This is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Thelonious Monk. I’ve never given it much thought, but if you’re astrologically inclined it makes sense that he was a Libra. From the beginning, some fellow musicians and close listeners recognized Monk’s unique abilities and piquant musicality. Those less receptive, or unwilling to hear out of the mainstream jazz boxes of the late 1930s and early forties, were amused or puzzled by Monk’s way with the piano. It took years for many to embrace the peculiarities that his genius and personality transmuted into one of music’s most endearing personal styles. There are—thank goodness—hundreds of recorded examples of his unclassifiable artistry, and dozens of videos.

At the Berliner Jazztage in 1969, Monk played a masterly unaccompanied set, then was joined by the stride pianist Joe Turner, bassist Hans Rettenbacher and drummer Stu Martin. As if that weren’t enough of a treat, the video includes a bonus: Sarah Vaughan beautifully intoning a Beatles song that was at the top of pop charts in the 1960s. She follows the Monk segment, accompanied by Johnny Veth, piano; Gus Mancuso, bass; and Eddy Puci, drums.

May our half-hour visit with Monk and friends in Berlin get your weekend off to a fine start.

The time when most recordings came from a handful of major labels is long past. As I have observed—with only enough exaggeration to make the point—now, every 18-year-old tenor player can be a record company. He or she can take advantage of technology and economies of scale that make it possible to record, package and market an album at a tiny fraction of what it cost in the days when the major labels ruled the record business.

One result is that new jazz recordings stream into Rifftides world headquarters without letup. There is no way to review even a small percentage of them, but here are mentions of three fairly recent ones that caught the staff’s attention.

 

Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dreams And Daggers (Mack Avenue)

With three distinguished albums and a Grammy award (for For One To Love) to her credit, Ms. Salvant went into New York’s Village Vanguard about a year ago for an engagement. The resulting in-person performances with her trio, just released, are interspersed with four studio recordings featuring a string quartet. The result is a collection in which she sings several established pieces and a few original compositions and leaves little doubt that she is moving into the rarified category occupied by such vocal heroes as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee and few other singers. Her speedy short version, with just bass and drums, of the 1922 pop song “Runnin’ Wild” alone would be enough to certify her control, confidence and musicianship. She goes beyond technique to reaffirm the width and depth of her emotional interpretation in ballads that include Noel Coward’s “Mad About The Boy” and—especially—in a coruscating reading of the Gershwins’ “My Man’s Gone Now.”

Pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Lawrence Leathers comprise no small part of Ms. Salvant’s artistic success. Their accompanying is crucial to it, and Diehl continues in his early thirties to prove himself a pianist who has solo gifts that could put him into the jazz piano hall of fame, if there is one.

Perhaps repeated hearings of the Vanguard audience’s whooping, hollering ovations get to be a bit much, but that’s the response that Ms. Salvant inspired, so there it is—on the record.

 

Anat Cohen Tentet, Happy Song (Anzic)

From her first unaccompanied clarinet notes in the joyous title tune
through Malian musician Neba Solo’s concluding “Kenedougon Foly,” Ms. Cohen and her tentet have a multi-faceted good time. Chances are, listeners will, too. With its warmth, roominess and range, her clarinet dominates the album’s aura of good feeling, but there are also infectious solos from trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis, trombonist Nick Finzer, baritone saxophonist Owen Broder and guitarist Sheryl Bailey, among others. Ms. Cohen and her Israeli homeland pal, arranger Oded Lev-Ari, produced the album.

Levi-Ari’s clever touches include an amusing interjection of “Salt Peanuts” into his adaptation of “Oh Baby,” a 1924 Owen Murphy piece first recorded by Bix Beiderbecke. He achieves tongue-in-cheek eeriness in the introduction to “Trills and Thrills.” After the spookiness, the piece transmutes into a full-bodied ballad tinged with the blues. It has an intense clarinet solo by Ms. Cohen. The three parts of “Anat’s Doina” encompass dance-like klezmer passages and a resourceful use of Victor Goncalves’s accordion and Robin Kodheli’s cello to enhance the Middle Eastern atmosphere. Further high points: the irresistible thrust of samba feeling in Egberto Gismonti’s “Loro;” Levi’s arrangement of Gordon Jenkins’s classic “Goodbye” and Ms. Cohen’s respectful treatment of the melody; the purity of Finzer’s trombone high notes and Ms. Noordhuis’s flugelhorn in Ms. Cohen’s “Valsa Para Alice.”

There’s a lot going on here—in the playing and the arranging. Repeated hearings disclose layered subtleties. Happy Song enriches Anat Cohen’s substantial discography.

 

Logan Strosahl Team, Book I Of Arthur (Sunnyside)

Alto saxophonist and composer Logan Strosahl and his longtime associate pianist Nick Sanders continue their rewarding adventures. This time they have expanded well beyond the duo format that brought them attention as YouTube regulars, and beyond the sextet of their previous Sunnyside album, Up Go We. In an imaginative examination of the King Arthur legend, Strosahl’s fascination with the mythology of early Britain combines with his knowledge and love of Elizabethan and pre-Elizabethan music. His seven-piece band and the narration he wrote for Jullia Easterlin meld ancient lore, fanciful creation and powerful uses of jazz and classical music—modern and ancient—into an absorbing, demanding work. The work is packed with Arthurian elements: King Arthur, Uther Pendragon, Sir Ector, the Battle of Bedegraine, King Bors, King Ban. I was hoping for Gwiniverre, but maybe she’ll show up in Book II or III.

“Proof: The Round Table” is an instance of Strosahl’s grasp of harmony and polyphony as narrative tools employed apart from actual narration. “Epilogue: Dance” has a pixieish spirit that might have brought knowing smiles from Gerry Mulligan and Igor Stravinsky. This music rewards concentration, an open mind, a sense of fun and willingness to hear outside the box. Indeed, outside several boxes.

From Hollywood comes an announcement by The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts that on October 15 the Harlem Quartet will perform at the center. The ensemble from upper Manhattan specializes not only in the usual suspects among classical composers for string quartet—Schubert, Grieg, Debussy, Barber, et al—but they also regularly perform pieces by Leonard Bernstein, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chick Corea, Billy Strayhorn and Dizzy Gillespie. The best classical musicians have long had the technical ability required for jazz, but it often seemed that asking them to learn to improvise, much less to swing, was akin to suggesting that they practice blasphemy.

That conviction has softened to the point that there are several string quartets with jazz repertoires, among them the Turtle Island quartet, Germany’s Modern String Quartet, the Take Five String Quartet in Singapore, South Africa’s Soweto String Quartet and in California, Quartet San Francisco.

Here’s the Harlem Quartet with Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia.” Left to right in the video: Imar Gavilán and Melissa White, violins; Felix Umansky, cello; Jaime Amador, viola. Whoever posted this on YouTube didn’t give it much volume. You may need to turn up your speakers.

For details about the quartet’s Hollywood concert, go here. For more about classical music and improvisation, see this post from the Rifftides archive. It involves Andre Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic and, separately, a jazz pianist sitting in on a folkish jam session in a Scottish pub.

 

Speaking of that cooperative venture with pianist Bill Mays (weren’t we?), on his website Bill posted the answer to a problem that may have stumped some Rifftides readers. Here is his solution:

Ah, technology…when Doug Ramsey and I recently made our concert, A Brief History Of Jazz Piano, available as a free “digital download” a few of you folks (including my 100-year-old aunt) were stymied as to how to “do it”. Sorry for any confusion. Here’s how: if you click HERE you’ll be taken to Dropbox. Click on one of the music files. You’ll be able to listen immediately online; OR, to download the music to your computer look in the upper right-hand corner and click on “Open” “Open in iTunes.” A few minutes later the music will have downloaded onto your computer. 

It is unlikely that computer virtuosos Ryan and Trenton at Efcom, the Mac Store, used wrenches and screwdrivers to revive the Rifftides headquarters computer. Still, whatever tools and methods they employed, their magic brought the machine back to life much sooner than the estimate of several days. They made it possible for us to blog again. The gratitude of the Rifftides staff could not be adequately  expressed using mere words, so we looked for a way to do it with music. The staff found the bass clarinet virtuoso Oran Etkin waiting patiently at YouTube with his friends, ready to lend a hand. Here he is with Lionel Loueke, mouth sounds and guitar; Curtis Fowlkes, trombone; Nasheet Waits, drums; and Ben Allison, bass, in Etkin’s composition titled—happily for us—”Gratitude.”

Rifftides will return to normal operation—whatever that is—as soon as we complete a massive office cleanup.

Increasingly, radio and television newscasts include stories in which anchors interview correspondents in the field. That is part of a pattern: reduced news budgets, smaller staffs and greater dependence on the survivors of newsroom cuts. Anchors, of course, also conduct interviews with newsmakers, hundreds of them a day across the broadcast spectrum. Listeners accustomed to English spoken properly may be nonplussed, even irritated, when interviewees begin their answers with “So——.” It happens in approximately 65 percent of responses (that’s a staff estimate; the percentage may be higher). Whether the person being interviewed is a sixth-grade dropout in a homeless shelter, a United States senator or a reporter whose job description assumes familiarity with the language, spoken English is being “So-ed” to a faretheewell. One popular explanation, or excuse, is that the responder to a question is buying a second to think of an answer. For President Ronald Reagan, “Well—” was the crutch. Others prefer “Uh—”. The sixth-grade dropout may be excused. Professionals who make a living with the language should not be.

“So—” had not become ubiquitous when Rifftides first brought you the poet Taylor Mali’s video examination of some of the turns English usage had taken. This was in 2009.

Whaddaya think—as a good Brooklynite might ask—has English usage improved in eight years?

 

Pete Turner, the photgrapher whose work became cover art for dozens of memorable jazz albums,has died at 83. His pictures, including the one above, often appeared on albums of Creed Taylor’s CTI label in the 1960s and ‘70s. Following the digital revolution, CTI also used them on CD reissues of classic albums. For more about Turner, including photos of some of his other covers, see Nate Chinen’s article on WBGO’s website.

While we acknowledge Turner’s artistry, let’s listen to a piece from Jim Hall’s remarkable <em>Concierto</em> with Hall, guitar; Paul Desmond, alto saxophone; Chet Baker, trumpet; Ron Carter, bass; Steve Gadd, drums; and Roland Hanna, piano. Here’s the title track, Hall’s adaptation of the Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez.”

Dick Titterington, The 3 Trumpet Band Live at The 1905 (Heavywood)

The 3 Trumpet Band recorded their third album before an audience at The 1905, an upscale pizza emporium on the east side of Portland, Oregon. Some reviewers have called the place the successor to the belated Jimmy Mak’s club. That’s a stretch, but the night Dick Titterington and his sextet recorded this album there, listeners might have been persuaded that it was so. Trumpeters Titterington, Paul Mazzio and Thomas Barber are the front line, with the all-star Portland rhythm section of pianist Greg Goebel, bassist Dave Captein and drummer Jason Palmer. All of the compositions are by Titterington, with the exception of Captein’s “Ass Divot,” whose title may not have anything to do with golf.

The opening track, “Kakistocracy,” establishes a level of trumpet virtuosity that holds throughout the album. The dictionary says that a kakistocracy is “a system of government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.” From the slurs, squeezes and growls of Titterington’s opening solo on that piece to the beautifully harmonized ending of “Bass Line,” the musicianship is scrupulous, with no indication of kakistocracy but plenty of energy and inventiveness. The descriptive trumpet sparring and allusions of “The Dark Clown” are what horror novelist Stephen King might have come up with if he wrote music. Mazzio’s and Barber’s solos intensify the ominous atmosphere of the piece. Pianist Goebel’s showcase is “Emma,” with a short, evocative, solo that Barber’s trumpet solo matches for expressivity. Goebel follows with rich harmonies in an extended improvised coda. It is a moment of meditation in an album packed with stimulating trumpetism.

Victor Gould, Clockwork (Fresh Sound New Talent)

A Los Angeles native now in New York, pianist Gould debuts as a leader in an album showcasing him and an impressive collection of established musicians. He apprenticed as a sideman with, among other leader, Vincent Herring, Wallace Roney and Ralph Peterson. As a composer and arranger Gould works in a wide instrumental spectrum. His pieces range from the fleet “Sir Carter” in a trio with E.J. Strickland and bassist Ben Williams, to compositions for a sextet augmented with strings, Anne Drummond’s flute and the Latin percussion of Pedrito Martinez. Saxophonists Myron Walden and Godwin Louis and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt are important as soloists and in ensembles. Influences detectable in Gould’s writing include those of John Coltrane in “Apostle John” and Wayne Shorter in Shorter’s modern classic “Nefertiti.” However, in his concept, playing and—notably—his writing, Gould seems poised to make his mark as an original. He has surrounded himself here with a cadre of consequential twenty-, thirty- and forty-something New York peers.

Rifftides readers asked if it would ever be available, so Bill Mays and I offer a performance of our History Of Jazz Piano project at no charge. Following a good deal of attention to technical detail and a thorough audio remastering, the concert is a free download on Bill’s website at this internet address (that link will take you there if you click on it).

We have performed the History three times in various parts of the world and plan to do further versions of it at festivals. The photograph shows Bill and me accepting roses following the performance at last year’s Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival. For now, the 2015 presentation lives as a digital presence on the web. Again, go here to see Bill’s announcement and get instructions for downloading both halves of the two-hour concert, free of charge. This project is close to our hearts. We hope that you will enjoy hearing it as much as we enjoyed doing it.

Jason Rigby Detroit-Cleveland Trio, ONE (Fresh Sound New Talent)

The simplicity of the Rigby Trio’s cover design matches the uncomplicated instrumentation—saxophone, bass and drums. It is a configuration used to great effect by Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman in classic recordings when they were at the height of their powers. Whether the 42-year-old Rigby has reached that stage in his career remains to be heard, but in this 2016 album he affirms his skill as an improviser on tenor and soprano saxes. Indeed, although he wrote five pieces for the album, they are springboards for his explorations and those of bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Gerald Cleaver and do not disclose the sophistication of his arranging in earlier albums like Translucent Space and The Sage. They impart Rigby’s unflagging energy as a soloist and the symbiotic relationships he has developed with Brown and Cleaver. The opening “Dive Bar,” as an example, is a gripping conversation between Rigby’s tenor and Cleaver’s drums. Rigby uses the standards “You Are Too Beautiful” and “Embraceable You” primarily as bases for unfettered improvisation that includes occasional short, often witty, quotes from the songs. The album title suggests that there may be more of this trio on the way. It will be interesting to hear what’s next.

 

Yelena Eckemoff, In The Shadow of a Cloud (L&H)

Cleaver joins pianist Yelena Eckemoff in this impressive two-CD album of original compositions. Now a New Yorker, the Russian-born Eckemoff includes, along with Cleaver on drums, three more of the city’s most prominent jazz artists; saxophonist/flutist Chris Potter, guitarist Adam Rogers and bassist Drew Gress. As in Blooming Tall Phlox earlier in 2017 and several other albums on her L&H label, Eckemoff’s classical training is apparent in her playing and in the impeccable construction of compositions recalling her life and family in Russia. Her continuing collaborations with leading American and European musicians reflect her status in the jazz community. That was as true of the acceptance and enthusiasm of the four young Finns who joined her for Blooming Tall Phlox as it is for the US stars of this new Eckemoff venture. Among the highlights are the evocative title tune with its melding of nostalgia and urgency, the unrepressed excitement of “On the Motorboat,” Potter’s floating soprano saxophone in the irresistible “Waltz of the Yellow Petals,” and “The Fog,” in which Gress’s bass line buoys a feeling that manages to be at once mysterious and reassuring. Throughout, Eckemoff’s impeccable keyboard touch, harmonic resourcefulness and intriguing compositions make In the Shadow of a Cloud an important addition to the discography of a pianist whose reputation continues to expand.

Tim Hagans, NDR Bigband, <em>Faces Under The Influence: A Jazz Tribute to John Cassavetes</em/>, Waiting Moon Records

In this work inspired by American independent film pioneer John Cassavetes (1929-1989), Hagans triumphs as composer, trumpet soloist and producer. He bases his tribute in impressions of characters in six Cassavetes films, plus a piece named for the director. Devotees of Cassavetes’ movies will recognize the names of the characters, beginning with “Lelia” from Shadows(/em> (1959) and including “Seymour Moskowitz” from Minnie and Moskowitz (1971). Hagans’ instruments here are his trumpet and the superb NDR Bigband, the jazz orchestra of Hamburg Radio. Several master soloists from the NDR include bassist Ingmar Heller and alto saxophonist Fiete Felsch. Hagans’ own solo work—saturated with feeling balanced by technique—reaches an apex in his unfettered solo on “John Cassavetes.”  His writing in that piece and throughout is impressive for intersecting lines and incorporation of references to a variety of jazz styles. The album is a milestone in Hagans’ career.

Sometimes, you just want to hear a good old-fashioned unadulterated blues. And sometimes—fairly often, actually—the members of Savoy Brown feel like playing one. Here they are in 2013 on the Clocktower stage at the Kitchener, Ontario, Blues Festival. Since it was founded in 1965 the band has gone through almost too many personnel changes to keep track of, although that is possible if you go to this web page and scroll down to Members. Today’s Savoy Brown is led by guitarist Kim Simmonds with Pat DeSalvo on bass and Garnet Grimm on drums. Here they play a piece entitled, with uncanny accuracy, “Slow Blues.”  They’re in B-flat. Feel free to play or sing along.