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Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...

You are here: Home / 2007 / Archives for June 2007

Archives for June 2007

A Little Blues With Brubeck And Desmond

June 29, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond in duo were one of the great treats of the seventies even as Desmond contended with the lung cancer that was soon to end his life. Someone caught one of their reunions on tape--a short blues performance culminating in the "Audrey" or "Balcony Rock" melody that they favored for more than a quarter of a century. This is another example of why Desmond said that Brubeck was his ideal accompanist. … [Read more...]

Newport

June 27, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

If you are planning on attending the Newport Jazz Festival, keep in mind that it is no longer held over the Fourth of July weekend but in the second weekend in August. For a rundown on this year's event, go here. For a three-CD compilation scanning the festival's fifty-one-year history, try this boxed set. You'll find a wide range of performances from Louis Armstrong's "Tin Roof Blues" to John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things." Among the treasures are the famous Duke Ellington "Dimineundo in Blue" … [Read more...]

The Old CD Catchup Game

June 26, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Over the next few postings, the Rifftides staff will attempt the impossible--to catch up with recordings. The best I can do is single out a few and offer observations in hopes that they will provide Rifftiders guideposts as they decide which CDs in the endless stream are worth their time and money. The observations will be brief. This time, three saxophonists: Michael Brecker, Pilgrimage (Heads Up). With his disease in what turned out to be temporary remission, six months before he died Brecker … [Read more...]

Art Farmer!

June 26, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Generally, I'm against exclamation points. The one in the headline is a justified exception. If you miss Art Farmer as much as I do, follow this link. The YouTube information line tells you that the rhythm section is Ray Brown, Jacky Terrason and Alvin Queen. It doesn't tell you that the tune is Charlie Parker's "Moose the Mooche," that Art, late in his life, was playing with enormous beauty and power, or that Ray Brown was the boss of the bass. If the shape-shifting video bothers you, close … [Read more...]

Weekend Extra: Anat Cohen On The Radio

June 24, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Anat Cohen has not quite taken New York by storm. In this culture, only rock stars or politicians who campaign like rock stars do that. But Cohen has established herself in the jazz capital of the world as one of the bright new reed artists. The story of her becoming a jazz musician in Tel Aviv, her musical brothers, and substantial samples of her music occupied a sizeable chunk of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday. To hear Liane Hansen's feature on Anat Cohen, go here. … [Read more...]

Other Matters: Onward And Upward With TV News

June 22, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

I value the decades I spent in television news. Helping people to understand the events and issues of the day was important work that brought satisfaction and, at its best, promoted the democratic ideal of an informed citizenry. Now from the Society of Professional Journalists come two items about the state of broadcast journalism that are enough to embarrass me on behalf of the profession, or craft, and make my teeth hurt. I hope these travesties move news consumers in Tyler, Texas, and … [Read more...]

Other Matters: Summer

June 21, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

I used an hour and a half of the fifteen-and-a-half hours of daylight on this first day of summer for a morning ride on the Bianchi.The bike took me (with a little help) up a series of hills, past the golf courses and expensive housing developments that are pushing farms farther out from town and up the western slopes of the valley. Never fear, however; there are plenty of orchards left. If what I saw this morning is an indication, the world can expect an abundance of Washington applesnext fall, … [Read more...]

Tristano At The Half Note

June 19, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

A recent reimmersion in things Tristano led to the mini-review of the Warne Marsh book in the latest batch of Doug's Picks (right-hand column). It included several viewings of a video of Lennie Tristano's quintet at the Half Note in 1964. The picture quality may have been fine originally, but it appears to have been through several generations of dubs. No matter; the sound is reasonably good. Through the murk you get a tour of the beloved Half Note in the days when folks dressed to go out in the … [Read more...]

New Picks

June 18, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Please visit Doug's Picks in the right-hand column for recommendations of two CDs, two DVDs and a book. Thanks for your patience; these have been a long time coming. … [Read more...]

CD: Bill Charlap

June 18, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Bill Charlap Trio, Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note). Pianist Charlap, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, the most publicized mainstream jazz trio of the decade, live up to their billing. Managing smoothness without sacrificing depth and daring, Charlap illuminates the Birth Of The Cool classics "Rocker" and "Godchild" and blazes through "My Shining Hour." He caresses "It's Only a Paper Moon" and "All Across the City" in versions as remarkable for their slowness as … [Read more...]

CD: Darrell Grant

June 18, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Darrell Grant, Truth And Reconciliation (Origin). With bassist John Pattitucci and drummer Brian Blade giving him solid underpinning throughout, pianist Grant includes four guest soloists in this two-CD profession of his humanist philosophy. He brings in the recorded voices of Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela. He sings his "When I See the Water" in an agreeable pop-gospel style and narrates another original, "The Geography of Hope." … [Read more...]

DVD: Kristin Korb

June 18, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Kristin Korb, Live in Vienna (Quantum Leap). Jay Leonhart wrote a song called "It's Impossible to Sing and Play the Bass." Kristin Korb didn't get the message. This video disc recorded at Vienna's Porgy and Bess presents Korb in a trio with club regulars pianist Fritz Pauer and drummer John Hollenbeck. The promotional blurb evoking Ray Brown, Charles Mingus, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald places a heavy load on her, but Korb justifies the hyperbole with musicianship and leadership. Her … [Read more...]

DVD: Bud Powell And Others

June 18, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Bud Powell, Dollar Brand, Don Cherry & Others, Jazz In Denmark (Marshmallow). The centerpiece of this limited edition import is Stopforbud, a film about Powell made in 1962 by a pair of young Danes. Powell's piano is heard throughout, although we only briefly see him playing. With a New Wave sensibility, the camera follows Powell as he wanders through a park, the streets of Copenhagen, a museum and a trash dump. Dexter Gordon narrates. The music is previously unreleased trio performances by … [Read more...]

Book: An Unsung Cat

June 18, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Safford Chamberlain, An Unsung Cat: The Life and Music of Warne Marsh (Scarecrow). Researching aspects of the Lennie Tristano school recently, I unshelved Chamberlain's biography of Marsh for the first time in years. I was impressed all over again by Chamberlain's research, the quality of his writing and his balanced treatment of an uncompromising and compelling tenor saxophonist who could be as difficult as he was brilliant. Coincidentally, a video of Marsh performing "It's You Or No One" with … [Read more...]

Weekend Extra: Scott Hamilton And Wayne Shorter

June 16, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Alerting the Rifftides staff to this combination, Bill Kirchner wrote, "Yes, you read that right." There may have been less likely tenor saxophone encounters, but I doubt if they were captured on camera. The third tenor player--the one we see but don't hear--is Lew Tabackin. The house of the good old blues in F has many mansions. Here's proof. YouTube doesn't disclose the year, but from the youthful appearance of the principals, I'd guess this was a good two decades ago. … [Read more...]

Compatible Quotes

June 13, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

Most customers, by the time the musicians reach the second set, are to some extent inebriated. They don't care what you play anyway.--Charles Mingus The boppers flat their fifths. We consume ours.--Eddie Condon I'm all in favor of getting grants for musicians. Or any other good brand of Scotch.--Pepper Adams … [Read more...]

Carol Sloane

June 13, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

As you may have surmised from the paucity of substantial postings the past few days, I am still working my way through an accumulation of professional obligations, some connected with music, some not. Nonetheless, I try to give you items that I hope will keep you coming back to Rifftides. So, here is a link to a rarity--video of the sublime singer Carol Sloane. It was made in New Orleans in 1979. Sloane was in town with her friend Jimmy Rowles, who was the pianist in Ella Fitzgerald's trio. … [Read more...]

A Reviewer Is Born

June 12, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

On his blog Pop Musicology, Michael J. West discloses that he has joined the ranks of reviewers for Jazz Times. He was recommended by Nat Hentoff, a fine way to be launched. In the Other Places department, I am adding a link to Pop Musicology. The subtitle of Mr. West's blog is: Popular music treated seriously. Damnedest thing, ain't it? It is. … [Read more...]

Correspondence: Crow On Mulligan And Rome

June 12, 2007 by Doug Ramsey

I asked bassist Bill Crow what he remembered about the Gerry Mulligan Sextet concert that is the subject of the next exhibit, posted yesterday. Here is his response: I was delighted to see and hear the sextet again. That was such a good band. I had forgotten about the large orchestra behind us. I think it was a concert, but it could also have been a TV show. We went over on the Andrea Doria (the year before it sank) to Naples, then played Rome, Milan, Bologna, and Genoa, and then a small … [Read more...]

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Doug Ramsey

Doug is a recipient of the lifetime achievement award of the Jazz Journalists Association. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he settled following a career in print and broadcast journalism in cities including New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Antonio, Cleveland and Washington, DC. His writing about jazz has paralleled his life in journalism... [Read More]

Rifftides

A winner of the Blog Of The Year award of the international Jazz Journalists Association. Rifftides is founded on Doug's conviction that musicians and listeners who embrace and understand jazz have interests that run deep, wide and beyond jazz. Music is its principal concern, but the blog reaches past... Read More...

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Doug’s Books

Doug's most recent book is a novel, Poodie James. Previously, he published Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond. He is also the author of Jazz Matters: Reflections on the Music and Some of its Makers. He contributed to The Oxford Companion To Jazz and co-edited Journalism Ethics: Why Change? He is at work on another novel in which, as in Poodie James, music is incidental.

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Doug’s Picks

We’re Back: Pianist Denny Zeitlin’s New Trio Album for Sunnyside

As Rifftides readers have undoubtedly noticed, it has been a long time since we posted. We are creating a new post in hopes  that it will open the way to resumption of frequent reports as part of the artsjournal.com mission to keep you up to date on jazz and other matters. Pianist Denny Zeitlin’s stunning new trio album […]

Recent Listening: The New David Friesen Trio CD

David Friesen Circle 3 Trio: Interaction (Origin) Among the dozens of recent releases that deserve serious attention, a few will get it. Among those those receiving it here is bassist David Friesen’s new album.  From the Portland, Oregon, sinecure in which he thrives when he’s not touring the world, bassist Friesen has been performing at […]

Monday Recommendation: Dominic Miller

Dominic Miller Absinthe (ECM) Guitarist and composer Miller delivers power and subtlety in equal measure. Abetted by producer Manfred Eicher’s canny guidance and ECM’s flawless sound and studio presence, Miller draws on inspiration from painters of France’s impressionist period. His liner essay emphasizes the importance to his musical conception of works by Cezanne, Renoir, Lautrec, […]

Recent Listening: Dave Young And Friends

Dave Young, Lotus Blossom (Modica Music) Young, the bassist praised by Oscar Peterson for his “harmonic simpatico and unerring sense of time” when he was a member of Peterson’s trio, leads seven gifted fellow Canadians. His beautifully recorded bass is the underpinning of a relaxed session in which his swing is a force even during […]

Recent Listening: Jazz Is Of The World

Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano, Jan Lundgren, Mare Nostrum III (ACT) This third outing by Mare Nostrum continues the international trio’s close collaboration in a series of albums that has enjoyed considerable success. With three exceptions, the compositions in this installment are by the members of Mare Nostrum. It opens with one the French accordionist Galliano […]

Monday Recommendation: Thelonious Monk’s Works In Full

Kimbrough, Robinson, Reid, Drummond: Monk’s Dreams(Sunnyside) The subtitle of this invaluable 6-CD set is The Complete Compositions Of Thelonious Sphere Monk. By complete, Sunnyside means that the box contains six CDs with 70 tunes that Monk wrote beginning in the early years when his music was generally assumed to be an eccentric offshoot of bebop, […]

More Doug's Picks

Blogroll

All About Jazz
JerryJazzMusician
Carol Sloane: SloaneView
Jazz Beyond Jazz: Howard Mandel
The Gig: Nate Chinen
Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong
Don Heckman: The International Review Of Music
Ted Panken: Today is The Question
George Colligan: jazztruth
Brilliant Corners
Jazz Music Blog: Tom Reney
Brubeck Institute
Darcy James Argue
Jazz Profiles: Steve Cerra
Notes On Jazz: Ralph Miriello
Bob Porter: Jazz Etc.
be.jazz
Marc Myers: Jazz Wax
Night Lights
Jason Crane:The Jazz Session
JazzCorner
I Witness
ArtistShare
Jazzportraits
John Robert Brown
Night After Night
Do The Math/The Bad Plus
Prague Jazz
Russian Jazz
Jazz Quotes
Jazz History Online
Lubricity

Personal Jazz Sites
Chris Albertson: Stomp Off
Armin Buettner: Crownpropeller’s Blog
Cyber Jazz Today, John Birchard
Dick Carr’s Big Bands, Ballads & Blues
Donald Clarke’s Music Box
Noal Cohen’s Jazz History
Bill Crow
Easy Does It: Fernando Ortiz de Urbana
Bill Evans Web Pages
Dave Frishberg
Ronan Guilfoyle: Mostly Music
Bill Kirchner
Mike Longo
Jan Lundgren (Friends of)
Willard Jenkins/The Independent Ear
Ken Joslin: Jazz Paintings
Bruno Leicht
Earl MacDonald
Books and CDs: Bill Reed
Marvin Stamm

Tarik Townsend: It’s A Raggy Waltz
Steve Wallace: Jazz, Baseball, Life and Other Ephemera
Jim Wilke’s Jazz Northwest
Jessica Williams

Other Culture Blogs
Terry Teachout
DevraDoWrite
Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise
On An Overgrown Path

Journalism
PressThink: Jay Rosen
Second Draft, Tim Porter
Poynter Online

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