kenney, Jay Sawyer				
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20
êBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Wednesday, September 29êJerome Sabbagh Trio with Joe Martin, Al Foster		Bar Bayeux 8, 9:30 pm• Helio Alves/Guilherme Monteiro Bar Lunàtico 9 pm $10êMichael Bates’ Acrobat with Marty Ehrlich, Mazz Swift, Sara Schoenbeck, Michael Sarin
		
Barbès 8 pm $20
êDavid Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band		
Birdland 5 pm $30
êStacey Kent/Art Hirahara
Birdland 7, 9:30 pm $40
êFrank Vignola Quartet
Birdland Theater 8:30 pm $30• Sue Maskaleris
Bryant Park 12:30 pmêBob DeVos Trio with Behn Gillece, Steve LaSpina
		Mezzrow 7:30, 9 pm $20• Mark Winkler and Lauren White Pangea 7 pm $25
êScott Robinson
Smalls 7, 8:30 pm $20
êJeff Pearring with Ron Horton, Russ Lossing, Adam Lane, Billy Mintz		
		
Soapbox Gallery 8 pm $20• Abarè Trio: Ari Hoenig, Chico Pinheiro and Eduardo Belo		
Terraza 7 7 pmêBill Charlap Trio with Kenny Washington, Peter Washington
		Village Vanguard 8:30, 10:30 pm $35

Lampkin Music Group andSouthport Records Present
Joanie Pallatto’s My Original Plan
CD Release Party
Friday, October 1st at 7 pm
Cover: $25 (cash at door) $20 food/drink minimum
178 Second Ave., NYC 212-995-0900“Unplugged” Joanie Pallattowith Fareed Haque and Sparrow
Special Guests
Bill Nolte as “The Priest” and dancer Tânia Daley“Joanie Pallatto is a Female Powerhouse”-Adam Rothenberg/Call Me Adam, NY
Southport Records
chicagosound.com
Lampkin Music Group
lampkinmusicgroup.com

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 33

CLU B DI RE CTORY• 6BC Garden 6th Street and Avenue B Subway: F to Second Avenue• Abrons Arts Center 466 Grand Street(212-598-0400) Subway: F to Grand Street www.abronsartscenter.org• Bar Bayeux 1066 Nostrand Avenue(347-533-7845) Subway: 2, 5 to Sterling Street• Bar Lunàtico 486 Halsey Street
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• Bargemusic Fulton Ferry Landing
Subway: F to York Street, A, C to High Street www.bargemusic.org• Beacon Theatre 2124 Broadway at 74th Street(212-496-7070) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 72nd Street www.beacontheatre.com• Birdland and Birdland Theater 315 W. 44th Street(212-581-3080) Subway: A, C, E, to 42nd Street www.birdlandjazz.com• The Bitter End 147 Bleecker Street between Thompson and LaGuardia
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street• Blue Note 131 W. 3rd Street at 6th Avenue(212-475-8592) Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street www.bluenotejazz.com• Broadway Plaza Subway: 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, S to 42nd Street /Times Square• Brooklyn Bowl 61 Wythe Avenue(718-963-3369) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue www.brooklynbowl.com• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music 58 Seventh Avenue
Subway: F to Seventh Avenue, N, R to Union Street www.bkcm.org• Bryant Park 5th and 6th Avenues between 40th and 42nd Streets		
Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 42nd Street www.bryantpark.org• Bushwick Public House 1288 Myrtle Avenue
Subway: G to Myrtle - Willoughby Avenue then B54 www.bushwickpublichouse.com• Central Park Summerstage, Rumsey Playfield 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue(212-360-2777) Subway: B, D to 72nd Street www.summerstage.org• Chelsea Table & Stage Hilton Fashion District Hotel, 152 W. 26th Street
Subway: C, E to 23rd Street; R, W to 28th Street www.chelseatableandstage.com• Church Street School For Music and Art 41 White Street(212-571-7290) Subway: 1, 2 to Franklin Street www.churchstreetschool.org• City Winery 25 11th Avenue (at 15th Street)(646-751-6033) Subway: A, C, E to 14th Street www.citywinery.com• Clove Lakes Park 1150 Clove Road, Staten Island Bus: X12• 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• The DiMenna Center 450 W. 37th Street
Subway: A, C, E to 34th Street-Penn Station www.dimennacenter.org• Domaine Wine Bar 50-04 Vernon Boulevard
Subway: 7 to Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue www.domainewinebar.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
• Fifth Hammer 10-28 46th Avenue, Long Island City
Subway: 7 to Vernon Boulevard/Jackson Avenue• First Unitarian Congregational Society 119 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn(718-624-5466) Subway: M, R to Court Street www.fuub.org• Flushing Town Hall 137-35 Northern Boulevard(718-463-7700) Subway: 7 to Main Street www.flushingtownhall.org• Governors Island Ferry from Battery Maritime Building• 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• Hart Bar 538 Hart Street(929-433-7368) Subway: J, M, Z to Myrtle Avenue www.hartbarnyc.com• Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center 66th Street and Broadway(212-875-51O8) Subway: 1 to 66th Street www.lincolncenter.org• Hudson View Gardens Lounge 183rd and Pinehurst Avenue
Subway: A to 181st Street• Hungarian House 213 E. 82nd Street(212-249-9360) Subway: 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R to 86th Street• Ibeam Brooklyn 168 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues
Subway: F to 4th Avenue www.ibeambrooklyn.com• The Jazz Gallery 1160 Broadway, 5th floor (212-242-1063)
Subway: N, R to 28th Street www.jazzgallery.org• The Kitchen 512 W. 19th Street(212-255-5793) Subway: A, C, E to 23rd Street www.thekitchen.org• Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street
Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th Street www.lepoissonrouge.com• Little Island Pier 55 at Hudson River Park Greenway		
Subway: A, C, E, L to 14th Street www.littleisland.org• The Loft at 100 Greene Street 6th floor Subway: N, R to Prince Street• Club Car at the McKittrick Hotel 530 W. 27th Street(212-904-1883) Subway: C, E to 23rd Street www.mckittrickhotel.com• Manhattan School of Music Neidorff-Karpati Hall Broadway and 122nd Street(212-749-2802, ext 4428) Subway: 1 to 116th Street www.msmnyc.edu• Marcus Garvey Park 122nd Street and Mt. Morris Park West		
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to 125th Street• Merkin Concert Hall 129 W. 67th Street(212-501-3330) Subway: 1 to 66th Street www.kaufman-center.org• 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(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• 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• The Record Shop 360 Van Brunt Street
Bus: B61to Van Brunt Street/King Street www.record-shop.business.site• Red Room at KGB Bar 85 E. 4th Street(703-221-4587) Subway: F to Second Avenue www.redroomnyc.com• Rockwood Music Hall 196 Allen Street (212-477-4155)
Subway: F, V to Second Avenue www.rockwoodmusichall.com• Roulette 509 Atlantic Avenue(212-219-8242) Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Avenue www.roulette.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• Terraza 7 40-19 Gleane Street(718-803-9602) Subway: 7 to 82nd Street www.terraza7.com• Triad Theater 158 W. 72nd Street, 2nd floor(212-362-2590) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 72nd Street www.triadnyc.com• Village Vanguard 178 Seventh Avenue South at 11th Street(212-255-4037) Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street www.villagevanguard.com• Washington Square Park Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F to W. 4th Street• Weeksville Heritage Center 158 Buffalo Aveneu, Brooklyn(718-756-5250) Subway: A, C to Ralph Avenue www.weeksvillesociety.org• Williamsburg Music Center 367 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY(718-384-1654) Subway: L to Bedford Avenue www.wmcjazz.org• Zürcher Gallery 33 Bleecker Street(212-777-0790) Subway: 6 to Bleeker Street www.galeriezurcher.com

100 MILES OUT
9/1: (1 pm) “Young At Heart: Great Ladies of Song” with Keenan Zach,
Steve Salerno, Tom Manuel Jazz Loft, Stony Brook, NY (www.thejazzloft.org)
9/1: (7 pm) Adrian Cunningham Shanghai Jazz Madison, NJ(www.shanghaijazz.com)
9/1-5: Freda Payne “A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald” Bucks County Playhouse,
Marlton, NJ (www.buckscountyplayhouse.org)
9/2,16,23,30 (7-10 pm) Paul Connors Organ Grooves with Jesse Lewis
Elk’s Lodge, Ossining, NY (www.jazzatthelodge.com/shows)
9/2: (7 pm) Emmeline with Ryan Monkak, Dev Marvelous, Sam Ruescher,
Isaiah Cook The Falcon, Marlboro, NY (www.liveatthefalcon.com)
9/2: (7 pm) Jazz Loft Big Band Jazz Loft, Stony Brook, NY (www.thejazzloft.org)
9/2,3: (7 pm) A Tribute to the Miles Davis Electric Band: Lil’ John Roberts
South, Philadelphia, PA (www.southjazzkitchen.com)
9/3: (7 pm) Scott Sharrard The Falcon, Marlboro, NY (www.liveatthefalcon.com)
9/3: (7 pm) Steve Sandberg Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA(www.deerheadinn.com)
9/3: (8 pm) John Colianni Trio Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY(www.maureensjazzcellar.com)
9/3: (7:30 pm) Preservation Hall Jazz Band Ridgefield Playhouse,
Ridgefield, CT (www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)
9/3: (8 pm) Tatsuya Nakatani/Victor Viera-Branca Fire Museum Icebox ProjectSpace, Philadelphia, PA (www.firemuseumpresents.com)
9/4: (3:30-7:30 pm) Joe Magnarelli Candlelight Lounge, Trenton, NJ(www.jazztrenton.com)
9/4: (6 pm) Conrad Herwig Latin Side Quintet Hamptons JazzFest
LTV Media Center, Wainscott, NY (www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/4: (6 pm) Gerry Malkin Quintet with Scott Wendholt, Chris Morrison,
Mike McGuirk, Bobby Leonard Bean Runner Café, Peekskill, NY(www.beanrunnercafe.com)
9/4: (8 pm) Freddie Jacobs and Friends Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY(www.maureensjazzcellar.com)
9/4: (7 pm) Emmaline South, Philadelphia, PA (southjazzkitchen.com)
9/4: (7 pm) Scott Petito’s Modern Times with Mike Mainieri, Omar Hakim,
Rachel Z, Mino Cinelu, Jay Collins The Falcon, Marlboro, NY(www.liveatthefalcon.com)
9/4: (7 pm) Nail: Neil Alexander, Nadav Snir-Zelniker, Brian Mooney
Lydia’s Café, Stone Ridge, NY (www.lydias-cafe.com)
9/4: (8 pm) Fred Hersch Trio with John Hébert, Eric McPherson
The Maverick, Woodstock, NY (maverickconcerts.org)
9/4,5: (6/9 pm) Robert Glasper City Winery, Philadelphia, PA(www.citywinery.com/philadelphia/)
9/5: (5 pm) Zach Brock/Jim Ridl Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA(www.deerheadinn.com)
9/6: (6:30 pm) Odean Pope with Lee Smith, Craig McIver, Tom Lawton
Hawthorne Park, Philadelphia, PA (www.jazzbridge.org)
9/8: (12 pm) Kavita Shah White Plains Farmers Market, White Plains Jazz Fest,White Plains, NY (www.artswestchester.org/programs/jazz-fest-2/)
9/8: (6 pm) Oscar Feldman Quartet Hamptons JazzFest @Hampton Library
Bridgehampton, NY (www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/8: (7:30 pm) Frank Vignola/Martin Taylor Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts
Center, Old Saybrook, CT (www.katharinehepburntheater.org)
9/9: (6 pm) Iris Ornig Trio Hamptons JazzFest @Hampton Library,
Bridgehampton, NY (www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/9: (6 pm) Ravi Coltrane Quartet City Square Park, White Plains Jazz Fest,White Plains, NY (www.artswestchester.org/programs/jazz-fest-2/)
9/9: (6 pm) Olivia Foschi Quartet Hamptons JazzFest @Church at Sag Harbor,
Sag Harbor, NY (www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/9: (6 pm) Sarah Hanahan Sextet with Josh Bruneau, Tony Davis,
Zaccai Curtis, Matt Dwonszyk, Michael Ode Butler-McCook House,
Hartford, CT (www.hartfordjazzsociety.com/event/sarah-hanahan-sextet-onsite/)
9/9: (7 pm) Dara Tucker Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ(www.newarkmuseumart.org/arts-garden)
9/10: (12 pm) Anaïs Reno with Pete Malinverni Trio White Plains Public Library
Plaza; (7:30/9 pm): Emmet Cohen Trio Grace Church White Plains Jazz Fest,White Plains, NY (www.artswestchester.org/programs/jazz-fest-2/)
9/10: (5:30 pm) Warren Wolf and The Wolfpack; Jimmy Greene Quintet
Side Door, Old Lyme, CT (www.oldlymeinn.com/TheSideDoorJazzClub.html)
9/10: (7 pm) Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra with Bill Warfield, John Eckert,
Pete Brainin, Cecilia Coleman, Matt Chertkoff, Scott Neumann
Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA (www.deerheadinn.com)
9/10: (7 pm) Larry Fuller Trio Jazz Loft, Stony Brook, NY (www.thejazzloft.org)
9/10: (7-10 pm) Davell Crawford, Charles Turner Quartet Central New Jersey
Jazz Festival, New Brunswick, NJ (www.centraljerseyjazzfestival.com)
9/10: (8 pm) Chris Oatts Quintet featuring Terell Stafford
Chris’ Jazz Café, Philadephia, PA (www.chrisjazzcafe.com)
9/10,11: (7/9:30 pm) John Pizzarelli Trio Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY (www.
jazzforumarts.org)
9/10: (8 pm) David Janeway Trio with Cameron Brown, Tony Jefferson;(10 pm) Zach Malian Trio Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY(www.maureensjazzcellar.com)
9/11: (1-6 pm) Terell Stafford Quintet; Mark Whitfield Quartet; Emily Braden
Quartet; (7-9:30 pm) Marcus Printup Quintet with Riza Printup Central New
Jersey Jazz Festival, New Brunswick, NJ (www.centraljerseyjazzfestival.com)
9/11: (8 pm) Victor Jones Trio Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY(www.maureensjazzcellar.com)
9/11: (12 pm) Alphonso Horne and The Gotham Kings @White Plains Plaza;(7:30/9 pm) Theo Croker Quartet Playgroup Theatre, White Plains Jazz Fest,White Plains, NY (www.artswestchester.org/programs/jazz-fest-2/)
9/11: (5:30 pm) Nat Reeves Quintet; Joe McCarthy’s NY Afro Bop Alliance Big
Band Side Door Old Lyme, CT (www.oldlymeinn.comTheSideDoorJazzClub.html)
9/11: (6 pm) Valery Ponomarev Legacy of Art Blakey Jazz Messengers
Bean Runner Café, Peekskill, NY (www.beanrunnercafe.com)
9/11: (7 pm) Big Chief Donald Harrison New Orleans Legacy Ensemble
Hamptons JazzFest @Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY(www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/11: (8 pm) Ari Hoenig Quartet with Tivon Pennicott, Gadi Lehavi,
Ben Tiberio Chris’ Jazz, Café Philadephia, PA (www.chrisjazzcafe.com)
9/11,12: (7 pm) Curtis Stigers South, Philadelphia, PA (southjazzkitchen.com)
9/11,12: (noon-11 pm) Nancy and Spencer Reed; Sherrie Maricle Band;
Water Gap Jazz Orchestra directed by Matt Vashlishan;
Adam Nussbaum Quartet Delaware Water Gap Jazz & Arts Festival,
Delaware Water Gap, PA (www.cotajazz.org)
9/12: (3-6 pm) Orrin Evans Quartet; Dara Tucker Central New Jersey Jazz
Festival, New Brunswick, NJ (www.centraljerseyjazzfestival.com)
9/12: (2 pm) Glenn Crytzer Quartet Dewey Banquet Hall, Hellertown, PA(www.deweyfireco.org)
9/12: (8 pm) David Budway; Ron Affif Quarttet Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY(www.maureensjazzcellar.com)

34 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

9/12: (3:15 pm) Erena Terakubo Quartet; Ray Blue Quartet with Samara Joy
Court Street, White Plains Jazz Fest, White Plains, NY(www.artswestchester.org/programs/jazz-fest-2/)
9/12: (5 pm) PRISM Quartet with Melissa Aldana & Terell Stafford
Gorgas Park, Philadelphia, PA (www.prismquartet.com/concerts/prism-in-the-parks)
9/12: (5:30 pm) Houston Person PJS Jazz Society at First Presbyterian Church,
Mt. Vernon, NY (www.pjsjazz.org)
9/12: (8 pm) Al Di Meola City Winery, Philadelphia, PA (www.citywinery.com)
9/13: (6 pm) PRISM Quartet with Melissa Aldana & Terell Stafford
FDR Park, Philadelphia, PA (www.prismquartet.com/concerts/prism-in-the-parks)
9/13: (8:30 pm) Mike Dopazo Trio Quinn’s, Beacon, NY(www.facebook.com/QuinnsBeacon)
9/14: (6 pm) Caroline Davis Duo Hamptons JazzFest @Hampton Library,
Bridgehampton, NY (www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/14: (6 pm) PRISM Quartet with Melissa Aldana & Terell Stafford
Penn Treaty Park, Philadelphia, PA(www.prismquartet.com/concerts/prism-in-the-parks)
9/16: (6 pm) Ashley Kahn “A Love Supreme: The Lives and Music of Alice &John Coltrane” Hudson Hall, Hudson, NY (www.hudsonhall.org)
9/16: (6 pm) Greg “Organ Monk” Lewis Quartet Hamptons JazzFest @Hampton Library, Bridgehampton, NY (www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/16: (7 pm) Bad Little Big Band with Rich Iacona featuring Madeline Cole
Jazz Loft, Stony Brook, NY (www.thejazzloft.org)
9/16: (7:30 pm) Madeleine Peyroux Keswick Theater, Glenside, PA(www.keswicktheatre.com)
9/16: (8 pm) Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart Organ Trio
Side Door, Old Lyme, CT (www.oldlymeinn.com/TheSideDoorJazzClub.html)
9/16: (8 pm) Tony Purrone Trio Café Nine, New Haven, CT (www.cafenine.com)
9/17: (7 pm) Parker Trio: Jon Ballantyne, Gene Perla, Adam Nussbaum
Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA (www.deerheadinn.com)
9/17: (8 pm) Yosvany Terry Quartet Side Door, Old Lyme, CT(www.oldlymeinn.com/TheSideDoorJazzClub.html)
9/17,18: (7/9:30 pm) Jeremy Pelt Quintet Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY(www.jazzforumarts.org)
9/17,18: (8 pm) Seamus Blake Quartet with David Kikoski, Alex Claffy,
Victor Lewis Chris’ Jazz Café, Philadephia, PA (www.chrisjazzcafe.com)
9/18: (12:30 pm) Cross Cultural Connection with Ray Blue
Pugsley Park on Main Street, Peekskill, NY (www.cccjazz.org)
9/18: (6 pm) Spin Cycle: Scott Neumann, Tom Christensen, Pete McCann,
Phil Palombi Bean Runner Café, Peekskill, NY (www.beanrunnercafe.com)
9/18: (7 pm) “A Love Supreme: Celebrating the Legacy of Alice & John
Coltrane”: Brandee Younger Trio with Dezron Douglas, Allan Mednard
Hudson Hall, Hudson, NY (www.hudsonhall.org)
9/18: (8 pm) Roni Ben-Hur Trio Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY(www.maureensjazzcellar.com)
9/18: (8 pm) Larry Fuller Trio Side Door, Old Lyme, CT(www.oldlymeinn.com/TheSideDoorJazzClub.html)
9/19: (4/6 pm) Mauricio de Souza & Bossa Brasil Jazz Forum Arts,
Tarrytown, NY (www.jazzforumarts.org)
9/19: (7:30 pm) Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Ridgefield Playhouse,
Ridgefield, CT (www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)
9/20: (8:30 pm) Eric Person’s Music of Ronald Shannon Jackson Project with
Neil Alexander, Robert Kopec, Dean Sharp Quinn’s, Beacon, NY(www.facebook.com/QuinnsBeacon)
9/22: (8 pm) Christoph Irniger with Raffaele Bossard, Ziv Ravitz, Michaël Attias
Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY (www.howlandculturalcentertix.com)
9/23: (7 pm) Lenore Raphael Trio with Hilliard Greene, Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax
Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY (www.jazzforumarts.org)
9/23: (7 pm) Harbor Jazz Festival: Interplay Jazz Orchestra
Jazz Loft, Stony Brook, NY (www.thejazzloft.org)
9/23: (8 pm) Sharp 5: Teri Roiger, Pete Levin, John Menegon, Jeff Siegel,
Nanny Assis Senate Garage, Kingston, NY (www.jazzstock.com)
9/24: (3 pm) & 9/25 (4 pm) Randy Brecker/Ada Rovatti Quintet
Hamptons JazzFest @Sag Harbor American Music Festival, Sag Harbor, NY(www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/24: (7 pm) Hailey Brinnel Quartet Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA(www.deerheadinn.com)
9/24: (7 pm) Harbor Jazz Festival: Emmet Cohen Trio
Jazz Loft, Stony Brook, NY (www.thejazzloft.org)
9/24: (8 pm) Don Falzone Trio Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY(www.maureensjazzcellar.com)
9/24: (8 pm) Gregory Porter NJPAC, Newark, NJ (www.njpac.org)
9/24,25: (7/9:30 pm) Kenny Barron Trio Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY(www.jazzforumarts.org)
9/24,25: (8 pm) Joe Farnsworth’s All Star Trio with Buster Williams,
Cyrus Chestnut Chris’ Jazz Café, Philadephia, PA (www.chrisjazzcafe.com)
9/24,25: (8 pm) Samara Joy with Pasquale Grasso Trio Side Door,
Old Lyme, CT (www.oldlymeinn.com/TheSideDoorJazzClub.html)
9/25: (1-9 pm) Christian McBride; Rudresh Mahanthappa Hero Trio;
Camille Thurman Quintet; Emmet Cohen Trio; Alicia Olatuja; Jason Moran
Montclair Jazz Festival, Montclair, NJ (www.montclairjazzfestival.org)
9/25: (7 pm) Dan Pugach Quintet with Nicole Zuraitis, Sam Dillon,
Pete McCann, Sam Weber Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, PA(www.deerheadinn.com)
9/25: (7 pm) Harbor Jazz Festival: Sheryl Bailey Trio with Ada Rovatti; Joel
Ross, Samara Joy, Immanuel Wilkins; Charlie Apicella & Iron City with
Madame Pat Tandy Village Green, Stony Brook, NY (www.thejazzloft.org)
9/25: (8 pm) “Salsa Meets Jazz”: Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra;
Eddie Palmieri Orchestra; Tito Nieves NJPAC, Newark, NJ (www.njpac.org)
9/26: (3 pm) Armen Donelian Trio with David Clark, George Schuller
Roeliff Jansen Park Hilltop Barn, Hillsdale, NY (www.armendonelian.com/events)
9/26: (4/6 pm) Enrico Granafei Quartet Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY(www.jazzforumarts.org)
9/26: (7 pm) Ferenc Nemeth Trio with Massimo Biolcati, Dayna Stephens
The Falcon, Marlboro, NY (www.liveatthefalcon.com)
9/26: (7:30 pm) Chris Botti Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT(www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)
9/27: (8:30 pm) Iris Ornig Group with Stuart Mack, Brian Woodruff
Quinn’s, Beacon, NY (www.facebook.com/QuinnsBeacon)
9/29: (7 pm) Sharp 5: Teri Roiger, Pete Levin, John Menegon, Jeff Siegel,
Nanny Assis La Zingara, Bethel, CT (www.lazingara.com)
9/29: (8 pm) SnackTime Philly Band World Café, Philadelphia, PA(www.worldcafelive.com/#opening/2)
9/30: (6 pm) Alex Sipiagin Sextet with Jaleel Shaw, Dave Kikoski,
Boris Kozlov, Donald Edwards Hamptons JazzFest @Church at Sag Harbor,
Sag Harbor, NY (www.hamptonsjazzfest.com)
9/30: (8 pm) Nicholas Payton World Café, Philadelphia, PA(www.worldcafelive.com/#opening/2)

MISCELLANY
ONbyTHISDAYAndrey Henkin

The Colorful Strings ofJimmy Woode (Argo)
September 2nd, 1957

Mongo at The Village Gate
Mongo Santamaria (Battle)
September 2nd, 1963

Eponymous
Victor Assis Brasil (Magic Music)
September 2nd, 1974

Right smack in the middle of five

This LP by percussionist Mongo

Though recorded live at the Teatro

years with Duke Ellington and on thesame day in Chicago that the orchestra
recorded tunes for Ella Fitzgerald Sings
the Duke Ellington Song Book, bassist
Jimmy Woode waxed this sole leader
date. Befitting the circumstances andlocale, the band is Ellingtonians Paul
Gonsalves (tenor saxophone), Clark
Terry (trumpet) and Sam Woodyard(drums) and locals Ramsey Lewis(piano), Porter Kilbert (alto) and Mike
Simpson (flute) on leader originals
and standard “The Way You Look
Tonight”, with Woode singing.

Santamaria, from the titular NYC
club, was first released on mostly
gospel Riverside subsidiary Battle(founded in 1948 by Joe Von Battle).
The band is Santamaria veterans
Bobby Capers (alto, flute), Rodgers
Grant (piano), Victor Venegas (bass)
and Julian Cabrera and “Chihuahua”
Martinez (percussion), plus Pat
Patrick (baritone, flute), Marty Sheller(trumpet) and drummer Frank
Hernandez on tunes by Santamaria,
Capers, Grant, Patrick, Valerie Capers,
Jimmy Heath and Yusef Salim.

Galeria in São Paulo by a Brazilian
band of Victor Assis Brasil (alto,
soprano saxophones, who would die
six years later at only 35), Marcio
Montarroyos(trumpet),
AlbertoFarah (electric piano), Paulinho Russo(electric bass) and Lula Nascimento(drums), this album, released on themostly classical Brazilian label MagicMusic, could have been a period CTI
release by Joe Farrell, a jazz-rockinfluenced date of three Assis Brasil
compositions and Leonard BernsteinStephen Sondheim’s “Somewhere”.

Speak Easy
Khan Jamal (Gazell)
September 2nd, 1988

Live At The 1996 Ford Montreux...
Lyman Woodard (Corridor)
September 2nd, 1996

generations of avant gardemusicians—vibraphonist Khan Jamal(b. 1946), pianist Dave Burrell (1940),
bassist William Parker (1952) anddrummer Sunny Murray (1936)—
meet in a Pennsylvania studio. Burrell
and Murray were old pals from the1969 Parisian BYG-Actuel days while
Jamal and Parker had worked
together in the early ‘70s under Byard
Lancaster. There is other overlap in
the personnel but this is the only
document of this quartet, who play
Jamal originals and the title piecefrom the 1937 film Easy Living.

The full title is Live At The 1996 Ford

Two

Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival, withorgan player Lyman Woodard’s trio
appearing on the Absolut Stage at
Hart Plaza. So, for those counting, wehave an American car, Swiss jazzfestival, Swedish vodka and U.S.
Senator from Michigan. Woodard wasa Detroit lifer who documented
himself (and other locals) on his
Corridor imprint. With him are twoother Motor Cityites in guitarist Bob
Tye and drummer Leonard King on
originals, standards and Nelson
Riddle’s “Theme From Perry Mason”.

BIRTHDAYS
September 1†Art Pepper 1925-82
Willie Ruff b.1931†Gene Harris 1933-2000
Wayne Horvitz b.1955
Essiet Essiet b.1956
Wolter Wierbos b.1957

September 7†Max Kaminsky 1908-94†Graeme Bell 1914-2012
Sonny Rollins b.1930†Makanda Ken McIntyre
1931-2001
Ron Blake b.1956
Bruce Barth b.1958
Irvin Mayfield b.1978

September 2†Horace Silver 1928-2014†Clifford Jordan 1931-93†Walter Davis Jr. 1932-90
John Zorn b.1953
Jonas Kullhammar b.1978

September 12†Cat Anderson 1916-81†Joe Shulman 1923-57†Earl Coleman 1925-95
Steve Turre b.1948Joëlle Léandre b.1951
Scott Hamilton b.1954
Adam Rudolph b.1955
Brian Lynch b.1956
Marc Mommaas b.1969
Pedrito Martinez b.1973
Champian Fulton b.1985

September 8†Wilbur Ware 1923-79†Specs Wright 1927-63†Marion Brown 1935-2010†James Clay 1935-95
Cecilia Coleman b.1962

September 16†Joe Venuti 1903-78†Jon Hendricks 1921-2017†Charlie Byrd 1925-99†Gordon Beck 1938-2011†Lisle Atkinson 1940-2019†Hamiet Bluiett 1940-2018
Steve Slagle b.1951
Graham Haynes b.1960
Chris Cheek b.1968

September 13†”Chu” Berry 1908-41†Leonard Feather 1914-94†Dick Haymes 1916-80
September 9†Charles Brown 1922-99†Elvin Jones 1927-2004
Alex Riel b.1940†Walter Benton 1930-2000
Joe Morris b.1955
Zbigniew Namysłowski b.1939 Moppa Elliott b.1978
George Mraz b.1944
September 14
September 4
September 10†Cachao 1918-2008†Gerald Wilson 1918-2014†Frank Coughlan 1904-79†Jay Cameron 1928-2011
David Liebman b.1946†Rod Rodriguez 1906-92†Bill Berry 1930-2002
Lonnie Plaxico b.1960†Raymond Scott 1908-94†Joseph Jarman 1937-2019
Kenny Davis b.1961†Joe Deniz 1913-1994†Eddie Moore 1940-90
Bireli Lagréne b.1966†Cliff Leeman 1913-86
Oliver Lake b.1942
Patrick Cornelius b.1978†Ken Rattenbury 1920-2001
Jerome Sabbagh b.1973†Prince Lasha 1929-2008
Aram Shelton b.1976
September 5
Roy Ayers b.1940
Brian Landrus b.1978†Albert Mangelsdorff
Dave Burrell b.1940
Diederik Rijpstra b.1982
1928-2005
Craig Harris b.1954†Eddie Preston 1928-2009
Steve Davis b.1958
September 15†Richie Powell 1931-56†Al Casey 1915-2005†Charles “Bobo” Shaw 1947-2017 September 11†Gene Roland 1921-82†Charles Moffett 1929-97†Arvell Shaw 1923-2002
September 6†Baby Face Willette 1933-1971 †Julian “Cannonball” Adderley†Buddy Bolden 1877-1931
Oliver Jones b.1934
1928-75†Clifford Thornton 1936-89†Hiram Bullock 1955-2008†Seldon Powell 1928-97
Peter Van Huffel b.1978
Dan Aran b.1977
Ned Rothenberg b.1956
September 3†Mickey Roker 1932-2017
Larry Ridley b.1937†Onaje Allan Gumbs 1949-2020
Veryan Weston b.1950
Peter Bernstein b.1967
David Sanchez b.1968

September 17†Jack McDuff 1926-2001†Earl May 1927-2008
Theo Loevendie b.1930†Perry Robinson 1938-2018
David Williams b.1946
Jeff Ballard b.1963
September 18†Steve Marcus 1939-2005
John Fedchock b.1957†Emily Remler 1957-90
Pete Zimmer b.1977

September 21†Slam Stewart 1914-87†Chico Hamilton 1921-2013†Fred Hunt 1923-86†Sunny Murray 1937-2017
John Clark b.1944
September 22†Fletcher Smith 1913-93†Bill Smith 1926-2020
Ken Vandermark b.1964
Alex Kontorovich b.1980
September 23†Albert Ammons 1907-49†John Coltrane 1926-67†Frank Foster 1928-2011†Jimmy Woode 1928-2005†Ray Charles 1930-2004
Norma Winstone b.1941†Jeremy Steig 1943-2016
George Garzone b.1950
September 24†”Fats” Navarro 1923-50†John Carter 1929-91†Wayne Henderson 1939-2014
Bill Connors b.1949
Jay Hoggard b.1954
Ingrid Laubrock b.1970
Walter Smith III b.1980

September 19†Muhal Richard Abrams
1930-2017†Lol Coxhill 1932-2012
Tatsu Aoki b.1957
Bruce Cox b.1959
Cuong Vu b.1969
September 20†Jackie Paris 1926-2004†John Dankworth 1927-2010†Red Mitchell 1927-92†Joe Temperley 1929-2016†Eddie Gale 1938-2020†Billy Bang 1947-2011
Steve Coleman b.1956
Ben Kono b.1967

September 25†Alex Bigard 1899-1978†Charlie Allen 1908-72†Sam Rivers 1923-2011†Roland Alexander 1935-2006
Horacee Arnold b.1937
Mike Gibbs b.1937†John Taylor 1942-2015
Craig Handy b.1962
Barbara Dennerlein b.1964

September 26†Dick Heckstall-Smith
1934-2005
Gary Bartz b.1940†Vic Juris 1953-2019
Nicholas Payton b.1973
Mamiko Watanabe b.1980
September 27†Bud Powell 1924-66†Hank Levy 1927-2001†Red Rodney 1927-94
Mike Nock b.1940
Bill Washer b.1949
Matt Wilson b.1964
September 28†John Gilmore 1931-95
Gerd Dudek b.1938†Ray Warleigh 1938-2015
Rod Mason b.1940†Sirone 1940-2009†Mike Osborne 1941-2007†Kenny Kirkland 1955-98
September 29
Rolf Kühn b.1929
Melba Joyce b.1939†Malcolm Griffiths 1941-2021
Jean-Luc Ponty b.1942†Roy Campbell 1952-2014
Dave Kikoski b.1961
September 30†Buddy Rich 1917-87†Oscar Pettiford 1922-60†Carmen Leggio 1927-2009†Jon Eardley 1928-91†Steve McCall 1933-89
Antonio Hart b.1968
Melissa Stylianou b.1976
Marshall Gilkes b.1978JOËLLE LÉANDRE

September 12th, 1951
When French bassist Joëlle
Léandre was 25, she received
a scholarship to study at theCenter for Creative andPerforming Arts in Buffalo.
In addition to the academic
influence was a chance toexperience the avant garde
scene of New York. This time
would inform the rest of her
career, over four decades in
the international worlds offree improvisation and new
music. She has been very
prolific, releasing nearly two
hundred albums under her
own leadership or withcollaborators like Lol Coxhill,
Irène Schweizer, Anthony
Braxton, Derek Bailey, Peter
Kowald, William Parker,
Steve Lacy, George Lewis,
LaurenNewton,Phil
Minton and many manyothers. 2021 has been no
different, with four new
sessions and counting. (AH)

CROSSWORD
1

2

3

4

8

5

9

10

11

6

7

12

13

14

15

17

18

16

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

33

34

35

By Andrey Henkin 			

29

30

31

32

ACROSS
1. Canadian tenor saxophonist Georgie
5. UWS jazz school
8. Birthplace of Enrico Rava
12. Brother Thelonious is one
13. Imprint with a Musician sub-label
14. Guitarist Farlow
15. LP-buying factor (abbr.)
16. 1963 Peggy Lee Capitol album ____ Woman
17. Oscar Pettiford standard
21. Porcine Count Basie tune
22. 2020 Gregory Porter Decca album All ____
23. Brew that used to sponsor the Japanese Newport
Jazz Festival
25. Danish pianist Niels ____ Doky
26. Trumpeter Booker to his friends?
27. 2000 Christian McBride Verve album ____-Fi
28. Miles Davis saxophone alum Dave
33. Award-winning German label
34. Pianists Al and Marilyn
35. 1990 Randy Brecker Sonet album ____ to ____
36. Der Rote Bereich’s third album for Jazz4Ever
DOWN

36

1. Charles Mingus supposedly did this once on the
bandstand in the middle of a set
2. Part of a modern musician’s toolkit

3. Primordial Billy Mayhew jazz standard “It’s A Sin To
Tell A ____”
4. Marty Paich ____-Tette he led in the ‘50s and again inthe ‘80s
5. This French artist published a limited-edition book of
his collages in 1947 under the title Jazz
6. Where many a jazz musician ended up
7. Drummer Francisco
9. Location of defunct U.K. club The Plough
10. One-fourth of a duodectet
11. Where Albert Ayler took his final bow
17. Industry that sponsored jazz for decades
18. Editori ____, Italian publisher of the 2002 book
Jazz Legends: Keith Jarrett
19. English Bassist/U.S. recording studio owner Peter
20. Like Grover Washington, Harry Connick and Phineas
Newborn?
24. Daniel Carter, Watson Jennison, William Parker
and Federico Ughi made a live record here in 2015 for
577 Records
25. Lauren Sevian/Alexa Tarantino project
29. Greenwich Village basement jazz club (abbr.)
30. In its French release, where Erroll Garner’s famed
concert took place
31. Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein standard “All theThings You ____”
32. Quartet of Cyprian Baszyński, Bartek Prucnal,
Michael Parker and Dawid Fortuna

visit nycjazzrecord.com for answers

THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | SEPTEMBER 2021 35

LET’SBE
CANDID!!!
NEW RELEASES COMING IN SEPTEMBERALONG WITH NYC PERFORMANCES!

ELIANE ELIAS — MIRROR MIRROR
With Chick Corea And Chucho ValdésMulti GRAMMY® winning pianist/
singer/composer Eliane Elias’ latest
album Mirror Mirror is a lifelong
musical dream come true—
an extraordinary piano duet recording of
Eliane with the late legendary jazz
great Chick Corea and famed Cuban
pianist Chucho Valdés.
Available September 10th
Live @ City Winery — September 15

COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA —LIVE AT BIRDLAND
In 1961 The Count Basie Band played in
the iconic New York jazz club Birdland. The
album from those nights, Basie at Birdland!,has been called simply “the best live recordingof a big band ever.” Almost 60 years later,
the band, now under the direction of Scotty
Barnhart, returns to the storied club once
again with their new album Live At Birdland.
Available September 17th
Live @ Birdland — September 14 - 18
STACEY KENT —SONGS FROM OTHER PLACES
A captivating and eclectic collection of voice andpiano duets. Traveling with Stacey on this musicaljourney is her dear friend, pianist, Art Hirahara.
The idea for this album germinated when “I
Wish I Could Go Travelling Again,” written for her
by Nobel Prize-winning author, Kazuo Ishiguro,and her long-time collaborator and husband,
Jim Tomlinson, was the most talked about andrequested song by her fans on social media.
Available September 17th
Live @ Birdland — September 28 - October 2