The Jazz Culture Feature
Charles Davis,creator of "For Love of Lori" at a dinner at Local 802, converses with pianist Harold Mabern and bassist Larry Ridley
by L. Hamanaka
"FOR LOVE OF LORI," is a cd by Charles Davis. His personnel are: Rick Germanson, pianist, Neil Smith, drums, Steve Davis, trombone, David Williams, bass. Lori Blank Samet or Mrs. Charles Davis, was a lovely, gracious, woman who was a perfect jazz wife. “For Love of Lori” is a cd by her husband. “Begues” (R. Smith) the (132=quarter note) theme, with The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
1
rhythmic section playing three note motif, then horns in harmony playing a melodic phrase, with the melody note played by trumpet; this section repeats. Mr. Davis enters, bellowing up to a beginning, a signature way he does to accent key notes. Mr. Davis, finds lovely motifs paired with rhythmic combinations, between bellows up to key notes, inserts 16th note triplets, and creating short melodic motifs, including a pattern that is repeated, but more statements on the whole. Mr. Magnarelli states thoughtful, starts with a four note phrase, following it up with a five note phrase, with a clear tone, and creates arches of melody, seeming to ask questions about the nature of love. His tone is a little more dusky when he is playing the melody. Mr. Steve Davis on trombone has a full round sound centered in his middle register, very sweet and thoughtful; he knows how to create rhythmic phrases that plunge the listener ahead into the future. Mr. Germanson on piano, is inner directed and seems to delight in creating little phrases that bounce off each other, sometimes sounding influenced by Wynton Kelly. Mr. David Williams has a dusky sound on bass, in his lower middle register, having a fluent, swinging jazzy style that is very simpatico in this group, and creates a lead-in to restatement of the theme. Starting with a rolled piano chord, and voicing a forlorn intro infused with loneliness, irving Berlin’s simple but deep “What’ll I do,” in ¾ must express, with horns voiced like a sweet voiced, lower middle register bouquet, and Mr. Davis playing the bridge alone, as the voices fall away, simply and plainly. Mr. Mags expresses in a full and individual tone, sliding up and down on scalar lines, and accenting key notes, to describe the feeling of being left and bereft, and the inability to wrap one’s head around it. Stopping the time to insert a couple of two note ideas, and then 5 note motifs, and then harmonizing notes with the bass line. Mr. Davis on trombone plays four note motifs similar to the melody’s rhythm, and then inverts some ideas into questions, and changes the accents on other foru note motifs, ending in a question, with a sweet full tone. He knows how to propel the line by leading up to a key note or turning point. 2
The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
Then Mr. Davis make the crowning In these pages statement, of the search for a lost love Charles Davis cd that cannot find its object, painting the For Love of Lori 1‐4, 8, 12 broken hearted despair of someone in July Listings 5‐6 circular clusters of notes, who loved John Watson Ad fully and never imagined what it would Kuni Mikami Ad be like to be without the object of his Roma Jazz Workshop Ad affections. Mr. Germanson, in a more Obituary Pete Douglas 10‐11 removed sense, but swinging nonetheless, tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together again so that life without love will make sense, playing ideas around the melody. The group then returns to the theme which is beautifully played and full of feeling. “Juliana,” (J. Priester, arr. Charles Davis) bright in comparison, at about 140, with one motif in the middle played with sparkling tone by Mr. Magnarelli, Mr. Davis plays the first solo, sort of a swinging refrain, as if at the discovery of true love, the joy. Mr. Magnarelli’s solo he seems to have found a very personal articulation and light, breezy sound that goes with the happiness of the melody. Mr. Davis, in curling phrases that beat English for expressive possibilities of jazz, balancing against the drums, bass and piano weaving in and out and expressing thoughts . Mr. Germanson is an intelligent and apt pianist, seemingly for any kind of song. This song has a pretty and pert jazz melody, and comes to bright climax. Beginning with a drum intro, “KD” (another original by Charles Davis) is a medium tempo tribute to, of course, Kenny Dorham, that most adored trumpet player and composer who left us such a deep reservoir of his legacy. Fittingly, KD freak Magnarelli, expounds about him in his solo, ending one phrase on a pretty trumpet trill, and creating phrases that answer each other in perfect balance. Joe Magnarelli seems to have transmuted KD’s loving spirit through his owns soul and expresses his debt with great The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
3
phrasing. Mr. Davis, having a saxophonist’s point of view on KD, without ever getting loud, maintains a glowing creative aura around every phrase using multiple effects, some five note motifs, call and response, notes accenting the upbeats. The soloists seem really evolved into their own styles. Mr. Steve Davis has pungent trombone punctuation, using blue notes in a tasteful way, and a hip kind of shorthand economically creating short motifs that swing and lead on elsewhere. The pianist is fluent and interesting, and punctuates with chords deftly. The drummer and bassist are very sensitive, and play at perfect dynamics for the group. The song ends on accented sections, with long tones, vamping, on Latin rhythms. “For Love of Lori” is a beautiful ballad original by Mr. Davis and a feature for him on this cd, who squeezes the value out of every note, with obbligato caressing the melodic line. He seems to bear the mantle of the great tenor players of the past, echoing their majesty in his own style. Mr. Magnarelli, plays a doleful solo with sensitivity and a sense of discovery. We find him playing an idea in one key, repeating the idea in another, and inventing a counter phrase that follows. Mr. Davis, in this original, seems determined to show how splendid the intimacy between himself and his wife was, and how love makes life both bearable and fun. He takes a motif, expands it and inserts side comments, pealing up to a high note, all in a distinctive and unusual tone that is unmistakably jazzy and not heavy with vibrato. After a brief interlude by Mr. Germanson, Mr. Davis restates the theme, elongating the important notes with superb feeling for the line. If he wanted to create a masterpiece that showed the simplicity and depth of true love, he has succeeded.
4
cont. p. 8 The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
The Jazz Culture Newsletter Jazz Tours in NYC are available; also music teachers in various countries for students & jazz lovers. email: info@thejazzculture.com. Ads are available in The Jazz Culture Newsletter. The Jazz Culture Newsletter has been read in 79 countries. Brian McMillen is a contributing Photographer. Connie MacNamee and Arnold J. Smith are contributing writers." Countries: US, UK, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Burma, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam
July Listings Robert Anderson‐ Saturdays, Univ of the Streets 10:30 Clarence Banks‐ Swing 46 w/ Felix and the Cats, 346 W. 46 St. Ray Blue: Germany tour Bertha Hope: pianist/quintet every Thurs, Fri & Sat at Mintons Restaurant,116th&St Nicholas Av. Reservations strongly recommended. 212‐243‐2222 Richard Clements: Pianist, 11th Street Bar most Mondays, 8 Luciano Fabris‐Rome George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, every Tues, most Fridays 9:30 Lafayette Harris: July 3‐ Solo piano at Antique Garage, 41 Mercer St./ Grand Ave.7‐10pm no cover, great food! July 9 ‐Jazzmobile, Grants Tomb at 122 St & Riverside Drive w/Houston Person‐free: 7 p.m. July 10‐ Play with Antoine Drye in The Great Hall at The Metropolitan Opera NYC‐Private party July 14‐ Solo piano at Antique Garage, 41 Mercer St..Grand Ave. 7‐10
The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
5
July 19‐ Sankofa Aban, 107 Macon St. Brooklyn NY $30 cove show/dinner Loston Harris: Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle; Tues ‐ Thur 9:30pm ‐ 12:30am, Fri‐Sat 9:30pm‐1:00am Bemelmans Bar Residency 12th year at The Carlyle, 35 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021 (76th St. & Madison Ave.) 212‐744‐1600 Mike Longo: Tuesdays Gillespie Auditorium in the NYC Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street 8:00 and 9:30 Joe Magnarelli: July 6, Sun. leads Small’s late session John Mosca & Michael Weiss, Vanguard Orchestra every Monday at the Village Vanguard 8 p.m. David Pearl‐ Mondays at the Thalia, 95 St. bet. B'way & West End 8 p.m.; David Pearl Trio, Thurs. July 24, 7 p.m, Fri. July 25 at 9:30 p.m. Sophie's 318 West 53rd Street, Tix: 15/20 with Code DPT63 Valery Pomoronov‐ Zinc Bar on the first Wednesday in July, 9:30 p.m. Bill Saxton: Every Friday and Saturday Bill’s Place 133 Street Evans Thompson, pianist, concert on August 2, Original, Rumba, Jazz, and Bebop,All Stars Project / Castillo Theater 453 W.42 St.10‐11th Ave ‐Aug. 2‐ 1 PM Free Murray Wall, bassist, 11th Street Bar most Mondays, 8 p.m. Leroy Williams, drums: Minton's Sun & Tues 2‐6 W. 118 St.
THE JOHN WATSON TRIO In partnership with LaurentPerrier, the Palm Court presents The Summer Social Tea inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show, Ascot and Wimbledon with a chance to win some wonderful prizes. To make a booking call: 020 7965 0195 or for more information visit: www.palmcourt.co.uk/#/summer-social-tea. Website: www.johnpianoman.co.uk; Facebook: facebook.com/JohnPianomanWatson ; YouTube: www.youtube.com/johnpianoman ; Twitter: http://twitter.com /johnpianoman ; Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnpianoman. Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpianoman
6
The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
KUNI MIKAMI, Pianist is also an acclaimed, talented Videographer Special Introductory Sale: Five Minute Edited (with music) Video Resume for Performers $300 Contact Kuni @: 123mime@gmail.com
Artist must provide: • Good quality HD video on computer file • Good recorded audio sound • A photo of yourself • Text you want to see on the video
Luciano Fabris in Rome, David Pearl at Thalia & Sophie's, Mike Longo Trio at the Bahai Center on Tues. July 15, July 6, Leroy Williams at Minton's, The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
7
OBITUARY PETER DOUGLAS
by L. Hamanaka and Brian McMillen
Half Moon Bay Jazz Club’s ( a/k/a the Bach Dynamite & Dancing Society) creator, Peter Douglas, died at the age of 85. Mr. Douglas ran the Society which was a former beer hall, for nearly 50 years and was known as the “original hipster” on the west coast. Born in 1929 in Illinois, Mr. Douglas’s family 8
The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
gravitated to the west coast in 1940 and Mr. Douglas started going to the Lighthouse Café, and loved the jazz scene and the beaches of California. He married Pat Parslow in 1953 and found work as a probation officer. After graduating UC Santa Barbara in 1955 and a stint in the service, he discovered the beer joint on a trip down the California coast that he would eventually buy. He did some renovation in 1958, invited local beatniks and musicians to jam sessions, and started booking local jazz artists. In 1964 he founded the non profit Bach Dynamite & Dancing Society. He mentored west coast music icon Tim Jackson, associated with the Monterey Jazz Festival and Kuumbwa Jazz, who started by selling tickets for him at the Half Moon. Jazz celebrities who performed there included: Sheila Jordan, Betty Carter ,Dexter Gordon, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dave Liebman, who recalls Mr. Douglas “watching like a hawk” all the while providing a cool and groovy environment for jazz to flourish. Etta James called him “Popeye.” Tim Jackson said, “Pete was a pioneer in jazz presenting and presided over one of the longest lasting jazz venues in the country.” He combined the beauty of the Pacific Ocean, a laid back and welcoming personality, forging the Bach Dynamite & Dancing Society into a well balanced scene that attracted many jazz greats. Mr. Douglas is survivevd by his daughters Linda, Virginia and Barbara, six grandchildren, and several great grandchildren. Linda Goetz has inherited the venue and will continue jazz performances through October of this year. The following is a contribution by Brian McMillen, photographer who knew Mr. Douglas well:
“Pete Douglas, age 85, put on world-class Jazz in his beach house in Half Moon Bay CA, 45 minutes down the coast highway from SF, since about 1960. I shot a major portion of my photos at his place when I was house photographer. It was arguably the longest running jazz house in the U.S. outside of the Vanguard. The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
9
Below is the local paper's story on him, and also his obit in the same paper. FYI, ALL touring jazz musicians know about or have played there. “He passed away last Saturday in the chair at his desk overlooking the Pacific. With this event, and the recent change to new ownership and a non-jazz policy at Yoshi's club in San Francisco, the SF Peninsula is really hurting for a venue for live jazz. What the future holds is anybody's guess.� Jazz has attracted some of the most colorful and dedicated music producers in the world because of the greatness of the music, and the jazz community is giving increasing credit for the decades of devotion and hard work entailed in keeping a jazz venue alive.
10
The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
Links: Lionelleh.com, lostpuppyblues.com The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
13
“Into the Himalayas” (Charles Davis) opens with a drum intro, that stops when the horns come in, and the drummer then uses cymbals to accent the melody. Mr. Davis takes off with answers by the horns, in an intriguing and intricate format. The tempo is about 160=quarter note. Pealing up to a line, a master at using seconds or a scalar line in his own way, Mr. Davis creates his own tapestry. Mr. Mags answers in his solo sometimes using three note motifs heavily accented, and then longer phrases that provide the listener, bending notes and jazzily stating ideas. Mr. Steve Davis does some fourth ideas, and six note ideas, nice articulation, some whole tone ideas, as if taking off to a strange land where he does not know the terrain. Mr. Germanson, projects self assurance, with some whole tone phrases, and descends with facility, and then to scalar ideas, that seem exploratory of new territory or a new land. The theme repeats with charm and grace, with the rhythm section giving perfect support. Altogether an example of where jazz can evolve to if given the chance, the cd is both fully committed by its high level of performance, technical ease and simpatico passion. “Cedar’s Blues,” (by Cedar Walton, arr. By R. Germanson) has a witty phrase in it’s a section that is repeated and then there is a rhythmic counter melody that is post- bop at medium up tempo. Mr. Germanson, enunciates a sort of both boppish and hip ideas. Nice arrangement, comping and insertion of blue notes. Mr. Davis takes off on a saxophone modernistic perambulation on whole note ideas, rounding them out with substitutions that float, because they resolve well, and he combines them with rhythmically accurate phrases that do not overstate, but perfectly balance each other. Steve Davis takes off, likes this tempo, feeling the subdivisions of the quarter notes well, and invents clever phrases. Of course everyone loves the blues, and most musicians love Cedar Walton. Mr. Magnarelli, has uneven number of measures and a new way of resolving phrases, using curling pitches, and floating through registers with ease, starting high low, or bending a blue note with expressiveness. Mr. David Williams does a swinging solo, anticipating the beat, and playing witty ideas. Then the group, restates the theme and ends on a chord 14
The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
that is shimmered with cymbals and a slight crescendo. “I’ll be Seeing You,” (S. Fain, arr. M. Weiss) played at a slow swing, is lovingly stated by Mr. Charles Davis with conviction. Mr. Steve Davis does a warm and melodically apt take off accenting a few notes that with a swing. Mr. Magnarelli, in a sympathetic tone, has very precise articulation, with each note crystal clear and a light and positive attitude, seems to be very happy in this context. Mr. Charles Davis returns with the melody, taking off with obbligato on the theme, and in a singing and swinging style, ends the song on a long tone that fades. If anything, this cd seemed too short, perhaps because when the quality of music is high, the listener is left wanting more. It shows that Mr. Davis writes unique and compelling songs, and there are excellent arrangements by Michael Weiss and Mr. Germanson. As a moving tribute to his wife and partner Lori, Mr. Davis immortalizes her in the best way he knows how, through music.
15 The Jazz Culture, V.III:31
WEST COAST NEWS: Yoshi’s in San Francisco has been sold to new owners, who will combine jazz performances-mixed with different types of music: R&B rock, hip hop, with “some jazz” here and there, an employee of the new owners said today. Yoshi’s San Francisco started in 2007 and cited lack of ticket sales as the reason for the change. Yoshi’s Oakland at 510 Embarcadero will continue its eclectic music policy, the “same as always”---policy, with “mostly other kinds of things” -- r&b, hip hop, most performers of worldwide reknown. This Yoshi’s seats 300,featuring pretty well known performers or stars. This month, the jazz acts will be: Count Basie Orchestra and Ron Carter Trio A bright spot for jazzers on the west coast includes: The San Francisco Jazz Center, is a new facility on. FranklinStreet. Stars featured this year include: Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Dave Holland, Randy Weston and others.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Connie MacNamee, Singer Phoenix Rivera, Composer/Drummer M. Ferghu, pianist We Love you!
16
The Jazz Culture, V.III:31