Bill Frisell James Farm Flecktones Reunite Christian Scott Stefon Harris
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DOWNBEAT Bill Frisell James Farm Flecktones Reunite STEFON HARRI S – DAVI D SÁNC H Ez – Ch RI S TIAN SCOTT // BILL F RI S ELL // JAME S F ARM // Christian Stefon David Go to DICK HYMANDICK Ninety Miles Scott Harris Sánchez Cuba! KEYBOARD MANIA Dick Hyman SEPTEMBER 2011 U.K. £3.50 Orrin Evans S BLINDFOLDED EPTEM B ER 2011 ER Joey DeFrancesco TRANSCRIBED DOWNBEAT.COM SEPTEMBER 2011 VOLUME 78 – NuMBER 9 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Managing Editor Bobby Reed News Editor Hilary Brown Reviews Editor Aaron Cohen Contributing Editor Ed Enright Art Director Ara Tirado Production Associate Andy Williams Bookkeeper Margaret Stevens Circulation Manager Sue Mahal Circulation Assistant Evelyn Oakes ADVERTISING SALES Record Companies & Schools Jennifer Ruban-Gentile 630-941-2030 [email protected] Musical Instruments & East Coast Schools Ritche Deraney 201-445-6260 [email protected] Advertising Sales Assistant Theresa Hill 630-941-2030 [email protected] OFFICES 102 N. Haven Road Elmhurst, IL 60126–2970 630-941-2030 | Fax: 630-941-3210 http://downbeat.com [email protected] CUSTOMER SERVICE 877-904-5299 [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Senior Contributors: Michael Bourne, John McDonough Atlanta: Jon Ross; Austin: Michael Point, Kevin Whitehead; Boston: Fred Bouchard, Frank-John Hadley; Chicago: John Corbett, Alain Drouot, Michael Jackson, Peter Margasak, Bill Meyer, Mitch Myers, Paul Natkin, Howard Reich; Denver: Norman Provizer; Indiana: Mark Sheldon; Iowa: Will Smith; Los Angeles: Earl Gibson, Todd Jenkins, Kirk Silsbee, Chris Walker, Joe Woodard; Michigan: John Ephland; Minneapolis: Robin James; Nashville: Bob Doerschuk; New Or- leans: Erika Goldring, David Kunian, Jennifer Odell; New York: Alan Bergman, Herb Boyd, Bill Douthart, Ira Gitler, Eugene Gologursky, Norm Harris, D.D. Jackson, Jimmy Katz, Jim Macnie, Ken Micallef, Dan Ouellette, Ted Panken, Richard Seidel, Tom Staudter, Jack Vartoogian, Michael Weintrob; North Carolina: Robin Tolleson; Philadelphia: David Adler, Shaun Brady, Eric Fine; San Francisco: Mars Breslow, Forrest Bryant, Clayton Call, Yoshi Kato; Seattle: Paul de Barros; Tampa Bay: Philip Booth; Washington, D.C.: Willard Jenkins, John Murph, Michael Wilderman; Belgium: Jos Knaepen; Canada: Greg Buium, James Hale, Diane Moon; Den- mark: Jan Persson; France: Jean Szlamowicz; Germany: Detlev Schilke, Hyou Vielz; Great Britain: Brian Priestley; Japan: Kiyoshi Koyama; Portugal: Antonio Rubio; Romania: Virgil Mihaiu; Russia: Cyril Moshkow; South Africa: Don Albert. Jack Maher, President 1970-2003 John Maher, President 1950-1969 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Send orders and address changes to: DOWNBEAT, P.O. Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688. Inquiries: U.S.A. and Canada (877) 904- 5299; Foreign (651) 251-9682. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please allow six weeks for your change to become effective. When notifying us of your new address, include current DOWNBEAT label showing old address. DOWNBEAT (issn 0012-5768) Volume 78, Number 9 is published monthly by Maher Publications, 102 N. Haven, Elmhurst, IL 60126-2970. Copyright 2011 Maher Publica- tions. All rights reserved. Trademark registered U.S. Patent Office. Great Britain regis- tered trademark No. 719.407. Periodicals postage paid at Elmhurst, IL and at additional mailing offices. Subscription rates: $34.95 for one year, $59.95 for two years. Foreign subscriptions rates: $56.95 for one year, $103.95 for two years. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photos, or art- work. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from publisher. MAHER PUBLICATIONS: DOWNBEAT magazine, MUSIC INC. magazine, UpBeat Daily. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: DownBeat, P.O. Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688. CABLE ADDRESS: DownBeat (on sale August 16, 2011) Magazine Publishers Association. Á 4 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2011 SEPTEMBER 2011 Christian Scott (left), Stefon Harris and David Sánchez ON THE COVER 22 Stefon Harris, David Sánchez & Christian Scott The Cuban Voyage Of Ninety Miles BY KEN MICALLEF Over seven sweat-drenched days, the trio of Harris, Sánchez and Scott performed and recorded with Havana’s new breed of jazz musicians. Documented on the CD/DVD Ninety Miles, what resulted was a cultural exchange that illustrates the universal power of music to conquer any divide. 22 ENA KATZ D FEATURES JIMMY AND JIMMY 28 Bill Frisell Cover photography and above image shot by Jimmy and Dena Katz in New York City. Anything’s Possible BY ERIC FINE 32 James Farm Growing Fame BY DAN OUELLETTE 36 Dick Hyman 49 Terri Lyne Carrington 53 Bo-Keys 55 David Binney 56 Sachal Vasandani Subjective & Personal BY AARON COHEN KEYBOARD SCHOOL DEPARTMENTS 60 Pro Session By Champian Fulton 8 First Take 16 Caught 45 Reviews 62 Master Class 10 Chords & 18 Players 70 Jazz On Campus By Joel Forrester Discords Mike Jones 74 Blindfold Test Cindy Scott Orrin Evans 64 Transcription 13 The Beat Peter Zak Tim Daisy 66 Toolshed 15 Vinyl Freak 6 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2011 First Take | BY BOBBY REED James Farm ATZ K IMMY J Collaboration As A Way Of Life azz is a collaborative art form. So what? Theater, dance and film- making—as well many other creative endeavors—are also collabor- ative in nature. Jazz musicians, however, share a special vocabulary Jand empathy that allow them to improvise, adapt to the unpredictable and create art in the moment. (Their closest artistic cousins might be improv sketch actors.) On the bandstand, jazz players listen and respond, agree and revise, quote and reply, and then listen some more. In this issue, we shine a spotlight on two bands that illustrate the power of collaboration. Our cover subjects are vibraphonist Stefon Harris, saxophonist David Sánchez and trumpeter Christian Scott, three vir- tuosos who had never played together before they embarked on the Ninety Miles project. The trio ventured to Havana to collaborate with Cuban musi- cians, including the pianists Rember Duharte and Harold López-Nussa. The title of the Ninety Miles CD/DVD package released by Concord Picante refers to the approximate distance from Florida to Cuba. The assembled players came from diverse backgrounds, and they spoke dif- ferent languages, but they found common ground as improvisers. Also highlighted in this issue is James Farm, the exciting quartet whose self-titled release is out now on Nonesuch. With a lineup of saxo- phonist Joshua Redman, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland, this group is making major waves. What drew them together? The collaborative spirit. “We had never played together, but we were already a band,” Redman told DownBeat contributor Dan Ouellette. The albums titled Ninety Miles and James Farm provide evi- dence that the whole can be much, much greater than the sum of its parts. Pianist Dick Hyman knows as much about collaboration as any musician you could hope to meet. We’re honored to include a fea- ture on Hyman (whose legendary career stretches back to work with Benny Goodman) as part of this keyboard-themed issue. We’ve got pia- nist Orrin Evans taking the Blindfold Test, a transcription of a Joey DeFrancesco organ solo, a Master Class from pianist Joel Forrester and a Pro Session from pianist Champian Fulton. In his superb book Why Jazz?: A Concise Guide (Oxford University Press), jazz critic Kevin Whitehead writes, “It’s exciting to hear musi- cians improvise, making a coherent statement in real time, as each play- er feeds and feeds on what the others are doing.” So true. The skills of collaborating and improvising can unite people from various walks of life. It’s a lesson that non-musicians should apply to boardroom negotiations, labor disputes, legislative sessions and com- munity council meetings. The key, of course, is to listen intently and, to quote a common expression, “to understand where somebody is comin’ from.” In the elusive quest for mutual understanding, jazz musicians can lead by example. Let’s all listen. DB 8 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2011 Chords Discords Abbey Lincoln Remembered DownBeat Hall of Fame I am a D-Day veteran of the Fourth Infantry artist Abbey Division. Before I went into the U.S. Army Lincoln at the age of 18, I was a huge jazz fan, and Billie Holiday was my favorite vocalist. I had spent many years attempting to find a vocalist who stirred my emotional response the way Billie had. I eventually found Abbey Lincoln. I will not attempt to further embel- lish your article because it reflects almost completely my feelings about Abbey and her singing (“Hall of Fame,” August). I remember [having a conversa- tion with] her at the legendary Lennie’s On The Turnpike in Peabody, Mass. OHN SANN My late brother-in-law, Richard Roud, J was the program director of the first 25 New beats existed before ragtime, Armstrong or York Film Festivals. At one of the festivals that swing. And it hits the links between the Civil my wife and I attended, Catherine Deneuve Rights Movement of the 1960s and the jazz (who was considered by most to be among of the time. To know the music, you have the world’s most beautiful women) was a to know the culture, which means know- guest. After the film, we all left for a club ing the lives of the people of the time. close to Lincoln Center, and we were sitting This individual has written DownBeat at a table near Deneuve. I can tell you this: before with other sweeping general state- When it came to beauty, Abbey Lincoln gave ments. It is unfortunate that DB offers Catherine Deneuve great competition. credence to this stereotyping of education. The last time I was with Abbey was at ANTONIO GARCIA, DIRECTOR, VIRGINIA Scullers in Boston. She was sitting at a table COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY JAZZ STUDIES RICHMOND, VA. next to me, talking to some patrons before she was due to go on.