Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra Concert
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JULY 2013 Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra Concert . 1 Jazz Composers Competition Winners . 4 Dr. Phill’s Big Band at Caton Castle . 5 Gene Okonski Brings Jazz to Café de Paris . 6 BALTIMORE JAZZ ALLIANCE Jazz Jam Sessions . 8 WEAA’s Cool Jazz Pick of the Month . 8 MARS 4-tet at 49 West . 9 BJA Member Notes, Products and Discounts . 10 Ad Rates and Member Sign-up Form . 11 VOLUME X ISSUE VII THE BJA NEWSLETTER WWW.BALTIMOREJAZZ.COM Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra Concert PHOTO CREDIT: GARY ARTHUR YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY From left: Jeff Reed, Todd Marcus, Brent Birckhead, Russell Kirk lobalization drives an inexorable mingling of musical flavored compositions reflecting his Egyptian heritage. Mar - cultures from all over the world. Among Japanese cus recently released a new album, Inheritance , which features Gteenagers, American country music becomes all the two of his most notable Middle Eastern-influenced compo - rage, and Jamaicans, too, embrace American country stars like sitions, “Wahsouli” and “Blues for Tahrir,” the latter inspired Kenny Rogers and Marty Robbins. The Argentine tango takes by the events at Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt. hold among the Finnish, who blend it with their own folk tra - There are some precedents for his Middle Eastern predilec - ditions. Fifty years ago, the Beatles introduced East Indian el - tions: a variety of American jazz musicians have found them - ements into Western pop. And of course, the Chinese are selves attracted to the sounds or at least the idea of Middle famous for their virtuosity in Western classical music. Eastern music, as evidenced by well-known tunes such as Right here in Baltimore, we have our own home-grown Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia” and Juan Tizol’s “Car - musical globalizer, bass clarinetist and composer Todd Mar - avan,” and by lesser-known tunes such as Clifford Brown’s cus, who contributes to that infiltration with Middle Eastern- “Daahoud,” Curtis Fuller's “The Egypian” and Duke Ellington (continued on page 2) Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra Concert (continued from front page) and Billy Strayhorn’s “Isfahan,” among while introducing influences drawn BALTIMORE JAZZ ALLIANCE many others. from his Middle Eastern heritage. As for our own times, a casual web It would be too easy to exploit certain search for “Middle Eastern jazz” turns cartoonish, stereotypical features of Mid - up names of numerous jazz groups that dle Eastern music. As Robert Shahid We are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization fall in that category. For example, there writes in a recent review of Inheritance , is JAAFAR, which melds Middle East - “It’s no easy compositional task combin - he Baltimore Jazz Alliance (BJA) is a ern music with jazz, funk, and fusion. ing the two musical cultures without grass-roots organization of jazz afi - T And there is Davka, blending Jewish sounding hokey and snake charmer-ish” cionados, musicians and venues dedi - cated to enhancing and promoting jazz klezmer with Middle Eastern rhythms (or belly-dancer-ish).” But as Shahid in Baltimore and the surrounding areas. and cadences; M’oud Swing, a Moroc - says, “Marcus hurdles that difficulty New members sharing this passion are can jazz sextet; Bviolin (Bahman Sar - with ease.” Marcus’s compositions are always welcome as the BJA continues its ram), playing Persian jazz and Middle best heard when performed by his nine- efforts to build a stronger and better net - Eastern fusion; Asala, playing Hayati person jazz orchestra. With an ensemble worked jazz scene. Together we can help this music thrive in the region and Arabic Jazz—and there are more. of tenor and alto saxophones, flutes, reward listeners and musicians alike. trumpet, and trombone, and rhythm sec - tion, he brings to his Middle Eastern- BJA Priorities In all the compositions, the brass themed tunes great richness of harmony • To develop new audiences for jazz and woodwinds, and particularly and rhythm. • To strengthen communication within the jazz community the sonorous tone of the bass • To improve media relations on clarinet, create spine-tingling behalf of the jazz community The mood is sometimes festive, • To bring greater visibility to the dissonances that resolve into sometimes brooding and elegiac, entire array of jazz offerings in the Baltimore region richly pleasing harmonies sometimes passionate and • To provide greater access to Most of the other groups playing frenzied—but always full of energy, performance opportunities for Baltimore-area jazz musicians Middle Eastern jazz use some tradi - intelligence, and conviction. tional Middle Eastern instruments, such Visit www.baltimorejazz.com as the pear-shaped, lute-like oud, along On Sunday, June 16th, the nonet gave for information about our with standard Western instruments. a Father’s Day performance at the 14 accomplishments and future goals. Marcus is perhaps unique in performing Karat Club on West Saratoga Street. The Baltimore Jazz Alliance entirely with American musicians and personnel of the nonet has varied over 847 North Howard Street traditional jazz instruments. Most of the years, but they are always among re - Baltimore, Maryland 21201 these groups are based in Israel or else - gion’s best musicians. On this occasion, where in Asia, and have found ways to in addition to Marcus, the group con - Please direct your questions and comments to: impose the improvisational quality of sisted of saxophonist Gary Thomas, who [email protected] American jazz on the themes and directs jazz studies at Peabody; Colum - sounds of their own cultures. Marcus, bia, Maryland natives Alex Norris born and raised in the United States, re - (trumpet) and Alex Brown (piano); New BJA STEERING COMMITTEE verses that pattern by rooting his com - York-based trombonist Alan Ferber; and positions in the rich and varied soil of Baltimore natives Jeff Reed (bass), Brent Alice Downs American swing, blues, and bebop (continued on page 4) Barry Glassman, Founder Leslie Imes Bob Jacobson, Vice President Todd Marcus UNIFIED JAZZ ENSEMBLE Marianne Matheny-Katz Camay Calloway Murphy, Emerita EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT at 49 WEST CAFE Mark Osteen, President 49 West Street in Annapolis, Maryland Robert Shahid, Treasurer 410-626-9796 / www.49westcoffeehouse.com $6 cover / www.unifiedjazz.com Page 2 / July 2013 Baltimore Jazz Alliance PHOTO CREDITS: GARY ARTHUR YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY From top left: Alan Ferber, Jeff Reed, Todd Marcus / Russell Kirk, Gary Thomas / Alex Norris / Alex Brown Brent Birckhead / Irene Jalenti / WEAA’s Doc Manning, who emceed the event / Eric Kennedy Baltimore Jazz Alliance Page 3 / July 2013 Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra Concert (continued from page 3) Birckhead (flute & alto sax), Russ Kirk (flute & alto sax), and Club: down a narrow staircase, one enters a dark, basement- Eric Kennedy (drums). A guest appearance was made by the level room with black walls and a large mural of a big-eyed, exotic-looking, smoky-voiced vocalist Irene Jalenti, singing sinuous, reclining African lady clad only in necklace and “Alien,” a song written by composer and photographer Gary bracelets. A buffet dinner of traditional Southern American Arthur Young. fried chicken and potato salad helped remind us of the Multiple influences may be heard in the compositions—not American roots of the music. only Middle Eastern, but Latin, classical, and American blues. Jazz, that quintessentially American music, has now For example, Marcus explains that his tune “Collage” was in - spread worldwide, where musicians hailing from Iceland to fluenced partly by the music of the late-romantic Austrian Ghana to the Caribbean impart the flavors of their own tra - composer Gustav Mahler and by the theme music of the ditions. Likewise, American musicians like Todd Marcus are weekly radio show This American Life.” In all the composi - using jazz to explore their own inheritance. tions, the brass and woodwinds, and particularly the sonorous The 14 Karat Cabaret is an ongoing series of casual per - tone of the bass clarinet, create spine-tingling dissonances that formances, music, dance, film and video in an informal resolve into richly pleasing harmonies. Hypnotically repetitive nightclub setting. It is a non-profit, artist-run program of rhythms suddenly shift, catching listeners off guard. The Maryland Art Place. The Cabaret is supported by public ad - music conveys exoticism and mystery, adventure and discov - mission and in-kind contributions of local businesses. This ery. The mood is sometimes festive, sometimes brooding and concert was made possible by a grant from the Maryland elegiac, sometimes passionate and frenzied—but always full State Arts Council Touring Artists program and Eubie Blake of energy, intelligence, and conviction. National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center. The exotic mood was enhanced by setting of the 14 Karat – LIZ FIXSEN BJA’S BALTIMORE JAZZ COMPOSERS’ COMPETITION and the winners are… PHOTO COURTESY OF TODD BUTLER PHOTO COURTESY OF NICO SARBANES PHOTO COURTESY OF IAN SIMS PHOTO COURTESY OF ETHAN HELM TODD BUTLER NICO SARBANES IAN SIMS ETHAN HELM Details about the outcome the BALTIMORE JAZZ COMPOSERS COMPETITION and its winners will be revealed in the August issue of The BJA Newsletter. The second BALTIMORE JAZZ COMPOSERS’ SHOWCASE will be held September 29th, 2013 at Loyola University’s McManus Theatre. Page 4 / July 2013 Baltimore Jazz Alliance Dr. Phill’s Big Band at Caton Castle PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN TEGLER As we arrived , the band was already on the stand. Several learned when first singing jazz at Howard University. An - familiar faces greeted us, including trombonist Charles Funn other musical treat from her came with “My Funny Valen - and saxophonists Whit Williams and Larry Prascus. tine.” Hall wound up her appearance by going a little bit We had a chance to chat with leader and left-handed commercial with a tune Dean Martin introduced called drummer Dr. Phill Butts. Phill grew up in a musical family “Dance With Me.” The band handled this one nicely in in Norfolk, Virginia and later worked with Gladys Knight mambo time.