September 2012 - The New York City Jazz Record

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Instant Replay Lol Coxhill (Nato) The Rock on the Hill Lol Coxhill/Barre Phillips/JT Bates (Nato) GN82 (with Lol Coxhill & Evan Parker) Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (Iorram) by Kurt Gottschalk Saxophonist Lol Coxhill - who died in July at the age of 79 after a period of illness - left behind a fascinatingly diverse discography, to be amended as more recordings surface. On the one hand, he was an immediately recognizable player, so dedicated to his horn of choice that he was often referred to as simply “the bald soprano” (following a 1989 cassette release, The Bald Soprano Companion). On the other, the groupings he entered into were wildly diverse enough nearly to defy comprehension. A free improviser at heart, he still toured with punk band The Damned, released a 10” record of TV theme show songs with a trio known as The Melody Four and worked with Jimi Hendrix, the Balanescu String Quartet and AMM. Coxhill was a part of the generation dealing with (and not trying to get over) Britain’s dance hall tradition, that quasi-Vaudevillian entertainment which, for example, allowed the Beatles to look back and come up with “Your Mother Should Know”. He was also of that country’s first generation of free improvisers. Between those two signposts, it seemed, anything was possible. He was a squawker and a crooner both and those tendencies are displayed quite nicely on the recently reissued Instant Replay from 1982. It’s a brilliant record born of a sequence of failures. The collection includes selections from a set of compositions Coxhill wrote for the French Bagad bro Kemperle orchestra (most of which they refused to play). There are tracks with another orchestra (La Chantenaysienne), which feature Coxhill improvising over them as he was inaudible in the original recordings. Those wonderful inventions aside, most of the album is duos and trios with a variety of other improvisers, including Louis Sclavis, Tony Coe, Joëlle Léandre and Raymond Boni. These become source material for another aspect of Coxhill’s inventive genius. The album is essentially four suites built from disparate sources and Coxhill’s editing and sequencing are wonderful. A typically scraggly duet with trombonist Paul Rutherford melds into an artsy exploration with percussionist Sven-Åke Johansson and vocalist Annick Nozati, which finds its way into a quick and charming vocal duet on “Embraceable You”. A tuneful improv with Misha Mengelberg resolves with a meandering “Caravan” and shapeshifts via sax solo into an organ trio. It’s uncommon to get to hear Coxhill from so many angles on one record, making this just a terrific title in the Coxhill canon. The Rock on the Hill is a very different affair, a straightforward free improv set recorded live in Paris in 2010. Bassist Barre Phillips is the guiding force here, at once serene and intensely focused. His spirit makes for an unusual (and beautiful) setting for the bald soprano. While generally a boisterous player, here Coxhill pulls back on the tempo while matching Phillips in the focus. The trio is rounded out by Minneapolis drummer JT Bates, who is versed in classical and country, giving him plenty to pull from for their quiet intricacies. If it even makes sense to call a Coxhill context surprising, his spot as one of two guest soloists with 38 September 2012 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (GIO) is another unexpected turn. Guitarist George Burt composed the large-scale structured improvisation “Improcherto (for HB)” in memory of trumpeter Harry Beckett, who died in 2010 at the age of 75, and recorded it the following year with the 18-strong GIO the following year at the Gateshead International Jazz Festival, adding to the lineup Coxhill and Evan Parker. That 40-minute piece takes up the whole of GN82 and it’s a wonderfully expansive chunk of music. The playing is deliberate and conscientious enough that it truly merits the term “orchestra” - to some ears it might even come off as an electronic soundbed for saxophones. True to the spirit of cheeky UK eccentricity, the piece was scored on sticky notes handed out to the ensemble immediately before the performance and was led by a rotation of conductors. And also true to that Brit spirit, the ends succeed despite the means. It’s a fine tribute to Beckett and the London community he fell into and as it happens an inadvertent tribute to Coxhill as well. For more information, visit natomusic.fr and iorram.blogspot.com Loverman Paul Hubweber (Cadence Jazz) Solo Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø (Creative Sources) Trombonealone Christof Thewes (JazzHaus Musik) by Ken Waxman More so than most brass instruments, the trombone has the structure to be used as a solo instrument, yet, as these choice examples of contemporary European solo trombone discs make obvious, careful planning as well as limitless chops is needed to make things work. Paul Hubweber decided to balance his improvisations on Loverman with some of Charlie Parker’s more familiar lines. Not only does he play six Bird tunes, but some of the other solos are actually contrafacts of contrafacts. For instance when he creates his version of “A Leu Cha”, he’s playing a piece which Bird manufactured from “Honeysuckle Rose” with a bridge based on the chord changes of “I Got Rhythm”. Contrast that with his reading of “Lover Man”, in which his rugged pitch-sliding and gargling cries make the piece even more dyspeptic and agitated. Furthermore, among dark guffaws, split tones and staccato runs, suggestions of contrafacts from pop tunes such as “The Girl from Ipanema” or “Love Me or Leave Me” sneak into his own compositions. Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø on the other hand creates 10 solo tracks which are microtonal and abstract. However, among the blustery guffaws and agitated glissandi, some surprisingly expressive timbres can be heard. For instance “s3” may have a finale based on doubling the brass tone with throatmurmured growls, but the exposition is dedicated to fully formed vibrations resulting from a blustery chromatic tone and tongue stops. Utilizing extended brass techniques ranging from wide-bore blowing to expansive throat tightening, Nørstebø produces any manner of textures from his horn. Christof Thewes takes a middle course on Trombonealone. His Ornette Coleman-mashup of “Free/ Beauty is a Rare Thing/Ramblin’” is more dissonant than Hubweber’s tune strategy. Although the oftensprightly themes peak through, Thewes is more concerned with theme variations. Smooth, chromatic glissandi are quickly replaced by disjointed deconstructions, spiced with verbal mumbles and shouts and studded with fuzzy triplets, gruff tonalities and even a bugle-like tattoo. Other times his capillary strategies include plunger cries and mouthpiece bubbling, bagpipe-like quivering and fortissimo plunger evacuations. Using his voice to create multiphonics, there are other instances when he executes speedy runs with the facility of a cornet player. Thewes simultaneously salutes and extends the jazz tradition on the disc without making it obvious. For more information, visit cadencejazzrecords.com, creativesourcesrec.com and jazzhausmusik.de IN PRINT Wail: The Life of Bud Powell Peter Pullman (Bebop Lives) by Russ Musto Coming on the heels of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, Peter Pullman’s Wail: The Life of Bud Powell is a most valuable addition to jazz bibliography, an unsentimental examination of the 41-year existence of the other most important and enigmatic pianist in modern jazz. Also the result of over a decade of research, based upon “the public record and press on Powell… eyewitness accounts of his live performances and on personal opinions of his private life - in addition to subjective assessments of his studio recordings”, Pullman’s work is, in his words, “a political book”, one that “looks to explain how one of the most exciting art forms coexisted…with the harsh realities that its performers had to endure.” The life story of the person Elvin Jones called “the most mistreated man I ever knew”, this is for the most part not a happy tale. Pullman does a good job of recounting his subject’s earliest joy-filled days as a child prodigy pianist, first taught the stride idiom by his father, further soaking up the living history of his instrument looking over the shoulders of masters Willie “The Lion” Smith and James P. Johnson. He then took the music to another level in uptown after-hours clubs before becoming the acknowledged master of bebop piano, playing on 52nd Street and in Birdland, where he performed as a leader for the better (and worse) part of his career. Pullman examines the circumstances of Powell’s mental deterioration, his lifelong struggle with alcohol (and heroin), which resulted in the institutional abuse (including electroshock therapy) that only further exacerbated his fragile psyche. Pullman’s discovery of heretofore unseen medical and court records is most telling in just how terribly Powell was treated, not just by the establishment, but also by those purportedly trying to help him. Yet it is the ample quoting of those who knew Powell the best, in both his up and down days, first in New York, then Paris and Scandinavia and finally New York again, that brings him to vivid life (even if it is most often a predominantly depressing one) and sets this legend’s story, so full of myths, straight. For more information, visit BudPowellBio.com. A Powell tribute is at Birdland Sep. 25th-29th. See Calendar.
Golden Child Jared Gold (Posi-Tone) by Sharon Mizrahi In the vast jazz animal kingdom, few instruments have as big a personality as the ever-temperamental organ. It has the power to transform trios and quartets into “organ bands” and concert halls into portals of funky soul. But it’s the organ’s transcendent, otherworldly musical presence that emerges most captivating of all. Jared Gold’s Golden Child illustrates this charm through a tangy mix of reinvented standards and creative originals. As soon as Gold belts out the opening notes to “A Change Is Gonna Come”, the air comes alive with groovy zest. Though the organist assumes a laidback vibe, his approach is laced with plenty of attitude in the Sam Cooke piece, growing ever more intricate and bold. Guitarist Ed Cherry’s coolly electric chords introduce some complex dynamics to the mix, acting as both a mellow foil and a fierce contender to the organ. And while Quincy Davis knocks out several sharp cymbal accents, Gold brings the tune to newfound acerbic heights. Gold takes a narrative approach on the Johnny Nash piece “I Can See Clearly Now”. The tune’s classic refrain resonates through the Hammond B-3, twisted with a magnetic edginess that persists even in the most subdued moments. Gold’s musical fire meets its match in Cherry’s guitar, stirred along by Davis’ rolling momentum. “I Wanna Walk” further illustrates the band’s unity, propelled by Gold’s assertive chords. Even when the trio simmers down to a more introspective sound, their energy remains innately gripping. Gold’s own “Pensa Em Mim” unravels slowly and organically, shrouded in a ghastly hum of cymbals and guitar. Gold periodically pierces through the blur with fierce electric uprisings, making the piece as enthralling as the album’s fast-paced tracks. But whether the band is feeling energetic or pensive, this album can’t help but be absolutely golden with a bandleader as innovative as Jared Gold. For more information, visit posi-tone.com. Gold is at Bar Next Door Sep. 8th with Dave Stryker, Jazz Standard Sep. 13th with Oliver Lake and Smalls Sep. 25th. See Calendar. Live at Smalls Rick Germanson Quartet (featuring Eddie Henderson) (smallsLIVE) by Ken Dryden Rick Germanson has been part of the New York City jazz scene since the late ‘90s, arriving not long after winning the Grand Prize at The American Pianists’ Association Jazz Piano Competition. He served as a sideman with Pat Martino for several years, along with touring and recording as a part of The Cannonball Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes. His lengthy resumé also includes record dates with Wayne Escoffery, Brian Lynch, Jeremy Pelt, Carolyn Leonhart and David Gibson. He’s shared the stage with George Coleman, Tom Harrell, Slide Hampton, Frank Morgan and Charles McPherson, to name only a few. Germanson has a self-confidence that proves infectious on the bandstand. His quartet includes several veterans of note: trumpeter Dr. Eddie Henderson, bassist Paul Gill and drummer Lewis Nash. The pianist launches this live set with a driving take of Bobby Timmons’ neglected hardbop gem “So Tired”, which features potent solos throughout its high-octane reading. Henderson adds a mute for the creative reworking of the standard “The Surrey With the Fringe on Top”, which only hints at its theme as the musicians explore endless variations. The pianist also appreciates when less is more, as he plays Duke Ellington’s lovely “The Single Petal of a Rose” with minimal embellishment. Germanson’s writing is equally interesting. His dark, infectious “Interloper” is a driving postbop work that crackles with energy, His lyrical side is showcased in the wistful “Shorter Waltz”, Henderson’s expressive trumpet as its lead voice. Germanson’s rambunctious postbop vehicle “Edge” keeps the listener guessing with its many twists, the enthusiastic Smalls audience wanting more. For more information, visit smallslive.com. Germanson is at Smalls Sep. 6th with Bill Cantrall. See Calendar. ON DVD Live in France 1961 Ray Charles (Eagle Vision) by George Kanzler In the spring of 1961 Ray Charles toured for the first time with an expanded, 17-piece band that for the next 40-plus years was part of his performance package. But when he went to Europe for the first time that summer, he led an octet, like his smaller band for much of the previous decade, when his records for Atlantic defined a new category of black pop music: Soul. This DVD, filmed for French TV at the Antibes Jazz Festival, captures one of the last instances of Charles working in concert with that smaller band. And without an electric instrument in sight - Charles plays only acoustic grand piano, Edgar Willis an upright double bass - the film is invaluable as a document of Charles’ concert style in the ‘50s. The black and white footage also captures a bygone era when jazz festivals were largely ad-hoc affairs. Charles is seen straddling a mic stand between his hands at the piano and on the first night the horns use chairs for music stands. The bulk of the DVD consists of shows on two nights, Jul. 18th and 22nd, the first notable for kicking off with three instrumentals: James Moody’s “The Story”, followed by Horace Silver’s “Doodlin’” and “One Mint Julep”, Charles playing the latter in a montuno Latin piano style very different from his B-3 organ recording of the piece. The two trumpets - Phillip Guilbeau and John Hunt - and three saxists - tenor David “Fathead Newman”, alto Hank Crawford and baritonist Leroy Cooper - all get to solo, but on most of the vocal numbers Newman and Guilbeau are the only horn soloists. Those vocals range from the then-recent- Grammy-winning hit “Georgia On My Mind” to quintessential, multi-layered call-response and stop-time soul classics like “Sticks and Stones”, “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” and “What’d I Say”. Joining Charles on some of them are the four Raelettes, with Margie Hendrix front and center on the gospel-testifying “Tell the Truth”, a perfect amalgam of sanctified soul and get down blues. And don’t miss Jul. 22nd’s only instrumental, “Hornful Soul”, the frame for a great, bluesy jazz piano solo. For more information, visit eaglerockent.com. Ray Charles events are at Jazz Museum in Harlem Sep. 4th, 11th, 15th, 18th and 25th. Visit jmih.org for more information. THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | September 2012 39
Page 1: September 2012 | No. 125 B O B B Y
Page 4 and 5: NEW YORK @ NIGHT SMOKE ® JAZZ&SUPP
Page 6 and 7: Photo by Geoffrey Creighton INTERVI
Page 8 and 9: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 | 7:30PM |$3
Page 10 and 11: ENCORE Rahn Burton by Matthew Mille
Page 12 and 13: Inner Circle by Alex Henderson Greg
Page 14 and 15: IN MEMORIAM Lol Coxhill - a great i
Page 16 and 17: Plays Toninho Horta Duduka Da Fonse
Page 18 and 19: GLOBE UNITY: BRAZIL Piano Masters S
Page 20 and 21: Alive at the Vanguard Fred Hersch T
Page 22 and 23: 22 September 2012 | THE NEW YORK CI
Page 24 and 25: Fortune Songs Jasmine Lovell-Smith
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Page 28: Live at Smalls Jesse Davis (smallsL
Page 31 and 32: Yesterday and Today Toots Thieleman
Page 33 and 34: Loverly Lenore Raphael/Howard Alden
Page 35 and 36: New York City’s most famous jazz
Page 37: Conduit Greg Diamond (Dot Time) by
Page 41 and 42: (INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6) a
Page 43 and 44: Wednesday, September 5 êPeter Brö
Page 45 and 46: Friday, September 14 êDan Tepfer
Page 47 and 48: Sunday, September 23 êFONT: Natsuk
Page 49 and 50: CLUB DIRECTORY • 449 Lounge 449 L
Page 51: BUCKY ADAMS - As an 11-year-old tru

September 2012 - The New York City Jazz Record

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