Rifftides reader Svletlana Ilicheva writes from Moscow about a concert earlier this week at the Tzaritzino National Park. Called “Classics And Jazz,” the program included four prominent American saxophonists of the same generation who have banded together as the Axis Saxophone Quartet.
Ms. Ilicheva reports:
The quartet consists of Joshua Redman, Chris Cheek, Mark Turner and Chris Potter. They played their own compositions. Especially I like those by Joshua Redman, they sounded like poems. Instead of sitting comfortably at some distance on the grass I had been standing for an hour and a half in the front row close to the stage and couldn’t tear my eyes away from these amazing musicians. At some moments I was on the verge of tears – they were so good! (Chris Potter’s solos were just superb).
This video from the concert, uploaded by eugenejazz, gives a generous sample of the Axis Saxophone Quartet’s music, with rear screen projection of the band and scenes of Muscovites enjoying the concert.
The Russian website jazz.ru has a report about the concert. The text is in Russian. The two performance videos are in the universal language of music. There is also one brief news conference statement by Redman. To go to the jazz.ru page, click here.
Thanks to Ms. Ilicheva for letting us know about this impressive instance of jazz diplomacy.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
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