Month of September , 2007

A report from Columbia's Harlem Festival of Global Jazz.  I wish there was more detail but it certainly sounds like a conference I would have liked to attend.

A rare Kidd Jordan interview. Also check out this 2006 account of helping clean out Kidd Jordan's hurricane ravaged home.

There's a David S. Ware blog with updates about his whereabouts, pictures, etc.

Sun Ra interviewed in 1981. Wynton Marsalis interviewed in 1996.

A fascinating look at possible parallels between the work of Ornette Coleman and the Dutch Situationist architect known as Constant. 

The Turtle Island String Quartet is interviewed in regards to their album covering John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. [youtube].

Black Jazz in the Digital Age by Greg Tate.

It's a bit difficult to read, but David Adler has been blogging from Columbia's Jazz Journalist conference today. You can see what happened here, but you have to login: the username and password are guest/guest.

More of substance and a new look for Soundslope.com coming this week.

I'd like to chime in about The Bad Plus' post about their choice of covers, which was probably brewing for a while since it's not the first time I've heard the issue of "seriousness" and "irony" applied to their repertoire.

I'll go ahead and say what they've already said, which is that the original music they're interpreting is just as worthy as anything else in the jazz canon, melodically and harmonically. Furthermore, the only thing that would lead someone to believe that their playing of the tunes was ironic or not-serious would be misjudging the original material. I can't believe some people still cling to this notion of the high art of jazz being too good for the profane melodies found in any other number of genres of music.

To me, having that ear for melody and harmony in any context is a distinguishing feature of a great musician, and to be able to translate it into an instrumental context where the melody can still stand on its own apart from the lyrics is a test of that ability. It's about having open ears to hear music as music. If anything, I wish more musicians would adopt the practice of playing modern music. There's tons of great songs recorded in the last 40 years that would make excellent instrumental tunes, and it's a shame that some people would rather ossify the existing repertoire than let it grow to include them.

If jazz (to anthropomorphize for a moment) has any interest in attracting a non-balding, osteoporosis suffering, hip replacing crowd, then maybe it should consider playing tunes a younger audience has some kind of real understanding of.

I'd certainly rather hear Life On Mars than Surrey, that's for sure.

On Grant Green's souljazz funk workout Live At The Lighthouse album, he covers Betcha By Golly Wow, and there's a moment when the crowd recognizes the tune and goes wild. It's great - a fantastic melody that they get to revel in, hearing the words in their head and sharing in their appreciation of it with the artist.

Was Jimmy Smith derided for covering Let's Stay Together on Root Down?

Furthermore, I think it would be great if young musicians started covering the covers so the tired jam session repertoire could gain some new tunes.

Sometimes when I sit down to write about a recording, I haven't had the chance to listen to it more than a handful of times. I like to listen to a recording at least 3 times, and 5 times is preferable before writing about it. This album has been in regular rotation since I picked it up in April at a live performance at the Velvet Lounge that featured some locals along with Mr. Bynum's trio, so I have a more in depth perspective on it than other recordings I sometimes write about.

The album is called The Middle Picture. Before I read the liner notes that explained the title's origins, the first connection I made was with the Middle Path or Middle Way touted by Gautama Buddha, one of the core principles of Buddhist practice. It's a practice of finding the middle and avoiding the extremes; the Buddha himself explored the extremes of decadence, living as a prince, and then of asceticism, living as austerely as possible. His conclusion was that neither path would lead to self realization, and that non-extremism was the way.

Mr. Bynum offers his own take on this principle by talking about the Big Picture (global) and the Small Picture (personal), both of which offer their own frustrations and anxieties. The Middle Picture is everything in between that transcends the personal without reaching the unwieldiness of the global, allowing an objectivity that then allows more optimism to seep in. The creamy middle of the oreo, if you will.

The Middle Way of Buddhism also refers to ways of transcending apparent dichotomies, phenomena that appear antithetical on the surface but have an underlying unity.

There was clearly a lot of thought given to the sequencing and structure of the album. On the back, where the tracks are listed, they are grouped. 1 stands alone, 2 and 3 are grouped together, 4, 5, and 6 are grouped. Tracks 7 and 8 are titled as a suite and grouped, and then 9 stands alone. How symmetrical!

The album also builds symmetrically - tracks 1 and 9 which bookend the album feature the trio of Taylor Ho Bynum, Mary Halvorson, and Tomas Fujiwara - the other middle tracks feature the trio plus Matt Bauder, Evan O'Reilly and Jessica Pavone.

The opening track is entitled Brooklyn with an E and opens with Mary Halvorson's guitar spinning ostinati over Tomas Fujiwara's grooving drums. Mr. Bynum's plungered cornet enters to a juxtaposing, contrasting effect, introducing texture as a primary concern, a thread that weaves throughout the album. It's a lovely contrast, as Ms. Halvorson's guitar has a very dry, clear sound, and Mr. Bynum's cornet adds a wet, gooey, plungery mess to the proceedings. This tune, like most of the songs on the album, resist the typical understandings of song in terms of form, without ever appearing to lack structure or composition, and adding to my intrigue with every listen.

Track 2, Woods, is part of a two part suite with In A Silent Way. It opens with Taylor Ho Bynum's cornet, which he twists and snarls into some lovely multiphonics, before the rest of the band enters. At this point we have a full sextet and some really interesting sounds going on. There is a guitar that sounds like it's being run through a ring modulator, a viola bowing, a bass clarinetist doing some tongue slapping, lots of cymbal work from Fujiwara, what sounds like some very low tones on the cornet, and an overall sound that's busy without sacrificing breathing room for each of the individual voices.

There's a clean segue between Woods and In A Silent Way which opens with a simmering shimmer from the ensemble - mallets on the drums, sustained bowing on the viola, and delays and effects on the guitar. The clarinet and the cornet state the theme over this backdrop. It's a quick 5:15 through the tune, and it's without a doubt one of my favorite versions of the song already, which is saying a lot.

There's a contemplative pause between the Woods/IASW suite and the beginning of mm(pf), the start of another three part suite. This song sees Jessica Pavone switching from Viola to electric bass. Forgive me for skipping over the grooves of mm(pf) to get to Bluebird of Delhi, but it might be my personal highlight of the album, fittingly since it fits in the central 5 slot, the peak of the structural edifice of The Middle Picture. I don't know if I'd say I'm obsessed with it, but if I'm putting the album on but only have the time to listen to a track, I oftentimes find myself skipping to Bluebird of Delhi, a fascinating take on this Strayhorn tune featured in Duke Ellington's Far East Suite.

3V2 is the closing part of the middle suite, and it covers a lot of ground musically, to the point that I have hard time finding a thread of continuity that makes it a whole piece rather than a series of musical vignettes. One middle section features Matt Bauder on tenor sax heavily, a tone that was jarring in its associational power with jazz in my listening experience, maybe because so much of this album utilizes sounds that are not usually associated with the jazz orthodoxy.

Tracks 7 and 8 are part of a suite entitled JP & the Boston Suburbs - it's actually a three part suite divided into two tracks - maybe Mr. Bynum can help explain that decision. I'm not sure if that's a name of Jessica Pavone's rock side project band or if the 'burbs provided the inspiration for the tunes. I'm not quite sure what here evokes the suburban experience, because I could probably justify almost anything as fitting into the melange of suburbia.

There's some great the electric guitar work throughout the album, and this is as good a place as any to talk about it. I wish I was more familiar with Mary Halvorson and Evan O'Reilly's playing and individual penchants for use of effects so I could determine who I was hearing at various points. My best guesses are stylistic contrasts, but I also know what a diverse territory one player can cover. Regardless, there is a lot of really interesting playing and tones from both players throughout the album, and they both really shine in this suite to my ears.

Apace finds us back where we started, with a trio of THB, Mary Halvorson, and Tomas Fujiwara. It's a nice place to be - I enjoy the trio playing quite a bit. It ends on a contemplative note, with a fadeout vamp from Halvorson and a two note repeating pattern from Bynum, laying the listener gently to rest at the end of the proceedings.

This is a great album. I have no problems saying that. There's some element in the music that keeps me coming back for repeated listenings and I hear something new each time. You can buy it here.

As a musician, it's never easy to move beyond an association like the one Robert "Baabe" Irving enjoyed with Miles Davis for many years. He was Miles' musical director, producer, keyboardist, confidante and friend for many years, working on the albums Decoy and You're Under Arrest and touring extensively. As a result, most people associate him with the keyboard rather than the acoustic piano, which is a shame considering the sound and playing we hear on his album, New Momentum.

First, a disclaimer: I know and have worked with Baabe in producing some shows that he has put on. He's an extremely kind and thoughtful person who possesses a gentle intensity that is always present in whatever activity he is involved in. He is generous with his time, playing at youth jam sessions to help develop the next generation of talent, and always gracious and self effacing.

His new release is the first on a new label, Sonic Portraits, that he started with colleague and friend Terri Lyne Carrington. It showcases his playing and writing, as well as the musicianship of his peers, Buster Williams, Marlene Rosenberg, and Ernie Adams.

What we find on New Momentum is an artist fully formed; a mature work that conveys a clarity of purpose and vision. There is no hesitation, no superfluous playing by any member of he ensemble, and a mood of relaxed intensity that pervades the proceedings. While there might not be anything particularly innovative in terms of the genre of jazz going on here, he's managed to make one of the most enjoyable piano trio records I've heard in a long time. It manages to sound modern without sacrificing the underpinnings of the tradition; rhythmically buoyant, harmonically adventurous, and lots of group interplay.

A word about the production on the record: the sound is fantastic. Present but not sterile, and a great mix of all the instruments that acknowledges the interconnectedness of the roles in a piano trio. Really, honestly, one of the best sounding records I've heard in a long time.

It's also a very well paced and sequenced record. I've always believed that there's something to be said about grouping songs in threes when looking at the flow of an album or a live show for that matter. This album starts out with an incredibly strong one-two-three combo, New Momentum, Havilah, and We Three Kings. After a contemplative introduction, New Momentum kicks in with a deep swinging groove that leaves plenty of room to breathe - the title track of the album is a fitting beginning for the record, and definitely gets the band moving, lending momentum to the proceedings.

Havilah has an infectious groove and driving rhythm, complete with added percussion by Ernie Adams. We Three Kings is another deeply swinging affair that according to the liner notes was originally intended to be a free download extra to the album until Teri Lyne Carrington insisted in be included in the album proper. Ernie Adams plays a fantastic drum solo that once again makes me wonder why he's remained only locally known here in Chicago.

Primoridial Waters has an introduction complete with chimes, chanting, and sampled sounds of waves that might make you think you're headed for a new agey sound experiment until the band kicks in with a georgeous melody. Buster Williams takes a lead in this tune, playing the melody in unison with Irving and playing a sublime bowed solo that should lay to rest any notion that Buster might have lost a step.

After the first 5 tracks offering originals by Irving, the 6th is a co-credit with saxophonist Bill Evans called Fire Flower, and the final two tracks are covers; first is Miles Davis' Seven Steps To Heaven and finally Wayne Shorter's Nefertiti to close the album. Seven Steps to Heaven gets a beautiful solo treatment to open that really showcases the depth of Baabe's playing, before the band joins in. This is a really great version that goes beyond the original to find new life in the tune. Marlene Rosenberg's bass provides an incredible degree of continuity from Buster Williams' here with a powerful performance.

I wasn't surprised to see a Wayne Shorter tune on the record because I've heard Baabe mention in conversation that Shorter is one of his favorite modern composers. Dedicating the performance to Wayne and Miles, he takes the tempo down to a ballad pace that really brings out the beauty of the melody. While the album starts out with a bang, the final track goes out on a quiet, contemplative note. A really beautiful take on Nefertiti and worth seeking out if you're a Shorter fan.

Not surprisingly to anyone who knows him, Baabe Irving has released a great album in New Momentum. Here's hoping that the title is prophetic and leads to many more releases in the near future.

In it's Second Annual incarnation, the Umbrella Music folks (including many fantastic musicians) have put together an impressive lineup for their festival this November. Lots of great names that I recognize, and lots of new stuff to check out. I'm particularly impressed with the international "European Jazz Meets Chicago" (reminiscent of the Baden-Baden concept) that they put together along with consulates from various European nations - quite the organizational feat.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST @ ELASTIC

2830 N. Milwaukee Ave. 2nd Floor
$10 requested donation
www.elasticarts.org
773-772-3616

9 PM : PETER EVANS SOLO

Peter Evans – trumpet

10 PM : COR FUHLER/JIM BAKER DUO

Cor Fuhler – piano/electronics
Jim Baker – piano/electronics

11 PM : FREQUENCY

Nicole Mitchell – flutes
Ed Wilkerson – reeds
Harrison Bankhead – bass
Avreeayl Ra – drums

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND @ THE VELVET LOUNGE

67 E. Cermak Rd.
$15 cover
www.velvetlounge.net
312-791-9050

9 PM : BOEREN/BOWDEN/KESSLER

Eric Boeren – trumpet
Mwata Bowden – reeds
Kent Kessler – bass

10 PM : MAT MANERI/RANDY PETERSON DUO

Mat Maneri – violin/viola
Randy Peterson – drums

11 PM : LOOSE ASSEMBLY

Greg Ward – saxophone
Tomeka Reid – cello
Jason Adasiewicz – vibes
Josh Abrams – bass
Mike Reed – drums

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD @ THE HIDEOUT

1354 W. Wabansia
$15 cover
www.hideoutchicago.com
773-227-4433

9 PM : MAHALL/BISHOP/MCBRIDE/JENNESSEN

Rudi Mahalll – bass clarinet
Jeb Bishop – trombone
Nate McBride – bass
Uli Jennessen – drums

10 PM : MATEEN/CARTER/ZERANG

Sabir Mateen – reeds
Daniel Carter – reeds
Michael Zerang – percussion

11 PM : INGEBRIGT HÅKER-FLATEN QUINTET

Ola Kvernberg-violin
Dave Rempis-saxophones
Dave Miller-guitar
Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten-bass
Frank Rosaly-drums

12 AM : DANCE PARTY W/DJ’S JOSH ABRAMS AND JOHN
HERNDON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 4TH
@ CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER

3 PM  @ Preston-Bradley Hall

78 E. Washington St.
FREE!!
www.chicagoculturalcenter.org
312-744-6630

Ari Brown – reeds
Gianluca Petrella – trombone
Junius Paul – bass
Paolino Dalla Porta – bass
Tim Daisy – drums

W/OPENING REMARKS BY JAZZ WRITER JOHN CORBETT

SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 4TH
@ THE HUNGRY BRAIN

2319 W. Belmont
$10 suggested donation
www.emergingimprovisers.org
773-935-2118

9 PM : BERMAN/BEARZATTI/RODER/ACCARDI

Josh Berman – cornet
Francesco Bearzatti – reeds
Jan Roder - bass
Fabio Accardi - drums

10 PM : DÖRNER/DRUMM/LONBERG-HOLM

Axel Dörner – trumpet
Kevin Drumm – electronics
Fred Lonberg-Holm - cello

11 PM : KLANG

James Falzone – clarinet
Jason Adasiewicz – vibes
Jason Roebke – bass
Tim Daisy – drums

MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 5TH
@ THE CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER

“EUROPEAN JAZZ MEETS CHICAGO”

Produced in partnership with:

-The Austrian Consulate General
-The Consulate General of the Czech Republic
-The Goethe Institut Chicago
-The Italian Culture Institute of Chicago
-The Consulate General of The Netherlands
-The Swiss Consulate General
-The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

78 E. Washington St.
www.chicagoculturalcenter.org
(312) 744-6630
ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC!!!

-6:00 PM : WOLFGANG SELIGO TRIO  (AUSTRIA)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Wolfgang Seligo – piano
Anton Hatwich – bass
Andre Beasley - drums

-6:30 PM : ERIC BOEREN QUARTET  (THE NETHERLANDS)
Claudia Cassidy Theater

Eric Boeren-trumpet
Cor Fuhler-piano
Nate McBride-bass
Mike Reed-drums

- 7:15 PM : IVA BITTOVA SOLO  (THE CZECH REPUBLIC)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Iva Bittova – solo violin/vocals

-8:00 PM : GIANLUCA PETRELLA QUARTET  (ITALY)
Claudia Cassidy Theater

Gianluca Petrella-trombone
Francesco Bearzatti-reeds
Paolino Dalla Porta-bass
Fabio Accardi-drums

-8:45 PM : IRENE SCHWEITZER SOLO  (SWIITZERLAND)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Irene Schweitzer – solo piano

-9:45 PM : DIE ENTTÄUSCHUNG  (GERMANY)
Randolph St. Cafe

Axel Dörner-trumpet
Rudi Mahall-bass clarinet
Jan Roder-bass
Uli Jennessen-drums

Roberto Fonseca is a Cuban pianist born in Havana whose career I became aware of tracing the paths of influence and collaboration of musicians like his mentor and collaborator, the late great Ibrahim Ferrer, and Omara Portuondo, who appears on one track on the album.

What I found was a pianist with a particularly percussive touch; an ability to play intensely when the setting calls for it, and a respect for and use of space that resonates with my own aeshtetic preferences in the music that Fonseca plays. Certainly, the influence of Ferrer resonates throughout.

Zamazu, his first relase on Enja, a Justintime relative label, is a gem of an album, something I have no problem saying after repeated listenings. It took me a while to warm to his use of vocal unisons (he sings in addition to playing piano on several tracks), but I realized that it was more the production value on the technique that irritated me initially, something that I noticed less and less with more listens. The program is mostly originals with a few traditionals, an Ibdullah Ibrahim tune and some co-written songs with collaborators like Ibrahim Ferrer and Cachaito Lopez. The writing is compelling throughout, and in addition we get some interesting writing from Fonseca in the liner notes that help to contextualize his concept or approach to writing each tune.

His band displays a great range of ability, tackling the forceful driving rhythms with ease and the relaxed pacing of the ballads with ease. The use of clarinet to my hears references Paquito D'Rivera, although I think I prefer the flute and alto sax playing that accompanies some tracks to the clarinet tone wise.

A few stand out tracks:

Llego Cachaito, with legendary bassist Cachaito Lopez who guests on the track in a trio with the drummer on the album, Ramses Rodriguez. A heartfelt ballad with Cachaito's beautiful playing showcased, Llego Cachaito is an exposition of a remarkable quality that I find hard to describe but has something to do with a sense of pulse and motion in ballads that I only hear in "latin" jazz. It's different than the way a traditional jazz ballad moves rhythmically and it lends a sensuality to the listening experience that I find extremely enojyable.

Triste Alegria, another track with Cachaito Lopez finds him bowing the melody to a fantastic effect, starting out as a medium paced ballad and halfway through turning into a more upbeat raucous affair. The solo mid-way through is worth the price of admission alone, and Fonseca does a great job of creating a backdrop for Lopez's voice on the bass before Lopez gives way for Fonseca's own solo.

Zamazamazu is a deep groove with plenty of percussion that would be at home as a sample in a dance floor remix or as it appears here with Javier Zalba on flute taking the melody.

Even where the album stumbles a bit - to my ears, Mil Congojas with the fantastic Omara Portuondo narrowly avoids stepping over the boundary into schmaltz, and Congo Arabe is a bit too literal in referencing "eastern" influences for my taste - there is a sincerity of expression that comes through. In particular, Portuondo's singing on Mil Congojas is remarkable if only for the weathered quality of her voice that can only come with the age and experience her musical career has brought her. My only other critique is on the production end, where the recording sounds a bit dry to my ears, and the way the strings are recorded on Ishmael (the Ibrahim tune) makes them sound more like a synth than real strings, which is a shame.

Zamazu was a bit of a surprise to me in terms of my own enjoyment of it. I've always loved Cuban music though and this is an excellent effort by the young Fonseca, whose talent promises many more excellent releases in the future.

I was back in Millennium Park a mere twelve hours later to take in local alt-country-rock-call-em-what-you-will heroes, Wilco.

It was certainly a different crowd, and the contrasts were particularly interesting since I took the show in from almost the exact same spot on the lawn.

I can't claim intimate knowledge of Wilco's music, but my peripheral listening has endeared me to their sound even if it hasn't made me a huge fan. I'd always heard rave reviews of their live shows though, and with the recent addition of Nels Cline to their lineup and the chance to see them at the idyllic Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park I snagged some lawn tickets and hit up the show.

I've been to many rock shows in the past but I hadn't attended a big one in years. It was interesting to note how much I love the sound of a cranked electric guitar and the ease with which I slipped into my bent knee, headbobbing, rock show stance.

One immediate contrast that stood out to me in seeing Wilco was the way they pace their set. They started out on a decidedly mellow note and built up the energy over the course of the whole show. If seeing Wilco live was cooking a meal, it would be like making a big pot of stew or sauce; starting off with a few ingredients, simmering, sauteing, adding spices, and eventually bringing the whole thing up to a boil, the sum of its parts creating a greater whole.

I'm more accustomed to rock shows that are more akin to cooking lobster: you start off with a pot of boiling water, throw in live creatures that squirm and submit, leading to a decadent feast of meat dipped in butter. A meal that requires a bib.

Even if Wilco doesn't require a bib, and probably goes better with a bottle of wine than with a shot of whiskey, they put on a great show.

Taking the cooking analogy one step too far, my biggest beef with the show was that Nels wasn't given enough room to stretch out. Just when he was giving me something meaty to sink my teeth into, we were swept back into the song without a proper rock and roll peak or enough space for Nels to really say something more developed musically.

As an aside: what's up with people and their cell phone cameras these days? It seems like people are more concerned with proving that they were at a show than actually enjoying the music. In addition, people who spend an entire musical event talking test the limits of my sanity and understanding.

They played a long set and then came out for two extended encores, the second one longer than the first. I apologize for any Wilco fans reading this (I wonder how much overlap there is in my usual reading audience) that I'm not more familiar with song titles, but I know they played a wide variety of music from their catalog, and that Jeff Tweedy said the songs were all requested by fans through their website. I'll try and dredge up a setlist from the depths of the internet later.

The show was a benefit for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Kudos to Wilco for putting on a great show for a great cause.

EDIT: Setlist found!

Wilco
9/12/2007
Millennium Park
You Are My Face
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Pot Kettle Black
War on War
Handshake Drugs
Side With The Seeds
A Shot in the Arm
Impossible Germany
Via Chicago
Jesus, etc.
Too Far Apart
Walken
I'm The Man Who Loves You
Hummingbird
On and On and On
Encore 1:
Misunderstood
Cars Can't Escape>
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Encore 2:
Hate It Here
Box Full of Letters
California Stars
Heavy Metal Drummer
Red-Eyed and Blue>
I Got You (At The End of the Century)
Casino Queen
Outtasite (Outtamind)

Dee Alexander had tried to put on this concert once before.

On August 23rd a storm rolled through Chicago that flooded streets, split trees, and smashed cars. There were reports of funnel clouds, and the sky was electric with lightning. Dee made it through two tunes in front of an incredibly brave crowd of about 50-100 people before the venue pulled the plug on the show. It's future was uncertain since the shows are presented rain or shine, but word came that the park wanted to do the show again, and it was rescheduled for September 11th.

Take two was a much more successful event. Clear skies on a beautiful fall night, and the one and only Ms. Dee Alexander paying tribute to two incredible musicians: Dinah Washington and Nina Simone.

There isn't a singer in the world I'd rather hear do a tribute to Dinah and Nina. I had no doubt that Dee's expressive range would easily span the careers of these two women with ease and grace, and I was not disappointed.

Joined by a band that in addition to the rhythm section included a three piece horn section, a string section, and then to top it off, Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago gospel choir came out for a show stopping finale.

When Dee sang "What A Difference A Day Makes," it worked on many levels: one day rain, the next day shine; many lives were taken, touched, and changed, and our national paradigm shifted in the 24 hours between September 10th,  2001 and the 11th. Dee announced at the top of the show that she would be celebrating the lives of those people that perished on Sept 11th, and she certainly did.

Some personal highlights included This Bitter Earth, Mississippi Goddamn, I Put A Spell On You, and Young Gifted And Black with the gospel choir. There was great playing throughout, although one standout solo came from perennially underrated local saxophonist James Perkins.

It was a great end to the series in Millennium Park this year. Every time I see Dee I'm astounded that the hasn't broke on a national level, and it's still a head scratcher for me. She has incredible talent, charisma, and presence,  and mixes innovative vocal techniques with an accessible traditional understanding of vocal jazz and blues. I still believe it's only a matter of time before she busts out nationally; in the mean time I guess we'll just keep her for ourselves here in Chicago.

Mr. Zawinul has left the building

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Art Blakey was one of my first true loves in jazz. Maybe it was his driving rhythmic command that captured my ears at such a young age, but whatever the case, I can still pinpoint the moment I grasped what it meant to really swing while listening to a Blakey record. Add to that the ability to trace so many great careers that got their start or made their way through the Blakey band, and you have a fascination with the Jazz Messengers and their incredible catalog of music.

Leaving questions of producer fetishism aside for the moment, this Keepnews Collection reissue of the Riverside release Caravan finds Blakey flanked by Curtis Fuller on trombone, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Cedar Walton on piano, and Reggie Workman on bass.  Arguably the best Messengers lineup, and if not, certainly up there with any other. It's also noteworthy for being the first Riverside release for Blakey, after his impressive run with Blue Note.

There is no question of the instrumental prowess of the band; Fuller provides some particularly impressive trombone fireworks and Hubbard is in fine form throughout. Wayne Shorter provides two excellent compositions, Sweet N' Sour and This Is For Albert (dedicated to Bud Powell) in addition to his fine playing.

The remastering of the album seems to have spread the stereo image more wide than the LP copy I was bequeathed by a relative many moons ago. That copy has seen a few too many plays so this was a welcome reissue/remaster for my collection.

The album starts off with a solid reading of Caravan that is most noteworthy for featuring Mr. Blakey's drums the most heavily of any track on the album. It's as if he gets his word in early on and then lets his band take it from there.

Hot N' Sour's head features some wonderfully subtle yet effective use of dynamics, followed by wonderful solos by Shorter, Hubbard, Fuller, and Walton, each of them playing a chorus and then out. The Blakey rhythm section is so supportive that it's easy to see how it could prove to be such a fertile training ground for so many young greats over the years.

In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning features Fuller playing the melody in a manner reminiscent of Duke's use of the trombone in a range not normally associated with the instrument, with Hubbard and Shorter providing backing accompaniment.  It turns into a real feature for Fuller who takes the first solo and then is featured a capella after the final reading of the head, before the band comes back in to finish it off.

This Is For Albert is a Shorter tune that's dedicated to Bud Powell, which according to the liner notes is because contemporaries of Powell insist that Albert was his first name. It's the most intriguing piece on the album to my ears, opening with Reggie Workman's bass, soon joined by Cedar Walton and Art Blakey's rim-heavy drum accompaniment. Blakey punctuates the phrase of the melody in unison with the horns in a way that really brings the rhythmic emphasis to the forefront. Shorter is the first featured soloist, his tone resplendent and gorgeous, immediately setting the bar very high for Curtis Fuller and Freddie Hubbard, neither of whom disappoint. During this track in particular I wished Cedar Walton's piano was higher the mix so I could hear the harmonic accompaniment more present behind the soloists.

A beautiful if uneventful version of Skylark, featuring Freddie Hubbard, is followed by the album closer, Thermo, a Hubbard minor-key original. It's the kind of tune that might not be particularly remarkable for its compositional framework but still manages to produce incendiary playing by the Messengers.

On the reissue there's two bonus tracks: the second take of Thermo and another take of Sweet N' Sour, both of which I was happy to hear again by the end of the disc. I haven't really taken the time to compare the versions but both readings of each tune are excellent.

Now that labor day has passed, and along with it my most laborious time of the year, things should pick up around here soon. I've got some backlogged reviews to write and some essays that I plan to adapt for the blog format.

As I'm sometimes prone to do after a period of stress and long days working, I've caught a nice end of summer cold that I'm currently nursing with tea, soup, and good music.

I caught some great shows at the Chicago Jazz Festival this year, and just saw Yusef Lateef in Detroit on Labor Day.

I can't wait for fall to really hit here in Chicago. I've always been oriented towards the fall as a time of renewal and beginnings. I'm not sure if that's the student or the Jew in me, but either way, I always find the fall to be a period of transition that I welcome.

More later - maybe even today.