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RiffsNina Memorial: Singer Lisa SimoneKelly kisses the statue of her mother,Nina Simone, at its dedication ceremonyin Tryon, N.C., on Feb. 21.Details: ninasimoneproject.orgLast Lights: After 37 years, presenterJack Kleinsinger will stage his final“Highlights In Jazz” event with a BillyTaylor Trio concert at New York’sTribeca Performing Arts Center onMay 13. Details: tribecapac.orgBlues Ambassador: Blues guitarist LittleJoe McLerran’s quartet is touring theMiddle East this spring to promote culturalexchange as part of the U.S. StateDepartment and Jazz at Lincoln Center’sRhythm Road program. McLerran willalso perform at the GrosvenorAuditorium in Washington, D.C., onJune 3 and New York’s Dizzy’s ClubCoca-Cola on June 5. Details: jalc.orgMarsalis’ Honor: Wynton Marsalisreceived the NAACP Image Award forOutstanding Jazz Album for He And She(Blue Note) on Feb. 26.Details: wyntonmarsalis.comWBGO To Go: Newark, N.J.-based jazzradio station WBGO/Jazz 88.3FM haslaunched an iPhone application todownload broadcasts through theiTunes Music Store. The application willalso include images from Francis Wolff’sphotographs of classic Blue Note artists.Details: wbgo.orgRIP, Johnny Alf: Singer/pianist JohnnyAlf died in Santo André, Brazil, on March4 of prostate cancer. He was 80. Alfbegan combining Brazilian music withAmerican jazz in the 1950s, and hehelped spark the movement that wouldbecome internationally known as bossanova. His 1990 disc Olhos Negros featuredhim in duets with Caetano Velosoand Gilberto Gil.THEINSIDER:ANDY BEYStrengtheningThe MuseBy Sachal VasandaniOne of the most exciting andenlightening moments for a jazzsinger is when a master vocalistmakes time to talk with a colleague.Over the course of my recent conversationwith Andy Bey, I received indepthanswers to my questionsabout repertoire, harmony, performanceand the voice itself.When Andy and I discussed hisvoice, I asked him where in his widerange he enjoys singing today. Afterhis time with Horace Silver, markedby regular use of a full, high voice,he wanted to showcase another sideof his singing. “It’s not just aboutsinging the high note because youcan sing high,” he said.This decision yielded Ballads,Blues & Bey in 1996 and has influenced themood on other albums since. To this day, Beycan put his voice wherever he needs, and hestill has complete ownership of the “chestmix” of head and chest voice, often a technicalchallenge for singers. The unique character ofAndy’s “chest mix” or pasagio is one of thethings I love most about his voice.Nowadays, Andy performs repertoire inkeys that allows him to sing in the rich, lowerregister of his voice, particularly during the firstchorus. He has made some drastic adjustmentsathird or fourth down from stock male keysover the years. If I were performing with pianoalone, I might consider such a move, but with afull trio I’m reluctant to focus the register toolow, because the voice may compete with theband’s volume. Andy consistently prefers thelower key, even with his trio. However, heplans specifically so that, he says, “On that secondchorus, I can kind of stretch it. I used to do‘But Not For Me’ in the key of E-flat. I do it inB-flat now, a fourth down, and I can still useenough gusto in the second chorus withoutscreeching.”Along with the great jazz and r&b singers,Andy noted his connection to Schoenberg,Indian classical music and even the AACM.Even within the most standard of standards,Andy’s performances seem to be defined byrelentless harmonic exploration.Andy generally plays piano for himselfwhen he sings. When singing a dissonant note,Andy Beybe it written or improvised, he often chooses notto voice the note on the piano. This alwaystakes me by surprise. Many musicians, especiallysingers, intuitively expect a comping instrumentto catch dissonant melodic turns. Withoutthe piano’s support, the voice lacks a solid floor.There is a danger that it may slip away from itsintended note. But it is also free.“I wanna be that free to explore harmonically,in any way that I want to,” he said. “I like thesubtly polytonal. I’m not bringing that muchattention to the voice in a sense. The vocal lineis kind of dynamic ... but I’m singing it lowenough. I always think of it as a dialogue. Voiceand piano. Not like me playing for myself, butcall and response.”Andy’s exploration continues, and I amparticularly inspired by his commitment toimprovisation.“If you got a muse in you, that’s strong,” hesaid. “It takes years—I’m 70 years old, I’m stilllooking for something, I’m still inspired bysomething. The most important thing is that youcan keep your mind open, and you can stillswing with the best of them and you can dowhatever you wanna do, and you do it in a waythat can reach. If it communicates, good. Someare gonna like it, some hate it, but you can’tworry ’bout who’s gonna like it.”DBSinger Sachal Vasandani’s latest CD is We Move(Mack Avenue); he can be reached at his Web site,svjazz.com.JACK VARTOOGIAN/FRONTROWPHOTOS14 DOWNBEAT May 2010