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SEPTEMBER 2015 U.K. £4.00 DOWNBEAT.COM September 2015 VOLUME 82 / NUMBER 9 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Associate Editor Brian Zimmerman Contributing Editor Ed Enright Art Director LoriAnne Nelson Contributing Designer ĺDQHWDÎXQWRY£ Circulation Manager Kevin R. Maher Assistant to the Publisher Sue Mahal Bookkeeper Evelyn Oakes Bookkeeper Emeritus Margaret Stevens Editorial Assistant Stephen Hall 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] Classified Advertising Sales Pete Fenech 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 82, Number 9 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 August 18, 2015) Magazine Publishers Association. Á SEPTEMBER 2015 ON THE COVER 24 Ornette Coleman BY BILL MILKOWSKI In celebration of a jazz icon, we look back at critical responses to his early works, present classic quotes by Coleman, and compile statements from his fellow musicians—all from the pages of DownBeat over the decades. 30 FEATURES Art Ensemble of Chicago members Lester Bowie (left), Joseph Jarman and 30 AACM Famoudou Don Moye perform in Chicago. STEVE KAGAN 50 Years of Freedom Cover photo of Ornette Coleman by Karen Kuehn BY HOWARD MANDEL 36 Terell Stafford Philadelphia Soul BY PHILLIP LUTZ 42 Charlie Hunter Groove Factor BY BILL MILKOWSKI 56 Gary Peacock Trio 58 Brian Landrus 59 Chris Dingman 70 Benny Green 46 Indie Life DEPARTMENTS SPECIAL SECTION 77 Keyboard School 8 First Take 53 Reviews Jim McNeely 78 Master Class BY DAVID BERKMAN 10 Chords & Discords 94 Jazz On Campus 82 Pro Session 13 The Beat BY CAILI O’DOHERTY 98 Blindfold Test 20 Players Jim McNeely 84 Transcription Julia Hülsmann Ethan Iverson Jeremy Udden Piano Solo Jason Miles 86 Toolshed Matthew Stevens 6 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2015 First Take BY BOBBY REED Ornette Coleman (right) enjoyed shooting pool in his loft with good friends like Charles Lloyd. D. DARR Celebrating the Trailblazers LOVERS OF AVANT-GARDE MUSIC WILL FIND THIS ISSUE TO BE BITTER- SWEET. We say goodbye to Ornette Coleman, but we also celebrate 50 amazing years of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). The titanic Coleman blazed trails in the late ’50s and early ’60s by bravely challenging, rethinking and rejecting some of the conventions of jazz. In our tribute that begins on page 24, we look back at Coleman’s career and revisit the critical responses to his music, including the famous “Double View of a Double Quartet” review of Free Jazz from the Jan. 18, 1962, issue of DownBeat, wherein Pete Welding awarded it 5 stars, while John A. Tynan gave it zero stars. Coleman embodied the notion that the artist should pursue the muse with steadfast devotion, despite any obstacles or naysayers. As Coleman’s career evolved over the decades, the jazz world expanded, and the center moved to the left. Coleman won a Pulitzer Prize and was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The iconoclast became an icon. When the AACM started in 1965, its founders sought the freedom to pursue nonconventional music on their own terms, and they established a cooperative to support artists whose work was outside the mainstream. Today, the AACM contin- ues to thrive. (The Chicago Jazz Festival will present a special "AACM at 50" pro- gram on Sept. 3 featuring Henry Threadgill, Muhal Richard Abrams and others.) The jazz world of 2015 is diverse, multifaceted, multicultural and expansive, boasting thousands of avant-garde artists eager to push the boundaries. There’s also a strong interdisciplinary thread, wherein jazz musicians collaborate with poets, filmmakers, dancers and painters. Jazz today is enormously vast. We can thank Coleman and the early AACM pioneers for helping expand the art form. On page 13, we’ve got a story on Threadgill (an AACM artist) being inducted into the Jazz Wall of Fame by the performing-rights organization ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers). We applaud ASCAP for honoring an artist who has long been at the vanguard of instrumental music. In our Jazz On Campus column on page 94, Hans Sturm, who teaches at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, reflects on the way the university’s music school strives to expand students’ horizons: “To younger students who might be familiar with the better-known composers and bandleaders in jazz, we want to say, ‘Yes, but have you checked out Henry Threadgill?’” Threadgill is but one example of a brilliant artist who is now exploring territory thanks to the ground broken by Coleman and the AACM pioneers. Reedist Charles Lloyd was influenced by Coleman’s music, and he became good friends with the titan. Here’s the statement Lloyd posted when he learned of his friend’s passing: “Loneliness of the long distance runner. He knew his name and wouldn’t play the game. Deep in stardust, he transposed the flight of Bird into the key of the Universe—the sighs, the cries, the tenderness, the warmth, the long- ing, the injustice and the justice. He understood and was beyond all that. Despite Kooliwaukee and Perspepitou, Pyramids came to say hello to him. He played on Vesuvius before it swallowed Pompeii. Music of the Spheres, his song is your song. Celestial. Manifest in the Absolute. Hologram.” DB 8 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2015 Chords Discords Risky Behavior Dave Douglas I am a collector of Down- Beat and have every issue from 1967–’83. At times, it can be difficult to read a review and imagine what an album really sounds like if you don’t know the artist’s music well. In your August issue, critic Scott Yanow wrote a 2-star review of Dave Douglas’ album High Risk. Because I had just seen two sets by Douglas on June 25 at the Roch- ester International Jazz AUSTIN NELSON Festival, when I read this review, it felt like déjà vu. I because he’s such a great player. I stayed for have never read such an accurate description of both of his sets despite not really digging his a CD in all my years of reading DownBeat. most recent path—even though I had the option I own more than 15 Dave Douglas CDs, and of seeing 14 other festival performances going I agree with Yanow that this is not his best re- on at the same time at different venues. I ap- cording. The performance I saw was loaded with plaud Mr. Douglas for doing what he feels like electronics, and it sounded as if the trumpet was doing, and I thank him for visiting our city. I’m added to the music after it had already been re- sure he’ll rebound with a new direction. corded. There were brief trumpet blasts—exactly as described by Yanow. It was as if he was at the JAMES VERWEIRE show! I can’t take anything away from Douglas ROCHESTER, NEW YORK Farewell To Two Friends Beef with Critics Have you noticed how jazz—at least good It is so sad to see what your critics have deemed jazz—grows with time? On the day that each to be both jazz and good music (63rd Annual of them passed, I immediately listened to the DownBeat Critics Poll, August).