Austin, Lil Armstrong, Mary Lou Wil- Suggests That Brackeen Plays Best in Good the Lack of a Live Audience to Respond to Liams, Marian Mcpartland, and Toshiko Company
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ART BLAKEY AND THE JAZZ MES- SENGERS: Reflections in Blue. Art Blakey (drums);Valerie Ponomarev (trumpet); Robert Watson (alto saxophone); David Schnitter (tenor saxophone); Dennis Irwin (bass); James Williams (piano). E.T.A.; Mishima; Ellington Medley; My Foolish Heart; and four others. TimELEss/MusE TI 317 $7.98. Performance:Fresh Recording:Deadened Decades come and decades go, but Art Bla- instrumentalists, especially pian-interfere with her solo playing on Pausa's key continues to run that hotbed of new tal- FEMALEists, have actively contributed to jazz"Mythical Magic" album. I don't mean toent called the Jazz Messengers. This latest since it first took on a recognizable form, dismiss JoAnne Brackeen as a solo force, Blakey release was recorded in Holland to- but it was not until the late Seventies- for it could simply be that the atmosphere ward the end of 1978, with the same person- when the feminist movement made us take at the MPS studio in Germany's Black For- nel as "In This Corner," the excellent set a retrospective look at sexism and other est hampered her spirit (many fine artists released by Concord Jazz last year. Unlike forms of discrimination-that the public at havegivendisappointingperformances that set-a live recording from a San Fran- large discovered the extent of that contribu- there for some reason), but a comparison of cisco club-this one was made in a studio, tion. JoAnne Brackeen stands out in the "Mythical Magic" with either "Prism" orbut not, I'm afraid, a first-class one; the long line of distinguished women pianist/ "Keyed In" (where she is aided by Gomez sound lacks the resiliency of a studio de- composers, which today includes Lovieand drummer Jack DeJohnette) strongly signed with regard for acoustics. That and Austin, Lil Armstrong, Mary Lou Wil- suggests that Brackeen plays best in good the lack of a live audience to respond to liams, Marian McPartland, and Toshiko company. And she does thrive on this Inner might account for the disparity between the Akiyoshi. No newcomer to jazz, Brackeen City -distributed Choice set, whether Concord Jazz release and this one. Still, this was born in Ventura, California, in 1938. splashing her notes onto Gomez's plucky is not an album to be totally dismissed. The largely self-taught pianist entered the grid to produce the rhythmic excitement of There are fine moments by tenor saxophon- professional arena on the West Coast (play- Habitat and If You Dare, braving ripples- of ist David Schnitter, alto man Robert Wat- ing with Dexter Gordon, Teddy Edwards, bass notes on the semidetached title tune, or son, and pianist James Williams-all three and other tough tenors) and moved to New taking her partner by the hand for a lyrical of whom also contribute compositions-and York in 1965. She began to attract national stroll through Golden Garden and the aptly leader Blakey still propels his ensembles attention five years later when she joined titled Evanescent. JoAnne Brackeen once with remarkable drive and precision. I rec- Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and her rep- said that she liked "groups of people where ommend this album, but only if you already utation grew wider still in the mid Seven- there isn't a leader," and here she proves it have the group's Concord Jazz disc.C.A. ties when she was a regular member of Stan by making this as much Eddie Gomez's al- Getz's group. bum as her own. Brackeen has been on her own for the Getting back to "Mythical Magic"-re- RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT past three years or so, performing in clubs corded the following month-it is an inter- ELLA FITZGERALD: The Duke Ellington (mostly in the New York area), making rec- esting collection of musical monologues de- Songbook. EllaFitzgerald(vocals);the ords of her own compositions (a side of her livered by someone who obviously has aDuke Ellington Orchestra. Caravan; Day talent that definitely bears watching), and great deal to say, but JoAnne Brackeen gets Dream; Perdido; I Got It Bad and That generally gaining the growing respect of her message across so much more eloquent- Ain't Good; and fifteen others.VERVEVE- musicians and critics as her following in-ly in dialogue. To sum up, what we have 2-2535 two discs $8.98, © CT -2-2535 $8.98. creased. While her recordings have for the here is one exceptional album and another most part appeared on small labels, fellow "merely" good one from an artist with the Performance:None better pianist Bob James recently gave Brackeen a kind of experience, skill, and creativity that Recording: Adequate boost by recording her for his Columbia -should keep her around for a long time. This is a reissue of a set of truly classic 1957 distributed Tappan Zee label ("Keyed In," -Chris Albertson performances by Ella Fitzgerald of songs by JC 36075). I don't know how well "Keyed Duke Ellington. Fitzgerald was in her finest In" has sold, but I would be very much sur- JOANNE BRACKEEN: Prism. JoAnne flower vocally at the time, and her collabo- prised if its association with CBS didn't get Brackeen (piano); Eddie Gomez (bass). In- ration with the Duke on some of his most JoAnne Brackeen's name into print in quar-ternational Festival; Lost or Found; If You famous works produced a series of tracks ters where it might otherwise have been Dare; Golden Garden; Habitat; Evanescent; that may stand as her most glowing testa- overlooked. Prism.CHOICECRS 1024 $7.98. ment to her own talent. There was plenty of "Prism," on Choice, by far the better of room for critical nit-picking about similar her two new albums, features BrackeenJOANNE BRACKEEN: Mythical Magic. Fitzgeraldalbums-"TheColePorter with Eddie Gomez, one of today's most con- JoAnne Brackeen (piano). Foreign Ray; Songbook," "The Rodgers and Hart Song- sistently rewarding bass players. Gomez'sMythical Magic; Hobbits; Told You So; book," etc.-because if she has one flaw it imposing presence obviously has a positive Phantom's Forum; Transition; Of Gnomes is probably that she doesn't handle intricate effect on Brackeen, who here all but aban- in Dances; Now or Never; Minuend.PAUSA lyrics very well. But with the easy, collo- dons the Chick Corea figures that tend to 7045 $7.98. quial words that Ellington's writers pro- vided for his music she rides to the kind of (Continued on page 106) 104 STEREO REVIEW.