February 2010 issue - Jazz Singers.com

Live Performance Reviews
2010 NEA Jazz Masters
Awards Ceremony
& Concert
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center
January 12, 2010
By Ken Weiss
Jazz has certainly taken some heavy hits of late
with the closure of many jazz clubs and record stores,
a shrinking economy, the demise of the CD and the
all too frequent deaths of its practitioners. Well,
thank goodness for the National Endowment for the
Arts and their Jazz Masters Awards because at least
one night a year the national jazz community unites
under one roof for a celebratory hug. Since 1982 the
NEA has awarded 114 living jazz legends with jazz’
highest honor and this year’s eight recipients each received
a $25,000 grant.
The feted artists included pianists/composers
79-year-old Muhal Richard Abrams (co-founder of
the AACM), 75-year-old Cedar Walton and 66-yearold
Kenny Barron, “vocalese” stylist 79-year-old
Annie Ross (best known as a member of Lambert,
Hendricks & Ross), multi-instrumentalist/composer
and early originator of world music 89-year-old Yusef
Lateef, big-band composer/arranger 82-year-old Bill
Holman, ground-breaking vibist/composer 68-yearold
Bobby Hutcherson and record producer/LP pioneer
90-year-old George Avakian.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center audience was treated
to a night filled with many highlights and beautiful
moments. Short videotaped interviews preceded
each new Jazz Master, revealing their personalities
and achievements, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center
Orchestra sat ready to perform songs handpicked by
each awardee. Abrams, after an introduction by David
Baker, said, “This music, jazz music, has a discipline
that comes from practice, that’s very good for
life in itself,” before leading the orchestra through
his “2000 Plus the Twelfth Step.” Wynton Marsalis,
speaking on behalf of the JLCO, declared prior
to playing the challenging piece that, “We’re scared
to death.” James Moody, who first worked with Barron
when the pianist was 18 and had recommended
him to Dizzy Gillespie, divulged some of his insider
knowledge as Barron’s roommate in the Gillespie
band in saying, “Every morning Kenny would make
a peanut butter sandwich while in his underwear
and then smoke a cigarette as if he had just finished a
Thanksgiving dinner.” Barron appeared and said, “I
had asked James not to tell that story!” Barron’s heartfelt
solo performance of “Song for Abdullah” was in
honor of Abdullah Ibrahim and a thinly veiled plea
to include the South African pianist in next year’s
crop of Jazz Masters. Dan Morgenstern introduced
Holman, who acknowledged Lester Young and addressed
the cool jazz label hung on West Coast jazz
saying, “People call it cool jazz, I don’t know about
cool, every time I played it I was panic stricken.” He
then led the JLCO along his “Make My Day.” Hutch-
Back (left to right): Rocco Landesman, Cedar Walton, Bobby Hutcherson, Bill Holman, Kenny Barron,
Wayne Brown; Front: (left to right): Yusef Lateef, George Avakian, Muhal Richard Abrams, Annie Ross
erson was brought out by Gerald Wilson who took
the opportunity to plug his own box set recordings,
saying he had hired Hutcherson at a young age and
the vibist’s work was included in the box set. Curiously,
Hutcherson did not perform, choosing to
watch as Warren Wolf played vibes on his classic
composition “Little B’s Poem.” Jimmy Cobb did the
honors for Lateef and commented that Lateef was
such a gentleman that when he decided to leave Cannonball
Adderley’s band he gave two years notice. Lateef
presented “Brother Hold Your Light,” utilizing
various reeds, flute and vocalizations along with help
from percussionist Adam Rudolph to organically
ground the night’s presentation. Rocco Landesman,
the new chairman of the NEA, introduced Annie
Ross who noted that she was billed as the “Scottish
Shirley Temple” when she arrived in Los Angeles as
a child actress but had a life altering experience after
hearing an Ella Fitzgerald record. Singing “Music is
Forever,” Ross incorporated the names of late jazz
greats into the lyrics, causing a touching effect. Cedar
Walton was preceded by Jimmy Heath who pointed
out that although Walton appears very serious on
stage, he can be rather funny. Once, after being offered
a low paying gig, Walton pronounced the op-
“No problem can be
solved from the same level of
consciousness that created it.”
— Albert Einstein
portunity as “commission impossible.” Walton’s rendition
of “Dear Ruth,” a piece dedicated to his mom,
was quite powerful. The concert concluded with A.B.
Spellman and the affable Paquito D’Rivera warming
up the audience for George Avakian. D’Rivera said to
Spellman, “I’m so glad you’re here, after nine o’clock
I run out of English words.” Avakian emphatically
stated that the biggest disappointment of his career
was having Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong
under contract and not being able to record them together.
He made partial amends by having Marsalis
play Armstrong’s role as the JLCO played Ellington’s
“Stompy Jones.”
As the long event closed, a massive gathering
collected in the lobby, merging jazz legends with fans
and numerous other musicians. Many stayed late,
unwilling to leave the love fest. If you adore jazz this
free event is hard to beat and the city’s best hang of
the year. It’s not just that you’ve got so many of the
music’s historic figures in one space; it’s also having
the opportunity to speak with heroes. Where else are
you going to be able to share a beverage with Gunther
Schuller, see Cedar Walton and George Cables hanging
with Cecil Taylor (who looked way hip in that
tan American Indian leather outfit) or find out where
Roy Haynes got those way-out stunning shades he
was wearing?
Now that the 2010 awards have been handed
out, it’s time to look towards the future. The Jazz
Masters are chosen from nominations submitted by
the public. Since Kenny Barron has already placed
his vote, how about some votes for deserving artists
such as Sam Rivers, Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony
Braxton, Pharoah Sanders, Eddie Palmieri, Poncho
Sanchez, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, George
Lewis and Paul Bley?
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Credit: Ken Weiss