tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65979665723858722082024-03-15T00:53:27.083-04:00I DIG JAZZA jazz reporter's notebook...Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.comBlogger647125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-21293497419209990572024-03-10T14:34:00.001-04:002024-03-12T10:52:01.053-04:00THE MARION HAYDEN LEGACY SEXTET CELEBRATES THE MUSIC OF ROY BROOKS AT THE BLUE LLAMA<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.newyorker.com/photos/60ff32007a2a603b3075c6de/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Brody-RoyBrooks.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="800" height="272" src="https://media.newyorker.com/photos/60ff32007a2a603b3075c6de/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Brody-RoyBrooks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drummer Roy Brooks</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">The jazz trombonist Vincent Chandler and bassist
Marion Hayden have striking similarities. Both are two of the finest jazz
musicians Detroit has produced, and both have dedicated significant chunks of their
careers to continuing the legacy of Detroit jazz greats such as Harold McKinney,
Kenn Cox, Roy Brooks, and Donald Walden. Chandler is doing so with his terrific
monthly Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series, and Hayden has been preserving
the legacy of Detroit jazz greats for years through her group, the Marion
Hayden Legacy Sextet, which always features a cross-generational helping of
Detroit jazz musicians. Last night at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, Hayden's sextet honored the late jazz drummer Roy Brooks, which she
announced midway through the set was just a taste of a grander celebration in
the works for the drummer. For 90 minutes, the sextet performed Brooks's compositions.
Brooks made a name for himself internationally in the sixties as a key member
of bands led by Horace Silver, Woody Shaw, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach. As a
leader, Brooks put out classic jazz recordings such as "Beat," "The
Free Slave,"" The Understanding," and "Duet in Detroit." His ensemble, The Artistic Truth, achieved national acclaim. Hayden opened the 90-minute
set with Brooks's original "Uncrowned King," then they plunged
headfirst without lifejackets into Brook's multi-tempo number "Forever
Mingus." The sextet pianist Brendon Davis, trumpeter Tim Blackmon,
saxophonist Vincent Bowen, and vocalist Robert McCarther were sharp throughout
the set. Davis guided the sextet. His pianoing and soloing embodied a veteran
marksman's precision and refinement. Three tunes in, McCarther joined the band.
Male vocalists like McCarther are rare nowadays. His carriage is a throwback to
Joe William and Johnny Hartman, and McCarther's voice melts over you softly
like snow over cotton. Hayden has led many outstanding bands but has never hogged
the spotlight. Last night, she soloed more than I have ever known her to in all
the years I have attended her performances. Her soloing stuck to your ribs like
a satisfying full-course meal. Blackmon and Bowen were a competent frontline gobbling
up the changes to Kenn Cox's "Spellbound" and Geri Allen's "Unconditional
Love," like baked goods. But the star of the set was the young drummer
Tariq Gardner, who, like Brooks, has a rare combination of taste and dynamism.
Gardner is still developing, but at a young age, he understands the mechanics
of powering and pushing a band. The concert was a fitting tribute to Brooks's
legacy in an intimate setting. Jazz musicians like Vincent Chandler and Hayden,
who have dedicated time to perpetuating the legacies of Detroit jazz luminaries,
deserve acknowledgment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-7798714547621921332024-02-19T20:37:00.000-05:002024-02-19T20:37:16.284-05:00THE DETROIT JAZZ PRESERVATION CONCERT SERIES PRESENTS A TERRIFIC LONG OVERDUE TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SAXOPHONIST DONALD WALDEN<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/5217/5423063026_856cfeed46_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5217/5423063026_856cfeed46_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saxophonist Donald Walden</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Finally, after two postponements, one because of inclement weather and the other due to the Superbowl, the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series tribute to the late Arts Midwest Jazz Master saxophonist Donald Walden took place Sunday evening at Schaver Music Recital Hall on the campus of Wayne State University. The hour-plus tribute organized by professor and jazz trombonist Vincent Chandler was befitting a jazz musician of Walden's achievements. Walden was a saxophonist whose musical acumen and blowing were on par with greats like Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, and Tina Brooks. Walden had a pristine national reputation and a big tone on tenor immediately recognizable after blowing a series of notes, but a modest discography of three tremendous recordings: "A Portrait of You, " A Monk and a Mingus Among Us," and "Focus." Chandler was the right musician to present this long overdue tribute to Walden, given Chandler was Walden's musical son of sorts. The concert opened with Walden's niece sharing with the audience how fashionable Walden was and, out of the public's eye, how kindhearted and giving he could be. The bandmates that Chandler assembled, saxophonist Jeffrey Trent, bassist Josef Deas, drummer Alex White, and pianist Roger L. Jones II, talked about Walden as a taskmaster and his musical perfectionism and how, as a mentor, he did not mince words. Deas talked about cutting classes to attend Walden's seminars while teaching at the University of Michigan. Chandler’s band never disappointed, performing seven of Walden's well-lauded compositions flawlessly. Opening the tribute concert with "Mr. Styx" from Walden's unappreciated album "A Monk and a Mingus Among Us, "moving effortlessly into "Signed: Dizzy, With Love," and then tearing the wood off the stage floor with "Soweto/Detroit," from Walden's debut album "A Portrait of You." What is worth pointing out about the band was their cohesion and ability to sound as if they had been running the streets together for years, adept at navigating each other's musical psyches. Roger L. Jones II's soloing on "Middle Passage" and "City Sister" were rendered so dreamingly; chances are you awoke thinking about them in the middle of the night. And the rising tenor saxophonist Jeffery Trent unknowingly channeled Walden's ghost while soloing on "Graciella" and "This Goodbye Could Last a Long Time." For a youngster still searching for his voice and place within the music, Trent has a creamy rich texture to his blowing, and it is apparent that he has spent considerable time listening to his tenor sax ancestors. If there was anything remotely disappointing about the tribute it was Chandler not including Walden's version of Thelonious Monk's "Ruby My Dear,” which was always an example of Walden at the apex of his crafmanship, and my favorite Walden composition, "A Portrait of You." Aside from those omissions, and the two postponements, Chandler put forth an outstanding tribute to a cultural giant who represented Detroit jazz with panache.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-1224621800735676772023-11-18T20:36:00.000-05:002023-11-18T20:36:55.992-05:00THE PARADISE THEATRE BIG BAND PRESENTATION OF 'STOP APOLOGIZING FOR BEING HUMAN' WAS MARRED BY OVERKILL<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mbtmcourses.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Kris-Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="705" height="225" src="https://mbtmcourses.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Kris-Johnson.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paradise Theatre Big Band Musical Director Kris Johnson</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";">Many nice things about the Paradise
Theatre Big Band are worth pointing out. Foremost, its musical director, the
trumpeter and Kresge Fellow Kris Johnson is an excellent composer, arranger,
and bandleader who never shies away from daring and ambitious projects. And he
understands the inner mechanics of a big band, having performed for nine years
with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Another aspect worth noting is the PTBB
is populated with some of Detroit's most formidable jazz talent, like
saxophonists Marcus Elliot and Kasan Belgrave, drummer Nate Winn, trumpeter
Anthony Stanco, pianist Brendon Davis, and other swing-savvy musicians who have
become household names in Detroit. So, Johnson had a lot of talent to work with
presenting his latest work, "Stop Apologizing for Being Human," which
premiered Friday evening at the Paradise Jazz Series in Orchestra Hall. Before
premiering the suite, the big band got the near-capacity hall juices boiling
with "Detroit 1970" and "Song of Peace," after which
vocalist Milton Suggs joined in, performing selections from a project he and
Johnson collaborated on a decade ago honoring the Harlem Renaissance poet Paul
Laurence Dunbar. Suggs's participation was a sharp left turn because two
numbers into the concert, Johnson had the audience believing the concert would
be devoted to the works of Detroiters and original compositions by the PTBB members.
But the first half of the concert was Suggs singing Dunbar's poetry
"Dream," Death Waltz," and "Anchored," which Suggs
sang magnificently. He has a heavy voice that spreads like warm honey all over
your eardrums. After intermission, the big band performed "Stop
Apologizing for Being Human." Here's where it felt like Johnson had
crammed two concerts into one. The solos by Solomon Parham and the baritone
saxophonist, Kaleigh Wilder were bragworthy. And percussionist Lauren Johnson's
solo was the crowd favorite. However, Brendon Davis and bassist Brandon Ross's lengthy
solos on the third movement epitomized unnecessary showboating. The worst thing
that could be pointed out about the concert was the overkill that made the
presentation seem unbalanced and needed editing. I'm still trying to make sense
of the inclusion of the visual artist Shanelle Harrison, positioned at the
corner of the stage, painting a female mannequin. As the 90-minute concert neared
its conclusion, I couldn't stop thinking about the Paradise Theatre Big Band's
potential, wondering if the band had a residency at a local venue how the band,
with all its seasoned and young talent, could someday be as sensational as the
Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Charles Tolliver Big Band, or even the Count
Basie Orchestra.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-6633061193482890642023-09-04T19:23:00.002-04:002023-09-04T19:26:09.555-04:004 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES FROM THE 44TH ANNUAL DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://img-www.tf-cdn.com/artist/10/stefon-harris.jpeg?_v=20210725143042&w=1024&h=512&auto=compress&fm=pjpg&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Centropy&dpr=1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://img-www.tf-cdn.com/artist/10/stefon-harris.jpeg?_v=20210725143042&w=1024&h=512&auto=compress&fm=pjpg&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Centropy&dpr=1" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vibist Stefon Harris</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My goal for the first full day of concerts at the
44th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival was to catch about 30 minutes of Stefon
Harris & Blackout set at the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage, then rush to the
Chase Main Stage to hear some of Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade "Children
of the Light" set. However, I never made it to the Chase Main Stage. After
witnessing Harris's band bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer Terron Gully, pianist Christian Sands, and saxophonist Casey
Benjamin drain all the blood from Harris's original "Legacy Dances,"
I couldn't in good conscience not experience the entire performance. For years
now, Harris has been a jazz vibist worthy of comparison to legends Milt Jackson
and Bobby Hutcherson. Hutcherson had the biggest influence on Harris's playing.
When Harris soloed on "Shake It for Me," "Gentle Wind," and "Now," Hutcherson's spirit hung
on Harris like a backpack. Blackout, according to Harris, has been together for
twenty-plus seasons. Saturday afternoon, they swung the entire set below sea level,
performing music from Harris's deep discography and several cuts from his
forthcoming album "Legacy Dances." Harris & Blackout gave an incredible
concert where each number they performed was highlight reel worthy. Christian
Sands, a leading jazz pianist of his generation, tapped into the audience's spiritual
side when the band left him alone to play a gospel song that had the audience swaying
and sweating like they were at church service instead of a jazz festival. The
knock-out punch arrived near the set's conclusion when Benjamin sang a hip and
modernized version of "What a Wonderful World" that would've made Louis
Armstrong jealous.</span><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Sullivan-Fortner-Courtesy-his-website-747x420.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="747" height="225" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Sullivan-Fortner-Courtesy-his-website-747x420.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianist Sullivan Fortner</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Johnny O'Neal and Sullivan Fortner are terrific
jazz pianists from different generations. O'Neal made his bones in the 80s with
a run with the Jazz Messengers. Fortner has recently become a household
commodity with a growing discography and a choice gig as the pianist for the
multi-Grammy-winning vocalist Cecile McLorin Savant. Despite their age gap, O'Neal
and Fortner share deep-seated reverence for the piano and a similar playful
style that delighted the attendees during their hour set Sunday afternoon at
the Chase Main Stage. The set was billed as a tribute to Detroit's jazz piano
legacy, but no mention—save for Fortner saying he studied with pianist Barry
Harris—of any Detroit piano greats. That aside, O'Neal and Fortner offered the
most eclectic set I witnessed. The duo opened with a Count Basie staple, moved
seamlessly to the Tad Dameron favorite "Our Delight," and hitchhiked
from "With You, I'm Born Again" to Whitney Houston's "Saving All
My Love for You," which O'Neal arranged as a jazz waltz. Midway through
the performance, O'Neal put Fortner on the hot seat when he left him to play "Love
for Sale" solo, and Fortner handled the Cole Porter jewel like a prom
date. </span><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imagesarizona.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1-1-1280x620.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="800" height="194" src="https://imagesarizona.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1-1-1280x620.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vocalist Lizz Wright</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday evening was the fourth time I've attended
a Lizz Wright performance. My first time was at the Detroit Jazz Fest back when
she was a newbie who'd knocked the jazz world off its center with her debut album
"Salt." Wright's stage demeanor and overall performance haven't
changed much. She floats to the mic and opens with "Amaze Grace," sung
so beautifully it would've made the devil want to get baptized. Wright defies typecasting,
navigating jazz, folk, and the blues with equal aplomb. During her hour set on Sunday
evening, her performance embodied a spiritual quality, blessing the audience
with each song she sang and a voice that deserves a national holiday. At times,
her voice was so blanket-soft and inviting I wanted to curl up in her lap.</span><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://img.apmcdn.org/d001b1b309812729b0230904d0f878e35fcd9f0b/uncropped/3f8217-20180501-jason-moran02.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://img.apmcdn.org/d001b1b309812729b0230904d0f878e35fcd9f0b/uncropped/3f8217-20180501-jason-moran02.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">Pianist Jason Moran</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jason Moran is his generation's most inventive and
daring jazz pianist, always swinging outside the box. Expect something grand at
any of his performances; that has been my experience when Moran has come to
Detroit over the years. Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters set Sunday night at
the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage was one of the best I experienced in the many
years I covered the Detroit Jazz Festival. Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters honored
James Reese, an iconic ragtime-era composer and bandleader credited with
introducing jazz to Europe. Moran gave the audience a virtual tour of Reese's intricate
musical evolution. Listening to Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters raised hell
musically for over an hour and watching Moran's fingers running across the
piano keys like his fingertips were on fire was something to behold. At the end
of the set, I couldn't stop feeling that if James Reese and the original
members of his Clef Club Orchestra were around to witness the reverence Moran
and the Harlem Hell Fighters have for Reese's legacy, Reese would've been
brimming with pride. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-38690300387453069962023-04-30T21:48:00.000-04:002023-04-30T21:48:25.510-04:00BASSIST BEN WILLIAMS TERRIFIC CONCERT IS THE PERFECT ENDING TO THE CARR CENTER'S THREE-PART TRIBUTE TO BASSIST RODNEY WHITAKER<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.porgy.at/media/events/DSC_3776-Edit_copy.large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="657" height="400" src="https://www.porgy.at/media/events/DSC_3776-Edit_copy.large.jpg" width="329" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bassist Ben Williams</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">Near the end of bassist Ben Williams's Saturday
evening performance at the Carr Center, he performed a brilliant duet with mentor
Rodney Whitaker on Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet." Whitaker
jokingly thanked Williams for going easy on him. Then, immediately after the
audience's laughter subsided, Whitaker praised his protégé, pointing out Williams
was his greatest student. He devoured six years of music in two years, adding
that he loved Williams and was proud of the musician and human being he'd
become. There are so many reasons to praise Williams. He graduated from
Michigan State University in 2007, earned a master’s from Julliard two years
later, won the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Bass Competition, and signed
with Concord Records. Williams performed a flawless set to honor Whitaker with
his band pianist Marc Carey, guitarist Brad Allen Williams, drummer Jharis Yoley,
and saxophonist Jaleel Shaw. The 90-minute set closed the Carr Center's three-part
tribute to Whitaker billed as "Rodney Whitaker: The Man/The Mentor/ The
Music." The other concerts featured Whitaker's former students, bassists
Endea Owens and Brandon Rose. Williams opened with a funk-infused arrangement of trumpeter
Woody Shaw's "Moontrane" and ended the concert with Bob Dylan's
somber "Death of Emmett Till." In between, Williams's group performed
his original compositions, several from his 2020 album "I Am A Man."
Williams didn't say how long this group has existed. However, it's perfectly
seasoned with one giant heartbeat. All the members contributed sturdy solos, notably
Jaleel Shaw on "Strength & Beauty" and "Dawn of a New Day,"
blowing so forcefully that he chipped the paint on the walls. On "If You
Hear Me" and "Promise Land," William proved his competency as a
singer. The entire concert, I was awed at how Williams walked the bass until
his feet were aching and how similar his and Whitaker's leadership philosophies
are. Like Whitaker, Williams doesn't believe a jazz bassist's sole function is to
linger in the cut, keeping time.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-37851844294441857362023-04-24T12:06:00.000-04:002023-04-24T12:06:04.263-04:00SAXOPHONIST LAKECIA BENJAMIN STEALS THE SHOW AT THE MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL ON TOUR LAST CONCERT<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://tucsonjazzfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/MONTEREY-JAZZ-FESTIVAL-ON-TOUR.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://tucsonjazzfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/MONTEREY-JAZZ-FESTIVAL-ON-TOUR.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Christian Sands, Lakecia Benjamin, Clarence Penn</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">The current iteration of the Monterey Jazz Festival
on Tour band is pianist Christian Sands, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, drummer
Clarence Penn, vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling, and saxophonist
Lakecia Benjamin. The all-star sextet show Sunday night at Detroit's Orchestra
Hall was the last concert of their 20-city tour and the closer for the 2022-2023
Paradise Jazz Series. Thanks mainly to Benjamin, the 90-minute set was the best
I've attended in recent years. Recently, Benjamin was the subject of a DownBeat
magazine cover story and a lengthy New York Times feature detailing her setbacks,
resolve, and hard-earned rise to fame. Last evening, I honestly didn't believe Benjamin
intended to steal the show. But that's what she did on her original "Trane,"
a nod to John Coltrane from Benjamin's well-received fourth album "Phoenix."
Before she played the composition, she cautioned the audience to buckle their
seatbelts. She was right in issuing that warning because her blowing caused a
lot of turbulence. Witnessing her running up and down the changes like her feet
were on fire, I wondered if the NEA Jazz Master Kenny Garrett had cast the
biggest shadow over her playing. The latitude she swings at is akin to Garrett's
during his finest years. I'm not bullshitting when I report the audience had
blessed her with two ovations before she stopped soloing. I felt like I was at a
religious revival with Benjamin's alto sax doing all the preaching. After the
audience regained its composure, Benjamin left the stage. And the rhythm section
lowered the temperature with Sands's arrangement of Dave Brubeck's "Strange
Meadow Lark, "which was Sands's turn in the spotlight. He delivered the mellowest
and loveliest moment of the concert. Overall, the set was high energy, especially
when Elling and Bridgewater performed. Two of the best jazz vocalists, singing
beautifully and horsing around. The unnecessarily long and loud scatting annoyed
the shit out of me, but the rest of the audience lapped it up. I had gotten my
money's worth early on, witnessing Benjamin's musicality and showmanship. Elling
was right when he proclaimed she's the future of jazz.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-1315382226237547842023-04-15T22:15:00.005-04:002023-04-15T22:22:49.663-04:00CECILE MCLORIN SALVANT WINS OVER THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY'S AUDIENCE WITH AN ECLECTIC SETLIST & HER VOICE<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://theprickle.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/cecile_mclorin_salvant_by_mark_fitton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="798" height="320" src="https://theprickle.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/cecile_mclorin_salvant_by_mark_fitton.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The three-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Cecile
McLorin Salvant embodies a distinctive stage presence that quickly draws you in
and captivates you from the start of her performance to the encore. At her
University Musical Society concert Friday evening at Hill Auditorium, her presence
was powerful, and her voice bedazzling. She could've easily pulled off the 90-minute
concert solo. Still, a phenomenal supporting cast, drummer Keita Ogawa,
guitarist Marvin Sewell, flutist Alexa Tarantino, bassist Emma Dayhuff, and
pianist Sullivan Fortner accompanied her. Salvant offered an eclectic setlist comprised
of originals from her current album "Melusine" and favorites from the
late German composer Kurt Weill. Although the set wasn't theme-driven, listening
to Salvant sing "Thunder Cloud," "Reason to Believe," and
the kinetic and sometimes joyful exchange with her bandmates on "Is This How
Men Live" and "I Got Life" from the musical "Hair" was
an utter joy. It's worth noting Salvant and Fortner have a soulmate type of camaraderie
apparent throughout the concert. Their musical psyches are conjoined, and with
Fortner steering the band, Salvant seems more playful and freer. At various
moments during the set, she sang near the edge of the stage, her voice blanketing
the audience like snowflakes. And when she sang a love song, the audience was
so quiet and focused you could hear an ant crying. There're many high moments,
such as Salvant's duet with Sewell and Dayhuff's only solo, where she
moonwalked the bass, but the encore was the most memorable. Salvant sang while
holding a bouquet presented to her by an audience member, and each musician offered
the audience crisp improvised solos as parting gifts.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p><br /></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-2488994894634060212023-03-25T21:48:00.000-04:002023-03-25T21:48:21.034-04:00CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE RETURNS TO THE PARADISE JAZZ SERIES WITH MUSIC FROM 'PRIME,' HIS LATEST NEW JAWN RECORDING<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.wnyc.org/i/841/576/l/80/2023/02/ChristianMcBrideNewJawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="800" height="274" src="https://media.wnyc.org/i/841/576/l/80/2023/02/ChristianMcBrideNewJawn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian McBride New Jawn Quartet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">There aren't enough fingers and toes on the human
body to count the number of bands, and special projects the jazz bassist Christian
McBride has formed and been intimately involved with throughout his
hall-of-fame-bound career. There's his trio, big band, Philadelphia Experience,
New Jawn, and Inside Straight groups, most of whose magnificence has been
documented for posterity on Grammy-winning recordings "That Good Feeling"
and "Bring It." On Friday night at Detroit's Orchestra Hall,
McBride's New Jawn quartet trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Marcus Strickland,
and drummer Nasheet Waits performed an hour-plus set heavy on compositions from
New Jawn's new recording "Prime." Inarguably the most cherished jazz
bassist of his generation, McBride has a distinct propensity for designing
bands primarily as a showcase for his bandmates. So although McBride is the
marquee commodity, he affords his bandmates red-carpet treatment. The audience
witnessed that last night. The band opened with "Pier 1 Import" and
then moved into a free-spirited number that mixed pieces of a composition by
organist Larry Young and one by the R&B group Kool & the Gang. There
was an array of soul-numbing solos, starting with Strickland's Eric
Dolphy-eques blowing on "Moonchild" and "Dolphy Dust." It
seemed as if Strickland could tap into Dolphy's spirit at will. Evans's
trumpeting the entire night was state of the art, and when McBride soloed, he
proved yet again he walks the upright bass better than any current jazz bass
player breathing. New Jawn's centerpiece, however, was Waits. When McBride
introduced him, McBride asserted that the fire Emoji should be replaced with
Waits's likeness because he's such a fiery drummer. Waits had the congregation
roaring by the time he'd reached the zenith of his solos. New Jawn is as tight
and sharp as barbwire, but the musician's virtuosity is what the audience probably relished most.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-18756478124194429672023-03-12T22:13:00.002-04:002023-03-12T22:15:24.122-04:00THE MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA REVISITS GRAMMY-WINNING ALBUM' DATA LORDS' AT THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY CONCERT SERIES.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/181326-050-04B077FB/Maria-Schneider-American.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/181326-050-04B077FB/Maria-Schneider-American.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Composer Maria Schneider</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Suppose you attended the Maria Schneider Orchestra
concert at Hill Auditorium Saturday night and expected it to swing through
standards from greats such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Gil Evans. In
that case, you set yourself up to be disappointed. Not to say those innovators
didn't heavily influence Schneider's career. Over the years, what distinguishes
Schneider's orchestra is it straddles the lines of the avant-garde. That was apparent
throughout the concert but more so when the orchestra performed "CQ CQ Is
Anybody There, " which appeared as if Schneider had the orchestra
deciphering a morse code. For those audience members hoping the orchestra would
perform music from the American songbook, Schneider teased the audience, opening
the two-hour concert with the standard "That Old Black Magic," but
that was the only oldie her orchestra offered. The orchestra didn't run through
it as initially conceived. Instead, Schneider had her orchestra strip "That
Old Black Magic" down to the original surface and applied a new finish. Schneider
has populated her jazz orchestra with imaginative, swing-driven improvisers such
as trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis, saxophonists Donny McCaslin and Steve Wilson, trombonist
Marshall Gilkes, drummer Johnathan Blake, and pianist Gary Versace. Each of which Schneider featured
during the terrific concert. The orchestra has all the music and star power of
legendary swing-era big bands. As a composer, Schneider partly writes for a
particular soloist, understanding every square inch of their chops. So on "Look
Up," Marshall Gilkes was featured, and his solo increased the audience's
blood circulation, and Steve Wilson on "Stone Song" gobbled up the notes
like they were junk food. And when called to address the congregation,
saxophonist Donny McClasin blew the auditorium doors off their hinges. The
orchestra revisited music from Schneider's 2020 Grammy-winner "Data Lords."
This live iteration of the project was equally inspired and eclectic as when Schneider
initially unveiled the project. </span></span></div></span><p></p><span style="font-family: times;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div></span><p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-41584025986564541472023-02-19T21:27:00.000-05:002023-02-19T21:27:26.690-05:00VOCALIST SKY COVINGTON CLOSES A FOUR-NIGHT RUN AT THE DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ WITH A SPIRITED SET OF JAZZ STANDARDS<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.thenewsherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/832cb1ac5cb49b7b27f0f522de9a3d28.jpg?w=1024&h=670" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="670" height="400" src="https://www.thenewsherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/832cb1ac5cb49b7b27f0f522de9a3d28.jpg?w=1024&h=670" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sky Covington</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">As a journalist who's reviewed jazz concerts in
Michigan for many years, I'm embarrassed to admit Saturday evening at the Dirty
Dog Jazz Café was the first time I've experienced the chanteuse Sky Covington live.
I've been familiar with her well-built reputation as a multi-skilled performer
skilled at Neo-Soul, R&B, and jazz. Her stagecraft, I once heard, is on par
with the greats Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. For Covington's Dirty Dog
closing set, she sang jazz standards terrifically, backed by bassist Ruben
Stump, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Kennedy, and pianist Alina Morr. The
hour set opened with the band sailing through Herbie Hancock's "Maiden
Voyage." On that classic, Douglas and Morr fed the audience the song changes
like appetizers, after which Covington sang "Satin Doll" with such warmth
and aplomb I wondered if Billie Holiday's spirit gave her a pep talk before the
performance. Like Holiday, Covington has a realness and warmth that immediately
draws you in and never lets you escape. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore,"
"Green Dolphin Street," and "Afro Blue" were the other standards
she and her band repurposed. Covington embodies essential qualities too many
jazz vocalists lack. For example, she shared the spotlight with her band and didn't
spend the lion's share of the set scatting. The audience experienced the breadth
and magnificence of her voice, which covered them like an expensive quilt. The set
closer, "Afro Blue," was the best part of the set. She had the
audience jot down a positive aphorism on a paper she passed out. After she
collected them, she mixed them with the lyrics of "Afro Blue." Before
the song ended, she walked through the audience, touching people on the
shoulder like a Goddess blessing them. In the 15 years, I've caught concerts at
the Dirty Dog, that was the first time I experienced that kind of audience
participation. It was overkill because Covington had already blessed the
audience with her voice for a solid hour.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-88896046454358693572023-01-29T14:21:00.000-05:002023-01-29T14:21:10.918-05:00JAZZ PIANIST AARON DIEHL'S TRIO MOVES SEAMLESSLY FROM BACH TO BEBOP AT THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY'S CONCERT SERIES<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wfmt.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2019_AaronDiehl_photMariaJarzyna-58bw.jp_-scaled.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://www.wfmt.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2019_AaronDiehl_photMariaJarzyna-58bw.jp_-scaled.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianist Aaron Diehl</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: justify;">Listening to the jazz pianist Aaron Diehl's performance
Friday evening at Rackham Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I couldn't help
marveling over how damn immaculate and erudite his playing is. Diehl performed
a spotless hour-plus concert with his trio, transitioning seamlessly from music
by Johann Sebastian Bach, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, and Bud Powell.
I felt like I was gifted two arresting performances for the admission of one,
with Diehl immediately establishing there were similarities in the great musician's
reach and virtuosity Diehl performed Bach's work solo and the jazz compositions
with bassist David Wong and drummer Aaron Kimmel. Kimmel is one of the more
clever and tasteful trio drummers I've heard, and Wong has the science of
walking the upright bass down pat. Diehl has a pristine household reputation,
having won the prestigious American Pianist Association 2011 Cole Porter
Fellowship, toured internationally with the Grammy-winning vocalist Cecile
McLorin Salvant, and released three touted albums for Mack Avenue Records. Diehl
opened Friday's concert with Bach's "Prelude and Fugue in C Major, slid into
Miles Davis's "Deception," revisited "Prelude and Fugue" but this time served
it at room temperature in c minor, and then sprung into Dizzy Gillespie's "Bebop."
Balancing the genres could've been disastrous in the hands of a less skilled jazz
pianist and a less adept jazz trio. But Diehl pulled it off. He told the
near-capacity audience the impetus to pair Bach and Bop struck him during the pandemic
lockdown. He's test-driven the project in several cities recently. As the
concert wore on, his interpretation of music became more captivating. After the
intermission, the trio tore Chick Corea's "Tones for Joan's Bones"
open like a birthday gift. On Bud Powell's "Tempus Fugue-It," Diehl's
fingers raced up and down the keys as if Powell's ghost possessed them. The
audience gifted Diehl, Wong, and Kimmel with an ovation that lasted longer than
I've ever witnessed at a University Musical Society jazz concert. Had the trio not
obliged the audience with an encore, there was a high probability the audience
wouldn't have let the musicians leave Rackham in one piece</span><span style="font-size: 22pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: justify;">.</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-46128798973623075922023-01-23T16:18:00.001-05:002023-01-23T16:19:28.233-05:00SAXOPHONIST RAVI COLTRANE’S TRIBUTE CONCERT FOR HIS PARENTS DIDN’T FEEL MUCH LIKE ONE<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://tonelovette.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/ravicoltranedeborahfeingold.jpg?w=1400&h=1134" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="800" height="324" src="https://tonelovette.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/ravicoltranedeborahfeingold.jpg?w=1400&h=1134" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ravi Coltrane</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Over a
decade ago, I interviewed the saxophonist Ravi Coltrane for the weekly
newspaper the Metro Times. Coltrane, back then, was established with several solid
records on the market and a stint with the great Elvin Jones on his resume’.
During our talk, I asked Coltrane why he hadn’t recorded his parent’s music,
particularly his father’s John Coltrane. Ravi said he had the utmost respect for
their music and that the best way to honor their legacies was never to emulate them.
Sunday evening at the Paradise Jazz Series in Detroit’s Orchestra Hall, as I
listened to Ravi’s band play some of his parent's signature compositions, I wondered
what made him change his mind about dealing with their works. The concert was a
double bill featuring vocalist Thana Alexa. Ravi’s set was billed as a tribute
to John and Alice Coltrane, but It didn’t come off much like one. Ravi's set
began late because the pianist Cyrus Chestnut was a last-minute addition. The
series organizers invited Chestnut back to perform a 30-minute set to make up
for his concert in December being interrupted by some mentally ill bigot who shouted
a racial slur. Chestnut returning to perform four compositions didn’t make sense.
He rushed through the set as if he didn’t want to be there. Ravi hit the stage at
10:00 pm after an esoteric set from Alexa. Ravi never talked much about his
parents or gave any historical information about what inspired their music or if
he had a seminal connection to the compositions his band performed. His blowing
on“Turiya and Ramakrishna” and “Er Ra” was celestial and on, “Ole’” and “Wise One”
Ravi's sounded worldly and aggressive. I attribute the concert’s highlights to
the terrific harpist Brandee Younger. During her solos, Younger seemed hellbent
on channeling Alice Coltrane’s spirit. Overall, the tribute came off as if Ravi
didn’t have a vested interest in his parent's music.</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-46047652519575655562022-12-11T15:37:00.001-05:002022-12-11T15:37:59.083-05:00JAZZ SOULMATES MIKE MALIS & MARCUS ELLIOT CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF THEIR SECOND BALANCE PROJECT 'CONJURE'<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://media1.fdncms.com/metrotimes/imager/u/original/21130800/music-jazz.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://media1.fdncms.com/metrotimes/imager/u/original/21130800/music-jazz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saxophonist Marcus Elliot and Pianist Mike Malis</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">J</span><span style="font-family: times;">oel Peterson, the proprietor of, Trinosophes, the entertainment
café in Detroit's Eastern Market, made a small mistake Saturday evening when he
introduced pianist Mike Malis and saxophonist Marcus Elliot as up-and-coming
jazz musicians. The duo known as Balance was at the café for the release of their second recording, "Conjure."
Peterson's statement was incorrect because Malis and Elliot passed the young
lion stage long ago. Both are respected bandleaders and sought-after music
educators. Recently, some of Elliot's musical achievements were profiled in the
national publication JazzTimes. Elliot started perfecting his chops and
cultivating a fanbase during his popular weekly residency at Cliff Bell's,
where I first experienced the depth and richness of his playing. I surmised saxophonists
Joe Henderson and Tina Brooks were influences. As for Malis, those familiar
with this jazz blog know I think the world of him. He's daring and one of his
generation's more musically diverse pianists to make their bones in Detroit. My
point is Malis and Elliot aren't rising talent anymore. They're stars
in Detroit. Their terrific album celebration started with a fantastic opening
set by baritone saxophonist Kaleigh Wilder and drummer Nova Zaii. The opening set
was a perfect warmup, with Wilder and Zaii performing improvised music. They
had a magical connection, as if they'd been performing together since birth. Their
improvisation was so expertly wrought that I was convinced they'd been
rehearsed, not developed on the spot. Widler and Zaii prep the crowd's ears for
Balance. Malis and Elliot fed the audience cuts chronologically, starting with "Conjure,"
which featured soul-awakening spoken words from poet Chace Morris. Malis and
Elliot can swing with the force of a battering ram, which they demonstrated
some on "MRA" and "Number Four," but the concert wasn't
swing-driven. Instead, the central attraction was Malis and Elliot's virtuosity
and how seamlessly it mixed. Witnessing the musical soulmate connection they've
built reminded me of the classic duet dates by pianist Harold Parlan and
saxophonist Archie Shepp. Or closer to home, the piano sax duet by the late Detroiters
Kenn Cox and Donald Wal</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">den. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-35207807651589583042022-12-04T17:26:00.002-05:002022-12-04T22:14:12.905-05:00JASON MARSALIS'S DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ RETURN WAS HEAVY ON LIONEL HAMPTON CLASSICS<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.sfjazz.org/globalassets/2019-20-season/heroes/s8_hero_jason_marsalis.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="800" height="169" src="https://www.sfjazz.org/globalassets/2019-20-season/heroes/s8_hero_jason_marsalis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jason Marsalis</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 12pt;">The last time vibist Jason Marsalis played the
Dirty Dog Jazz Café, he unveiled a new band assembled to honor the music of
Benny Goodman. Unfortunately, the set was underwhelming, partly because the
band was still in its infancy and hadn't gelled. At Marsalis's return to the
Dirty Dog, he presented classics the great Lionel Hampton wrote or popularized.
Marsalis's hour-long set Saturday evening began and ended strong. This time,
Marsalis was accompanied by bassist Noah Jackson, drummer Louis Jones III, and
pianist Brendon Davis, jazz musicians who are household commodities in Detroit.
The set opened with Lionel Hampton's "Airmail Special." Then, the
band swam through "Sweet Sue Just You" and Eubie Blake's "Memories
of You." Marsalis is a solid vibist who has a proclivity for dressing up
classics. He's not as gung-ho as jazz vibists Steve Nelson or as showy and
acrobatic as Stefon Harris. Still, there's an allure and savviness to
Marsalis's approach, complemented by the excellent piano work of Brendon Davis.
Davis's soloing was cutlery sharp, and the ghost of the late great Cedar Walton
possessed Davis's left hand. Undoubtedly, Davis was the band's centerpiece.
Marsalis prefaced each selection with a backstory, which wasn't surprising. A
lot of jazz history is what you get at a concert by any Marsalis brother. The
best moments happened near the conclusion. First, the band performed guitarist
Pat Metheny's tune "So May It Secretly Begin" the way Marsalis imagined
Hampton would've powered through it. Then, they spoon-fed the audience an ultra-modern
version of Ellis Marsalis's gem "Tell Me," which was a fitting ending
to a terrific hour of music.</span></div></span><p></p><p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-28843449159290643122022-10-31T15:23:00.000-04:002022-10-31T15:23:26.213-04:00JAZZ DRUMMER GEORGE DAVIDSON ON TAP DANCING, TOURING WITH THE QUEEN OF SOUL, HANGING OUT WITH EARL" FATHA" HINES & SHOWBOATING IN FRONT OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING<p> </p><span id="docs-internal-guid-62829736-7fff-c94a-8fef-992137ba5533"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://detroitsound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-davidson-_8006273-34-1-600x400.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="267" src="http://detroitsound.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-davidson-_8006273-34-1-600x400.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Davidson</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="font-family: times;">Is it true you started as a tap dancer?</span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yeah. I was about 10. That was my first gig, dancing.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Why tap dancing?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">At that time, there was a settlement house across the street from where I lived on the eastside called Sophie-Wright Settlement. One of the counselors there was a dancer. At that time, we had outlets like that. The Settlement House had cooking, music, and a lot of literary stuff you could take advantage of. So, I just happened to get into dancing and music. My teacher's name was Clara Wilson, and she was a dance teacher. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Did you want to pursue it professionally?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Not really. The school had a little band, and I wanted to play drums. At that time, we had some youngsters who had drum equipment. And I wanted to play, but my teacher didn't put me in the line. So, when I got to middle school, I started playing drums.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">What was it about the drums that you liked?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">I just gravitated to the drums. That's what I wanted to do. My first drum teacher was Frank Paxton in middle school, where I got my first drum kit.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Did he also introduce you to jazz? </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, at first, it was concert music. That's where I started. When I got to Northeastern High school, I became interested in jazz. I had a great drum teacher. He was a sub from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and stressed symphonic and concert music more than jazz. But I would skip class and slip down to the band room. I would be down in the jazz room with some older guys like Bennie Maupin and Bobby Rogers of The Miracles. They were all at Northeastern. We listened to Max Roach and Clifford Brown's </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Study in Brown </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">album. That was the first jazz album I listened to, and after that, I was addicted.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">When did you start performing professionally?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">I started getting professional gigs right after I graduated from Northeastern. I would have graduated when I was sixteen. Still, because I was messing around with the band, I graduated four months after turning seventeen. Before that, I would play in talent shows. I would play with Kenn Cox. Kenn used to play trumpet back then. So, that was my first time playing jazz. But for a regular gig, I started playing gigs when I was seventeen. A few of us, like Bettye LaVette, came up together. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the time, we were about the same age and would be at Phelps Lounge. But before that, my first musical father was a saxophone player named Raymond Studemier</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was the first to take me on a gig. He got me a road gig in Indianapolis. I met Wes Montgomery, James Spaulding</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mel Ryan, Dave Young</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and Dave Baker</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, boy, I could go on and on. I met Vi Redd, the alto player with the Sweethearts of Rhythm, too? There used to be a club there called the Hubbub. It was one of the leading jazz clubs in Indianapolis at the time. So, that was my first on-the-road gig. I was about eighteen then. That was when the Hubbub had jam sessions every Saturday. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Saturday afternoon jam sessions, that's when I got to play with many guys, like Mel Ryan. Wes never played. He came home to chill out. I met his teacher, a guy named Jimmy. Wes didn't start playing until he was in his early twenties because he never did read music. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">He was the first to play with his thumb because his wife would complain if the guitar was too loud if he played with the pick. So, he started playing with his thumb. So, he's the one who initiated that style, and when they made all those arrangements out West, they would orchestrate them around him because he wasn't a reader. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">How fertile was Detroit's jazz scene back in those days?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Detroit was one of the headquarters for music</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Donald Byrd was the first one to stay there. Detroit was one of the main hubs, man, for creating great musicians, and the music scene here was the best in the world. Fortunately, I had a chance to work with Donald Byrd a few times.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Did you frequent the Blue Bird Inn and get to rub shoulders with the famous jazz musicians who played there, such as Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, or Charlie Parker?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Well, you know Bird was in and out of Detroit. He played at the Blue Bird Inn. Have you been to the Blue Bird Inn?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">No. But I know about its history and the famous jazz musicians who performed there.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, you know they're renovating that building and opening it again. There's an organization trying to do that. Are you hip to that? The Blue Bird Inn was the place to play. Miles Davis used to play there when he was living in Detroit. Bird used to be there all the time. All the great jazz musicians, Elvin Jones, Louis Hayes, Roy Brooks, and Beans Richardson, played there</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Beans was the one who had the house band at the Blue Bird, and he was like the band director. All the other guys came in, but Beans was the boss.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">We had great musicians from all over the country who came to Detroit and were at the Blue Bird. There were so many clubs at that time. The city was wide open, and everybody was mentally equipped for experimental music, and that's what jazz was.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">What about Earl "Fatha" Hines? I heard he was a friend.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">I had the opportunity to work with him. And he had a big band at the time, and I had worked the same show with him for a week during that time. So, we had a chance to sit down and talk. He told me Bird and Dizzy were in his band. So, he said, the guys in the band were coming down complaining, saying, "Earl, go back there and get on Dizzy and Bird. That's when they were into bebop. So, they started the bebop era. So, Earl "Fatha" Hines told me that the guys in his band complained about Bird and Dizzy.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Did he chastise them?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">No, his mind was wide open. He was a great guy. Fortunately, I had a chance to sit and talk with him and get a lot of history. And you know, I got history from quite a few of the cats.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Is music how you always made a living?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Yes, well, music is the primary way I made my living. I had a chance to travel the world and work with Motown acts, but you know, Motown musicians were initially jazz musicians.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">What's your Motown connection?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">I was about 18 and worked with the Walter Hamilton Band at Phelps Lounge. We were also the rehearsal band for some of the Motown acts. Because when they rehearsed for gigs to go on the road, or new material or stuff like that, they would send them to Phelps. That was one of the places where they used to hide me in the backroom when the police came in, but that's when I started working with a lot of the Motown acts, you know, like The Temps, The Contours, Singin' Sammy Ward, Marv Johnson, David Ruffin, and Jimmy Ruffin. I knew David before he joined the Temps. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">David and I were friends, and we'd hang out, but the first gig we did with The Temps, I was with the rehearsal band, so that was before The Funk Brothers. Martha Jean "The Queen" [the famous radio personality] tacked that name on them, you know. So, after that, that was my first contact with her. That's when I went on the road with Mary Wells. I did some road gigs with her. And Singin' Sammy Ward, you've never heard of him.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Were you on any of the Motown recordings?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">No, I recorded, but I did jazz recordings. Yeah. The first drummer was Benny Benjamin, and he was the one that taught me the Motown sound. He was the one that created the Motown drum sound. I started with Norman Dillard's organist, who you've never heard of, but that's who I recorded within Motown. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We would leave the gig and go into the studio at 3 a.m. Raymond Studemier, Earl Van Dyke, who had just returned to town. You've heard of Earl Van Dyke? Earl Van Dyke was our organist. When he first came to Detroit. He started working with Raymond Studemier</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and I was the drummer. And we had James Jamerson and Robert White, who were learning guitar before becoming The Funk Brothers. So, I worked with the first group before they got that title. He was with the Raymond Studemier band.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> After Walter Hamilton left, Raymond Studemier got the house band. But I got the gig again with Studemier</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so we still accompanied many acts. After that, I worked with Norman Dillard</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and then Spider Webb replaced me with that band.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1964 is when I did a gig with</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aretha Franklin. I got the call at the last minute because her drummer couldn't make it. She had a gig at Hampton Institute in the D.C. area, and I remember she had a Cadillac, and my drums wouldn't fit. So, all I could get in there was my trap case in the trunk of the car, and they shipped my drums through Northwest Airlines, but they shipped my drums to Minneapolis, and the gig was in D.C. So, all I had to play with was the snare drum and cymbal.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That first gig with Aretha, we were 22 years old, was the first time I met her. That was in '64. So, in January of '66</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hindal Butts</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> her regular drummer, for some reason, couldn't make the gig, so I got a call three hours before the plane was supposed to leave from Ted White and Aretha; she remembered me from that first gig.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">And I got the call. The plane was leaving in three hours. So, I got packed and everything, and man, I was ready. So, we flew out to L.A. That was in January of '66. Bruno Carr was the drummer that had contacted us just in case they didn't bring a drummer. But anyway, I got the gig, and Teddy Harris and I were on the gig.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, after that, I stayed with Aretha. When she got her first million-seller, I was with her; I</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Never Loved a Man the way I Love You. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were at rehearsal when the songwriter Ronnie Shannon. I remember when Ronnie Shannon brought that news to her. And Ronnie Shannon came in and said, "Check this out."</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"> Aretha changed bands again. So, Aretha called me over to her house and asked me who I wanted to work with? I recommended Claude Black and Roderick Hicks.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, they joined the band. So, we were at rehearsal, Claude and Rod were in the band, in the trio then, and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Never Loved a Man</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> we recorded at ten at night in New York, three-quarter time, three-four time. Jerry Wexler was one of the leading producers at Atlantic, and he took it to multiple shows, and the people would play it. So, that was Aretha's first big seller.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">And that was in '67. And after that, that's when everything took off, man. We went from the station wagon to limousines and airplanes overnight, man. Just overnight, man. And after that, her career started skyrocketing. And then, we did tours with Operation Entertainment. Aretha's father was tight with Dr. Martin Luther King. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">He was one of the main guys in that organization. Like Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, and all those guys, Aretha's father was a part of that group with Dr. King. And we were always with Dr. King. So, I had a chance to travel from California to New York with Dr. King.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Dr. King was a great guy, man. Both he and Mrs. King. They were just great people. His voice was so magnetic, man. Whatever he'd say to you would draw you to him. When I was changing from California to New York with Jesse Jackson, Operation Breadbasket came. We were in the Astrodome in Houston. Besides sports, we were the first to play there, and Jesse Jackson mentioned that at Aretha's funeral.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-34824013050553057512022-10-23T17:51:00.000-04:002022-10-23T17:51:25.052-04:00NOT SAXOPHONIST TIA FULLER'S BEST HOUR AT THE NEW STANDARDS JAZZ CRAWL <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://improvmusicworkshop.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/tia-fuller_close-up-with-horn_by-keith-major.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="538" height="400" src="https://improvmusicworkshop.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/tia-fuller_close-up-with-horn_by-keith-major.jpg" width="367" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saxophonist Tia Fuller</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">There were several annoyances at saxophonist Tia
Fuller's concert Friday evening at the Detroit Institute for the Arts. Fuller,
one of the leading saxophonists of her generation, was part of the Carr
Center's New Standards Jazz Crawl showcase, featuring some of the best female
jazz musicians on the planet at The Detroit Public Library, Museum of
Contemporary Art Detroit, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Carr Center.
Unfortunately, Fuller's set started a half-hour late. She apologized for the
delay, confessing the band was still getting dressed and eating at 7:30 pm when
the concert was scheduled to commence. There were also technical issues. The
opening songs her quartet performed, you could barely hear the pianist. I'm a
Tia Fuller admirer, and I've attended most of her performances in Detroit. It's
painful to write that Friday evening was the first time I'd witnessed her do
more talking than blowing. Her quartet—pianist Shamie Royston, bassist Mimi
Jones, and drummer Kobe Royston—performed cuts from Fuller's 2019
Grammy-nominated gem <i>Diamond Cut</i>. Interspersed between some brilliant
playing by the quartet, Fuller felt it was essential to explain the symbolic
meaning of the development of diamonds, which I found difficult to comprehend.
Then again, I'm a music blogger, not a gemologist. Annoyances aside, the
concert offered some praiseworthy moments. On the title cut from Fuller's
forthcoming album<i> Intersections</i>, she initiated a terrific exchange with
Kobe Royston. It began with them horsing around. Fuller did some rhythmic tricks
on the alto sax, and Royston countered with a deluge of rimshots. The exchange
became more heated and meaningful as they exposed the marrow of the song. Kobe
is still in college, but his drumming has a maturity that generally takes years
for an upstart to perfect. He never showboated when the zoom lens was cast on
him. Hands down, Shamie Royston, was the crowd favorite. She had the piano testifying
on <i>The Coming </i>and<i> Delight</i> and the most goose-bump inducing solos<i>.</i>
On up-tempo songs, how her hands sprinted and tumbled across the keys compares
to pianists Cyrus Chestnut's and Myra Melford's style. When Fuller wasn't going
on and on about the origins and intricacies of diamonds, her blowing was superb.
She gobbled the chord changes to <i>Queen Intuition</i> like Halloween candy. Near
the end of the set, Fuller surprised the audience by singing a Cole Porter song.
I say surprised because I'd wager few of Fuller's Detroit fans knew she was
interested in singing. Again, I'm a Tia Fuller admirer, so I loathe writing her
singing was subpar, and I dislike that she's added that to her game. Some
instrumentalists feel called to sing these days. Most have never taken vocal
lessons. I wonder if any professional jazz vocalists find this as I do
bothersome. Had Fuller adhered exclusively to the music and focused less on
explaining the development of diamonds, the concert could've been one of the
best the Carr Center has sponsored this year.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-89914601993277476872022-10-19T11:38:00.000-04:002022-10-19T11:38:11.685-04:00WYNTON MARSALIS'S 'ALL RISE' STIRRED SOULS AT HILL AUDITORIUM<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.jazz.org/userfiles/cms_images/media_library_cache/WyntonMarsalis_byMaryleneMeyandWhitLane_1024x768_crop_726_409_242_242_242_85___2743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="726" height="225" src="https://www.jazz.org/userfiles/cms_images/media_library_cache/WyntonMarsalis_byMaryleneMeyandWhitLane_1024x768_crop_726_409_242_242_242_85___2743.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wynton Marsalis</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">For two decades, I've attended Jazz at
Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis University Music Society concerts.
Under Marsalis's stewardship, the JALCO is the current reigning G.O.A.T. of international
jazz orchestras. Bank on Marsalis to deliver monumental projects like culturally
and politically relevant recordings such as "From the Plantation to the
Penitentiary," "The Abyssinian Mass," remodeling the music of jazz
overachievers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Paul Whiteman, John
Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Thelonius Monk. I've often left JACLO concerts,
wondering if Marsalis would ever run out of steam. But Saturday evening at Hill
Auditorium, Marsalis pulled off another massive undertaking, "All Rise
(Symphony No. 1.) For Symphony Orchestra Jazz Orchestra, and Chorus." Positively,
the most ambitious work of his 22-year association with the University Musical
Society. Rivaling in scope and depth, his epic 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning
oratorio "Blood on the Fields." "All Rise" Marsalis,
composed in 1999, has only been performed periodically. It has 12 movements.
Each movement was seasoned with the blues and executed meticulously by participants
University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, University of Michigan Choirs, UMS
Choral Union, and key members of the JALCO. Over 200 collegiate and
professional musicians shared the same space, treating the near-capacity
audience to over two hours of musical bliss. The musical cohesion was staggering.
It was Marsalis's brainchild, but the linchpin of this elaborate spread was the
conductor, Kenneth Kiesler. It appeared Kiesler meant for the movements to come
off as 12 mini-concerts. The movements—"Jubal Step,"" A Hundred
and a Hundred, a Hundred and Twelve," Go Slow (But Don't Stop),"
"Wild Strumming of Fiddle," "Save Us," "Cried.
Shouted. Then Swung,"" Look Beyond," "The Halls of
Erudition and Scholarship," El "Gran' Baile de la Reina," "Expressbrown
Local," "Saturday Night Slow Drag," and "I Am (Don't You
Run From Me)—were soul-stirring and dispelled the myths classical musicians cannot
swing or play the blues. The classical musicians cut up on "Go Slow (But
Don't Stop)" and "Cried. Shouted. Then Swung," proving they can
swing and navigate any form of the blues with equal aplomb. Near the end of "All
Rise, " I wondered how many audience members had a full-blown spiritual
experience absorbing all the awe-inspired music. Given how most in the audience
roared after the last movement and the standing ovation that lasted 15 minutes,
the two-plus hours of musical bliss had induced that feeling in many of them.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-84306330042324493882022-10-02T21:46:00.003-04:002022-10-02T21:46:53.555-04:00WARREN WOLF BRINGS GOOD VIBES TO HIS DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ RETURN<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://alchetron.com/cdn/warren-wolf-musician-21be7f72-dcbe-43f7-ad11-c7210fc5fb8-resize-750.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="700" height="314" src="https://alchetron.com/cdn/warren-wolf-musician-21be7f72-dcbe-43f7-ad11-c7210fc5fb8-resize-750.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vibraphonist Warren Wolf</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">Three songs into Warren Wolf's concert Saturday night
at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café, the vibraphonist let the audience know it was the
first time he'd performed as a band with guitarist Randy Napoleon, drummer
Quincy Phillips, and bassist Noah Jackson. Indeed, those were some strong
personalities Wolf had to acclimate his chops to on the fly. But, given the
audience cheering after the band performed <i>F.S.R. </i>and the Stylistics' <i>Betcha By Golly, Wow</i>, he pulled it off.<i> </i>Wolf is one of the more
complete vibraphonists of his generation, well respected for mixing classical music,
jazz, and R&B in one set with equal aplomb. For this performance, he concentrated
on standards and some R&B oldies. During the whole concert, Wolf played the
vibraphone and piano. One choice moment was <i>Prelude to a Kiss.</i> His solo was
as serene and warm as a grandmother's embrace. Wolf was hands down the captain,
but there were times when Napoleon and Jackson assumed control of the ship. The
rich texture of Napoleon's playing was evocative of how guitarists George
Benson and Wes Montgomery used to chew through chord changes. Jackson is a calm
and collective jazz bassist. Other noted bassists who share his music acumen and
temperament like to walk the bass. Jackson dances with it like a prom date. It
was Wolf's long overdue return to the Dirty Dog. With a terrific pickup band, Wolf
stuck to his reputation as a bandleader with a propensity for mixing things up.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-91819530858997739572022-09-26T21:32:00.001-04:002022-09-26T21:32:59.702-04:00AT ARETHA'S JAZZ CAFÉ THE NEA JAZZ MASTER DRUMMER LOUIS HAYES SWUNG WITH THE VERVE OF MUSICIANS HALF HIS AGE<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.baltimorechamberjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/slider_Louis-Hayes-Wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="630" height="254" src="http://www.baltimorechamberjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/slider_Louis-Hayes-Wide.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis Hayes</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";">At Louis Hayes's concert Sunday night, I wondered if
other attendees were blown away by how athletic his playing still is at 85. Hayes,
the 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship—the
highest honor bestowed on a jazz musician—returned to Detroit for a weekend at Aretha's Jazz Café. Off the bat, Hayes set the tone for the high-grade swing the
audience would be lavished with for 90-minutes. <i>Silver Serenade</i> and<i>
Arab Arab</i> were the two scorchers Hayes opened the concert with. Witnessing
him burn rubber through both numbers showed his dexterity as a masterful jazz
drummer hasn't withered with age. His cymbal work was crisp, and his rimshots embodied
a youthful muscularity. All night long, he was equally dynamic as when he held
down the drum chair in pianist Horace Silver's and alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball"
Adderly's bands many decades ago. Then, after submerging the audience with the
two opening tunes, Hayes let them come up for air on Tadd Dameron's ballad<i>
If You Could See Me Now.</i> Hayes had a well-condition band—pianist Rick
Germanson, saxophonist Abraham Burton, vibist Steve Nelson, and bassist Gerald
Cannon—that punched even harder in the later rounds of the set. The members
were so evenly yoked that neither overshadowed the other. Germanson and Cannon
were the band's linchpins, Burton blew the paint off the walls, and Nelson's solos
had an athletic quality. Hayes isn't one of those old-timers who spend a chunk
of a set reminiscing about the old days. But, for what it's worth, I've always enjoyed
it when jazz musicians of Hayes's era include a jazz history lesson in their
concerts. Anyway, he performed for 90-minutes with no commercial interruptions
and with the verve and stamina of a musician half his age. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p> </p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-87574096856153460442022-09-05T16:44:00.000-04:002022-09-05T16:44:21.912-04:00FOUR MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES SUNDAY AT THE 2022 DETROIT JAZZ FEST<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static.ideal.es/www/multimedia/201907/17/media/cortadas/jose-james-kjZF-U807757468542s-624x385@Ideal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="621" height="198" src="https://static.ideal.es/www/multimedia/201907/17/media/cortadas/jose-james-kjZF-U807757468542s-624x385@Ideal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jose James</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";">Jose James (JP Morgan Chase Main Stage)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";">The jazz vocalist Jose James released <i>Yesterday
I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday</i> in 2015. He revisited the project
at his Detroit Jazz Festival set Sunday afternoon. James is a vocalist with stagecraft
and an enormous voice. Unfortunately, it was rainy and windy during his concert.
However, James joked that such conditions are an opportune time to listen to
Holiday's music. James added new herbs and spices to <i>God Bless the Child,
Strange Fruit, </i>and <i>Body and Soul</i>. I'm not sure how many attendees
who braved the rain will consider this performance a favorite. However, hearing
James remake Holiday's classics was worth getting drenched.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.passionweiss.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nubya-garcia.jpg?resize=850%2C850&ssl=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.passionweiss.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nubya-garcia.jpg?resize=850%2C850&ssl=1" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nubya Garcia</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Nubya Garcia (Absopure Waterfront Stage)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";">The British tenor saxophonist's improvisational savviness
has been likened to the great Sonny Rollins. Any doubt about the accuracy of
their likeness was immediately dispelled during Garcia's soloing on the opening
number of her set. Garcia's band—pianist Greg Spero, drummer Sam James, and
bassist Lawrence Shaw—performed mostly music from Garcia's highly-touted first
album, <i>Source. </i>The band modernized acoustic swing was refreshing to hear.
Garcia was the marquee attraction, for sure. However, listening to Spero back
her and solo with such raw enthusiasm, I wondered if Garcia's quartet would still
swing hard if Spero was absent from the mix. His style reminded me of pianists
Craig Taborn and Jacky Terrasson.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Crossed-Arms-RR-Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Crossed-Arms-RR-Jones.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cecile McLorin Salvant</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Cecile McLorin Salvant (JP Morgan Chase Main Stage)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";">A litany of show tunes, gems from the American
songbook, and obscure songs that are an acquired taste are expected from a
Cecile McLorin Salvant performance. Honestly, I've been bored to death at some
of her shows; at others, her angelic voice melted my soul. However, her Sunday
night set was the best I've experienced since she became a regular headliner at
the Detroit Jazz fest. I was intoxicated by every song I heard, and she's been
blessed with a soulmate in pianist Sullivan Fortner. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mallorcadiario.com/fotos/1/391179_chuchovaldes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://www.mallorcadiario.com/fotos/1/391179_chuchovaldes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chucho Valdes</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Duets: Dianne Reeves, Chucho Valdes & Joe
Lovano (Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";">Given Reeves', Valdes's, and Lovano's different
musical makeup, I wondered if the pairing would work. But merging their uniqueness
turned out well. Valdes played solo piano to start the set and had the piano
airborne. After that, saxophonist Lovano joined him for a duet. Lovano was
blowing so aggressively that he nearly blew a hole in the moon. This duet replaces
Archie Shepp and Horace Parlan as my all-time favorite pianist and tenor sax duet.
The duet was enough to send the audience home gratified. Valdes's duet with
Grammy-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves was a bonus. Reeves was at her best,
scatting up a storm. When nestled into a slow-tempo song, her voice had a
puppy-love innocence. This set was hands down my favorite experience Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-89174003343264188602022-08-28T09:08:00.001-04:002022-08-28T09:08:45.018-04:00THE MULTI-FACETED JAZZ PIANIST MIKE MALIS PREMIERS THREE AMBITIOUS PROJECTS AT THE DIA FRIDAY CONCERT SERIES<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.sc4a.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/head_michael_web.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://www.sc4a.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/head_michael_web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianist Mike Malis</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";">The Detroit jazz community has so many uniquely
gifted musicians. So, I have to think long and hard when asked who's my
favorite drummer, bassist, or horn player. However, I proclaim Mike Malis, my
number one pianist, without pause when asked to pick my fave pianist. Malis is
an alumnus of the University of Michigan. There he studied with the late Geri
Allen. After hearing him perform with the vocalist Milton Suggs many years ago,
I became fond of Malis's playing. Over the years, my fondness for him has grown.
I witnessed him co-lead the duo Balance with saxophonist Marcus Elliot (recently
featured in Jazz Times magazine) and tackle challenging works by greats such as
Andrew Hill and Ornette Coleman. At the Detroit Institute of Arts Friday
evening, Malis premiered his most ambitious project yet with the chamber
ensemble Virago violinist Meg Rohrer, cellist Wesley Hornpetrie, saxophonist
BethAnne Kunert, and vibraphonist Sofia Carbonara. All possess fierce improvisational
skills. Malis packed a lot of arresting music into the 90-minute concert,
starting with four movements from his suite <i>Imperfect Intervals</i>. Then performing
<i>Hold Tightly Your Vision of How Things Could Be</i> and ending with music
from his new recording, <i>From Darkness We Awaken</i>. During this leg of the concert,
the Virago members were in stride with each other like a championship relay
team. Malis treated the audience to three different concerts, each equally moving.
For weeks to come, I'll think about Malis giving his all on <i>Hold Tightly
Your Vision of How Things Could Be</i>. Honestly, I've never been a friend of solo
piano because it's like watching a pianist practice. However, I was taken by Malis's
range, depth, and beauty. Midway through the solo, I wondered if he'd invested
time dissecting late pianist Jaki Byard's gift. Like Byard, Malis can play many
styles simultaneously. So much music in a single concert could've overwhelmed
an audience unwinding after a taxing work week. However, Malis is a self-assured
leader, and he made such an ambitious undertaking look effortless.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-3474296190415009432022-07-24T23:12:00.002-04:002022-07-27T07:01:24.718-04:00JAZZ BASSIST MARION HAYDEN'S ETERNAL SPIRIT: THE MUSIC OF ALICE COLTRANE EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS AT THE 30th ANNUAL CONCERT OF COLORS<p></p><br /> <br /><span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /><span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f0/4c/97/f04c97f7aa1633afdf97b7d265d4e77e--marion-detroit.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="736" height="212" src="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f0/4c/97/f04c97f7aa1633afdf97b7d265d4e77e--marion-detroit.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bassist Marion Hayden</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times;">I'm not a jazz musician, but if I were one and had
the money to assemble a fantasy jazz ensemble, my first hire would be jazz
bassist Marion Hayden. Hayden has been a force in Detroit since her teen years,
schooled by Detroit jazz greats Kenn Cox, Wendell Harrison, and Marcus
Belgrave. These days, Hayden is Detroit's reigning jazz Goddess and one of the
best and busiest jazz bassists working. Some of her more memorable outings have
been the special projects she's produced over the years, her all-bass ensemble "Bassment,"
her Detroit Legacy Ensemble, dedicated to keeping alive the music of late Detroit
jazz masters such as Roy Brooks, Donald Walden, and Teddy Harris Jr. If Hayden is
at the helm of a project, you can bank on the project being extraordinary. Her
excellence as a bassist and bandleader were again available for public consumption
Saturday evening during a presentation of Alice Coltrane's compositions at the 30</span></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><sup style="text-align: justify;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">
Annual Concert of Colors. The hour-plus performance was at the Detroit
Institute of Arts. Hayden's ensemble—Tariq Gardner, Vincent Bowen, Dave Sharp,
Michael Malis, and Mahindi Masai—plunged headfirst into Coltrane's </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">EI Cobayo,
El Daoud, Turiya Ramakrishna, and the Blue Nile.</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> Hayden's ensemble also performed
harpist Brandee Younger's </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">In Love and Struggle.</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> Younger was a special guest,
and Coltrane's spirit appeared to be guiding Younger's hands during her solos.
The concert exceeded the lofty expectations I bet many attendees had. Coltrane
was a complete jazz pianist and harpist, and her music was more esoteric and spiritually
oriented than swing driven. So, Hayden's ensemble taking on Coltrane's work had
to be daunting. Still, their handling of it was pleasing and uplifting, rich
with captivating moments. Hayden is a leader who likes to share the ball. Younger
was the marquee player, but drummer Tariq Gardner—Hayden's son—solos were
scene-stealers. Gardner's playing was exuberant and tasteful, and he possessed
a command of the drums akin to jazz drummers Djallo DJakate and the late Roy
Brooks. As expected, Hayden played brilliantly throughout the concert, engaging
in a lovely exchange of virtuosity with pianist Michael Malis near the concert's
end. The near-capacity audience was enthusiastic the entire set and damn near
pleaded for an encore after the last selection. Had Hayden's ensemble not obliged,
I'm sure a riot would've erupted. The performance was that moving.</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-58075885474702457102022-06-05T08:47:00.000-04:002022-06-05T08:47:33.530-04:00VIOLINIST LESLIE DESHAZOR ENTHRALLS THE AUDIENCE AT HER DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ DEBUT<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://a2sf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/leslie-deshazor-2400x1260-1-1200x630.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="800" height="210" src="https://a2sf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/leslie-deshazor-2400x1260-1-1200x630.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leslie DeShazor</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">It's a crying shame that violinist Leslie DeShazor doesn't
have a permanent residency at a popular jazz club in Detroit. She's an extraordinary performer with diverse musical chops, able to play classical, jazz, smooth
jazz, and R&B with equal aplomb. And she's been a Godsend to the many groups
she's performed with over the years. If you've heard her with vocalist Naima
Shamborguer's project Sister Strings and on the frontline with the group Musique
Noire, you know my praise has merit. As we speak, DeShazor is building a name as
a bandleader. Thursday evening at Detroit's Dirty Dog Jazz Café—her debut there
as a bandleader—she performed choice gems from her impeccable debut recording <i>Journey
With Me</i>. In her band were keyboardist Demetrius Nabors, drummer Nate Winn, and
guitarists Damon Warmack and Sasha Kashperko. DeShazor's music was a departure
from the straight-ahead acoustic jazz you'd usually get at the Dirty Dog, but
the near-capacity audience was enthralled with her music. A key part of her appeal
was her leadership style. She was comfortable explaining the impetus behind
each original composition the band played, and she never micro-managed the band.
She gave Winn, Warmack, Kashperko, and Nabors equal portions of the spotlight.
That bothered me some. DeShazor is such a complete and dynamic musician. I wanted
her to solo more. But when she soloed, she had the audience transfixed. The
Dirty Dog's bartender, Carl—who has a critic's passion and understanding of
jazz—cheered during every solo she took. She performed <i>Acceptance and
Journey with Me </i>with such warmth that I was convinced the violin would melt
in her hands. Of her bandmates, she had the most chemistry with Winn and
Nabors. On <i>Simply Complicated</i>, Nabors had the piano floating, and Winn's
rimshots ricocheted off the walls on Kashperko's composition <i>Anxiety Society.
</i>Halfway through the set, I wondered if the show would've been more enjoyable
had she opted to play with a trio. The inclusion of the guitarists was overkill.
Given the enthusiastic outpouring from the audience, DeShazor can bank on
having a frequent residency at the Dirty Dog.</span><span face="Microsoft JhengHei Light, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face=""Microsoft JhengHei Light",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-69607674517381621012022-04-10T20:51:00.002-04:002022-04-10T20:51:51.745-04:00HARPIST BRANDEE YOUNGER STEALS THE SHOW AT THE CARR CENTER'S GREAT JAZZ WOMEN FROM DETROIT TRIBUTE CONCERT <p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lydialiebman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/brandee-younger-feat1-1024x607.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="800" height="237" src="https://lydialiebman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/brandee-younger-feat1-1024x607.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harpist Brandee Younger</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">I've been reviewing live jazz concerts for 20-plus
years. I must confess that Saturday evening at the Carr Center was my first
time experiencing a jazz harpist. New York-based Brandee Younger is the
harpist. She's a Grammy nominee, has six albums available, and cites Detroit
harpist Dorothy Ashby as an influence. After experiencing Younger, I also must
admit my ears will never be the same. She was a featured guest at the </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Great Jazz
Women of Detroit </i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">concert, a celebration of trailblazers, pianists Alice
Coltrane and Geri Allen, vocalists Betty Carter and Sheila Jordan, and harpist
Dorothy Ashby. The 90-minute performance was part of the Carr Center's 30th
anniversary, and the band pianist Marc Cary, bassist Rahsaan Carter, and saxophonist
JD Allen was assembled by the Carr Center's artistic director, drummer Terri
Lyne Carrington. The band opened with </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Swamini</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">, a composition the late
pianist Geri Allen wrote for Alice Coltrane. The band stirred up the audience's
senses with that number. Then Carrington introduced Younger. Younger and the
band stretched out on Coltrane's the </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Blue Nile, Turiya and Ramakrishna</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">,
and Ashby's</span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> Games.</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> Younger's soloing was imbued with such pure grace it
appeared as if Ashby's spirit set next to Younger, instructing her on what notes
to play. There were many praiseworthy moments, like when the band left Younger
and vocalist Jazzmeia Horn alone on stage to have fun with Stevie Wonder's </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">If
It's Magic</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">. Horn's voice melted all over Younger's harp. Younger received
the most applause. Horn is an eclectic vocalist. She's been likened to Betty
Carter. Horn was erratic throughout the concert. She did more scatting,
humming, and yelling than singing. The Carr Center likes to put on tribute
concerts, and a few of them, like the one for Stevie Wonder, have some
overkill. Thanks to Younger, the </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Great Jazz Women of Detroit</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> program was
sufficiently satisfying.</span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597966572385872208.post-71029372180063158422022-03-06T14:46:00.001-05:002022-03-06T14:46:49.439-05:00THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA'S PARADISE JAZZ SERIES CONCERT WAS HEAVY OF ORIGINAL MUSIC<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.sfstation.com/assets/images/events/08/23542081212641557_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="800" height="169" src="https://cdn.sfstation.com/assets/images/events/08/23542081212641557_orig.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Microsoft JhengHei Light";"><span style="font-family: times;">If you're a devotee of the Jazz at
Lincoln Center Orchestra, you know they relish the work of Duke Ellington,
Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Dave Burbeck, Charles Mingus, and Thelonius
Monk. The times I've caught a JLCO show, they performed those trailblazer's music.
The JLCO's Paradise Jazz Series performance Friday evening at Detroit's Orchestra
Hall was a deviation from their norm. Save for a Stevie Wonder song and saxophonist
Sonny Rollins's <i>Freedom Suite, </i>the JLCO performed music by longstanding members
Sherman Irby, Victor Goines, Walter Blanding, and the orchestra's leader Wynton
Marsalis, who played splendidly, made political statements, and teased his orchestra-mates.
The concert started with a Marsalis original. Right away, the orchestra's
linchpin, bassist Carlos Henriquez seized<b> </b>the audience's souls and didn't
let go. From that moment on, the concert was a mix of highlights and staggering
solos. One such solo was delivered courtesy of saxophonist Diego Rivera on
Stevie Wonder's <i>Smile Please.</i> It was Rivera's first time playing with
the orchestra and the one time I have witnessed him on alto saxophone. Rivera's
passionate blowing came off like he had unlimited access to alto sax great Johnny
Hodge's spirit. Saxophonist Victor Goines was another mentionable standout, cutting
up on <i>A Dance at the Mardi Gras Ball and</i> the 5<sup>th</sup> movement of the
<i>Freedom Suite.</i> Toward the end of his solo, he<i> </i>removed the
mouthpiece from his tenor sax and played a chunk of the melody with just the
mouthpiece. Goines is a respectful and meticulous saxophonist. It was
surprising to see him take a moment to showboat. I ate it up, and so did the
rest of the audience. Trumpeter Marcus Printup dazzled the audience on Marsalis's
original <i>(You Gotta) Watch the Holy Ghost, </i>and trombonist Chris Crenshaw
let his alter-ego loose, singing wonderfully on <i>Yes Sir, That's My Baby. </i>Experiencing
the JLCO deliver a concert heavy on original music--not the music of swing era
pioneers--was a welcome change.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Charles L. Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401253942258186823noreply@blogger.com0