The Jazz Culture Feature
Dwayne Clemons, Alex Hoffman, Josh Denko, Murray Wall, below, Richard Clements and Taro Okamoto at 11th Street Bar
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In these pages Clements, Wall, Clemons, Okamoto at the 11th Street Bar 1‐4 June Listings 5‐6 John Watson Ad Kuni Mikami Ad Obituary for Bobby Rogovin 9‐10 Obituary for Horace Silver 11‐12
Richard Clements, Dwayne Clemons, Murray Wall & Taro Okamoto
by L. Hamanaka
Caught Richard Clements, Dwayne Clemons, Murray Wall and Taro Okamoto at the 11th street bar, an East Village neighborhood bar with an authentic charm, big back room used for music and an upright piano, on Monday, June 23. Sitting in were Alex Hoffman and Josh Denko on tenor and alto and singer Michelle Zangara. Charles Davis, who is usually there, was in London. The first song heard was “Down With It,” by Bud Powell, a minor blues at about 200=quarter note. Josh Denko started with alternating minor with diminished ideas, alternating bleating licks and doing some intervalics, some based on major thirds. Dwayne started with a triplet going down the scale, and continued with good focus and sometimes pealing off cont. p. 1 0
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OBITUARY BOBBY ROGOVIN TRUMPETER
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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 78 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, 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
June 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: June 29-German tour Richard Clements‐ Pianist, 11th Street Bar most Mondays, 8 Kenney Gates, pianist. Philadelphia, Tues., Sun. some Sats.‐ High Note Cafe on Tasker & 13th, 5‐9 p.m. Bertha Hope ‐ Minton's on 206 W. 118 Street, every weekend George Gee Orchestra at Swing 46, every Tues, most Fridays 9:30 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 Kim Clarke: Mike Longo: Tuesdays Gillespie Auditorium in the NYC Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street 8:00 and 9:30 Joe Magnarelli Quintet, Jazz Vespers Series, Pete Malinverni, artistic director,The Pound Ridge Community Church,
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3 Pound Ridge Road, Pound Ridge, NY, Sunday, June 8 at 4pm, Admission by free‐will offering
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, Sophie's 318 West 53rd Street, Valery Pomoronov‐ Zinc Bar on June 3, 9:30 p.m. Bill Saxton: Every Friday and Saturday Bill’s Place 133 Street Murray Wall, bassist, 11th Street Bar most Mondays, 8 p.m. Leroy Williams, drums: Minton's Sun & Tues 2‐6 W. 118 St. ENGLAND: John Watson Trio at the Palm Court, Langham Hotel, London, 1c Portland, Regent St. 207‐636‐1000 Fri‐Sat HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUNE BABIES: Monty Alexander, Clarence Banks, Clifford Barbaro, Chick Corea,John Hart, Patience Higgins, Ryan Keberle, Brianna Thomas, Fred Thomas,
THE JOHN WATSON TRIO Haven Jazz Dinner Night 26th June 2014, Whetstone. 7.30pm £55 per person (including 3 course dinner & wine). call: 020 845 7419 and for more information visit www.havenbistro.co.uk. In partnership with Laurent Perrier, 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.palm-court.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
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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
BOBBY ROGOVINA JAZZ LIFE by L. Hamanaka
cont. from p. 4
A memorial service was held on East 18th Street by friends and relatives of Bobby Rogovin, a brilliant New York jazz trumpeter familiar to the cognoscenti brought up in the Bronx, on Sunday, June 22, 2014. Mr. Rogovin was well known and beloved in the New York jazz community. After the gathering a small group spread his ashes over New York waters. Mr. Rogovin was known for his expert knowledge of bebop jazz, his wit and candor. Thousands of records, lps and tapes in his The Jazz Culture, V.III:25
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personal collection were given away as gifts to his friends and acquaintances. "I knew my singing had improved when Bobby played my phrases right back at me," said Barry Harris. Over his more than 40 year career as a professional trumpet player he performed with jazz legends Donald Byrd, Barry Harris, Jaki Byard, Walter Bishop Jr., Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton, as well as Tito Puente, Machito, Larry Harlow, Maurice Hines, Leslie Uggams, Rita Moreno and Bobby Rydell. He was committed to education, through private teaching and within the NYC public school system and he had a masters degree in music education from NYU. Former students included Ray Vega, Myron Walden, Jason Lindner, Ari Roland, William Ash, Daniel Freedman. Mr. Rogovin will be missed for his sparkling smile, sharp historical insight and commitment to jazz, especially bebop, understanding of the jazz life, people in general and his great sense of humor.
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New York jazz musicians who were friends ofBobby Rogovin share stories about him after memorial service (above) The Jazz Culture, V.III:25
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to a high note, inserting triplets in every line. Alex, the tenor player, played licks that used alternating minor and diminished and later sometimes peaked on a high note, trying to attain a legato feel in his lines. Richard Clements started melodically, attacking with good accents on the offbeat whatever the number of notes in his riffs. Taro Okamoto built an exciting solo with an intricate texture. The players were more adventurous while trading 4’s.The audience, a mixed generational crowd with an international look, clearly enjoyed it. from p. 3
“Bohemia After Dark,” by Oscar Pettiford was next at a medium swing. Another minor song, and the group’s theme song, the beautiful theme was resonant against the brick walls and wooden floors. Josh Benko played plaintive bleats going to long tones and phrases close to the melody. Dwayne Clemons used chromatic falls prettily, alternating with large intervals. Richard Clements played a pensive solo, and then the group took a break between sets. “Fat’s Flats” or “Barry’s Bop” was next. They played the theme crisply about 175=quarter note. Alex Hoffman abbreviated the main melody and created nice endings for his phrases and some 16th note swoops. Following the change, Dwayne did a couple of descending motifs, attacking with tasty key notes, doing 16th note turns with a sure rhythmic feel. Josh Benko glissed up and down, in a pretty fat tone and etched out small motifs. Richard Clements seemed to be recounting an old story with a conversational feel and elegant turns, rolling into high notes. Taro Okamoto and Murray Wall kept the band's engine pumping with an expert swinging feel. “Confirmation” followed, at about 150=quarter note. Alex Hoffman started with a five note descending motif that he expanded and then on the bridge played a contrasting idea, sometimes ending on a high note and inserting repeating triplet
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lines with nice ideas on simple motifs. Josh sometimes played double time licks, a playful solo choosing three note motifs which then extended into longer scalar lines, some ideas close to the melody. Dwayne Clemons extended the melody and played mostly scalar while throwing in large intervals and inserting triplets a few times on each line, with some glisses and sometimes reversing the melody. Richard Clements played close to the melody inserting chromatic fills with caressing lines in a familiar way. Murray carved a dramatic solo through the changes with Taro providing creative rhythmic counterpoint. The group ended the song with the horns in harmony in a pretty tribute to Charlie Parker. This group plays bebop consistently well and for jazz lovers who dig that period, is a reliable stop in the East Village on Monday nights. The bar makes good coffee and has good drinks and has charming ambience and architecture.
OBITUARY HORACE SILVER Horace Silver was born in September 28, 1928, in Norwalk, Connecticut, and died June 18, 2014 in New Rochelle. He was a jazz composer and pianist associated with the hard bop era. His father came from a musical family from Cape Verde off the coast The Jazz Culture, V.III:23
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ofWest Africa, and his mother was Irish-African. At the age of 11 he heard the Jimmy Lunceford band and decided to become a musician. An uncle gave him an old upright piano, and Mr. Silver started to compose and arrange as a teenager. He began by playing tenor saxophone, influenced by Lester Young, and then switched to piano and was influenced as a pianist by Bud Powell. If he played hooky he went to New York and heard Art Tatum. In 1950 his break came playing for Stan Getz at the Sundown Club in Connecticut. Mr. Silver moved to New York in 1951 and then played with Coleman Hawkins, Art Blakey and Lester Young. For a while he lived on the upper west side. He worked with a group that became the Jazz Messengers with Art Blakey, recording a double album session, “The Horace Silver Quintet”: Art Blakey, Doug Watkins, Kenny Dorham and Hank Mobley. Mr. Silver had a hit with a recording of “The Preacher.” Mr. Silver’s recording company after 1956 was Blue Note, under Alfred Lions. Hard bop assimilated elements of rhythm and blues and gospel as an influence. He worked with Hank Mobley, Junior Cook, Louis Hayes and Blue Mitchell. He later worked with Donald Byrd, singer Andy Bey, the Brecker brothers, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Benny Golson. His music is widely played. “Song for My Father,” “Nica's Dream," Peace," "Strollin'” and “Señor Blues,” were among his famous songs. Mr. Silver influenced generations of musicians with a style that encompassed all his musical loves: gospel, blues, Latin rhythm that, in Silver's words, “cooked” and “burned.” Mr. Silver formed his own label, “Silveto” devoted to the spiritual side of jazz, and another “Emerald” devoted to straight ahead jazz. He wrote an autobiography, “Let’s Get to the Nitty Gritty.” He was named a Jazz Master by the NEA in 1995. He won a President’s Merit Award from the Recording Academy in 2005. Mr. Silver is survived by his son, Gregory.
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