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FEBRUARY 2016 U.K. £3.50 DOWNBEAT.COM FEBRUARY 2016 VOLUME 83 / NUMBER 2 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Associate Editor Brian Zimmerman Contributing Editor Ed Enright Art Director LoriAnne Nelson Contributing Designer ŽanetaÎuntová Circulation Manager Kevin R. Maher Assistant to the Publisher Sue Mahal Bookkeeper Evelyn Oakes Bookkeeper Emeritus Margaret Stevens Editorial Assistant Baxter Barrowcliff 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 Associate Sam Horn 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, 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. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please allow six weeks for your change to become effective. When notifying us of your new address, include current DOWN- BEAT label showing old address. DOWNBEAT (issn 0012-5768) Volume 83, Number 2 is published monthly by Maher Publications, 102 N. Haven, Elmhurst, IL 60126-2970. Copyright 2015 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 artwork. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from publisher. MAHER PUBLICATIONS: DOWNBEAT magazine, MUSIC INC. maga- zine, UpBeat Daily. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: DownBeat, P.O. Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688. CABLE ADDRESS: DownBeat (on sale January 19, 2016) Magazine Publishers Association. Á 4 DOWNBEAT FEBRUARY 2016 FEBRUARY 2016 ON THE COVER 22 Snarky Puppy 32 A Friendly, Funky Monster BY JOSEF WOODARD This fiercely independent jazz band, currently riding high with world tours and a quickly expanding discography on its own GroundUP label, has become a model of self-reliance. FEATURES 28 Paquito D'Rivera Answering Yeyito Randy Brecker performs with the Concert Jazz Band at BY TED PANKEN the University of Missouri at Columbia on Nov. 7, 2015. KEVIN MATHEIN/MIZZOU CREATIVE On the cover, Snarky Puppy bandleader Michael League (front), with his bandmates (back row, from left): 32 Randy Brecker Mike “Maz” Maher, Nate Werth, Shaun Martin; (middle row, from left) Jay Jennings, Jason “JT” Thomas, Justin ‘We Loved the Funk’ Stanton and Chris Bullock. Photo shot by Jimmy and Dena Katz at ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn on Sept. 17, 2015. BY TERRY PERKINS 36 Mike Reed's Grand Vision BY AARON COHEN 41 193 Great Jazz Venues The Best Places to Hear Live Jazz Worldwide 72 Enrico Pieranunzi 73 Zakir Hussain 74 Scott Hamilton/ 76 Manuel Valera & Jeff Hamilton Groove Square SPECIAL SECTION DEPARTMENTS 89 Recording School 8 First Take 69 Reviews 90 Sound Advice on Producing Terri Lyne Carrington Jazz Recordings 10 Chords & Discords 102 Jazz On Campus BY GEORGE KLABIN 13 The Beat 94 Master Class 106 Blindfold Test BY PETE KARAM 18 Players Terri Lyne Carrington Miho Hazama 96 Transcription Christian Howes David Murray Pixel Tenor Saxophone Solo Colin Linden 98 Toolshed TRACY LOVE 6 DOWNBEAT FEBRUARY 2016 First Take BY BOBBY REED Snarky Puppy and collaborators who play on Family Dinner, Volume Two STELLA K Let's Get Together WE LIVE IN A TIME OF DISUNITY AND he strives to get young audience members strife. Today’s news headlines are often and young musicians in the same room about tensions between two groups who with revered veterans like Roscoe Mitch- cannot see eye-to-eye, whether it’s politi- ell and Wadada Leo Smith. Such gestures cians accusing each other of misdeeds or help eliminate the perception that there’s community activists at odds with the local a “generation gap” between older and police department. younger musicians. Some of these divisive issues are ex- As Reed told Cohen, if you want to get tremely serious, while others amount to to know someone better, invite them over petty bickering. Whether the problem for dinner. And that’s exactly what the is large or small, it seems that a solution band Snarky Puppy has done, particularly could be found—or maybe some progress with its acclaimed album Family Dinner, would be made—if the two parties could Volume One, and the new release Family just reach some kind of common ground Dinner, Volume Two (described in our cov- and listen to one another. Perhaps our civic er story). The above photo of Snarky Puppy leaders should look to artists for examples & Co. brings to mind the phrase “It takes a of how people from diverse backgrounds village.” Depicted in this photo are band- can work together toward a common goal. leader Michael League (crouching in front, One of the key community builders in with a cajon) and the “family” of musicians jazz today is drummer Mike Reed (who is who made the new album. Collaborators profiled in this issue). He wears many hats. included Becca Stevens, Väsen, Susana Reed founded the wonderful, adventurous Baca, Charlie Hunter, Salif Keita, Knower, Chicago jazz venue Constellation; he is also Jeff Coffin, Laura Mvula and David Crosby. founding director of the Pitchfork Music We certainly don’t intend to belittle the Festival and the programming chair of the extremely challenging problems that our Chicago Jazz Festival. In each of these roles, civic leaders face nowadays. But maybe, he works to bring people together. During just maybe, if they look at what artists like a recent interview with Senior Contributor Snarky Puppy are doing, they’ll work a bit Aaron Cohen, Reed said, “The thing I dis- harder on bringing people together. covered about myself … the thing that I’m Let us know what you think about the most interested in, is getting people to- role of jazz in unifying people. Post on gether and being a part of it.” our Facebook page or email us at editor@ That desire to unify people is manifest downbeat.com. Thanks for interacting with in his programming at Constellation, where us, and please keep on reading. DB 8 DOWNBEAT FEBRUARY 2016 Phil Woods at his final Chords Discords concert, Sept. 4, 2015 Woods' Final Bow if he made his retirement announcement on Thank you for your tribute to Phil Woods the spur of the moment. At several points he (The Beat, December). My wife and I saw reminisced about his career with wonderful his final concert, on Sept. 4 at MCG Jazz in stories. He described his love of Dizzy Gillespie Pittsburgh. I first discovered Woods’ artistry and his work with him—quite the opposite of on some Monk recordings I bought in the his feelings toward Benny Goodman, primarily late ’60s, and I have been a fan ever since. based on his being a sideman on Goodman’s During that Pittsburgh concert, as brilliant U.S.S.R. tour. All in all, it was a wonderful night and we as his playing was, Woods seemed labored at were honored to be there and hear him. It left times. On at least one occasion it seemed as if us with memories that will stick with us forev- he just stopped playing and turned the music er—seeing and hearing this wonderful artist over to the orchestra. (This was a Charlie Park- swinging so perfectly. er With Strings concert.) That led me to won- BOB & DIANE ANDERSON NATE GUIDRY der if he had planned on retirement earlier, or MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA Underrated Trudell In the April issue, I noticed that the Blindfold deal was made prior to the involvement of fes- As a long-time Test with vibraphonist Warren Wolf did not tival producers Lou Adler and John Phillips. jazz fan and read- include any selections by one of the great- My brother Harvey and I are co-authors er of DownBeat, I est vibes players of all time, Tito Puente. of the authoritative history of the festival, just can’t believe When I looked at the other tracks included A Perfect Haze: The Illustrated History of the the disconnect in the Blindfold Tests for the year, I noticed Monterey International Pop Festival.