The JAZZ CULTURE
Al Foster-George Mraz Quartet with Bill Charlap, Piano, Mark Turner, Tenor Saxophone
JOE HE DERSO Photo: Brian McMillen The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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Caught Al Foster-George Mraz Quartet, with Bill Charlap, piano, Mark Turner, tenor saxophone on Thursday August 8, 2012, at Birdland, 315 West 44 Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. Billed as a tribute to Joe Henderson, whom both Mr. Foster and Mr. Mraz worked with, the songs were from that period. On Friday, opened the door of Birdland and heard the band swinging. The first song was “Serenity” at about 150=quarter note. Mark Turner played the theme in unison with bass. Then Mr. Charlap entered softly, with Al Foster’s delicate brushwork over Mr. Mraz’s bass line that was characterized by wide intervals. Pianist soloed on the interlude, the spirit feeling like a welcome to the song. While bass played short motifs with wide intervals, etching phrases in 21st century musical thought, combining a beautiful tone with a classically informed frame of reference, with the drummer playing many colors on cymbals, subdividing the beat with nice variations. Tenor first played stepwise solo then widening intervals with a playful attitude and modernistic phrases with rhythm section always providing an uplifting sound; bass maintained a steady beat while drummer did a sort of Jackson Pollack sound relative to the melody, light and prancing. They then played “Night and Day” as a fast Latin. Mr. Charlap did a primarily modal oriented solo scattering chords with lightning like punctuation. Mr. Foster’s solo was a takeoff on the melody, a three beat motif (“Night and Day”) followed by subdivisions on toms and snare, e.g., 16th note runs ending with accent on upbeat. After the solos the group restated theme on piano, with tenor playing soft long tones into vamp and pianist accenting upbeat of a repeated motif involving a fifth. The pianist played a lovely pensive intro rubato which seems to be part of his style, for “Blue Bossa” melody stated by saxophone, the pianist with a chromatic segue between sections. The pianist soloed double time, showing facility at high tempos and sticking close to original harmony. Saxophonist became a little more 2
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Review 1‐5 adventurous playing bigger England Event J. Watson 6‐8 intervals and leaps starting Jazz Heritage 9‐14 with a four note motif which he Virgil Jones then extended and did some Short Insights of Life on the Road‐ reiteration on, in a pleasant laid 14‐20 back tone. Bass, starting scalar Clarence Banks approach ascending, using some bent notes, delightfully Tribute to Abbey Lincoln Photos21‐22 Let's Link 23‐24 facile with a unified sound info@newyorkjazzproject.com throughout his registers, about info@thejazzculture.com 4 octaves, With some soft JazzCulture © 2012 comments from piano and combination of stick in one hand and brush in the other from Mr. Foster. The overall sound of the group is a crisp swinging classicism. The sound of pianist and tenor together suited the music of Joe Henderson.
“You Know I Care” by Duke Pearson was next. A rubato intro by Charlap, taking the audience into his inner perspective. Tenor played the lovely upper end of his middle register with high trilling behind him by pianist, counterpoint by bass and brushwork by Mr. Foster. Tenor took audience on a journey through the musings of a modern musical mind, sometimes feathery light sequence of notes, but each phrase articulated well, with deeply felt tone. Mr. Turner seems at his best sculpting lines with modern architecture in mind, playing from high degree and falling, then creating slow arcs of sound, posing more questions than answers in his story. Group played unison on certain accented notes with bass, drums and sax sounding together. Mr. Turner used glisses from low to high with good effect creating the “space” everyone seems to need to escape the stress of modern life. The piano and bass duo’d playing off each other in a winsome counterpoint, the bass strong and deep and the piano with scattered chords leading to their finding the same resting place. Then theme was restated bring sax in plaintive statement of main notes, accented by bass, dissolving to a short cadenza with fills by piano and long tones over a background of The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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George Mraz, bass, Al Foster, drums, Bill Charlap, piano, Mark Turner, tenor saxophone
shimmering sound provided by Mr. Foster. “Invitation” by Clare Fischer followed at about 184= quarter note. Intro by Mr. Turner, with some distinctively voiced chords by Charlap, with a feeling of a quest with exciting possibilities, of having found love, with some splendid accents on chords and evocative modern lines tinged with the atmosphere of desire. Charlap displayed a very secure technique. Tenor sax doubled the time, pianist hitting chords on upbeat, Mr. Turner exploratively seeking repeated phrases, beginning with a triplet and later repeating them with a semi frenetic quality, starting on a high note and falling with a certain musical impressionism or painting quality, instead of making paragraphs, or using language based musical metaphors. Drum solo: playing an 8th note figure embodying the quality of joy, 1+2+ with accent on the upbeat, then sixteenth note phrases accented on toms, creating a romantic yet exciting panorama of effects, the primary sound coming from tom toms, feeling the heartbeat of a person who has received an “Invitation,” building a passionate solo to a crescendo leading 4
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back to the smooth sultry melody played by Mr. Turner, ending on a sweet cadenza from a high note on interesting voicings with counterpoint by Mraz and repeated unison by Charlap. “Recordame” was about 174=quarter note, Mr. Henderson’s classic standard. A romantic original, played with affection and charm. The well rehearsed arrangement, Mr. Turner played the melody, then Charlap’s solo expressing intensity of passion exploding with lyric grace, then going into scalar lines, played at double time, with chording to recall the main accents of the melody. The bass line was evocative with cool foundation by Mr. Foster. Tenor played nice extensions of melodic line with wider intervals, then some glisses from bottom to the top of his horn. Mr. Foster played some six beat phrases with subtle use of bass drum and personal palette of colors expressed by Mr. Foster, who with the bass gave great security to the soloist, the tenor player, who indulged in some chordal explorations of and extensions within the accents of the song, wishing to be remembered like the title suggests. Mr. Turner shapes solos like a modern collage artist, casting things together for a certain effect. Bass solo showed intimate knowledge of song with some tweaking of notes to get more out of them, accenting and bending some notes, with virtuosity, some modal skips and leaps very high then descending, sometimes playing chords on bass, which got applause, accenting the upbeats, then the theme was restated and brought the crowd to high level of excitement. Birdland has good food, a menu mostly of Cajun and New Orleans oriented dishes, with desserts at $10, entrees from $17 to $29, sandwiches starting at $14 and beer-$7, wine-$10-12. Birdland has a modern design with tasteful neon and a raised stage with circular dining seating with the ambience of a dinner club. Subscribe for FREE to JAZZ CULTURE NEWSLETTER
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ENGLAND EVENT
REVIEW
By John Watson Band: Mike Lindup and riends Venue: 606 Club, Lots Road, Chelsea, London, UK Date: Monday 16th July 2012
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It is a Monday night and I drive through London’s bustling West End and head down the Kings Road in Chelsea. Gradually the road becomes less busy and when I turn into Lots Road there is not a soul about. I park up, approach an iron gate and press a buzzer. I am let through, climb down some dimly lit stairs and open the door. At the reception desk I’m greeted by Will and can hear some great jazz music wafting through from the speakers in the main room. Will shows me to my table. It is only 7:30 p.m. but the place is already packed with a relaxed anticipation in the air. This is the 606 Club, so named because the original club was in a basement at 606 Kings Road. The club’s reputation grew and grew during the 70’s and 80’s until they had to find bigger premises hence the move to Lots Road. John Watson Photo: Max Garr
I settle down at a small table by one of the bare brick walls and a waitress takes my order. Then I see the owner Steve Rubie approach the stage in his distinctive scarf and jumper. Although it is mid-July, the attire is his trademark. Musician Steve has been running the club since 1976 and, in a friendly manner, he reminds the audience that the 606 policy is complete silence during the performance before introducing the band I’ve come to see; Mike Lindup and Friends. 6
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Mike found fame in the early 80’s as a founding member of the band Level 42. Between 1981 and 1994, they recorded 13 albums with worldwide sales of over 15 million, top ten singles in four continents and performed around the world. Since then, he has released two solo albums and tonight’s gig is to promote his latest EP On The One. Mike, on piano, keyboards and lead vocal, is joined on stage by Alex Hutchins (guitar), Johnny Copland (electric bass), Tristan Banks (drums) and Sumudu (backing vocal). The set starts gently with a song entitled Silver Spoon but, from the offset, the audience are very attentive. Original songs are interspersed with an interesting choice of covers such as Michael Jackson’s Stranger In Moscow and Coldplay’s Fix You. There are, of course, some Level 42 songs too but reworked imaginatively and sensitively to suit the line-up and express Mike’s personality of which I particularly note Lasso the Moon which builds up from a piano and acoustic guitar opening to percussive modal playing from Mike and an extended coda featuring a remarkable drum solo from Tristan over a 6/4 riff which brings the house down. Other highlights include a great guitar solo from Alex in The Spirit is Free (from Mike’s album Changes) and the first half ends with On The One (the title track from the new EP) featuring an extended Rhodes Electric Piano solo by Mike. Highlights in the second half include Badness (another original from the EP) with some nice interplay between Alex’s electric guitar and Mike’s Prophet Synthesizer and two instrumentals: Arc Over Paris with very sensitive acoustic guitar playing by Alex and Sunshine and Flowers (from Mike’s album Conversations With Silence) which highlights Mike’s more classical side yet with jazz and Latin influences. Johnny gets the chance to shine with a slap bass solo in Stevie Wonder’s Ordinary Day and the band’s rendition of Stevie’s Too High again brings the house down. The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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Throughout the set, I can’t help but notice how so many people in the audience are captivated by the musicianship on stage with several focusing on either the drummer or the guitarist during entire songs. The 606 Club’s policy is to showcase the rich and varied UK music scene and tonight has been a fine example of that. For more information on Mike Lindup visit: www.mikelindup.com and check out the 606 Club at www.606club.co.uk
John Watson is a veteran jazz pianist, arranger, musical director ofthe English music scene, who can be heard at The Langham in London on weekends with his Trio. A graduate ofthe Guildhall School ofMusic and Drama, John Watson has performed in many different situations, from hotels to jazz clubs, from festivals to parties. These include: Four Seasons Hotel London, The Dorchester Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Pizza Express Club Soho, Hammersmith Apollo, JVC Jazz Festival Paris, Grand Hotel du Cap Ferat Music Festival and St. Regis Hotel ew York. John is a “triple threat�-- singer, pianist and keyboardist, accompanist and long time music director ofLeee John and legendary 80’s group Imagination. Through popular demand, he has recorded and released several albums. Most recently the JW3 Live at the Langham, (available for download) features his jazz trio and was recorded at the Palm Court, -The Langham, London, where John is currently resident pianist and musical director. www. johnpianoman. co. uk Myspace. com/johnawatson; youtube. com/johnpianoman; twitter. com/johnpianoman;facebook. com/john-watson/78494720527
BARRY HARRIS JAZZ WORKSHOP I ROMA Lionelle Hamanaka, Publisher/see lionelleh. com
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QUOTATION:
"Practice a Million Hours." -Junior Cook, Sept. 17-21, 2012 Saxophonist Info:A APA TUSO "You can't take off @HOTMAIL.COM Tel.: +39 without a launching pad." 3393383139 -Lonnie Hillyer, Trumpeter The Jazz Culture, VI:17
JAZZ HERITAGE
Virgil Jones, 1939-2012
Recollections By Carol Randazzo Orito Jones & Others The following is an excerpt from a book Virgil Jones and his wife Carol were writing on Virgil’s life: ”How fortunate I was to be a young developing trumpet player in Indianapolis, the home of Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, JJ Johnson, Leroy Vinegar, James Spaulding, Cark Perkins, Michael and Larry Ridley, Slide Hampton and Family, Melvin Rhyne, Killer Ray Appleton, Charlie Cox and many others. I jammed and listened to these players in George’s Bar, the Missile Room and elsewhere. It was the best way to learn. My only other formal education was Crispus Attucks High School, where my band student teacher was David Baker. Around 1960, David Baker recommended me to Lionel Hampton…It was the beginning of my 45 years a as professional trumpet player. The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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“I travelled nationally and internationally with many bands big and small, and one of my favorites was Dizzy Gillespie’s big band…“Once I had a change to play with Horace Silver and at the same time I was asked to return to the Ray Charles Band for a tour. I returned to Ray’s band—but I wish I hadn’t. During a performance in Carol Randazzo Orito Jones, sings Tennessee, I fell about 11 feet "St James Infirmary" off the stage and injured my back. My yoga practice saved me because I was so flexible and managed to get into a protective position. But this injury haunted me all my life. In the end, my back pain stopped me from exercising because the pain was unbearable. I was unable to walk and do things I enjoyed. I always wondered what would have happened if I had played with Horace Silver instead of Ray Charles, but I’ll never know.” A glimpse of Virgil Jones’ bio. After touring the world with Hamp, he played with the Mel Lewis/Thad Jones Orchestra, Frank Foster in his Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Heath, McCoy Tyner’s Big Band, Ray Charles, toured Europe with Clark Terry’s Space Band. He played with several latin bands, including Machito’s and Palmieri’s, did several Broadway shows, was on Dick Cavett’s TV show band, recorded many records, with people from Stevie Wonder to Joe Henderson, and in combos with Barry Harris, Charles Davis, the Jazz Legacy Ensemble with Larry Ridley, Charles Stubblefield, and many other stars. He was featured on “Fearless Frank Foster.” For years he worked with Bobby Short’s band at the Café Carlyle. This is a small portion of the bands Virgil Jones played with. Mrs. Jones’ recollects: “Virgil came at a time when the big bands were waning and the smaller bands were transforming. He 10
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was in two worlds at the same time. He loved the big band feel, but he really dug what Miles and Trane were doing. When he came to NY the first recording was “Reeds and Deeds” in the early 60’s with Rhasaan Roland Kirk. He played with several Latin bands and he said he had a great time and he learned a lot. [At that time] only a real jazz fan was following the flow of jazz. The record companies split the attention of the general public into more what they wanted them to hear. Jazz was not promoted as much as other types of music yet these authentic jazz musicians’ relationships evolved in experiencing the music together. I hope there will be a renaissance. Guys will get some recognition that many of them never did get. There are still many great jazz musicians from before and around Virgil’s era, that have worked out the sound and I hope they get acknowledged.” “In my relationship with him he enjoyed everything he did, whether it was a small thing or a big thing. He was focused on it. He functioned as much as he could in the moment, and if I got lost, he would refocus me. And he was very clear when he decided to say something, but he didn’t speak a lot. He said it didn’t mean much to talk a lot. We both enjoyed quiet. As a person he focused on, he was tuned in on the environment. He’d say, “Carol, go play an Ab and G.” I’d play the Ab and G, and he’d say, “I think that was that horn outside.” I’d go listen to the horn, and sure enough after he made me do that enough times, I was able to hear that there were two notes in the horn beep.” There were a lot of horns on the street… Then I started listening to car horns and I started hearing that there was more than one note. He could separate sounds and hear minute things. He heard what the different instruments were doing. He loved music, astronomy, bird watching, and riding his bike when he was healthy. I didn’t realize how much he had incorporated Eastern philosophy into his daily life. And he was an example, not a proselytizer, but he had enormous wisdom and philosophical resources of Eastern and western philosophies. He did read a lot. He was sick but I took care of him, the last six years of his life. He could identify any The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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player after a few bars, many, many [players]. He always surprised me. He couldn’t play anymore but he loved to listen. He went very quietly, from this place to the other place, and he did it quietly. It showed he lived and died the same. He was always the same. His mood was always very serene. He was an amazing..I’m so glad I met him and he was a great example of compassion.”
Musician Remarks
Cecil Bridgewater: “Even before I came to NY in 1970, I was Virgil Jones with trumpet aware of Virgil's playing from some recordings that I heard with Frank Foster and others and even though we were both from the mid-west, he from Indianapolis and me from Champaign, Illinois about 116 miles apart, we never met until we were both playing in the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and then later in Frank Foster's Loud Minority. “Virgil (or as we called him, V.J.) was helpful to me in recommending me for gigs and giving me advice. He had a unique way of approaching improvisation that was very much from the jazz tradition, but he had his own approach that was always interesting. He once told me that my playing didn't seem to go where he thought it was going, but I said the same about his. He seemed to be traveling his own route within the tradition of people like Dizzy, Miles, Clifford Brown, etc. He had good range and a beautiful sound on both trumpet and flugelhorn and great facility. His ear was also great, I asked him if he had "perfect pitch" and he said no, but somehow he could pick notes out of a chord from seemingly nowhere and make them fit. He was a great ensemble 12
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player in either big bands or small groups because of his background in having played in those settings with Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Frank Foster's Loud Minority, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, etc. and the extensive work with many small groups in and around New York. He was an excellent reader and did many Broadway Shows, record dates, jingle dates, etc. He was the kind of musician you could call for any type of job and he would come and do it the way it was supposed to be done by making a great contribution. He could play many different styles with authority. He became one of my favorite players to listen to and learn from and was such a warm human being.” Mark McGowan: “Virgil Jones had a keen understanding of bebop and was fluent at improvising over all of the sophisticated harmonic structures characteristic of that music. I had the opportunity to play with him with Barry Harris and Illinois Jacquet; he was very comfortable playing in a big band trumpet section. I'll miss him because he was very friendly to a young trumpet colleague and extremely supportive of my musical and personal ambitions. I'll never forget how encouraging he was toward me when I first met him while he was playing in Barry Harris's quintet over twenty-five years ago.” Barry Harris: “All around musician, not only a good reader, a good improviser. He could solo. I never heard Virgil complain about anything.” Jimmy Wormworth: “He didn’t imitate our heros. He incorporated all of their sounds and it became Virgil. These young players, they play Woody Shaw licks, which isn’t more than Freddy Hubbard licks, but Virgil wasn’t like that. In Larry Ridley’s band, I think Virgil was the wisest. We played a lot of gigs at the Schomburg, the Jazz Legacy Band. In fact, the only recording of Virgil as soloist [lead player] is with that band, which was produced as a cd by Larry Ridley. Virgil wasn’t up front about what he knew. When I asked him about stuff he was very deep. The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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When we were in New Orleans, it was Virgil I hung out with the most. He anointed me with Phineas and Calvin Newborn and we had a lot of conversations. So many don’t realize how hard a job it is to do music, when you have people in charge like businessmen --they thwart the people who can do it by controlling it, and Virgil was understated and for some reason they never put him out there, and he was wise and articulate just like he was in his playing-he was wise and articulate and people don’t realize, it’s who you are that comes out when you’re playing, your personality comes out when you’re playing. And to me, that’s how Virgil was. He was soft spoken but wise and his playing was the same. He was my best friend in Larry Ridley’s band. Charles Davis is like family and I know him a lot longer, but I could talk to Virgil and I think I hung out with him the most because he loved to laugh and I could crack him up too.” Kiani Zuwadi: “He was one of the great souls …whether big band or small he had a great trumpet feel for bebop music. In all the photos I have of him, he had a big smile and he was easy to get along with.” Carol Randazzo Orito Jones: “Virgil does solos on a lot ofalbums, but he does the head and solos on all the tunes on this cd, and it shows a very romantic yet with a bebop flavor in his improvisation, a very gentle, sweet, complex person. Ifyou listen to this album, you will know the real Virgil Jones. ” Listen to
Virgil Jones, featured on Larry Ridley & The Jazz Legacy Ensemble’s “Other Voices” cd by Naima Records 1999.
Short Insights on Life on the Road By Clarence Banks
Pub. Note: Clarence Banks has been a professional trombonist for forty + years, traveling for the last 28 years with the Basie Orchestra, shows like “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and recording with many great masters. He was the last musician to be hired by 14
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Count Basie before he passed on, and has worked with groups from Slide Hampton, to the Count Basie Orchestra. CB: “It’s a rare opportunity to go out now. It takes a special person Clarence Banks in performance to go on the road. You get a chance to see the world, go to places, see how other people live. lt’s work, but there’s a chance you’re learning, about different cultures and enjoying those cultures." JC: How did you start going on the road? CB: One of my first road trips was a ten day tour with Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones in 1980, a mini tour. I started getting experience traveling from that point. We met the bus at the Village Gate in NYC and went to Pittsburgh, and then we went to Chicago, back to Detroit, then Pittsburgh. We played the club on the hill in Pittsburgh, two nights there and Joe Segal’s place in Chicago when it was still on Rush Street and then we went to Detroit, played a concert and went back to Pittsburgh. It was really exciting, we got a chance to play with some greats. Clint Houston, Idris Muhammed, drums, Hilton Ruiz, piano, and nine trombones. JC: And with the Count Basie Orchestra? CB: Spent 28 years with these guys, just got back, we went to Japan. JC: Do you get jet lag? CB: At one point we were traveling so much to Europe, I got over jet lag, States to Europe and vice versa. One of my things that I do have, I can’t sleep on planes and buses unless I’m totally exhausted. I’ll take a walk in Europe, have breakfast, try to do everything I can before I nap, but the next day I’m on schedule. When I come back, I take a walk. The only time jet lag bothers me, is coming back from Japan like now. I don’t sleep, 13 hours on the The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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Clarence Banks teaching Master Class in Japan
plane. I woke up at 2:30 in the morning, “I’m like, Now what do I do?” We’re getting ready to go to Australia, that’s 21 hours to get there. We will see. JC: Would the Basie tradition still be intact or in a drawer somewhere? CB: I think after all these years, the orchestra’s been in existence. 76 years. That’s how it is primarily dealt with, the band has always traveled. There are occasions where the band would sit down for a long period of time. But even back then it was rare. JC: Why is it necessary or important for jazz musicians to go on the road? CB: Of course there’s food on the table, money in your pocket. Just like the old days when religious crusades would go out, we’re just going around spreading the word, making sure people are well informed about this music. Sometimes you have to bring the music to the people in different countries who don’t have the 16
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chance to listen to jazz. We’ve been to Malaysia, Taiwan, these places don’t normally have that kind of music. JC: What’s the audience reaction? CB: It varies. The Basie Band music is joyful, happy music. They’re surprised. We feed off the audience and vice versa. 90% of the audience is very positive, they want to hear more. JC: How do you choose what to pack? CB: One of my big tours was Ain’t Misbehavin’. Two years before Count Basie. Clothing was no restriction, we could carry as much as needed. I was in Europe for practically a year. Of course we got change of seasons there. I ended up buying winter clothing, that was very expensive. You’ve got to stay warm in the winter. That was one of my first learning experiences. Luggage now has to be under 50 lbs. Your music, underclothes. I’ll wear jeans, [and bring] something appropriate for dinner or dress. If I have a day off I’ll find a laundrymat and wash my clothes. Have an umbrella, just in case it rains. In Tokyo it’s 70 degrees and in Okinawa it’s 100.You get the picture. This tour I did some master classes in Universities. Teaching is learning, so you get a chance to do both. Those days of hanging out all night—even when I was younger I did not hang that much. I’d practice a lot and work on things musically. For the most part, I get a little rest in my hotel room. Recently I started writing music again. JC: How long do tours usually last? CB: When I first joined the Band in 1984, six weeks out, two weeks off. That was the general idea, up until maybe shortly after 9/11, things got a little shorter. A tour can last 6-7 weeks or a couple months at a time. JC: Do you have a set meal plan? CB: You‘ve got to pay for your own meals. Until about 1989-90, The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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with the Basie Orchestra, we paid part of our hotels. After 1989, the company started paying for the hotels. That was a vast improvement. Everything was verbal. For a couple of years I struggled until I could get a decent salary per week. Food: Things you like to eat, you can’t get in certain countries. You can sometimes bring your own food. I might take some nuts with me or little munchies. One of the guys brings instant grits with him. You might want to carry something along with you. E.g. Thelonious, when he went to Europe he took a case of Pepsi, and afterwards he brought the bottles back. They said, “Why are you bringing bottles back?” He said, ”To get my refund.” They had to pay excess for those bottles. JC: Exercise? CB: I walk a lot. I get out if I have some time, and particularly if I go some place I’ve never been. I call “myself getting lost.” At
Clarence Banks at a teaching seminar in Japan
one time I’d do calisthenics in a room to work up a sweat. I try to 18
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keep that going. If there’s a gym available I might go. In little towns there’s no gyms, use your rooms do your push ups and sit ups in your room. I used to carry a jump rope with me. JC: Keeping in touch? CB: Nowadays I use my Magic Jack and call US and Canada, computer email, Skype. All those means. Back in the day, it was costly to make a phone call. You can only speak a few minutes. I just started taking my laptop out, maybe 6 months ago. Going through security, you have to take your laptop out, it’s a mild inconvenience but that’s okay, but it’s really convenient to have it with you. Most hotels have Wifi. JC: Do you always know where your hotel is? CB: They give us an itinerary in advance, and that’s very convenient, having a phone number, where you’re going to be. That’s cool. JC: What about language barrier? Is there a difference traveling in combo or big band. CB: Traveling with a small group, there’s less people to worry about. Nowadays except for Eastern Europe, just about everybody speaks English. Most people in Europe speak 2-3 languages. In Japan, people speak English there in big cities, except small towns. For eating, it’s fine. On menus they have little pictures of what you want to eat, you just point to it. Through years of traveling, I say, “I’ll take the fois gras.” It also might be in English. In some cases they might have dinner for us, if we have a tight schedule. We go straight to the gig. They’ll have dinner for us and a snack. JC: What about laws regarding recording in other countries. Contracts covered by laws in US? CB: As a side man I don’t have to worry about contracts. I don’t usually deal with that. A leader in that situation would deal with contracts. Contracts are pre-made before we leave the country. All the details that need be. The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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JC: Do hotels mind if you have overnight guests? CB: It depends. Europe was pretty cool. Japan doesn’t mind if you have, you just have to pay for the extra person. In fact, a good friend brought his whole family there, he’s got his baby, and his wife, and he’s got to pay $70 per night-so that’s over $2,000 for a whole month. JC: What about married couples? CB: When Nancie would come to Japan we’d have to pay for the extra person. Not in Europe. JC: Have you ever gotten sick abroad? CB: I had a back problem in Paris. I couldn’t get out of bed. I had to go to see the doctor. I didn’t know what to do, in the hotel, they had a staff doctor. A lot of medicine over there you don’t have to pay for. The only thing I did was invite the doctor to the concert. Another time I got to Paris and had pink eye, went to a clinic. “No charge.” I’ve endured a lot traveling, and I’ve been fortunate never to get really sick. I hope I have a good immune system. Except, in 1984, I severed my Achilles. For 2 and ½ months I travelled on crutches—that was in the States. That was $7-8,000, four-five days in hospital, I had an operation. I was like 30 and decided to go out and play basketball. I went up for a layup. I ended up going to the hospital Wednesday morning and a bunch of interns came around me, the Dr. said “Looks like a severed Achilles.” I don’t like needles, but I remember saying I’m looking forward to this.” This was in Yacoma, Washington, I was getting gourmet food, lamb chops, great meals, beer, I get two cans of beer, I’m thinking ‘This is unbelievable.’ It turns out a guy who used to work in the band, his wife worked in the kitchen in the hospital. They threw me out of the hospital. One of the nurses had a son who played trumpet. She said, “My son plays trumpet.” Her son (about 14 years old-played really good) came to the hospital and played. They said, “Sorry we have to throw you out, you’re causing too many problems.” 20
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COBI NARITA'S TRIBUTE TO ABBEY LINCOLN A RESOUNDING SUCCESS
Frank Owens, p, Paul West, b, Greg Bufford, d, Kendra Shanks and Paul Ash L
Singer Emiko Mizoguchi smiles above, while Paul Ash sells cds to tap dancers, and Kathy Farmer swings below and directly beneath her, Kendra Shank
Cobi arita's Jazz Center produced a beautiful Tribute to Abbey Lincoln on Monday August 11, 2012 that played to an enthusiastic crowd of jazz lovers at St. Peter's Church. The nave overflowed with the ring ofbeautiful voices in a fitting performance for the unique songs of Abbey Lincoln. The Jazz Culture, VI:17
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Arlene Leonard came all the way from ew Orleans to sing "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"-Baby Jane Dexter & Teri Roigers above, Perri Gaffney L
Ghanniya Green, Marchelle, Perri Gaffney, were among the beautiful singers in a wonderful Tribute to Abbey Lincoln for her unique standards and dedication to jazz. They sang with enthusiasm, style, and love, and they had a solid rhythm section ofFrank Owens, piano, Paul West, bass, and Greg Bufford, drums. 22
The Jazz Culture, VI:17
Let's Link/Musician Correspondents
We remember Dr. Frank Foster: Listen to his Nippon Lament
See LafayetteHarris.com
Photo: Brian McMillen
Cecil Bridgewater
See RickStone.com
KuniMikami.com@CD Baby� "Hamp's Boogie"
The Jazz Culture, VI:17
23
See Barry Harris.com
Dado Moroni, pianist
Luciano Fabris, Rome
Joe Magnarelli
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Dawn Hampton
Swing Dancing with George Gee; The Jazz Culture Newsletter has been read in 33 countries around the world. Subscribe free online, and omment on articles. We welcome your letters.
The Jazz Culture, VI:17