Jacqui Sutton - Notes From The Frontier: A Musical Journey.

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz/Bluegrass

Label: Toy Blue Typewriter Productions

Musicians:  Jacqui Sutton - vocals; Paul Chester - banjo, guitars; Anthony Sapp - basses; Ilya Janos - percussion; Eddie Lewis - trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet; Henry Darragh - keyboards, trombone, melodion; Lyndon Hughes - drums, background vocals; Cindy Scott - background vocals; Aralee Dorough - flute; Bob Chadwick - Irish flute.

CD Review: Jacqui Sutton's CD: Notes From The Frontier - A Musical Journey is really centered on the innovative spirit, creative imagination, and driving force that describe this very accomplished song stylist who has paid more than her share of 'dues,' and elicits the exclamation: OMG! She's good!

Sutton and her amazing band satisfy, inspire, entertain, and energize over the course of 12 captivating songs starting with (Summertime); one of Gershwin's finest from "Porgy and Bess." The first song she auditioned as a young singer, and Sutton admits "it was a terrifying experience..." Such an experience is never easily forgotten, however Sutton, with time, has built on it, and now without trepidation, delivers the magnificence in Gershwin's classical voicings, while the band's comprehensive instrumentation (piano, cello, bass) earnestly recreates the distinctive Southern jazz feel of the period.

Sutton journeys through two of her symbiotic inner worlds; one personal, the other musical, and elaborates honestly and profoundly on what she finds. Sutton's intuitive ability to 'hear' matches the cutting edge fidelity of her undisturbed, active imagination, as evidenced in the conspicuous contrast (Hummingbird/Blue Rondo a la Turk) between her blended aerial lyric, and the evanescent 9/8 time signature of Brubeck's 1959 Turkish inspired jazz standard that captures, from Sutton's inner musical lens, a blue grass image of the winged flight of a hummingbird; then exposed into the varying, non-linear colors of Paul Chester's guitar, Ilya Janos' percussion, Anthony Sapps' electric bass, and Lyndon Hughes/Cindy Scott background vocals. "The most mashed-up song on the CD" (Sutton).

Sutton adds alluring color to her singing style in her "sweet bluesy cry" that was a signature of the late Phoebe Snow (Summertime; Lady of the Harbor; Where the Music Comes From), combined with the band's eclectic instrumentation, to produce an album rich in shifting hues and moods; Aralee Dorough's comforting flute, and Max Dyer's sustaining cello (Jenny Rebecca), as Sutton interprets the simple lyric with the outstretched, sweet promise of hope, joy and love for newborns everywhere. Sutton sings with deep tenderness, and moving sentiment; poignantly reconciling the maternal and artistic impulses that inform her symbiotic inner worlds; the open trumpet of Eddie Lewis painting the outline of a looming, unknown frontier (Freed), while Sutton's voice cries for that desire for 'freedom' lingering deep within the souls of men and women everywhere; Anthony Sapp's dark, deeply unnerving electric bass work (Weary Angel); and Paul Chester's 'blue' banjo chords, alloyed with the 'longing and lost' response from Bob Chadwick's Irish flute, supporting Sutton over the heartbroken melancholy of (Blue Mountain).
   
Sutton takes a walk backwards into her life (One and Only) to express some of the pain, hurt, need for forgiveness, and change that accrue to all who find love, lose it, and hope for a second chance. It's an old story of longing told through new emotions. Paul Chester's guitar, and Eddie Lewis' flugelhorn drip with deep lament, and pathos, yet Sutton manages to reveal a personal, inner calm, and sense of resolve that turns the song into one of the most moving and emotional of the date.

There are hints of quiet smouldering passion, intrigue, and fascinating versatility lurking in the contiguous edges of Sutton's inner musical frontiers that surface (Natute Boy) in her effective Spanish/English interpretation of Eden Ahbez's mysterious 1947 lyric. Sutton seems aware of the classical underpinning of the song's melodic structure - Antonin Dvorak's piano quintet #2 in A, Op. 81, and embellishes her ending in the upper pitch range of her robustly endowed classical voice.

Sutton keeps one of her real gems for the finale and shows her cool, hip, jazzy, side, swinging through Bill Loughborough/Dave Wheat's (Better Than Anything), and leaving no doubt that this versatile, exciting talent can effectively interpret any lyric she finds on her "Musical Journey."

 Track Listing: Summertime; Lady of the Harbor; Hummingbird/Blue Rondo a la Turk; Jenny Rebecca; Freed; One and Only; Nature Boy; Dear Friend; Where the Music Comes From; Weary Angel; Blue Mountain; Better Than Anything.

Producer: Jacqui Sutton.

Recording and Mix: Stormy Cooper Media, Houston, TX 2012.
Music Direction: Jacqui Sutton.

Engineering: Lyndon Hughes, Stormy Cooper Media.
Sound Mix: Lyndon Hughes.
CD Mastering: Allan Conneau Mastering.

Graphic Design and Illustration: David Cole Wheeler.
Photography: Robert Seale.
Makeup: Anthony Garcia.

Production Design: Jacqui Sutton.

Kurt Elling Electrifies San Francisco.

The man currently regarded as "the outstanding male vocalist in jazz today," DownBeat Critics Poll Male Vocalist for thirteen years 2000 - 2012, and Grammy-award winner, Kurt Elling (Dedicated To You: 2009), made a one-night appearance at Yoshi's Jazz Club in San Francisco on Wednesday 10th October, 2012 for two shows. Jazmuzic.com was on hand for the late show at 10:00PM.

And what a show it was!

Now, I am no longer incredulous at that thirteen-year string of DownBeat Critics Poll Awards. As far as I am concerned, Elling is the 21st Century 'jazz' incarnation of the original "Thin Man," Francis Albert Sinatra; the 'kid from Hoboken.' This time the 'kid' is from Chicago; or more poetically, 'the Windy City.' This is no crass comparison of the two men. But there are striking similarities in their artistry and professional miens. For starters, like Sinatra, Elling eschews singing 'silly' songs; he keeps audiences captured with his silver-throated vocalese; singing to each individual's emotions separately. Elling's been called, "a powerful poetic spirit"; for my money, he's a jazz rhetorician nonpariel; deft at turning a phrase, or recounting a tale with a hipness nourished by a glib, articulate sophistication. He knows how to use a microphone, and his body language speaks cool, clear volumes. Elling's strong suits are, an awesome interpretive imagination, and the confidence hewn into a complete entertainer; but his greatest personal quality is his genuine humility.

Pianist Laurence Hobgood

Elling's touring band is nothing short of sensational. They have been together for a long time, and they play like it. Pianist Laurence Hobgood who has been with Elling for eighteen years, is a progressive and contemporary jazz piano virtuoso with a distinctly nuanced approach, and possesses an intimate knowledge of Elling's eclectic repertoire. Peripatetic bassist Clark Sommers plays with a rock-bottom, infectious grove; communicates his personality through his playing, and is securely steeped in the jazz tradition. John McLean is an innovative, exciting guitarist with a twenty-five year career behind him; he pushes the harmonic/rhythmic envelope hard, and can hold an audience riveted for extended periods. The most applicable phrase that describes drummer Kendrick Scott is "stylishly futuristic." He can beat a rhythmic tattoo into a passing breeze. I witnessed him percussively assault with his drum sticks, a tambourine held by Elling, and then switch to play rhythmic patterns on sheets of paper, working each into the overall drum rhythms without missing a beat. He's sick!

Bassist Clark Sommers

Elling and the band opened the show with the bluesy (On Broadway). The Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil 60s classic that came from the golden era of the Brill Building at1619 Broadway, New York City; a music location of special significance for the evening's program, and one of those songs with instant recognition that loosens up a crowd, connects them to the musicians, and puts everybody in a warm groove. When it was done, there was a hum in the audience. The electricity was flowing. It didn't take long for the house to signal they were loyal Elling fans and he quickly rewarded them with an emotionally charged reading of the title track from his 2009 Grammy-award CD: Dedicated To You.

Guitarist John McLean

The audience was now beautifully set up for some serious, guitar-pickin', bass-walkin', soul-shakin', handclappin' rhythm & blues, and they had no clue, until Elling made this introduction: "Well I mentioned earlier that we had a brand new recording, and it's based upon music that was written, or somehow had a deep association with the Brill Building...a couple of things that are on the record are a bit more tangential if, you have a didactic personality ...but for my money, it all fits together, including,..it's kind of a bonus...we only have 72 minutes, or whatever on a record, and people get tired after 60 minutes...but for you tonight, we've got a l'il Doc Pomus, and Ray,(Charles), Ray talking to you,"...and then Elling slipped in the opening lines of (Lonely Avenue)..."Now my room has got two windows/But the sunshine never comes through/You know it's always dark and dreary/Since I broke off, baby with you/I live on a lonely avenue...I could cry, I could cry, I could cry/I could die, I could die, I could die..." The room went into instant rhythm & blues hysteria, it seemed as though every body knew exactly where this 'lonely room' was, or had spent quality time somewhere between its two windows...Elling and the band just poured the memories on, Clark Sommers played a bottom-full, woody, soul-searching bass solo, his best of the evening; he and drummer Kendrick Scott keeping each other honest with a good sonic balance...I heard a lot of screamin' and moanin'; especially from the women in the audience; that 'room' must have been especially tough on females. "Lonely Avenue" was tangential in another way, it moved the entire room on to the plane of the theatrical performer. They sang. They laughed. They preached. They testified. They screamed and whistled. They hand-clapped rhythmically. They entertained. They wanted to dance, but there just wasn't enough space in this sold out room, full of excited people, bonded together by the experience of pain and loss.

Drummer Kendrick Scott

The walk down the 'avenue' continued, guided deftly by Elling: "...Well just a little while ago, most of us in Chicago, most of us that came up in Chicago, lost one of our father figures...Vonn Freeman at eighty-eight, finally laid to rest...'Vonsky' took us all under is wing, he was a magnificent presence, as much as a tremendous artist, invaluable...a couple of years before he passed, I had been looking for a long time for one of his great solos to which I could affix one of my lyrics, his thing is so beyond being able to write a lyric for...he goes to a lot of spots...like just a handful of years ago, he put out a record of this magnificent Duke Ellington composition, a solo appeared, and I knew right away...so I went to my friend 'roomie,'...a friend to all, I polished up my fears that he left me, so if you could imagine a thirteen century roomie, twentieth century Duke Ellington, and twenty-first century Vonn Freeman, here is (I Like The Sunrise)." Speaking of going to 'a lot of spots,' Elling went to many of them on this tune, as he fit his lyric to the poetic section of Freeman's saxophone solo, simultaneously building his improvisation with an emotional architecture that drew out a beginning, middle, and ending to communicate directly to, and touch, just about any listener in the room.

But Elling is also an essential poetic raconteur for all ages and seasons, able to expound on life with great color and hilarious detail, consider this ultra hip discourse on the vicissitudes of life and living, by way of an introduction to Keith Jarett's soulful, bluesy (Late Night Willie), as Laurence Hopgood's soft, background piano reflections illuminate Elling's musings like shimmering sunlight playing on the multi-colored leaves of Fall. Elling: "...had this not always been the case, that jazz musicians, had worked, back and forth, the defining line of spirits, that acknowledges no difference between, Saturday night, and Sunday morning...and if you really play it right, in life, you can handle it with the same standard...one of the problems, challenges, affronts really, it's an affront to consciousness...you might think that goes without saying...peevishness being without service to consciousness, what I'm talking about is a much deeper experience, I'm talking about the kind of consciousness that you define as having stayed up for upwards of thirty-six hours...you see things differently...now, I know there are some young people here who have not yet really come to a visceral understanding of string theory...I'm here to help you, because you see, when you gracefully swing into the morning after, not having divided up your attention with the all too physical misunderstanding that it is a new day, just because you've missed eight hours of it...you see what I'm driving at...now is always now...right? Physicists on this side of the room, they know the beautiful, dripping pearl of this moment, never to be repeated again, is repeated infinitely, in infinite time and space...and this...and this...and this, but you gotta be awake...now, not only do you have to be awake to come to that level of realization, it may be that you need to be awake, so that you don't miss..IT, that thing that you have been, dreaming of, thinking of, wishing for, perhaps even fighting for...if it gets to be a certain hour, or a given night, and you say, 'oh, I'm just gonna go home and watch the idiots on the idiot box, until I fall backwards into a stupor of ignorance and lackluster thought...' it won't happen, meaning, that special one does not happen in your sleep. Now I have friends who have helped to keep me awake at odd hours, they are the friends indeed, they are the ones, who say, when you say, 'man, I'm just gonna...' they say, 'double espresso for my friend...maybe you think the night is done, but I do not, and I'm here to say that your prints on the scene may end up working out for you, but maybe its your beefed up energy that comes into place and makes my reality come into focus; maybe the two of us together can effect some change, can tip the scales of balance, for a fair amount of goodness for all. Now, if we pass out, the bad guys are more likely to win, if we stay awake and we're present, we could be the vanguard of a whole new reality...so drink up!'" It was on 'Late Night Willie' that guitarist John McLean played the first of two memorable, extended solos that startled the audience with his speed and clarity on the fret, Elling did some of his finest scattin' and Hobgood left no doubt about his virtuosity as a pianist.

Elling took Carole King's classic 1971 heart-stopper (So Far Away) from his new, imaginative CD: 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project, presenting it in an intensely deliberate, agonizingly soulful, fully cooked arrangement that took Elling into all the interesting rooms connected to his vocal style, and gave the song an extra layer of emotional torment that added to the memories flooding back into the consciousness of many in the audience. Stevie Wonder's (Golden Lady) was designated as the final tune of the evening, but Elling and the band, with a second bracing guitar solo from JohnMcLean ignited the crowd into a screaming conflagration that demanded an encore. Elling and pianist Laurence Hobgood obliged with a poignant song writen by Carlos Jobim which he sang in Portuguese and includes the stanza:
"Give me your mouth, that wild rose/Give me a kiss, like a ray of sun that strikes your hair/ Your hair that shatters the light into seven strands, like the seven thousand loves that I have guarded ..."

Elling had thrown seven thousand figurative roses and kisses to this audience over the course of the evening's performance, and they showed their enthusiasm and appreciation for his effort and humility with a standing ovation at the end. As I joined them, a thought struck me... Sometimes a quick glance at the 'on stage' performing Elling, returns a flash of the early, chiseled, Sinatra profile... seems like I'll just have to wait for Elling to add 'that hat' to his everyday sartorial persona to be absolutely sure.

Kurt Elling interprets trumpeter Donald Byrd's "Tanya"

  

Steve Lipman: Ridin' The Beat

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Vocal

Label: Locomotion Records

Musicians: Steve Lipman - vocals; Dan Prindle - bass; Bryan Kelly - drums; Stephan Page - piano; Josh Evans - trumpet; Doug Lang - saxophone, clarinet, flute; Rene Gonzalez, Rod Warner - percussion.

Steve Lipman sings like a man that's having a real good time; is accustomed to good times; and is not reluctant about sharing his largesse. He also knows how to pick really good songs to sing, and on his new CD: Ridin' The Beat, he lines up a string of winners, and belts them out with enough enthusiasm, verve, and joie de vivre to ignite a four-alarmer. There is a captivating, Johnny Mercer-like appeal to his voice, augmented by a rich Tex Beneke vocal curl that embroiders the ends of his phrases, and indelibly stamps him as, 'one of a kind.' All told, he's a man with 'a voice,' and a good band that's got a good beat.

From his rich repertoire he unveils a dozen popular songs, and standards from the cream of the composers and lyricists populating the American songbook; Joe Buskin & John DeVries, Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Heinz Meier & Johnny Mercer, John Blackburn & Karl Suessdorf, Burton Lane & E. Y. Harburg, Gene DePaul & Sammy Kahn, Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen & Ira Gershwin, Rogers & Hart, Ray Anderson & Buddy DeSylva.

Lipman and the band get every body's attention by opening the date with a swinging reading of Joe Buskin & John DeVries 1941 hit (Oh Look At Me Now) featuring Doug Lang's eye-opening saxophone accompaniment. Passion is another quality that inhabits Lipman's singing style, and he puts lots of it together with nice solo work from trumpeter Josh Evans, and a cookin' rhythm section for Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein's (The Song Is You).

L - R: Stephan Page, piano;
Steve Lipman, vocals;
Dan Prindle, bass;
Bryan Kelly, drums.

Lipman finds the perfect accelerant for that four-alarm fire with the introduction of the percussive mastery of Rene Gonzalez and Rod Warner to ride Cole Porter's classic (It's Alright With Me) into the winner's circle as his most energetic and memorable song on the CD. Very often when a vocalist possesses fluid power and vocal presence, as does Lipman, stepping back and coaxing a song down to that cool, emotional temperature inherent in the lyric might take obvious effort, but Lipman effects this with wonderful versatility and uncomplicated professional restraint in a triptych performance of Heinz Meier & Johnny Mercer's airy, carefree, (Summer Wind), the John Blackburn/Karl Suessdorf evergreen (Moonlight In Vermont), and Burton Lane & E. Y. Harburg's not often heard (Old Devil Moon) bathing each song in convincing honesty and warmth, indicative of deep respect for the songwriters' requirements and original intentions.

Lipman is a performer capable of very pleasant surprises, and he unleashes an especially gripping episode in Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer's (Come Rain Or Come Shine) that begins with a stark, film-noir introduction straight out of Josh Evan's muted trumpet, Doug Lang's foreboding saxophone and the funereal tempo doled out by Stephan Page's piano, while Lipman makes all the right moves that a leading man must to survive through to the end of the movie. Lipman's surprises come in other ways: his interpretive imagination simply gets more fertile as he gets deeper into the date, notably on Harold Arlen & Ira Gershwin's 1953 popular song (The Gal That Got Away), and his Broadway style belting of the Rogers & Hart show tune (I Wish I Were In Love Again), bringing back memories of the late singer Robert Goulet. 

Lipman and the band picked the perfect swinger for their exit, Ray Henderson & Buddy DeSylva's uptempo blues special (Birth Of The Blues), true to the spirit of the lyric, they 'nursed it,' 'rehearsed it,' 'rode the beat out' and gave out the 'news' that this was a very enjoyable date, and one well worth listening to.

Track Listing: Oh Look At Me Now; The Song Is You; It's Alright With Me; Summer Wind; Moonlight In Vermont; Old Devil Moon; Teach Me Tonight; That Old Black Magic; Come Rain Or Come Shine; The Gal That Got Away; I Wish I Were In Love Again; Birth Of The Blues.

Co-produced and arranged by Dan Prindle.

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Rod Warner at The Green Olive Lounge Recording Studio, Coventry, CT.
www.thesingindentist.com
www.rodwarnerproductions.com

  
       

Pianist Sumi Tonooka: NOW - Live at the Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Piano (Solo)

Label: ARC

Musician: Sumi Tonooka - piano.

Pianist Sumi Tonooka is an artist that is resourceful, fearless, supremely talented, original, and eclectically prepared to entertain. Her two-disc album: "NOW" - Live at the Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY, bares a rare talent composed of commendable poise, insight, and ability to excite.

By grouping the arrangement of the recital's musical selections, first, into her interpretations of American songbook popular standards, and then her own compositions, Tonooka shows a keen awareness of her audience; signals her intention to present a highly enjoyable performance; and eschews rigid formality and stodginess in favor of familiarity, and the courtship of her compositional imagination with the audience's awareness and expectation.

On disc one, Tomooka works through a delightful series of seamlessly choreographed musical movements that display her interpretation of the motion and form combined in the works of some of America's preeminent songwriters, and jazz composers, such as Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.

Tonooka launches her recital on the society swing of George Fragos and Dick Gasparre's 1940 standard (I Hear A Rhapsody); displaying deft improvisational sensibilities, though never straying very far from the tune's classic melodic features; exhibiting a confidence that leaves no doubt about how Tonooka sees herself as a musician; informing the audience of her sonic location; and staying within the touch of interest, so that they know what to expect.

There is a palpable, yet dynamic emotional character that is felt throughout Tonooka's interpretive translations, and which colors her music in textures that cover the spectrum from the bright blue of a high Summer sky, to the gossamer thin hue of early nightfall. These adorn her recital with characteristics of movement arranged for accessible balance at any emotional weight. The dark emotion of elegy and sadness can be heard and felt in Ellington's (Heaven), written in 1968, during the last decade of his life, as part of the Second Sacred Concert (he wrote three) which was premiered at the Cathedral of St. John The Divine in New York. Tonooka's playing is reverential, profoundly emotional and captures sacred 'Ellingtonia' with a simplicity that is irresistibly moving, but evades the trap of morbidity.

Pianist Sumi Tonooka

Jerome Kern's (I'm Old Fashioned) becomes the perfect conveyance for Tonooka's energetic, fluid, off-the-floor, brilliant pianism; a perfect lead in to the emotional centerpiece of the set (Mary Lou Williams Medley). Mary Lou Williams, as Tonooka describes, "was a teacher of mine, not for a long time, but a pivotal time." The import of this pivotal association becomes evident as the medley (13:15) progresses through the stylistic origins that form Mary Lou Williams' influence on Tonooka's piamisn. There is a concentrated third stream (jazz, classical) current combined with bluesy gospel, ardently woven together in the stride style that was a hallmark of Williams' piano touch, and which Tonooka reprises with exhilarating calm.

Mary Lou Williams was a mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, and by natural extension, vestiges of this important jazz influence are heard on Tonooka's interpretation of Monk's 1948 classic composition (Evidence). Tonooka plays with a lithe sense of swing, accented by a simple, but rhythmically punctuating left hand, that adds a pleasant bounce to the piece, and then transitions to turn Tonooka's reading of Cole Porter's (All Of You) into warm, lyrical, dying embers to end disc one.

There seems to be more of Tonooka's inner personality, plus a chronicling of external, significant emotional events that form the structure of the recital; are translated into her original compositions, and expressed fully on disc two. Opening with (Phantom Carousel) which comes into aural focus, first as a serene, ordered soundscape, then shifts to a trope of logical, coherent melodic statements securely braced underneath by consistent, unrelenting dark chords that move the piece to take on a life of its own (Sojourn 1 and Uganda).

"Thinking about rhythm" was inculcated into Tonooka by drummer Philly Joe Jones (of Miles Davis fame) and on (Moroccan Daze), the listener can almost hear Philly Joe's sound in Tonooka's crisp attack, sharpness of expression and coherency of phrasing. If there is a selection in this part of the recital that draws 'emotional character' out, front and center, it must be Tonooka's soulful, deeply wrenching (Mingus Moods), she deftly wrings every ounce of bitter-sweet emotion out of the tune's wavering soul, and leaves sentimental 'wet noodles'  throughout its wake. Not even (At Home), or Eubie Blake's (I'm Confessin'), which have similar appeal, can touch it.

This was a superlative piano recital, resplendent in versatility, consummate piano artistry, and performed by a brilliant and exciting pianist. Those who were present at the Howland Cultural Center to witness it, were blessed.

For the listener who adores being aurally captured by exquisite piano mastery that is dominated by a variety of styles, played with warmth and a constant flow of new ideas; then this two-disc piano recital comes highly recommended.

Track Listing: Disc One: I Hear A Rhapsody; Heaven; I'm Old Fashioned; Mary Lou Williams Medley; Evidence; All Of You.

Disc Two: Phantom Carousel; Sojourn 1 and  Uganda; Moroccan Daze; At Home: I'm Confessin'.

Associate Producers: Matt Yaple, Diane Mei Lin Mark.

Engineer: Tom Tedesco.
Mastered by Allan Tucker at Foothill Digital, New York.
CD Design and Photos: Paul Tsang (tsang.com)

Tenor Saxophone Legend Sonny Rollins At Davies Symphony Hall In San Francisco.

President Barack Obama presenting
tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins with
the 2010 National Medal of Arts Award.

When Sonny Rollins was awarded the 2010 National Medal of Arts for outstanding achievements and support of the arts by President Barack Obama on March 2, 2010, I wonder if, among the many things that were going through his mind, was the time, "as a seventeen year old senior, and brilliant tenor player, attending Benjamin Franklin High School in New York, he used to go everyday up to Thelonious Monk's place (243 West 63rd Street, NYC) in Sugar Hill and practice with his band, along with tenor saxophonist Jackie McClean, drummer Art Taylor, pianist Kenny Drew, and bassists Arthur Phipps and Connie Henry - the original "Sugar Hill Gang." Monk helped Rollins, and encouraged him to develop his own sound, but most importantly, allowed him to play what he wanted." (Source: Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D. G. Kelley). During those nascent days, he was known as Theodore Rollins, but his friends called him "Sonny."

Sonny Rollins 'practicing' on
the Williamsburg Bridge, NYC
circa 1960

On Sunday evening September 30, 2012, Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins, now eighty-two years old, made an appearance at the prestigious Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco,  as part of the city's 30th annual jazz festival, for an 8:30 PM concert before an audience in excess of two thousand patrons. They had come to hear, pay respects to, and celebrate a living jazz legend...and Sonny did not disappoint. Though the years had taken their natural toll on his physical frame, they had done nothing to his formidable 'chops.' The soaring power, electricity, energy and nimble, wonderfully melodic explorations burst forth from his tenor saxophone like time had stopped one day in the 1960s, high up on New York City's Williamsburg Bridge.

The band accompanying Sonny this night included, preeminent percussionist, Sammy Figueroa from the Bronx, New York; in demand trombonist Clifton Anderson from Harlem, New York, a former member of Slide Hampton's renowned "World of Trombones" group; Chicago, Illinois drummer Kobie Watkins, known for his ability to ignite searing spectrums of rhythm; from Cranston, Illinois, bassist Bob Cranshaw, who has had a long association with Rollins covering several decades, in addition to an extensive, and distinguished career; and New York-based guitarist, accomplished composer/producer Saul Rubin, who has enjoyed an especially diverse career.

For Rollins this was clearly an occasion to look back to some of the great jazz musicians and others he has known during his extended and glorious career; to recognize their contributions to jazz, while simultaneously using his considerable talent and legend to ensure that the flame of jazz music remains an eternal light of hope, peace, and love for future jazz players and audiences alike. The opening selection (D Cherry), a rhythmic, percussion-filled tune with a pronounced calypso beat, was dedicated to the late Don Cherry, an innovative trumpeter whom Rollins humbly described as a great trumpet player, further adding that he had also composed songs for pianists Tommy Flanagan, Thelonious Monk, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and bassist Paul Chambers, "these songs don't do these great people justice, so I accept that, but still it came from a good heart."

L - R Sonny Rollins, sax; Clifford Brown, tr;
Richie Powell, piano; Max Roach, drums
George Morrow, bass.

Sonny Rollins is a spiritual seeker. His next dedication was to a mystic called (Katandra), "...I used to know him...this was way back...and so this is the one I wrote for him, it's called (Katanchalee)." Not a total surprise, because Rollins traveled to Japan in 1963 & 1968 and became interested in Zen Buddhism. Shortly after (late 1968) he trekked to India and "spent four months at the Powaii Ashram in the Bombay suburbs, meditating on his life's mission and practicing hatha yoga." (George Goodman; Atlantic Monthly). What is surprising about this mystic dedication, was the strong Caribbean Calypso rhythmic chant from Rollins' saxophone that hearkened back to his West Indian roots and was repeated in circular waves; each wave inching toward a festival-like fever of sustained, rocking energy and blazing colors poured into infectious, explosive, undulating improvisational explorations from Rollins' now totally free saxophone; a freedom of movement that the rest of the band locked into with pounding harmonic and percussive frenzy. The audience suddenly found themselves in a carnival velodrome, as Rollins pushed the band higher; building fiery tension and anticipation of a climax that created audible, involuntary sound reactions from the crowd, morphing into a spontaneous eruption of released joy, even before Rollins' saxophone had reached the climax with his own coda of gut-busting notes. At the fourteen minute mark, there was a cacophony of hooting and hollering mixed with loud applause; those who could not contain themselves, just got to their feet, and simply shouted. Sonny Rollins and this incredible band had seared a stamp of memorable accomplishment on this very special evening.

Capitalizing on the surging energy that reached to the rafters, Rollins and the band launched in the perennial pleaser (St. Thomas). This classic composition will forever belong to Sonny Rollins; no one plays it like he does; tonight he played it how he wanted because, as he explained: "Somebody made a request. I usually don't play that song, but I did. I told you I was a nice guy!" The audience ate it up!

Rollins is known to have a 'jones' for show tunes, ballads and standards, and he plays them with transcendent feeling and authority. His classic albums of the 1950s contain many of them: Freedom Suite - 1958, Meredith Wilson's ("Till There Was You"); Newk's Time - 1957, Rogers & Hammerstein's ("Surrey With The Fringe On Top"; Saxophone Colossus - 1956, Don Raye & Gene DePaul's "You don't Know What Love Is"); The Sounds Of Sonny - 1957, Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein's ("The Last Time I Saw Paris"), Adolph Green, Betty Comden & Jule Styne's ("Just In Time"), Cole Porter's ("Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye"), Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke's ("It Could Happen To You"); Tenor Madness - 1956, Einar A. Swan's ("When Your Lover Has Gone"); and Work Time - 1955, Billy Strayhorn's ("Rain Check"). The list goes on...but for this occasion he selected Michael Edwards and Bud Green's 1937 standard, ("Once In A While"). This tune showed the mastery and control that Rollins still maintains over all the registers of his horn, and that he is still able to express his wealth of spontaneous ideas with power, or subtlety. However, the tune's performance is memorable because of a deep-rooted, melodic, four-minute bass solo from Bob Cranshaw. I first became aware of the convincing playing ability of Cranshaw from his appearance on trumpeter Lee Morgan's ground-breaking album "The Sidewinder," with Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Barry Harris, piano, and Billy Higgins on drums. It was Cranshaw's playing on the title track that stood out then, as it did now on 'Once In a While,'  playing with absolutely masterful discipline, great imagination, and a keen lyrical sense that Rollins embroidered further with lissome, harmonic imprvisations; two jazz masters  supremely comfortable in their element.  

Eventually trombonist Clifton Anderson and drummer Kobie Watkins found the perfect vehicle in the song (Serenade) to showcase their playing skills. Anderson's playing was thoughtful, melodic and smooth, displaying the results of his professional associations with such musical giants as Frank Foster, McCoy Tyner, Clifford Jordan, Stevie Wonder, Dizzy Gillespie and others that secured him a place in his uncle's band (Sonny Rollins) since 1983. Drummer Watkins produced an extended solo that wrapped the room in suspenseful awe with a demonstration of his wizardry at changing tempos and rhythm with dramatic ease, and garnering him his most spirited, sustained applause. 

The final dedication was made to the late great trombonist J. J. Johnson, whom Rollins regarded as a mentor; an individual of impeccable personal and professional character; the musician who allowed him (Rollins) to play on his first record date. Rolling remembered J.J with a divinely sublime homage, accented with an occasional staccato change in tempo to match the initials "J.J." When the tune ended, Rollins offered a supplication for continued support, and long life for the art form that has been the bedrock of his existence, with a vibrant entreaty of "...more jazz, more jazz." 

The band and Rollins ended the program in rhythm as they had begun it, with the beat of the Calypso (Don't Stop The Carnival), staying true to the fiery colors, dance, and energy deep in his roots. The audience called for an encore, more out of love, longing and respect, I think, than musical thirst or selfish desire. Secretly, they had to appreciate that this octogenarian jazz legend had played for 90 minutes, almost non-stop, and had availed them of the opportunity one day, to tell their children and grandchildren...'I got to see the legendary jazz man Sonny Rollins one memorable night in San Francisco.'

Sonny and the band did return to the stage one last time to take a bow.

Rollins this night, proved not only to be a legendary tenor player, but also a consummate showman by keeping the audience engaged and in good humor throughout the evening with stories, perspectives, and priceless morsels of his unique musical and personal philosophy; providing great satisfaction, wonderful balance, and warmth, to a memorable program. He had come a long way from 243 West 63rd Street in New York City.

Thank You, Sonny!

Sonny Rollins with Max Roach: circa 1956

The Billie Davies Trio: All About Love.

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz

Label: Cobra Basement

Musicians: Billie Davies - drums; Tom Bone Ralls - trombone; Oliver Steinberg - bass.

CD Review: Jazz combos without chordal accompaniment (pianoless) are rareties these days- if they exist at all. Gerry Mulligan's 1950 quartet, with trumpeter Chet Baker, bassist Bob Whitlock, and drummer Chico Hamilton; along with The Sonny Rollins Trio 1957 "Way Out West"  album, featuring Ray Brown on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums, are two of the quintessential jazz aggregations that set the standard for this grouping. The Billie Davies Trio is a pianoless ensemble that manages to overcome the challenges that are inherent in such an arrangement: maintaining stimulating textures and colors without generating chaos; keeping clear harmonic structures; and eschewing loss of place by musicians and listeners. Stripping down the date's selections to their elemental harmonic and melodic form, the trio imbues each song with renewed innovative inventions that emanate from a genuine awareness and respect for their histories. The listener is treated to jazz inclinations within the trio that bristle with cutting-edge freshness.

Familiarity and accessibility ignite the listener's interest and assist the players in rising to the challenge of achieving and maintaining harmonic structure on the opening track (Stella By Starlight), Victor Young and Ned Washington's beautiful jazz standard. Trombonist Tom Bone Ralls raspy, but rounded and melodic opening solo is answered by drummer Billie Davies' tasteful, intricate, progressive polyrhythms.

It falls naturally to drummer Davies and bassist Oliver Steinberg to map out the changes clearly, leaving space for Bone Ralls' trombone to execute the melody and improvise his composition (Downtown In The Rain). However, it is the trio's reading of Miles Davis' (Jean Pierre: We Want Miles; 1981), that showed the highest level of harmonic and melodic magical interplay; achieved around the sound of Davies' Tony Williams-like time signatures and Steinberg's pulsing bass beat; giving the tune a textured, slinky strut, overlayed with Bone Ralls stupefying trombone reprise of Davis' sound, and ethereal, chant-like voicing, culminating in a Milesian, signature Harmon muted-like coda.

Drummer Billie Davies

Tom Bone Ralls plays the trombone like he's got all the time he needs; not lazy; his phrasing is well rounded, pristine, and is impacted with depth, and an inspired eloquence that is the result of his comprehensive playing experience. His interpretations of John Coltrane's (Naima), and Mongo Santamaria's Afro-Cuban classic (Afro Blue) are soulful, satisfying, and considerably informed by Davies' drumming which eschews self indulgence, instead making space for Bone Ralls to convey each tune's simple, subtle beauty with ravishing, elemental clarity.

Billie Davies stunning drumming technique and style are undoubtedly by-products of the vicissitudes attendant to her existence as a 'lifelong natural musician'; and a creative passionate focus to her music, matched only by a fierce inner muse that shepherds her personal and professional stratagems. But it is her uncanny ability to 'listen,' 'hear,' and communicate a certain emotional, common feeling to listeners, musicians, and audience, that makes her a "jazz drummer" and nourishes her boundless improvisational skills; anticipating the conversations on three of her avant gard compositions, (Green Cheese; BUrst; High Noon) between bassist Steinberg and trombonist Bone Ralls and providing context, energy and drive.

In the end, many elements make this date work; the artists, their talent, and experience; Surely Billie Davies' dream and creative endeavor to produce a sublime, genre-stretching, versatile, committed trio. But when everything is considered, tallied, and summed up; the total indicates, that it's really: "All About Love."

 
Track Listing: Stella By Starlight; Downtown In The Rain; Jean Pierre; Naima; Afro Blue; Green Cheese; BUrst; High Noon; Afro Blue Too; Stella By Starlight Too.

Recording Engineer: George Rada.
Mixing by Mike Davies and Billie Davies.
CD Mastering by John Vestman at Vestman Mastering.
Recording & Sound Technology/Engineering Management: Mike Davies.
A Cobra Basement Production.
Recorded at Mike & Billie Davies Studio, Hollywood, California.

Check out the Billie Davies Trio at: www.billiedavies.com 

Gerard Hagen Trio: Song For Leslie.

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz Instrumental

Label: Surf Cove Jazz

Musicians: Gerard Hagen - piano; Domenic Genova - bass; Terry Kalaf - drums.

CD Review: When last heard, Gerard Hagen and his trio were providing excellent backing for his talented wife, song stylist, Leslie Lewis, on her outstanding CD: Leslie Lewis with the Gerard Hagen Trio: Midnight Sun (Surf Cove Music, 2012). We learned then that Hagen's pianism could be 'measured, thoughtful, and logical,' and that the influence of pianists Tommy Flanagan and Bill Evans informed his 'exceptional melodic swing, harmonic sophistication, and bluesy inventions.' (jazmuzic.com). Well, nothing has changed! Except the mission; revealed in the CD's title: Gerard Hagen Trio: Song For Leslie. It seems quite natural, under the circumstances, that Hagen would embark on this poignant tribute inspired by a declarative, unambiguous lyric: "My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the sky/My romance doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by" (My Romance; Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart: 1935).

This mission is afforded credibility by Hagen's formidable musical pedigree (Bachelor and Master's degrees in Music; associate professor of jazz piano at Saddleback College in southern California), and given enormous lift by his substantial artistic coinage (His recordings have received critical acclaim in L.A. Times, L.A. Jazz Scene, Jazz Improv Magazine, Cadence Magazine, All About Jazz, All Music Guide And others). In the final analysis however, it is about love: one of the most basic human emotions. Indescribable. Euphoric. Powerful. Even though Hagen is quoted as saying  Song For Leslie, "was an opportunity to document some original music Jerry (Kalaf) and I had written as well as make a snapshot of where this group is after these many years of working together." What feeds love is music, or so thought William Shakespeare: "If music be the food of love, play on./Give me excess of it..." (Duke Orsino of Illyria: Twelfth Night). So Hagen plays on....

Turning to Jack Elliot & Victor Young's (A Weaver Of Dreams), Hagen imbues his instrumental interpretation with the melodic swing and harmonic sophistication that is his wont. Jerry Kalaf displays a fine sense of mood and timing, with impeccable brush work, underscoring the truth that the trio can bring a feeling of intimacy and presence to jazz like no other aggregation; and this trio is exceptional.



Gerard and Leslie

Cole Porter's music seems to lend itself naturally to jazz, and many of his compositions have become jazz standards, with notable performances from many celebrated jazz singers, orchestras and musicians: Ella Fitzgerald - Night And Day; Artie Shaw Orchestra - Begin The Beguine; Miles Davis Quintet 1958 - Love For Sale; Nat Cole - Just One Of Those Things; Billy Eckstine - In The Still Of The Night; Bill Evans/Jim Hall - I've Got You Under My Skin, to name just a few. Cole Porter's music stands tall in the pantheon of popular music. Following in this tradition, Hagen extends the 'love' motif, reprising Cole Porter's 1929 popular song (What Is This Thing Called Love); a song whose chord progressions have formed the basis of jazz compositions by Tadd Dameron, Fats Navarro, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus. Bassist Domenic Genova opening solo is deeply melodic and creates an emphatic harmonic root off which Hagen's chord selections, and Kalaf's rhythmic innovations develop the tune's natural, ingrained swing.

Hagen puts his prodigious composing talent on display for the centerpiece, and title track (Song For Leslie). A slightly angular piano passage opens the piece that flares into a thematic statement, building tension and force, that is released into a graceful, singing, melodic line, and inventive improvisation, with an architecture reminiscent of that of the late pianist William John "Bill" Evans. Hagen demonstrates wit, congruity, and penetrating discernment in his composing skills with a reprise of the initial thematic statement which he builds into a tense, satisfying climax to end the piece.

An exploration of the composing thought processes of bassist Terry Kalaf (Where's Gerard?) reveals striking similarities to Hagen's approach. What emerges is thoughtful, lucid, and coherent, no doubt a consummation of 'these many years working together' (Hagen). Kalaf's other offering (Looking At The Despair Calendar) is intimate and tailored for the rhythmically independent style that is another of Hagen's dominant strengths. These two tunes bring a warm aesthetic balance to the date, and further affirm the 'motif' of caring, association, compassion, love, and celebration.

Those music enthusiasts drawn to jazz in the trio format, will do well to add Gerard Hagen Trio: Song For Leslie to their jazz music collection.

Track Listing: My Romance; A Weaver Of Dreams; What Is This Thing Called Love; A Song For Leslie; Where's Gerard?; Looking At The Despair Calendar; 464 Blues.

http://surfcovejazz.com