April 2010.Pmd
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File Photo New-Trad Octet mixes brass bands and jazz Singer Angela Hagenbach will front a ○○○○○ By Tom Ineck ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ KC sextet June 15 in Lincoln. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ LINCOLN, Neb.—More than 30 Courtesy Photo April 2010 years have passed since jazz saxophon- Vol. 15, Number 2 ist Jeff Newell left Nebraska for more fruitful career opportunities—first in Chicago, then in New York City—but he has never forgotten the places and In this issue people who so influenced his formative Five concerts in Jazz in June....................3 years in the Cornhusker State. Clawfoot House brings arts to hood.....4 He soon will return to Lincoln for Jeff Newell brings his New-Trad Octet the first time in four years, leading his to Lincoln for June 22 performance. King Sunny Ade set to rock Lincoln......6 New-Trad Octet for a June 22 perfor- Tomfoolery: Heading to festivals........7 mance at this year’s Jazz in June se- classic Jazz Orchestra, and even toured Mary Pipher pays tribute to Jarvis.........8 ries. In addition to Newell’s alto sax, Europe with the big band. In addition to ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ the octet also features trumpet, bass the 2006 concert, he returned as guest Jane Jarvis leaves legacy of music........9 trumpet, tuba, keyboards, bass and soloist in 1991 and 1994. Essay on “Invisible Man”....................10 drums, a modern brass band lineup that The New-Trad Octet has never 2nd Berman Ping Pong tourney...........11 should be perfect for the outdoor venue, made the trip to Nebraska, though Matt Wilson Quartet review.................12 a grassy sculpture garden just west of Newell formed the group some 16 years Sheldon Museum of Art on the Univer- ago as a vehicle for his arranging skills. NET’s “Jazz Cabaret”.........................14 sity of Nebraska-Lincoln’s city campus. Initially, it blended the traditional “sec- BMF adds “Jazz Icons” DVDs.............15 Newell last performed here in ond line” New Orleans brass band with Charlie Hunter Trio review................16 January 2006, when he appeared as a a modern rhythm section and a fresh “In the Mood” review.........................17 guest artist with the Nebraska Jazz approach to harmony and improvisa- Orchestra, along with fellow NJO alum- tion. Gradually, Newell’s interest in early Bela Fleck and the Africa Project...........18 nus and saxophonist Frank Basile. On brass bands began to influence the Amy Denio celebrates Women’s Week....19 the following night, they performed at octet’s repertoire, a shift best exempli- Brewsky’s site for jazz exploration.......20 the now-defunct P.O. Pears, fronting a fied on the band’s 2007 CD “Brown- quintet that also consisted of guitarist stone,” which occasionally marries NJO/Paul Haar review........................20 Peter Bouffard, bassist Rusty White and Sousa marches with the exotic rhythms Jazz on Disc reviews.......................21 drummer Joey Gulizia. of the Caribbean. Jazz Essentials, Part 3..........................25 Newell joined the NJO in the late From the Photo Archives....................28 1970s, when it was known as the Neo- New-Trad Octet continued on page 2 Page 2 Berman Music Foundation Jazz ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Courtesy Photo Courtesy Sunny Ade continued from page 1 built, Bennington, Nebraska, was a col- lection of tents with a mud street, and Newell continues to mine those here was this ancient civilization that disparate influences for traces of mu- I’d moved into.” That immersion in the sical gold. 19th century started him on a path that “I’m still working around the same led to his current fascination with the sort of things. I’m trying to dig a little evolution of American music among the deeper into things that are maybe not working class. as close to the surface,” he said in a “People who were not trained recent interview from his Brooklyn musicians still had the need inside of home. “I’m getting really interested in them to make music.” a lot of the music of early brass bands Newell recently has been sharing that weren’t famous. I’m trying to fig- the fruit of his research into America’s ure out the connection between the musical evolution with students in the early brass band movement—which, of Brooklyn school system, through resi- course, was a huge movement across dencies funded by Chamber Music the country—and the evolution of jazz.” The New-Trad Octet combines the America and the Doris Duke Founda- Making that connection is an am- musical styles of the classic brass tion. With an additional grant from a lo- bitious undertaking, especially consid- bands with the improvisation of cal organization, he is visiting four dif- ering that brass bands have a history of modern jazz. ferent schools. more than two centuries and jazz is “I’m going in once a week for six more than 100 years old. Both styles brass bands began in relatively recent weeks. I’m bringing small groups of began in small, unassuming ways, of- years. Born in Bennington, Neb., a musicians, doing a ragtime trio thing and ten played by uneducated musicians, an Douglas County town now largely ab- then I do some blues, and then I bring esthetic that Newell strives to retain. sorbed in the Omaha metropolitan re- in the New-Trad Quartet and we play “A lot of people in these small gion, he received a music degree from brass band music. It all culminates with towns and little out-of-the-way places the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a concert by the full octet.” couldn’t read music and they were just pursued graduate studies for a year So that he’s able to offer flexible learning it by ear, which is sort of what before heading to Chicago in 1978 to booking arrangements for the large en- I tried to incorporate with what I did continue his education in classic jazz semble, Newell maintains contacts in with the Sousa marches. I could very fashion, playing at clubs and festivals. Chicago as well as New York. The easily have gone to the music library “When I was in school back in octet that will appear in Lincoln June and copied all the stuff out, but instead Nebraska, I just wanted to be a really 22 also features young Chicago fire- I got a hold of some CDs of the original cool, hip urban sophisticate, since I brand Victor Garcia on trumpet, Ryan Victrola recordings of Sousa’s band, came from this small town,” he recalled, Shultz on bass trumpet, Mike Hogg on which were done in the late 1890s. laughing. “But, I was always interested tuba, Steve Million on keyboards, Neal Then, I transcribed from that.” in history and the Civil War and 19th Alger on guitar, Tim Fox on bass and But that wasn’t all. As he began century life and the westward expan- Rick Vitek on drums. to fit the music into the new harmonic sion.” That interest was rekindled in The Lincoln audience can expect and rhythmic contexts he envisioned, 1994, when he made the leap to New to hear Sousa compositions performed Newell intentionally altered the tunes, York to study privately with saxophon- in a manner not usually associated with much as the first musicians must have ists Bunky Green, Joe Daley and, with the military march genre. The concert altered them to conform to their spe- a fellowship from the National Endow- also will include some Crescent City cific ethnic backgrounds. ment for the Arts, David Liebman. He sounds and Newell’s take on 19th cen- “We all fit it into our own cultural took up residence in a classic Brooklyn tury hymns, another historical interest. context,” he said. “It’s like a game of brownstone, which inspired the CD title. No family members remain in telephone. We all hear something dif- “Our apartment is one floor of a Nebraska, but Newell still feels a kin- ferent, and then we pull it together. I’m building that was built in 1877, with all ship to his home state, perhaps most really interested in how those bands this beautiful craftsmanship. When I importantly for the early musical bonds evolved within that tradition and how first moved to Brooklyn, I jokingly say, he forged here. Many of those friends that came across in early jazz.” I felt like I’d moved into the ruins of a will be on hand for his return visit. Newell’s interest in the history of once-great society. When it was being April 2010 Page 3 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Five concerts in 2010 Jazz in June ○○○○○ By Tom Ineck ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ LINCOLN, Neb.—For the sec- Their debut, self-titled recording was ond consecutive year, the popular Jazz released in February. in June concert series will feature five Singer Angela Hagenbach of The BMF Newsletter is Tuesday evening performances. Con- Kansas City will front a sextet June published online at: sidering the hit-an-miss nature of live 15. A longtime favorite in Lincoln, she www.bermanmusicfoundation.org jazz in Lincoln during the rest of the has appeared here many times over The offices and museum of The Berman Music Foundation year, that is a very good thing for fans. the last 15 years, most recently as a are in the Skylight Gallery, The As in recent years, the Berman guest artist with the Nebraska Jazz Burkholder Project, 719 P St., Music Foundation will play a major Orchestra at the 2007 Jazz in June. Lincoln, NE 68508. role in sponsoring the series, now in The BMF has followed her career its 19th year. Each 7 p.m. concert rou- with enthusiasm, covering perfor- Editor and Designer: Tom Ineck tinely draws thousands to the sculp- mances in Lincoln and in her home- ture garden outside Sheldon Museum town, as well as reviewing her record- Contributing writerswriters: Tom of Art at the University of Nebraska- ings.