Jazzed January/February 2015 by John Pledger

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

$4.99

Compassion & Wisdom

2014 READERS POLL RESULTS

BASIC TRAINING

Dominant Chords

jazzedmagazine.com

THE LOST INTERVIEWS Red Norvo, 1994 – Part II

from

Jamey Aebersold Jazz

It’s no secret ... Jazz gives you creative freedom.

Take your playing to a whole new level with the world’s most popular jazz instructional materials. A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO JAZZ IMPROVISATION The David Hazeltine Method by Ben Markley

MAKING A CONNECTION WITH YOUR SAXOPHONE

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It’s one thing to know something. It’s another thing to be able to use that knowledge! This disconnect that all saxophone players experience has seldom been addressed. Here, Riposo provides instructional design that engages the whole brain and goes on to identify appropriate lesson materials and teaching techniques to integrate learned knowledge with natural performance.

Well-known pianist David Hazeltine used this method to develop his own style and refned it over the years to help his students. Now, it is available in book form for all who want to master the art of better phrasing.

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This is NOT a piano book. This is a single-line approach designed for ALL instrumentalists, including pianists.

VOL. 2

NOTHIN’ BUT BLUES FOR GUITAR by Corey Christiansen

VOL. 2 “NOTHIN’ BUT BLUES” for GUITAR by Corey Christiansen c V02G (BK/CD) $19.95 Jamey’s guitar adaptation of his famous “Volume 1 - How To Play Jazz” is so revered by guitarists, Jazz great Corey Christiansen has now adapted Jamey’s “Vol. 2 - Nothin But Blues.”

Formatted exactly like the “Vol. 1 Jazz Guitar” book, this includes all the scales and basic info you need to get started in Jazz Blues with TAB and Frames for the non-reading guitarist plus brand new BONUS tracks not found on the original Vol. 2 CD.

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CHORDS AND LINES IN MOTION by Andy Laverne

CHORDS AND LINES IN MOTION by Andy LaVerne

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By popular demand, noted jazz pianist, composer, author, and educator Andy LaVerne has created a unique and essential instructional DVD companion to his best selling book “Chords In Motion”.

Goes deep into the concepts and devices described in the book, and adds complementary linear approaches to the mix. Decades of performance proven concepts are presented and explained for in-depth study to put your own Chords & Lines In Motion. Includes trio performances to showcase the concepts in a “real-world” environment. An exclusive private lesson with Andy!

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ALL MOUTHPIECES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

Not getting what you want from your sax section? Maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the mouthpiece. It makes all the diference.

Let us put the JodyJazz in your sax section.

The people who only follow the rules – we don’t wind up knowing who they are. – Herbie Hancock

JA N UA RY/ F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 5

TMI:

contents

REPERTOIRE 12 Ezra Weiss explains a simple solution, which makes the act of learning repertoire more personable to jazz students.

BASIC TRAINING:

IMPROVISATIONAL DOMINANCE 14

conclude Dan Del Fiorentino’s interview with famed vibraphonist and composer, Red Norvo from November 5, 1994.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:

SELECTING A SAXOPHONE LIGATURE FOR JAZZ PERFORMANCE 30

Mark Sherman presents several different approaches to improvising over dominant chords.

Tracy Heavner demystifes the process of selecting the right ligature, and explains the importance of placement, material, and design.

SPECIAL REPORT:

WORKED UP:

Hundreds of jazz scholars and afcionados from across the country weighed in on the selection process. From “Best Jazz Group” to “Jazz Legend 2014,” read on to learn all of the winners of the past year.

Frank Gulino helps prepares today’s musicians for the business of working for themselves.

THE 2014 READERS POLL RESULTS 16

SPOTLIGHT:

HERBIE HANCOCK – COMPASSION & WISDOM 20 JAZZed talked with one of jazz’s most accomplished and acclaimed artists about his experiences as a musician and educator.

SURVEY:

JAZZ FESTIVALS IN 2015 24 JAZZed recently reached out to nearly 900 festival organizers across the globe to learn how festivals are organized, implemented, and maintained.

THE LOST INTERVIEWS:

RED NORVO – 1994, PART II 26 In this second installment of our “Lost Interviews” column, we

YOU’VE DEVELOPED YOUR ART, BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS? 38

departments EDITOR’S LETTER 4 NOTEWORTHY 6 Danny Bacher: WHAT’S ON YOUR PLAYLIST? 10 JAZZ FORUM 32 HOT WAX 34 GEARCHECK 40 CLASSIFIEDS 43 AD INDEX 43 BACKBEAT: ACKER BILK 44 Cover photograph: Douglas Kirkland

JAZZed® Volume 10, Number 1, January/February 2015, is published six times annually by Timeless Communications Corp., 6000 South Eastern Ave., Suite 14-J, Las Vegas, NV 89119, (702) 479-1879, publisher of Musical Merchandise Review, School Band & Orchestra and Choral Director. Standard Mail Postage Paid at Las Vegas, NV and additional mailing ofces. Subscriptions to JAZZed are available through our website, www.jazzedmagazine.com/subscribe. JAZZed is distributed to the music trade by Hal Leonard Corporation. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to JAZZed, PO Box 16655, North Hollywood, CA 91615-6655. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright ©2015 by Timeless Communications Corp., all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

JAZZed • January/February 2015

editor’sletter

CHRISTIAN WISSMULLER

Rule-Changers I

n Ken Burns much-acclaimed (and much-debated) 2001 documentary, Jazz, noted critic and novelist Albert Murray stated, “When you see a jazz musician playing, you’re looking at a pioneer, you’re looking at an explorer, you’re looking at an experimenter, you’re looking at a scientist, you’re looking at all those things because it’s the creative process incarnate!” Heady stuf, to be sure, but for the most part it’s a sentiment shared by many, including this issue’s cover subject, Herbie Hancock. Few come to the table with the sort of background that Hancock can boast, so when he cautions of the perils of getting in the way of a jazz musician’s “exploration,” you best listen. In pursuing music scholarship, he notes that we, “are taught to follow rules that were made by people who didn’t follow rules!” He closes our interview with a warning to educators: “Be careful of stifing that which we may not be able to see so easily, and that is: what the student may be able to ofer as a rule-changer.” Of course, life is most frequently too complex to be successfully navigated simply via punchy sound bites and maxims. If you’re a music instructor and you’ve been tasked with imparting the parameters and traditions of jazz, you can’t simply “get out of the way” of your wards’ every inclination. There are, in fact, “rules” – scales, chord structures, concepts behind counterpoint and harmony – that defne the language of music and these bits of knowledge actually do need to be explained to any aspiring player. So the challenge for the jazz teacher, then, becomes how to straddle the line between passing on the traditions and conventions of music while not “stifing” the instincts of any potential rule-changers who might step into your classroom. In talking with music instructors for the past many (too many to want to consider, really) years, it seems to me – and this will likely come as no surprise – that most take the approach of: give students the tools, make sure they know how to use them and how they’ve been used in the past, and then… sit back and watch them do their thing. As Charlie Parker once advised, “You’ve got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you fnally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail!” Or, as Mr. Hancock observes in this issue, when refecting on his own evolution as a musician, “My foundation is very much in jazz. That foundation, however, has made it possible for me to explore those other genres and those other territories, and expand to the point where some of the music that I played is difcult to categorize into this single genre of ‘jazz.’ Jazz gives you that fexibility.” As we begin a new year and look forward to our own new challenges and triumphs, here’s hoping that all of us make sure to understand and respect what’s come before, while never fearing to take risks and make the new rules, ourselves.

Give students the tools, make sure they know how to use them and how they’ve been used in the past, and then ... sit back and watch them do their thing.

January/February 2015 Volume 10, Number 1 PRESIDENT Terry Lowe tlowe@timelesscom.com Editorial EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@timelesscom.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Paige Tutt ptutt@timelesscom.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mike Lawson mlawson@timelesscom.com Art ART DIRECTOR Garret Petrov gpetrov@timelesscom.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Mike Street mstreet@timelesscom.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Angela Marlett amarlett@timelesscom.com Advertising ACCOUNT MANAGER Matt King mking@timelesscom.com ACCOUNT MANAGER Dave Jeans djeans@timelesscom.com ACCOUNT MANAGER Robb Holzrichter robb@timelesscom.com GREATER CHINA Judy Wang Worldwide Focus Media C: 0086-13810325171 E: judy@timelesscom.com CLASSIFIED SALES Erin Schroeder erin@timelesscom.com Business VICE PRESIDENT William Hamilton Vanyo wvanyo@timelesscom.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Erin Schroeder erin@timelesscom.com

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JAZZed • January/February 2015

noteworthy Inaugural Tucson Jazz Festival The inaugural Tucson Jazz Festival runs from January 16 until January 28. The average daytime high temperature during that same time in 2014 was 74.5 degrees. The festival is, primarily, a downtown event with locations at the Fox and Rialto theatres and a free Downtown Tucson Fiesta on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 19, with two stages featuring local musicians. The special guest artist is drummer Jimmy Cobb, the only living member of the Miles Davis band that recorded “Kind of Blue.” Highlights of the festival include a performance on Jan. 24th by Billy Childs

and JD Couther. The Robert Glasper Experiment will take the stage at the Rialto on Jan. 17th. Allan Harris will sing a tribute to Nat “King” Cole at the Fox Theatre on Jan. 25th, with the Tucson Hard Bop Quintet (featuring Brice Winston) opening, and special guest Dave Stryker. tucsonjazzfestival.org

36th Festival International de Jazz de Montreal The 36th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal will take place from June 26 through July 5, 2015. Look forward to performances from Jesse Cook, Snarky Puppy, The Stanley Clarke Band, Steven Wilson, The Bad Plus with Joshua Redman, Bebel Gilberto, Eliane Elias, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. There will also be a tribute to Piaf by Richard Galliano and Sylvain Luc.

A few diferent prizes will be awarded, as they are each year, such as the Ella Fitzgerald Award rewarding vocal talent, the Miles Davis Award acknowledging International Jazz Careers, the Oscar Peterson Award rewarding exceptional contribution to Canadian Jazz, and the Antonio Carlos Jobim Award rewarding an artist in the domain of world music. montrealjazzfest.com

Katz Named To Berklee Board of Trustees Berklee College of Music has named Joel Katz, a leader in the feld of entertainment law, to its board of trustees. Katz is former chairman of the American Bar Association’s Entertainment & Sports Section. His clients are some of the world’s most well-known entertainers, producers, record labels, concert promoters, and Fortune 500 companies, including Kenny Chesney, Julio Iglesias, Willie Nelson, Ludacris, Michael Jackson’s estate, the Country Music Association, Dick Clark Productions, and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS). 6

JAZZed • January/February 2015

“As I have spent my entire working life in the entertainment and music business, being now included on Berklee’s board will give me a chance to give back even more to an industry that has been so good to me,” said Katz. “I look forward to working with the school administration, the teaching and professional team, and of course the students. I hope to be able to give of my experiences in the artistic community directly to the students.” berklee.edu

12th Annual Panama Jazz Festival The 12th Annual Panama Jazz Festival will be held January 12th-17th, 2015 at the City of Knowledge in Panama City and the recently founded Danilo’s Jazz Club, located at the American Trade Hotel in the Old Quarter of Panama City. The headliners for the year’s festival include founder and artistic director Danilo Perez and his recently assembled Children of the Light Trio, featuring bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade, who is also the frst Resident Artist of the Festival. The festival honors multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, whose father was Panamanian. Additional headliners include the Benny Golson Quartet, Ruben Blades, Miguel Zenon, Pedrito Martinez, Omar Alfanno, Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band, Patricia Zarata with her band MapuJazz and special guest singer Claudia Acuna, and Phil Ranelin and Matt Marvuglio giving a special tribute to Eric Dolphy. German duo Uwe Kropinski & Michael Heupel will be featured, as well as international artists and clinicians such as Richie Barshay (USA), Ehud Ettud (Israel), Tom Patitucci (USA), Jorge Perez (Peru), Kevin Harris (USA), Marco Pignataro (Italy), Ricardo del Fra (France), Orion Lion (Chile), Shea Welsh (USA), Sissy Castrogiovanni (Italy), among others. panamajazzfestival.com ticketplus.com.pa

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SOUND LEGACY

noteworthy

Free Charlie Haden Memorial Concert in NYC A free memorial concert celebrating the life of bassist Charlie Haden, who died July 11, is scheduled for New York’s Town Hall at 7 p.m. on January 13. No tickets are required, and doors open at 6 p.m. The lineup features Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Carla Bley, Denardo Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, the Haden Family, Lee Konitz, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Steve Swallow, Quartet West (Alan Broadbent, Ernie Watts, Rodney Green, with Scott Colley on bass), and Liberation Music Orchestra (with Carla Bley, Tony Malaby, Chris Cheek,

Loren Stillman, Michael Rodriguez, Seneca Black, Curtis Fowlkes, Vincent Chancey, Joe Daley, Steve Cardenas, Matt Wilson, with Steve Swallow on bass). More performers will be announced. Tax deductible donations to benefit the Charlie Haden CalArts Scholarship Fund to assist jazz students in need can be made at the venue or sent to: P.O. Box 520, Agoura Hills, CA 91376. The Town Hall is located at 123 W. 43 St. in Manhattan. thetownhall.org/event/624celebrating-charlie-haden-19372014

McBride Named Keynote Speaker for Jazz Connect Conference The organizers of the Jazz Connect Conference announced that bassist/composer/bandleader/radio host Christian McBride would give the keynote presentation at the Conference on Thursday, January 8 at 12:15 p.m. Presented by JazzTimes and the Jazz Forward Coalition, the Jazz Connect Conference takes place on January 8-9, 2015 at Saint Peter’s Church in New York City. The conference brings together members of the jazz community from

Jazz Quartet

all over the globe in a series of panels, workshops, and events. With a theme of “strength through community,” Jazz Connect leads in both the APAP|NYC conference, which begins on that Friday, and Winter Jazzfest, which takes place on Friday and Saturday nights. Additional discounts are available for members of various organizations, such as APAP, Chamber Music America, Jazz Journalists Association, JazzWeek, SESAC, Local 802, and several others. jazz-connect.org

PLAY...YOUR WAY.

11th Annual Next Generation Jazz Festival Announced

The Monterey Jazz intonation to on n nation • pr pro projection je ec ctio c on re respo response ons o nse e • control ol • in Van • Gogh Festival has announced centered nte te er e ered cor core re • d da dark • patented dt te technology e echnolog gy • c ce articulation ticu cul ulat tion on • evenness ev of scale e • no n ree reed dm ma mash its 11th annual Next superior rior or reed g reed grip • eases transitions tion ns s • bols b bolsters ls Platinum Versa-X Generation Jazz Festiojection • response nse • control • inintonation • pro projection • response • control • in val, featuring middle dark • patented technology • cecentered core • dark • patented technology • ce venness of scale • no o ree reed masharticulation ul tio • evenness of scale ulatio • no reedschool, mash school, high rip • eases transitions n • bo ns bolsterssuperior ior reed ree ee grip • eases transitions • bolsters conglomerate school, intonation • proje p projection • response onse • c control • in and college jazz musicians and vocalists. The Next Generacentered core re • da dark • patented d tech technology ch • ce articulation • evenness eve of scale le e • n no reed mash tion Jazz Festival will take place in Monterey, California from Rectangular superior reed grip • eases Bore transitions • bolsters March 27-29. jection • response • control • Clarinet inintonation • projection • response • control • in Barrel Applications are •now dark • patented technology • cecentered core • dark • patented technology ce being accepted from middle school venness of scale • no reed masharticulation • evenness of scale • no reed mash big bands, high school big bands, combos, vocal jazz ensemip • eases transitions • bolsterssuperior reed grip • eases transitions • bolsters bles and composers, conglomerate high school big bands and combos, and college big bands, combos, and vocal jazz ensembles through January 15th, 2015. The top groups will win cash awards and be invited to perform at the 58th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, Sept. 18-20, 2015. Application instructions are found at the Monterey Jazz Festival’s website. Covered by one or more U.S. Patents. Additional patents applied for. See website for details. montereyjazzfestival.org www.rovnerproducts.com 8

JAZZed • January/February 2015

NOLA Jazz & Heritage Foundation Opens Heritage Center

2015 Grammy Jazz Nominees Include Chick Corea, Fred Hersch and Billy Childs, Among Others

The 12,500-square-foot George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center, located at 1225 N. Rampart St., includes a 200-seat performance hall and seven classrooms. It will serve as the frst permanent home of the foundation’s Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music. The center will host other programs produced by the foundation and will be available for other arts organizations’ classes and events. jazzandheritagecenter.org

The 2015 Grammy Nominations have been announced, and a few familiar jazz-related nominees are in the running. Chick Corea is nominated in the “Best Improvised Jazz Solo” category, and he’s up against Fred Hersch, Joe Lovano, and Brad Mehldau. “Best Jazz Instrumental Album” sees Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band up against the Chick Corea Trio, the Fred Hersch Trio, Jason Moran, and Bobby Hutcherson, David Sanborn, and Joey DeFrancesco, featuring Billy Hart. For “Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album,” The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra has been nominated, along with Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Rufus Reid, the Archie Shepp Attica Blues Orchestra, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. grammy.com/nominees

Carter, Mehldau, Golson and Other Jazz Artists To Perform at Disability Pride Fundraiser also perform at the fundraiser. All proceeds from the concert will go toward establishing an annual disability pride parade in New York City. The concert will take place from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Quaker Friends Meeting Hall, 15 Rutherford Pl., which is near 15th St. and 3rd Ave. disabilitypridenyc.com

Wisconsin Conservatory Jazz Festival

March 19 - 21, 2015

PHIL WOODS & BRIAN LYNCH in concert with

Competition - 3/20 & 3/21 Middle and high school ensembles are invited to take part in competitive performances, clinic sessions, workshops and master classes. Jazz greats, including Phil Woods, Brian Lynch and the WCM Jazz Institute Faculty, share their remarkable experiences with students and teachers.

Concert - 3/19 Brian Lynch with We Six present original compositions. Wisconsin Conservatory of Music 7:30 pm. Tickets call 414-276-5760.

More information & registration 414-276-5760 ext. 380 nherro@wcmusic.org. wcmusic.org.wisconsin-conservatory-jazz-fest/ Wisconsin Conservatory of Music McIntosh|Goodrich Mansion 1584 N. Prospect Ave. | Milwaukee, WI 53202 wcmusic.org | 414-276-5760

friday, march 20

7:30

Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts 929 N. Water St., Milwaukee

TICKETS

On January 8, a New York City fundraising concert for Disability Pride NYC will feature Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Brad Mehldau, Jimmy Cobb, Harold Mabern, George Coleman, Bill Charlap, and others. Jazz keyboardist Mike LeDonne – whose 10-year-old daughter is disabled – started the nonproft organization. LeDonne will

Call 414-273-7206 Purchase in-person Visit marcuscenter.org Adults: $30 Students: $15

(available at box offce w/ ID)

January/February 2015 • JAZZed

playlist

DANNY BACHER

WHAT’S ON YOUR PLAYLIST?

1. Louis Armstrong – The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings This box set really embodies what, I feel, is the true beginnings of jazz as a respectable art form in this country. There are so many important recordings in this set, and that’s the reason I keep coming back to it. Every time I listen, I discover something new from Pops. From Satchmo classics like “Heebie Jeebies,” which is said to be the birth of Scat singing, when Armstrong dropped his music at the session, and began improvising on horn-like syllables, to the much studied and celebrated cornet solo on “Potato Head Blues” this is the stuf of legend. 2. Ultra-Lounge: Wild Cool & Swingin’ – Artist Series, Vol. 1: Louis Prima & Keely Smith One singer/consummate performer that always makes it in the mix is the great Louis Prima. These recordings represent the best of the legendary Capitol recordings by Prima and his then-wife, the always amazing Keely Smith, along with tenor sax titan, Sam Butera with his group, The Witnesses. I absolutely love the contrast of Prima, “That Wild and Crazy Guy,” with the subdued and sultry Smith. Add the infectious beat of Butera and the band, and you have what sums up the greatest era of the golden age of Las Vegas when jazz was the pop music of the day. There’s a nice blend of standards, like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and “Old Black Magic” done in that inimitable “Prima” style, along with originals such as “Jump, Jive, An’Wail.” One often forgets what a gifted composer Prima was, who penned “Sunday Kind of Love,” and “Sing, Sing, Sing.” For me, this album conjures up a time when the Strip was all about the great line-up of musical entertainers. 3. Louis Jordan – The Anthology This set has so much of Jordan’s classic repertoire, along with many 10

JAZZed • January/February 2015

JOHN ABBOTT

Newcomer, singer/saxophonist Danny Bacher grew up in Wayne, New Jersey, home to one of the fnest Jazz Departments in the country at William Patterson University. As a high school student, Bacher received much of his informal training there playing with student ensembles, attending workshops, and meeting jazz icons such as Norman Simmons, Rufus Reid, Ray Brown, and watching the likes of Sonny Rollins, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Joe Williams perform. He later graduated from New Jersey City University’s Music and Theater program with a concentration in Jazz Performance. Bacher continues to pass on his enthusiasm for jazz to his students now, while getting ready to launch his debut album in 2015, Swing That Music. The disc features an impressive array of contemporary jazz luminaries including Ray Drummond, Warren Vache, Howard Alden, Bill Goodwin, Houston Person, Pete McGuinness, Jason Teborek, and rising vocal star, Cyrille Aimée. Danny’s friend and former sax teacher, Dr. David Demsey of WPU, also lends his talents to the project. Rounding out this dream team is executive producer Suzi Reynolds and Grammy-nominated producer Roseanna Vitro.

JOHN ABBOTT

BY CHRISTIAN WISSMULLER

rare gems for listeners to discover. Hits like, “Caledonia,” and “Let the Good Times Roll” helped to put Jordan on the map, which not only proved his chops as a top swing performer, but also made him really one of the frst crossover artists of his day. Many consider Jordan to be as much R&B as jazz. Jordan has certainly infuenced many great artists, including Ray Charles, who recorded quite a few Louis Jordan originals. Listening to Jordan, you get the feel for the pure entertainment that this music was at a time when jazz was king. Jordan’s pure sense of fun really shines, and one often hears a spoken-word segment weaved throughout his numbers. In fact, I would actually consider Jordan to be the frst rap artist. 4. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim – “Sweeney Todd” Original Cast Album Though technically not a jazz album, I must bring attention to what I feel is the greatest contribution to another great American art form, musical theater. Jazz and Broadway have always been close relatives and, after all, it was Broadway that gave us the Great American Songbook. Composers like Gershwin, Berlin, and Kern are all synonymous with jazz. But listening to Sondheim’s composition and complex, exquisite harmonies, you can’t help but see the bridge between Jazz and Musical Theatre. When I re-visit this album, (and I do quite often) I’m reminded how Sondheim, like Bernstein, has done so much to further, and challenge the musical theatre “norms” and bring the art form to new heights. “Pretty Women” along with “Not While I’m Around” both from this score, have become somewhat standard among Jazz musicians and often recorded since the show’s initial opening in 1979. If you haven’t, I certainly suggest giving it a listen. It has everything you could want on a recording; beauty, suspense, horror, comedy, and cannibalism!

5. Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook I believe that Ella Fitzgerald should really be on everyone’s playlist. To quote Bing Crosby, “Man, Woman, and Child, Ella Fitzgerald is the Greatest Singer that Ever lived.” I would have to agree. Who has this woman not infuenced in jazz, pop, or anyone who has come after her? It really seems like an impossible task to pick only one album from the First Lady of Song, but one of my personal favorites is this one. This 1964 Verve release was the last in her acclaimed songbook series, which started in 1956. Verve paired Ella up with great arrangers, and gave us true American treasures. In the Mercer songbook, Ella’s arrangements are paired up with the incomparable Nelson Riddle, who was as much a composer as arranger, in the sense that he could take a song, and make the arrangement stand out as if the original composition was always meant to sound that way. I feel that once Riddle wrote an arrangement for a song, it became the fnal word, and from that point on was always associated with that song. Ella is in top form during this period, swings hard, and sings a ballad like nobody’s business. Tunes like, “Something’s Gotta Give” and “Too Marvelous for Words” are the perfect contrast to the Haunting Mercer song, and Raskin composition, “Laura” (which only appeared in melody form in the Film) and Lionel Hampton’s rapturous melody, “Midnight Sun.” 6. Stan Getz/João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto Featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim Who can ignore the importance of bossa nova in the jazz world? This is really the one that started it all, and put this inimitable style on the map here and the world over. I have countless bossa recordings in my record collection, running the gamut from Cannonball Adderley to Disney classics performed in bossa nova style. Let’s just say, I’m a sucker for bossa. However, I always return to what in my opinion, is one of the best! Stan Getz’s tenor tone is superb and is still considered one of the most popular tenor men of all-time some twenty years after his passing. His intonation is impeccable, and his silky smooth sound is also the perfect compliment to Jobim’s compositions, and João and Astrud Gilberto’s vocals. Every track is a gem, but the standouts for me are “Corcovado,” pure beauty, and “So Danco Samba” which allows Getz’s energetic solo to soar. When you hear “The Girl From Ipanema” in Portuguese followed by English, for the frst time, (or the 750th time!) you can hear why this never gets old. 7. Frank Sinatra – Sinatra At the Sands With The Chairman of the Board, Count Basie and the Orchestra, and arrangements by Quincy Jones, you have a combination that will be sure to have you coming back for more, and more, and in case I forgot to mention, more! I’ve always enjoyed live recordings for the same reason one loves live theatre. The listener experiences the album as if really there. It’s how it happened that very night. This is a special historic experience, one that cannot be achieved by simply recording in a studio. Basie’s band is swinging harder than ever, and Sinatra is at the height of his career as a front man. I love the audience interaction, the Sinatra wit that comes through in his monologues, and the general sense of what an amaz-

ing time everyone was having while making this record. There are the hits for the Sinatra purists, like “Fly Me To the Moon” and “Come Fly With Me.” But there are also more obscure tunes, like “Street of Dreams,” and “Get me to the Church on time” complete with a burning tempo and the Basie Band is just killing’ on every tune. This album boasts one of the best Basie line-ups in history, including Marshall Royal, Freddie Green, Sonny Payne, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Harry “Sweets” Edison, and Al Grey to name a few. 8. Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges – Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues There are so many great Duke Ellington recordings out there. In fact, if I had to pick one to be stranded on an island with it would need to be a very large compilation that spans the 1920s to the 1970s. However, this one in particular keeps making the rounds on my playlist. It might seem odd that of all the Ellington recordings in his prolifc career, I would focus on one that contains not one original Ellington composition, or one track with the Ellington Big Band? I have one word… Hodges. What I fnd most intriguing about this album, is the small band setting, allowing Hodges to shine as the star voice in this recording (even though he got second billing!) This is such a simple concept, and the Ellington/Hodges combo was something that just really worked. Hodges smooth Alto tone was and still is one of my biggest infuences on sax, and he just sings on this record. The concept may be a blues album, but the piano accompaniment, arrangements, and sound is pure Duke! 9. Oscar Peterson Trio – Oscar Peterson Trio + One Clark Terry is a king among men, and has done so much as an ambassador of this music throughout the world. I have had the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions and hearing him play and sing. This recording is such a pleasure to hear, and Peterson really let’s C.T. do his thing on trumpet, fugelhorn, and as a vocalist. It was this recording that debuted Clark’s “Mumbles” style on the track of the same name. As the frst African American on NBC’s The Tonight Show band, he developed that signature vocal on that show. The trio comprised of Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums, plus one legendary trumpeter equals pure jazz gold. 10. Cécile McLorin – Womanchild One singer that has gotten my complete attention is 24-year-old Cécile McLorin Salvant. Her range, control, and skills as a jazz artist are just mind-boggling. She has taken classics like, “What a little Moonlight can Do” and has done things vocally that might have even made Betty Carter’s head spin! She brings such depth and soul to her poetic original, “Deep Dark Blue.” One impressive turn she takes is with a classic, “Nobody,” which was made famous nearly a century ago by the great comedy star Bert Williams, and makes it her own. Her versatility and dexterous vocal ability is something to look out for in the coming years, a comfort to know that in a world of auto-tuning technologically processed voices, there are still some real diamonds. Danny Bacher’s debut album, Swing That Music, will be released in early 2015. www.dannybachermusic.com. January/February 2015 • JAZZed

tmi

REPERTOIRE

By Ezra Weiss

’ve been hearing about quinoa for years now. It crops up more and more on menus at restaurants, and it’s supposed to be really good for you. Everyone tells me I should try it. I have no interest in this. I don’t really know much about quinoa. I know it isn’t pronounced the way it’s spelled. (I used to ask, “What is Queen Noah?” I quickly was corrected, “keen wah.”) I think it’s a grain, though I’m not actually sure. I think it looks like undersized, puny rice pellets, and I imagine the texture is either really hard or really gummy. Kind of like how I’d imagine putting a handful of ants into my mouth would feel. But I don’t really know. I’ve never tasted it. It could be the next bacon cheeseburger for all I know. So why my aversion? I think it’s because of the little voice in my head that comes out whenever somebody tells me I should do something. This is not a rational voice, but more a residual voice from my toddler years. Here’s how the conversation in my head goes: REASONABLE PERSON: You should try quinoa. ME: Don’t wanna. REASONABLE PERSON: Everyone says it’s really good for you. ME: Na-ah. REASONABLE PERSON: It will make you strong and healthy. ME: Nooooooo! (Puts hands over ears and sticks tongue out.) And the harder the reasonable person pushes quinoa, the more I don’t want to eat it. I’m not proud of this inner voice, but I can’t imagine I’m alone in having one. For many jazz students, learning repertoire is like being treated to a big bowl of quinoa.

Overwhelming Numbers Early on in a student’s jazz education, he or she often is presented with a list of standard tunes that “everybody should know.” Mark Levine’s list from The Jazz Piano Book is pretty defnitive, and it includes 250 song titles. (Full disclosure: I only know about 100 of the tunes on his list.) Oftentimes students are then told to memorize all the songs on the list, frequently even in 12 keys. They are told that they need to do this, in addition to studying classical repertoire, and also are expected to write their own original tunes. Not surprisingly, many students feel overwhelmed. The frst thing they do is cross of the tunes they already know from the list. Then each of the remaining songs becomes a chore to be gotten through as quickly as possible. As an educator, I certainly have fallen into the trap of overwhelming students with these lists. The result is that the student spends all their time learning how not to suck at jam sessions, and no time learning how to actually sound good on anything.

We have to find what is special about each song and make it our own. Making it Personal The other day, I learned a song called “Father to Son” by Phil Collins. I don’t really know much of Phil Collins’ music, but I came across this song on a CD by the King’s Singers recorded in 1993. I had bought it for my toddler sons who like vocal harmonies. The lyric to this song really touched me, so I listened to it a bunch of times, and then set about playing it on the piano. When I played it, I’d hear the words of the song in my head. I’d think about my own father and my own children, and feel a lump in my throat as the emotions swelled within me. The song became very personal. Even though Phil Collins wrote it, “Father to Son” is not a particularly popular song – maybe even obscure. I’m sure I could go my entire career as a pianist without knowing it, and no one would care. And yet, I’m glad I learned it. That personal feeling is why I play piano. So, should students only learn obscure and personal songs that nobody plays? I suppose they could do that, and they might feel some musical satisfaction in between pangs of hunger, since they won’t have any money for food. I’m joking, of course. It might be possible only to learn obscure songs, but it means they will have to work exclusively as a leader. They will not meet the professional musical requirements to be hired by anybody else. The trick is to learn the standards the same way we learn the obscure, personal tunes. That’s how these songs became standards in the frst place – enough people were touched by these songs that everybody decided to learn them. And that’s why these lists of tunes are actually amazing. They are a source of direction for musical inspiration. They are not to-do lists with chores that we cross out as quickly as possible. They are directories of works of art to be explored in as much depth as possible.

JAZZed • January/February 2015

We must love each song if we are to continue moving the repertoire forward. Learning the lyrics of a tune is another way to make it personal to us. For instance, I never really liked the song “Tea for Two” until I learned the words. Lyricist Irving Caesar’s verse section is particularly great. It begins: I’m discontented with homes that are rented, So I have invented my own. Darling, this place is a lover’s oasis, Where life’s weary chase is unknown. Check out the triple internal rhyme scheme! Because I know the words, I love hearing people play the verse section, even on instrumental recordings (such as Thelonious Monk’s and Bud Powell’s interpretations). And hearing the words in my head, this tune becomes a lot of fun to play, especially as a seductive ballad. Because of the lyric, I love this tune, and I play it in a way that is personal to me. We play songs diferently when they are personal to us, and the listener can hear it. No matter how many tunes there are to learn, we can only learn one at a time. Let’s make the most of that one. We must love each song if we are to continue moving the repertoire forward. Otherwise, we relegate these tunes to background music at cocktail parties. Last night, my wife informed me that she is making us quinoa this week. I’m actually looking forward to it – not because it’s good for me or because everyone says I should try it, but because I love my wife, because it’s personal to me.

VANISHED TWIN

We have to fnd what is special about each song and make it our own. We might express ourselves through a song by altering a chord change, or we might come up with a special introduction or ending, or we might even decide to re-harmonize the tune. Whatever we do, we must go beyond just playing the tune thoughtlessly, letting the Real Book dictate our artistry.

Composer/pianist Ezra Weiss holds a Bachelors in Jazz Composition from the Oberlin Conservatory and a Masters in Jazz Piano from Queens College. He has recorded seven albums as a bandleader, most recently Before You Know It [Live in Portland]. He has won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award three times, and currently teaches at Portland State University. www. ezraweiss.com

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January/February 2015 • JAZZed

basictraining

DOMINANT CHORDS

Improvisational Dominance by Mark Sherman

n this lesson, I present several approaches to dominant chords. A simple and very quick way to get moving with your improvisation is to use the these diferent scales over dominant chords: diminished, straight Mixolydian, and a Bebop scale. A great way to practice playing is to vamp over ii-V-I progressions working through the diferent keys, one at a time. Use Dorian for the ii and either Ionian or Lydian for the I. For the dominant V, start with one of the four scales presented in the music here, and rotate through the others, one at a time. Then you can mix the elements after mastering each. So you will be changing scales from Dorian for minor chords, to a 1/2 whole diminished scale (for example) for dominant chords, and Ionian (or Lydian) for the major chords. Try to play through the diferent scales while as-

HALF /WHOLE STEP SCALES

( C7, Eb7, H F#7, A7)

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( F7, Ab7, H B7, D7)

cending all the way to the top range, of your instrument, and then again descending all the way to the low range as you would with basic scale drills. You can also use this exercise with arpeggios by inverting each outline (1,3,5,7,9) up the ladder with the same directional continuation in groups of four arpeggios. On the dominant, use the QUADRANT (♭9 dominant diminished outline). Working these drills helps to make you “rootless” in the music, which is actually a good thing. There are many variations I have developed to go with these exercises, but this is the primary method, using eight notes, and sixteenths, and triplets with these elements, as well as scales in one direction or the other, and chord outline arpeggios in one direction or the other. Change to the very next note of the correct scale or outline. Keep direction con-

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Flat 9 Dominant Diminished Chord Cycle ( C7, Eb7, H F#7, A7)

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JAZZed • January/February 2015

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sistent, then begin to mix them. You will fnd that as you break it up, mix it up, and keep the direction, plus vary the rhythms, this drill will open up your improvising skills drastically. It will enlarge the palette of your language in the music itself, and you will be playing lines you have never heard come out of your instrument of choice before. 1. The three diminished ½-step whole step scales 2. The three diminished♭9 dominant 7 chord outlines which I call QUADRANTS 3. The straight mixolydian dominant scale 4. The dominant bebop scale. Mark Sherman has performed globally as a leader for 25 years, with tours to Europe and throughout Russia, China, Korea, The Philippines, Australia, the United States, and Canada. As a top-shelf jazz educator Mark has conducted master classes in over 15 diferent countries with the sponsorship of Yamaha Corporation, The Pro Mark Corporation, and Salyers Percussion. He is currently on the jazz faculty of The Juilliard School, New Jersey City University, and The New York Jazz Workshop. In the past he has been selected as a Jazz Ambassador for the United States State Department. In addition, Sherman is on over 170 CD recordings as a sideman, and has recorded 14 as a leader. To learn more about how to apply these elements and others such as the altered dominant approach. get Mark’s new book, Skills For The Poetic Language of Jazz Improvisation available at www.facebook. com/pages/Mark-Sherman-Music-Education/1505313676413571 Mark Sherman can be contacted through his site, www.markshermanmusic.com, or at msherjazz@aol.com.

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Juilliard

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JAZZ ENSEMBLES Kenny Barron Matthew Jodrell Rodney Jones Frank Kimbrough

FLUTE Mark Vinci

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January/February 2015 • JAZZed

Photo: Rahav Segev

C Dominant Scale

specialreport

READERS R POLL RESULTS

2014

eaction to our frst-ever Readers Poll was enthusiastic, with hundreds of jazz scholars and afcionados from across the country taking part in the selection process. Results across a variety of categories cover a wide range of well-known names, relative newcomers, and fat-out surprise selections. In the most tightly contested category, Sonny Rollins narrowly beat out two recent JAZZed cover subjects, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, for the “Jazz Legend 2014” award. Read on to learn all of the winners of the past year, according to our subscribers…

Blues Album

The Robert Cray Band – In My Soul 2. Gary Clark Jr. – Gary Clark Jr. Live 3. Keb’ Mo’ – Bluesamericana

Guitar Pat Metheney 2. John Scofeld 3. John Pizzarelli

World Artist or Group Jazz Artist

Sharrie Williams 2. Walter Smith, III 3. Nobresil

Chick Corea 2. Wayne Shorter 3. Ambrose Akinmusire

Jazz Group Snarky Puppy 2. Yellowjackets 3. SAYJE

World Album

Nobresil – Original 2. Rodrigo Y Gabriela – 9 Dead Alive 3. Los Lobos – Si Se Puede!

Electric Bass Victor Wooten 2. Stanley Clarke 3. Darin Scott

Jazz Album

Acoustic Bass

Snarky Puppy – We Like it Here 2. Ambrose Akinmusire – The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint 3. Walter Smith III – Still Casual

Blues Artist or Group BB King 2. Buddy Guy 3. Blue SAYJE

Christian McBride 2. John Pattitucci 3. Esperanza Spalding

Big Band Maria Schneider Orchestra 2. Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra 3. Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra

Male Vocalist Gregory Porter 2. Kurt Elling 3. Tony Bennett

Female Vocalist Diana Krall 2. Danielle Mason 3. Esperanza Spalding 16

JAZZed • January/February 2015

Drums Brian Blade 2. Matt Wilson 3. Jef Hamilton

Percussion Poncho Sanchez 2. Airto Moreira 3. Alex Acuna

Vibes Gary Burton 2. Warren Wolf 3. Bobby Hutcherson

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MATT VASHLISHAN

specialreport Flute Hubert Laws 2. Nestor Torres 3. Nicole Mitchell

College or University (Jazz Program) Soprano Sax

Berklee College of Music 2. University of Miami 3. Manhattan School of Music

Dave Liebman 2. Wayne Shorter 3. Branford Marsalis

Venue

Alto Sax

Smalls 2. Village Vanguard 3. Blue Whale

Kenny Garrett 2. Steve Coleman 3. Danielle Mason

Tenor Sax Chris Potter 2. Joshua Redman 3. Donny McClaslin

Baritone Sax Gary Smulyan 2. Adam Schroeder 3. Scott Robinson

Piano Herbie Hancock 2. Chick Corea 3. Brad Mehldau

Keyboard

Festival Monterey Jazz Festival 2. Newport Jazz Festival 3. Montreal Jazz Festival

Chick Corea 2. Herbie Hancock 3. Robert Glasper

Organ Joey DeFrancesco 2. Dr. Lonnie Smith 3. John Medeski

Jazz Radio Station (terrestrial or online) WBGO 2. KCSM 3. WWOZ

Jazz Website Trumpet Ambrose Akinmusire 2. Terrell Staford 3.Wynton Marsalis

Trombone Wyclife Gordon 2. Trombone Shorty 3. Steve Turre

Clarinet Anat Cohen 2. Ken Peplowski 3. Eddie Daniels

JAZZed â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2015

Record Label Blue Note 2. Sunnyside 3. Motema

allaboutjazz.com 2. jazzednet.org 3. jazzwax.com

Composer Maria Schneider 2. Gordon Goodwin 3. Jim Hollenbeck

Educator/Advocate Leslie Campbell 2. David Baker 3. Matt Wilson

Jazz Legend 2014 Sonny Rollins 2. Herbie Hancock 3. Chick Corea

n o r t h w e s t e r n u n i ve rs i t y

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Jazz Faculty Victor Goines, director; jazz saxophone and clarinet Carlos Henriquez, jazz bass Willie Jones III, jazz drums Jeremy Kahn, jazz piano Bradley Mason, jazz trumpet John P. Moulder, jazz guitar Marlene Rosenberg, jazz small ensemble

spotlight

HERBIE HANCOCK

herbie hancock

Compassion & Wisdom

DOUGLAS KIRKLAND

By Christian Wissmuller

mongst the most accomplished and acclaimed jazz artists of the past ffty-plus years, Herbie Hancock has also been, at times, one of the most divisive fgures within the genre. Hancock’s refusal to be pigeonholed by tradition or convention has led his career to crisscross through disparate musical traditions, including (but hardly limited to) funk, bop, gospel, blues, electronic, R&B, modern classical, and hip hop. Much like his early musical partner and mentor, Miles Davis, Hancock’s muse knows no boundaries. “Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk,” said Davis of Herbie, “and I haven’t heard anybody yet who has come after him.” 20

JAZZed • January/February 2015

Hancock’s truly is a life of, in, and defined by music. A piano prodigy who was performing Mozart concertos with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by the age of 11, Herbie gravitated towards jazz in high school and continued to pursue that passion at clubs in the Windy City while also studying music at Grinnell College in Iowa. After being invited to join Donald Byrd’s band in NYC, Hancock embarked on an instantly significant solo career and his debut disc, Takin’ Off, remains a classic. Next up was a defining point in his evolution, as Miles Davis asked Herbie to join his band in 1963 – just in time for the Seven Steps to Heaven sessions – where he remained for the next five

We are taught to follow rules that were made by people who didn’t follow rules!

Herbie Hancock Précis Selected album releases of note: Takin’ Of, My Point of View, Empyrean Isles, Maiden Voyage, Speak Like a Child (Blue Note), Fat Albert Rotunda, Mwandishi (WEA), Head Hunters, V.S.O.P., Vol. 1 (Columbia), Directstep (Wounded Bird), Live Under the Sky (Legacy), Future Shock (Legacy), Gershwin’s World, River: The Joni Letters (Verve).

Awards & Accolades Academy Award, Best Original Soundtrack (Round Midnight); 14 Grammy Awards; 5 MTV Awards; French Award Ofcer of the Order of Arts & Letters; Miles Davis Award (Montreal Jazz Festival); Down Beat Readers Poll Hall of Fame (2005); Recipient of 2013 Kennedy Center Honor.

years, with both artists impacting and influencing each other’s musical directions. Forays into funk and electric music in the late ‘60s and 1970s enhanced Hancock’s reputation as a fearlessly creative innovator, while subsequent decades saw more and more musicians of all styles – Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Seal, Jeff Beck, George Benson, Derek Trucks, the Marsalis Brothers, among many others – flocking to collaborate with one of the unquestioned giants of contemporary jazz. Throughout it all, Herbie Hancock has been an enthusiastic ambassador for jazz and music education, as well as a strident

supporter of initiatives promoting human rights and peace. Hancock serves as the Institute Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, is founder of The International Committee of Artists for Peace, was designated an honorary UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2011, is a professor at UCLA, and last January was named Harvard University’s 2014 Norton Professor of Poetry. In between promoting his highly praised new memoir, Possibilities (Viking), touring Europe, and preparing for delivering the keynote address at the 2015 JEN Conference, Herbie took a few moments to talk with JAZZed about his experiences as a musician and educator, and how he approaches both music and life.

JAZZed: Can you talk a little bit about your early development as a musician? Herbie Hancock: I started at the age of seven, when my parents bought me a piano for my birthday. I have an older brother and I had a younger sister and all of the three of us started taking lessons about three months after I got the piano. At that time, jazz wasn’t taught in any school that I was aware of, but at seven years old, I was not even interested in it. To me, jazz – that was my parents’ music. I mean, they played it around the house and they were into some of the big bands like Count Basie and some others. My mother, particularly, wanted us to study classical music because, to her, classical music was culture.

Makes sense. So how did you get hip to jazz? During my second year of high school there was a concert – a variety show that the senior class used to give every year. In that show the piano player, Don Goldberg, was actually in my class, so he was my age, and he was improvising on my instrument! By then I had playing piano for about seven years and was pretty good. Even though I didn’t really understand what Don was doing, I could sense that it was organized and it seemed like they were all having fun. Anyway, I went to him after the show and talked to him and asked. “How do you do that?” So that was the beginning. He said, “If you like what I am doing, maybe you should get some George Shearing records.”

Was there any educator from your early career as a young music scholar who had a lasting impact on you and, if so, what was it about, his or her or their teaching styles that resonated with you? Well my first teacher taught me how to read, but about two or three years later I had another teacher, Martha Jordan. She really taught me about dynamics and “feel.” That was very important to my own development as a player. January/February 2015 • JAZZed

HERBIE HANCOCK

DOUGLAS KIRKLAND

spotlight

One topic that we often revisit in this magazine, is how – in broad stroke terms – there are two avenues of education as musician, one being the traditional classroom or private lesson approach and the other being sort of learning by doing. What are the benefits to learning in a classroom setting compared to, as you did, playing and recording at such young age with people like Miles and others? Well, in the classroom you are being taught by a teacher who is telling the class what other musicians have done and imparting the rules that have resulted from what they had done. What we often don’t realize is that we are actually taught these rules that were created by people who broke the rules.

That’s a good point.

Later on you studied with Chris Anderson. What about his playing appealed to you? Can you discuss your time with him as his student? Chris, even though he was blind, he would use imagery. In other words, he might talk about the sound of water fow over the rocks or some other metaphors when discussing playing music.

That was effective for you? Well, it was. It was defnitely diferent! [laughs] I was in college and I went to school in Iowa. But in the summers I was at home in Chicago and at one point I heard Chris Anderson at a jam session and his playing just got to my heart. His harmonies… I’ve learned a lot about harmony from Chris. He taught more about stimulating me to open up my ears to some other approaches to harmony. Sometimes Billy Wallace and Harold Mabern and Chris and I would get together and we would decide on a ballad to work on and each guy would play in sequence and use substitute harmonies. We would keep going around and around and then when we exhausted that song, we’d take another ballad and do the same thing.

First off, what a group of players! Oh yeah. [laughs]

Also, what a good exercise to really stretch your abilities and challenge yourself. Yeah, so that kind of developed my ear for harmony and developed my eagerness to reach the other ways to harmonically express the music. 22

JAZZed • January/February 2015

The people who only follow the rules – we don’t wind up knowing who they are. They didn’t make a diference. So we are taught to follow rules that were made by people who didn’t follow rules! [laughs] That’s why, when I teach, I try to tell students, “I am telling you what other people did. Now I want you to go out and do something else, yourself.” That’s where the dangers are for traditional teaching. It can be confning, depending on the teacher. It can either discourage self-discovery or it can just simply not encourage it. Both things are very dangerous to creativity. For me, by the time I got to college I had learnt so much from playing jam sessions, basically on the streets, from other musicians that had shown me what they had learnt and shared their experiences with me. So I didn’t learn so much about that in college. Harmony is something I have learnt primarily from the street.

Interesting. But when it came to things like orchestration and learning about the fngerings of other instruments – bowing techniques and so forth – there was a class called “Instrumental Techniques” and I did study that in college. That was something that I hadn’t learnt on the street.

Was harmonic exploration part of the appeal when, as a high schooler, you watched your classmate, Don, improvising on the piano? Well, frst, when it came to this transition from classical music to jazz, harmonically, were vocal groups. One was the Four Freshmen, because they sang something that was a little more advanced than what we call barbershop harmony. The Hi-Lo’s were the next group that had a big impact on me, and they were even more advanced than the Four Freshmen, particularly their arrangements by a guy named Clare Fischer. And they blew my mind. I tried to fgure out what they were singing, and not just the notes, but where they ft in this scheme of things, harmonically. And some of the techniques that were used in writing for that group. That was early on, so it must have been after I heard this guy Don Goldberg. I’m not sure exactly where that would all ft in but it certainly was in my early teens.

What were some artists that continued this interest in harmonic development? Later, Bill Evans was a big infuence on me, but I had already been studying with Chris Anderson, prior to hearing Bill Evans. Later on I

began to listen to people like Stravinsky and even electronic composers – Stockhausesn was a big infuence. Later on, Chick Corea was an infuence. But in the early timeline, I would say from George Shearing, I then listened to Erroll Garner and then it was Oscar Peterson. Then I heard some of the west coast musicians like Chet Baker, and some other musicians. But then I started to hear the east coast musicians and that was a little harder edged, and I could feel that more. That’s when I started to cross over and listen to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and later on Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter, and of course Miles. Miles was always the top musician for me.

What was it like to getting to record or to play with him at such a young age? Well, frst let me tell you that I may have dreamed of playing with Art Blakey’s group or with some other well-known groups, but I never dreamed that I would ever play with Miles. Not in my wildest dream. That was a whole diferent category. That’s like being up with Zeus [laughs]. So when I did get the opportunity to play with Miles it was like the pinnacle of my dreams.

I can imagine. Yeah and it might have been beyond the pinnacle. It was the pinnacle, but beyond my dreams! [laughs] And it was unbelievable for me to be able to hear his sound and his approach, night after night. It was just a thrill.

You are one of only a handful of people who can claim to have that perspective, that experience. Was there anything in particular that you took away from, or learned, from sharing the stage, sharing the recording studio, sharing the jamming process with Miles that was specific to working with him? Well the frst thing that I had noticed about Miles was that he really knew how to listen. And so that pointed out the importance of listening. That was the frst thing. Because I could tell that he was listening to me by the notes that he played, but I could tell that he was listening to the drummer, Tony Williams, by the rhythms that he would play. I could tell that he listened to Ron Carter, the bass player, by the fow of the notes that he employed.

What an experience. Moving on to your solo career, while your music is rooted in jazz, nonetheless it often stretches the boundaries of musical genres. How important is it to you to be considered a “jazz artist”? Do such categories have much meaning for you, or do you just follow your own muse and leave it to fans and journalists to categorize, if they so choose? My foundation is very much in jazz. That foundation, however, has made it possible for me to explore those other genres and those other territories, and expand to the point where some of the music that I played is difcult to categorize into this single genre of “jazz.” Jazz gives you that fexibility. One of the frst things I tell people that I teach is that knowing how magnetic music is, sometimes kind of encompassing it may kind of fuel your life and your perspective. The best thing that you can do to improve your music is to work on your life.

The best thing that you can do to improve your music is to work on your life. Really, and what do you mean by that? Because nobody wants to hear B Flat 7 and B Major 7. That’s not music. [laughs] What’s the material, where does the material come from for expression? It comes from living life. So when people, musicians, tell me, “I am wasting my time because I’ve got this job working at McDonald’s,” I tell them, “You are not wasting your time at all. You have the opportunity to learn what being a human being is about and that’s the source material for music.”

What a great lesson to impart. Yeah, it is! [laughs] Well, I didn’t realize that until after I started practicing Buddhism. Indeed, I realized that a lot of lessons I learnt from Miles, for example, not only apply to music, but apply to life, too. I mean, I mentioned only one of them, which is listening closely, and that applies to life, too. I have a book that just came out and I tell stories in there about things I learnt from Miles and then how, later on, I realized they’re applicable as life lessons. When I frst went to Miles’ house, I was auditioning with Tony Williams and he and I were the frst people that were asked to come to his house. Ron Carter actually had already been in kind of an interim group that Miles had and so had George Coleman and, anyway, they were at the house and then Tony and I were the new guys. Miles only played for a few minutes and then he threw his phone down on the couch. Said, “Aah, shit,” and then he ran upstairs. We didn’t see him for the rest of the day, which was another two or three hours, but then Miles came down and told us to come back the next day. I found out years later that when Miles threw his phone on the couch and ran upstairs, he actually ran upstairs to his bedroom and he listened to us over the intercom.

Because…? Because he knew that we would be intimidated if he was down there. He wanted to hear us kind of unencumbered by that intimidation. Which is a sign of both compassion and wisdom – two qualities that apply to life, too. Miles was always nurturing us; I mean, he loved us. He was always encouraging us to bring our tunes, and he would work on the tunes to make them, quote-unquote, right. And so I learned a lot about space and provocative shaping of that rendition of the music.

How about when students are learning from you, nowadays? What is your favorite thing about teaching younger scholars, teaching jazz? I would say there are two things. One of them is sharing my experiences and experiences and the other thing is learning from the students.

That’s great. Okay, last question: Any words of advice to your fellow jazz educators? Yes. Be careful of stifing that which we may not be able to see so easily, and that is: what the student may be able to ofer as a rule-changer. January/February 2015 • JAZZed

survey

FESTIVALS

JAZZ Festivals in 2015

Is your jazz festival a for-profit or non-profit organization? For-proft 9.6%

hether we’re considering one of the “big boys” – Monterey, Montreal, Newport, et cetera – or smaller, locally-based afairs, jazz festivals represent a unique opportunity for fans and practitioners of the music and culture of jazz to congregate with like-minded individuals and to integrate and interact with a community. JAZZed recently reached out to nearly 900 festival organizers from across the globe to try and get some insight into how modern-day jazz gatherings tick. Below are a few of the results from our survey, ofering a snapshot of how festivals are organized, implemented, and maintained.

How many years has your festival been in existence?

Non-proft: 90.4%

Does your festival have a full-time, year-round staff?

1-5 years: 25% 6-10 years: 13.5% 11-15 years: 11.5% No 57.7%

16-20 years: 7.7%

Yes 42.3%

21-25 years: 7.7% 25+ years: 34.6%

For how many days does your festival run? Do you book local artists for your festival?

1 day: 21% 2 days: 19.2%

No 7.7%

3 days: 25% 4 days: 11.5% 5 days or more: 23%

Yes 92.3%

How many artists do you book for your festival? 1-5: 15.4% 6-10: 25% 11-15: 11.5%

What percentage of your festival’s performances are free to the public?

16-20: 11.5%

0%: 30.8%

51-60%: 1.9%

21-25: 7.7%

1-10%: 11.5%

61-70%: 1.9%

26-35: 3.9%

11-20%: 5.8%

71-80%: 7.7%

36-45: 7.7%

21-30%: 3.9%

81-90%: 3.9%

46-60: 3.9%

31-40%: 0%

91-100%: 25%

61+: 13.5%

41-50%: 7.7%

JAZZed • January/February 2015

thelostinterviews

PART 2

1994

RED NORVO

n this second installment of our “Lost Interviews” column, we conclude Dan Del Fiorentino’s conversation with famed vibraphonist and composer, Red Norvo from November 5, 1994. In this portion of the interview, Norvo goes into more detail about his wife, famed singer Mildred Bailey, as well as his post-WWII recorded output. In truth, Part II fnds Norvo’s narrative somewhat more scattered than what we saw in Part I, but it’s nonetheless fascinating to get the inside scoop on some of the most pivotal fgures and moments in popular jazz from “Mr. Swing,” himself.

Dan Del Fiorentino: I guess what we should probably do now is ask you a couple of great questions about your wife. We were talking earlier about Mildred, when you met her. I guess you were in Buffalo when you got married? Red Norvo: Right. We were at the Shea’s Theater in Bufalo.

And how was the acceptance of your marriage? By whom?

Well, those people that knew both of you, musicians in the band, and leaders, and other people that you knew. Oh, the musicians... Well, they took to her, they all liked Mildred. They got along with Mildred very well. She was, like, the frst girl singer, you know? And they more or less accepted her, see? 26

JAZZed • January/February 2015

My understanding, from talking to different people and reading some books, is you and Mildred definitely had this ability to bond with people, and to become friends with just about everybody you knew. That’s right. Well, Mildred was pretty straight up with people, you know what I mean? I mean, if anybody got out of line, you could be set on real good. She knew. She’d had a lot of experience. You know, she worked on the Barbary Coast before she came to Los Angeles. Did you know that? With Tommy Lyman – a great singer, café singer, one of the greatest that ever lived. And he had a club in New York after that, on the East Side. And he came to New York, too, and he stayed with us for a couple weeks, he and his wife, until he got set and everything.

Mildred gained tremendous success, especially on radio. What do you think was different about her than other girl singers at the time? Well, I don’t think there were any girl singers that didn’t look up to Mildred. Mildred could make a tune. I’d met a kid that was hanging around the Brill Building in New York called Johnny Mercer. And he’d written a tune – I’m trying to show you how Mildred afected people – he wrote a tune called “Lazy Bones.” And Mildred did it once on the air, and it was a big hit, a tremendous hit. Every singer in the country, I think, started to sing “Lazy Bones.” So I’ll show you how Mildred was. One Saturday, I had to go into town, to do something at the drum shop, and I went by the Brill Building. I walked into Johnny. And “Lazy Bones” has been a hit, and won the ASCAP award, and he had a big check. And he and Ginger [Meehan – Ed.] lived in Brooklyn, in a cold water fat in Brooklyn, and he worked for a guy that was a House of Representative in Washington, D.C. that wrote marches, and he had a contract with Miller Music that was owned by this guy. He’d write marches, and he was writing lyrics for marches. And so he’d written the frst pop tune with Hoagie, and when Mildred did it, she made such a hit out of it, he got the award from ASCAP. So I met him at the Brill Building that Saturday, and I said, “How you doing?” And he said, “Well, I don’t know.” I said, “What’s that?” He said, “It’s a check from ASCAP. I don’t have any money to get home, and we don’t have any money at home. Nobody knows me and I can’t get the check cashed.” So I said, “Well, wait a minute.” I called Mildred. I said, “Mildred, I’m with Johnny Mercer. He’s got a check from ASCAP, and he can’t get it cashed” She said, “Bring him home with you. I’ll call Ginger.” She called Ginger and said, “You take a cab from Brooklyn over here, Forest Hills. I’ll pay for it. Don’t worry about it. Now, get in a cab and come over.” They came over and spent the whole weekend, and we took them over on Monday morning to the bank at Forest Hills and got the check cashed for them. [laughs] I think it was $20,000, which was a hell of a lot of money for him at that time. Of course, he made millions later, but we had a ball that weekend. Teddy Wilson and Irene [Wilson/Kitchings – Ed.] came out to the house on a Sunday, and he played, and they were making up lyrics, [laughs] singing the blues and making up lyrics, Mildred and he. It was funny.

So you knew his wife. I guess Ginger just passed away this last week. [Ginger Meehan/Mercer passed away October 30, 1994 – Ed.] Yeah, I know she did. She hadn’t been well. I’ve called her a number of times. After Johnny died... He died with the same thing that my second wife died with, Eve: brain cancer. But I called her after Johnny died. I saw her over at a delicatessen here once after Johnny died. She was going to Europe with her attorney and his wife, and then she came back. And I called her a number of times, and I knew she wasn’t right. And so I just called and leave a message, and the nurse took care of her, would take the message and write it down and give it to her. So I knew she died. Very sad. Mildred was a very good friend of another writer, who just adored her, Willard Robison. Did you ever hear him?

No, who was he? “Cottage For Sale”?

Oh, sure. “My Old Deserted Farm.” Oh God, he wrote a lot of them. Wonderful tunes. Willard was a great writer, lyric writer, and music writer. Well, you’ve heard Jack Teagarden play “Old Folks,” haven’t you?

Sure, yeah. And... Oh, God, I got a bunch of them around here. I had most of

his stuf. He’s a good friend of mine, too. In fact, after Mildred died, she was cremated, and we took her ashes up to her farm in New York, and sprinkled them on the farm, Willard and I.

That must’ve been an extremely hard time for you. Right. You know, there are four singers that died at age 44? Did you ever know this? Yeah, Billie Holiday, Mildred Bailey, Ivie Anderson, and Velma Middleton, that worked with Louis Armstrong. I just happened to remember that – when I read it, it stuck in my mind. Ivie Anderson died at 44, and Velma Middleton.

Was Mildred sick? Yeah. We were divorced, and I had remarried. And I went to New York, and I had a daughter, son, and a young baby. So we were in New York, and I was working at the Embers in New York. It was a trio. It was Mingus and Tal, Tal Farlow. And so Mildred was very friendly – it was a friendly divorce. And so I came in and the trio was knocking everybody over in New York, the idea of a trio. Nobody had done that. So we were in that club, and Mildred had come in, and she’s very proud of it, and happy with the thing. And so we, on Sundays, we’d go out to the farm, spend the weekend out at Mildred’s, even the kids, and a doctor friend of mine, who was a good friend of all the bands. But Mildred, I don’t know. We lived here in in Santa Monica, when we came out with Woody, and we played, and we played over at Tommy Dorsey’s Pacifc Ocean Park here that summer. And we just fell in love with Santa Monica. So when Woody broke the band up and went back East, we just moved here. And we’ve been here ever since. And I don’t know, it just worked out fne, living here. But I don’t know, Mildred – my wife was just going to have my daughter Portia, and she was pregnant, and was in her ninth month, and Mildred had caught a cold working in Blue Angel in New York. The air conditioning had afected her, and she’d caught a cold, and, I don’t know… After a break in the conversation, Red and Dan continue their chat, picking up by discussing Norvo’s professional partnerships after World War II… RN: Benny’s band broke up, and my band broke up, on account of the war. So fnally after the war, that’s when Benny got the big band together. I went with that, too, because we did work theaters, you know? And then later I got a band for William Morris. When Duke left Irving Mills, he went with the William Morris Agency. And so William Morris, Jr. came to me and said, “I love that band that you had in Chicago at the Blackhawk [The Blackhawk – 1920-1984 – was a restaurant in the Chicago loop that became nationally known for embracing Big Band music – Ed.], and played the Commodore here in New York.” And he said, “We got Duke Ellington. We’re opening a band department. Will you get a band for me?” And I said, “Well, I don’t know.” I said, “If you let me get who I want to get, and the arranger I want to get.” Because when Mildred and I worked the Commodore Hotel in New York, with that band, it used to be Johnny Thompson, William Kapell, the concert pianist, and Eugene List and his wife. The four of them used to come, and they were students at Juilliard in New York. And they would spend every Friday night at the Commodore and listen to the band. So I formed a small band during a period when nothing was happening and we went down, played dates. That’s where I met Charlie Parker, who I later recorded with, he and Dizzy. But we went down to Texas and Dallas and Houston, outdoor concerts, and a fella danced by, and he waved, and I said, “Gee, I know you.” He said, “Yeah, I’m Johnny Thompson.” I said, “Oh, you used to come to the Commodore.” And so he read in the Down Beat where I was forming this band for William Morris. And he was getting married, and instead of coming to California for his honeymoon, he went to New York, and the frst day I rehearsed that band, he walked in. And I put him to work all the way. He made all the arrangements of that band. And it was a very, very successful band. January/February 2015 • JAZZed

thelostinterviews Yeah, that was a great band you put together then.

She teaches where? Dominique Eade teaches at New England Conservatory. necmusic.edu/faculty-profles/dominique-eade

Yeah, it was... Well, it was a woodwind section, fve saxophones, six brass, and the record just came out of that. We had three trombones, three trumpets, and fve saxophones. It was all doubled woodwinds. It was a wonderful band. And Bob Kitsis on piano. He left Tommy Dorsey to join the band, he was so thrilled with the band. The writing in the band was wonderful. Johnny Thompson made all the arrangements. I wrote a bunch of tunes, too. I wrote a thing called “Suspicious Suspension,” and, oh, I don’t know, a couple other little things. Later when I came to California I was playing vibraphones, and Capitol Records talked to me and said, “We have taken a survey of schools and everything, and the most popular is the xylophone. Would you make an album for us?” I said, “My God, I don’t know. I haven’t played xylophone for a long while.” They said, “Well, you could play it. You play vibes.” I said, “Yeah, but the touch is diferent. Vibe players are not necessarily xylophone or marimba players. It’s all diferent mallets. The touch is diferent.” So I tell you, I said, “You give me two months, and I’ll get my nose to the grindstone, and I’ll try to get my chops back.” And they said, “OK.” So that’s when he made it, and Johnny made the arrangements. And we got through making that album at fve minutes of 12:00, before the union would strike. Remember when you couldn’t make records?

Right. Yeah, well, just before that. There was twice it happened, but the frst time was that album. We got through. And we had a wonderful cast. I had woodwinds and xylophone. And it’s still… I tried to buy it back from Capitol a few years ago. They didn’t even know they had the album [most likely Red Norvo at the Xylophone with Orchestra, Capitol Records, 1949 – Ed.].

Is that’s currently available, Red?

He teaches where? Jason Moran teaches at New England Conservatory. necmusic.edu/faculty-profles/jason-moran

I don’t know. I don’t know. I have a page of it. Now, I’m having lunch today with the English professor here at the school and I think he’s got a copy of it. I had a copy of it, but Yale came, and they wanted the arrangements that Eddie Sauter had made. They were in my garage, in a room next to my garage here, and they were just deteriorating. They were going to pieces, you know. So they called me and said, “Gee, we’d love to have them.” I said, “Look, if you want them, you come and get them.” So they came here, and I’d sold a lot of stuf that I had for about $2,000, frst issues, like, of, you know, diferent musicians, like, oh, the alto player that went to Jef. What’s his...? Oh, I forget some of these names. Anyawy, so when Yale came out to get these arrangements, I said, “Take those albums. You take them.” Because I said, “If I die, my grandchildren will probably throw them out in the ocean, sailing them out in the ocean here.” So I said, “You might as well take them.” So they took them, and they took a lot of tapes, too, that they shouldn’t have taken. So when I tried to get the tapes back, the guy that was out here had retired. So I was up against a wall. And that’s what’s going on now. I got a letter from Switzerland. They brought a tape that Benny had left in his house, this thing that he wanted to play to listen to, and they’re trying to put it out on CD. And then we were never paid for it. So Flip and Bill Harris and all these guys got money coming. Of course, Bill Harris passed away, but Jack Sheldon, and quite a band. But that’s what Benny’s best touring band in Europe was. He took the quintet that I played in Vegas with – Jerry Dodgion, Red Wooten, and the drummer [probably John Markham – Ed.], and Jimmy [most likely Jim Wyble – Ed.] on guitar, and myself. And he’d take that, and he’d add Jack Sheldon on trumpet, Bill Harris on fute, and the piano player. I forget what’s his name. I can’t think of it now. He’ll come to me in a minute. [probably Russs Freeman – Ed.]

Photo by Vincent Soyez

[laughs] Red, this is, you know, just so exciting for me to listen to these great stories. I’m wondering, out of everything that we’ve talked about: what do you think you can consider the highlight of your career? Oh, don’t ask me that. [laughs] Because I don’t know! It’s been just one long highlight, to me. You know, because I remember going back, and tried to repeat is what I did. I mean, I went from 52nd Street Band with Dave Barber, and that bunch, and build a bigger band to go in the Commodore, and then fshed it over to be in Chicago at the Blackhawk after we were in Syracuse. We played eight weeks in Syracuse at the Hotel, Syracuse Hotel. And that’s where I formed the band.

Sounds like a great outfit. Yeah, it was.

Have you been out to see Shorty recently? No, I haven’t been able to go, but my grandson went out yesterday and day before. His wife is staying at the hospital, too. She has a room at the hospital.

Oh, gosh. That’s too bad. Yeah, he’s not good. Oh God, I don’t know how I say this. But [his wife] called me and said, “Shorty’s in a coma.” I said, “What?” This is a week ago. And I said, “Oh my gosh.” So I said, “I’ll say a prayer for him.” So all night I kept praying and saying, “Shorty, this is Red. Wake up, wake up.” So when she called me the next day, I said, “I kept praying. I said, ‘Wake up, Shorty.’” She said, “I told him, and he laughed when he woke up. He made it, and that’s it.” [laughs] He laughed, and I did, too. And we all helped him.”

He teaches where? Miguel Zenon teaches at New England Conservatory. necmusic.edu/faculty-profles/miguel-zenon

That’s great. So I felt good about it. You see, I was married to his sister.

That’s right, yes. He’s a remarkable musician, isn’t he? Oh, he’s a sweetheart. But you see, he was the youngest in the family. He had an older brother, and Eve, and then him. And his mother was just getting into diabetes when she had him, so I think that’s... Everybody said, “Shorty didn’t drink, or he didn’t smoke.” But I think it was hereditary, this thing. She was at the end when she had Shorty, you see? Shorty was the youngest. But none of the others, like Eve, didn’t have [diabetes], and the older boy didn’t have it.

Red, I have to tell you, I am just so excited to be talking to you today. You’ve taught me a lot, and I’ve been loving your music for quite some time. That’s very nice. Do you know John Markam? He’s the drummer up there, San Francisco, that was with me. He’s got some tapes, by the way, of that concert in Basel, Switzerland. You might get a hold of him. He’s one of the best drummers in San Francisco.

Great, I’ll look him up. Yeah. I don’t know, I heard he had a problem for a while with junk. I heard that from a drummer that was working with Sinatra in Vegas. Now, I don’t know if he still has a problem or he’s over it.

That’s right. NEC. At NEC you’ll study with jazz greats, in a program like no other. NEC jazz faculty don’t tell you how to sound. You’ll study with more than one teacher, have diverse infuences, take risks, and collaborate with some of the world’s best young musicians. Develop your artistic voice in a place steeped in over forty years of trailblazing. Te frst conservatory to grant jazz degrees in the U.S.? Tat’s right. NEC. Want more names? Jerry Bergonzi, Donny McCaslin, Ralph Alessi, John McNeil, Luis Bonilla, Joe Morris, Brad Shepik, Ran Blake, Dave Holland, John Lockwood, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart, Rakalam Bob Moses, Dominique Eade. Want more info? Follow the link!

Well, I’ll look him up and see if I can talk to him. Yeah, he’s an interesting guy… All right, I’ll hear from you again, Dan.

Yeah, thanks very much, Red. I appreciate your time. All right, call again sometime. necmusic.edu/jazz-studies

toolsofthetrade

SAXOPHONE LIGATURES

Selecting a Saxophone Ligature for Jazz Performance By Tracy Heavner

Introduction The saxophone ligature is considered to be an important factor in tone production since it is in direct contact with the mouthpiece and reed. The purpose of the ligature is to hold the reed snugly to the mouthpiece so it does not move, but at the same time allow the reed and mouthpiece to vibrate freely, promoting a jazz saxophone tone rich in harmonics and good response. In reality, the type of ligature used does not have a signifcant efect on the overall jazz tone produced, as long as it is functioning correctly. In fact, it is very difcult to actually hear a tonal diference in a jazz saxophonist’s sound by changing only the type of ligature used. However, the ligature does have a dramatic efect on the way the reed “feels” to the saxophonist when it is played and also on the response of the instrument. Therefore, it is important to have a ligature that actively promotes reed vibration and mouthpiece resonance.

Ligature Placement When placing the ligature on the mouthpiece, special care should be taken so the reed is not damaged. During this process, the reed should be placed on the mouthpiece frst and held in place by the thumb. The ligature is then carefully slipped over the mouthpiece and reed making sure not to touch the tip of the reed. Also, it is important to make sure the ligature is lined up exactly in the center of the reed only touching the bark and not the fled portion. By experimenting with the placement of the ligature, saxophonists will usually fnd a spot that works best for producing optimum reed response. Once the ligature in placed correctly, the screws may be tightened but only enough to hold the reed snugly in place. If the screws are tightened too much, reed response will be inhibited and there is also a chance of breaking the ligature.

Materials and Designs The basic standard ligature that accompanies most saxophone stock mouthpieces is made from thin metal and has 30

JAZZed • January/February 2015

two-screws located on the underside of the mouthpiece. These ligatures, which are the least expensive, are not very good in promoting reed vibration and can be easily broken. As a result, when replacing the stock mouthpiece with a better one, many jazz saxophonists will also purchase a new ligature that is well made and assists the new mouthpiece in producing the best tone and response possible. There are many high quality ligatures being manufactured in numerous designs and made from a variety of materials. Brass, fabric, gold, leather, nickel, nylon, plastic, rubber, silver, and wood are just some of the materials used in making saxophone ligatures. There are also various ligature styles ranging from a basic ring with no screws to more complex designs using pressure plates and screws. When determining which ligature will work best, the material and design of the ligature are factors that should be carefully considered since both will have a signifcant efect on how well the ligature performs on a specifc mouthpiece.

Two-Screw, Inverted Ligatures There are several popular ligatures that use a two-screw, inverted design with the two-screws on top. Rico produces the H ligature, a retro version of the famous Harrison ligature. This ligature holds the reed in place from the underside of the mouthpiece with four single contact points located on a metal, H-shaped band. Another metal ligature that follows this design, both in standard and inverted models, is the Bonade. This ligature is made from either nickel or brass and is designed to hold the reed in place by two ridges running parallel with the reed. Special care in this design assures the sides of the reed do not touch the ligature improving vibration and response.

The Oleg Olegature is also similar in design with two inverted screws, but is slightly diferent in the way the reed is held to the mouthpiece. This ligature holds the reed in place by a metal mesh band, which applies equal pressure to the entire surface of the reed. Since a mesh band is used, this ligature can easily be produced in many diferent sizes allowing it to ft a variety of hard rubber and metal mouthpieces.

Horizontal One-Screw, Inverted, Leather/Fabric Ligatures There are several popular ligatures made from leather or fabric that use a one-screw, inverted design with the screw on top. Rovner and BG produce ligatures in this style, both standard and inverted, in which a band of leather is used to wrap around the reed applying equal surface pressure to the reed. Although this ligature promotes good reed vibration, it produces a darker sound due to the large amount of surface contact between the leather and the reed. To provide jazz saxophonists with more options, this ligature also comes in several diferent models with various portions of leather removed from the band. This feature decreases the amount of surface contact between the ligature and the reed producing a brighter sound.

Vertical One-Screw, Standard, Pressure Plate Ligatures Another popular ligature uses a one-screw, standard ligature design in which the reed is held in place by a pressure plate. Vandoren Optimum Series ligatures follow this design and come with three diferent interchangeable pressure plates, each with its own unique pattern of reed contact points. One of the plates has four small points that minimally contact the reed while another uses two solid thin lines, one on the top and bottom of the plate running across the reed. A third plate uses two solid ridges that run parallel with the reed. Due to the diference in contact point design, each plate produces a diferent amount of reed vibration, thus altering the harmonics. The Ultimate Ligature by Francois Louis also follows this design but with a several diferences. Very similar to the Winslow ligature that is not longer in production, this ligature surrounds the mouthpiece using a metal frame with four brass tubes as contact points. One vertical screw is used to apply tension to a single pressure plate.

Ring Ligatures This style of ligature is very simple in design and basically consists of a single ring made of metal, rubber, or wood that slides over the mouthpiece and reed. Bois makes two models following this design, the Bois Classique and the Bois Excellente. These ligatures contain an inner rubber O-ring that prevents the ligature from scratching the mouthpiece while holding the reed in place.

As a result of this design, Bois ligatures have minimal contact with the reed and mouthpiece, increasing reed vibration and harmonics. Another ligature that follows this design is the JodyJazz Ring Ligature. It is made from brass and designed to ft JodyJazz DV series mouthpieces. This ligature does not contain an inner O-ring but uses a machine tapered brass ring to hold the reed in place by only touching the sides of the reed and the top of the mouthpiece.

Selecting a Ligature When selecting a ligature, it is important to frst research a variety of ligatures through the Internet, ask for recommendations from saxophone teachers and observe what top professional performers are using. After narrowing down the choices based on the information gathered, diferent ligatures should be test played using the same mouthpiece, reed and instrument. If the ligatures requested are not available at a local music store, they can be ordered online and depending on the store’s return policy, be test played for up to thirty days before they have to be returned. Although this may not be the most convenient way to obtain the ligatures, it allows the saxophonist an extended period to try them in a variety of practice and performance situations.

Summary When selecting a saxophone ligature for jazz performance, there are many choices available due to the numerous designs being produced and the wide variety of materials used in their manufacturing. While ligatures do not have a dramatic impact on a jazz saxophonist’s tone quality, it is still very important to have a high quality ligature since saxophonists will certainly be able to feel which one produces the greatest reed vibration, mouthpiece resonance, and instrument response. When selecting a ligature, the material and design of the ligature are factors that should be carefully considered since both will have a signifcant efect on how well the ligature performs on a specifc mouthpiece. Also by test playing ligatures for an extended time and in a variety of diferent practice and performance situations, saxophonists will have a better chance of discovering a ligature that meets all their needs. With so many ligatures to choose from, jazz saxophonists can feel confdent that they will fnd the best ligature for their playing style and mouthpiece setup. Dr. Tracy Lee Heavner is a professor of saxophone, music education, and director of jazz studies at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. He is an accomplished author, music educator and distinguished performance artist for Cannonball, Yamaha, Beechler, and D’Addario music corporations. He is also a recording artist for LiveHorns and has performed throughout the United States and at international venues around the world. His latest book, Saxophone Secrets: 60 Performance Strategies for the Advanced Saxophonist, has received rave reviews and is published by the Rowan & Littlefield Publishing Group. January/February 2015 • JAZZed

jazzforum

Dr. Larry Ridley, Executive Director, and Dr. Trineice Robinson, AAJC Executive Secretary

www.aajc.us

Focus on Master Bassist Richard Davis - Part I By Arthur Taylor, Author of Notes and Tones Richard, how did you become interested in music? Richard Davis: My two elder brothers and I used to have a little trio. A girl cousin would conduct and give us harmony notes to sing. Though I was the youngest, I had the deepest voice, so I sang the lowest part. We often tried to get on amateur shows, and we would sing every day after dinner. I always listened to the bass on records or on the radio. It was the instrument that attracted my attention most. When I went to see the bands in the theaters, I always watched the bass player. My cousin had always wanted to play the bass, and she encouraged me when she saw I was interested. She felt it was a little out of place for a girl to play the bass, so she said, “Why don’t you study the bass?” I had never thought about it. I then became conscious of Jimmy Blanton, because I liked Duke Ellington’s band, Oscar Pettiford, and cats like that. I decided to study bass at Du Sable High School in Chicago. Johnny Grifn was leaving the school just when I was coming in, and he was like a giant even though he was only sixteen years old. His name and Gene Ammons were something you had to work up to. Gene was at school at the same time as the cousin I was telling you about. They were like gods, so we always had to hear their names and work up to where they had been. Gus Shapell and Bennie Green were at my school, too. When I started with the high-school band, there was another bass player called Carl Byron, who was a genius on the fddle. He died when he was about twenty-one years old. The school had a good environment, because it was musically oriented and had a good jazz band. After our frst year they would send us to study with some symphony guys, but the director, Walter Dyett, would still check us out and see how we were coming along. We had to play for him individually every week. I studied harmony with him privately. He would suggest directions to take with the bass. He advised me to join a youth orchestra that had musicians from all over the city. I auditioned and got in. Later Mr. Dyett said, “Why don’t you try for the civic orchestra, which is a training orchestra for the Chicago Symphony?” I auditioned and got into that. I ended up going to Vandercook College, and everything they said I had heard before, because Walter Dyett was a Vandercook man. When I got into college, I didn’t have any trouble, because it was old hat by that time. I then started playing gigs around Chicago. One of the frst gigs I had was with Andrew Hill, Harold Ousley, and John Neely. Then I started getting gigs playing for dances. I began working with Ahmad Jamal around 1952. Don Shirley was looking for a bass player, and Johnny Pate was working with him at the time. Johnny took the gig I had with Ahmad and I took his gig, because Don was supposed to go to New York and Johnny didn’t want to go. Ahmad had a tight trio. I started working with Don, but I didn’t feel the classical thing at frst, so I told Johnny that I wanted to go back to my own gig. But he said, “You better go to New York, because that’s where it’s happening.” I went to New York and got of the train at Grand Central Station, nervous as a cat. I looked at New York and hoped I wouldn’t run 32

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into Percy Heath or Ray Brown walking down the street. I went straight to the Alvin Hotel, because Roy Haynes had told me it was a good hotel. I started working at a club on the East Side with Don Shirley, and we worked around New York for about eight months, between the Embers and Basin Street. When I frst came to Birdland, you were the frst cat I saw working there. You were with Bud and Mingus. I said, “Damn, you mean this is right across the street from where I’m living?” I started feeling comfortable around New York and decided I wanted to stay there. I was traveling between New York and Chicago in 1956, but then I fgured this is it, New York is the place. I left Don in about 1956 and worked with Charlie Ventura and the Sauter-Finegan band, then with Sarah Vaughan for about fve years. About twelve years ago I decided to stay in New York. I didn’t want to travel anymore. I wanted to do a lot of things, not just play with one group. I had heard about cats playing diferent kinds of gigs in the studio, so I said, I think I want to do that. I can get a symphonic gig on one day and a nightclub gig on the next. I started doing a lot of recording with folksingers. I just dig what’s happening in New York. Everything is here. What was the major factor in your development as a bassist? RD: I had a good start with a good teacher. Walter Dyett started a lot of cats out. This man had everything to give you. All you had to do was listen. If you saw him on the street for a minute, you left him thinking you had gotten something. He was into mind power and mystical things. He saw way ahead of his time, always growing. As a matter of fact, you never knew how old he was. I saw him about a month before he died, and he gave me something to live with. He would say get this book, get that book, do this or concentrate on that. I developed by learning how to practice the instrument. I would be practicing before I even saw the bass, because my mind would be on it. I would wipe everything out of my mind except the instrument. I almost felt as if I were playing even when I was walking down the street. Sometimes I used to walk in the street in a daze, thinking about the bass and running a scale or chord. I could visualize it on the instrument. When I got to the instrument, it was just a matter of applying the physical to the mental. Walter Dyett was a violinist, so he had that string thing down, like shifting and playing in tune. It’s very difcult to play the bass in tune, because you’ve got so much space between notes. You have to hear it and think about measurement before you even play a note. So if you have all that in your head, you’ve got a better chance of playing in tune. I studied the bass privately ten years and studied four more years before I really played a professional gig. I had a pretty good foundation in the mechanics of the instrument before I played my frst gig.

In Chicago they have gangways in between each building. It goes for the whole height of the building, and you can hear everything going on around you. There was a tenor player who always had records on. As I grew up, I could relate back to that time and say that was Ella Fitzgerald I heard on that record, or Louis Jordan, or Billy Eckstine. And all because this cat played records so often. I think about that now because there is a baby in the bedroom next to mine. I always have records on, and maybe the baby will relate back to them. He might not realize it now, but someday he’ll say, oh yeah, I remember hearing that. I found out later on that this cat was a hell of a tenor player. I think his name was Eddie Davis, not Lockjaw. He was very prominent around Chicago. Hearing cats like that keeps your ears tuned. It was a black neighborhood, so you had your ears tuned up anyway. I kept studying and playing with orchestras, which involves a diferent technique than when you do these studio things in New York, without knowing what bag you’ll be in until you get there. They might have parts to be bowed that require some kind of technical facility or other parts which are completely left up to you, just some chord symbols. Any experience you get, no matter how dumb it might seem at the time, pays of later. You can reach back and grasp some of it. In New York you play with some of the best musicians in the world, so it’s the right place to get inspiration.

How do you feel about bass players raising their strings? RD: When I frst started, the idea was to have the strings very high from the fngerboard because it was said that you could get a bigger sound that way and that it would develop a lot of muscle power. I used to have my strings higher than they are now because the older bass players all had their strings fairly high. When I started studying thumb positions with a teacher, I could see it was very diffcult to go high or low on the string and get a fuid feeling on the bass. Crossing strings was ridiculous, and I decided to look for a way of compromising so that you could get a big sound when playing jazz. Whatever kind of music you’re playing, when you’re playing up in the high positions, you have to have some kind of facility on the bass. It’s got to be set up so that the action is easy. I started dropping my strings down just enough to keep them from hitting the fngerboard. You get a much more fuid sound that way. You can play double stops more easily, and you don’t tire as quickly. They tell you to keep the strings high and to develop certain muscles, but you don’t really need those muscles. Of course, they now have adjustable bridges to quickly change the height of the bridge according to what kind of sound you want to get or what kind of gig you’re playing. Mine always stay more or less at the same height, except seasonal changes, when I have to heighten or lower the bridge. In cold weather the fngerboard has a tendency to go out because it expands, and in the summer weather it comes down. Look for Part II in the March 2015 issue of JAZZed

Poppa’s not the only one with a new bag. Harmon is proud to introduce a new series of mutes that sizzle. Bring down the house with your new sound from the maker of the go-to mute on the jazz scene. Available at your local store or online. Learn more at www.harmonmutecompany.com

The C Mute Wow - Wow

The G2 Mute Straight

The J2 Mute Adjustable Cup

Find that sound you’ve been dreaming of! January/February 2015 • JAZZed

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albumreviews

George Gee Swing Orchestra Swing Makes You Happy! (Rondette) George Gee – leader David Gibson – musical director, arrangements & trombone Hilary Gardner, John Dokes – vocals Ed Pazant, Michael Hashim, Anthony Lustig – saxophones Andy Gravish, Freddie Hendrix – trumpets Steve Einerson – piano Marcus McLaurine – upright bass Willard Dyson – drums Younger readers (or those whose sense of history doesn’t go back further than 20 years) might not know that big bands were a major force in American popular music from the mid-1930s through the mid-1940s in an epoch generally known as the Swing Era. Big bands weren’t always necessarily jazz bands–some bands had more sentimental, “sweeter” pop sensibilities such as the still-extant Glenn Miller Orchestra while others were predominately jazz organizations that played catchy and danceable music, such as the Count Basie and Jimmie Lunceford Orchestras. Bandleader George Gee tends toward the latter, interlacing his approach with afectionate nostalgia for the glory days of swing (minus any trendy or retro “hepcat” afections) with a healthy sense of modernism. One aspect that sets Gee’s outft apart from the retro set is the presence of originals by trombonist and musical director David Gibson. As to Gibson’s atypical arranging style, one need only listen to the band’s take on the Nat “King” Cole hit “Nature Boy.” Cole’s take was a whimsical, limpid ballad, but in the hands of Gee and company it becomes a modal-favored dark fable with sharply swinging and brassy, slightly ominous horn arrangements and John Dokes’ wryly suave baritone (which slightly evokes Billy Eckstine) essaying the lyrics. “Evenin’” also features Dokes’ bluesy swagger and has a twisty, slightly dissonant alto solo (distant echoes of Eric Dolphy) as the tart cherry on a hearty swingin’ sundae. Much of Swing Makes You Happy recalls less of the primo years of the Swing era than the “Renaissance” years of the Basie Orchestra of the 1950s, when its popularity was boosted several notches by the fresh and dynamic arrangements of Ernie Wilkins, Neal Hefti, and Quincy Jones. But fear not, fans of old-school big band styles– Gee still serves up plenty of danceable fare, such as “Lindyhopper’s Delight” and the Edgar Sampson chestnut “Blue Minor.” Gee and his posse walk a fne line between reminiscence of the Swing Era (forgoing pious over-reverence) and post bop modernism with grace, panache, and plenty of joie de vivre. (Mark Keresman)

Delfeayo Marsalis The Last Southern Gentlemen (Troubadour Jass Records) Delfeayo Marsalis – trombone Ellis Marsalis – piano John Clayton – bass Marvin “Smitty” Smith – drums 34

JAZZed • January/February 2015

A discography can often give an incredibly incomplete picture of a musician. Case in point is the story of Delfeayo Marsalis. The trombone-wielding member of present-day jazz’s most well known family has few items in his own leader discography, but he’s been plenty busy. For a good part of his career, Marsalis was chiefy gaining playing experience as a sideman, absorbing wisdom frst-hand from jazz greats like pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, trombonist Slide Hampton, and a holy trinity of dearly departed drum icons–Art Blakey, Max Roach, and Elvin Jones. And throughout his entire career, Marsalis has been an in-demand producer, helming recordings for everybody from his famed siblings to trumpeter Terence Blanchard to pianist Eric Reed. In truth, he’s spent far more time in the studio than most top-fight musicians ever will; he’s just spent much of that time on the other side of the glass. Due in no small part to his production work, Marsalis has only taken to the studio in his own name a handful of times. First came Pontius Pilate’s Decision (Novus, 1992), a strong display of forward-looking hard bop draped in religion-speak; then there was Musashi (Evidence, 1997), an album that gave the trombonist another chance to work a J.J. Johnson-ish angle to good efect; and then there was nothing, at least for a while. It would be another nine years until Marsalis would step out on his own with Minions Dominions (Troubadour Jass, 2006). That album, which featured heavy hitters like Jones and pianist Mulgrew Miller, was another show of musical sure-footedness. More importantly, it got the ball rolling again. It wouldn’t be too long before Delfeayo would deliver Sweet Thunder (Troubadour Jass, 2010), a brilliant look at Duke Ellington’s firtation with Shakespeare, and Live At Jazz Fest 2011 (Homegrown, 2011), a largely overlooked album documenting the trombonist’s work with the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. Now, only a few years removed from that live outing, he gives us The Last Southern Gentlemen, an inviting quartet date that brings bassist John Clayton, drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, and, most notably, the patriarch of the Marsalis family–Ellis Marsalis–into play. This album isn’t the frst to bring Delfeayo and Ellis together, but it is their frst album-length collaboration. And while thirty years may separate father and son, there’s no gulf between them in terms of music. Every number, be it a duo take on a standard like “I Cover The Waterfront” a NOLA-spiced stroll down “Sesame Street,” or a lively “Speak Low,” highlights their strong bond. Ellis engages in conversation with his son, comps beneath him, and gets plenty of space to shine. Delfeayo, giving his father his due, even sits out on one occasion, putting the piano trio in the spotlight on “If I Were Bell.” Elsewhere, Delfeayo’s personality is central to the music. His masterful mute work is on display in plenty of places, he shines in settings that highlight his lyrical playing (“I’m Confessin’” and “But Beautiful”), and he occasionally cuts loose, letting his chops of the leash. Through it all, Clayton and Smith are right there with him. Both men contribute to the breezy nature of the ballads and propel the upbeat numbers like nobody’s business. The music presented on The Last Southern Gentlemen really tells its own story, but those looking to explore the racially-connected truths behind these “Southern Gentlemen” would do well to read Delfeayo’s writings; the accompanying liner essay, like the music, shows Delfeayo Marsalis to be an extraordinarily astute communicator. (Dan Bilawsky)

Vance Thompson’s Five Plus Six Such Sweet Thunder (Shade Street Records) Vance Thompson – trumpet, fugelhorn Michael Wyatt – trumpet Joe Jordan – trumpet Tylar Bullion – trombone Sean Copeland – trombone, bass trombone Jamel Mitchell – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone Keith Brown – piano, Fender Rhodes Greg Tardy – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet Taylor Coker – bass David King – baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone Nolan Nevels – drums Vance Thompson, a fne writer and trumpeter who founded the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, initially thought about making this record with one of his other working units–The Marble City Five. In the end, that group became the core of this project, but a stable of six strong horn players also came aboard, helping to broaden the color spectrum in the arrangements, injecting enthusiasm into the music, and adding range and depth to the group. As the album title suggests, the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn is central to this project. They’re represented as a team via the co-written “Such Sweet Thunder,” presented here as an Ellingtonian construct that’s alternately grounded by Afro-Cuban underpinnings and swing, but both composers also receive their due as individuals elsewhere on the album. A rollicking “Rockin’ In Rhythm” in seven proves to be one of the standout tracks, a straight-eighth take on “Prelude To A Kiss,” covered with a Fender Rhodes glaze, presents the song in a diferent light than usual, and Strayhorn’s “Isfahan” gives pause to admire some strong soloing and creative arranging. Three of the fve remaining tracks on the album are inventive rewrites of Thelonious Monk tunes that eschew or obscure the quirky notions attached to the originals while still remaining wholly faithful to Monk’s vision. There’s a livelier-than-usual “Pannonica” and a well-developed “Ugly Beauty” to admire, but the best of the bunch is the tight and funky “Four In One.” The only two numbers on the program that don’t have jazz origins still manage to ft in beautifully. Dolly Parton’s “Little Sparrow,” an odd metered number that’s bookended by ruminative explorations, and “He’s Gone Away,” a beautiful Appalachian folk number that ends the album on a peaceful yet powerful note, are every bit as interesting as the redesigned, oft-covered classics they sit next to. Such Sweet Thunder is a testament to the durability of these compositions, the skills of these musicians, and the creative spirit that lives within Vance Thompson. (Dan Bilawsky)

Lennie Tristano Chicago, April 1951 (Uptown Jazz) Lennie Tristano – piano Lee Konitz – alto sax

Warne Marsh – tenor sax Willie Dennis – trombone Burgher “Buddy” Jones – bass Dominic “Mickey” Simonetta – drums

Red Garland Trio Swingin’ On the Korner: Live At The Keystone Korner (Resonance) Red Garland – piano Leroy Vinnegar –bass Philly Joe Jones – drums Personality. It can’t be bought or taught and you can’t even objectively defne it. Still, it’s an essential element of what characterizes a classic jazz musician. The pianists Lennie Tristano and Red Garland couldn’t be less similar as keyboard stylists, yet both are outstanding examples of jazz musicians who exude palpable personality with each note played. On two live recordings, both capturing previously unreleased performances from a specifc club engagement, Tristano and Garland reveal what made each unique and irreplaceable in the jazz canon. Boston, April 1951 presents Tristano with two of his most important acolytes, alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, both heard in exemplary form. (Archetypal Tristano-ite, guitarist Billy Bauer, is noticeably absent.)Working with a defcient club piano that can make him sound as if he’s playing a clavichord, Tristano demonstrates a more assertive and aggressive side of his musical character than was previously heard on his more subdued proto-cool jazz recordings of the late 1940s. Yet his unmistakably individual instrumental voice – his, yes, personality – is evident everywhere. If the infuence of Nat Cole’s laid back swing, Art Tatum’s whirlwind explorations, and Bud Powell’s fervent bop attack can be detected in Tristano’s playing, he has so thoroughly synthesized these models – and incorporated his own harmonic vocabulary, rhythmic eccentricities and fnessed touch – that the end result is as individual and distinctive as a birthmark. Red Garland shared many of Tristano’s infuences, yet, such is the mystery of jazz creation, he sounded nothing like the coolschool guru. Maybe the diference between the two – not quite Apollonian versus Dionysian – is attributable to Garland’s unshakeable ebullience; rarely has a pianist sounded so downright pleased with the sheer joy of swinging. On Keystone, reunited in 1977 with his Miles Davis band associate, Philly Joe Jones – a drummer who matched Garland’s exuberance – and joined by the imperturbably steady West Coast bassist Leroy Vinnegar, Garland romps through blues, ballads, jazz standards, and American Songbook classics with a characteristically balanced air of relaxation and abandon. No new ground broken here, just three musical comrades enjoying each other’s company to the fullest. Personality, to be sure, wins out every time. (Steve Futterman) January/February 2015 • JAZZed

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albumreleases

albumreviews DECEMBER 30

Christian Finger Ananda (Streetzone) Christian Finger, Jef Ballard – drums (track 11) Vadim Neselovskyi – piano Dave Styker, Pete McCann – guitars Adam Armstrong – bass Zack Brock – violin Bobby Harden – vocals (track 6) Mivos String Quartet: Olivia DePrato, Joshua Modney – violin Victor Lowrey – viola Mariel Roberts – cello

Various Artists (Blue Note) Blue Note Records 75th Anniversary 40 LP Set JANUARY 6 Alysha Umphress (Yellow Sound Label) I’ve Been Played: Alysha Umphress Swings Jef Blumenkrantz

JANUARY 13 Christian Finger is a German drummer/composer residing in NYC and his resume includes working with Dave Kikoski, Gerd Dudek, Harvie S, and Charlie Hunter. Ananda is one of the most inclusive albums this writer has heard this year–it’s all over-the-map with its influences and inspirations yet it holds together as a cohesive experience for the eclectic-minded. Without coming across as a Whitman’s Sampler, Ananda encompassed fusion, chamber jazz, Django Reinhardt-style swing, mellow balladry, hard bop, and more. “African Skies, Linear Lives” juxtaposes African-flavored (almost New Orleans-like, too) with gnarly, thorny rock-edged guitar from Pete McCann and Vadim Neseovsky plays a lovely ruminative solo with echoes of Abdullah Ibrahim and Keith Jarrett. “Truth Waltzed In” is a bittersweet ballad wherein McCann gets in touch with his inner Kenny Burrell and Zach Brock waxes romantic with the warm elegance (though not the style) of Stephane Grappelli, and Vadim Neseovsky plays a spare, luminously lyrical yet punchy solo. The exhilarating “Nights Beyond, India” has a “Caravan”-like rhythm, some fierce, searing rock-like guitar from McCann that evolves into a duel with Brock as it builds to Coltrane-like intensity, with little detour to some pugnacious heavy metal motifs and then into some contemplative McCoy Tyner-esque passages. “Two Faces” is a melancholy yet melodramatic (in the best sense!) ballad sung by Bobby Harden in a manner evoking Kurt Elling in his more mellow moments. The Mivos String Quartet isn’t there for a “with strings” concept –the foursome is melded into Finger’s ensemble as a whole. While the focus is on Finger’s remarkable compositions, his drumming his most impressive–like Jack DeJohnette and Matt Wilson, he’s alternately explosive, self-effacing, and making with simmering swing. If you’re the type of jazz fan–or music fan for that matter–that needs “consistency” for the length of an album, Ananda might be frustrating. Conversely, if you can groove to the Kronos Quartet, the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, and McCoy Tyner within the same hour, this platter is well nigh essential. (Mark Keresman)

JAZZed • January/February 2015

The Underground Orchestra and Chris Potter (ECM Records) Imaginary Cities Justin Kaufin (Jazz Label) Dedication JANUARY 20 Max Raabe & Palast Orchester (Deutsche Grammophon) Eine Nacht in Berlin Aaron Goldberg (Sunnyside Records) The Now Red Garland Trio with Philly Joe Jones & Leroy Vinnegar (Resonance Records) Swingin On The Korner: Live at Keystone Korner JANUARY 27 Billie Holiday (AAO MUSIC) Ultimate Legends Herbie Hancock (Blue Note) Empryean Isles FEBRUARY 3 Kenny Wheeler and Stan Sulzmann (Universal Music Classics) Songs for Quintet Miles Davis (Concord) Blue Moods To have album and DVD releases considered for inclusion in future installments of Hot Wax, email Christian Wissmuller: cwissmuller@timelesscom.com.

JAZZ STUDIES Jazz Studies Program Directors and Co-Chairs Bobby Watson and Dan Thomas One of the country’s liveliest academies. —The New York Times Kansas City has one of the most vibrant jazz scenes in America. Enjoy a leading jazz studies curriculum, an internationally recognized recorded sound and jazz manuscript collection, and state of the art recording facilities. UMKC Conservatory: Celebrating America’s indigenous art form.

Degrees Offered B.M. Jazz Studies (all music content is jazz focused) M.A. Jazz emphasis Recent Guests Benny Golson, Delfeayo Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Curtis Lundy, Michael Carvin, Mel Martin, Stefon Harris, Jaleel Shaw, Sean Jones, Gerald Wilson, Randy Brecker, Curtis Fuller, and others

For full audition/application information visit

conservatory.umkc.edu

Admissions, 816-235-2900 cadmissions@umkc.edu

Relay Missouri, 1-800-735-2966 (TTY) UMKC is an equal opportunity/affrmative action institution.

workedup

You’ve Developed Your Art,

by Frank Gulino Berenzweig Leonard, LLP

usicians are among the most gifted, focused, and hardworking individuals you will ever encounter, yet many of them find themselves struggling professionally from time to time. There are a number of unfortunate reasons for this, including a declining number of professional opportunities, increased competition, and the systematic under-compensation of musicians, across the board. One reason, in particular, stands out: the “art” of music and the “business” of music are more disparate today than they have ever been, and many musicians focus on artistic development to the exclusion of business development, rather than committing resources to both sides of their career. When I say that the “art” of music and the “business” of music have diverged, what I mean is that it is now appreciably more difficult to make a living in music by working for someone else than it has been in the past, making it necessary for today’s musicians to become entrepreneurial thinkers rather than solely artists. In recent years, with orchestras folding, tenure track professorships being replaced by adjunct positions, and the widespread use of synthesized theater music, opportunities to be employed by someone else in the music field have become limited enough that simply being the best player or interviewee is no longer the most important determinant of whether or not you succeed at making a living. Today’s musicians have to be more prepared than ever before to work for themselves, which requires, in addition to high levels of artistic ability, an organized business approach.

Where Do You Start? Assume that your branding is top notch and your artistic preparation unrivaled. Maybe your band is also a hit; you’re writing some great tunes and landing a lot of gigs. Now what? The two most practical business considerations to bear in mind are: (1) how to organize your business in a way that reduces your exposure to liability; and (2) how to protect your intellectual property. To reduce your exposure to personal liability, strongly consider forming a business entity. While this might be a good idea for a variety of self-employed musicians, it is especially the case for bands and chamber groups. Setting up a Limited Liability Company (“LLC”) or Limited Liability Partnership (“LLP”) can keep you from being personally on the hook if a lawsuit is pursued against you or your group. Whether a patron is injured by tripping over a microphone stand at one of your gigs, or a venue seeks payment from you after getting slapped with a $40,000 bill by a performing rights

But What About Your Business?

intellectual property rights copyright PERSONAL LIABILITY

contracts limited liability corporation ROYALTIEScopyright

JAZZed • January/February 2015

Frank Gulino (@GulinoFrank) is a composer, trombonist, and business attorney living in the Washington, D.C. area. As a composer, his works have been commissioned, recorded, and performed by some of the world’s foremost brass soloists, chamber groups, and symphony musicians at venues such as the Kennedy Center, the U.S. Capitol,

and conservatories and universities around the world. As an attorney, Frank practices in the Entertainment and Music Industry Law group at Berenzweig Leonard, LLP, an aggressive and innovative business law frm located in Tyson’s Corner, Va. He received ASCAP Plus Awards in 2013 and 2014, and holds degrees from The Peabody Conservatory of Music and George Mason University School of Law. Frank is an artist/clinician for the Edwards Instrument Company and performs exclusively on Edwards trombones.

Get the Most from Your Tenor Sax

organization for allowing you to cover popular songs without a license (yes, this happens!), exposure to personal liability can be reduced by setting up a business organization. Additionally, formally organizing your music business provides you with an entity through which you can contract with venues, management, record labels, and even band members. Who owns your band’s equipment? If you’ve set up a business organization, the band does! While each member of an ensemble probably owns their instruments individually, it might make sense for the business to own assets like recording equipment, merchandise, and the like. With lineup turnover becoming commonplace, you don’t want to feel pressured to keep that subpar guitarist in the rock band just because he owns all the amps, nor should that struggling tuba player in your brass quintet be unassailable because he owns all your sheet music. Having a business organization can mitigate the specter of personal liability, and provides for group ownership of assets, allowing you to put your focus back on the music and making a living. Speaking of the music, who owns the rights to that? If you have organized your band as an LLC or other business entity, perhaps the rights to your tunes should be held by the band itself rather than by any one member; you probably don’t want a departing band member to take the rights to your biggest hit with him. Group ownership of intellectual property can help ensure that the band as a whole enjoys the benefits of copyright ownership, which include the exclusive rights to duplicate, arrange, broadcast, or perform the protected work for profit. Additionally, once you take the important step of registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office, you can take comfort in the fact that your rights will be enforced by the court system if necessary to protect your intellectual property. Like it or not, your music career is a business. Make sure yours is sitting on a strong, organized foundation that limits your liability and protects your intellectual property. Once your business plan is in motion, there’s no telling what heights you’ll reach as an artist and entrepreneur.

Make the music your own with RG by Otto link. Want to create soft and mellow sound, or maybe you want bright and edgy? RG’s uniquely designed parabolic chamber ofers it all. Available in a choice of tip openings and three fnishes: hard rubber, satin stainlesssteel, or special order in gold plating. The RG by Otto Link, another jj Babbitt exclusive. Visit jjbabbitt.com

jjbabbitt.com Mouthpieces for all clarinets and saxophones

January/February 2015 • JAZZed

gearcheck BRASS/WOODWIND

ACCESSORIES

XO Professional Brass 1632RGL-LT Lead Trombone

Facet Series Signature Series Mute

This free-blowing lead bore trombone is the result of years of development with the assistance of artist, composer, and arranger John Fedchock. The new XO 1632 features a handcrafted 7.5” custom-annealed bell — which is available in yellow or rose brass — with a soldered bell fare wire, a custom mouthpiece, a lightweight nickel outer slide and nickel-silver crook with hand lapped chromed-inner slides, and an XO series custom case. The XO 1632RGL-LT in rose brass bell has an MSRP of $2,625 and the model with the yellow brass bell has an MSRP of $2,795. www.xobrass.com/

This Signature Series mute was created for, and is endorsed by, Orbert Davis and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. It features a combination of Padauk and Walnut hardwoods. www.facetmutes.com

JodyJazz GIANT Tenor George Garzone Signature Models JodyJazz has announced the addition of two new models to their recently launched GIANT Tenor range of mouthpieces. Working with tenor saxophonist George Garzone, the company has developed the GIANT Tenor 9* and 10* models, both of which will be launched as George Garzone “Signature” models. Launched with 6*, 7* and 8* tip openings, the new GIANT George Garzone Signature models expand this selection to include 9* and 10*. MSRP: $395. www.jodyjazz.com

Henri Selmer Paris Axos Alto Saxophone The Axos has leather pads with metal resonators, a backpack case, and a Henri Selmer Paris S-80 C mouthpiece. MSRP: $6,499.

iCA Soft Cover for Brass & Woodwind Instruments These soft covers are made from a quilted fabric, much like a jacket, and are portable. The cover has a ring sewn into the bottom allowing the cover to keep its shape (oval or cylindrical). The cover also has an exterior sleeve that houses a removable pole on the side of the cover to keep the cover in an upright position. When fnished using the cover, you remove the pole, roll up the cover, and pack it in your case. www.instrumentcareapparel.com

NOMAD NIS-C049 Flute Peg NOMAD Stands introduces a new collapsible fute peg. Just like the NOMAD collapsible trumpet and clarinet stands, the new NIS-C049 Flute peg uses NOMAD’s patented fully collapsible design. Just like all NOMAD stands, the NIS-C049 also has a limited 5-year warranty to the original purchaser. www.nomadstands.com

www.conn-selmer.com

FRETTED Boulder Creek Guitars Model ECGC-7VB Boulder Creek Guitars’ patented suspended bracing system allows the soundboard to vibrate freely, gives the guitar a dynamic range, and a balanced tone. The guitars come in three distinct body styles (Dreadnought, Grand Concert, Classical) and feature a dual sound port design and no center sound hole, which means little to no feedback characteristics when performing. Boulder Creek Guitars also have solid wood tops, laminate back and sides, in addition to 18:1 die cast tuning pegs. MAP: $489. www.bouldercreekguitars.com/gold

JAZZed • January/February 2015

Hohner A+ Guitar Series The A+ series ofers nylon and steel string instruments that encompass a wide range of sizes: Nylon - AC02 half-size, AC03 three quarter-size/ AC03T three quarter-size w/ on-board tuner, AC06 full-size/ AC06E full-size w/ pickup. Steel - AS03 three quarter-size, AS200 seven eighths-size, AS220 full-size dreadnought. The A+ series incorporates over 35 attributes of strict production requirements such as seasoned wood, pressurized gluing procedures, specially designed neck blocks, and a strong multipin body/neck joint. Additional A+ by Hohner student guitar features include a unique bracing design, specifed fret size and installation techniques, proper neck angles, and standardized matched top tints by a special hue matching technique. All A+ guitars are packaged in a full color box with multiple languages. www.us.playhohner.com

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gearcheck FRETTED Metalin Guitars AOC Standard Line Metalin has released two new standard models, which will act as their base for all AOC customs to come. Both guitars feature a full solid billet aluminum bodied, closed chambered system. Two standard milled fnish options adorn the instruments. Specialty 24-fret Moses graphite necks and Seymour Duncan Phat Cat pickups make playing smooth. Customizable fnishes and anodizing are available, and the solid aluminum bodies are lightweight. Street: $2,899. www.metalinguitars.com

MTD Kingston Saratoga Deluxe Kingston’s Saratoga Deluxe can operate in either an active or passive mode and has all the features that MTD Kingstons are known for – including an ergonomically carved body. The neck is asymmetrically shaped for faster playing and, of course, it has the famous MTD tone. The basses come in three diferent fnishes – the limited edition satin honey burst, the satin dark cherry burst, and the gloss transparent black. It comes with stock pickups, and a Bartolini upgrade option is also available. MSRP: $999. www.danabgoods.com

Beard Guitars Blackbeard Guitar The Jerry Douglas Signature Blackbeard features an all-mahogany construction, a red bubinga fretboard and a translucent black fnish. Classic Dot and Jerry Douglas’ signature inlays are featured as a tribute to Jerry’s contribution to the instrument. Some additional features include a Beard Original #14 spider and a Legend Cone confgured with a Beard Bass Refex bafe. The Fishman Nashville pickup, Beard Chrome sound ring, tailpiece, and Spinning Palm coverplate are also included. Each guitar is handcrafted in the U.S. and delivered in a hardshell case. This guitar is priced at $3,900. www.beardguitars.com

JAZZed • January/February 2015

PERCUSSION Gretsch Drums Renown Walnut Each Renown Walnut drum features 6-ply North American walnut shells (walnut/maple/ walnut), with 30-degree bearing edges, and is available in Gloss Natural and Walnut/Black Fade with natural interior shell. Drums are fnished with chrome hardware including die-cast tom and snare hoops. The kit includes two tom clamps, non-drilled bass drum, hinged brackets, and ultra-low profle tom suspension system. Toms come with Remo clear Emperors, batter side, and Gretsch by Remo clear Ambassadors resonant side. Bass drum batter-side, is shipped with Remo clear Powerstroke 3 and Gretsch coated white heads with mufe ring resonant side. Renown Walnut is available in two confgurations: 18”x 22” bass drum, 7”x 10” mounted tom, 8”x 12” mounted tom, 14”x 16” foor tom, and 16”x 20” bass drum, 7”x 10” mounted tom, 8”x 12” mounted tom, 14”x 14” foor tom. www.gretschdrums.com

Sound Percussion Labs Kicker Pro SPL’s new Kicker Pro is a student-size 5-piece drum kit that includes tunable drumheads, a full-size chain drive bass drum pedal, and multiply, real poplar wood shells. With an 18”x14” bass drum, 12”x5” snare, 8”x5” tom, 10”x5” tom, and a 12”x10” foor tom, as well as hi-hat and crash/ride cymbals, the Kicker Pro comes with everything you need to play right away. It also includes a drum throne, stands, hardware, tuning key, and set-up guide even the sticks. The Kicker Pro features a silver metallic glitter fnish with black powder coat hardware. Street: $279.99. www.soundpercussiondrums.com

Toca Percussion Entry-Level Colorsound Cajons The cajon is an entry-level instrument for all aspiring drummers at any age. Toca Percussion presents a new cajon for every budget. Toca’s Colorsound Cajons are available in fve vibrant colors – blue, green, pink, red and white – and are 17” H x 11” W x 11” D. MSRP: $149. www.tocapercussion.com

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twitter.com/jazzedmag January/February 2015 • JAZZed

Joe Bonner

April 20, 1948 – November 21, 2014

COURTESY OF CHERRY SOUND RECORDS

Backbeat Joe Bonner died on November 21st, 2014 at the age of 66. Bonner was born April 20th, 1948 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, as was fellow jazz legend Thelonious Monk. Bonner passed away in Denver, his on-again of-again home since he frst arrived there in 1976. At that point, he was 28 years old and his professional resumé boasted three years recording and touring with saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, as well as performing alongside Freddie Hubbard. Bonner prized himself on being a trailblazer and an innovator. “I didn’t have to ft into any category,” mused Bonner in the liner notes of Impressions of Copenhagen. This album was infuenced heavily by Joe’s frst tour with saxophonist Billy Harper, who took Joe to Copenhagen the frst year he moved to Denver. Joe returned to Copenhagen several times. Impressions of Copenhagen topped nationwide jazz charts for weeks after selling 35,000 copies during its initial run. Although he studied at Virginia State College, Bonner’s real education came from time recording and touring with jazz giants like Leon Thomas, Roy Haynes, Woody Shaw, Harold Vick, Fred Wesley, Richie Cole, Azar Lawrence, Roy Brook, Billy Harper, among others. His style could be described as a mixture of modal-based music and hard bop, with his strongest infuences coming from McCoy Tyner. Amongst Joe’s lexicon of fnished works – over 40 albums – Joe recorded as a leader for Muse, Theresa, and Steeplechase. Bonner’s album Current Events, which was released in 2013, was ranked number one on the Denver Jazz Charts and was referred to as “the greatest record of this century” by fans. A revered pianist and composer, Joe Bonner’s music has no doubt made a lasting impression on not only Colorado’s jazz community, but the jazz world as a whole.

coming next issue An in-depth conversation with acclaimed saxophonist/ composer Miguel Zenón, as well as coverage of Jazz Camps & Workshops in 2015. 44

JAZZed • January/February 2015

MIGUEL ZENÓN

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Change... Is In The Air.

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