2013 May 11

Correspondence: Shearing And You Know Who

May 11, 2013 by Doug Ramsey

Veteran Bay Area pianist and trumpeter Dick Vartanian writes: My brother-in-law was entertainment chairman of the Lion's club in the early 1970s. They put on a benefit for the blind every year. He asked me if I could get some people to appear. George Shearing was in San Francisco, so I asked him. His reply, as expected, was a direct yes. He played a few numbers with his trio and then announced to the audience that he had taken the liberty to bring a friend. At that point they played an … [Read more...]

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Monday Recommendation: Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington, BigBands Live (Jazz Haus)

Watching the Ellington band perform in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, the listener was likely to be struck by the contrast between the sidemens’ laconic demeanor and—on a good night—the joy of their performances. March 6, 1967 was a good night at the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Germany. Beautifully recorded, the concert combines famous and barely known pieces. Good humor reigns in the ensemble performances, passion in the solos. Trumpet star Cootie Williams of the great 1940–‘41 band, back in the fold, soars, slides and growls through “Tutti for Cootie” and “The Shepherd.” Harry Carney’s baritone saxophone solo on “La Plus Belle Africaine” is a highlight. There is impressive work by Paul Gonsalves, Russell Procope, bassist John Lamb and Ellington. Alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges is magnificent on Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count,” for unexplained reasons retitled “Freakish Lights.” This is a jewel in the impressive Jazz Haus catalog of live recordings.

Monday Recommendation: Jarrett And Haden

Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Last Dance (ECM)

Following Haden’s death last Friday, this duet recording of the bassist with his former boss takes on poignancy even beyond the empathy that he and the pianist develop in nine standard songs. The exceptions to ballad tempos are a brisk bop excursion through Bud Powell’s “Dance of the Infidels,” and “Everything Happens to Me” at the pace of a leisurely walk. The session also produced Jasmine, released in 2010. It took place shortly before Haden’s post-polio syndrome left him frequently unable to play. As usual, Haden invests his tone and his note choices with emotion that elevates his work. Jarrett rarely records in a duo format. The final track alone, “Goodbye,” with its compelling Haden bass lines and lovely solo, is reason for gratitude that Jarrett made an exception for his old friend.

Monday Recommendation: Denny Zeitlin Trio

Denny Zeitlin, Stairway To The Stars (Sunnyside)

Stairway To The Stars comes from the same engagement as Zeitlin’s Trio In Concert, released in 2009. If anything, the sequel finds the pianist even more intimately engaged with the veteran bassist Buster Williams and the young drummer Matt Wilson. When this was recorded in 2001 at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, Wilson’s drive, rhythmic inventiveness and humor were just becoming widely known. He and Williams give Zeitlin sensitive support on ballads including the title tune, “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and “Spring is Here.” They light a fire under Zeitlin for a blisteringly fast treatment of “Oleo,” the piece that brought him early recognition in his debut recording with flutist Jeremy Steig in 1963. Among the highlights in the new album: Zeitlin’s audacious chromaticisms in Wayne Shorter’s “Deluge.”

Monday Recommendation: Theo Croker

Theo Croker, Afro Physicist (Okeh)
Much of the verbiage about the elimination of borders between musical categories is the work of publicists. It is marketable to be, or claim to be, cross-genre. However, in the case of Croker, an impressive 28-year-old trumpeter, his new album substantiates the claim. It touches on hip-hop, R&B, bebop and 1970s soul, but at its core his playing extends the mainstream jazz tradition of which his grandfather, the great trumpeter Doc Cheatham, was a vital part. Croker announces his credentials in a short unaccompanied piece. Then, supported by bright young contemporaries in various instrumental combinations, he plays gorgeously through 12 tracks and 12 distinct moods. Dee Dee Bridgewater encouraged Croker, produced his album and sings on three pieces, including a compelling version of Buddy Johnson’s R&B classic “Save Your Love For Me.”

Recommendation: Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins, Road Shows Volume 3 (Okeh)
Thriving on the energy he gets back from his listeners, Rollins can electrify them. In the third volume of his Road Show series the formidable tenor saxophonist sends currents through audiences in Japan, the United States and four places in France. The solitary listener to the recording may find himself joining in the ovations for Rollins’s audacity, humor and explosions of creativity. From 2001 to 2012, his accompanists vary, although the stalwart bassist Bob Cranshaw is a constant and trombonist Clifton Anderson is on most tracks. Alone with his imagination on “Solo Sony,” Rollins quotes dozens of tunes, stitching disparate snatches of melody together into a new creation. “Why Was I Born?” runs over 23 minutes and doesn’t contain a boring second. It’s been years since I’ve had this much fun listening to a record.

Monday CD Recommendation: Orrin Evans

Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band, Mother’s Touch (Posi-Tone)

Regulars at the uptown New York club Smoke relish not only the musicianship but also the slap-dash camaraderie that pianist Orrin Evans’ big band exhibits during performances. Without the fun and games, the band is just as compelling in this studio recording. Evans’ “In My Soul,” slow and slinky with gospel overtones, sets the high standard that his contingent of bright youngsters and experienced veterans maintains throughout. Evans, tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, trombonist Conrad Herwig and trumpeter Tatum Greenblatt are among the excellent soloists. Greenblatt and saxophonist Stacy Dillard shine on Wayne Shorter’s “Water Babies.” Following Evans’ ethereal piano in “Dita,” lead alto saxophonist Todd Bashore solos with neo-Johnny Hodges sensibility. The two short parts of “Mother’s Touch” are built on a seven-note phrase in a head arrangement by this inventive band.

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