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New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

 

Henry Butler

 

Healdsburg Jazz Festival

 

Dave Holland Quintet

 

Santana and Steve Winwood

 

Jerry Hahn Quartet

 

Jeff Newell's New-Trad Octet

 

Angela Hagenbach Sextet

 

Otro Mundo

 

Darryl White Group

 

Marilyn Maye

 

NJO and Bob Krueger

 

July 2010
Performances

Concert reviews

 

Concert Review

Jazz Fest is music lover's dream come true

 

Tom Ineck

 

NEW ORLEANS—Four days at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival seem to fly by as in a hallucinatory dream, with alternating flashes of sounds, colors and the enticing aromas of Louisiana cooking.

 

Alligator pie is among the delicacies served. [Photo by Tom Ineck]Among the essential ingredients in Jazz Fest’s musical gumbo are traditional jazz, modern jazz, blues, gospel, Cajun and zydeco. The Mardi Gras Indians display their beaded and feathered, hand-crafted costumes in rainbow hues, emphasized even more as they strut and chant on stage and throughout the fairgrounds. When hunger beckons, dozens of vendors are ready to serve up the regional and international favorites. But it is the music that makes Jazz Fest so memorable and unique.

 

To take full advantage of the mind-boggling array of artists performing simultaneously at 12 stages from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the intrepid music-lover maps out the day in detail, but always leaves room for serendipity.

 

On April 29, we began our Jazz Fest adventure in the Blues Tent with Coco Robicheaux and the Swamp Monsters. The long-time Louisiana blues singer Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove at the Acura Stage [Photo by Tom Ineck]delivers a visceral punch with his pungent New Orleans patois, a sound that can be heard nowhere but here, on tunes like “Walkin’ with the Spirit of Love,” and the funky “Street Connection.” As Robicheaux said at one point, “They were draining the bayou and they came up with us!”

 

Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk delivered back-to-back sets to good crowds at the Acura Stage, one of the festival’s two large outdoor venues. The latter band was especially funky, playing “Turn This Thing Around” and “Everybody Wants Some.”

 

After a couple of hours in the sun, we retreated to the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage inside the large grandstand, where a local deejay was interviewing jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater. During their relaxed, intimate conversation, she spoke of Nancy Wilson’s early influence on her, her four years at the Village Vanguard with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, and later work with Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie. Perhaps most interesting was her commitment to a non-music activity, as United Nations goodwill ambassador for food and agriculture, working in Senegal.

 

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers [Photo by Tom Ineck]Shifting from the serious to the ludicrous, we joined the swarming hordes en route to the Gentilly Stage to hear Steve Martin perform on banjo with the Steep Canyon Rangers. The set combined humor with straight-ahead bluegrass virtuosity, illustrating Martin’s own considerable technique as composer and instrumentalist in the Steve Martin [Photo by Jerry Siefken]wake of his 2009 Grammy-winning bluegrass CD “The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo.”

 

Selections from that release included “Daddy Played the Banjo,” a tune Martin co-wrote with Randy Scruggs, “Hoedown at Alice’s” and “Wally on the Run,” written for his dog. As a teaser for Martin’s next bluegrass project, they performed the title track, “Jubilation Day.” From the lighter side of life came Martin originals “Let’s Keep the Minimum Wage Right Where She’s At,” the hilarious “Atheists Ain’t Got No Songs,” and the closer, a bluesy take on his 1970s hit “King Tut.”

 

Dee Dee Bridgewater celebrates Billie Holiday. [Photo by Tom Ineck]The day ended sublimely underneath the WWOZ Jazz Tent, where Dee Dee Bridgewater and her band paid loving homage to Billie Holiday. Pianist and arranger Edsel Gomez was joined by Craig Handy on saxophones and flute, bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Gregory Hutchinson on such tunes as “Lady Sings the Blues,” “Lover Man,” and “Don’t Explain.” Dee Dee expresses. [Photo by Tom Ineck]Edsel’s arrangement of “Them There Eyes” drove the tune with an infectious New Orleans rhythm that inspired Bridgewater to a vocal “trombone” solo as she traded fours with Handy on tenor sax. Bridgewater’s lusty and rambunctious “Billie’s Blues” revealed the stylistic differences between her and the more subtle Holiday. “My Mother’s Son-in-Law,” “A Foggy Day,” and a wonderful version of “God Bless the Child” were followed by the closer, “Miss Brown to You.”

 

One of the natural hazards of having limited space in which to erect so many stages is that the listener is occasionally distracted by sound “bleeding” from adjacent venues. In this case, Bridgewater’s performance was impaired by the rock roar of both Widespread Panic at the Acura Stage and Blues Traveler at the nearby Blues Tent.

 

Friday began at the WWOZ Jazz Tent with the idea of staking out our territory and avoiding a claustrophobic crowd like the one we had to contend with at the Steve Martin concert. Aretha Franklin’s cancellation made that easier, since we wouldn’t have to leave the comfort of the tent to see her. The logistics and psychology of Jazz Fest force some tough choices, and the fewer decisions the better off you are.  

 

The Julliard Jazz Ensemble delivered a finely-calibrated performance of mostly original tunes. Next, Kent Jordan, on flute and piccolo, led a group with a strong African jazz influence, performing a couple of tunes by the late South Astral Project can still deliver after more than 30 years. [Photo by Tom Ineck]African pianist and saxophonist Bheki Mseleku. They also rendered fine interpretations of “Out of This World,” “Feelin’ Good” and Chick Corea’s “Spain.” After more than 30 years together, Astral Project can still deliver, as the quartet showed in their riveting performance of original tunes like “Voodoo Bop,” “McCoy” and “Lauren Z.” We left before the Nicholas Payton Sextet had finished its somewhat disappointing set of fusion jazz.

 

Friday also included brief side trips to the Peoples Health Economy Hall Tent for Lars Edegran and the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra and to the Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage for Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, one of the most popular exemplars of the Cajun folk tradition.

 

I was determined to The New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra [Photo by Tom Ineck]pace myself Saturday for the day’s final act at the Gentilly Stage, guitar legend Jeff Beck. So again I spent much of the day in tent seating, beginning at Economy Hall with Connie Jones and the Crescent City Jazz Band. A trumpeter, cornetist and singer, Jones and his nine-piece outfit took listeners through a trad-jazz history lesson that included “Savoy Blues” from Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five period, Jelly Roll Morton’s “Wolverine Blues” and “Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?” which he dedicated to legendary clarinetist Pete Fountain. The New Guitarist Bryan Lee replaced ailing Mem Shannon. [Photo by Tom Ineck]Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra followed with authentic arrangements of traditional popular music from the turn of the last century, performed by an ensemble of some 20 seated musicians in matching white, navel-style uniforms and playing trumpets, saxophones, clarinets, trombones, tuba, guitar, banjo, piano, violins, cello, drums and a Theremin!

 

Over at the blues tent, the blind singer-guitarist Bryan Lee and the Blues Power Band, who replaced an ailing Mem Shannon, was wailing through “TV Mama,” while Germaine Bazzle was giving some lessons in New Orleans jazz vocal technique at the WWOZ tent, where she crooned “My Foolish Heart,” scatted through the Basie standard “Shiny Stockings,” and went uptempo for Cole Porter’s “It’s Allright with Me.”

 

Drummer Brian Blade [Photo by Tom Ineck]I eventually settled in to the WWOZ tent for a couple of highly anticipated acts—Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band and The Allen Toussaint Jazzity Project. The Fellowship Band has been one of our favorites here at the Berman foundation since we covered them at the 1998 Kansas City International Jazz Festival. After two remarkable Blue Note recordings in the late 1990s, the seven-piece band went on hiatus for nearly a decade, finally reforming under the leadership of drummer Blade for 2008’s equally compelling “Season of Changes.” Pedal steel guitar had been dropped from the unusual lineup, but the group retained its idiosyncratic sound with electric guitar, two reed instruments, piano, bass and drums.

 

Fellowship Band members (from left) Jon Cowherd, Melvin Butler, Myron Walden and Antoine Drye. [Photo by Tom Ineck][Photo by Tom Ineck]At Jazz Fest, the group had been further altered with trumpeter Antoine Drye replacing the guitar. The three-horn front line of Melvin Butler, Myron Walden and Drye was inspired, trading off soaring, squalling solos as Blade urged them on with his thrashing drum attack and pianist Jon Cowherd and bassist Chris Thomas added to the deep harmonic tapestry. The Fellowship Band continues to communicate on a very high level with the audience, despite the absence of any stage commentary. The hour-long set was virtually an unannounced suite of tunes that alternately surged in intensity and waned in spiritual contemplation.

 

Pianist Allen Toussaint and guitarist Steve Masakowski [Photo by Tom Ineck]Toussaint’s jazzy set was weighted heavily with tunes from his brilliant 2009 tribute to New Orleans, “The Bright Mississippi,” the first release in 10 years for the legendary R&B composer, arranger, producer, pianist and singer. Astral Project guitarist Steve Masakowski was among the prominent soloists featured on such tunes as Django Reinhardt’s “Blue Drag,” Armstrong’s “West End Blues,” “Egyptian Fantasy,” “St. James Infirmary” and the ballad “Long, Long Journey,” on which Toussaint sang the mournful lyric, “when the river stops flowing and the trees lay down and die.” It brought to mind another recent Toussaint project, his 2006 collaboration with Elvis Costello on “The River in Reverse,” a recording to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. 

 

Jeff Beck turns up the heat. [Photo by Tom Ineck]Finally, the moment had arrived. I made my way across the fairgrounds to the Gentilly Stage, where Jeff Beck would soon appear with his current touring band—Jason Rebello on assorted keyboards, Rhonda Smith on bass and Narada Michael Walden on drums. He would allow credentialed photographers front-stage access for the first three tunes only, so we jockeyed and jostled for the best positions and started firing. It was somewhat difficult to concentrate on the work at hand while being aurally blasted and awestruck by the sheer volume and technical virtuosity of this master of the Stratocaster as he launched into the instrumental “Led Boots,” from the 1976 masterpiece “Wired.”

 

Jeff Beck at work. [Photo by Tom Ineck]Over the course of the next hour, Beck rolled out a wide range of material, approximating a career retrospective. He played an instrumental version of “People Get Ready,” which was originally sung by Rod Stewart on 1985’s mediocre crossover attempt “Flash.” Smith took the vocal part on Beck’s revamped, supercharged version of the blues classic “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” and Beck nailed the stop-time fretting of “Big Block,” from 1989’s “Guitar Shop.” Delving into the 1960s, he pulled out a rollicking cover of Sly Stone’s “I Want to Take You Higher,” and treated Lennon and McCartney’s “A Day in the Life” with grace and respect.

 

He also introduced several numbers from his new release, “Emotion and Commotion.” Those included an ecstatic “Over the Rainbow,” played by Beck as though mournfully vocalizing with quavering tremolo, with Smith on acoustic bass and Rebello on keys. For an encore, Beck slung a Les Paul guitar over his shoulder and reeled off a swinging and virtuosic “How High the Moon,” first performed by Beck to great acclaim during a Grammy Awards tribute to the late, influential guitarist and inventor earlier this year. This time, the vocals came eerily from the original Narada Michael Walden [Photo by Tom Ineck]tapes of Les Paul and Mary Ford, with Rebello switching from keys to rhythm guitar.

 

Beck concluded with the epic “Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep),” a Puccini aria featured on the new CD. Rebello contributed synthesized strings, Smith bowed the bass and Walden used soft mallets. The tune’s inherent melodrama is perfectly suited to the guitarist’s soaring, pleading and lyrical attack. For effect, he dropped to his knees for the final devastating note.

 

As befitting the final day, Sunday was filled with praise and thanks, not just for surviving another Jazz Fest but for the fact that such music exists in the world and that New Orleans provides an annual venue for it. To avoid the morning downpour, we huddled in the gospel tent and listened to the Zulu Male Ensemble, a choir of more than 20 male voices associated with the 101-year-old Zulu Aid and Pleasure Club, another New Orleans tradition. With additional support from organ, trumpet, bass, piano, drums, congas and washboard, they raised the tent roof with “Down by the Riverside,” “I’ll Fly Away” and “When the Saints go Marching In.”

 

Singer and choir director Jo “Cool” Davis had help from a brass section of three tenors and two trumpets, piano, organ, bass and drums as he rocked the gospel with arrangements of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” “I Found Jesus (and I’m Glad),” “I’ll Fly Away,” “Over in the Glory Land,” “Saints,” “Riverside” and a tribute to Sam Cooke.

 

The rain let up enough for us to scurry over to the trad-jazz tent for the Dukes of Dixieland, a Crescent City fixture for more than 30 years. Driven by the skillful playing of a female drummer, they ran through favorites like “Hindustan,” “St. Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. [Photo by Tom Ineck]James Infirmary,” “(Back Home Again In) Indiana,” “Little Rock Getaway,” “Milk Cow Blues,” and “That’s a Plenty.”

 

We settled into the modern jazz tent for consecutive afternoon sets by trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra and his father, pianist Ellis Marsalis, fronting a quartet that also featured youngest son, Jason, on drums. Co-founded by Delfeayo and Ellis in 2008, the Uptown Orchestra covers New Orleans Ellis Marsalis [Photo by Tom Ineck]classics and standards by Ellington, Basie and others. By contrast, the Marsalis quartet tends toward more modern fare.

 

While standing in a huge muddy field with thousands of other fans waiting for Van Morrison to take the stage, the skies began to open with rain again, and I concluded that I was too old for Woodstock revisited. Instead, we retreated to the gospel tent for The Davell Crawford Singers, who gave us the strength and inspiration to head for the festival exit in praise and thanks.

 

Yes, I had missed a few artists I had hoped to see—the all-star Wayne Shorter Quartet, Irma Thomas, BeauSoleil, the subdudes, Stanley Clarke Band, Van Morrison—but the weekend also had delivered on the perennial Jazz Fest promise. Indeed, the good times did roll! 

 


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Concert Review

Henry Butler and Snug Harbor offer refuge

 

By Tom Ineck

 

Henry Butler Quartet with Donald Harrison (right) at Snug Harbor [Photo by Tom Ineck]NEW ORLEANS—As a musical refuge from the harsh realities of Gulf Coast life—pummeled by hurricanes and befouled by the sludge of Big Oil—there is no better name for a jazz club than Snug Harbor. As a more intimate alternative to the swarming crowds at Jazz Fest, it certainly lives up to its name.

 

The quaint, venerable night spot at 626 Frenchman Street in the Faubourg Marigney—just outside the French Quarter—has been the Crescent City’s premier jazz club for more than 30 years, booking some of the best New Orleans musicians available, including regular appearances by Charmaine Neville, Dr. Michael White, Ellis Marsalis and Astral Project.

 

We ducked inside its cozy confines on the evening of May 1 for a late-night performance by the Henry Butler Quartet, featuring saxophonist Donald Harrison. We grabbed a small table in the balcony, overlooking the stage and patrons below, an excellent vantage point for the entire scene.

 

Bassist Peter Harris, saxophonist Donald Harrison and drummer Ricky Sebastian [Photo by Tom Ineck]Both Butler and Harrison are native New Orleanians whose well-deserved fame frequently takes them away from home, so it was a rare treat to catch them in a joint performance that also featured local favorites Peter Harris on bass and Ricky Sebastian on drums.

 

Butler, who is blind, has a piano style that runs the gamut from bluesy boogie-woogie and fire-breathing bop to Latin rhythms and intense avant-garde excursions. This evening his choices were typically unpredictable, although he favored the bebop period, beginning with Gigi Gryce’s “Minority.” Butler seemed especially fond of the quirky constructions of Thelonious Monk, essaying a very fast rendition of “Rhythm-a-ning” that had his bandmates struggling to maintain the tempo and make the changes. Sebastian’s outstanding solo proved his ability as an overall percussionist, using every area of every drum, cymbal and rim to dazzling effect. Butler used both hands in unison for a unique take on Monk’s “Misterioso.”

 

Snug Harbor patrons gather after the concert. [Photo by Tom Ineck]The tempo was flying on Ray Noble’s “Cherokee,” with Sebastian working the tom-toms and Harrison’s alto taking on the tonal colors of Charlie Parker. Butler performed a long, inventive solo introduction on “Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise.” Wearing a mischievous smile, Sebastian churned up some complex Latin rhythms that inspired a heated exchange with Butler, who seemed to enjoy the exercise immensely.

 

Singer Leslie Smith joined the quartet on several tunes, including George Shearing’s “Lullaby of Birdland” and a nice rendition of the Bill Withers soul classic “Use Me.” The quartet closed the show with the swinging “Duke’s Place.”  

 

When planning a trip to New Orleans, check out the Snug Harbor schedule at www.snugjazz.com, and call (504) 949-0696 for reservations.

 


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Concert Review

Healdsburg fest impresses with its diversity 

 

By Tom Ineck

 

HEALDSBURG, Calif.—Having first experienced the small-town ambiance and world-class performances of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival in 2009, I had to return for the second half of this year’s edition to see if my initial experience was just a lucky fluke. It wasn’t. The 12th annual event was just as memorable as the previous one.

 

For the two-week festival, running June 4-13, artistic director Jessica Felix again had assembled an eclectic lineup of musicians, even reprising the popular Brazilian concert, which this year featured Oscar Castro-Neves, Leny Andrade, Romero Lubambo and Claudia Villela. But it was the second week’s series of concerts that most intrigued me—George Cables Trio, Esperanza Spaulding, Charlie Haden with Ravi Coltrane and Geri Allen, and a “Keepers of the Flame” finale including Jason Moran and the Bandwagon with special guest Bill Frisell, Gretchen Parlato Group with Taylor Eigsti, and the Dafnis Prieto Quartet with Peter Apfelbaum. The first three performances were booked at the quaint Raven Theater in downtown Healdsburg, which holds just Pianist George Cables, bassist Peter Barshay and drummer Jaz Sawyer at the Raven Theater [Photo by Tom Ineck]a few hundred people in its intimate confines. The finale, as always, was held outdoors at the Rodney Strong vineyards.

 

A wonderful pianist and a beautiful human being, Cables is generally underappreciated for his many contributions to the jazz legacy over the decades, but not at the Healdsburg festival, where he is a return favorite. For his June 9 performance at the Raven, he was ably accompanied by bassist Peter Barshay and drummer Jaz Sawyer. The trio’s repertoire included sterling renditions ranging from Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma” to the standard “Up Jumped Spring” and Cables’ own composition “Helen’s Song.” Guitarist Christian Foley-Beining, bassist Chris Amberger, saxophonist Paul McCandless and drummer Lorca Hart at the Raven [Photo by Tom Ineck]Singer Shea Breaux Wells joined the trio for “Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise,” an Annie Ross novelty called “A Mouse Named Jackie,” “I Remember Clifford,” an original called “Dark Matters,” Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren,” and “Caravan.” While she possessed a well-trained voice and demonstrated the ability to leap several octaves at a single bound, she failed to give “Caravan” the requisite swing. On the other hand, she delivered the classic Buckley tune with great skill and emotion.

 

Opening the evening’s festivities with an adventurous set was German-born Healdsburg resident guitarist Christian Foley-Beining, with veteran bassist Chris Amberger, drummer Lorca Hart and special guest Paul McCandless of the group Oregon. Wayne Shorter’s “Black Nile” got a nice treatment with Esperanza Spalding and band at the Raven [Photo by Tom Ineck]McCandless on tenor sax. He switched to soprano sax for a Latin-tinged Foley-Beining original and an intriguing new arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s “We Can Work It Out.” Showing his versatility and distinctive sound, McCandless employed the bass clarinet on the guitarist’s ballad “Four Good Friends.” Foley-Beining himself proved a capable player, drawing on influences as diverse as Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny.

 

Esperanza [Photo by Kelly McKeen]Two nights later, the Raven was packed for the return of Esperanza Spalding, who made a big splash at the 2009 festival. Rising from obscurity with her 2008 recording, “Esperanza,” the 25-year-old bassist, singer, composer and bandleader is the latest “celebrity” jazz artist, but unlike others she deserves much of the hype. Drawing heavily from the infectious rhythms and melodic lyricism of Brazilian samba and Argentine tango, Spalding melds her classical training with the urban sounds of funk, mainstream jazz and even an occasional foray into free jazz. Her excellent band also featured pianist Leo Genovese, guitarist Ricardo Vogt and drummer Justin Brown. Their willingness and ability to shift gears at a moment’s notice was matched by their genuine enjoyment, as they exchanged smiles and laughter throughout the performance. 

 

Among her own compositions, Spalding also sprinkled unexpected tributes to Abbey Lincoln, Wayne Shorter and even Eric Dolphy. Similarly, she took a Esperanza Spalding and band [Photo by Kelly McKeen]new take on the old standard “Let’s Fall in Love” and introduced a couple of new originals, including “Cinnamon Dreams.”

 

Finally, she demonstrated her extraordinary range and scatting ability by dividing the audience for a “sing-along.” Of course, she left everyone struggling in her wake as they attempted to mimic her rhythmic, virtuosic vocalese.

 

Tacuma King and the Children's Percussion Workshop [Photo by Tom Ineck]As an opening act for Spalding, popular local drummer and educator Tacuma King led his Children’s Percussion Workshop students in a spirited, audience-pleasing performance pairing the master with his young protégés. Using traditional African drums and techniques, they demonstrated polyrhythmic complexity and communal teamwork with a sense of good-natured competitiveness.  

 

Pianist Geri Allen and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane at the Raven Theater [Photo by Kelly McKeen]By comparison, Saturday evening’s headlining concert by bassist Charlie Haden, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and pianist Geri Allen was solemn and profoundly engaging. On the occasion of Allen’s 53rd birthday, the audience greeted her with a round of applause as she took the stage for a couple of solo tunes dedicated to the late keyboard great Hank Jones, who died May 16. She was discreetly joined by Coltrane on tenor sax, then Haden on bass as Charlie Haden at the Raven [Photo by Kelly McKeen]the trio exhibited a telepathic ability to communicate and respond with deep feeling in a performance that included bop standards, originals, folk melodies and even a rendition of the 1920s Irving Berlin tune “What’ll I Do?”

 

The Healdsburg High School Jazz Band opened with a set of familiar tunes that provided an opportunity for soloists to prove that even a city of just 15,000 people can produce a jazz education curriculum that produces considerable talent. The young guitarist showed special promise, both in his leadership capacity and in his chording and solo improvisation.  

 

As always, the festival went al fresco on its final day, taking residence on the green at the lovely Rodney Strong Vineyards outside of town. This year, Sunday was a relative broiler for the characteristically mild Northern California, climbing to over 90 degrees by late afternoon.

Jazz fans seek shelter from the heat at Rodney Strong vineyards [Photo by Tom Ineck] 

Considering the intense heat, the day’s theme of “Keepers of the Flame” seemed especially apt. But the theme was intended to convey the sense that some contemporary jazz artists are preserving and distilling the long legacy of the music while crafting a unique and personal sound in the moment and suggesting where jazz might be headed.

 

Multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum has always marched to a different drummer. His legendary Hieroglyphics Ensemble drew on an array of world music influences from West Africa to the Caribbean, as well as the urban American sounds of funk, blues, rock and mainstream jazz. Kicking off the “Keepers of the Flame” concert as a featured member of the Dafnis Prieto Si O Si Quartet, Dafnis Prieto Si O Si Quartet at Rodney Strong vineyards [Photo by Tom Ineck]Apfelbaum was among like-minded progressives of a decidedly Afro-Cuban bent.

 

Since his arrival on the New York City jazz scene in 1999, Prieto has been a highly sought-after drummer, working in ensembles led by Don Byron, Steve Coleman, Henry Threadgill and Apfelbaum. The Cuban possesses a virtuosic grasp of polyrhythmic percussion that was on full display for the opening performance at Rodney Strong. Rounding out the quartet were the equally impressive Cuban pianist Manuel Valera and a German bassist named Johannes Vandenmuller.

 

Much of the Si O Si Quartet’s program was taken from their 2009 release, “Live at Jazz Standard NYC,” including the Prieto compositions “Si o Si,” “Claveteo,” “Seven by Seven,” “Ilu-Uli,” and “Trio Absolute.” The time signatures were typically mind-boggling in their degree of difficulty, with Prieto frequently dividing and subdividing the beat, but the band never wavered or hesitated. Their ability to mix complexity with a sense of fun reminded me of Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, another drummer-led quartet with the same instrumentation. Apfelbaum usually alternated between tenor and soprano saxophones, but “Seven by Seven” featured him and Valera Gretchen Parlato Group [Photo by Kelly McKeen]hauntingly harmonizing on melodicas. In his percussive, driving style and dazzling technique, Valera at times reminded the listener of Gonzalo Rubalcaba. The leader introduced “Trio Absolute” with an amazing vocalized percussion interlude that epitomized his rare sense of rhythm.

 

In need of some shade and a cold beverage, I left the concert grounds during the performance by the Gretchen Parlato Group, which also featured young pianist Taylor Eigsti. A Los Angeles native, Parlato won the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, and has received raves for her debut recording.

 

After conserving my energy and reviving myself, I was prepared for headliners Jason Moran and the Bandwagon, a trio that has remained intact for a decade, a rare occurrence in today’s competitive jazz world. In that time, Moran has established himself as one of the most original and adventurous pianists in modern music, while Jason Moran at Rodney Strong [Photo by Tom Ineck]drawing on past influences like Thelonious Monk, Jaki Byard and even Cecil Taylor. Bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits have proven themselves the perfect foils for Moran’s expression. However, it was the added attraction that most intrigued me. Billed as the trio’s special guest, guitarist Bill Frisell seemed an odd choice playing “second fiddle” to a well-established group sound.

 

Bill Frisell with handcuffs [Photo by Tom Ineck]To some extent, that’s exactly the role the eclectic and prolific improviser played, preferring to create electronic background esthetics and trigger looped phrases rather than simply cutting loose on guitar. Not surprising, the piano trio communicated among themselves with the hyper-sensitivity of a threesome that has performed and recorded for 10 years.

 

Frisell was left to fill in the spaces, which he did with typical creativity and humility, harmonizing with subtle, but interesting chords progressions and occasional single-note phrases. Still, those of us who also admire his ability to create intensifying heat in rock-style attacks were hungry for more. As one impatient listener shouted near the end of the performance, “Take off the handcuffs!”

 


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Concert Review

Yoshi's bring out the best in Holland quintet

 

By Tom Ineck

 

OAKLAND, Calif.—The Dave Holland Quintet was closing a three-night run at the legendary Yoshi’s jazz club on the Sunday evening of my arrival in the Bay area. The ensemble typically delivers a technically dazzling and transcendently cerebral experience, but perhaps because of the long weekend stand at this familiar and beloved venue, they seemed particularly at ease and adventurous for the 7 p.m. June 6 performance.

 

Marquee at Yoshi's in Oakland [Photo by Tom Ineck]Always a generous bandleader, bassist Holland allowed plenty of self-expression by his bandmates—quintet veterans Steve Nelson on vibes, Robin Eubanks on trombone and Chris Potter on saxophones, and relative newcomer Nate Smith on drums. “Pathways,” the title track from the current Holland release—which features an octet live at Birdland in New York City—served as an introduction to all the players, both their individual talents and their incredible group rapport.

 

Nelson switched to marimba and Smith set the stage for the rhythmically complex “Jugglers Parade,” from the band’s 1999 masterpiece “Prime Directive.” It is a testament to the quintet’s staying power and continuing sense of adventure that the tune still produces musical surprises after more than a decade on the playlist. Potter on soprano sax creatively harmonized with Eubanks before the trombonist took off on a long solo statement. Holland’s own solo was a masterwork of rhythmic cohesion that led back to the intricate main theme.

 

“Not for Nothin’,” from the 2001 release of the same name, was a funky number that gave Smith a chance to excel, not only as masterful timekeeper but inventive drum soloist. His meaty contributions provided provocative transitions between statements from the tenor sax, trombone, vibes and bass. The pensive ballad “Make Believe” was an opportunity for all to create and build on the tune’s lush harmonies. A moody, searDave Holland Quintet [Courtesy Photo]ching Eubanks solo led naturally to Potter’s insinuating soprano sax, which deftly wound its way between Nelson’s ringing vibes and Holland’s stately bass lines. 

 

Eubanks’ composition “Metamorphose” featured the trombonist, but not until Holland and Smith had established a funky foundation. As an encore, the band dedicated “Easy Does It” to the people of New Orleans. Usually a post-modernist in approach, Potter seemed to pay homage to the great Crescent City soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet. Holland anchored the entire affair from the bass, frequently signaling his approval with a beaming smile. The crowd responded with frantic, delightful ovations that let the band know they were among friends.

 

Having taken the ferry from downtown San Francisco to the dock at Jack London Square in Oakland, it was a quick stroll from the club for the return trip, a wonderful way to finish the evening. My thanks go to Terri Hinte, who joined me for dinner and the show at Yoshi’s, even though she was preparing to embark on a five-day sojourn to NYC.   

 


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Concert Review

Saturday in the park with Santana & Winwood

 

By Grace Sankey-Berman

 

SIOUX CITY, Iowa—It was Saturday July 3. Eight of us packed into two cars and with great anticipation for a good time we headed to Sioux City to see Carlos Santana and Steve Winwood in concert. The line up looked great and the price was right—free!

 

The travelers at Penny's Diner in Missouri Valley, Iowa [Photo by Elizabeth Nelson]On our way we stopped for breakfast at the busy and friendly Penny’s Diner in Missouri Valley, Iowa. I enjoyed the décor. The pictures on the wall were of old Hollywood and old magazine advertisements. They also had photos of celebrities who had dined there, one of whom was Ziggy Marley. We even ventured into the town’s visitors center for some fresh cherry juice.

 

This was the 20th anniversary of the Saturday in the Park Music Festival at Grandview Park. In 1991, Dave Bernstein, Adam Feiges and Tom Grueskin co-founded the festival with the goal of just getting a headliner. It was so successful that 5,000 people showed up and had a riot. They never looked back. Over the years the festival grew, headlining acts like the Neville An audience of some 30,000 attended the festival in the park. [Photo by Elizabeth Nelson]Brothers, and B.B. King among others. This year was no exception with Santana—the main act in 1994—returning for an encore performance in front of an estimated crowd of 25,000-30,000.

 

The demographic ranged from babies to boomers, hipster to seniors and everything in between, all in seeming harmony. We sat next to some young men with the best-behaved puppy I’ve ever seen, a 3½-month-old alpha bulldog. For hours, despite the hot and humid temperatures, he lay quietly under a chair, occasionally looking around to see what the excitement was about, taking a drink of water and going back to sleep.

 

Steve Winwood [Photo by Al J. Laikaitis]The festival had the usual variety of food, from Mexican to Greek, BBQ, funnel cakes, turkey drumsticks, pizza and of course the beer garden, of which we gladly partook before settling down to enjoy the music.

 

The festival opened at 12:05 p.m. with punk rocker Ron Emory, followed by South Dakota’s Native American blues rockers Indigenous, and Cajun fiddler Amanda Shaw. Then came an impressive California band called Fitz & the Tantrums. They were dressed in black and white like the Blues Brothers. This band had a combustible old-sounding style, with Motown influence. Yet it was refreshingly new, a sound that was hard to ignore. It was especially unique because the band did not have any guitars and I did not miss it.

 

Next up was Michael Franti & Spearhead. Franti was very interactive with the Grace Sankey-Berman rocking out to the sounds of Santana. [Photo by Al J. Laikaitis]audience, running into the crowd barefoot—he has been shoeless for 10 years!—in a very hilly landscape while singing. He is obviously in very good shape from years of practicing yoga. His top 40 pop hit “Say Hey” got the crowd singing a long, clapping and dancing.

 

By this time, the excitement was building in anticipation of Steve Winwood, so we moved closer to the stage. I was in line for water as Winwood took the stage, and I heard his voice blaring from speakers, singing his hit “Gimme Some Lovin'.” I got my water as soon as I could and headed back to the spot my girlfriends Ruthann Nahorny and Elizabeth Nelson were holding for me. The fans were whistling and yelling, “Steve, we love you.” Winwood looked good and sounded even better.

 

He did not disappoint. The five-piece band went right to work playing song after song, Winwood alternating between organ and guitar. Their sound was clean and tight. He did not say much; it was all about the music.

 

Carlos Santana [Photo by Elizabeth Nelson]I gave up my spot near the stage because I could no longer stand the cloud of smoke that kept coming. It gave me a chance to hydrate and get ready for the main act—Carlos Santana!

 

Santana’s band was 10 men strong, with two horn players, two sets of congas and a powerful, master drummer who played relentlessly—with a sound so deep and hypnotic it took my breath away—two more on guitar and two on vocals. Santana did what he does best, seducing the crowd with his distinctive guitar sound. From “Black Magic Woman” to “Samba Pa Ti,” he kept the crowd on their feet.

 

Santana and the band [Photo by Al J. Laikaitis]"This is what we tried to do at Woodstock!” Santana said. Towards the end he sat down to play some slow tunes, seamlessly transitioning from his Latin rhythms to a more contemplative and jazzy style. The Grammy-winning legend also chimed in on the socio-political issues of the day, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to legalization of marijuana, Fox News and the new immigration law in Arizona. But most important, he took the audience on an unforgettable musical journey that spanned most of his career and left us wanting more.

 

The festival ended with a big bang of fireworks….how appropriate.

 


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Concert Review

Jerry Hahn returns to Lincoln with great guitar

 

By Tom Ineck

 

LINCOLN, Neb.—More than five years ago, Butch Berman brought guitarist Jerry Hahn here because he loved the rare, legendary and self-titled 1970 Jerry Hahn [Photo by Tom Ineck]recording by the Jerry Hahn Brotherhood, a brilliant mix of jazz, r&b and rock influences that still defies categorization.

 

What we heard during Hahn’s February 2005 stay in Lincoln was a highly refined jazz guitar style that eschewed the fuzz tone and rock riffs of those earlier days. As witnessed during a June 29 performance with his Kansas City-based quartet at the final Jazz in June concert of the year, Hahn continues to develop that style in ways that continue to make him unique—and underappreciated.

 

He still knows his way around blues changes, but Hahn seldom relies on conventional variations, as he proved on the opener, his original composition “12 Bars with Entertainment.” He is a master string-bender who often uses the Pianist Joe Cartwright and bassist Tyrone Clarke [Photo by Tom Ineck]technique to make humorous statements, a mood utterly lacking in most blues guitarists. After taking the first solo, he allowed everyone in the band a chance to express himself, from Joe Cartwright on piano to a bowed bass solo by Tyrone Clarke (with Hahn comping like Freddie Green) to an intense drum solo by Mike Warren.

 

An admirer of the gospel music tradition—a recent Hahn CD is called “Jazz Hymns”—the guitarist launched into a waltz rendition of “That Old Rugged Cross,” with equal parts respectful homage and intriguing reharmonization. Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way” received a sensitive treatment by The Jerry Hahn Group (clockwise, from bottom) Joe Cartwright, Mike Warren, Tyrone Clarke and Jerry Hahn [Photo by Tom Ineck]all, with an especially engaging solo by Cartwright, who traded passages of the familiar melody with Hahn. The beautiful ballad “Each and Every Day” again proved Hahn’s ability as a composer, whether it’s the blues, uptempo bop or romantic song-craft.

 

Likewise, Hahn’s “Spiffy” was a funky r&b tune that provided ample solo opportunities for Cartwright, Clarke, and Warren. Closing the first set was the blues shuffle “Down to the Wire,” a spirited affair that left the audience of 5,000 hungry for more.

 

Hahn displayed his full imaginative prowess on his arrangement of the standard “My Romance,” turning the ballad every way but loose, shifting Jerry Hahn [Photo by Tom Ineck]uptempo and delivering a cliché-free guitar solo. The guitarist dug into Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin’” with gusto, urging his comrades to follow suit. The quartet returned to the hymnal for a bluesy “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

 

“Cool Blues,” a Miles Davis favorite, featured a wonderful piano solo by Cartwright and an imaginative arco bass solo that humorously quoted from Joe Zawinul’s “Birdland.” Hahn closed the concert with two selections from his great 1995 release “Time Changes.” Up first was his self-penned theme song, a whimsical but devilishly difficult workout called “The Method.” The audience insisted on an encore and Hahn delivered with “Stolen Moments,” the Oliver Nelson standard that elegantly combines a swing motif and the blues. The guitar work on this closer was, indeed, an elegant display of chording technique.

 

Jerry Hahn demonstrates technique at workshop. [Photo by Tom Ineck]As on his 2005 visit, Hahn arrived in town a day earlier to conduct a guitar workshop for Dietze Music House. About two dozen followers, including many fathers with aspiring guitarist sons in tow, attended the 90-minute session at the east Lincoln location. In his usual good-natured way, Hahn deftly kept everyone’s attention with a combination of instruction, demonstration and informal question-and-answer.

 

Using a loop system to layer a lead guitar line over the rhythm chords, he essayed several tunes, including “Take the A Train,” “How High the Moon” and “The Shadow of Your Smile.”  

 


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Concert Review

New-Trad Octet mixes a musical gumbo

 

By Tom Ineck

 

LINCOLN, Neb.—As if custom-ordered to create the right ambiance for the Crescent City sounds of Jeff Newell’s New-Trad Octet, the temperature for the band’s June 22 performance hovered near 90 and the saturated air hung heavy with humidity. Welcome to Nebraska’s version of a New Orleans summer’s eve!

 

Jeff Newell's New-Trad Octet at the 2010 Jazz in June. [Photo by Tom Ineck]The oppressive heat and threatening weather kept some people home, but 4,500 made the effort and were amply rewarded with the best concert of the weekly 2010 Jazz in June series, with just one Tuesday to go.

 

In the course of its ambitious, multi-cultural repertoire, the eight-piece ensemble summoned musical traditions from yesterday and today and from near and far. The resulting gumbo challenged some listeners’ preconceptions and helped students of music to make the connections, all while instilling a sense of fun.

 

The band began at a slow-drag tempo with “St. Louis Blues,” the classic tune in which W.C. Handy himself combined musical traditions and rhythmic influences. It accelerated to a New Orleans street-marching beat featuring a Trumpeter Victor Garcia and Newell [Photo by Tom Ineck]trumpet solo by Victor Garcia, at 27 the youngest member of the octet. Tuba player Mike Hogg provided provocative counterpoint to Ryan Shultz’s bass trumpet solo, and Steve Million managed to “funkafize” the whole thing with some soulful keyboard licks as the front line accompanied with assorted percussion.

 

Newell paid homage to an early influence with his composition “Boots: To the Man Who Ruined My Life,” on which he managed to capture Randolph’s trademark sound on alto sax—an infectious mix of catchy melody and country twang. Guitarist Neal Alger added to the effect with his solo. Sousa entered the picture with Newell’s brilliant arrangement of “The Manhattan Beach March,” complete with a Haitian beat, horns blaring like a traffic jam and a cooking rhythm section.

 

Among Newell’s many musical interests is a fascination with traditional American hymns. Again mixing traditions, he gave “There’s Power in the Blood” a backbeat that drew soulful solos from Million on organ and piano and from Alger on guitar. The leader then joined drummer Rick Vitek for a duo interlude before taking an inspired alto solo that squalled and honked with r&b fervor, as though preaching the gospel from a jazz pulpit. Million’s “Crazy Five Jive” was a complex tune in 5/4 time that had the composer soloing B-3 style, followed by a roaring bass trumpet solo and a section in which the brass riffed madly over Vitek’s powerful percussion work.

 

Members of the New-Trad Octet wend their way through the audience. [Photo by Tom Ineck]The tune morphed into a New Orleans-style funk before gradually deconstructing with brassy abandon and reemerging as Bobby Watson’s lively “Heckle and Jeckle.” It was a perfect vehicle for Newell’s lithe and supple alto sax playing as he soloed against tuba and rhythm. Garcia took an exciting solo, demonstrating a bright tone and powerful lungs. Throughout the evening, electric bassist Tim Fox and Hogg on tuba defied their instruments’ traditional roles, with one playing rhythmically and the other more melodically. Here Fox got his opportunity to solo, while Hogg provided counterpoint. The set ended with “I Like It Like That,” a tune from The Dirty Dozen Brass Band songbook that featured great ensemble playing with a calypso beat and a tuba solo. In the street-marching tradition, several Drummer Rick Vitek drives the New-Trad Octet. [Photo by Tom Ineck]members of the band wound their way through the audience, but no second-liners accepted the invitation to join them.

 

The New-Trad Octet’s connection to New Orleans was even more evident in their performance of “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue,” made famous by Louis Armstrong. Of course, Newell’s version contained a pronounced backbeat and added a distinctive rumba rhythm. As though possessed with the spirit of Satchmo, Garcia’s solo leaped several octaves to reach the high notes and snarled with confidence before returning to the theme.

 

On Sousa’s “Washington Post March,” organ, guitar and bass created a funky undercurrent for another unconventional arrangement. Newell’s “St. Gabriel Parish,” a tribute to those who did not survive Hurricane Katrina, had an appropriately mournful tone. The most formal arrangement of the evening came on “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?” Alto sax, bass trumpet and electric bass provided the solemn introduction, followed by New-Trad Octet [Photo by Tom Ineck]Garcia’s more optimistic trumpet. The whole band returned on the theme with obvious respect for the city and the musical traditions to which they owe so much.

 

For an encore, the band served up a crowd-pleasing “Amazing Grace,” done funky, New Orleans style and featuring a rocking John Scofield-inspired guitar solo by Alger, and a bop-inspired alto solo by Newell. Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” was dedicated to former University of Nebraska band leader Jack R. Snyder, a teacher from Newell’s early Nebraska days. It was a nice finishing touch from a native son to a beloved mentor.

 


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Concert Review

Hagenbach warms to enthusiastic audience

 

By Tom Ineck

 

LINCOLN, Neb.—It was sunny and mild on the evening of June 15, ideal weather for Angela Hagenbach and her sextet as they took the stage for the third weekly concert at Jazz in June. The audience of several thousand responded with enthusiasm to a performance emphasizing the singer’s considerable range and her penchant for Latin rhythms.

 

The two-hour concert also drew heavily from Hagenbach’s current release, a tribute to the tunes of Johnny Mandel, Michel Legrand and Henry Mancini Angela Hagenbach Sextet plays to large Jazz in June crowd. [Photo by Tom Ineck]called “The Way They Make Me Feel.” Her debut on Resonance Records, it is likely to garner more well-deserved attention nationwide than any of her previous indie releases.

 

Hagenbach was backed by her longtime rhythm section, consisting of Roger Wilder on piano, Steve Rigazzi on bass and Doug Auwarter on drums. Guitarist Danny Embrey is always a tasteful addition, especially as a singer’s accompanist, having worked with Karrin Allyson for many years. But it was tenor saxophonist Matt Otto who provided most of the surprises. A recent migrant from the West Coast to Kansas City, he demonstrated admirable technique, a sumptuously breathy and romantic tone, and a rare sense of restraint.

 

Although the opener, “It Had Better Be Tonight,” is a Mancini composition, it does not appear on the new CD. Hagenbach recorded it for a 2001 release Angela Hagenbach, drummer Doug Auwarter and saxophonist Matt Otto [Photo by Tom Ineck]called “Weaver of Dreams.” It still sounded fresh in the hands of the versatile singer and her Kansas City cohorts. Likewise, Legrand’s “Watch What Happens” is from a previous recording, 2004’s “Poetry of Love.” Embrey took his first turn in the spotlight with a beautiful lilting solo.

 

The band went uptempo with Legrand’s “Old Lovers,” allowing Otto his first solo and setting up a duo teaming Hagenbach and Otto in unison. From the new release came Mandel’s lively Brazilian romp “Cinnamon and Clove,” a great vehicle for Wilder’s contrapuntal lines and Embrey’s imaginative guitar solo. Taken as a mid-tempo swinger, “Pennies From Heaven” featured an Otto solo reminiscent of Stan Getz.

 

Rigazzi switched to electric bass for a funky rendition of Gershwin’s “Summertime” that had everyone trading four-bar breaks with Hagenbach’s r&b-influenced vocals. The singer demonstrated her lithe scatting technique on a fast-paced “You Do Something to Me,” also from her CD “Weaver of Dreams.”

 

The second half opened with a spirited version of “Bye Bye Country Boy,” a tribute to the composer, the late singer Blossom Dearie. Returning to the new CD and the rhythms of Brazil, Hagenbach launched into a smooth bossa nova arrangement of Mandel’s Angela Hagenbach and group at Jazz in June [Photo by Tom Ineck]“Quietly There,” which again featured a wonderful tenor solo by Otto. She reached back to 1994 for her take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein tune “The Sweetest Sounds,” which appeared on her CD “Come Fly with Me.”

 

Chick Corea’s “You’re Everything” was an interesting choice. Dedicated to the Jazz in June audience, it was the perfect setting for Hagenbach’s sultry lower range and Wilder’s skillful improvisations on the Yamaha baby grand, an electric model that is, no doubt, easier to keep in tune at an outdoor concert than its acoustic counterpart.

 

The Kern standard “Yesterdays” provided another chance for Hagenbach and Otto to join in a duet. The singer returned to the “Poetry of Love” CD for the standard “Never Let Me Go.” Recorded in 2004 with saxophonist Jimmy Heath, it proved a good fit for Otto’s tenor. Hagenbach finished with a return to Brazil for Jobim’s classic “Agua de Beber,” also from her debut release “Come Fly with Me.” The rhythmic tour de force was a workout for the whole band and provided Otto with another opportunity to shine.

 


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Concert Review

Otro Mundo stylistically sprinkled and spliced

Otro Mundo [Photo by Chi Kalu]
San Diego-based Otro Mundo performs June 8 at Jazz in June.

 

By Jesse Starita

 

LINCOLN, Neb.—Under the yawning light of a June 8 evening, Otro Mundo sprinkled and spliced. A pinch of rumba, a dash of samba, a drop of mambo, blended to form a pureed aural

 

tour of 20th century Latin music. Occupying Sheldon’s stage for the second Jazz in June outing, the San Diego quintet played seamlessly, so much so that there was often little distinction between deft execution and insipid interplay. After an erratic Otro Mundo at Jazz in June [Photo by Chi Kalu]opening Tuesday—massive thunderstorms forced the Darryl White Quintet indoors— Otro Mundo did at least lend week two a calming predictability. 

 

The proceedings began appropriately with Miles Davis’ “New Rhumba.” A formula was rapidly established. Bassist Kevin Freeby, guitarist Dusty Brough and percussionist Steve Haney—Otro Mundo’s founding members—anchored the rhythm. Drummer Julian Cantell and flutist Rebecca Kleinmann added texture. The quintet navigated through an expansive opening set, including “Pica Pica,” a traditional Venezuelan waltz, and “Para Sempre,” from contemporary mandolinist Hamilton de Holanda. Regrettably, they rarely interrupted their own listless improvisations to cajole and banter with the audience, a move which would have added desperately needed personality to their efforts. Kleinmann, Bassist Kevin Freeby [Photo by Chi Kalu]the only chair- and sunglass-free member, stood over the hunched bunch, vigorously blowing her flute—perhaps hoping to enliven the band as much as the audience.

 

Yet, on rare occasions, they sensibly abandoned this generic template. Bassist Freeby slapped, popped and pounded life into Chick Corea’s “Armando’s Rhumba.” A bead of sweat patiently rolled down his forehead, a refreshing sign that Otro Mundo was, in fact, of this world. And for her part Kleinmann used her flute persuasively, the humid air delicately absorbing her warm solos. Haney and Cantell drummed up sprightly exchanges, ending the first set with a well-measured and slow- fading percussive dialogue. Their self-imposed sedation had vanished, at least temporarily.

 

Set two began with a perfunctory rendition of Paco de Lucia’s “Entre dos Aguas.” Next up: “Kayla,” an out-of-left-field Middle Eastern number that eagerly butted heads with the Latin heavy set. Brough tilted up his nylon-stringed acoustic guitar, playing it almost as Percussionist Steve Haney [Photo by Chi Kalu]a bass. Cantell’s drum set became tighter, adopting a march-like cadence. And the flute, a perennial favorite in Middle Eastern music, fit naturally, like the missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle that had just been discovered.

 

Otro Mundo are a work in progress. The agenda tab on their website (www.otromundomusic.com) lists a February CD release party and Jazz in June as their only publicized engagements. A deficit of cohesiveness and charisma is understandable when you only play together once every three months. More crowds, more exposure and more experimentation would deliver their biggest need—an element of passion that collides with their impeccable technique.

 

A crimson sun descended just after 9 p.m. Otro Mundo took off their sunglasses. Freeby unfurled the opening lines of The Buena Vista Social Club’s “Chan Chan.” One of the band members appealed for audience hand claps. A response pinged and echoed through the verdant shrubs. And as the light faded, Otro Mundo finally emitted a glow.

 


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Concert Review

Darryl White Group rewards a soggy audience

 

By Tom Ineck

 

LINCOLN, Neb.—The Jazz in June concert series began its 2010 season with a washout, as severe thunderstorms kept thousands of fans at home on June 1 and sent about 300 scurrying for the relative comfort of the Sheldon Museum of Art auditorium to hear the Darryl White Group.

 

Darryl White Group entertains exclusive audience at Sheldon Museum of Art. [Photo by Tom Ineck]The lucky few who braved the elements were rewarded with a stunning performance of originals and standards over two long sets. Trumpeter White and most of his cohorts are well known to Jazz in June regulars, having played there just two years ago. Among the usual suspects were pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Craig Akins, drummer Brandon Draper and conguero Michael Pujado, who arrived in time for the second set only.

 

The single unfamiliar face was that of saxophonist Dick Oatts, who is best known for his work with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mel Lewis Jazz Jeff Jenkins, Darryl White and Dick Oatts [Photo by Tom Ineck]Orchestra and the fusion group Flim & the BB’s. Equally adept on alto and soprano saxophones, he repeatedly illustrated his superb technique and penchant for weaving intricate variations on a theme. Just a few minutes into the opener, his tribute to Joe Henderson called “Owe Joe,” he was confidently trading convoluted lines with Draper, an adventurous, all-around percussionist who always welcomes a good challenge.

 

On “Ancient Memories,” the title track of his debut CD of a decade ago, White displayed his trademark warm tone on flugelhorn, making fluid octave leaps before passing it off to Oatts for an alto solo with sensitive accompaniment by Jenkins, Akins and Draper, who kept time on tambourine. The title track from Freddie Hubbard’s 1978 release “Super Blue” had White pairing off with Oatts on soprano. Each took a confident solo, with White reaching high, sustained notes in the manner of the composer.

 

Dick Oatts on soprano and Brandon Draper on drums [Photo by Tom Ineck]Oatts introduced the next piece as a tune based on the standard “What’s New.” He hinted at the original melody during his solo introduction on alto sax, and then fully engaged the changes with White joining him on flugelhorn, followed by a lyrical bass solo. Flugelhorn and piano joined company for a beautiful balladic opening to “Amazing Grace,” which soon went uptempo with White switching to trumpet and Oatts on alto sax. Oatts’ solo was inspired, deftly voicing unusual harmonic variations on this well-worn tune.

 

By request, White opened the second half of the concert with an unusual choice, “O Magnum Mysterium,” a choral piece by modern classical composer Morten Lauridsen. With trumpet and piano only, the melody had a haunting, elegiac quality that was warmly received, despite its questionable inclusion in Craig Akins, Dick Oatts, Brandon Draper and Michael Pujado [Photo by Tom Ineck]a jazz set list. More suited for the occasion was Kenny Garrett’s “2 Step,” which included a wonderful, searching piano solo, followed by Oatts with a keening statement on alto sax. Pujado added considerable rhythmic heat on congas. From the bop songbook came Hank Mobley’s bluesy “This I Dig of You,” beginning with a piano-bass vamp leading to a statement of the melody on flugelhorn and alto sax. The swinging uptempo nature of the piece inspired outstanding solos by both White and Oatts.

 

Draper bore down on the New Orleans street beat for a rousing rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” At one point, the rhythm section dropped out for some polyphonic playtime on trumpet, alto sax and piano. A standing ovation brought the band back for another Oatts composition, “King Henry.” White allowed the composer to front the band for a couple of minutes, returning for a trumpet solo, followed by Oatts quoting from “If I Only Had a Brain.” Draper and Pujado also had ample space to mix it up, raising the excitement level and sending everyone home a little dampened by the rain, but certainly not dejected.   

 


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Concert Review

Marilyn Maye scores success with avid fans

 

By Tom Ineck

 

LINCOLN, Neb.—In the first attempt to sell its concert series directly to the Lincoln market, the Brownville Concert Hall scored an artistic success May 13 by presenting veteran cabaret singer Marilyn Maye and her sterling trio at the lush, downtown Rococo Theatre.

 

Marilyn Maye and her trio at the Rococo [Photo by Tom Ineck]Series organizers are celebrating the 20th year of bringing world-class music to the tiny Missouri River village—Nebraska’s oldest town—and they hope the ambitious outreach effort will encourage music lovers in the state’s two largest urban areas to make future trips to Brownville. With that in mind, they are staging several concerts in Lincoln and Omaha this year, in addition to the regular season at their home venue, a beautifully restored church with excellent acoustics.

 

I hadn’t seen Maye perform for many years and feared that her considerable vocal technique, vivacity and magnetic stage presence might have declined with age. I needn’t have worried. At 82, she proved herself a show-biz trouper of the old school, running through dozens of tunes from the Great American Songbook without dropping a lyric, telling humorous stories and even demonstrating a couple of high kicks during her performance.

 

Her accompanists were equally adept at shifting gears from ballads to jazzy swingers. New York-based pianist Tedd Firth also served Bassist Gerald Spaits and Maye [Photo by Tom Ineck]as music director and arranger. As always, Kansas City bassist Gerald Spaits provided solid grounding and a sure sense of harmony. Drummer Jim Eklof, who has been a Maye sideman for nearly 50 years, delivers clockwork time-keeping and a flair for dramatic punctuation.

 

Maye is a master at thematic development in the context of a single performance. From a rainbow-themed medley that included “Look to the Rainbow,” “Over the Rainbow” and “The Rainbow Connection,” she delved into the blues with “I Love Being Here with You” Then she was off on an astounding round of Cole Porter masterpieces—“I Concentrate on You,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “It’s Allright with Me,” “It’s Just One of Those Things,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and “All of You”—all delivered with emotional conviction and jazzy self-assurance.

 

But it was Johnny Mercer’s lyrical genius that received the most attention, as Maye paid homage with “Day In, Day Out,” “Too Marvelous for Words,” “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “I’m Old-Fashioned,” “Clear Out of This World,” “That Old Black Magic,” and “The Summer Wind.” She cleverly ended the first set with the obscure “Drinkin’ Again” and the more familiar “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” introducing the tunes with references to the lyricist’s penchant for alcohol and her own experience with over-imbibing former husbands.

 

But Maye had just begun. In the second half of the show, she picked up the Mercer thread with the heartbreakers “Blues in the Night,” “Guess Who I Saw Today,” and “I Won’t Be Around to Pick Up the Pieces,” highlighted by a Maye pays tribute to Mercer [Photo by Tom Ineck]Spaits bass solo. Firth got a solo spotlight during a swinging arrangement of “Come Rain or Come Shine.”

 

The Mercer love-fest continued with film favorites “Moon River,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening,” “Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” and “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive.” Ever the romantic, Maye led to a strong finish with “I Remember You,” “I Thought About You,” “Dream,” “Time to Hit the Road to Dreamland,” and “Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home.” On “It’s Today,” a great closer from the musical “Mame,” Mercer’s lyrics are typically clever, but profound, a plea to live in the moment:

 

“It’s a time for making merry,
And so I’m for making hay.
Tune the grand up,
Call the cops out,
Strike the band up,
Pull the stops out,
Hallelujah!
It’s today!”

 

An undeniable artistic success, the concert drew only a small crowd of about 75 avid Maye fans, many of whom were in her approximate age demographic, not a hopeful sign for building a future audience in Brownville. We at the Berman Music Foundation have long been aware of this underappreciated gem 90 minutes southeast of Lincoln, and recently awarded the concert series a $1,000 grant. In the hope that others will take the hint and make the trip to Brownville, we will continue to inform our readers with concert previews and reviews.

 


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Concert Review

NJO and Bob Krueger pay tribute to Basie

 

By Tom Ineck

 

LINCOLN, Neb.—There were horns a-plenty April 13 when the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra paid tribute to the riffing swing music of Count Basie, aided in part by NJO trumpeter Bob Krueger and one of his trumpeter sons, Tommy.

 

Tommy Krueger (right) takes a solo. [Photo by Tom Ineck]The program began with a Ben Webster-Lester Young-style tenor saxophone duel on Neal Hefti’s “Whirlybird,” with Cully Joyce and Paul Haar taking the roles of Webster and Young. NJO composer Mark Benson contributed “Ides of March,” a lushly romantic ballad featuring saxophones, two bass clarinets and two flutes in unison. They returned to the Hefti songbook for a very slow version of “Lil’ Darlin’,” with Brad Obbink soloing on muted trumpet.

 

Tommy Krueger, named the NJO’s young jazz artist of the year, took the stage for Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay,” arranged by Dave Sharp. Krueger showed great control and warmth on the flugelhorn and was ably assisted by Andy Hall on electric bass, Cully Joyce on tenor sax and Bob Krueger on flugelhorn and Scott Vicroy on baritione sax [Photo by Tom Ineck]Peter Bouffard on guitar. The focus remained on trumpet players with “Thad Had,” a John LaBarbera tribute to Thad Jones on which Krueger briskly articulated the jazz-waltz time and the complex melody line.

 

Frank Foster’s “Blues in D Flat,” also known as “Blues in Hoss Flat” or “Blues in Frankie’s Flat,” was shared by Bob Krueger on plunger-muted trumpet, Paul Haar on tenor sax and Todd Thatcher on trombone, with the rest of the brass swinging soft to loud, Basie-style. Thad Jones’ own “Three and One” featured the trio of Krueger on flugelhorn, Scott Vicroy on baritone sax and Andy Hall on bass. Krueger switched to trumpet, first with Harmon mute then open horn and finally back to the mute, for the Sammy Nestico favorite “How Sweet It Is.” Long an essential element of the NJO sound, Krueger’s playing was typically fluent and swift, doubling the tempo with ease.

 

Guitarist Peter Bouffard with father Bob Krueger and son, Tommy [Photo by Tom Ineck]Ellington’s “Concerto for Cootie” again showcased Krueger’s plunger-muted trumpet, this time in the classic growling style of the song’s namesake, Cootie Williams. The lilting jazz waltz “Get Up” is the composition of yet another trumpeting Krueger son, Paul, written while he was still a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In this arrangement for septet, it featured the elder Krueger on trumpet, Haar on tenor sax, Thatcher on trombone, Bouffard on guitar, Tom Harvill on piano, Hall on bass and Greg Ahl on drums.

 

Wayne Bergeron’s tribute to Maynard Ferguson, “Maynard and Waynard,” closed the concert as Krueger father and son locked in playful combat, trading tricky licks and high notes. To name the victor and risk opprobrium from either would be unwise for this reviewer. Suffice it to say that the future of the NJO is likely in good hands.

 


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