LESTER BOWIE

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Father’s Day Jazz Brunch Featuring Black Art Jazz Collective Co-Presented by the brooklyn Conservatory of MusiC & exCelsior MusiC studio sunday June 19 | 3:00 pm Wayne escoffery tenor saxoPhone Jeremy Pelt truMPet James Burton III troMbone Victor Gould Piano Vicente archer bass Johnathan Blake druMs BKCM.ORG/EVENTS $25 Food & drinks included 58 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217 718-622-3300 This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Early Americans Jane Ira Bloom (Outline) by Elliott Simon Sidney Bechet, Steve Lacy and fond memories of John Coltrane’s version of “My Favorite Things” aside, the soprano saxophone had not been among this reviewer’s favorite listening experiences. That is until Jane Ira Bloom. Her warm, mellow tone (yes, I am speaking of a soprano saxophone), bluesy swing, smooth phrasing and spot-on intonation shatters all misconceptions. Early Americans, surprisingly her first trio release, presents these essentials of her sound and more in an intimate setting. Bloom’s mastery of the lower registers is on display early with opener “Song Patrol”. Wonderfully understated, bassist Mark Helias and drummer Bobby Previte combine for a rhythm section that doesn’t overpower the more delicate aspects of Bloom’s approach. With the exception of a poignant solo version of Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere” to close out the session, the remaining 12 tunes are Bloom originals and traverse an array of styles. The Native American cadence of “Dangerous Times” does support some judicious nasal snake-charming but Bloom is at her best as the session heats up. The band changes direction immediately after with “Nearly”, a beautiful tribute to late trumpet player Kenny Wheeler. “Hips and Sticks” has a soulful spirituality reminiscent of vintage Pharoah Sanders while “Singing the Triangle” is a bluesy adventure prominently featuring Helias’ hip approach. Things get Sly Stone funky with “Rhyme or Rhythm” and then abruptly calm down as “Mind Gray River” washes over you like a hot Southern rain. Previte makes sure the soundscape stays loose on “Cornets of Paradise” and Bloom uses shades of Bechet for a nod to both freedom and Dixieland. “Gateway to Progress” and “Big Bill” revel in the aforementioned roominess and Bloom and Co. cook in these environs. While there are some lighthearted moments, Bloom’s soprano saxophone mainly speaks in serious sentences on Early Americans. For more information, visit janeirabloom.com. This project is at Cornelia Street Café Jun. 5th. See Calendar. Covered Robert Glasper (Blue Note) Everything’s Beautiful Miles Davis & Robert Glasper (Columbia-Legacy) by Eric Wendell Pianist Robert Glasper has been the cupid to the “will they, won’t they?” flirtation that has existed between jazz and hip-hop for years. He has kept a foot in each art form with brilliant results in both genres. On his most recent outings Covered and Everything’s Beautiful, Glasper establishes that jazz may be his language, but hip-hop is his voice. Covered is an interesting take on both the live album and covers album. Recorded in an intimate setting at Capitol Records Studios in Los Angeles, Covered features his trio of bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Damion Reid, the rhythm section from his previous albums Canvas and In My Element (Blue Note 2005 and 2007, respectively), as they interpret several notable covers as well as selected material from Glasper’s catalogue. Glasper immediately hits his stride on “I Don’t Even Care”, plaintive piano performing against a frenetic drumbeat creating a sprawling dynamic. Glasper’s take on Victor Young’s “Stella By Starlight” is both raucous and sentimental, torn between sudden melodic outbursts and ornate passages. The covers on the record attempt to canvas a wide array of material, including Radiohead’s “Reckoner” and Joni Mitchell’s “Barangrill”, both unfortunately feeling way too straightforward coming from Glasper’s fingertips. The album is at its most successful when it attempts to dig deep for emotions. Glasper aims for the funny bone on “In Case You Forgot”, where he quotes both Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”, delighting the audience. On the other side is the closer “I’m Dying of Thirst”, which features a spoken word section of a child reading a list of people that have died at the hands of police brutality. It’s a meditative end to an album showing that Glasper doesn’t just want to entertain but leave the listener to contemplate. On the other side of the spectrum is Everything’s Beautiful, a reimagining of several Miles Davis master takes and outtakes featuring notable contemporary R&B and hip-hop artists like Illa J, Erykah Badu and Phonte as well as one-time Davis guitarist John Scofield. Glasper and his guests beautifully weave a tribute to the legendary trumpeter. What is so noteworthy about Everything’s Beautiful is how consistently groove-oriented the music is, with every beat inviting a bounce, every note adding nuance and every song resulting in a smile. From the breathy succulence of vocalist Bilal’s performance on “Ghetto Walkin’” to Phonte’s rhymes on “Violets”, the sheer joy and love that permeates from Glasper and his guests is hard to resist. A highlight is “Maiysha (So Long)”, Glasper’s electric piano solo from 2:50-3:20 providing a juicy, lively tone that springs off the static drumbeat. “Little Church” feels dream-like as the swells of sound become transcendent. The most direct link to Miles is Glasper’s take on “Milestones”, which features a beautifully steadfast performance from singer Georgia Anna Muldrow, taking the Miles standard to new heights. For more information, visit bluenote.com and legacyrecordings.com. Glasper is at Blue Note Jun. 21st-26th. See Calendar. 28 JUNE 2016 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
GEORGE H. BUCK JAZZ FOUNDATION JAZZOLOGY RECORDS 1206 Decatur Street New Orleans, LA 70116 P: +1.504.525.5000 F: +1.504.525.1776 visit us online jazzology.com PCD-7008 Chuck Wayne Traveling ft: Warren Chiasson, Jay Leonhart and Ronnie Bedford World’s Largest And Most Important Catalog of Authentic Jazz ACD-195 Carol Sloane Sophisticated Lady ft: Roland Hanna, George Mraz and Richie Pratt ACD-348 Marlene VerPlanck The Mood I’m In ft: John Pearce, Paul Morgan, Mark Nightingale, Bobby Worth and Andy Panayi PCD-7163 Butch Miles Sextet Miles And Miles Of Swing ft: Marky Markowitz, Al Cohn, Scott Hamilton, John Bunch and Milt Hinton UPCOMING CD RELEASES: PCD-7039 Walter Norris Trio Stepping On Cracks ft: George Mraz & Ronnie Bedford PCD-7153 Bill Watrous Quartet Coronary Trombossa! ft: Jim Cox, Chad Wackerman, Tom Child and Dave Levine PCD-7060/7061 (2-CD) Mal Waldron Run About Mal / Mal ‘81 ft: George Mraz & Al Foster PCD-7038 George Mraz Trio Plucking & Bowing ft: Tom Garvin and Peter Donald High art. Casual fun. Tickets & Info 914.232.1252 caramoor.org Presented in Collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center July 9 / Fred Hersch & Friends July 23 / Jazz Festival Featuring CHICK COREA TRIO August 6 / Cécile McLorin Salvant and The Aaron Diehl Trio Free Metro-North Katonah Shuttle Supported by CHICK COREA TRIO / Photo by Andrew Elliot
Page 1 and 2: JUNE 2016—ISSUE 170 YOUR FREE GUI
Page 3 and 4: WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM JUNE 2016 JAZZ
Page 5 and 6: It was, as curator Joel Harrison ob
Page 7 and 8: A RT I S T F E AT U RE photo courte
Page 9 and 10: ® JAZZ FESTIVAL JUNE 1 - 30, 2016
Page 11 and 12: L A B E L S P OT L I G H T EL NEGOC
Page 13 and 14: F ESTIVA L REPORT OPEN PLAN: CECIL
Page 15 and 16: Groundwork Willie Jones III (WJ3) b
Page 18 and 19: Wed, Jun 1 Thu, Jun 2 Fri, Jun 3 Sa
Page 20 and 21: The Distance Michael Formanek Ensem
Page 22 and 23: A cosmic rhythm with each stroke Wa
Page 24 and 25: House of Pianos Dick Hyman (Arbors)
Page 26 and 27: Live in Mińsk Mazowiecki Obara Int
Page 30: La Zorra Bill Watrous Quartet (Famo
Page 33 and 34: Erik Friedlander @ The Stone June 7
Page 36 and 37: In My View Michael Gibbs & The NDR
Page 38 and 39: Solidarity Matt Lavelle’s 12 Hous
Page 40 and 41: BOXED SET The Complete Remastered R
Page 42 and 43: CALENDAR Wednesday, June 1 • John
Page 44 and 45: Sunday, June 12 êVision Festival:
Page 46: Sunday, June 19 • Lena Bloch Feat
Page 49 and 50: CLUB DIRECTORY • 11th Street Bar
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LESTER BOWIE

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