January 2017 VOLUME 84 / NUMBER 1 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Managing Editor Brian Zimmerman Contributing Editor Ed Enright Creative Director ŽanetaÎuntová Design Assistant Markus Stuckey Circulation Manager Kevin R. Maher Assistant to the Publisher Sue Mahal Bookkeeper 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] 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, Aaron Cohen, Howard Mandel, John McDonough Atlanta: Jon Ross; Austin: 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 Orleans: 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; Denmark: 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. 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Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688. CABLE ADDRESS: DownBeat (on sale December 13, 2016) Magazine Publishers Association. Á 4 DOWNBEAT JANUARY 2017 JANUARY 2017 ON THE COVER Dizzy Gillespie performs at Tivoli Gardens Concert Hall in Copenhagen in 1988. 27 1917 JAN PERSSON The Year That Gave Us Monk, Dizzy, Ella, Buddy and the First Jazz Records BY JOHN MCDONOUGH One hundred years ago, jazz was captured on commerical recordings for the first time, suddenly projecting the music’s 34 reach from the back of the bar to the ends of the earth. Those first jazz records were made by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Additionally, four monumental jazz artists were born in 1917: Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Buddy Rich. On the cover, clockwise from top: Dizzy Gillespie—Photo by Joe Alper, Courtesy of Joe Alper Photo Collection LLC; Ella Fitzgerald—Photo by Ted Williams, from Jazz: The Iconic Images of Ted Williams (ACC Editions); Buddy Rich—Photo by Joseph L. Johnson; Thelonious Monk—Photo by Jan Persson. JAZZ SCHOOL FEATURES 98 Master Class 30 Thelonious Monk 84 Living the Dream How To Get a Job in Jazz Education BY ANTONIO GARCÍA Vital Presence BY JB DYAS, PHD BY JAMES HALE 100 Pro Session 92 Thriving in Idaho BY ROD MORGENSTEIN 34 Dizzy Gillespie Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival Celebrates The Greatest Linguist in Jazz 50 Years of Jazz Education 104 Transcription BY TED PANKEN BY JON ROSS Erik Friedlander Cello Solo Ella Fitzgerald 96 Herb Alpert 106 Toolshed 38 Shines Spotlight on Community The Immortal ‘First Lady of Song’ College Programs BY JOHN MCDONOUGH BY BRIAN ZIMMERMAN 42 Buddy Rich Fire Starter BY JOHN MCDONOUGH DEPARTMENTS 46 Jonathan Finlayson Strategic Moves 8 First Take 20 Players 65 Reviews BY PHILLIP LUTZ Nils Økland 110 Jazz On Campus 10 Chords & Discords Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol 51 Best Albums of 2016 Natalie Cressman 5-, 4 ½- and 4-star Reviews & Mike Bono 114 Blindfold Test From the Past Year 13 The Beat Moksha Christian McBride 6 DOWNBEAT JANUARY 2017 First Take BY BRIAN ZIMMERMAN LAWRENCE SUMULONG Ledisi (left), Danilo Pérez, Chris Potter, Avishai Cohen and Wycliffe Gordon perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York on Oct. 14. Centennial for Jazz WHAT ARE THE DEFINING MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF JAZZ? It’s a question that scholars and fans have wrestled with for decades. After all, jazz did not come with a birth certificate. And of course, it existed prior to the existence of commercial recordings. A people’s music originating in the melting pot of New Orleans, jazz now inspires musicians and listeners on every continent. It’s easy to identify milestones along the timeline of this music. Some have called 1959 “The Greatest Year in Jazz,” partly because of the releas- es of Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue, John Coltrane’s Giant Steps and Ornette Coleman’s The Shape Of Jazz To Come. In 1939, Charlie Parker moved to New York, helping to initiate the birth of bebop. And in 1925, Louis Armstrong made his first recordings as a leader. When some folks see the cover story for this issue, they might wonder, “What’s so special about 1917?” The answer is as complicated as it is fascinating. For one, 1917 was the year that gave us the first recordings in jazz history (though even that story, like many origin tales, comes with a healthy dose of debate). On page 27, John McDonough examines the tangled back-story of the first recordings by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. It was also the year that gave us Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Buddy Rich. All were born in 1917, and each pro- foundly influenced the development of jazz. Starting on page 30, we explore the life stories of these iconic figures, and investigate how their legacies continue to thrive today—and, boy, are they thriving. On Oct. 14, I attended a special concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center that paid tribute to the lives of Monk, Ella and Dizzy, as well as Mongo Santamaría (who, by some accounts, was also born in 1917). Curated by pianist Danilo Pérez, the concert was as reverent affair, full of solemnity and fine music. But it was also something more. As Pérez and his ensemble—saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, bassist Ben Street, drum- mer Adam Cruz, percussionist Roman Diaz and vocalist Ledisi—per- formed, jazz history was happening right before our eyes. For as much as the concert celebrated legends of the past, it also showcased musicians who are putting their own unique stamp on jazz. Pérez, Potter, Gordon, Diaz—each of them has inspired a legion of students and followers, just as Monk, Dizzy, Ella and Buddy did before them. And with the wave of talented artists working today—Cohen, Street, Cruz and Ledisi are prime examples—this music is in great hands for the next 100 years. So, as we look back at 1917, what we’re really celebrating is an artist’s ability to create music that is uniquely his or her own—music that could not have come from anyone else on the planet. DB 8 DOWNBEAT JANUARY 2017 Chords Discords ANTONIO PORCAR CANO Jerry Bergonzi Essential Text Thank you for publishing Claire Daly’s in- of capturing the intensity and commitment terview with Jerry Bergonzi in your November that lies behind all great art. issue (“The Mystic”). That article should be on the recommend- It great to see this “underground” saxo- ed reading list of all artists, not just musicians. phone hero get some much-deserved atten- JOHN BOWMAN tion. Additionally, Daly’s piece did a superb job SUNNYSIDE, NEW YORK Do the Opposite herself, a Britney Spears attempting to be a Many thanks once again to critic John jazz performer. She is not on the same level as McDonough. This time he gave a 1½-star so many of the real jazz performers. rating to Kris Davis’ album Duopoly (The Hot SG Box, December). So I had to hurry up and or- [email protected] der it. And as always, it turned out to be the best choice. Such Disrespect So here’s my advice to you, dear Down- I agree with the letter titled “Not Enough” in Beat readers: Pick up each and every re- the Chords & Discords section of your Decem- cording that McDonough is under-rating, ber issue. especially when the other three Hot Boxers As a retired music teacher of 38 years—and maintain the contrary! someone who has every issue of DownBeat Also, I have a comment on the cover story since 1968—I, too, was mystified by your very for your November issue: A big hand for Down- brief obituaries of both Rudy Van Gelder and Beat’s long-overdue recognizing of Wadada Toots Thielemans.