Billie Holiday Year of Lady Day
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APRIL 2015—ISSUE 156 YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENE NYCJAZZRECORD.COM BILLIE HOLIDAY YEAR OF LADY DAY SCOTT ROB RAY RED COLLEY MAZUREK RUSSELL GARLAND Managing Editor: Laurence Donohue-Greene Editorial Director & Production Manager: Andrey Henkin To Contact: The New York City Jazz Record 116 Pinehurst Avenue, Ste. J41 APRIL 2015—ISSUE 156 New York, NY 10033 United States New York@Night 4 Laurence Donohue-Greene: [email protected] Interview : Scott Colley by russ musto Andrey Henkin: 6 [email protected] General Inquiries: Artist Feature : Rob Mazurek 7 by ken waxman [email protected] Advertising: On The Cover : Billie Holiday 8 by alex henderson [email protected] Editorial: [email protected] Encore : Ray Russell 10 by clifford allen Calendar: [email protected] Lest We Forget : Red Garland 10 by stuart broomer VOXNews: [email protected] Letters to the Editor: LAbel Spotlight : Trost 11 by ken waxman [email protected] VOXNEWS 11 by katie bull US Subscription rates: 12 issues, $35 International Subscription rates: 12 issues, $45 For subscription assistance, send check, cash or money order to the address above In Memoriam 12 by andrey henkin or email [email protected] Festival Report Staff Writers 13 David R. Adler, Clifford Allen, Fred Bouchard, Stuart Broomer, In Memoriam: Clark Terry 14 Katie Bull, Thomas Conrad, Ken Dryden, Donald Elfman, Brad Farberman, Sean Fitzell, CD Reviews 16 Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland, Alex Henderson, Marcia Hillman, Miscellany Terrell Holmes, Robert Iannapollo, 41 Suzanne Lorge, Marc Medwin, Robert Milburn, Russ Musto, Event Calendar 42 Sean J. O’Connell, Joel Roberts, John Sharpe, Elliott Simon, Andrew Vélez, Ken Waxman Jazz is a music of longevity. But there are some figures whose impact exceeds their time in the spotlight. Of the legendary jazz singers, the career of Billie Holiday (On The Cover) was cut Contributing Writers tragically short. But in this, her centennial year, she remains among the giants. Venues Duck Baker, Phil Freeman, around the city will celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday (she died at 44): Anders Griffen, George Kanzler, Cassandra Wilson performs a tribute at the Apollo Theater, where Holiday will be inducted in Mark Keresman, Wilbur MacKenzie, the venue’s Hall of Fame; Harlem Stage Gatehouse presents “Parallel Lives: Billie Holiday & Ken Micallef, Michael Steinman Edith Piaf”; Jazz at Lincoln Center holds a Billie Holiday Festival at Rose Theater, Dizzy’s Club and The Appel Room; plus events at Minton’s, Bill’s Place, Jazz at Kitano and Zeb’s. Contributing Photographers Frank Driggs, Hiroyuki Ito, Longevity is not an issue for bassist Scott Colley (Interview); he has been in demand for nearly Alan Nahigian, Susan O’Connor, 30 years and this month leads a tribute to his former teacher Charlie Haden as part of R.I. Sutherland-Cohen, Connection Works’ Brooklyn Jazz Wide Open concert series, is at Jazz Standard in guitarist Jack Vartoogian, Daniel Vass Julian Lage’s trio and Village Vanguard with pianist Enrico Pieranunzi’s quartet. And prolific cornet player/composer Rob Mazurek (Artist Feature), who turns 50 this year, will celebrate two new releases at The Jazz Gallery and ShapeShifter Lab. And there can be no greater example of a long jazz life than trumpeter Clark Terry, whose career we celebrate with nycjazzrecord.com an In Memoriam centerfold featuring testimonies from his friends and colleagues. On The Cover: Billie Holiday (Photo courtesy of the Frank Driggs Collection at Jazz at Lincoln Center) In Correction: In last month’s Louis Moholo-Moholo CD review, we claimed that Chris McGregor was the only white member of The Blue Notes; Ronnie Beer was of mixed race. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors. 2 APRIL 2015 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM APRIL 2015 NICHOLAS PAYTON TRIO KYLE EASTWOOD DONALD HARRISON FEAT. BUSTER WILLIAMS & LENNY WHITE APR 3-5 FEAT. LEO NOCENTELLI (The Meters), APR 1-2 FRED WESLEY (James Brown),CHRISTIAN SCOTT & MORE APR 7-12 ROY HARGROVE NYC Premiere: THE BAD PLUS APR 14-19 MICHEL CAMILO “THREE + THREE” APR 28-MAY 3 APR 21-26 MARIKA HUGHES & BOTTOM HEAVY (8PM) / CLIFTON ANDERSON (10:30PM) APR 6 • PURCHASE JAZZ ORCHESTRA W/ TODD COOLMAN, DIRECTOR & SPECIAL GUEST TERELL STAFFORD APR 13 KENNY WERNER BERKLEE QUINTET APR 20 • GATO BARBIERI APR 27 SUNDAY BRUNCH BLUE NOTE & THE JAPAN FOUNDATION PRESENT: EAST MEETS WEST BRUNCH SERIES MIKA MIMURA GROUP APR 5 • HIROMI SUDA APR 12 • MARTHA KATO APR 19 • SUMIE KANEKO APR 26 LATE NIGHT GROOVE SERIES r.O.T.i. (RESILIENCE OF THE INTELLIGENT) APR 3 • DORON LEV & UGLYBRAINE APR 4 • KUNG FU MASTERS APR 10 • KID LUCKY & NU VOICES APR 11 SONG YI JEON APR 17 • NATALIE CRESSMAN APR 18 • GUTHRIE RAMSEY APR 24 • SCOTT TIXIER QUARTET - IN ASSOCIATION W/ JILL NEWMAN PRODUCTIONS APR 25 RD bluenotenyc l3l WEST 3 STREET NEW YORK CITY • 2l2.475.8592 • WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM @bluenotenyc TWO SHOWS NIGHTLY 8PM & l0:30PM • FRIDAY & SATURDAY LATE NIGHTS: l2:30AM TELECHARGE.COM TERMS, CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY @bluenotenyc SUNDAY BRUNCH, ll:30AM & l:30PM, $35 INCLUDES BRUNCH MUSIC AND DRINK L 2751 Broadway NYC, NY (btw 105th & 106th Streets) www.smokejazz.com 212.864.6662 APRIL 2015 APRIL WEEKENDS APRIL WEEKNIGHTS APRIL ’ROUND MIDNIGHT 4/3, 4/4 & 4/5 W 4/1 DAVID WEISS SEXTET Tu EMMET COHEN ORGAN TRIO TIA FULLER QUARTET Th 4/2 ALLAN HARRIS W CAMILLE THURMAN QUARTET Tia Fuller [sax] Shamie Royston [p] Th NICKEL & DIME OPS Mimi Jones [b] Rudy Royston [d] M 4/6 THE CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND F JOHN FARNSWORTH QUARTET or 4/10, 4/11 & 4/12 Tu 4/7 MIKE LEDONNE’S GROOVER QUARTET F PATIENCE HIGGINS’ SUGAR HILL QUARTET “AFRO BLUE” CD RELEASE W 4/8 JIM SNIDERO QUARTET “CD RELEASE” Sa JOHNNY O’NEAL & FRIENDS HAROLD MABERN TRIO Th 4/9 CHARLES TURNER Su WILLERM DELISFORT QUARTET w/GUESTS ERIC ALEXANDER & ALEXIS COLE JAM SESSION Harold Mabern [p] M 4/13 THE CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND M JAM SESSION w/CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND John Webber [b] Joe Farnsworth [d] Tu 4/14 MIKE LEDONNE’S GROOVER QUARTET Eric Alexander [ts] Alexis Cole [vox] W 4/15 CHRIS MASSEY & NJP SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH 4/17, 4/18 & 4/19 Th 4/16 BRANDON WRIGHT QUARTET Su ANNETTE ST. JOHN & HER TRIO JEREMY PELT QUINTET Jeremy Pelt [trumpet] M 4/20 THE CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND Sets at 7, 9 & 10:30pm Simona Premazzi [p] Ben Allison [b] Tu 4/21 MIKE LEDONNE’S GROOVER QUARTET Billy Drummond [d] Jonathan Barber [d] W 4/22 TOMMY CAMPBELL’S “VOCAL-EYES” FRI & SAT ’ROUND MIDNIGHT SETS also at 11:45PM 4/24, 4/25 & 4/26 Th 4/23 CYNTHIA SCOTT “NIGHT AND DAY” CD RELEASE MON at 7 & 9pm only M 4/27 THE CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND MON Jam Session starts at 10:30pm VINCENT HERRING QUINTET Tu 4/28 MIKE LEDONNE’S GROOVER QUARTET Vincent Herring [alto sax] SUN Brunch sets at 11:30am, Jeremy Pelt [tp] Mike LeDonne [p] W 4/29 BRIAN CHARETTE SEXTET 1:00pm & 2:30pm Brandi Disterheft [b] Lewis Nash [d] Th 4/30 CAROLYN LEONHART QUINTET NEW YORK @ NIGHT It says much about his unique place in contemporary Born on the cusp of Spring, 90 years ago, drummer music that the players assembled for “Christian Wolff Roy Haynes was the embodiment of rejuvenation SPRING 2015 at 80” at Roulette were primarily associated with the during his three-day birthday fête at Blue Note. Even jazz tradition. The Mar. 5th concert (falling, as it on the late set of the final night (Mar. 14th) he was a happens, in the final days of his 80th year) showed the coil of energy, a wellspring of good humor, showing no SPECIAL SELECTIONS composer to be as concerned as ever with making music signs of slackening his pace or rhythmic pulse, though that sounds fresh. Wolff has long embedded spontaneity he confessed to the crowd that certain things are from into his works by calling upon musicians to make real- becoming more “confusing” for him. Accompanied by time decisions within the confines of the score. Indeed his youngblood working trio—alto saxophonist Jaleel the opening “Song (for 6)” (2011) could have been heard Shaw, pianist Martin Bejerano, bassist David Wong— NAXOS OF AMERICA as parallel to the open-form works of Anthony Braxton. Haynes, in one of his more roguish moods, began by Played by the full ensemble (Nate Wooley, trumpet; singing, acappella, the chorus of Don Schlitz’ “The Vincent Chancey, French horn; Thomas Morgan, bass; Gambler” (“You’ve got to know when hold ’em, know and Joey Baron and Robyn Schulkowsky, drums and when to fold ’em…”), enjoining the audience to sing percussion, with the composer at the piano) it was back-up vocals. The set proper consisted of Pat abstract yet warm. The two oldest pieces were “Exercise Metheny’s “James”, standards “Star Eyes” and “These JAZZ1” and “Exercise 4”, both from 1973. Long lyrical lines Foolish Things”, Thelonious Monk’s “Green Chimneys” & seemed to run contiguously through the quintet (Baron and “Bemsha Swing” and Sonny Rollins’ “Grand sitting out) in the first, the lines seeming to disassociate Street”. Guest trumpeter Roy Hargrove filled in for the NEW MUSIC PARTNERS themselves as the piece progressed, while the second, previously scheduled hoofer Savion Glover and featuring bass and vibraphone, was reminiscent of the Haynes himself even engaged in a little improvised LARA DOWNES | A Billie Holiday Songbook Modern Jazz Quartet at moments. “Percussionist 5” foot-play, coming frontstage to tap out call-and- Transcending historical divisions of genre, was played by Baron and Schulkowsky, the pair response figures to the band.