NEW YORK October 2005 | No. 42 Your FREE Monthly Guide to the New York Jazz Scene newyork.allaboutjazz.com A Bowl full of Don Cherry George Lewis • Taso Music • Saint Peter’s • Benoît Delbecq • Event Calendar piano by WORLD’S FINEST JAZZ CLUB & RESTAURANT • 131 W 3RD ST NYC • 212 475-8592 • WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • 12:30&2:30PM MASTER CLASS • SAT OCT 8 2PM • DAFNIS PRIETO MONDAY NIGHTS • 8 & 10:30PM COMBO NUVO Oct 2 LATE NIGHT GROOVE SERIES • 12:30AM JOHN ELLIS Oct 3 SAYURI GOTO TRIO FEAT: LONNIE PLAXICO & GENE JACKSON Oct 9 CATÉ Fri Sept 30 BIG BROOKLYN RED Sat Oct 15 NEW SOUND OF SOUL JAZZ SERIES JEREMIAH Oct 10 AVI BORTNICK & CORNPONE Sat Oct 1 BRIAN HAAS OF JFJO Fri Oct 21 JUN MIYAKE QUARTET FEAT: REGGIE WORKMAN Oct 16 DEBORAH DAVIS SINGS STEVIE WONDER Fri Oct 7 w/BENEVENTO/RUSSO DUO & FRIENDS JJ SANSEVERINO Oct 17 RE-IMAGINING TOM WAITS Sat Oct 8 ED CHERRY Sat Oct 22 MIKI HAYAMA QUARTET Oct 23 FEAT: CARLTON J. SMITH RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA Oct 24 BEATBOX JAZZ feat: BABA ISRAEL,Fri Oct 14 ADAM DEITCH PROJECT Fri Oct 28 HIRONOBU SAITO W/DOMINICK FARINACCI Oct 30 KID LUCKY,JASON LINDNER & MORE JIM PAYNE BAND Sat Oct 29 NEW SOUND OF SOUL JAZZ SERIES SELAN Oct 31 NEW YORK MILAN TOKYO OSAKA NAGOYA NEW YORK New York@Night Recent tragic events in the Gulf Coast region of the United States have 4 demonstrated both the good and bad sides of jazz. Good because of the numerous Interview: George Lewis benefits held throughout the city in September, continuing into the coming months no doubt, to provide relief to the residents of the stricken area. Jazz is a 6 by Brian Lonergan music with a long history and everyone knows New Orleans’ place in that Artist Feature: Benoît Delbecq lineage. It is heartening to see musicians of every stripe and genre take time to assist in what ways they can. by Ethan Iverson 7 However, on a national scale, the downside to the tragedy, and this is a Label Spotlight: Taso Music quibbling argument in this time of real human suffering, is what it takes for jazz 8 by Elliott Simon as an art form and part of American history to come into the forefront of this country’s consciousness. When submerged under water is when people finally Club Profile: Saint Peter’s begin speaking of the legacy of New Orleans as the birthplace of jazz and the by Andrew Veléz shame it is to have it be seemingly destroyed. How long will this love affair with jazz last? Not too long one imagines. Will it translate into a higher awareness and On The Cover: Don Cherry appreciation of this unique American contribution to world culture? Whether 9 by Clifford Allen New Orleans ends up rebuilt and revitalized or possibly is never the same again, jazz will remain submerged under the weight of public indifference. A few Megaphone VOX News specials on mainstream television with dixieland soundtracks will hardly change 10 by Mark Samuels by Tessa Souter the situation. Even Wynton Marsalis, New Orleans’ most famous son, must find it bittersweet that he was approached to discuss his city’s rich heritage by Encore: Noah Howard primetime TV news programs only after it was nearly obliterated. 11 by Andrey Henkin But we should think of this only briefly as we continue to help. There will be many more opportunities to go to a benefit concert and we should all consider Lest We Forget: Ted Dunbar ourselves lucky we can have the double pleasure of seeing great music and by Donald Elfman helping those less fortunate than ourselves. New Yorkers know about survival. Let’s take time to return the favor the rest of the country did for us when we were 12 Listen Up! Matt Brewer & Jason Rigby the focus of national attention. Festival Charlie Parker • Tanglewood • Williamsburg 13 Report: Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director CD Reviews: Pharoah Sanders, Charlie Haden, Charles Tolliver, On the cover: DON CHERRY at Symphony Space, 06-08-1991. Photograph © 1991 Linda Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos. 14 Vinny Golia, Either/Orchestra, Roswell Rudd, Tim Berne & more Correction: In the Jacques Coursil article, Mr. Coursil wishes to retract statements Event Calendar made about ESP Records and Marion Brown regarding an unissued session. The 36 opinion, thought at the time, may have been erroneously misconstrued as fact by readers of the article and could hurt two fine gentlemen and old friends. In the Agrazing Maze CD review last issue, drummer/leader Allison Miller was not fully Club Directory identified by name; In the Andrea Wolper CD review, Victor Lewis is not properly 41 credited as drummer on several tracks; In the Dave Liebman CD review, the PM website should have been www.pmrecords.org. Miscellany In Memoriam • Birthdays • On This Day 43 Submit Letters to the Editor at newyork.allaboutjazz.com U.S. Subscription rates: 12 issues, $25. (International: 12 issues, $35) For subscription assistance, send check, cash or money order to the address below. AllAboutJazz-New York A Publication of AllAboutJazz.com Managing Editor Laurence Donohue-Greene Mailing Address AllAboutJazz-New York Editorial Director & Production Andrey Henkin 116 Pinehurst Avenue J41 Publisher Michael Ricci New York, NY 10033 Staff Writers David Adler, Clifford Allen, Rico Cleffi, Ty Cumbie, P. Christopher Dowd, Donald Elfman, Sean Fitzell, Ken Franckling, Advertising Sales Laurence Donohue-Greene Kurt Gottschalk, Mike Holman, Terrell Holmes, [email protected] Riel Lazarus, Francis Lo Kee, Brian Lonergan, Russ Musto, Javier Antonio Quiñones Ortiz, Event Listings Andrey Henkin Brandt Reiter, Joel Roberts, Andrew Rowan, Elliott Simon, Tessa Souter, Jeff Stockton, [email protected] Celeste Sunderland, Andrew Veléz, Flo Wetzel Contributing Writers Ernest Barteldes, Chris DiGirolamo, Printed by Expedi Printing, Brooklyn, NY Thomas Greenland, Marcia Hillman, Ethan Iverson, George Kanzler, Mark Samuels All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors. ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | October 2005 3 NEW YORK @ NIGHT The Brian Blade Fellowship has a way of reminding Trombonist Steve Swell and Berlin multi-reed one why music (not just jazz) matters. Gigging and specialist Gebhard Ullmann took to the new recording infrequently, the group has nonetheless impressive Brecht Forum space (Sep. 16th) by bringing moved many with its cathartic mini-symphonies, so in the quartet from their recent CD (Desert Songs & Through Oct. 2: FREDDIE HUBBARD AND this Village Vanguard engagement was hotly Other Landscapes, CIMP) with drummer Barry Altschul THE NEW JAZZ COMPOSERS OCTET anticipated. With saxophonist Chris Cheek standing in and 3-stringed (one broke) upright bassist William for Melvin Butler, Blade’s lineup was otherwise close Parker (replacing Hilliard Greene). The comfortable Oct. 5-9: PHAROAH SANDERS QUARTET to that of the 2000 classic Perceptual: Myron Walden on first floor, though open loft-like, space naturally alto, Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Christopher Thomas reverberated the acoustic performance, the double Oct. 12-16: ROY HAYNES on double bass and Jon Cowherd, who has composed horn frontline forcefully lambasting echoed runs one a good deal of the band’s book, on piano. (Alas, there moment, delicately and dynamically whispering notes Oct. 19-23: DAVE WECKL BAND was no pedal steel player.) The first Thursday set (Sep. off the floors and walls the next. Forthright in their Oct. 26-30: KENNY GARRETT QUARTET 1st) opened with a majestic piano intro, paving the solos, uptempo and ballad alike - Ullmann and Swell’s way for involved alto/tenor/guitar orchestration and thick, dynamic harmonies melded seamlessly, gripping solos by Walden and Rosenwinkel. showing why trombone and tenor have had such a Accompanying these flights, as well as Cheek’s finely lucrative relationship in jazz. For this group, Ullmann calibrated statement on the next number, Blade consciously and impressively showcases his flexibility EVERY WEDNESDAY: ED PALERMO BIG BAND seemed to read every mind on the bandstand, and expertise on tenor over his other “first” THE MUSIC OF FRANK ZAPPA accenting micro and macro gestures with controlled instrument - the bass clarinet, which he interestingly fire. But “Evinrude-Fifty (Trembling)” and “Variations plays very tenor-like, focusing primarily and uniquely EVERY SUNDAY: of a Bloodline”, both from Perceptual, were the on the mid-range and altissimo register. He did, Gospel Jazz Brunch with centerpieces. “Variations” began with a bass clarinet/ however, commonly switch between them, creating BISHOP NATHANIEL TOWNSLEY, JR. AND THE GOSPEL JUBILEE harmonium intro, identified by Ben Ratliff in the Times suite-like multi-movement compositions. Reminiscent as “Alpha and Omega” - although it closely paralleled of the NY Art Quartet (particularly Swell’s brassy “The Sunday Boys”, an interlude that preceded Roswell Rudd roots and Altschul’s Milford Graves- “Variations” on the album. Blade changed the scenery like multi-rhythmic expertise), this quartet’s tight with subtle hand-drumming and though one could heads and arrangements, intertwining improvisations hear a pin drop, the music could not have grooved around highly structured pieces, demanded harder. - David Adler undivided attention. - Laurence Donohue-Greene Photo by Scott Friedlander Photo by Jacob Blickenstaff Brian Blade at the Village Vanguard, Sep. 1st Gebhard Ullmann and Steve Swell at Brecht Forum, Sep. 16th For five years running, the Jazz Gallery has presented With a proliferation of weekly jazz vocal series “The Trumpet Shall Sound”, a series pairing Roy throughout the city since Chez Suzette’s demise a few Hargrove with a different fellow trumpeter each years back, Sweet Rhythm’s Tuesday series curated by night. This September marked the Gallery’s 10th year our very own Tessa Souter is second to none (with as a live music venue, a circumstance heralded by Fred Hersch’s Mondays at Jazz Standard close several marquee names.