John Coltrane Blue Train John Coltrane (1926-67), nacido en Carolina del Norte (EEUU) ha sido el músico el más denodadamente exploratorio en la historia de jazz. Como otros músicos como Bobby Timmons de niño recibe la influencia de la música religiosa por parte e sus abuelos, sacerdotes metodistas. Sus primeros instrumentos fueron el clarinete y el saxofón, a los 13 años. Tras el obligado servicio militar, en 1946 se une a la Big Band de Dizzy Gillespie (donde tocó el saxo alto antes de cambiarlo por el tenor), tocando también como músico de apoyo de saxofonistas como Johnny Hodges, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson y Earl Bostic unos años. Entonces recibió la llamada de Miles Davis en 1955, que buscaba savia nueva para solventar una mala etapa. En dos años grabaron algunos de los discos más significativos del músico de Illinois, lo que favoreció el crecimiento de Coltrane, pero su fijación por las drogas le obligan a pasar una cura de desintoxicación en 1956, obligándole a abandonar el quinteto de Davis.

En 1957 trabajó con Thelonious Monk, cosechando las primeras críticas de la prensa de donde Ira Gitler acuñó la definición “Sheets of sounds” (Capas de sonido) en la revista “Downbeat”, las síncopas y patrones rítmicos tienen un papel secundario frente a torrentes de notas, escalas, arpegios y figuras, a veces en forma de ráfagas y otras en largos fraseos.

En 1958 regresa con Miles Davis, y se junta con músicos excepcionales como el saxo alto Cannonbal Adderley y el batería Philly Joe Jones. Un año más tarde integra el sexteto que compuso las grabaciones de “Milestones” y “Kind of Blue” de Miles Davis. En esa época graba sus dos discos más influyentes, “Blue Train” y “Giant Steps” . Después Coltrane forma su primer grupo con el pianista McCoy Tyner, el batería Elvin Jones, y el bajista Jimmy Garrison, convirtiéndose en una de las orquestas míticas de la historia de jazz. A partir de los 60 se abre al flamenco, a la música africana, india, y graba varios discos para el sello Impulse, hasta llegar a otra de sus grabaciones más populares “A Love Supreme”, radicalizando su estilo en “Ascensión”, en rotundo camino hacia el Free Jazz. En 1967 John Coltrane muere en Long Island (Nueva York) de una afección hepática.

faces
worn
telling stories
from people
that know the meaning
of pain
and knots of hunger
gurgling up from
empty stomachs
on baseless plains
featureless, flat
swelling, breathing
with that human power
to see inside
finding beauty in nothing
and love from indifference
I was once a child of ignorance
so that now my false wisdom inflates my ego
so that no one can hear me
so that in my intellectual prism
I am but
a prisoner
in the chains of spoken words

Epiphany
Tuesday, December 1
9pm
Faire Gallery Cafe Bar

ij5

synergyisnowepiphanysogetupondis&jammysistas&brothers
Life is a rehearsal 4 eternity
sogetupondis
callin all
onlysinginindashowermofo’s
ivory feelers
pubescent jazzophiles
babysmomas
lonely travelers
booty juice bassist
maniac membranophonist
horny horn blowers
2daultimate jam experience
(formerly known as synergy)
but since we all know each other
hot tub felatio
peep shows
plumbers cracks
dry humps
& holy sodomy
it’s time 4 :
Epiphany

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

- Nov. 16. (Mon.) Devon Wendell, Kevin Kelly and Tyler Kidd.    Blues on the loose, featuring iRoM’s own “Doc” Wendell playing electric and acoustic guitars and harmonica.  A chance to hear the reviewer in action.   The Viper Room.  (310) 652-7869.

- Nove. 16. (Mon.)  Elvis Schoenberg’s Orchestre Surreal.  Schoenberg’s large collective of L.A. studio players claims to perform music that “fuses classical, jazz, rock, hip hop, world music and just about anything else.”  Catalina Bar & Grill (323) 466-2210.

Charlie O

- Nov. 17. (Tues.)  Remembering  Charlie O.  The Bill Cunliffe Trio.  Charlie Ottaviano passed away a year ago.  But his widow Jo-Ann has made sure that the club that bears his name continues to be the Southland’s ultimate jazz bar and restaurant, presenting world-class music seven nights a week.  There will undoubtedly be a few tears and a lot of jamming taking place to celebrate his memory.  Charlie O’s. (818) 989-3110.

- Nov. `17. (Tues) Charlie Haden Family & Friends.  Rambling Boy.  Bassist Haden, one of the jazz world’s most versatile artists, recalls his early years in country and bluegrass music.  Family members, bluegrass players and Jack Black join the party.  Disney Hall.   (323) 850-2000.

- Nov. 19. (Thurs.)  John Altman.  Sixtieth Birthday Party. Alto saxophonist/composer/arranger and humorist Altman celebrates a milestone birthday. Charlie O’s.  (818) 989-3110.

Lainie Kazan

- Nov. 19. (Thurs.)  Thom Rotella Quartet.  Guitarist Rotella performs with the sterling backing of pianist John Beasley, bassist Kevin Brandon and drummer Roy McCurdy.  Crown Plaza Brasserie Jazz Lounge.  (310) 642-7500.

- Nov. 19 – 21. (Thurs. – Sat.)  Lainie Kazan.  The star of stage, screen, television and beyond is also a jazz-oriented, always engaging vocalist.  Catalina Bar & Grill (323) 466-2210.

- Nov. 20. (Fri.)  Graham Dechter Trio performs with guest star trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos.  Spazio. (818) 728-8400.

- Nov. 20 – 21. (Fri. & Sat.)  Joey DeFrancesco Trio.  The master of the B-3 keeps alive the tradition of big, blues-driven, irresistibly swinging jazz organ music. Steamers. (714) 871-8800.

- Nov. 21. (Sat.)  The Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley, Matmos and Michael Einziger.  “Eureka” The opening event in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s West Coast, Left Coast Festival features four artists whose skills were honed in the cultural environment of California.  The evening’s works are frequently interrlated, especially during a combined version of a piece titled “For Terry Riley,”  performed by the Kronos Quartet and the electronica of Matmos.  Walt Disney Concert Hall.  (323) 850-2000.

- Nov. 21. (Sat.)  Tommy Tune and the Manhattan Rhythm Kings: “Steps In Time” Dancer, choreographer and director Tune recalls some of the classic, high-stepping moments in Broadway musical history.  CSUN Performing Arts Center (818) 677-5768.

- Nov. 21. (Sat.)  Bernadette Peters. The Broadway musical star, who can command a stage with a sultry phrase and a playful twist of her hips, stars in the 15^th Anniversary Celebration of the Thousand Oaks Civic Plaza.   (805) 449-2700.

Hubert Laws

- Nov. 21. (Sat.)  Hubert Laws, Larry Koonse and Tierney Sutton. The Jazz Bakery continues its Moveable Feast series of concerts with a Holiday Celebration featuring veteran flutist Laws, versatile guitarist Koonse and jazz vocalist Sutton.    Fowler Museum.  UCLA.   (310) 271-9039

- Nov. 21. (Sat.)  Bob Sheppard.  Name the style you want to hear from a saxophonist, and Sheppard can deliver it in A-class style.  This time out, he’s doing things his own way, backed by the sturdy support of bassist Pat Senatore’s Trio.  Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400.

- Nov. 21. (Sat.)  Hans Groiner & Larry Goldings Quartet.  Here’s an intriguing two-fer.  Pianist and humorist Groiner, making his West Coast debut is allegedly a “Thelonious Monk scholar.”   Goldings is a solid talent, one of the Southland’s most imaginative keyboardists.  The Red Carpet Jazz Series.  Upstairs at Vitellos.  (818) 769-0905.

- Nov. 22. (Sun.) Suezenne Fordham Chamber Jazz LA. Fordham’s expands upon the lineage of avant-garde jazz reaching back to the ‘60s.  South Pasadena Music Center and Conservatory.  http://www.southpasadenamusic.com (626) 403-2300

San Francisco

- Nov. 18. (Tues.)  Fred Hersch.  Solo piano.  Gersh is always a pleasure to hear, but never more so than when he plays alone.  Hopefully he’ll include some selections from his recent album of music by Antonio Carlos Jobim.  Yoshi’s Oakland.  )510) 238-9200.

- Nov. 20 – 22. (Fri. – Sun.)  Wallace Roney Quintet.  Trumpeter Roney’s playing style flows from the Miles Davis wellspring, but what he does with it is uniquely his own.  Yoshi’s Oakland.  (510) 238-9200.

Savion glover

- Nov. 20 – 22.  (Fri. – Sun.)  Patti Austin.  Who will show up this week?  The Jazz Patti, the Blues Patti, the Soul Patti.  Doesn’t matter.  All of Austin’s musical manifestations are great.  With any luck she’ll include something from all her sources.  Yoshi’s  San Francisco.  (415) 655-5600.

New York

- Nov. 17 – 22. (Mon. – Sun.)  Savion Glover.  “Jamming with the Masters” The brilliant tap artist performs with special guests McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Eddie Palmieri, Jack DeJohnette and others TBA.  Check with club for schedules.  The Blue Note. (212) 475-8592.

- Nov. 17 – 22.  George Wein & the Newport All-Stars.  At 84, Wein – a swinging pianist as well as jazz’s most successful impresario – still loves to get up on the stage and do it himself.  He performs with the true all-star backing of saxophonist Lew Tabackin, trumpeter Randy Sandke, guitarist Howard Alden, drummer Winard Harper and others.  Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.  (212) 258-9595.

. – Nov. 21. (Sat.)  Mariza and Friends.  The Portuguese diva and her passionate fado interpretations are joined, in a diverse program, by Peru’s Eva Ayllon and Cuban jazz pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba.  Carnegie Hall.  http://www.carnegiehall.org/SiteCode/Intro.aspx

- Nov. 22. (Sun.)  Jean-Michel Pilc Quartet. French pianist is one of the most adventurous members of the new generation of players taking their music beyond the powerful influence of Bill Evans. 55 Bar (212) 929-9883.

All Soul!

The absence of a piano left a lot of room for Sonny to play, and his improvisations grew more complex because of it.  Although one never knows how artistic decisions are made by band leaders in these economically difficult times – maybe he doesn’t hear a piano or maybe he just can’t afford another cat on the gig.  In any case it has worked out well for sonny because his playing is full of imagination and complex manipulations of melody and harmony, all invented at the speed of thought.   Sonny is in good voice tonight in terms of the lyricism, pathos and bathos in his sound.   And he is one of the few great alto-saxophonists in the post Bird/cannonball/Stitt era who actually has his own sound – which is some sort of miracle considering what those past masters achieved on the instrument.

As I write he is anointing the audience with his interpretation of Duke Ellington’s moving tone poem ‘In a sentimental mood.”  His offering is greeted with love and laughter because this is a straight ahead jazz crowd and they know and observe the etiquette of the proper jazz audience.   They sighed in the right intervals, and applauded each instrumental offering vigorously. 

As I write he is anointing the audience with his interpretation of Duke Ellington’s moving tone poem ‘In a sentimental mood.”  His offering is greeted with love and laughter because this is a straight ahead jazz crowd and they know and observe the etiquette of the proper jazz audience.   They sighed in the right intervals, and applauded each instrumental offering vigorously. 

 Bottom Swing!

Walking The Bull Fiddle and Making it Swing

 As with all serious jazz ensembles virtuosity is demanded of every player; this is ensemble playing at its best, when unity is achieved in the midst of great diversity.  They are all improvising and creating complex musical statements.  For one thing it requires that the instrumentalists really listen to each other:  For they must play as one.  Bassist Steve Williams and Drummer Steve Johns created a seamless web of rhythm.  Williams is a complete bassist, and excellent accompanists and soloist, which is no picayune feat on that large and somewhat awkward instrument.  On “Kind Of Blue” Miles’ anthem to sophisticated city blues, Williams demonstrated how deep is the well from which his art is formed.

Real Jazz Lovers!

 Barbara and John

Sonny’s tender though passionate rendition of Sentimental mood was followed by an explosive rendition of John Coltrane’s mystic hard driving “Impressions.”  Although this composition is Usually the province of the heaver tenor sax sound, Sonny pulled it off admirably because he has a big sound on the alto and once played tenor with his Philly home boy McCoy Tyner, who had greatly influenced the sound of John Coltrane during the vintage quartet years. Although Sonny is a natural alto-player he adapted quickly, and beautifully, to the tenor and soprano saxophones.  In effect he was holding down the departed maestro’s chair.  This was a singular honor that would have been jumped on by any tenor player in the world who was not themselves a bandleader. 

 On this tune we got a chance to witness the virtuosity of the drummer and bassist.  The drummer is a swinging machine who has mastered the art of polyrhythmic playing.  He is an electrifying soloist with great dynamics and can radically change the mood and colors of the tunes by the way he swings.  And it don’t mean a think if it ain’t got that swing!

 Swingmeister!

 The Engine Of The Band

Sistas Is The Kind of Club Musicians Love!!

 Sonny Fortune, Playthell and Rene McClean

 Groovin High With Two Great Saxophonists

The ideal Jazz audience is one who is knowledgeable about the music, pays close attention to the performance, applauds at the proper time, and enthusiatically show their love at the end of the set.  This is an apt description of the audience at Sistas, located right in the heart of Bed Stuy, which is composed of jazz devotees who know their stuff, and are not shy about showing their love.  As I write my final lines Sonny is singing a romantic rendition of Autumn In New York.  And it was all good!

 Ms. Vernell Reflects the Joy of the Music!

In the Sunshine of her Beautiful Smile

******************

* Text and Photos by:

Playthell Benjamin

Harlem New York

November 15, 2009

By Michael Katz

McCoy Tyner, one of the last giants of the post-bop era, had the audience on its feet Thursday night in a stirring performance at Royce Hall, presented by UCLA Live.  Though not the dominating physical presence  he was before an illness several years ago,  Tyner, at 71, retains his driving, percussive approach to the piano, his left hand flying over the lower chords of the keyboard, his right still able to articulate delicate riffs. His quartet featured Gary Bartz on tenor and soprano sax, Gerald Cannon on bass and Eric Kamau Gravatt on drums.

Tyner opened with his composition “Fly With The Wind”, originally written for an ensemble with strings, but missing nothing with this rendition. He began with a flourish, presenting the opening line, yielding to Bartz on tenor for the first of many extended solos. Bartz, looking resplendent with his graying mane and a gold tie that matched his horn, has a clear, natural sound – one almost had to visually search for the mic cord to ascertain that he was being amplified at all.  Cannon, taking the baton next, displayed a resonant and robust style that stood up to Tyner’s still-thunderous piano.  The same could be said for Gravatt – his stick work was crisp, his solos enunciated with precise dynamics. The quartet as a whole seized attention from the start, grabbing the crowd by the lapels and not letting go.

Tyner spoke sparingly to the audience, introducing only the second number, Duke Ellington’s “In A Mellow Tone.”  Her took this bouncy Ellington standby and molded it to his own full-bodied style, churning out counter melodies while Bartz, playing soprano now on the small, curved version of the instrument, wended his way around the main theme.

Aside from his quartet work, Tyner has had a notable presence as both a big band leader and a pure soloist.  He demonstrated the latter when he took over the stage for a gorgeous version of  “I Should Care.” Starting with a lush, chordal presentation, he melted into the main theme, altering tones, visiting the upper registers of the instrument, filling the hall with its lyricism. Even if one was unaware of the title or lyrics, as I suspect much of the audience was, Tyner communicated the aching beauty of the song.

Throughout the length of the set — a full evening by Royce Hall standards, lasting until nearly 11 – the Tyner quartet played with a rollicking drive. Bartz was smoking on his riffs through two blues-based pieces, Cannon providing steady support on bass.  And the usual early departures missed a terrific finish, as Tyner recalled his groundbreaking work with John Coltrane’s 60’s quartets by striking the familiar opening of  “Moments Notice.”  Bartz, surging over the full force of the quartet, his tone fiery, drove the theme home, with closing solos by Cannon and Gravatt. The audience, clearly appreciative of the Coltrane inspiration, responded with a thunderous ovation.

The show opened with an hour long set by Build An Ark, a large choral and instrumental ensemble patterned after the Sun Ra Arkestra. Led by composer Carlos Nino and viola/violinist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, the group put on an engaging program of mostly original compositions, based on a theme of global peace and harmony, with various choral members and instrumental soloists shuttling on and off the stage. Vocalist Dwight Trible, whose firm, spiritual voice recalls Leon Thomas, helped anchor the choral pieces, and violinist John White and trombonist Phil Ranelin added expressive solos.

To read other reviews and posts by Michael Katz click here.

"  "Alfie" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

It was the theme from the 1966 film Alfie. It was performed in the film during the end credits by Cher in an arrangement by Sonny Bono.

In 1966, Cher released her version (also the original version of this song) as a single. Released on the Imperial label, this version became a top forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Also in 1966, Cilla Black released her version of "Alfie" as a single. It became a top ten hit on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number nine. It was also a minor hit for her on the Billboard Hot 100.

On the Billboard adult contemporary chart, two further versions competed in 1966. While Carmen McRae took her version to number 29 on that chart, the version by Joanie Sommers enjoyed greater success, peaking at number nine.

In 1967, Dionne Warwick released her cover version as a single. This version outperformed both Black’s and Cher’s in the United States, going all the way to number 15 on the Hot 100 and number five on the Billboard R&B chart.

In 1968, Stevie Wonder released a harmonica instrumental version. This version also made the Hot 100, peaking at number 66. It was also a top twenty adult contemporary hit. Wonder released the single for Gordy Records under the pseudonym Eivets Rednow  (Stevie Wonder).

Other artists to record versions of "Alfie" include several versions by Burt Bacharach himself, Vikki Carr, The Delfonics, Bill Evans, Percy Faith, Blossom Dearie, Maynard Ferguson, Stan Getz, Dick Hyman, Jack Jones, The Anita Kerr Singers, Johnny Mathis, Brad Mehldau, Matt Monro, Mina Mazzini, Olivia Newton-John, Elaine Paige, Buddy Rich, Joss Stone (for the 2004 remake of Alfie), Barbra Streisand, The Sweet Inspirations, McCoy Tyner, Patricia Barber, Midge Ure, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and Vanessa L. Williams.

In a deleted scene from the movie Austin Powers in Goldmember, they parody the song, replacing Alfie with Austin. The song is sung by most of the main characters. Michael Caine, who plays Austin Powers father, also played "Alfie" in the original movie. Scenes from the 1966 film Alfie can be seen in the background while he is singing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfie_(song) . "

In this video, Tom Hope is on piano and my friend,

Jazz singer, the FABULOUS Kimberly Gordon

singing one of my favorite Burt Bacharach 

and Hal David songs, check it out! Kimberly has a CD

with her Trio called Melancholy Serenade which has

a wonderful and PROFESSIONALLY recorded version

of "Alfie".

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

- Nov. 9. (Mon.)  Judy Wexler. Wexler’s briskly swinging vocal style finds a perfect match with the trio of organist Joe Bagg, guitarist Bruce Forman and drummer Devin Kelly.  Charlie O’s.   (818) 989-3110.

Steve Gadd & Friends

- Nov. 10. (Tues.)  Reginald Robinson.  The MacArthur Genius award winning pianist  performs solo ragtime pieces to accompany silent film clips of animation by cartoon pioneers Walter Lantz, Otto Messmer and Earl Hurd. The Hammer Museum.

- Nov. 10 – 12. (Tues. – Thurs.)  Steve Gadd and Friends. After bringing the authentic flavor of jazz to a long list of pop artists, drummer Gadd does his own thing. With Joey DeFrancesco, Ronnie Cuber and Paul Bollenback.   Catalina Bar & Grill (323) 466-2210.  (Also at Yoshi’s SanFran Nov. 13 – 15.  See Below)

- Nov. 11. (Wed.)  The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.  Nicholas McGegan conducts this superb period orchestra, six soloists and the Philharmonia Chorale in a rare evening devoted completely to the music of Henry Purcell.  Disney Hall.  (323) 850-2000.

- Nov. 12. (Thurs.)  McCoy Tyner.  Versatile, ever-intriguing Tyner has been one of the most powerful piano innovators of the past five decades.  He performs with his trio and alto saxophonist Gary Bartz.  The large improvisational ensemble, Build an Ark, opens the show.  UCLA Live at Royce Hall. (310) 825-4401.

Janis Mann

- Nov.12. (Thurs.)  Janis Mann.  Although she’s been compared to such iconic singers as Sarah Vaughan, Mann bring’s her own unique qualities to the classic jazz vocal style. Crown Plaza Brasserie Jazz Lounge. (310) 642-7500.  m

- Nov. 12. (Thurs.)  Pete Christlieb Tall and Small Band w. vocalist comedian Tony Russell.  Saxophonist for all seasons Christlieb leads a snappy 10-piece band with his wife, trombonist Linda Small-Christlieb.  This is the first event in which comedy is added to Vitellos’ Red Carpet Jazz Series.  More on the way.   Upstairs at Vitellos.  (818) 769-0905.

- Nov. 12. (Thurs.)  Denise Donatelli. A singer with the sound, the rhythm and the interpretive imagination to bring a song to life – that’s Donatelli.   Charlie O’s.  (818) 989-3110.

- Nov. 12 – 15. (Thurs. – Sun.)  Dawn Upshaw with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.. Upshaw sings Luciano Berio’s fascinating cycle of folk songs and Dudamel conducts Schubert’s Symphony #8 (Unfinished).  Disney Hall.   (323) 850-2000.

- Nov. 13. (Fri.)  “Loud and Rich. “  Loudon Wainwright and Richard Thompson. A pair of veteran songwriters, each with a witty, sometimes sardonic, way with a phrase, make a rare duo appearance.  UCLA Live at Royce Hall.  (310) 825-4401.

Frank Marocco

- Nove. 13. (Fri.)  Dr. Bobby Rodriguez. ” Latin Dance Party”.  Trumpeter and educator Rodriguez knows all the connections between the steaming rhythms of Latin jazz and Latin dance.  The Culver Club in the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Westside.  (310) 649-1776.

- Nov. 14. (Sat.)  Frank Marocco Quartet. Marocco keeps affirming the role of the accordion in jazz and beyond with his rich, inventive musical imagination.  He’s backed by Pat Senatore, bass, Robert Hardt, piano and Ramon Banda, drums.  Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400.

San Francisco

- Nov. 9. (Mon.)   Ian Anderson plays acoustic Jethro Tull. Anarchic flutist Anderson revisits his past.   The Warfield.

- Nov. 11.  (Wed.)  Leon Russell.  A rare club appearance by the great songwriter, pianist and character. Yoshi’s  San Francisco.   (415) 655-5600.

- Nov. 12. (Thurs.)  Ray Davies performing the Kinks Choral Collection. Forty years after, Davies is still producing memorable music.  The Warfield.

- Nov. 13. – 15. (Fri. – Sun.)  Steve Gadd and Friends.  W.. Joey DeFrancesco, Ronnie Cuber and Paul Bollenback.  Yoshi’s  San Francisco.  (415) 655-5600.

New York

- Nov. 9 – 12. (Mon. – Thurs.  Gal Costa and Romero Lubambo.  An irresistible combination: Costa’s dark-toned, intimate lyricism and Lubambo’s remarkably intuitive guitar backing.  The Blue Note.   (212) 475-8592.

Jim Hall

- Nov. 10 – 14. (Tues. – Sat.)  Jim Hall Quartet.  Veteran guitarist Hall, always eager to test his wares in a contemporary setting, performs with Greg Osby, alto sax, Steve Laspina, bass and Joey Baron, drums. Birdland.   (212) 581-3080.

- Nov. 11. (Wed.)  Kat Edmonson.  A stand-out in the crowded field of young female jazz vocalists, Edmonson has an ear caressing sound and an easygoing sense of rhythmic swing.  The Jazz Standard.   (212) 447-7733.

- Nov. 13 & 14. (Fri. & Sat.)  The Mike Melvoin Trio.   The veteran pianist is backed by the world class rhythm team of bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Bill Goodwin.  Mike promises that they “will play music for your blood, your heart and your spirit.”  Kitano.  (212) 885-7119.

• McCoy Tyner Trio: Thursday, Sep. 24 – Saturday, Sep. 26 @ l’Astral. Part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival Off-Season. Legendary pianist and surviving member of the John Coltrane Quartet. Ever heard of A Love Supreme? At $50 with service and tax, it’s quite a steep price to pay but it will be worth it!
• Mike Evin: Tuesday, Sep. 29 @ Divan Orange. It’s only $5 and if you RSVP on facebook you get a free copy of Good Watermelon at the door!
• Loudon Wainwright III: Thursday, Oct. 1 @ Ukrainian Federation. One of the headliners at this year’s Pop Montreal (Sep. 30 – Oct. 4). Tickets are $35. There’s a lot of other stuff to see and hear at the festival, check it out!
• Califone: Saturday, Oct. 17 @ Ukrainian Federation. All My Friends Are Funeral Singers featuring live soundtrack film performances showcasing the project’s feature length movie.
• Múm: Monday, Oct. 26 @ Le National. See previous post.

I got an opportunity to do a short photo shoot of jazz legend McCoy Tyner’s visit to KPLU, the NPR affiliate in Seattle. First of all, I was really thrilled because he still is a vibrant performer, though he is one of the last from the truly golden era of jazz. He is closely associated with John Coltrane, but stands more than firmly on his own. Just find a version of his “Search for Peace,” one of my all-time favorite songs (also see the bottom of a previous post Jazz and the Flip Mino HD Camera). It’ll move you, for sure.

Tyner is humble and easy going. I got a chance to speak to him for 5-10 minutes and it wasn’t nearly as terrifying as it could have been. I often get intimidated speaking to artists, as opposed to athletes, mostly because I’m afraid my very crowded memory will fail me. I tend to remember when a basketball player scored 40 points in a game a lot better than who played the bass on a certain recording with a certain artist.

McCoy Tyner waiting for his on-air session at KPLU.

Anyway, the mission of this blog is to talk about the intersection of things I do, mostly with photography. It’s difficult, however, to blog about McCoy Tyner without pointing out his greatest as an artist and person. He is a little camera weary (as opposed to shy). He told me that he gets his picture taken a lot and asked me very nicely not to go overboard.

Nikon D700, 200mm F2 lens, ISO 3200, 1/250th at f2, with diffused SB900.

The lighting in the performance studio at KPLU can be a little challenging. It can be difficult to get a good white-balance setting because there are “hot spots” in the lighting. I was under somewhat of a time crunch, so I got only one shot of Tyner at the piano. The color was terrible, so I made do — I took the color out and made it a black and white.

Nikon D3, 85mm f1.4 lens, ISO 1600, 1/125th at f1.4.

The shoot was limited, but McCoy Tyner’s personality shows in the tight shots, which makes me happy.

Today is ripoff day. A ripoff differentiates itself from a scam by not being downright illegal. The $25K grand prize for the International Songwriting Competition may or may not exist, the latter case which would vault it into the former category. The promoters of the competition claim that the judges include Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Loretta Lynn, Black Francis, McCoy Tyner and Toots Hibbert, but even if that’s true, and those luminaries voted en bloc, they’d still be outnumbered many times over by a crew of schlockmeisters from the soon-to-be-defunct major labels. Ultimately, contests like these boil down to a glorified lottery. What chance does a musician’s hard-earned $25 entry fee stand? A look at last year’s winners provides the answer – and the organizers’ decision to make this information public may turn out to be the marketing disaster that shuts them down for good.

The grand prize winner was a generic trip-hop song. The production is laughably obsolete – the drum machine shuffle was over by 1996, something you would expect judges ostensibly the caliber of Messrs. Waits, Hibbert et al. to be aware of. Perhaps far more telling is that the song’s writers, fortysomething pop singer Kate Miller-Heidke and her husband Keir Nuttall already had a gold album and a major label deal in Australia when they entered the contest. Is this contest simply a lower-budget version of the Grammies, a major label circle jerk with zero acknowledgment of what the listening public might prefer? In other words, considering its association with the major labels, is the deck stacked against artists who don’t fit the cookie-cutter corporate mold?

The song that won in the rock category, by Kristopher Roe of the Ataris was even worse, an even more cliched emo-pop song. “The only thing that matters is following your heart, and eventually you’ll get it right,” Roe strains, affecting an intensity of emotion that his band’s third-rate Good Charlotte imitation reaches for halfheartedly before giving up. “Being grown up isn’t half as fun as growing up,” Roe asserts, a tautology for the comfortable upper middleclass children he envisions as a customer base. In case you’re not familiar with the band, they achieved some recent notoriety by recording an earnest Green Day style cover of a Don Henley song. The ersatz emotion recurs with the second-place winner, Quebecois emo-pop band Tailor Made Fable’s A Case of Mistaken Identity. At least the third-place winner, Irish band Chrome Horse’s Reflections of a Madman shows  some passion, even if the verse is a blatant ripoff of the Ventures’ Egyptian Reggae.

A look through the rest of the winners didn’t turn up much of anything worthwhile either. The second-place winner in the World Music category wasn’t remotely exotic: Leni Stern’s 1,000 Stars is a vapid semi-acoustic pop song in the style of the grand prize winner. Americana winner Kevin Meisel’s Cruising for Paradise is a third-rate Jimmy Buffett pop number with a little mandolin overdubbed to give it that down-home Americana flavor. Jazz winners the LeBoeuf Bros. Quartet’s Code Word at least shows some promise, even if it it’s not exactly edgy. And in case cutting-edge lyrics are your thing, for a laugh, here are the winners in the Lyrics-Only category.

In case you haven’t figured all this out by now, the winners here may actually be the best of what the judges had to work with. Consider – would your favorite cool band be caught dead entering a generic corporate talent search like this one? Imagine for a minute a first-class group like the French Exit at Emergenza. They’d clear the room in seconds flat.

Not every morning feels right. Your shoes don’t seem to fit or the breakfast you just spent fifteen minutes cooking falls to the floor. You pour spoiled milk in your coffee, or, in my case, you get a 6AM wake up call from a power-saw. The solution?

Tribe.

The Low End Theory is a watershed album in rap music, and A Tribe Called Quest’s masterpiece. It defined alternative hip-hop as a genre and established a cohesive union of East Coast and West Coast influences.

The album centers largely around the love of music, most notably jazz, and features performances from Ron Carter, one the most influential jazz bassists of all-time and sideman to jazz greats Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, and McCoy Tyner. Tribe makes a connection between the birth of be-bop, its transition into the jazz mainstream and the golden age of hip-hop. Both, to Tribe, birthed the abstract: the indescribable, the indefinable, and the mysterious quality of movement in music, capable to move people, bridge gaps, incite and penetrate. Both then moved the abstract into the people’s realm, one of accessibility, cradled in a still-young and marginalized art form. And Tribe is doing just that, right before your eyes like the be-boppers before. You know it the second the needle hits the groove and the bass (dum dum dah, da-dum dah) escorts Q-Tip to the center of your aural focus:

Back in the days when I was a teenager / Before I had status and before I had a pager / You could find the abstract listening to hip hop / My pops used to say, it reminded him of be-bop / I said, well Daddy don’t you know that things go in cycles

And from there it keeps on pushing, sampling from artists like the aforementioned Hubbard and Davis, to other jazz icons like Art Blakely, Lonnie Smith, Grant Green and Cannonball Adderley (not to mention the slew of rock, funk, and soul gods like Hendrix, James Brown, the Ohio Players, and Funkadelic, who also receive the royal treatment). The record functions like a music history course, traveling through time, era after era, cutting and chopping and fusing some of the most recognizable and ground-breaking artists there ever were into one simple and comprehensive thesis on how good music can be when it’s done right.

The Low End Theory hits on all the notes that People’s Instinctive Travels… missed. The experiments all succeed. The mellow, mean sound Tribe achieves on this record, while so lean, spreads like a thick, buttery sauce over themes of sexual abuse, political unrest, mistreatment and violence in hip-hop and blends them all into one solid, consistent statement: a manifesto of things to come, places to start and how to find the groove.

Really, really quiet jazz to chill out to: Miles, Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins & more. (1h13m38s)

Click here or the album art to download.

This is an M4A file that when played through iTunes, is capable of forwarding to the next chapter (song). Look for the ‘Chapters’ tab at the top of the player when playing. These files will play in all iPods. You may also convert it to a single mp3 file within iTunes by going to the ‘Advanced’ tab at the top of the player and selecting ‘Create MP3 Version.’ You may also subscribe to this blog by clicking on the ‘Entries RSS’ and using an aggregator (feed reader, such as Google Reader) to get notifications sent to you whenever a new post is made.

For a blog that’s mainly focused on motorcycles and riding, I seem to be doing everything but. Funny how that works.

I spent the day today showing my cousin around Brooklyn and Manhattan. I’ve been too busy to even think about continuing with the repairs on my leaky fuel tank so my bike’s still in pieces. Apart from the fuel tank, I still have to reinstall the left brake caliper, bleed the brakes, install the new throttle tube and upper fairing. All of that stuff is going to have to wait at least a few more painstaking days and not being able to ride is starting to get very frustrating.

I’ll update the nonnews of  my cousin’s big day in the big apple later on, but for now… a teaser…

Smith and Butller

Empire Fulton ferry

Giant dentures

Old

Me

High

Korean lady’s bottles

One of my favorite jazz pianists

Um importante disco de Coltrane é “Ascension” (pra falar a verdade, todos os discos dele foram importantes), gravado em junho de 1965 pelo selo Impulse! Records.

Aqui Coltrane já esta completamente inserido no Avant-Garde/Free Jazz, deixando de lado seu sax soprano e convocando jovens virtuoses do jazz dos anos 60 como os saxofonistas Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders e Marion Brown. Além dos cinco saxofones e dois trompetes, estão presentes o piano de McCoy Tyner, a bateria de Elvin Jones e dois baixistas simultâneos: Jimmy Garrison e Art Davis.

A única faixa do disco, “Ascension” é apresentada em duas versões. Basicamente a diferença é a ordem dos solos que muda de uma faixa para a outra. A maior delas é chamada de “Ascension – edition 2″ com mais de 40 minutos de duração. Não há como não lembrar do famoso disco “Free Jazz” de Ornette Coleman em uma formação de duplo quarteto tocando simultâneamente, porém em “Ascension” cada solista tem seu espaço bem determinado para solar, enquanto que de um solo para outro há uma total interação entre os músicos.

É bem interessente ouvir o estilo de cada um dos sopros, em especial dos cinco saxes. Este é um disco de grande complexidade e de difícil entendimento em uma primeira audição,  mas “Ascension” é, junto com “Africa-Brass”, uma grande oportunidade de ouvir Coltrane em uma grande formação além de uma verdadeira aula de improviso e ousadia com estes titãs do jazz experimental utilizando um grande arsenal de diferentes técnicas nos sopros.

Abaixo um roteiro da ordem dos solos:

Edition II (40:25)

1. (Opening Ensemble)

2. Coltrane solo (3:10-5:48)

3. (Ensemble)

4. Johnson solo (7:45-9:30)

5. (Ensemble)

6. Sanders solo (11:55-14:25)

7. (Ensemble)

8. Hubbard solo (15:40-17:40)

9. (Ensemble)

10. Tchicai solo (18:50-20:00)

11. (Ensemble)

12. Shepp solo (21:10-24:10)

13. (Ensemble)

14. Brown solo (25:10-27:16)

15. (Ensemble)

16. Tyner solo (29:55-33:26)

17. Davis, Garrison duet (33:26-35:50)

18. (Concluding Ensemble)

Edition I – 38:33

1. (opening ensemble)

2. Coltrane solo

3. Johnson solo

4. Sanders solo

5. Hubbard solo

6. Shepp solo

7. Tchicai solo

8. Brown solo

9. Tyner solo

10. Davis, Garrison duet

11. Jones solo

12. (concluding ensemble)

John Coltrane – Sax (Tenor)

Archie Shepp – Sax (Tenor)

Pharoah Sanders – Sax (Tenor)

Marion Brown – Sax (Alto)

John Tchicai – Sax (Alto)

Freddie Hubbard – Trompete

Dewey Johnson – Trompete

McCoy Tyner – Piano

Art Davis – Baixo

Jimmy Garrison – Baixo

Elvin Jones – Bateria

AfterTheStorm #4

(John Coltrane – Equinox)

One from the ‘Trane…A Giant whose drive to communicate his feelings using the universal language is, (as far as I am aware), almost unparalleled. Technically there are other great musicians but something about John Coltrane feels unique. I am no Coltrane or Jazz scholar and his music only found me when I was searching for something that could define my deeply complex feelings about a deeply profound life experience, (musicology #6)

The piece that found me was from one of his masterpieces ‘A Love Supreme’ and since that day, (which inspired me beyond belief) his spirit sits among the pantheon of musicologists who I am honoured to call guide.

This cut, (recorded in 1960), was released in 1964 on an Atlantic album  called Coltrane’s Sound and features the backbone of the quartet that took music somewhere new, pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones, (along with bass player Steve Davis)

Hold this quote from Elvin Jones

“To me he was like an angel on earth. He struck me that deeply. If there’s any such thing as a perfect man, I think John Coltrane was one and I think that kind of perfection has to come from a greater force than is here on earth”

Coltrane is modern like Rosenwinkel and Mehldau: his phrases are unique and out in that beautifully contemporary way. McCoy is frantic, melodic, and heavy while Elvin smashes the beat along. Coltrane’s sound is thick but slender like a gold crescent moon. It swims from his horn with passion and precision like a dying shark.  Coltrane did get mad out at the end but this is straight ahead with a bite and the right. His ballads sing like old black women and his up tunes bang like their grandsons.