heart of gold - The New York City Jazz Record

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Jeremiah Cymerman is a man not afraid of contraction: Under a Blue Grey Sky is an exquisite tone poem, with play of light and shadow, cloud and sky, keen sunlight shining through at times. The sky of sound shifts contours and textures, the sunbeams muted by storm clouds as often as not sinister, but strangely comforting. Also remarkable on a technical level, the performance features a modified string quartet: Olivia De Prato (violin), Jessica Pavone (viola), Christopher Hoffman (cello) and Tom Blancarte (bass). Its seven “Acts”, plus an Interlude before the finale, are continuous. Sometimes a pause is implied, but the work is without the stops between sections or movements that generally beset the traditional classical composition. This gives a feeling of weightlessness, of being taken up by the wind, like standing on a seawall and being supported by the sporadic sea gusts. The string players achieve the most startling effects as well: jarring slaps on the neck, serpentine swirls and the most diaphanous flights of disciplined fancy. The tone shifts from a kind of trance music at the NEW Under a Blue Grey Sky Jeremiah Cymerman (Porter) by Gordon Marshall USED 236 West 26 Street, Room 804 New York, NY 10001 Monday-Saturday, 10:00-6:00 Tel: 212-675-4480 Fax: 212-675-4504 Email: jazzrecordcenter@verizon.net Web: jazzrecordcenter.com LP’s, CD, Videos (DVD/VHS), Books, Magazines, Posters, Postcards, T-shirts, Calendars, Ephemera Buy, Sell, Trade Collections bought and/or appraised Also carrying specialist labels e.g. Fresh Sound, Criss Cross, Ayler, Silkheart, AUM Fidelity, Nagel Heyer, Eremite, Venus, Clean Feed, Enja and many more 22 January 2011 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK onset to outright dissonances that are resolved into lyrical soaring, here tinged with the Hebraic, there with a plangent, Romantic touch of the sublime. A great narrative is implied: we keep waiting to see if the congregation of cloud will break into storm - and if so, of what magnitude. Finally, in the Interlude, a soft summer rain seeps down, suggested by a sultry electronic static. Here, the sun shines through again, as white noise slowly gathering into a rainbow, as the rain intensifies. The final Act VII starts with a pizzicato cello eking out a simple minor arpeggio ostinato to which Pavone adds spare arco. Blancarte fills in the negative spaces and then De Prato encapsulates the others in a sheer, searing coating of blinding gold leaf. Bass and viola drop out and then the music stops - though without skipping a beat, the ensemble reprises the passage in variation. As the cello keeps plucking into the outro, it is as if the story of the storm, for all its bouts of rain and shine, was in the end a static occurrence and nothing ever changed. The weather’s fine. For more information, visit porterrecords.com. Cymerman plays solo at Douglass Street Music Collective Jan. 14th and The Local 269 Jan. 17th. See Calendar. With Özay David Murray/ Chico Freeman (Basic-ITM) by Ken Waxman Live at the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club David Murray (India Nav.-Jazzwerkstatt) Over the course of his career saxophonist David Murray has blown hot, cold, but mostly cool. Despite making 100s of records, few are first class, although most reach a level of high competence. Live at the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club - initially released in 1977 on India Navigation - is one of his best early discs, however. Meanwhile With Özay, from the ‘90s, is a topflight vocal CD, where despite the billing, Murray, Chico Freeman and other first-call jazzers provide sympathetic accompaniment to singer Özay Fecht. A Turk living in Berlin, Fecht is an accomplished actress, screenwriter and director, who also recorded jazz with heavyweights like saxophonists Steve Lacy and Jim Pepper. So with Kirk Lightsey and DD Jackson splitting the piano duties, bassist Calvin Jones and drummer Pheeroan akLaff in the rhythm section and a guest shot by violinist Billy Bang, this CD is no vanity project by an actress pretending to be Lady Day. Featuring only a couple of standards, the rest of the material includes sophisticated songs by the likes of pianist Dave Burrell and vocalist Bob Dorough plus a couple of numbers in Turkish. One features her scatting in double counterpoint with Bang’s sawing fiddle; another has lyrics by Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet. Impressively though, Fecht’s English delivery is either lyric soprano bubbly or husky as if channeling Marlene Dietrich. Murray is in particularly fine form accompanying the latter, as with Ben Webster-ish obbligatos on “Antiquated Love”. Bringing a gritty parlando to “Without Rhyme Or Reason”, Fecht’s melismatic cries are matched by Murray’s squeaks and side-slipping as well as Lightsey’s metronomic comping. Outstanding throughout, Lightsey steers a middle course between both saxophonists’ bar-busting improvisations and the tonal qualities needed to keep the tracks on an even keel. More than 17 years earlier, Murray and company weren’t particularly interested in lyricism. But listening to Live at the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club, it’s telling that in retrospect these Young Turks, though identified as avant gardists, were as committed to extending the jazz tradition as Özay and accompanists were in 1994. In fact, the saxist’s “Bechet’s Bounce” is probably the most characteristic composition. The performance could fool any Dixielander into thinking it was ‘classic jazz’. Here Fred Hopkins slaps his bass à la Pops Foster, drummer Phil Wilson’s backbeat channels Zutty Singleton and Lester Bowie’s open-horned trumpet lead is as jungle-like as anything recorded by Cootie Williams. Around Bowie’s tremolo flourishes and whinnying, Murray weaves high-pitched soprano saxophone vibrations. Performed in broken octaves, the theme is recapped before the turnaround while the coda involves an old-time rim shot. Also notable is “For Walter Norris”, an ode to the pianist who was on Ornette Coleman’s first LP. Composed by Butch Morris and related to “Lonely Woman”, the piece evolves as the closely pitched horns modulate atop a bowed bass line. Bowie’s handmuted, mid-point solo drips with tenderness until the mood is breached by Murray’s rough-hewn split tones. This jagged-smooth dichotomy is maintained throughout with even Bowie’s smears and growls staying connective. Murray’s agitato squeals may be discursive, but they’re moderated by Hopkins’ strums and Wilson’s drags. One certified classic and a little-known jazz vocal gem, both CDs are worth investigating. For more information, visit jazzwerkstatt.eu. Murray’s Big Band is at Birdland Jan. 18th-22nd. See Calendar. ____________________________ January 2011 Jazz Schedule Sundays Lafayette Harris Jazz Open-Mic 7:00pm-11pm $10 Cover/$16 Drink Min ____________________________ Mondays – January 3rd & 10th Patience Higgins and the Sugar Hill Quartet January 17th, 24th & 27th Eric Wyatt Jam Session 9:30pm-2:30am $10 Cover/$16 Drink Min. ____________________________ Tuesdays – Joey Morant 8:00pm-12am $10 Cover/$16 Drink Min. ____________________________ Wednesdays – Nate Lucas Organ Trio 8:00pm-12am $3 Table Cover per person/$16 Drink Min. ____________________________ Blues Thursdays January 6th & 13th Fred McFarland January 20th & 27th TBA 8:00pm-12am $3 Table Cover per person/$16 Drink Min ____________________________ Zebra Room: weekends – 3 Shows 8:30 pm 10:00 pm $20 cover per set plus $16.00 drink minimum per set - per person January 7th Sabrina Bridge Bach Quartet January 8th Kathy Farmer,Vocalist January 14th Rudy Lawless and the Posse January 15th Nat Adderley Jr. January 21st Rob Silverman Trio January 22nd Benny Russell, Sax Trio January 28th Barbara King and the Spirit of Jazz January 29th Cynthia Holiday,Vocalist Bring back Harlem’s famous Late, Late Night Jam Session Every Friday and Saturday Nights 12am to 4am serving up Jazz and Wells’ Chicken’ and Waffles Featuring Gerald Hayes Quartet
723 7th Ave. 3rd Floor, New York, NY. 10019 212-730-8138 Store Hours: 11-7 Monday-Friday & 11-6 Saturday Owner: Steve Maxwell Manager: Jess Birch Steve’s cell: 630-865-6849 Email: drummermax@aol.com Visit us on the web at: www.maxwelldrums.com NEW YORK'S ONLY TRUE VINTAGE AND CUSTOM DRUM SHOP Our philosophy for the shop is to create an inviting atmosphere where players and collectors alike can visit and see wonderful vintage and custom drums and cymbals that you can't find anywhere else; enjoy listening to some jazz vinyl while hanging in the drummer's lounge area of our museum; and exchange ideas and information with friends. We even have sound proof rooms for testing cymbals, drum sets and snare drums. Our sets, snares and cymbals are set up and ready for you to play. We believe in the highest level of personal, professional service and we have the experience you need when considering vintage and custom drums and cymbals. Call Steve on his cell anytime, or email him at drummermax@aol.com. He wants to hear from you. Our shop includes: • Craviotto: World’s largest selection of Craviotto one-ply snares and drum sets. We are the largest Craviotto dealer in the world. • Vintage: Extensive inventory of high end vintage snare drums, sets and cymbals. We have vintage Gretsch, Rogers, Slingerland, Ludwig, Leedy, Camco and more! • Player’s Specials: Snares, sets and cymbals focused on the needs of players • Gretsch: USA Custom drums in bebop sizes made famous by the 60s era jazz greats • Leedy: Our Leedy USA Custom Shop drums will debut in NYC later this year • Ludwig: specializing in the USA-built Legacy series • George Way: We are your source for Ronn Dunnett’s great new George Way snares • Maxwell: Our Maxwell line of custom drums includes small bebop sets and more. • Heads, hardware, sticks, bags and more Cymbals: We have Istanbul, Bosphorus, Zildjian, Old As, Old Ks, Spizzichino, Sabian, Paiste, Dream and more! New and vintage cymbals galore. Stop in and see our museum section with original sets, snares and cymbals owned by Elvin, Buddy, Krupa, Mel Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Louie Bellson and many more! Recording Studio Support: Enormous selection of vintage and custom drums to suit the needs of any recording studio looking for that special, unique sound. Need that “vintage” drum or cymbal sound? Come see us. We have what you need. Need a versatile but unique custom drum sound? We have that as well with our Craviotto solid shell drums. None finer in the world. NYC DRUMMERS, WE HAVE DRUM SET PRACTICE. SPACE AVAILABLE FOR RENT ON AN HOURLY BASIS. CALL JESS AT 212-730-8138 FOR DETAILS. TEACHING STUDIO IS OPEN
Page 1: January 2011 | No. 105 Your FREE Mo
Page 4 and 5: NEW YORK @ NIGHT 4 January 2011 | A
Page 6 and 7: Photo by Peter Gannushkin/DOWNTOWNM
Page 9 and 10: ON THE COVER Ellis Marsalis heart o
Page 11 and 12: MEGAPHONE Is This Music Essential?
Page 13 and 14: (c) Susan O’Connor, www.jazzword.
Page 15 and 16: Our Secret World Kurt Rosenwinkel/O
Page 17 and 18: Friday the Thirteenth Microscopic S
Page 20 and 21: Pianist Amina Figarova utilized her
Page 24 and 25: Detour Ahead Featuring... Jeff Oste
Page 26 and 27: � Aaron Alexander/Julian Priester
Page 29 and 30: In Copenhagen Wild Bill Davison (St
Page 31: Mirror Charles Lloyd (ECM) by Brand
Page 34 and 35: It’s About That Time Hot Club of
Page 36 and 37: Quiz Alexander McCabe (CAP) by Elli
Page 38 and 39: Silent Movies Ipos Marc Ribot (Book
Page 41 and 42: CALENDAR 42 January 2011 | ALLABOUT
Page 43 and 44: 44 January 2011 | ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW
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Page 47 and 48: Thursday, January 27 ��Tony Wil
Page 49 and 50: (INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6) m

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