REMEMBERING - New Jersey Jazz Society

JerseyArticlesJazzDan’s Den | Benny Goodman & BeyondStory by Dan MorgensternAnat Cohen.Photo by Osnat Rom.More summer highlights: BennyGoodman’s centennial was celebratedby the usual suspects, some of whom dovery well with BG tributes on a regular basis,but I’d lay odds that the musically mostinteresting salute to the master was AnatCohen’s Benny Goodman & Beyond weekat the Village Vanguard in early July. Withsuperb support from Benny Green, piano; Peter Washington, bass,and Lewis Nash, drums, Anat revitalized well-chosen items from thevast BG repertory, including some surprises, with refreshing energy,enthusiasm and imagination. Nash not only swung in the mosttasteful manner imaginable, but also offered a couple of knocked-outscat vocals. There’ll be a live recording forthcoming on the Anziclabel. Look for it!How about 14 grand pianos lined up in front of Central Park’s Bandshell,itself inhabited by an all-star big band directed by yet anotherpianist, Norman Simmons, for an evening salute to Bobby Short,presented by the Duke Ellington Center for the Arts, exactly 14 yearsafter Short unveiled the Ellington statue at 110th Street and FifthAvenue. The weather gods smiled upon the July 1 occasion, and anaudience of all ages enjoyed a musical menu consisting of Ducalwarhorses as well as lesser-known gems, all 18 from Short’s repertory.Among the standouts: Daryl Sherman’s “Reflections in D” and FrankOwens’ “Take Love Easy” and “Sophisticated Lady.” Adam Bernbaum,Courtney Bryan, Chris Cherney, James Crease, Aaron Diehl, Eldad(not to be confused with Eldar), Tommy James, Ian McDonald,Leonard Oxley, Marcus Perfisani and Peter Zack rounded out the cast.The pianos—a mixed bag, quality-wise; early arrivals got the best—were provided by Beethoven Pianos. The island of Grenada, Short’sfavorite home away from home, was a co-sponsor, and Duke’scharming granddaughter, Mercedes Ellington, emceed. (This may bethe only coverage of the extraordinary event.)Trek to New OrleansMade my annual trek to New Orleans for the Satchmo Summerfest,the ninth, and attendance-wise, one of the best. The city has sprucedup Armstrong Park, the site of a morning birthday celebration withmusic provided by Japan’s Louis Armstrong, the amazing YoshioToyama, and his band, which for the past few years has includedJimmy Smith, the American drummer now residing in Japan.Toyama and his banjo-playing wife lived in NOLA 1968–73, andtheir Wonderful World Foundation has donated more than 700instruments to the city’s youth. WWF was the topic of one of the July30–August 2 festival’s dozen seminars, which also featured GeorgeAvakian, Michael Cogswell, Robert O’Meally(who gave the keynote), Ricky Riccardi(who showed marvelous Louis videos),David Ostwald, and yours truly. As always,trumpeter Leroy Jones was a standout, and asalways, it was a special treat to hear and seeLionel Ferbos, now 98 years young, who stillbeats off perfect tempos, plays solid leadtrumpet, and sings like a man half his age.And speaking of trumpeters, I caught my old friend Jack Fein, activein New York years ago, on his first gig after a quadruple bypass—hestill has one of the biggest sounds in captivity. A special treat was anexhibit celebrating the centennial of the Zulu Social Aid and PleasureClub, and the 60th anniversary of Louis’s crowning as King of theZulus. New York and New Jersey’s own Daryl Sherman did twonights at a nice boite in the Garden District, Le Chat Noir, backedby an excellent bassist, Jesse Boyd, doing songs from her most recentCDs, N’Orleans (Jazzology), recorded locally last year, and her fineJohnny Mercer Centennial Tribute (Arbors), packing them in.Contrabass SarrusaphoneFinally, back home, a far too rare opportunity to catch multiinstrumentalistScott Robinson at the helm of his own group—this at Kitano, a nice place to listen, especially if you like sushi andinteresting cocktails. With Mike Le Donne on piano, Martin Windon bass and Dennis Mackrel on drums, the amazing Scott presenteda program of music by Thad Jones, as featured on his latest CD,Forever Lasting (Arbors), which I love. On one number, he plays thecontrabass sarrusaphone, which, like most ordinary mortals, I hadnever seen—it looks like a tuba after the Atkins diet, but being asarrusaphone, has a reed mouthpiece. Live, it doesn’t vibrate quite asmuch as on record, but the thing is that Scott, as he does on all hisinstruments, makes music on it—as he did on the theramin, in duetwith his wife’s alto flute.Scott played an E-flat soprano flute on the super-fast “Fingers,” whichalso spotted his magisterial bass saxophone and his marvelous tenor,which he featured on just a single chorus, in slow ballad tempo, ofThad’s beautiful “To You.” Scott also played trumpet, flugelhornand echo cornet. His cohorts, all but Dennis new to the music, did agreat job, Mike consistently first-rate in solo. Frank Wess and JerryDodgion were in the enthusiastic audience. If I had a club, I’d installScott Robinson as permanent resident. He is, to coin a phrase,something else.JJDan Morgenstern, a columnist for Jersey Jazz, is director of the Institute ofJazz Studies at Rutger’s University, Newark, and author of Jazz People(Pantheon Books).14_________________________________ October 2009