Poncho Sanchez..."Keeps His Word"

Poncho Sanchez & Terence Blanchard

Poncho Sanchez is a man of his word. On Saturday May 21, 2011, he announced during an appearance at Yoshi's Jazz Club in San Francisco, California, that his next project would be to produce a CD with trumpeter Terence Blanchard honoring jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, and percussionist, Chano Pozo; (see: http://www.jazmuzic.com/2011/05/poncho-sanchez-world-heavyweight.html). And now less than a year later, he has returned to Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, California, Blanchard in tow to deliver on his promise, present the work of his new CD: "Chano Y Dizzy," and add another 'musical championship belt' to his spectacular collection.

Saturday February 18, 2012 was a spectacular California day, it was bright and the temperature was almost perfect. It was still officially Winter, but it was more like Spring. By nightfall it had cooled significantly, but not to require serious Winter gear for outdoors. It seemed a perfect evening for checking out some good music, and Poncho Sanchez's Latin Jazz Orchestra's appearance at Yoshi's Oakland, California Jazz Club fit the bill delightfully. I opted for the late show (10:00pm), I figured everything ought to be nice and warm; all the kinks worked out; and real excitement in the air, built by the hard core Latin jazz fans like myself. I was right, by 8:30pm, a sizable number of patrons for the 10 o'clock show had already arrived. Everybody was excited. The women were gorgeous; the men were composed and cool. I mean, "the scene was clean."

Sanchez's concerts always jump off with something swinging and hot, featuring the blistering trumpet of Ron Blake. Tonight however, he chose a medium tempo number, but Blake still had space to fill with some burn and energy. The pianist got in a nice solo, I noticed that he was playing the upright grand piano, and not a synthesizer; this seemed to foster a cool feel to the atmosphere; even Sanchez was laid back on his congas. It was the first tune I assured myself, things would heat up soon enough.

Tonight, with Sanchez on congas, percussion, vocals, and trumpeter Terence Blanchard were, Francisco Torres, trombone; George Ortiz, timbales; Rob Hardt, tenor & alto saxophones; Ron Blake, trumpet. The always interesting, Tony Banda was not in his usual spot on bass, neither was regular pianist David Torres, and I did not hear the names of the players that took their places. Percussionist Joey DeLeon was not in the line up either. I wondered how this altered band would perform as they began their second tune of the show, with an over-the-shoulder look back to 1993 for a tune that first appeared on the album Bailar: A Night With Pancho Sanchez: Live, "Siempre Me Va Bien." Just as the alto saxophone was featured on that date, Rob Hardt stepped out front with his alto and blew a clean, body-swaying solo to which Francisco Torres attached an intense, searching trombone solo until Sanchez moved in, mixing percussive power and flight with the crowd's rising enthusiasm.

Poncho Sanchez must have been feeling especially good, he was delightfully talkative and engaging with the audience. Either that, or he was deliberately prolonging the feeling of suspense present in the room, because he decided to pay tribute to the great Tito Puente; but first, a story about him and Puente at the Watergate Hotel bar while attending an All Star Show at Kennedy Center, in Washington D. C. The story is too long to recount here, but I learned that Tito Puente never missed a gig; he was a real fun guy; was very generous to friends and acquaintances alike; he could definitely hold his own at the bar; said he did not need a lot of sleep; only an hour or so, and he was good to go; that was until he hit a bed, dressed in a tuxedo, or whatever he happened to be wearing; then it took an entire hotel staff to get him up. Trouble was, following this particular night, he missed an early morning airline flight, and had to pay $11,000.00 (ouch) for a special chartered flight to a gig on the Caribbean island of Barbados. But I figure, if you're heading to a beautiful, sun-drenched paradise, with white sandy beaches; water so blue, it looks almost emerald-green, and full of really cool, fun-loving  people: then maybe, it's worth $11,000.00 to get there. The tribute to Tito Puente consisted of a smoldering medley of "Oye Cayuco/Oye Mi Cha Cha Cha" that turned into Puente's infectious, monster hit "Oye Como Va." There is something about this tune that makes you want to dance the instant you hear it, but the club was packed, and there was no room to dance, you could almost hear the audience groan in desperation, and no matter how mellow Ron Blake's trumpet tried to make this hit sound, it was a losing battle; people started to dance at their tables: It was then that I realized the band had lost nothing in its altered state!

In retrospect, it is clear that Sanchez was craftily preparing the audience for trumpeter Terence Blanchard's eventual entrance, by mixing moods, tempos, keeping anticipation keenly alive with a vignette straight out of Jim Morrison and The Doors, "Light My Fire": "You know that it would be untrue/You know that I would be a liar/If I was to say to you/Girl, we couldn't get much higher." It was great, perfect, theatre:

Enter trumpeter Terence Blanchard to carry on the rich, vibrant tradition of cross pollinating the jazz idiom with Latin rhythms.

Sanchez artfully announced the young trumpeter's presence as the featured soloist on trumpeter Clifford Brown's classic 1954 composition "Daahoud." The front line horns of Blake, Hardt and Torres took the first chorus, and the pianist soloed while Blanchard stood like a quiet gentle giant; compact, solid, head movin' to the beat, diggin' the groove; getting the tempo down; listening with 'big ears.' Then he heard his 'space' approaching; pursed his lips; and in one quick movement, like a boxer seizing an 'opening,' he raised the trumpet and blew with such unbridled power, passion and feeling, that the audience literally gasped. Blanchard did not blow "Daahoud" again after this opening salvo, until the coda of the piece, when he joined the other horns: but that was enough; the audience knew a 'heavy' was up on stage, and he was 'down' with his horn.

Sanchez allowed everyone to collect themselves by selecting a 'bolero' for Blanchard: the tempo slowed and Blanchard blew with a nice, warm, burnished tone, nourished by cool power; hitting high notes with effortless clarity; never sacrificing form, structure, or feeling, and harvesting whispered excitement around the room.

Now it was time to engage the Latin jazz canon of the iconic John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie; the jazz musician who was not only one of the principal architects of bebop, but to quote Sanchez himself, Gillespie and Chano Pozo "were the pioneers of what is now known as Latin jazz." Gillespie's smooth "Con Alma" was featured; acknowledged as a tune that "incorporates aspects of bebop jazz and Latin rhythm, and is known for its frequent changes in key centers (occurring every two bars) while still maintaining a singable melody; and if Dizzy Gillespie wrote it, there would be shameless ventures into the trumpet's upper register, where Gillespie was a monarch of all he surveyed; once prompting a young Miles Davis to query Dizzy, why he (Miles) couldn't play like Gillespie. Dizzy's response: "because you don't 'hear' up there." Tonight, Blanchard not only was 'hearing up there,' he was also seeing a panorama of majestic peaks and valleys stretched out before him as far as his musical eye could see, and he was painting the picture in vivid, effulgent colors pouring out of his own "soul."

Eventually it was time to end the show, and Sanchez gave his "we have time for one more" spiel, and it was going to be some Salsa. The band burned through a tune called "Ven Morena" that contained some blazing exchanges between Blanchard and Ron Blake that almost set the place on fire, and was worth the price of admission by itself, as the rest of the band rocked underneath with a hypnotic rhythmic smoothness much like those sensational 50's days and nights when Puente, Machito and Tito Rodriguez reigned at the Palladium in New York City. When the fire was over, Sanchez and the band actually tried to walk of the stage and almost started a riot. They quickly thought it over, and returned to play the much called for 'encore'; so Sanchez dug deep into his 60's R&B bag and dug out Junior Walker & The All Stars crowd- pleaser, "Shotgun," complete with its mind-blowin' organ groove. The room roared and dancing broke out everywhere; around tables; in the aisles; and in any available space...but Sanchez gave them what they wanted for a solid 10 minutes or so, and then, and only then, was the band allowed to get off that stage...

Whatever else is said about Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Orchestra, his musical concepts, planning, implementation, and ultimate execution are brazenly impressive, and mark his band as one of the most trenchantly incisive and successful of the genre.

Listen to the band play Ernesto Lecuona's classic Afro-Cuban composition

"Siboney" 

An Evening with the Benny Green Trio




Pianist Benny Green



When I learned that bebop pianist Benny Green regarded Thelonious Sphere Monk "as his first and most significant hero" and that his (Green's) "...main focus is to just swing and have fun, and share those feelings with the audience" (Bio AMS Artists). I was naturally drawn to see him perform when he appeared for one evening at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, California on Wednesday, 15th February, 2012. He had with him what now seems to be his favorite trio players; Peter Washington on bass, and drummer Kenny Washington.

Green is not of imposing physical stature; actually at first glance he resembles an unassuming, recent college graduate, returning to his alma mater to lend his brilliance by guiding hordes of the Android, smart phone generation, masquerading as serious college students, through the rigors of physics, or chemistry, or mathematics; all of which they failed to grasp in high school. He even connects with his audience through a disarming boyish charm, and pays almost gushing attention, and respect to his band mates. But when he sits down on that piano stool; it's Clark Kent again entering the phone booth...and suddenly the world of jazz, bebop in particular, is safe; Green turns into a piano Superman, and when his fingers flash across the ivories, the real magic, and 'out of this world' hard-bop propulsion erupt. He suddenly becomes of imposing musical stature!  The apprenticeship with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; the influence from his father's collection of 'Bird' and 'Monk'; the stints with "...the only one jazz singer" (Carmen McCrea), Betty Carter, and alto saxophonist Bobby Watson; the dues paid with the Ray Brown Trio, and recent work with bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone, all converge into "a history of jazz at his fingertips."(Bio. AMS Artists). If Sinatra had played the piano, he would have swung like Benny Green.

Green's attack features speed, precision and clever accuracy. He is an animated pianist, throwing his entire body into his performance. At times, he twists, turns, and lifts himself off the piano stool, putting every ounce of his being into the electricity and emotion of the moment. These uninhibited actions maybe considered a natural form of expression, in the same context as say, the signature "growling" sounds made by pianists, Bud Powell, Errol Garner, Oscar Peterson, and B3 organist Jimmy Smith. It is an integral function of their theatre, and has the effect of adding palpable intensity to the performance.




Bassist Peter Washington

 Though born in New York City; it is Berkeley, California that lays claim to him, as one of its most talented sons, since that's where he grew up. As a result, he attracts a large contingent of Northern California fans, who packed the house on this Wednesday evening (not an easy thing to do), to see and hear him.  Green got the evening started with concrete certainty; immediately pulling out a swinger named "Certainty" that evidenced the exclusive rhythmic compatibility between Peter Washington's bass and Green's piano. Washington's bass provides unifying intonation to Green's natural swing, with an elastic bounce and deep mahogany tone, effortlessly integrating the essence of the melody into his solos. In this regard, his technique seems to resemble that of master bassist Oscar Pettiford.

Green's template for the evening's entertainment soon developed into a flowing stream of tributes to several of the jazz musicians that he admires, and from whom he draws inspiration; starting with a lively Kenny Drew composition, followed by a tune inspired by Drew and alto saxophonist Jackie McClean, couched in elegant nonchalance to display the distinct stylings of bebop pianist Sonny Clark, and some of the classic dissonance of Thelonious Monk.

The centerpiece of the program arguably emerged during three new compositions written by a "very relaxed" (his words) Green during a recent, first, visit to Thailand. Two of the pieces "Golden Flamingo" and "La Portuguesa" were inspired and dedicated to "beautiful women" (again Green's words). These tunes allowed expression of Green's more sensitive, introspective side and also gave him the opportunity to add appealing poignancy and a touch of gospel to his repertoire utilizing the block chord style of pianist William "Red" Garland. Kenny Washington's brush work, interspersed with a lush Latin beat, was compelling as he nimbly embedded the musical time stamps that gave life to the feelings and emotions that must have overtaken Green in this "relaxed" Thai space. The third tune of this set "Flying Saucer," lived up to its name; mysterious and out of this world; especially with regard to Green's fleetness of fingers across the keyboard and the intricacies built into its Tatumesque execution; again drummer Peter Washington rose to the occasion with a thunderous prolonged solo.



Drummer Kenny Washington

Turning to his friend, guitarist Russell Malone for inspiration, Green rustled up something from one of his earlier trio recordings called "One For Malone," with more outstanding bass work from Peter Washington, and Kenny Washington's drums beating urgent 'Philly' Joe Jones type rhythmic tattoos, replete with those 'knife-edge, on the button,' rim shots that Miles Davis dug so much. Washington is a drummer with 'big ears' that he used keenly on a new Green composition, "Magic Pains " deftly manipulating the tempo and mood between fixed bebop, and sultry Latin; then when Green turned his attention to "one of his favorite" pianists, the remarkable, easy swinging Sonny Clark, this time with a stinging swinger; the perfect vehicle for Washington's drumming to support Green's sizzling, rhythmic, piano cyclone and dazzling fluidity with chilling percussive accuracy and energy, easily branding this selection as the most rhythmically robust of the show.

The Benny Green Trio masters a musical repertoire that graces all emotions, moods, and tempos with uncanny assuaging effect, moving between each with a quick, seamless, change of atmosphere, that is never noticeable enough to be distracting, but instead is captivatingly natural; as when they traversed from the aggressively swinging Sonny Clark tribute to a 'three o'clock in the morning' lament, with an emotional character, and chord structure similar to Monk's classic "'Round Midnight"; magically making  gradient changes in the room's emotional temperature and atmosphere felt by anyone not completely under the spell of Peter Washington's down-reaching bass, swelling each languorous moment with longing and settling tenderness.

By any standard, this was an exceptionally entertaining and indulgent program. The trio played in total 13 selections demonstrating their artistic richness, versatility, and broad genre-centric appeal. It almost appeared that, absent obvious physical limitations, this group could have played another 13 tunes; but before they left the bandstand, they embarked on one more tribute to another musician and influence of Green; the renowned trombonist Julian Priester, with a tune called "Priestess," that featured an antic, rhythmic, conversation between Green's piano and Peter Washington's drums. It was like an exchange of  strident 'tough love' proclamations between two eminent leaders at a musical world summit.

The evening ended on a note of hard-bop, deep blues, soul, gospel and funk when Green turned to the bebop canon of the pianist/composer nonpareil, Horace Silver to reprise Silver's first hit, "Doodlin'." He played it just an Silver played it on his landmark 1950 album "Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers," with Kenny Dorham - trumpet; Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone; Doug Watkins - bass; Art Blakey - drums; and Horace Silver - piano. For a musician with "a history of jazz at his fingertips," this was an appropriate way to close out the engagement: A visit to the lair of one of the architects of bebop; with a clear forward focus to the future.

I have no complaints about this evening with the Benny Green Trio, it was stellar...but I wished for my own selfish satisfaction, that he had included pianist Wynton Kelly in one of his tributes. Ah well, you can't have everything!

Benny Green Trio at Yoshi's Oakland, California.

Jeff Hamilton Trio: "RED Sparkle"

Year: 2012

Style: Jazz

Label: CAPRI Records

Musicians:  Jeff Hamilton - drums; Christoph Luty - bass; Tamir Hendelman - piano.

CD Review: Jeff Hamilton is the kind of drummer who, once you hear him play, you desperately want to turn on everybody to him. Listening to Hamilton is akin to hearing a prudent drummer who has mastered the complexities of drumming to such an extent that confidence is the foundation on which material action (drumming) stands, and is expressed here, never loud, with marble smoothness on Jeff Hamilton Trio - "Red Sparkle." Simply put, this trio swings (Ain't That A Peach): they can't help it anymore than a red sparkle can look green; thanks to some stylish rhythm patterns from Israeli-born pianist Tamir Hendelman that firmly, but gracefully, draw the listener in to the trio's warmth of excitement; and extends into the exotica of Thelonious Monk's (Bye Ya).

Hamilton likes to tell the story of his first "Red Sparkle drum set," and growing up "playing drums along with his parents' Oscar Peterson records." That sparkle has added form and beauty to the millions of bandstand moments which have helped to shape him into one of the most exciting and complete drummers on the current jazz scene; able to augment the glow of Hendelman's tastefully poignant probe into the pathos and longing of Stephen Bishop's 1977 hit (On and On). But Hendelman is certainly at his "swingin''' best on his own composition (Hat's Dance), where he serves up tastelets of the cool "Canadian Sunset" swing of Eddie Heywood; classic-soaked slices of melody last heard from the incomparable Nat Cole Trio; and the cogent lyricism of the great Oscar Peterson.

Jeff Hamilton Trio: L - R Christoph Luty - bass;
Jeff Hamilton - drums; Tamir Hendelman - piano 

Like the main course in the middle of a sumptuous, succulent gastronomical feast, the Jeff Hamilton Trio embarks on three outstanding evergreens, Richard Whiting/Johnny Mercer's 1937 popular standard (Too Marvelous For Words) , David Raskin/Johnny Mercer's 1945 classic standard (Laura) and Harold Arlen/Truman Capote's popular (A Sleepin' Bee). (Too Marvelous For Words) is especially perfect for the trio, it has a memorable, swinging melody for which pianist Hendelman demonstrates distinct relish; and it comes with wonderful intervals for Hamilton and virtuoso bassist Christoph Luty to exploit with marvelous precision. Luty's playing on (Laura) is thoughtful, resonant and imbues Hendelman's searching melody with a depth of feeling that overlays the vulnerability of the lyric with added assurance. The interchange of ideas between Luty's articulate bass and Hendleman's gently swinging chords (A Sleepin' Bee), clear nice space for Hamilton's suave brush work; a feature of his drumming talent that adds more harmonic sophistication the the trio's sound. Hamilton maintains that "with the trio you're naked... everything is exposed and everything you do is heard by everyone," This triptych of standards highlights the trio's versatility and wide rhythmic appeal; but more acutely, it certainly negates any suggestion that these jazz music emperors, "have no clothes."

Hamilton takes time to include a dedication to his 'Red sparkle' drums on the title track (Red Sparkle); reprising as closely as he might, the excitement, pride and joy that was his during those times when he enthusiastically accompanied his parents' Oscar Peterson records - just listen to the way he ends the track. However, the most moving dedication (I Know You Oh So Well), is reserved for the memory of the irrepressible bassist Ray Brown, with whom Hamilton enjoyed an especially important association. There is a palpable tenderness in the mood of the piece that is made more telling by the Luty's baleful bowing, and then steady, pulsing bass; Luty demonstrates an inherent feel for the mood and mission of the trio, adding a tender, delicious "swing."

The tastefully colored "Red Sparkle" ends with a bit of bluesy mood of indigo (In An Ellingtone), composed by bassist Christoph Luty, which I would like to think was inspired by, and gives a nod to, Ellington's innovative young master bassist Jimmy Blanton; simultaneously taking a look back at the giant who immortalized the words, "It Don't Mean A Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing"; providing the perfect mood for the trio to go out, as they came in... 'swingin' like they really mean it!'

Track Listing: Ain't That A Peach; Bye Ya; On and On; Hat's Dance; Too Marvelous For Words; Laura; A Sleepin' Bee; Red Sparkle; I Know You So Well; In An Ellingtone.

Recorded by Steve Genewick at Casa Amarilio Studio
Assistant Recording Engineer: Dori Amarilio
Mixed by Steve Genewick at LAFX Studios
Assistant Mixing Engineer: Chandler Herrod
Mastered by Ron McMaster at Capitol Mastering

Producer: Jeff Hamilton
Executive Producer: Thomas Burns

Jeff Hamilton plays Bosphorus "Hammer Series" Signature Cymbals, Regal Tip Signature Sticks and Brushes, Remo Gold Crown Drums and FD3 Heads and Hamilton Stands.