The good, the bad and the monotone

Recently, I listened to two new independent releases, one which really struck me as being a quality musical project. The other, not so much.
In fairness, it's clear Recording X, as we'll call the weaker of the two, was made on a lower budget, by jazz musicians really just starting out, whereas Recording A was made by an experienced, if relatively unknown player.
When I realized I can't listen to Recording X without getting droopy, I began to try and pin down what was missing. The combo features a piano and saxophone, both of whom are clearly competent performers -- they know their changes; they have good timing; and, for the sax player, good intonation.
What's wrong?
It really didn't hit me until I went back to Recording A -- at first I thought, sure the recording is sharper and clearer, but is that part of the problem? Two things stood out -- and it seems listeners and musicians should pay more attention to these two things than many do: Recording X was very compressed in the recording process, and the musicians weren't paying attention to their phrasing as much as they should have.
The first problem may have crept in in post-production, but the lead instrument was always too much louder than the others. When the sax soloed, the piano was buried in the mix, killing the dynamics of the music.
Without the dynamics, the recording feels lifeless and causes drowsiness ... not to be listened to while operating heavy equipment.
Furthermore, the solos on Recording X tended to have long, scalar runs ... continuously. It got exhausting -- causing further drowsiness.
Recording A is a debut recording from a long-time professional. He certainly has had opportunities to record before, I'm sure, but waited until he knew what he wanted to do.
When he soloed, he played with terrific dynamics -- articulating individual notes in a run or arpeggio; he employed slides, honks and other "gimmicks" comfortably and without drawing too much attention to them.
This made the recording more enjoyable and easy to listen to -- and frankly, a much, much better jazz CD, even without the higher-quality recording.
I won't mention who made Recording X -- I hope the group can listen to their work and continue to develop their skills -- but Recording A is Scotty Barnhart's "Say It Plain." Go to www.scottybarnhart.com to hear a sample from the release -- "a brilliant reworking of "Giant Steps." It's traditional but innovative, features terrific soloing, and is representative of why this release is likely to be one of the year's top jazz recordings.

Big night for a big band

Thursday, May 28

The 17-piece Jazz Celebration Big Band, featuring vocalist Claudia Perry, will be at Poco's Comedy Cabaret (2nd floor), 625 North Main Street in Doylestown from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. tonight. They’re hoping to impress club owners on the viability of jazz bands – try to get over and back them up. There’s a $10 cover charge. You can learn more about Cluadia Perry here.

Trumpeter Gordon James and Henry Loo on piano will be appearing at Scampi’s at 198 West Main Street, Somerville, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Thursday, beginning tonight. They’ll perform some R&B, pop standards and jazz – something for everyone with shrimp on the side!

Pianist Rio Clemente will be at the Bernards Inn on Route 202 in Bernardsville, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday, May 29
Guitarist Dick Gratton will be at the Chambers Walk Cafe on Main Street in Lawrenceville, with sets at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The Trenton Marriott at 1 West Lafayette, always features live jazz music from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. No cover.

Steakhouse 85 (http://www.steakhouse85.com/aboutus.html), 85 Church St., New Brunswick, has live jazz music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 30
Clifford Adams will be at the Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St., Trenton, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The date is part of the series organized by the Trenton Jazz Disciples.

Dick Gratton will be at Bordentown’s Farnsworth House from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Steakhouse 85 (http://www.steakhouse85.com/aboutus.html), 85 Church St., New Brunswick, has live jazz music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Trumpeter Claudio Roditi and his quartet will be at Trumpets Jazz in Montclair – I’ve hearing a lot of this guy lately and he’s worth the trip.

Sunday, May 31
Salt Creek Grille in Forrestal Village has a jazz brunch, with live music, starting this weekend. The brunch is offered from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Dick Gratton will be back at it at Hightstown's Sunday Jazz Brunch at Bistro Soleil, 173 Mercer St. Sets at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The Somerset Jazz Consortium hosts a jam session from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday at PJ's Coffee on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park.

Monday, June 1
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, June 2
Steakhouse 85 (http://www.steakhouse85.com/aboutus.html), 85 Church St., New Brunswick, has live jazz music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

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, June 3

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

Thursday, June 4

Pianist Rio Clemente will be at the Bernards Inn on Route 202 in Bernardsville, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Look below for Rio’s weekend plans.

Later

Drew University will host the Sanofi-aventis Jazzfest 2009 June 5 – 6 at the Madison campus. Among the acts appearing will be the Allan Vache Benny Goodman Tribute Big Band, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, the Brazilian jazz of Trio da Paz and the bop sounds of tenor star Houston Person Quartet throughout the afternoon. The Rio Clemente Trio and vocalist Laura Hull will perform June 6, along with jazz singer Curtis Stigers, Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. The festival begins with a free concert at 7 p.m. Friday and then noon to 10 p.m. June 6.

Tickets are only $50 in advance, but will be $65 at the gate on June 6. For more information, advance sale discount tickets and hotel reservations log onto www.njjs.org or call 800-303-6557. Students are $10 at the gate and kids 16 and under are free. Drew University is on Route 124 in Madison and parking is free.

We moved!

The Augmented Ear blog has been moved to a new server -- you can find it here:
http://packetinsider.com/blog/augmentedear

More on big bands ...

As I noted in my last blog, big bands are hard to sustain these days, but that doesn't mean you won't find some outside of your closest high school or college.
In fact, there are several bands trying to make a go of it in our neighborhood -- you can help by getting out and supporting local musicians.
The 17-piece Jazz Celebration Big Band, fronted by Paul Morris and featuring vocalist Claudia Perry (his wife), has been working hard on making big band music available for local fans. The band will be at Poco's Comedy Cabaret at 625 N. Main, Doylestown, at 8 p.m. May 28, where they're looking to prove area fans will support their music. The cover is low ($10), so make a note to show up.
John Nobile's Hunterdon County-based SummerSwing Orchestra can often be found playing in Somerville and Manville. The band has performed at The Rhythms of the Night nighclub in Manville several times this year -- and will be back June 28, and ie a regular at the Indigo Ballroom in Somerville -- catch the orchetsra there on May 23.
You can also enjoy the SummerSwing Orchestra June 5 in Somerville on the lawn of the historic courthouse.
Big bands are labors of love, requiring hours of practice and dedication by the musicians. There's some powerful medicine in the power and beauty a larger group of musicians can summon -- check it out and you'll see for yourself.

Diggin' the big bands

As much as I like the classic small combos of Miles Davis or Art Blakey, big bands can really get me excited. I haven't played in a large band setting since college, but being part of such a big, noisy machine is a powerful experience.
Big bands are pretty rare these days, the costs of maintaining them is just too high. But there are a few -- Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band is one.
Most of the time, you'll find special one or two-date bands assembled and recorded. Gerald Wilson never fails to deliver great music this way.
Recently, I've been listening to some re-issued big bands that I'm really enjoying --- I'm not talking about Basie or Ellington, although they were terrific.
No - we're moving into more modern territory. Compositionally.
For example, remember Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth Big Band? They recorded a couple of fantastic releases. Some of the tracks are like Weather Report -- but with less Joe Zawinul and more horns ... and Jaco bouncing along underneath.
In 2003, trumpeter Randy Brecker led a big band, with brother Michael, recorded a German date released as "Some Skunk Funk" that shows how wonderfully talented the Brecker Brothers were. If their earlier fusion scared you -- don't be put off: this is a marvelous fast-paced, big band outing.
Speaking of fusion: I recently listened to Frank Zappa's "Grand Wazoo," which has all of his trademarks. That is to say, you'll find lots of wooden marimba sounds, bells, incredible harmonies and quirky rhythms that made Zappa Zappa. I know Zappa viewed the Grand Wazoo as a big band for his compositional ideas, but I'm not certain it's got quite enough to really be a big band ... maybe like a nonet, with guitar, bass, synthesizer, drums, tenor and baritone saxes, and always a few other, unexpected surprises. If you haven't listened to The Grand Wazoo, check out "Blessed Relief" or "Eat that Question."