Hiromi Uehara - 36. Moers Festival 2007 Moers, 2007-05-28
Moers, Germany
Lineup
Hiromi, p, key
David Fiuczynski, g
Tony Grey, bg
Martin Valihora, dr Radio DJ: Michael Ruesenberg
Setlist
1 – Radio DJ Michael Ruesenberg – 0:09 2 – Time Control or Controlled by Time – 12:18 3 – Radio DJ Michael Ruesenberg – 1:45 4 – Time Travel – 14:43 5 – Time & Space – 11:40 6 – Radio DJ Michael Rueüsenberg – 1:16 7 – Time Out – 8:27 8 – Real Clock vs Body Clock=Jet Lag – 8:48
There is no better way to start one's Monday morning than with some Jack DeJohnette in full-throttle!
Furthermore, here's a couple clips of Jack demonstrating his Sabian 3-point ride cymbals (courtesy of the Memphis Drum Shop) and a chance for us to admire his fine ride cymbal technique:
I first saw a video of this amazing footage in my grade nine band class twenty years ago. My band teacher at the time, Brent Ghiglione, literally sat us down one morning and said: "You have to watch this. This is really important." And he was right! I remember being mesmerized by Jo Jones' fluid and swinging drumming, by the incredible bounce that the entire Count Basie band was able to conjure up when playing together. To get that many people to play and feel time together....that is pure magic folks! And also, while I didn't understand it at the time, I recognized that the interplay between Billie Holiday and Lester Young on "Fine and Mellow" is about as pure as one can get emotionally while playing music...
This is an amazing collection and also features some great drumming from Jimmy Cobb with Miles Davis and also some very rare footage of Vernell Fournier playing some great (and unique!) brushes with the Ahmad Jamal trio (dig the lack of "spread" that he is playing brushes with...how does he get that sound???) The footage of the unsung hero Osie Johnson playing with Thelonious Monk really stands out for me as well (if for nothing else to see Count Basie himself hanging out next to the piano, digging every note - apparently that really pissed Monk off!)
Here's what ol' trustworthy Wikipedia has to say about this important footage:
"The Sound of Jazz" is a 1957 edition of the CBS television series Seven Lively Arts, and was one of the first major programmes featuring jazz to air on American network television. The one-hour program aired on Sunday, December 8, 1957, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, live from CBS Studio 58, the Town Theater at 851 Ninth Avenue in New York City. The show was hosted by New York Herald-Tribune media critic John Crosby, directed by Jack Smight, and produced by Robert Herridge. Jazz writers Nat Hentoff and Whitney Balliett were the primary music consultants.
The Sound of Jazz brought together 32 leading musicians from the swing era including Count Basie, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Billie Holiday, Jo Jones and Coleman Hawkins; the Chicago style players of the same era, like Henry "Red" Allen, Vic Dickenson, and Pee Wee Russell; and younger 'modernist' musicians such as Gerry Mulligan, Thelonious Monk, and Jimmy Giuffre. These players played separately with their compatriots, but also joined to combine various styles in one group, such as Red Allen's group and the group backing Billie Holiday on "Fine and Mellow".
The show's performance of "Fine and Mellow" reunited Billie Holiday with her estranged long-time friend Lester Young for the final time. Jazz critic Nat Hentoff, who was involved in the show, recalled that during rehearsals, they kept to opposite sides of the room. Young was very weak, and Hentoff told him to skip the big band section of the show and that he could sit while performing in the group with Holiday. During the performance of "Fine and Mellow", Webster played the first solo. "Then", Hentoff remembered:
"Lester got up, and he played the purest blues I have ever heard, and [he and Holiday] were looking at each other, their eyes were sort of interlocked, and she was sort of nodding and half–smiling. It was as if they were both remembering what had been—whatever that was. And in the control room we were all crying. When the show was over, they went their separate ways."
Within two years, both Young and Holiday had died."
On Fallen Angel, Larry Coryell teams up with arranger Don Sebesky to produce a wide-ranging album full of sampled sounds and programmed tracks in an attempt to mix the old CTI sound of the '70s with the production techniques and rhythms of the '90s. "Inner City Blues" kicks things off with great promise, as Coryell jams over a pre-programmed rhythm track with background vocalists. On "(Angel on Sunset) Bumpin' on Sunset," he improvises along with a sampled Wes Montgomery, then turns Erroll Garner's classic "Misty" into a mid-tempo reggae jaunt through which he and pianist Mulgrew Miller travel lightly. The CTI connection is brought to the forefront with a remake of Deodato's "2001" hit called "Thus Spoke Z," on which the famous theme is implied but never stated. Other highlights include a funky, angular tribute called "Monk's Corner," Sebesky's attractive "I Remember Bill" and the solo "Westerly Wind." There are also two pleasant smooth jazz vocal pieces at the front of the album, the beautiful ballad, "Fallen," a duet between vocalists Klyde Jones and Jeanie Bryson, and the funky made-for-radio "Never Never," featuring saxophonist Richard Elliot and a vocal from Ms. Jones. - by Jim Newsom, AMG
Danilo Perez And Friends Jazz Up Close Celebrates Mccoy Tyner
Perelman Theatre Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States of America 14 April 2012
Lineup
Danilo Perez - piano Kenny Garrett - alto saxophone John Patitucci - bass Brian Blade - drums
First Set 70:33 01. Introduction by Maureen Malloy 01:14 02. Introduction by Matt Wolf 1:32 03. Unknown 10:35 04. Unknown 16:37 05. Unknown 10:42 06. Unknown 9:43 07. Ask Me Now (Thelonious Monk) 3:34 08. Title 15:49 09. Outro by Maureen Malloy 0:42
10. Artist Chat with Danilo Perez & Kenny Garrett 7:25
Second Set 39:07 11. Introduction by Maureen Malloy 0:17 12. Unknown 18:59 13. Unknown 11:22 14. Outro by Maureen Malloy 1:01
I'm ashamed to admit that this is one Elvin Jones record that I haven't heard or checked out yet!
Thanks to Calgary bassist and world traveller Dale James who has been raving about this one to me over the course of the last couple of weeks via texts, e-mails and smoke signals. And now I know why!
Thanks to the kind people over at Toronto's jazz.fm radio station, they have archived some great Canadian concerts, documentaries and interviews over at www.canadianjazzarchive.org
There are many great live, recorded concerts going back to the 70s and it's a great opportunity to hear the likes of drummers such as Terry Clarke, Bob McLaren, Claude Ranger, John Sumner, Marty Morell, Ted Warren and many others: http://www.canadianjazzarchive.org/en/concerts.html
This is a great website/resource and props to who ever thought of coming up with this one. I have to admit that the content is obviously very Toronto-centric however I appreciate the vision and foresight to preserve these recordings and interviews. I think the CBC could take a page from jazz.fm's book given how much material they've also recorded over the years...wouldn't it be great to be able to access all those Jazz Beat sessions that Clare Lawrence produced over the years?
Thanks to Bret Primack, the hard working "Jazz Video Guy", here's two great clips of two great drummers. The first features an insightful interview with the great Roy Haynes:
And here's a helpful lesson courtesy of Winard Harper on how to apply the rudiments to the drum set, how to create a vocabulary and the overall importance of thinking and playing melodically on the drums:
Though Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt were the premier twin towers of jazz tenor sax bar none, they also had great mutual respect for their distinctly different styles. The soulful Ammons and the bop-oriented Stitt meshed well whether playing standards, jamming on familiar melodies, or in ballad form. This recording sees them a bit restrained, teamed with the brilliant organist Don Patterson, the totally obscure guitarist Paul Weeden, and the great drummer Billy James. There's a schism in terms of the stereo separation as each saxophonist gets his own channel, but on occasion they do play together, just not all that much. Some longer cuts allow Patterson to loosen up and take charge, but he is in the main an accompanist on this date from 1962. There's no real battling for turf here, while one-upmanship is redacted as the two take turns with nary a hint of egotism. Stitt switches to alto in contrast, and the two saxophonists play together on the good swinger "Walkin'," always a jam vehicle but shortened here, with the basic melody played only one time through, with Ammons adding a bit of harmony to the proceedings. They trade shorter phrases on "Why Was I Born?," as Stitt goes off on a flurry of bebop notes. Where "John Brown's Body" is quintessential soul-jazz at its primal best, they stretch out on the ten-minute jam "Bye Bye Blackbird," with Stitt first out of the batters' box and Ammons hitting for extra bases to drive his bandmate home. Where programming doesn't really matter on a CD (you can do that on your own), the leadoff track -- strangely enough -- is downtempo, hardly something to send anyone into orbit. "Long Ago and Far Away" is a ballad feature, first for Ammons and then Stitt, where the stereo effect is in full flight as the two go back and forth, with Patterson's sweet, swinging, and soulful B-3 languishing in the background. While not an out-and-out knock-down, drag-out event like their other recordings, this is still one of too few magical efforts with Ammons and Stitt together. Those who crave the live cutting sessions that made jazz very exciting in the early '60s might also consider this tamer studio effort. - by Michael G. Nastos, AMG
Artist: Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt Album: Boss Tenors in Orbit! Year: 1962 Label: Verve (Master Edition, 24 bit dig. transfer, 2002) Runtime: 37:30
Tracks: 1. Long Ago And Far Away (Ira Gerschwin/Jerome Kern) 6:18 2. Walkin' (Jimmy Mundy) 5:24 3. Why Was I Born? (Oscar Hammerstein II/Jerome Kern) 8:23 4. John Brown's Body (Traditonal) 7:25 5. Bye-Bye, Blackbird (Ray Henderson/Mort Dixon) 9:57
Personnel: Gene Ammons (Tenor Saxophone) Sonny Stitt (Tenor Saxophone) Don Patterson (Organ) Paul Weeden (Guitar) Billy James (Drums)
Here's a bunch of great ones from a European concert featuring my all-time vibraphone hero. Here is Bobby Hutcherson with his quartet featuring the late, great Eddie Marshall on drums:
Myself and Calgary bassist Dale James have been exchanging some lengthy and insightful emails with regards to this performance lately:
Dig Ralph Peterson's ferocious drumming and, in particular, how he's able to maintain the energy of this jam for almost half an hour! That's an impressive feat in itself.
I also love Bobby Hutcherson's vibraphone solo and I really dig how he creates a masterpiece, takes a bit of a break and then he's back for more!
The John McLaughlin Trio goes into the studio and broadens its stylistic range considerably in another musically satisfying, open-minded outing. Again, McLaughlin sounds rejuvenated and refreshed in this format, as he switches between acoustic guitar and a guitar synthesizer attachment that softens and rounds his attacks while creating some luminous timbres and textures. McLaughlin's on-again, off-again Indian kick rises prominently into view here as Trilok Gurtu's role broadens into that of an all-purpose percussionist, producing some amazing sounds as backdrops. Pastorius-influenced bassist Kai Eckhardt gets downright funky on "1 Nite Stand" but gives way to the equally accomplished Dominque Di Piazza on most tracks. Yes, there is even some fantastic straight-ahead blues grooving on "Hijacked" -- if one may be permitted to use the terms guitar synthesizer and straight-ahead in the same sentence. - by Richard S. Ginell, AMG
Artist: John McLaughlin Trio Album. Qué Alégria Year: 1992 Label: Polydor Runtime: 64:46
Sorry for my radio silence over the past few days but I've been in New York City for most of the past week and things have been very busy and on the go...not much time to sleep let alone blog! I don't make it to NYC very often (maybe like only once a year if I'm lucky!) so I always like to pack in as much as I can during my travels.
Here are a few of the highlights of my recent experience travelling to Jazz Mecca:
-The main purpose of my trip was to take a lesson with percussionist and vibraphonist Allan Molnar who teaches at Lehman College in the Bronx. I've been studying with Allan online via Skype for over a year now thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. It's been a great experience and I was very lucky to have the opportunity to travel to New York and work with Allan in person as part of my study project. We spent an afternoon together working over the finer points of playing over rhythm changes and dealing with the art of ballad playing. It was a really motivating experience and I have plenty to work on in the months ahead!
Allan is an exceptional teacher and quite involved with the KoSa percussion camp that Aldo Mazza runs every summer in upstate Vermont:
-I travelled an hour north of New York City by bus and was fortunate to spend a day working with Adam Nussbaum, a great drummer and teacher, who's literally played with the best of the best and who's resume speaks for itself. We did quite a bit of playing together (I played drums while he sang!) and talked at length about his conception of playing time, phrasing, ride cymbal technique and the brushes. We also did a considerable amount of listening together and discussed the music of Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Shirley Horn, Gil Gilberto, Nat King Cole, Ahmad Jamal and Chick Webb. Adam is a superb teacher and a great guy. I would highly recommend seeking him out if you are interested in learning from one of the greats.
As you can see here, Adam is all about the music!
-No trip to New York is complete without a visit to the original Shake Shack in Madison Square park!
-I headed down to the Village Vanguard on Friday evening to hear trumpeter Tom Harrell and his fine quintet. I always make a point of heading to the Vanguard whenever I travel to New York. It was really nice to hear Harrell's fine compositions played by his regular band which has been together for some time now. My buddy Johnathan Blake did a fine job behind the drums giving the music exactly what it needed in terms of dynamics, orchestration and direction. Johnathan is one of my favorite younger drummers on the New York scene these days to listen to so keep your eyes and ears out for him.
I was also nice to hear pianist Danny Grissett again. I just heard him play in Calgary last month with drummer Matt Slocum's trio and it was cool to hear him in a quintet context backing up some horns. I really appreciate his nice touch and very inventive yet melodic style of playing. I'll have to make a point of listening to his own music he's released as a leader sometime soon.
Here is a clip of Harrell's quintet from awhile ago unleashing over a rhythm changes:
(I hope to do that on the vibraphone someday!)
-After catching Tom Harrell's band at the Vanguard I caught up with my old McGill arranging teacher Chuck Dotas (who now heads the jazz department at James Madison University) and we headed down the street to catch pianist Jonny King and his band which featured Ralph Bowen on tenor saxophone, Ed Howard on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. This was killing !!! The whole band sounded great but in particular Ralph and Nasheet really tore it up.
-On Saturday evening Allan Molnar and I caught the first set of Bill Evans' "Soulgrass" band at the Blue Note. The main reason we went was to hear the legendary vibraphonist Mike Mainieri (of Steps Ahead fame) who was to be featured with the group (Randy Brecker and John Medeski were featured earlier in the week). I don't get to hear that many Jazz vibraphonist play all that often so this was quite a treat for me to hear one of the Masters in action. And he certainly didn't disappoint and Allan and I were both spellbound by Mainieri's rubato intro to one of the pieces that featured a solo interpretation of "Here's That Rainy Day". Mike Mainieri is a force and I'm also going to make a point of checking out more of his work in the future, in particular the albums he recorded with Steps Ahead.
The "Soulgrass" band itself was very unique and very different but very interesting (!) Saxophonist Bill Evans is a force on his instrument and really impressed with me with his immense technique and phrasing. The music itself could probably be best described as a mix of Jazz funk/fusion with a heavy dose of Americana bluegrass! It was quite refreshing, Bill Evans and Mike Mainieri played their butts off and I dug it.
Here's a taste from a previous European concert date:
-After taking in Soulgrass at the Blue Note I wandered over the Cornelia Street Cafe to hear bassist Kermit Driscol's group with guitarist Ben Monder, Kris Davis on piano and drummer/percussionist John Hollenbeck. I was only somewhat familiar with Kermit Driscoll mainly from his work with Bill Frisell's trio (Montreal's Mike Shulha was the one who first hipped to the Bill Frissell trio live album years ago while we were studying together at McGill during the mid 90s and that featured Frisell with Driscoll on bass and Joey Baron on drums - my frist introduction to the wide world of Joey Baron!) The band featured Driscoll's very eclectic and involved compositions. The pieces and playing were fine throughout and could not have been more different than the music I had just heard at the Blue Note!!!
The band also played a composition of John's (I don't think they announced the title) that seemed like mostly an orchestrated/textural framework for John's fine and inventive drumming...that was very interesting. Hollenbeck is a drummer and composer that I greatly admire and will also make a point of checking out more of his work for large ensemble and the Claudia Quintet in the days to come.
Here's a a sample of the Claudia Quintet from a few years ago (I really dig his use of the vibraphone/accordion combination!):
It was also nice to hear Kris Davis playing so well. I first met and played with Kris when she was only 18 years old and right out of high school. We met each other at the Banff Centre for the Arts during the summer of 1997 and played quite a bit of trio with bassist Solon McDade. She went on to study at the University of Toronto and then moved to New York City a little over 10 years. She's up to great things these days and making a name for herself in the Big City so be sure to keep your eyes and ears on her music as well.
So as you can see it was one busy but very satisfying week! I'm not sure when I'll be back but it's always an adventure when I travel to New York.
I don't think that one has to live in New York in order to be a "real" Jazz musician these days but I do think that there is a lot to be said for spending time in the Big City, studying with the Masters on their home turf and soaking in as much of the creative energy and music that you can from that city. The musicians who live there play the way they do for a reason and I think that the rest of us owe it to ourselves to try and tap into that by whatever means we can!
Most of the music on this date (which emphasizes group originals) features guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Don Thompson and drummer Terry Clarke. The versatile Thompson switches to piano for a duet with Hall on "Circles" and on a quartet version (with Rufus Reid on bass) of "My Heart Sings." Nothing all that exciting or unexpected occurs during the CD reissue (which adds an additional song to the original LP), but virtually all of Hall's recordings (which tend to be harmonically sophisticated and quietly subtle) are worth acquiring. - by Scott Yanow, AMG
Jim Hall's successful blend of contemporary and mainstream jazz should appeal to both camps on this well-crafted CD. Hall displays the subtle quiet lyricism that makes his guitar sound instantly identifiable. Gil Goldstein is a perfect choice on keyboards, because he uses synthesizer only to color rather than overpower a song, while avoiding schmaltz. Both "Beja-Flor" and the title track benefit from his contributions. Though his piano is frequently in the background, it matches Hall's hushed, effective guitar lines. Bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Terry Clarke frequently lay out during the introductions and then enter to add either gentle shadings or full steam, if needed. One of Jim Hall's best CDs. - by Ken Dryden, AMG
Artist: Jim Hall Album: Storyteller (CD1: Circles; CD2 All Across the City) Year: 1981, 1989 Label: Concord Records (2002) Runtime: 45:21 + 57:36
Circles tracks: 1. (All Of A Sudden) My Heart Sings (Jean Marie Blanvillain/Henri Herpin/Harold Rome) 6:14 2. Love Letters (Edward Heyman/Victor Young) 7:05 3. Down From Antigua (Jim Hall) 6:43 4. Echo (Jim Hall) 3:31 5. I Can't Get Started (Vernon Duke/Ira Gershwin) 4:45 6. T.C. Blues (Terry Clarke) 4:06 7. Circles (Don Thompson) 6:48 8. Aruba (Jim Hall) 6:09
Personnel: Jim Hall (Guitar) Don Thompson (Piano, Double Bass) Terry Clarke (Drums) Rufus Reid (Bass) - 1
All Across the City tracks: 1. Beija-Flor (Nelson Cavaquinho/Noel Silva/Tomaz, Augusto Jr.) 6:32 2. Bemsha Swing (Denzil Best/Thelonious Monk) 5:13 3. Prelude To A Kiss (Duke Ellington/Irving Gordon/Irving Mills) 4:51 4. Young One (For Debra) (Jim Hall) 4:27 5. R.E.M. State (Gil Goldstein) 5:35 6. Jane (Jim Hall) 4:59 7. All Across The City (Jim Hall) 5:32 8. Drop Shot (Jim Hall) 5:33 9. How Deep Is The Ocean? (Irving Berlin) 3:29 10. Something Tells Me (Jane Hall) 5:00 11. Big Blues (Jim Hall) 6:25
Personnel: Jim Hall (Guitar) Gil Goldstein (Keyboards) Steve LaSpina (Bass) Terry Clarke (Drums)
Ronnie Scott's post bop modern playing was bold and authoritative, and he absorbed many influences including Zoot Sims, Stan Getz and Lester Young. He could play a powerful blues followed by an exquisite ballad with an instantly recognisable sound and style. He was always a jazz man, his bands and groups never compromised. His death in 1996, following a period of despair and inactivity, left a gap in British modern jazz. He has been much missed. He truly was the father of British modern jazz. - from http://vzone.virgin.net/davidh.taylor/scott.htm
Artist: Ronnie Scott & The Band Album: Live at Ronnie Scott's Year: 1968 Quality: eac-flac, cue, log, artw. Label: Columbia (1999) Runtime: 47:19
Tracks: 1. Recorda Me (Remember Me) (Joe Henderson) 4:37 2. King Pete (Laurie Holloway) 6:49 3. Second Question (Kenny Wheeler) 7:22 4. Marmasita (Joe Henderson) 6:30 5. Too Late,Too Late (Mike Westbrook) 6:19 6. Lord Of The Reddy River (Donovan Leitch) 5:10 7. Macumba (Gordon Beck) 10:32
Personnel: Ronnie Scott (Tenor Saxophone) John Surman (Baritone and Soprano Saxophone) Ray Warleigh (Alto Saxophone and Flute) Kenny Clarke (Drums) Gordon Beck (Piano and Organ) Chris Payne (Trombone) Ron Matthewson (Double Bass) Kenny Wheeler (Trumpet and Flugelhorn) Tony Oxley (Drums)
As a producer and sideman, Bombay-born percussionist and singer Trilok Gurtu has become something of a godfather to London's emerging Asian Underground movement (his relationship with Asian Dub Foundation having earned him particularly strong street credibility in recent years), but he's also been quietly releasing solo albums for the last decade. The latest finds him teamed up with bassist Kai Eckhardt de Camargo (good luck sorting out the ethnicity of that name), guitarist Jaya Deva, sitar player Ravi Chary, and several high-profile guests (including Neneh Cherry, who sings a touching tribute to Ravi's and her late stepfather) for a program of cross-cultural jamming. Worldbeat fusion is always a dicey prospect, and while this album has many attractive moments, it never really comes into focus. "Seven Brings Return" meanders, at first hypnotically, then stultifyingly, for over eight minutes, and the wanky Steve Lukather guitar solo in the middle doesn't help. However, there's an equally meandering, but much more melodically interesting, bass solo on "You, Remember This" that works very well. "Brasilian" is a mostly unsuccessful attempt at a fusion of Indian and Brazilian influences, and "Who Knows the Mind" is downright weird-a love songs that segues into a sort of progressive rock crossed with bhangra, again for over eight minutes. All of this stuff is pleasant enough, but little of it is very compelling. - by Rick Anderson, AMG
JazzFest Berlin 2001 Haus der Berliner Festspiele Berlin, Germany, 1-Nov-2001
Track Listings
1. The Rube Thing 9:13 2. Somewhere Else Before 8:03 3. Definition of a Dog 13:51 4. From Gagarin's Point of View 7:06 5. Bowling 11:42 6. Dodge the Dodo 12:28
Lineup
Esbjörn Svensson - piano Dan Berglund - bass Magnus Öström - drums
Well, it's sort of spring here in Calgary but winter still refuses to give itself up completely and leave us for good. Personally I'm ready for some warmer temperatures, some fresh air and some green on the trees and shrubs around here for once...let's get on with it already! Anyways, enough of me rambling on about the weather. Here's a few interesting things to take note of this morning in the wide world of Jazz drumming and percussion:
-I was lucky to hear some real world-class musicians this past week here in Calgary. Last Tuesday I caught Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain and The Masters of Percussion at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts. I've seen them before during a performance in Toronto at Roy Thompson Hall a few years ago and it was incredible then and they certainly did not disappoint this time either! Zakir and his cohorts are true masters of rhythm and it was really a mind-blowing experience all around.
The group featured a several soloists on instruments from the greater India/Pakistan region in both solo and ensemble features. The highlights for me were Zakir's tabla duets with his brother that featured them trading some pretty slick polyrhythms back and forth over some really intricate forms and at some ridiculous speeds. And of course, as always, Abbos Kosimov from Uzbekistan stole the show on the frame drum known as the Doyra (and at one point playing three drums balanced on each other at the same time!) I saw Abbos give a brilliant masterclass at PASIC in 2009 and was blown away then too.
Here is a sample of Kosimov's brilliant frame drumming:
And here is a taste of Zakir Hussain and his budding Masters of rhythm:
-Friday evening took me to the Beatniq Jazz & Social club to hear legendary pianist Hal Galper with his trio. The band had a real tight dynamic and a connection you only get from mature musicians that play together a lot and you could tell that they were all really on the same page musically and conceptually. They mostly played Galper's originals but opened the evening's first set with a blistering fast version of "Alice in Wonderland" and finished the first set with a rearrangement of Sonny Rollins' "Airegin". I was really impressed and fascinated by the very dense and loose rhythmic nature that the trio played with and how they really propelled the music forward from the very first note. There was no sense of hesitation or doubt whatsoever! The trio arrangements, as far as I could tell, really blurred the line between playing free and structured, playing in-time/out-of-time but I really dug it and it was really beautiful music to listen to. Drummer John Bishop did a fantastic job, played with a great sound and dynamics and he really exhibited a nice way of orchestrating ideas around the drum set while moving the music forward and giving the music exactly what it needed. I especially appreciated his approach to playing some really fast tempos that broke up the patterns around the drums very effectively. I'd like to hear more of this trio and, in particular, explore more of their personal approach to how they express the notion of time and playing freely together.
Thanks to Bret Primack, The Jazz Video Guy, here is some footage of the very same trio playing and Galper explains their trio concept of open playing very articulately:
-One of my favorite earlier Hal Galper recordings is called "Children of The Night" and features Bob Moses on drums along with Randy and Michael Brecker. Here is one of Rakalam doing his thing that I came across:
-Thanks to David Stanoch who passed along this fine clip of Art Blakey circa. 1979:
-Here's an interesting one of Brian Blade using his hands...
-My good friend Jerome Jennings from New York City is up to great things these days (including work with his group "The Jazz Knights" and the occasional gig with Sonny Rollins!) Check out his EPK:
-Congratulations to Phil Dwyer and David Braid who each recently took home Juno awards for their respective albums. Phil and David are both incredibly talented artists and have also worked very hard on their music over the years. It's very nice to see these two recognized for all the efforts they've put into their projects.
-Courtesy of the New York Public Library's Oral History Project, here is an extended interview with drummer Art Taylor to check out: http://www.nypl.org/audiovideo/arthur-taylor-full-interview (thanks to Mike Melito who found this one!)
-What am I listening to these days?
Sonny Rollins "Way Out West" - Shelly Manne (drums)
Louis Bellson Big Band "East Side Suite" - Louis Bellson (drums)
Dave Pike "It's Time for Dave Pike" - Billy Higgins (drums), Dave Pike (vibraphone)
Brian Barley "Trio 1970" - Claude Ranger (drums)
Ulysses Owens Jr. "Unanimous" - Ulysses Owens Jr. (drums)
Milt Jackson "The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson" - Connie Kay (drums), Milt Jackson (vibraphone)
Charles Lloyd "Home" (DVD) - Billy Higgins (drums & percussion)
Miles Davis "Round Midnight" - Philly Joe Jones (drums)
-If you are interested in seeing me play over the next couple of months, here is where I'll be for April and May:
April
17 Jazz Drumming Workshop - Foothills Composite High School (Okotoks, AB) 18 Drum Set and Percussion Workshop - Banff, AB 19 Sheldon Zandboer Trio - Hyatt Regency, Sandstone Lounge 5-7pm 20 Johnny Summers Quartet - Heritage Park 21 Vibraphone duet with bassist Stefano Valdo - Waves Coffee House on 17th 27-28 Chris Andrew's Tribute to Oscar Peterson - Yardbird Suite (Edmonton)
May
2 Drum Set and Percussion Workshop - Banff, AB 4-5 Jon McCaslin Quintet Sunalta CD Release - The Cellar (Vancouver) 6 Jon McCaslin Trio recording session (Vancouver) 10 Jeff McGregor Trio - Kawa Espresso Bar 12 Jon McCaslin Quintet - Yardbird Suite (Edmonton) 18-19 Jon McCaslin Quintet - Beatniq Jazz & Social Club 23-25 Oliver Jones Quartet - Theatre Junction Grand 26 National Jazz Summit - Improvisation Workshop 26 Ralf Buschmeyer Quartet- Yardbird Suite (Edmonton)
-I'm off to New York City pretty soon here so I won't be blogging for the next week or so but expect a full report of my travels once I return from the Big Apple. In the meantime, please check out www.cellarlive.com and purchase a copy of my new album "Sunalta" (see below!)
Just before "new age' music even really existed, ECM records, unknowingly, helped to create what was referred to at the time as "chamber Jazz". Most of the ECM musicians came from some type of jazz backround, but usually also mixed into their musical stew much classical music and European influences, as well as ethnic and folk musics (nowadays referred to as World music). This is one of many 5-star ECM discs. Sadly it seems for most folks ECM music is just too hard to comprehend it seems-too many people can't relate to it because it doesn't sound like any of the music they grew up with. Too bad, and their loss. Thankfully, this one goes down a bit easier, so it makes a great introduction to ECM as well as to all 3 of these musicians. As usual with ECM the recorded sound is excellent-which really matters when one is dealing with this type of music, or any music this intimate and quiet (and acoustic-based). No other recordings from any Jazz or creative music label from the 70's sound anywhere near as good as ECM recordings. I have this one on vinyl-since I purchased it shortly after it originally came out-but the CD is better just for the fact that it's wonderful to hear this quiet, spacious music, without any surface noise or tape hiss. I think Egberto Gismonti may have at least one other masterpiece that I must list here-titled "Solo" and recorded for ECM at around the same time. If you happen to love "Magico" then I would say Gismonti's "Solo" as well as the very good follow-up to this album-"Folk Songs" by the same 3 musicians, would be the 2 most important CD's to get.. Haden's music on his own spans mostly different types of Jazz -especially Ornette Coleman-style work, and most of Garbarek's music has more electronic instrumentation as well as a busier instrumental pallette (through the use of lots of additional musicians, especially percussionists, and extensive overdubbing), as well as having a very different instrumental line up, so not many of Garbarek's other recordings exist in this world... This is one to put on, sit back, and "get lost in", which is the highest compliment I can pay to any recording. I have hundreds of lp's and about 2 or 3 thousand CD's, so just the fact that I would take the time to write a review for this one should speak for itself... - by Phasedin, Amazon.com
Perhaps it was the presence of bassist Charlie Haden, but this trio set has more energy than one normally associates with the other members of the group (Jan Garbarek on tenor and soprano and Egberto Gismonti doubling on guitar and piano). The trio performs group originals and an obscurity during the picturesque and continually interesting release; this combination works well. - by Scott Yanow, AMG
Artist: Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti Album: Magico Year: 1979 Label: ECM (1980) Runtime: 43:51
I'm very proud to announce that my latest album entitled "Sunalta" is finally now available on the Cellar Live jazz record label!
This new CD contains all my own original compositions and features the incredible talents of:
Brad Turner - trumpet Phil Dwyer - tenor saxophone Tilden Webb - piano Jodi Proznick - bass
and special guests on two septet numbers:
Steve Kaldestad - alto saxophone Rod Murray - trombone
Tracks:
Sunalta Different Mountains Fort San Farmer's Vacation Stubblejumper Hymn to Ninkasi (for Herbie Nichols) Scout's Own Section 28 Marmalade Margaret (composed/arranged by Paul Read) Nonsuch The Runaround Shuffle G
If you are interested in purchasing a copy please send me an email and I'll set you up or visit www.cellarlive.com for more information.
I've been writing and preparing for this album for almost ten years now, basically since my 2003 debut release "McCallum's Island" (send me an e.mail and I'll set you up with one of those as well!)
I hope you all enjoy listening to this record as much as I did making it!
Thanks to Bret Primack, The Jazz Video Guy, here are some inspiring words of wisdom from someone who really knows it! Here is Peter Erskine on the art of big band drumming:
Here's a few lessons from Berklee Prof. Skip Hadden brought to us by Vic Firth dealing with some interesting conceptual approaches to playing contemporary, broken straight 8th grooves:
Marián Varga was born on 29th January 1947 in Skalica. He was 6 years old when he started to attend a common school of arts, and at the same time took private composition lessons from professor Ján Cikker. Later on, he became a student of the Bratislava School of Music where he studied piano in the class of Roman Berger, and composition in the class of Andrej Oèenáš.After three years of study he left the School of Music, and soon afterwards he became a member of Prúdy, the band with which he recorded the legendary album "Jingle, bells" in 1969. But suddenly, just as he left the School of Music, he abandons Prúdy, and founds the first art-rock band in Czechoslovakia, Collegium Musicum. Prevalent in the band´s repertory are instrumental compositions, comprising re-interpretations of classical music themes (Haydn, Bartók, Stravinskij ...), and original compositions bearing the first signs of artistic post-modernism (Euphony from the album Convergences), which is the essential principle of his current music. After the dissolution of Collegium Musicum (1979), Varga chose for himself the role of a lonely runner, and as one of the first musicians in the country he followed the concept of absolute improvisation, which means composing music in the real space and time. - from M. Varga's website
Artist: Collegium Musicum Album: Marián Varga & Collegium Year: 1973 Label: Opus 3 (1995) Runtime: 45:55
Tracks: 1. Mikrokozmos (Bela Bartok) 7:25 2. Nech zije clovek (Marian Varga/Dusan Hajek/Ivan Belak/Josef Farkas) 16:31 3. Preludium C dur (2 miniatury) a cast z baletu Romeo a Julia (Sergei Prokofiev) 8:43 4. Hudba k vodometu c.1 (Marian Varga) 10:40 5. Nesmierny smutok hotelovej izby (Marian Varga) 2:36
Personnel: Marian Varga (Organ and Piano) Dusan Hajek (Drums) Ivan Belak (Bass Guitar) Jozef Farkas (Guitar)
Special thanks to Dublin's Conor Guilfoyle who hipped me to these two of his former teacher playing with Freddie Hubbard and Junior Cook:
Wow! I really found this one quite inspiring and I'm going to make a point of buying the DVD with the entire concert. I really admire the overall vibe and intensity that they are playing with. You can tell that these guys play like their lives depend on it ! Carvin also plays with a distinctive influence and vocabulary drawn from Tony Williams and Elvin Jones although in a different way than some of his contemporaries such as Jack DeJohnette. I'm digging his cymbal beat and the rich sound he gets from the entire drum set. There is a sense of flow there....well, back to the 'shed (as they say!)
What hs contemporary jazz got to do with Bob Marley? What sense is there in adding another to the long line of cover albums, when this concept often an 'Easy Rider', has long been a hoary Chestnut (for instance, the Twist of Marley CD)? Not to mention the fact the making a complete 'homage' album is far from being a risk-free enterprise, because comparison with the version everyone know often gives rise to the verdict: well... not as good as the original. Okay, so why do it? In BCM circles the reggae idea was first floated in 2006 during a long car journey, when we were bringing Hamid Drake back from Austria to record in Budapest. After the improvised duo concert with the outstanding swiss pianist Iréne Schweizer, somewhat to my surprise, he moved onto reggae for nearly three hours. It is little know that this 56-year-old american drummer, with dreadlocks down to his ankles, for many years played as a session musician with the greatest reggae stars before he became famous on the contemporary jazz scene. Since then from time to time, amongst musicians associated with BMC Records I have raised the possibility of creating an unusual reggae project. It turned out that far more jazz musicians have reggae roots than I Thought, and many of them get a buzz from the genre's freaky approach. It also became obvious that the common denominator was clearly the music of the king of reggae, Bob Marley. Of the french pair on this recording 15 xeras ago the saxophonist Christophe Monniot played with his own reggae group as that warm-up band of the illustrious exponents of the genre, so it was no coincidence that reggae motifs also appear on his later jazz albums. On the latest CD by his old fellow musician Manu Codija the style also gets a look-in, in the form of two Bob Marley arrangements. Neither is the affinity for reggae of the two Berlin musicians a new fad: the pianist Carsten Daerr wrote his own memorial piece to Marley for an earlier trio album, and in a duo he plays dub versions and reggae fied transcriptions of Bach with the singer Michael Schiefel. The two hungarian musicians are no strangers to the language of reggae either. Besides having two joint albums with Hamid Drake behind them, saxophonist Viktor Toth has written several compositions in the genre, and thanks to his mother's record collection bassist Mátyás Szandai also grew up on the music of Bob Marley... from the CD cover
Artist: The Cool Running Orchestra Album: Tribute to Marley Year: 2011 Label: BMC Runtime: 53:22
Tracks: 1. Is This Love 6:00 2. Could You Be Loved 8:47 3. No Woman No Cry 6:25 4. Rastaman Frustration 4:30 5. Jammin' 5:58 6. Nap-Nap 3:59 7. Redemption Song 6:46 8. Natural Mystic 6:35 9. Is This Love (Unplugged) 4:19
Personnel: Michael Schiefel (Voice, Electronics) Christophe Monniot (Alto, Baritone and Sopranino Saxophones) Viktor Toth (Alto Saxophone) Manu Codija (Guitar) Carsten Daerr (Piano, Organ, Fender Rhodes, Melodica) Mátyás Szandai (Double Bass) Hamid Drake (Drums)
