Larry Willis, Burned Out And Blue

A benefit is scheduled for next week to help pianist Larry Willis, who was burned out of his home last month. The January 7 fire in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, destroyed the living quarters of the house he shared with a friend. Willis is one of the great journeyman pianists in modern jazz. His resumé includes work with Jackie McLean, Stan Getz, Cannonball Adderley, Blood Sweat & Tears, Branford Marsalis, Carla Bley and Steve Swallow, Roy Hargrove, the Fort Apache Band and David "Fathead" Newman. These days, he leads his own trio.

When I asked Willis his plans, he said, "To reconstruct my life, to find another place to live, and to replace the things I lost--my clothing, my music and my important documents. They were all destroyed in the fire." The origin of the blaze is undetermined. Willis said he thinks that it was in the old house's wiring. He was at home when the fire broke out but escaped unharmed.

The benefit, called "Pianists Play For Larry," will be in New York City at St. Peter's Church, Lexington Avenue at 54th Street, at 7:00 pm Monday, February 26. Among the pianists scheduled to perform are Randy Weston, Geri Allen, Don Friedman, Bertha Hope and Jean Michel Pilc. A $20 donation is suggested. Larger ones are encouraged.

Blue Fable

As the benefit was announced, High Note records released Willis's new CD Blue Fable, which reunites him with a childhood friend and early musical partner, the bassist Eddie Gomez. The album also features alto saxophonist Joe Ford, trombonist Steve Davis and drummer Billy Drummond. It opens with Willis, Gomez and Drummond locking into a version of Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-a-ning" at a fast pace that does nothing to impede complex interaction among the three players.

Despite "Nardis"'s and Gomez's long association with Bill Evans, Willis only hints at his Evans influence and makes the piece his own. His treatment of the ballad "Never Let Me Go" is true to the melody and full of harmonic innovation. A highlight--perhaps the highlight--of the CD, it includes a stunning Gomez solo. The four tracks with Davis and Ford are in the tradition of post-bop quintets in the Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Max Roach mold. Both men are impressive, Ford with his unusually spacious alto sound, Davis for his inventiveness within the Curtis Fuller tradition. Willis's "Prayer For New Orleans" adds a rich element of spirituality to this fine CD.

It is doubtful that royalties from the album will go far toward allowing Willis to rebuild his life. If you are within walking, driving or flying distance of midtown Manhattan, you might keep in mind the benefit for him at St. Peter's.