JAZZ PIANIST JOEY ALEXANDER PLAYS THE BLUE LLAMA FOR THE FIRST TIME

Pianist Joey Alexander

In 2018, I heard jazz pianist Joey Alexander live for the first time. He made history, opening the 2018-2019 Paradise Jazz Series at age fifteen. I recall him fascinating the series regulars with his journeyman piano command and ability to make his sidemen appear bigger than life. Since then, he has put out nine albums and performed regularly as a featured soloist with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Now he's twenty-one, leading a highly touted jazz trio with drummer Johnathan Barber and bassist Kris Funn. On Friday night, they played the Blue Llama in Ann Arbor, MI, presenting mainly songs from Alexander's new album, "Continuance." It was an hour of expertly executed jazz. The trio members were evenly yoked and effortlessly roamed each other's musical psyches. They started the second set with "Remembrance" and soon after won over the capacity crowd with a reupholstered version of "My Favorite Things." Here, Alexander showed off his pristine and multi-layered chops. Sometimes, the music was so moving and compelling that he played standing on his tiptoes, like Keith Jarrett, who often plays standing when the music moves him. I've noticed Alexander's influences aren't always obvious like other accomplished jazz pianists. For example, after hearing Jason Moran's solo, it's clear that pianist Jaki Byard influenced him. The same goes for pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Witnessing him running through chord changes, it's clear that pianist John Hicks was his north star. With Alexander, I was immediately drawn to how perfect his playing is, how comfortable he is with standards, and how adult his original songs are. He's also masterful at quickly drawing a crowd into his orbit. He has always had a strong command of the piano and, surprisingly, the stage. That was clear during his Blue Llama debut.

WHY DOESN'T THE CURRENT GENERATION OF DETROIT JAZZ MUSICIANS CARE TO DRESS UP?

Bassist Ron Carter

I attended the Ron Carter quartet concert at the Paradise Jazz Series in April. The first thing I noticed was how sharp they were in their matching black suits. Their appearance made me wonder why many young jazz musicians, particularly those from Detroit, never dress up like jazz musicians did back in the day. I thought about a question I asked the late jazz drummer and former Jazz Messenger, Ralph Peterson Jr., during an interview for my upcoming book, "Chasing the Note." Why band leaders like Art Blakey required their bandmates to dress up. According to Peterson, Blakey believed that before the musicians played a single note, the audience first saw their attire. Discerning audience members tend to make assumptions about the music based solely on the musicians' appearance. Many fans might believe such a claim to be silly. Blakey was right, though. If musicians look raggedy, it's likely their music will reflect that. What Blakey said has stuck with me. I’m embarrassed at how poorly dressed the current generation of Detroit jazz musicians is. Hoodies, jeans, and sneakers are acceptable attire. I question whether the colleges where young musicians learn the nuts and bolts of music theory, orchestration, and harmony emphasize proper stage etiquette. If so, it appears that too many of the young musicians who play at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café, Bert's Music Café, the Blue Llama, Cliff Bell's, Baker's Keyboard Lounge, and Aretha's Jazz Café skip those lectures on etiquette. How can jazz musicians perform at upscale clubs like the Dirty Dog and Blue Llama, which have a cover charge yet dress as if they were playing at a fraternity house? It's outright disrespectful to the audience. If you bring a date to either venue, you could drop $250.00 to hear one set. I once overheard the jazz pianist and educator Teddy Harris Jr. tell a young musician that the audience should never look better than the musicians whom they have paid good money to see. Harris added that the bandstand is sacred and must be treated as such.

I hesitated about writing this blog, knowing that it would offend many of the young players who, aside from their lack of attention to their appearance, are excellent musicians. I was also unsure if I would sound old-fashioned and superficial. At first, I decided to keep my observations and thoughts to myself. That changed at the Detroit Jazz Festival Press Conference. The band performing looked awful. One musician wore scuffed-up black and white Air Jordans. Another had on Crocs sandals, but at least they were new. The musicians' shabby appearance distracted from their music. My attention shifted from their clothes to the music, never thoroughly enjoying their original music. That's what Art Blakey was getting at when schooling Ralph Peterson. The musicians were hired to perform at a media event for one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world. Still, they didn't understand such an honor call for dressing up, given that the festival sponsors, city officials, and media personalities were in attendance. I later learned that the same musicians would represent Detroit and the DJF in an upcoming tour of Japan.

Musicians don't always have to wear suits and ties, but they should at least be well put together. The tenor saxophonist Donald Walden was stylish. No fan of his would deny that. I caught many of his local gigs. I don't recall him ever sporting a suit. Yet, his appearance was always impeccable. Decades ago, jazz musicians were written about in national magazines such as GQ and Esquire for their stylishness. Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Roy Haynes, and Coleman Hawkins were fashion icons always on someone's best-dressed list. Non-musicians tried to mimic the style of jazz musicians. My mentor, who introduced me to jazz, once told me that when he proposed to his wife of 60 years, he wore a tailored suit like the one trumpeter Lee Morgan wore as a Jazz Messenger. Jazz musicians of the past possessed a certain dignity. Yes, they had struggles with addiction and other vices, but it meant something to be a jazz musician. How they talked, walked, and dressed spoke to that reality. It was easy to distinguish between jazz musicians and other musicians. You wouldn’t be wrong to mistake a jazz musician now for rock & roll or hip-hop musicians.

Last week, I saw the famous Great Day in Harlem photo. On a hot summer day in 1958, all the male musicians pictured were dressed like leading men. There are all sorts of jazz lore about how meticulous jazz musicians were about their clothes. For example, trumpeter Miles Davis said the great tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon wouldn't allow musicians to hang around him if they weren't dressed right. In his autobiography, Miles wrote that Gordon told him he couldn't be seen with Miles until he got some vines (clothes). Trumpeter Rex Stewart noted in his book "Jazz Masters of the 30s," which documented some of the quirks of famous jazz musicians, that Duke Ellington was so fussy about his clothes that he wouldn't wear a suit coat if any of the buttons were slightly loose. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s appearance is always polished. Its leader, Wynton Marsalis, joked that if the music isn't happening, at least the band looks good.

Trumpeter Miles Davis

Closer to home, I recall the Detroit drummer Sean Dobbins telling me the pianist Claude Black chastised him about how he dressed. According to Dobbins, Black was embarrassed to be on stage with him and made him buy some suits. That's how seasoned jazz musicians used to tear into younger musicians for any breaches of etiquette. Somehow, that type of homegrown mentoring has stopped. I asked Dobbins once after his performance at the Dirty Dog why young guys don’t care how they look on stage. He said he could only require that musicians dress up in his band. Why does dressing well matter? Deep down, who gives a shit what jazz musicians perform in? Those are reasonable questions. Jazz musicians dressing up are part of tradition and acknowledge what Teddy Harris believed was sacred, the bandstand. I’m not sure if anyone cares about my observations, opinions, or agrees that the current generation of Detroit jazz musicians needs to be concerned about professionalism. Performing at a concert hall or popular jazz club in a hoodie, sneakers, and jeans is in bad taste. Here are a few suggestions: Club owners should establish a dress code for the performers. Universities could offer classes in grooming and professionalism. That would be a good starting point. Ron Carter informed his students at City College in New York, if they wanted to perform with him in the concert at the end of the semester, a blue suit and tie were mandatory. I left the Carter’s Paradise Jazz Series concert feeling good. At 88, he's still sharp musically, and his style is still impeccable. I wish more of Detroit's current jazz musicians had attended the concert to witness professionalism at its finest.

JAZZ PIANIST JASON MORAN PERFORMS A SPELLBINDING SOLO CONCERT AT THE GRETCHEN C. VALADE JAZZ CENTER

 

Pianist Jason Moran

If you attended the Detroit Jazz Festival press conference on Tuesday evening at the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center, stayed for Jason Moran's short concert, and two hours later left still doubting he is the most exciting jazz pianist of his generation, which includes Benny Green, Cyrus Chestnut, and Charles Craig, I would have to respectfully question your taste and sanity. Moran was there as the DJF’s 2025 Artist-in-Residence. Before Chris Collins, the festival’s president, announced the performers, Moran shared his thoughts on Detroit's rich music history, his love for the festival, and his mixed feelings of honor and fear about being the Artist-in-Residence. He then gave a spellbinding solo concert. I have been attending this jazz festival’s annual press conference for twenty years. Usually, the Artist-in-Residence plays three songs. He played six solo songs, starting with a medley of Duke Ellington tunes, followed by “Melancholia,” Geri Allen’s “Feed the Fire,” mixed with Moran’s “Retrograde.” His original “Barbershop” earned the first of three ovations. He played brilliantly, fiddling with the piano strings with one hand while the other raced across the keys like a child running after an ice cream truck. He made the piano echo the sounds of a bustling Manhattan street. This short concert was just a taste of what he will bring to the festival, starting with a must-see duet with techno music founder Jeff Mills and Detroit’s Poet Laureate Jessica Care Moore, a tribute to Duke Ellington, and a set with his long-time group Bandwagon featuring Meshell Ndegecello. The press conference was a showcase of his vast skills. Every Moran live concert or recording presents music that captivates, whether he is blending jazz with hip-hop, playing behind the backdrop of two women in a casual conversation, or someone scribbling on a notepad. His gift is convincing you that every sound can be music, setting him apart from other pianists. What is truly special about the jazz festival’s Artist-in-Residence position is the outreach programs at high schools and colleges. These programs allow music students to gain experience from a worldly musician like Moran.

SAXOPHONIST KENNY GARRETT'S MUSIC GETS A STAR TREATMENT AT THE DETROIT JAZZ PRESERVATION CONCERT SERIES

 

Saxophonist Kenny Garrett

Sunday afternoon, when trombonist Vincent Chandler, the founder of the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series, told the crowd at Schaver Music Recital Hall that the concert celebrating saxophonist Kenny Garrett’s music was the second-to-last in the series this season, there was a collective sigh. Their disappointment showed how important the jazz series had become in just two short years. I bet most who showed up wished Chandler could find money to keep the series going year-round. No one knows if he will, but I pray that he does. Sunday’s nod to Garrett was another well-plotted set with a strong lineup of saxophonists Rafael Leafar and De’Sean Jones, drummer Sean Dobbins, bassist Josef Deas, and pianist Roger Jones II. I never knew Garrett was such an outstanding composer. Chandler was smart in choosing to steer the frontline with Leafar and Jones. During the early stage of Leafar’s career, he sounded like Garrett and even swayed back and forth during solos. Listening to Leafar blow up and down Sunday afternoon, I felt he had finally come into his own. Leafar and Jones had their horns honking, screaming, and squealing with such raw force that Chandler should have warned the crowd before the set started to protect their ears. Mine were burning midway through the set. Chandler enjoys scat singing when the spirit hits him. I am not a fan of scatting. However, he always manages to sound damn good. He started “Happy People,” which Garrett usually ends his concerts with, by scatting and drawing the crowd in, but was overshadowed when Jones and Leafar began trading measures. Garrett is all fire, and Jones and Leafar captured that side of his blowing well. Dobbins was the motor pushing the saxophonists to great improvisational depths. At the end of the set, Dobbins probably had to soak his drumsticks in Epson salt to reduce the swelling, given the workout he put them through. I wondered though why Chandler did not choose a heavy-handed piano player, as Garrett likes that type. Jones II is a sharp pianist with chops suited for a trio but never matched the bombs the saxophonists dropped. The sighs heard at the start of the set were replaced with applause as the band moved through Garrett’s “Wayne’s Thang,” “Wooden Steps,” and “Sing a Song of Song.” Give Chandler a pat on the back for giving Jones and Leafar the room to stick and jab. Of the concerts put on so far, this one should have been recorded for future nationwide release.

DID THE RON CARTER FOURSIGHT QUARTET PUT ON THE BEST CONCERT IN THE HISTORY OF THE PARADISE JAZZ SERIES?

I wonder if anyone at jazz bassist Ron

Payton Crossley, Renee Rosnes, Ron Carter & Jimmy Greene

Carter's Foursight Quartet concert on Friday evening at the Paradise Jazz Series believes it was the best concert in the series history. The quartet, pianist Renee Rosnes, saxophonist Jimmy Greene, and drummer Payton Crossley put on a concert for the ages. They are the smoothest outfit I've seen. Their way of swinging is different. It has a certain dignity you do not get from other jazz bands. Before they started swinging, they walked out dressed in black tuxedos, locked arms and bowed. Carter sat on a stool next to the piano. The quartet played for an hour without coming up for air. Carter didn't call the first four songs. I had to go to his Facebook page for the setlist. They opened with "Bohemia After Dark" and slid into "Nefertiti" and "One Finger Snap." After they ended "Little Waltz," they finally came up for air, and Carter addressed the house. It was a joyful homecoming for Carter, and he was happy to play for a packed house at Orchestra Hall, his first time hitting there as a band leader. The quartet didn't pause between songs like they were performing a suite. The wondrous thing about this concert was that each moment could rank as the concert's high point, with Rosnes and Carter trading and Greene blowing brilliantly. Greene is a sax player with a lean, pleasing, everyday tone, like the late Harold Land. With so many highlights, my favorite was Crossley's solo, where he only hit the cymbals, which was like watching a hotshot artist painting on stage. Rosnes' playing stood out the most. She's an elegant piano player who plays like her fingers are made of diamonds. Carter shook up the house with a well-crafted bass solo. As a bass player, he waltzes with the bass instead of walking with it. His playing draws you in after playing notes. So, it's worth asking if the Foursight's set was the best in Paradise Jazz Series' history. 

 

TRUMPETER BENNY BENACK III LAUNCHES FIRST MIDWEST JAZZ COLLECTIVE CONCERT AT THE BLUE LLAMA

Trumpeter Benny Benack III

Benny Benack III, a jazz trumpeter from Pittsburgh, reminds me of the late Chet Baker with his trumpet and singing style. I don't know if he means to copy Baker, or if he looks up to him. Benack has played with stars like Christian McBride and Emmet Cohen and released two albums. When I heard Benack sing and blow Saturday night, I could not stop thinking of Baker during his heyday. However, Benack sings better than Baker did. Benack III performed with his band, including pianist Tyler Henderson, drummer Charles Goold, and bassist Caleb Tobocman. They were there to start a new concert series by the Midwest Jazz Collective, a group of jazz clubs and promoters in the Midwest that organize tours for leading jazz musicians. Benack III had performed at Blue Llama before and even recorded a live album there last year, set for release this summer. The band played standards and originals, starting with "Kiss the Good Life Goodbye" and then "The Sound of Music."  The band sounded best on songs from Benack's albums “Third Times The Charm,” “One of a Kind,” and “A Lot of Livin’ to Do.” Benack's singing was soothing, making you wish he would never stop. His pianist, Tyler Henderson, a Juilliard graduate, played perfectly behind him, demonstrating how selfless a pianist must be when supporting a singer. During the 90-minute performance, it was surprising to see that Benack, who has such a smooth singing voice, could also play the trumpet so powerfully. He showed this, especially on the song “Catching Drift,” which was a twist on “My Favorite Things.” Here, Goold and Tobocman really carried the heavy parts. Tobocman, only twenty-two, is already making a name for himself. Throughout the set, he strolled with his bass rather than walking it. Goold's drumming was powerfully beautiful, like his peers Nasheet Waits and Brian Blade. At the end of the set, Benack III invited a singer friend to join him for a restructured take of “Willow Weep for Me,” ending the show beautifully and marking a great start for the Midwest Jazz Collective's concert series.

 

WJZZ CELEBRATES ITS 66TH BIRTHDAY AT BAKER’S KEYBOARD LOUNGE

WJZZ's Rodger Penzabene Jr.

WJZZ celebrated its 66th birthday with an exclusive party Tuesday night at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, MI, which included a guest list of notable Detroiters like fashion laureate Chuck Bennett, renowned photographer Monica Morgan, fashionista Fast Freddy Anderson, jazz vocalists Naima Shamborguer, Sky Covington, Joan Belgrave, celebrity journalist Greg Dunmore, and some elected city officials. The drummer and Kresge Fellow Aisha Ellis and her quartet provided the music. Before the quartet launched the two-hour performance with tracks from Ellis’s new album "Luck or Favor," WJZZ's president, Rodger Penazbene Jr., thanked his sponsors and team for organizing the celebration and shared insights into the station's history and its new direction. He then handed the stage back to Ellis's group, whose performance mixed funk and smooth jazz. This style of music, although different from what I usually write about here, aligns with WJZZ's shift from traditional acoustic jazz. The quartet included keyboardist Jame Shelton, bassist William Pope II, and flutist Deblon Jackson played most songs in the same key and at a lively pace, captivating the audience and even me at times. It has been a while since I last visited Baker's. I was a regular at the late pianist Teddy Harris Jr.'s weekly jam sessions years ago. It is surprising that Baker's no longer has a piano, especially since it is known as the world's oldest jazz club—a claim disputed by some jazz historians. During the celebration, I found myself—despite my allegiance to straight-ahead acoustic jazz—lost in the music along with everyone else. Ellis is a witty and exciting drummer, reminiscent of Gaylynn McKinney in her textured rim shots and self-assurance in the pocket, shouldering the bulk of the workload. Jackson, on the flute, was exceptional, though sadly unsung despite her long history of putting out good music. I only hear her play at her annual street performances during the Detroit Jazz Festival. Her talent is remarkable, and I wonder why the festival has not booked her or she has not been featured at any of the jazz clubs in Detroit. Shelton, the keyboardist, played energetically, though his rambunctious style made his bandmates labor harder than they should have at times. Halfway through the set, Ellis was sweating like a construction worker on a hot August day. Shelton might have forgotten he was not leading the quartet. Over the years, I have come to understand that smooth jazz keyboardists are prone to grandstanding. It is an unshakable part of their nature. Overall, the 66^th birthday bash was a perfect tribute to WJZZ, an important part of Detroit's cultural scene. There is good reason to cheer Rodger Penzabene Jr. for his dedication to revitalizing WJZZ.