Tuesday, September 29, 2009

New sounds from new crowds

National Public Radio's jazz blog, ABlogSupreme, posted an article yesterday with seven jazz bloggers under the age of 24 comments on who they like. The NPR blog (read it here ) includes the bloggers commentary on five recent releases: Brad Meldau's "When It Rains" from the CD Largo, Christian Scott's "Litany Against Fear" from his release Anthem, saxman Andrew D'Angelo's composition "Fam Hana" on the Skadra Degis CD, "Hat Trick" on the Soulive release Up Here, and Tigran Hamasyan and Aratta Rebirth recording of "Sibylla" on the CD Red Hail.
First, let's take a moment to note how refreshing it is have someone throwing out their new favorites -- I'm hearing so much truly terrific music, much of it very innovative and original but I don't think I trust my ears enough anymore to really say something sounds new.
I've learned there are key reference points I listen for, and consequently, it sort of pegs my music. In the list above, I didn't hear many of those points in "Fam Hana" or "Litany Against Fear," but Brad Meldau oftens hits them and I liked Soulive right away.
Were I to continue my list of new faves, I suspect it would become progressively easier to pin me down as a jazz fan originating in the late-70s.
I don't want to be pinned down in this way, but I just can't seem to fall in love with a composition that doesn't have certain beats, some dissonance (but not too much!), and somewhere, a strong melody ... you know, something Wayne Shorter-ish ...
Still, I fear my tastes are still firmly rooted in the jazz forms and harmonies that were generated in the late 1950s. Those sounds may have culminated in Weather Report or Return to Forever, but at the risk of being a traitor to my generation, I want to hear today's Jaco ... I'm not tired of the first, it's just that I want to hear something more ... and I don't even know what it is.
So it's great to hear suggestions from a younger generation, operating with fresher ears, that also appeal to me. I'll listen to these bands and performers more, and perhaps after a few more listens come to different conclusions ... maybe I'll hear my next Miles or Jaco in there.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Pianist Helio Alves is making his mark

Here's a name to remember: Helio Alves.
I've come across his name on two recent releases, and noted his skillful playing on both. Alves, a pianist, hails from Brazil but has been making a career in the U.S. since attending Berklee in 1984. While he's turning up now as an in-demand sideman on jazz dates, he's also able to play it straight -- he was the pianist on Yo-Yo Ma's Garmmy Award-winning "Obrigato Brazil" album in 2003.
Alves gives bassist Gabriel Espinosa's "From Yucatan to Rio" CD lively keyboards to work with. The release is a nice collection of light Brazilian sounds, some with a neo-Sergio Mendes flavor.
Alves also backs up the great Louis Hayes on Hayes' new "The Time Keeper." His playing varies nicely on the releases, which includes some nice straight-ahead boppers and sweet ballads (the release also features compositions by saxophonist Abraham Burton, who is also worth keeping an eye on).

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Start the weekend off with jazz

We've got another great weekend for jazz lovers, due in no small part to the New Jersey Blues and Jazz Festival, which kicks off tonight (Thursday) at the State Theater in New Brunswick. Tonight's focus is on the blues part of the event, with Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers; tomorrow night it's Marcia Ball. But Saturday night's finale features the Yellowjackets.

Thursday, Sept. 24
Gordon James hooks up with singer Lauren Hooker for a performance date tonight at Scampi’s Restaurant, 198 West Main St., Somerville. There’s no cover, no minimum … why not stop by for a drink?
John Henry Goldman and his friends have a standing Thursday night at 800 Alexander Road in Princeton Junction. Come and listen at 6:45 p.m., 7:45 p.m. or 8:45 p.m. The suggested donation of $5 helps defray some of the expenses at the studio. Send John a note if you need more info: johnhenrygoldman@straightjazz.com, or call 609-610-1655.

Friday, Sept. 25
The Franklin-Alison Jazz Combo will perform at BT Bistro on Route 1 in West Windsor.
The Marriott in Trenton, 1 West Lafayette, will have live jazz from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 26
The Jazz Disciples will feature Bob Devos at 2 p.m. in the Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St. in Trenton.

Sunday, Sept. 27
WWFM Radio is celebrating the anniversary of the station’s return to broadcasting jazz with a special event, Jazz On 2 at Katmandu, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Katmandu in Trenton. Scheduled performers includeJoe Cataldo, Tom Tallitsch, Gail Dixon, Buzz Herman and Doris Spears, Jerry Rife's Rhythm Kings, vocalist Miche Braden, Joe Zook and Blues Deluxe, and, from the campus of Mercer County Community College, Zingu. There’s no charge to come and listen, but Katmandu is planning some special brunch and New Orleans-themed menu items.
John Nobile's SummerSwing Orchestra will be performing at 1 p.m. with the First Marine Corps Band at the Raritan Township's band shell located on Old York Road in Raritan for the town’s celebration of hometown hero John Basilone.
The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session at PJ's Coffee on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park is a great place to meet musicians – or join the band. They play from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday.

Monday, Sept. 28
Jim Jasion and His Jazz (the Somerset Jazz Consortium Horn Squad) will be at Home Town Buffet, 561 US Highway 1, Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 29
The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session lead by Jim Jasion has moved to the Subterranean Recording Studios in Edison. Call Jim if you’re interested in joining -- 732-325-7464.
Shanghai Jazz in Madison will have John, Martin and Bucky Pizzarelli – with Tony Tedesco — tonight and Wednesday. One of my favorite records to play on my college radio station was a Bucky and John album … now John’s leading …

Wednesday, Sept. 30
The Somerset Jazz Consortium Second Generation Band will be at Home Town Buffet on Route 1 in Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Thursday, October 1
Princeton University’s University Jazz Program Small Group, Anthony D.J. Branker, director will perform at 11:30 p.m. in CafĂ© Vivian in the Frist Campus Center. It’s free.
Rio Clemente’s fans at the Bernards Inn will be glad to know he’ll be back tonight from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Wynton Marsalis steps in

Saturday, Wynton Marsalis stepped up to join in with a high school band at the Vacaville, Ca., Jazz Festival. Read about it -- and catch some videos here.
Whether you're a Marsalis fan or a hater -- and there appears to be plenty of both -- you've got to give it up to a guy who takes every opportunity to teach. I first learned of this aspect of Marsalis' nature in the mid-1980s, when he was playing a concert in Billings, Mont. Hours befoe the gig, he stopped in at a local jazz club after calling area high schools to let the kids know he and his band would be there if anyone wanted to join him.
Aspiring to a career as a jazz musician can be a lonely undertaking -- doubly hard in land filled with cowboy honky tonks and redneck music. Can you imagine how inspiring it must have been for some of those kids to have a chance to sit in with such a band?
In the book he co-authored with Carl Vigeland, "Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues" (Da Capo Press, 2002), Marsalis time and time again shows his willingness to do more to help spread his love of jazz.
I've enjoyed much of Marsalis' work -- but not everything. And that's one of the things I like about him: he's not afraid to change or to try something new.
If we have a modern ambassador for jazz -- a Duke Ellington or Dizzie -- it's got to be Wynton Marsalis.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Can jazz be saved? Can anything?

There's been a lot of ink spilled in response to a column by Terry Teachout in an early August issue of the Wall Steet Journal titled "Can jazz be saved?"
Teachout's column reviewed statistics collected in a survey by the National Endowment for the Arts, measuring participation in various cultural events and activities. I haven't read the entire column, but one summary notes Teachout reported on the decline in stated attendance at jazz concerts, and the increase in average age of said attendees.
Here's a graf in the NEA's summary of the survey's findings, which show it ain't just jazz that's in dire straits: "Between 1982 and 2008, attendance at performing arts such as classical music, jazz, opera, ballet, musical theater, and dramatic plays has seen double-digit rates of decline."
I don't know how the survey was conducted, but my question is how was or is a jazz concert defined? Sure, it's easy if it's a Pat Metheny or Dave Brubeck show, but did they reach the fans of Modeski, Martin and Wood, or Charlie Hunter? Moving even further from mainstream jazz, we find the definitions getting even more blurred - if yo define jazz as music incorporating improvisation, syncopated or swing rhythms and advanced harmony, then doesn't the Dave Matthews Band fall under the jazz heading?
There are dozens more examples, but the point is jazz is so broadly interwoven in modern music that it's hard to see where the lines of distinction may be.
So let's parse it further: the question is can mainstream jazz or be-bop be saved?
If "saved" means maintain sales quotas, or draw crowds of certain sizes, then no, it most likely can't. Outside of the growing list of has-been singers getting a quick sales bump by doing a collection of songs from the cliche-ridden Great American Songbook (Willie Nelson? Really?), mainstream jazz releases are not goign to ignite Billboard charts.
But there's a lot of excellent, exciting and innovative jazz that's doing very well, thank you very much. And if we really open our ears, we'll find jazz living and thriving under many rocks ... including rock.
So, save your worries for Bach and Beethoven, and add Brubeck if you want. I think art will survive because it is fine art.

But don't write off jazz yet -- like an adaptable virus, jazz has a way of permeating all kinds of hosts. Many people have been infected and don't even know it ...

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Schedule your jazz

Thursday, Sept. 17

John Henry Goldman and his friends have a standing Thursday night at 800 Alexander Road in Princeton Junction. Come and listen at 6:45 p.m., 7:45 p.m. or 8:45 p.m. The suggested donation of $5 helps defray some of the expenses at the studio. Send John a note if you need more info: johnhenrygoldman@straightjazz.com, or call 609-610-1655.

Gordon James hoped to be at Scampi’s Restaurant in Somerville tonight, but someone misread their calendar and double-booked the room. So, plan on catching him next Thursday with singer Lauren Hooker.

The Jazz Celebration Big Band is back at the Temperance House in Newtown, Pa., from 8 - 10 p.m. They offer classic big band jazz, which you can enjoy with great food and drink. Reservations are recommended: call 215-860-9975 to book yours.

Trumpeter Ted Curson hosts Trumpets Jazz Club’s Thursday night jam session, if you’re looking to get out of your woodshed. For more information, click here.

Friday, Sept. 18

Rio Clemente will be at Casa Bella Restaurant, 304 Route 46 in Denville, with vocalist Elena Zabyako 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Call 973-627-2003 for information.

The Marriott in Trenton, 1 West Lafayette, will have live jazz from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 19

Andrew Beal visits this week’s meeting of the Jazz Disciples, 2 p.m. at Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St. in Trenton.

Darla and Rich Tarpinian return to the Starlight Room at Hopewell Valley Inn, 15 E. Broad St. in Hopewell. Hear them from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 20

John Nobile's Summerswing Orchestra will be appearing at Rhythms in the Night, 729 S. Main St. in Manville, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. There’s a $10 cover charge, and it’s bets to call ahead for reservations (908-707-8757).

The Salt Creek Grille in Forrestal Village jazz brunch with live music runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session at PJ's Coffee on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park is a great place to meet musicians – or join the band. They play from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday.

Monday, Aug. 21
Jim Jasion and His Jazz (the Somerset Jazz Consortium Horn Squad) will be at Home Town Buffet, 561 US Highway 1, Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 22

The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session lead by Jim Jasion has moved to the Subterranean Recording Studios in Edison. Call Jim if you’re interested in joining -- 732-325-7464.

Wednesday, Aug. 23

The New Jersey Jazz Society film series continues with "Jazz on a Summer's Day," a documentary of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival featuring performances by Anita O'Day, Mahalia Jackson, Thelonious Monk and Louis Armstrong. The show will be presented at the Library of the Chathams, 214 Main St. in Chatham Boro, starting at 7 p.m. There is no admission charge, and the programs are open to the general public.

The Somerset Jazz Consortium Second Generation Band will be at Home Town Buffet on Route 1 in Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 24

Grover’s Mill Coffeehouse, 295 Route 571 (West Windsor-Hightstown Road), hosts jazz by Straight on Red at 7:30 p.m.

Don't forget Gordon James and Lauren Hooker at Scampi's ...

Monday, September 14, 2009

Jimmy Heath ... still bopping at 83

From Jimmy heath at Somerville Jazz Festival, Sept. 13, 2009
Didn't have a chance to get to Saturday's drizzled JazzFeast in Princeton, but Sunday's inaugural Somerville Jazz Festival was great. Gretchen Parlato gave a solid setting, capping her performance with a Stevie Wonder tune which gave her accompanists a chance to stretch out a bit.
After an introduction by Somerville Mayor Brian Gallagher, Jimmy Heath capped the festival with some spot-on playing. He moved easily between Calypso and post-bop rhythms, and danced and smiled for the audience while his band took solo turns.
Before playing, Heath admitted he was entering his sixth decade on jazz circuits but you may not have known that from his playing. He's slowed a bit for sure, but his tone was full and his lines were lively and melodic.
There may not words like "retirement" in jazz musicians' vocabularies, but when one can still play and have as much fun doing it as Jimmy Heath seemed to be having Sunday ... why would you?

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Feast on this

After two weeks out of state, it's great to be back in time for a weekend of jazz. We've not only got a full slate of great jazz performances in the clubs (and the South Brunswick Library), but two open air festivals, the Princeton Jazz Feast Saturday and Sunday's Somerville Jazz Festival.
There are great acts to see at both: Roomful of Blues and the Marlene Verplanck Group are in Princeton, with Alan Dale and the New Legacy Jazz Band and the Smith Street Society. The Feast runs from noon to 6 p.m.
Sunday's Somerville event is going to be just as great: Jimmy Heath gets top billing, but the event also features The Gretchen Parlato Band, Harry Allen Quartet and Sherman Irby’s “Organomics.” It's been produced by WBGO's Sheila Anderson. The festival runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the lawn of the Historic Somerset Courthouse -- for more, check www.FindSomerville.com.

Thursday, Sept. 10
Rio Clemente will be at Mullberries Bar and Grille, with Mr. Muzzy and his Melliferous Tones … 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mulberries is at 158 Market St., Elmwood Park. Call the bar at 201-475-5700 for further information. Rio will be at Armando's Italian Restaurant, 144 Main St. in Ft. Lee, with bassist Jerry Bruno from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Trumpeter Ted Curson hosts Trumpets Jazz Club’s Thursday night jam session, if you’re looking to get out of your woodshed. For more information, click here.

Friday, Sept. 11
The Sixth Street Quaternion will close out Crossing Vineyards’ Summer under the Starts Music series at 7 p.m. It’s $10 to go, or $25 with the food buffet. Make your reservations here. They’ll be playing selections from their new new CD “Summer Nights” – which includes the track “Wine Me, Dine Me.” Almost sounds as if written for the date, doesn’t it?

The Marriott in Trenton, 1 West Lafayette, will have live jazz from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 12

The Jazz Disciples program at the Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St. in Trenton features local hero Richie Cole. The program starts at 2 p.m. – go and get yourself some alto madness…

The South Brunswick Library won’t be quiet at 7 p.m. tonight, when the Andy Rothstein Band performs. The library describes guitarist Andy Rothstein as melding Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pat Martino and “The
Edge” from U2. With him will be Chris Bacas on saxophone, Steve Jankowski on trumpet, Tony Senatore on bass, and Luther Rix on drums.

Sunday, Sept. 13
Laura Hull headlines at Shanghai Jazz tonight, with Tomoko Ohno on piano. Call 973-822-2899 to get your tickets. Learn more about Laura at www.LauraHull.com

The Salt Creek Grille in Forrestal Village jazz brunch with live music runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session at PJ's Coffee on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park is a great place to meet musicians – or join the band. They play from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday.

The New Jersey Jazz Society member social scheduled for 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Shanghai Jazz Club will feature the Baby Soda Jazz Band with Ed Polcer, who will talk about the pleasure of working with the young lions of jazz and offer some thoughts of what it's like to work with a seasoned and accomplished player. According to the NJJS Web site, “Baby Soda is on the cutting edge of a new movement loosely known as street jazz; with an eclectic set of influences ranging from New Orleans brass bands, jug music, southern gospel and hot jazz. The ensemble doesn't desire to recreate the past, rather they bring the concept and joy of the music to the present.” You don’t have to be a member to go – but it helps – find out more at www.njjs.org.

Monday, Aug. 24
Jim Jasion and His Jazz (the Somerset Jazz Consortium Horn Squad) will be at Home Town Buffet, 561 US Highway 1, Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 25
The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session lead by Jim Jasion has moved to the Subterranean Recording Studios in Edison. Call Jim if you’re interested in joining -- 732-325-7464.

Wednesday, Aug. 26
The Somerset Jazz Consortium Second Generation Band will be at Home Town Buffet on Route 1 in Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.