Category: Jazz Ears

about jazz

On The Air

John Levy was on Tavis Smiley’s radio program this week. Tavis Talks is aired via PRI (public radio) in different cities on various stations at various times. The interviews are also posted on the web, but I do not know how long they remain there. Click here to go to Tavis Talks and then click on The Tavis Smiley Show From PRI to see the interviews — click on one to listen.

And while we’re talking radio, this just in from my friend Bill Kirchner:

Recently, I taped my next one-hour show for the “Jazz From the Archives” series. Presented by the Institute of Jazz Studies, the series runs every Sunday on WBGO-FM (88.3).

Sometime in the mid-1950s, a young woman from Detroit named Sara Cassey (1929-1966) moved to New York City. For a few years in the late ’50s and early ’60s, while she worked for Riverside Records, her beautifully-crafted pieces (calling them “tunes” doesn’t do them justice) were recorded by Clark Terry (with Thelonious Monk), Hank and Elvin Jones, Billy Taylor, Junior Mance, Johnny Griffin (with Barry Harris), Stan Kenton (with singer Jean Turner), and
others. Cassey committed suicide at age 37, and she has been virtually forgotten. But her music still sounds fresh and original, as recordings by the aforementioned artists and others demonstrate.

The show will air this Sunday, January 8, from 11 p.m. to midnight, Eastern Standard Time.

NOTE: If you live outside the New York City metropolitan area, WBGO also broadcasts on the Internet at www.wbgo.org.

Back In The Box

It’s time to pack up The Christmas Box again, the small fake tree, strings of indoor lights, ceramic ornaments made by a friend, the snowman candle holder. At the top of the box will be the Christmas music – six CDs and three old cassettes that I play pretty incessantly during the month of December, after which I am glad not to hear them again for another year. They’re all great, but the first one on the list is my all-time favorite…talk about swinging! They are:

    Christmas Cookin’ — Jimmy Smith (Verve)
    The Christmas Song — Nat King Cole (Capitol)
    A Jazz Piano Christmas — 17 fabulous pianists including Tommy Flanagan, John Lewis, and Junior Mance (NPR Classics)
    Christmas with Etta Jones (Muse)
    A Nancy Wilson Christmas (MCG Jazz)
    Guitars for Christmas — Joe Negri (MCG Jazz)
    The Three Tenors Christmas — Carreras, Domingo and Pavorotti (Sony Classical)
    Christmas Classics for Guitar – Steven Pasero (Sugo)
    Christmas Island — Leon Redbone (Private Music)

The poinsettias get to stay in the house, but we’ll have to see how long last as I do not have the greenest thumb where potted plants are concerned. We didn’t hang the icicle lights from the roof this year, so they’re still in the box. Outside, the light-up snowman family and a few light blankets (not strings) must also return to the garage where all will hibernate until next year.

Vocal Legacy

The press release headline reads: New Concert Package Developed By Legendary Talent Manager John Levy Debuts At World’s Largest Jazz Conference On January 14th In NYC

You already know that John is among those being honored as an NEA Jazz Master, but what you may not know is that John is not exactly partial to the spotlight. There’s no “aw, shucks” about it; he’s really only interested in what he can do to promotes his clients, and he truly enjoys using his talents to help others achieve their artistic goals. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that he doesn’t appreciate the honor, he is quite pleased about it, but he says he didn’t do it alone, he had a lot of help along the way, and he’s just more comfortable behind the scenes. And make no mistake, he will be working behind those scenes at IAJE next week promoting Vocal Legacy.

Featuring Clairdee’s song stylings and Henry Johnson’s mellow tones on guitar and vocals, Vocal Legacy will make its debut at IAJE on Saturday, January 14th at 6:00 p.m. in the Sutton South room at the Hilton Hotel. The Legacy Ensemble, under the direction of pianist Ken French, includes bassist Mary Ann McSweeney and drummer Dennis Mackrel.

According to John, the concept was simple…

“Vocal Legacy is a new twist on the classic jazz standard. Clairdee is a new client, Henry been on my roster for a while. I thought, why not let the two collaborate and create something fresh and new, but familiar. We could give audiences that clamor for the real taste of jazz an engaging performance, without the heavy price tag. I’m offering traditional jazz vocals by younger artists, with a contemporary edgy style to prove that those days of great music are not gone. Their appeal is straightforward, it is an easy to follow recipe for success… a dash of this, a pitch of that! Clairdee own unique sound is a contemporary blend influenced by the sassy irreverence of Carmen McRae, the silky soulfulness of Natalie Cole, and Shirley Horn’s understated approach. If you liked the complex melody of Joe Williams, the soulfulness of Lou Rawls and Bill Withers, you’ll enjoy hearing the voice of Henry Johnson.”

And it’s all about the legacy.

“I titled the group Vocal Legacy because what I envisioned was a legacy of the classic jazz vocal genre. I am passionate about preserving the musical heritage as well as nurturing the continued growth of the art form. Jazz is timeless and the lyrics of the jazz standards still ring true.”

After more than five decades as a manager of the top names in jazz, this is John’s legacy too.

Henry Johnson and Clairdee share the same passion for the music’s melody and lyrics. Their performance on the 14th will present a contemporary twist while still maintaining the tradition of the great jazz vocalists before them. The selection of songs for the show was inspired by the great artists who came before them, and while no attempt is made to evoke the styles of their predecessors, Vocal Legacy is a tribute to them and the legacy they left. The performance will include:

The Great City (Salute to Shirley Horn)
Sunday In New York (Salute to Shirley Horn)
Do Something (Salute to Betty Carter)
After You’ve Gone (Salute to Joe Williams)
My One & Only Love/Why Did I Choose You (Salute to Johnny Hartman)
Summertime (Salute to Donny Hathaway)
All They Way (Salute to Frank Sinatra)
Deed I Do (Salute to Helen Humes)
Someone Else Is Steppin’ In (Salute to Ernestine Anderson)
For All We Know (Salute to Nat Cole)
Alright, Okay, You Win (Salute to Joe Williams)

Johnson, whose musical roots run deep into gospel, blues, and jazz, toured extensively with the groups of pianist Ramsey Lewis and legendary jazz vocalist Joe Williams before forming his own group, Organ Express. Johnson’s style is a testament to the influences of Kenny Burrell, George Benson, and most significantly, Wes Montgomery. Henry’s seven albums as a leader include Organic with special guest Nancy Wilson (A440 Records), An Evening At Sea (Chiaroscuro Records), and others on the MCA/Impulse and Heads Up labels.

Clairdee, a longtime member of the International Association for Jazz Education, is also an Artist-In-Residence with the San Francisco Symphony’s “Adventures in Music” series, the vocal instructor for University of California Berkeley Jazz Department, and teaches “Jazz & Popular Solo Voice” at Diablo Valley College. Her new CD, Music Moves (Declare Music/Hyena Records), is chartbound; earlier recordings on the Declare Music label include This Christmas and Destination Moon.

Ken French, director of the Legacy Ensemble, is musical director, arranger and pianist who has worked with Clairdee since 1998. With solid early training in classical piano, French discovered his passion for jazz in a high school music program in Seattle, Washington. While studying music composition, piano and philosophy at the University of Puget Sound, he demonstrated an affinity for exploring new perspectives with the classic standards. A performing professional for two decades, he cites influences as diverse as Miles Davis, André Previn, and Stevie Wonder. French is a sought after educator who enjoys conducting clinics and master classes in jazz improvisation, accompaniment, arranging, composition and related topics.

Bassist McSweeney, recently back from touring with Lee Konitz, has also performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Witherspoon, Betty O’Hara, Stacy Rowles, Rick Margitza, Lynn Ariel, Maiden Voyage Big Band, and the Ed Palermo Big Band to name a few. She has recorded with the Jim Cifelli New York Nonet, the Diva Big Band, Gene Burkert, Nana Simopoulos and Manhattan Vocal Project among others. On the classical side, she has worked with conductors Leonard Bernstein, John Williams and Lalo Schifrin.

Drummer Dennis Mackrel is a seasoned musician and clinician, traveling extensively and performing with such ensembles as The Carla Bley Very Large Band, Slide Hampton and the Jazz Masters, The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Band, The Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Classic Jazz Orchestra, The Hank Jones Trio, The Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, The Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra, and The American Jazz Orchestra. His compositions and arrangements have been recorded and performed internationally, and some of the other notable musicians Dennis has performed with include: Monty Alexander, John Pizzarelli, Harry Connick Jr., Lionel Hampton, Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, and Quincy Jones.

Getting Started

I thought I’d be off and running with the start of the New Year, but I find myself thinking and moving in slow motion on these first days of January 2006. I don’t know whether that’s good or bad, but that’s how it is. I have much to do this week, too. John and I leave Sunday for New York City where we will attend the 33rd Annual IAJE Conference (International Association of Jazz Educators) and during which John will become one of the 2006 NEA Jazz Masters. The conference is huge (over 7000 people attend) and the NEA award is a tremendous honor.

The festivities will begin on Wednesday evening when John’s longtime client, Nancy Wilson, hosts the Gala dinner. Panels and such begin in earnest on Thursday — I’m especially hoping to catch Billy Taylor talking about his life with AB Spellman, and Ira Gitler’s onstage interview with Sonny Rollins.

Friday, the big NEA day, includes the Jazz Masters’ Luncheon, the invitation-only cocktail reception and the NEA Jazz Masters Awards Concert honoring Ray Barretto, Tony Bennett, Bob Brookmeyer, Chick Corea, Buddy DeFranco, Freddie Hubbard, and John Levy, MC’d by Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson. If I can manage it, I’d also like to hear Dan Morgenstern interviewed by Steve Schwartz (before lunch) and Clark Terry interviewed by Nat Hentoff (between lunch and cocktails).

Saturday will be another big day for John as he will be attending the rehearsal of Vocal Legacy (his latest project – I will post more about that tomorrow), participate in a Jazz Masters Panel from 1-3 and then move onto the exhibition hall for a book signing hosted by MCG Jazz (3 pm in booth 358-359). Nancy Wilson, who also records on the MCG Jazz label will also be on hand to sign CDs. And then we will all be at the 6pm Vocal Legacy show featuring vocalist Clairdee and guitarist/singer Henry Johnson.

I guess I’d better rev up my engines.

Happy New Year to everyone, everywhere.

Women in Jazz History

A self-described periodic reader has written in with a question:

As a jazz fan I was asked an innocent question recently by a younger female colleague. She observed that, “Other than singers, jazz seems to be a mostly male endeavor. Why is that?” Although I was immediately able to come up with a dozen names of contemporary female performers who I think make significant contributions, and also to point to the historical influence of one or two others (Lil Hardin’s influence on Louis Armstrong comes to mind) I really couldn’t give her a comprehensive answer about the historical role of women in jazz. I went to my bookshelves and the internet but couldn’t find any good sources to share with her. I wonder if you can give me any guidance?

I am not a great jazz historian, nor a feminist, but the names of several older female jazz instrumentalists do come to mind. To start, I would mention trumpeters Clora Bryant and Norma Carson, saxophonist Vi Redd and trombonists Melba Liston, Janice Robinson, and Lillian Briggs. Also drummers Elaine Leighton and Dottie Dodgion, harpist Dorothy Ashby, and vibraphonist Margie Hyams.

Of course there are many female pianists – Toshiko Akiyoshi (also a composer and bandleader), Beryl Booker, Patti Bown, Barbara Carroll, Dorothy Donegan, Jutta Hipp, Marian McPartland, Shirley Scott (organ, too), and Mary Lou Williams, to name a few. And the piano-playing singers (some with greater pianistic prowess than others) including Shirley Horn, Nellie Lutcher, Hazel Scott…perhaps even Nina Simone and Carmen McRae should be included.

These are just a few of the women who have made significant contributions. As for the historical role of women in jazz, here are a few books that might shed some light:

Swing Shift: “All-Girl” Bands of the 1940s (Paperback) by Sherrie Tucker
Stormy Weather : The Music and Lives of a Century of Jazz Women (Paperback) by Linda Dahl
Blues Legacies and Black Feminism : Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday (Vintage) (Paperback) by Angela Y. Davis

Also check out these chapters:
“Telling Performances: Jazz History Remembered and Remade by the Women in the Band” – Sherri Tucker in Unequal Sisters: A Mulicultural Reader in U.S. Women’s History (Paperback) by Vicki L. Ruiz (Editor), Ellen Carol Dubois (Editor)
“Melba Liston” and “Clora Bryant” in Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles by multiple editors/contributors including Clora Bryant.

It should be noted that many of the female instrumentalists today (Maria Schneider, Laurie Frink, Ingrid Jensen, Lesa Terry, Regina Carter, Carolina Strassmayer, Stacy Rowles, Terri Lynne Carrington…) generally eschew the “women in jazz” approach — it smacks to much of the “she’s good…for a woman” attitude. They are more likely to suggest that you judge the music, not the musician. They may have drawn some measure of strength from knowing of women who came before them, but their creative inspirations are genderless.

I hope that some of my more academic friends and colleagues will have recommendations and/or comments to add. (For your convenience, there is an Email Me link on the left side of your screen, second box from the top. I hope to hear from you.)

Some Jazzy Birthdays This Week and Next

Celebrating those who are here as well as though who are gone —
November 21: Coleman Hawkins would have been 101.
November 22: Happy 80th to Gunther Schuller; Jimmy Knepper would have been 78.
November 23: Happy 80th to Johnny Mandel; Willie The Lion Smith would have been 108.
November 24: Al Cohn would have been 80; Teddy Wison would have been 93.
November 25: Nat Adderley would have been 74 and Paul Desmond would have been 81.
By the end of the month, Ed Bickert and Jack Sheldon will be celebrating their 73rd and 74th birthdays, respectively; violinist Eddie South, Billy Strayhorn, and Gigi Gryce, would have been 101, 90, and 80 respectively.

I’ve Got Mail: One Buddy Leads To Another

The other day, when mentioning mail and new buddies, I forgot to tell you about Russ. He found his way to DevraDoWrite via a link on Doug Ramsey’s Rifftides blog, which he discovered from reading the Paul Desmond piece at Jerry Jazz Musician. In today’s world where many of use wear multiple hats, it’s not a big surprise (albeit a very pleasant one) to find that we knew one another indirectly.

…in one of those ‘small world’ coincidences; I know of you through my experience as a jazz concert producer. From 1986 to 1992 I produced a summer Jazz series in Mt Gretna, a small mountain resort town in Central Pennsylvania. During those six years I featured, among others, Joe Williams and Jim Hall. Thus, I recognized you from the publicity materials for Jim & Joe.

Back then, I was a publicist for lots of great jazz folks, Joe, Jim, Carmen McRae, Eddie Harris, and Thad Jones, to name just a few.
Russ continues:

In another coincidence, in 1980 I became one of the founders of a regional jazz society, the Central PA Friends of Jazz. One of our regular performers in the early days was Harrisburg resident J.J. Wiggins. In more recent time the Friends of Jazz staged a Father’s Day performance by Gerald and J.J. Wiggins at the annual Central PA Jazz Festival. In fact, I recorded the concert for the local public radio station.

By the way, the juvenile jazz group with which J.J. Wiggins got his start was the Craig Hundley Trio, not Huntley. I recall seeing the group several times when they appeared with Johnny Carson. Here’s a link to the cover art for the album they recorded.

Russ mentions Wig and J.J. because he noticed my bio of Gerald Wiggins, here. He’s the first to have noticed my mistake (even Wig did not catch it), and now I’ve corrected it.

By day, Russ is webmaster for WITF, but recently he has resurrected his weekly radio show via Internet. He explains:

I became a part of the local jazz community through my work as a jazz disc jockey. I produced a weekly show entitled “My Favorite Things” from 1970 to 1992. In 1990 I took over the jazz feature writing slot with the Harrisburg daily newspaper. The writing gig fell victim to the changing economics at the newspaper. Last month, for reasons which still escape me, I decided to revive the radio show online…

So check out My Favorite Things, that’s the name of my new good buddy’s show.

Thank You and I’m Sorry

While two little words — “thank you” — can mean a great deal, sometimes the words “I’m sorry” seem inadequate. I owe an apology to a young guitarist from Berlin who spent a great deal of time transcribing some of my father’s recordings and then gave him electronic copies with permission to use them on his web site. Much of dad’s web work passes through my computer, so it was I who should have thanked Johannes promptly for his gift, but I didn’t. He waited ten days before inquiring as to whether we had received the files — not so very long, but seemingly forever in these days of instant messaging.

Think about it. It took only minutes for his gift to travel from Berlin to Los Angeles, why should it take weeks for a simple reply? It shouldn’t. I’ve sent him an email apology, but perhaps I can give him a gift now by bringing him to the attention of DevraDoWrite readers — some of you may well enjoy his music. Guitarist/composer Johannes Haage is in his late twenties. I can’t tell you much more about him as I do not read German, but I did listen to some of the audio clips on his web site and found them intriguing.

TK

TK is a placeholder. It’s the abbreviation meaning “to come.” I (and many) use this when writing a book or article and don’t yet have the exact information but know that’s where it will go in the manuscript — for example, “they moved from their hotel apartment in the [TK] to a doorman building on the Upper West Side [address TK] .” Same goes for quotes often needed for articles and press releases — for example here’s the before and after of one paragraph in a press release I was writing. Before:

Free Association is Hall’s second ArtistShare project available only from jimhallmusic.com. The physical CD is slated to include seven selections: two on-the-spot improvisations (with Hall playing acoustic guitar on one), a beautiful Japanese ballad discovered by Keezer when he was living in Japan, and four Hall originals, one of which he performs solo. Throughout the creative process, from early preparation onward, ArtistShare “participants” repeated logged in to jimhallmusic.com to see what was new. [quote +/or details TK] Upcoming postings at jimhallmusic.com will include downloadable musical sketches tunes, pictures, and interviews, as well as additional recorded selections.

After:

Free Association is Hall’s second ArtistShare project available only from jimhallmusic.com. The physical CD is slated to include seven selections: two on-the-spot improvisations (with Hall playing acoustic guitar on one), a beautiful Japanese ballad discovered by Keezer when he was living in Japan, and four Hall originals, one of which he performs solo. Throughout the creative process, from early preparation onward, ArtistShare “participants” repeated logged in to jimhallmusic.com to see what was new. Not only did they pre-order the new (limited in number) CD, they listened clips from the duo’s Japan tour. “The beauty of these projects is that they never have to end,” explains Camelio. “Participants can sign up long after the recording was completed, and still have access to the process. In fact, most ArtistShare artists continue to add content after the main work is done – it keeps their fans actively involved. Jim is no exception.” Upcoming postings at jimhallmusic.com will include downloadable musical sketches tunes, pictures, and interviews, as well as additional recorded selections.

Sopmeone is bound to ask me why it’s TK and not TC — I don’t know. If you do, please send me an email (there’s an email link in the peach colored box on the left, second from the top).

Anyway, I tell you this just so I can say that I am swamped today with no time for real blogging — and, of course, because it gives me an opportunity to plug dad’s newest recording. I have a list of things about which I’d like to write — Roger Kellaway Trio heard last night, adventures in health insurance, and much more TK. Soon, I promise.