Vibraphonist Gary Burton began his career at age 17 in an unlikely place for a jazz musician, recording in Nashville with luminaries Chet Atkins and Hank Garland. He cut his teeth touring with George Shearing and Stan Getz, went on to form his first quartet in 1967 and is celebrating 40-year long creative partnerships with both Chick Corea and Pat Metheny. He’s also been active for years in music education as a teacher and administrator at the famed Berklee College of Music. In a career rich with variety, collaboration and innovation, the vibraphone master now celebrates his 70th birthday with a brand new release — “Guided Tour.” The line-up of the New Gary Burton Quartet remains the same with Julian Lage on guitar, Scott Colley on bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums.
Drummer Chester Thompson has done it all. From embarking on world tours with Weather Report and Frank Zappa to performing in sports arenas with Phil Collins and Genesis, he is a seasoned veteran on the world’s music scene. And now, for the first time, he’s doing what he’s always dreamed of doing: leading a jazz trio with two of the country’s finest young lions on the new CD — “Approved.” Pianist Joe Davidian and bassist Michael Rinne join Thompson in blending influences from Brazil to Cuba to Tin Pan Alley and American mainstream, featuring pieces from Thompson’s past groups, originals by his trio mates, and inventive arrangements of pop and jazz standards by all three.
Burton at 70; Thompson Heads a Trio – Bob Stewart
New Music Monday – Bob Stewart
New Music Monday – August 12, 2013
The term “misfit toys” has become shorthand for any group of ill-fitting or otherwise wrongheaded castoffs from the straight-ahead world. It’s also the perfect name for Iowa percussionist Dan Moore’s latest ensemble on a project which has been in the works for the last decade. It’s been a labor of love, born of a desire to visit the halcyon days of Moore’s youth with the help of his musical partners, banjoist Paul Elwood and drummer Matt Wilson, and very special guest, clarinetist Robert Paredes, who passed away shortly after his work on the project. “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is” offers up gleefully demented deconstructed arrangements of ’70s radio hits and B-sides from artists as diverse as Talking Heads, Stevie Wonder, Gilbert O’Sullivan and others.
Two short snippets recorded live with trumpeter Don Cherry bookend percussionist Trilok Gurtu’s new CD — “Spellbound.” Even though the other pieces on the disc do not feature the jazz legend, they all are expressions of Gurtu’s great admiration for his one-time mentor and friend who died in 1995. For Gurtu jazz has become an attitude, which has made it possible for him to overcome the boundaries between styles and genres. Jazz still forms the basis for his musical ouvre, though, and the trumpet has practically become a symbol for Gurtu’s own musical vision. For the new disc, he builds a bridge between continents and cultures, using trumpet masters from Norway, Italy, Germany, Lebanon and Turkey, along with the young American Ambrose Akinmusire.
Also this week, pianist Mike LeDonne and his trio are captured live at Cory Weeds’ Cellar Jazz Club in Vancouver on “Speak”; the Commons Collective out of the University of Northern Iowa unveils its debut disc, “Beginnings”; and saxophonist Jeremy Udden and trumpeter John McNeil debut their new quartet, “Hush Point.
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Etienne’s Gumbo; BWB’s Return – Bob Stewart
Etienne Charles has been hailed as “a daring improviser” by JazzTimes magazine while Ben Ratlilff of the New York Times called him “one of the more ambitious soloists and composers” and “an auteur.” The Trinidad-born trumpet phenom serves up a delicious bowl of musical gumbo with “Creole Soul”, an exciting exploration of his music roots featuring sounds from the French, Spanish and English speaking Caribbean as well as North America. The disc highlights the myriad inspirations from Haitian Creole chants and blues to bebop and R&B while drawing on an array of rhythms including rocksteady, reggae, bel air, kongo and calypso.
Individually, they are three titans of contemporary jazz: Rick Braun, the gifted trumpeter/flugelhornist; Grammy Award-winning tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum, the Memphis-born wunderkind who mixes Beale Street, gospel, the blues and bop; and Norman Brown, the Grammy-winning guitarist who brings a Louisiana lilt to his Wes Montgomery/George Benson-influenced six-string soulful strut. They came together eleven years ago as the supergroup known as BWB, recording a disc that made them one of the most sought-after groups at that time. This terrific triad has reassembled for a new CD– “Human Nature” — which puts their own spin on eleven selections made famous by Michael Jackson.
Walter’s 20th Congress; Heckman’s 3rd – Bob Stewart
For 20 years, Robert Walter has been pulling drawbars and pushing the limits of the Hammond B-3 organ. As a founding member of the Greyboy All Stars, he helped usher in the funk-jazz renaissance of the early ’90s. For his new CD — “Get Thy Bearings” — Walter reconvenes his long-standing band the 20th Congress. It was a recent move from New Orleans to Los Angeles that jump-started the band, which hadn’t recorded a studio disc in ten years. The outlet for the keyboardist’s funkiest material since its inception in 1999, the group is rounded out by guitarist/bassist Elgin Park, reedmen Karl Denson and Cochemea Gastelum, and percussionists Chuck Prada and Aaron Redfield.
“Born to Be Blue is the much-anticipated 3rd release from acclaimed multi-saxophonist Steve Heckman. Praised by saxophonists as diverse as Stan Getz, Charles Lloyd and Pharoah Sanders, Heckman has assembled an all-star band that includes the renowned and highly versatile guitarist Howard Alden, pianist Matt Clark, multi-award winner Marcus Shelby on bass, and internationally know drummer Akira Tana. The result is a collection of profound beauty, subtlety and swing featuring gems from the Great American Songbook plus two inspiring originals by Heckman.
Cary Honors Abbey; Django All-Stars – Bob Stewart
Marc Cary has gained a reputation as one of the most creative pianists of our time, a bandleader with musical interests that encompass jazz, go-go, hip-hop, electronic music, Indian classical music and more. But Cary is also an incisive and sought-after accompanist, a fact famously borne out by his 12-year tenure with the great vocalist, songwriter and jazz icon Abbey Lincoln. “For the Love of Abbey”, Cary’s first solo piano recording, is the most personal and heartfelt of tributes, shedding light on Lincoln’s remarkable body of work and honoring her extraordinary gift for melody and song craft.
The most meaningful tribute that can be paid to great jazz artists is not to simply pay homage, but to be inspired by that legacy to create new and vibrant music in that same spirit. From that perspective, the Django Festival All-Stars “Live at Birdland 2012” is an unbridled success. With the immortal Django Reinhardt as its life spring, the 14-year-old Django Reinhardt New York Festival as its central nervous system, and the Schmitt Gypsy family dynasty as its heartbeat, the Django Festival All-Stars bring the legendary Gypsy guitarist’s legacy fully into the 21st Century. Schmitt family patriarch Dorado, a legendary Gypsy guitarist himself, and his son Samson are joined by the younger family members Bronson and Amati to create a veritable guitar dynasty, and are all featured prominently on the disc.
Frisell’s Big Sur; Cool Cole – Bob Stewart
The region known as “Big Sur” occupies 90 miles of spectacular central California coastline and extends inland to the abruptly rising Santa Lucia Mountains. Over the past century, the rugged coastline and terrain, breathtaking vistas, and potential for communion with nature have attracted and inspired a multitude of creative types, such as Charles Lloyd, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, Ansel Adams, Hunter S. Thompson and the Beach Boys. Born of a Monterey Jazz Festival commission last year, guitarist Bill Frisell’s “Big Sur” features an hour of original music that explicitly references the coastal-mountain environment. The commission included a residency at Glen Deven Ranch, the beauty and quietude of which provided Frisell with both inspiration and time to be alone with his muse.
If you ever wonder what jazz will sound like after all the modernist and post-modernist agendas fall out of fashion, you need look no further than the recordings of Freddy Cole. When Freddy sings, we are left with the music itself, stripped of ideologies, left with songs true to their own emotional prerogatives. Such is the case with Cole’s new CD — “This and That.” Here, as in all his work, Freddy’s supreme relaxation of delivery makes him the master of under-statement. With his usual rhythm section and guest artists Bootsie Barnes on tenor and Josh Brown on trombone, Freddy & Company get back to basics and let the music speak eloquently for itself.
Interview with Dr. Lonnie Smith
LONNIE: How you doing, Gordon? Nice talking to you.
We’re sure hoping the circumstances are a bit better this time. But I would just like to speak with you to what you’ve been up to here recently because you just got back from Europe. How was that?
LONNIE: It was fantastic. It was fantastic. They loved us so I enjoyed it. Once I got there I didn’t want to leave.
LONNIE: Pilgrimage is a new label that I created and it’s doing quite well. I’m pretty proud of it during this time because I am able to still play the music and record the thing that I would like to do. So it’s going great.
LONNIE: Yeah, that’s correct.
The trio setting still the one you prefer to perform and record with for the most part?
LONNIE: Sure. I love trio. I also love, and have done things with an orchestra and octet. I love different styles of music. When I play I feel this way, and sometimes when I feel this way I take the octet out. I’m working on a new CD, it’s called “In The Beginning” and it’s an octet on that particular CD. That’s not out yet. I’m basically playing some of the old music back from the blue note days, a lot of the original tunes that I’ve written that can’t be found. Young people haven’t gotten those, so that’s why I’m doing that. It’s called “In The Beginning” so you’ll be hearing some nice music done back in the blue note days. It will be out sometime, July or August.
LONNIE: Thank you Gordon it has been a pleasure.
Interview with Fred Hersch
FRED: It happened sort of as a fluke. I was playing with my trio there, I believe in 2005, and it was -might have been opening night, Tuesday-. Drew Gress was playing bass for me at the time and he was stuck in California and he couldn’t get back. His plane was delayed so I called John Hébert, who is now my current bassist, and he was also in California. So I said to the two of them, whoever can get back first should come down to the club and play the gig. But there was nobody there, no bassist for the first set. So just as the owner, Lorraine Gordon who just turned 91 I think, just as she was walking in the club with the manager- I kind of cornered the manager, Jed Eisenman to get up and play a solo set-. So I was walking onto the stage as she was coming into the club so she couldn’t say no. And I played a solo set and their reaction was really, really positive. And the following year I had a solo album coming out called “Fred Hersch in Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis” so I said how about we coordinate the release of that solo album with a week of solo piano at the Vanguard and she said yes. So it became quite a big event, it sold out and all that kind of stuff. And I’ve done it once since, and that became my solo record “Alone at the Vanguard”. So I’ve played there two solo weeks and numerable trio weeks, quintet weeks, and of course, in the old days as a side band with Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, and Sam Jones. In fact I have my picture on the wall of the club next to Mingo’s, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bill Evans, and Coal Train. Not that I believe I’m in that esteemed company but it’s an incredible honor to feel like I’m really part of the history of, probably, the greatest Jazz club in the world.
FRED: Yeah, I’m bringing the A-Team, my current trio which is John Héber on bass and Eric Mcpherson on drums. We have two CD’s out, one is the two CD set “Live at the Vanguard” and previous to that we did a solo, then we did a studio album called “Whirl”. I’ve been playing with these guys consistently for the last four or five years and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it. I think it’s a very special trio. Typically we play some original music, of course, some reworkings of standards and things from the jazz repertoire; Monk, Ornette Coleman, and Wayne Shorter, people like that. It’s kind of a drawing from those three bodies of material; original, standards, and jazz compositions by others. We’ve played many festivals and numerous club engagements. I think it’s a very dynamic group and pretty unique. Sometimes when I get on the road I can’t always get both of them lined up so I still play with Drew Gress, who I’ve played with for many years as well as various other people who I have that can sub if I need to. But I always try to bring these guys wherever I go and hope that our schedules line up. I was attracted to both John and Eric by the way they approach their instrument in terms of sound. Also both of them are extremely experienced in playing all kinds of jazz, things that are tune based and tunes that are not tune based. Eric really approaches the drumset with a percussionist perspective and uses very interesting implements sometimes. John has a great ear for harmony but also has a looseness that is very refreshing. They both like the play a whole range of material that we’ve created as a band. I think, for me, I don’t really have to say much. I just pick the set everybody knows what to do. There’s a lot of surprise and a lot of really great feeling between the three of us that, you can’t quite put your finger on it, but it somehow works. I’m far from a dictator, these guys make their own contributions. A lot of these pieces that we’ve played now for some time has taken on their own life. It’s always a good time on stage, it’s a great vibe, and I think they’re really supportive but also they really add to the mix in a lot of unexpected ways which is exactly what you want when you’re playing with people for a long period of time.
FRED: Yeah, fantastic. I’m looking forward to that myself.