APRIL 2013 the Sweet Sounds of Saxophone Colossi
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APRIL 2013 The Sweet Sounds of Saxophone Colossi . 1 Cold Spring Jazz Quartet: Monk’s Moods . 3 WEAA’s CD Jazz Pick of the Month . 4 BALTIMORE JAZZ ALLIANCE Jazz Jam Sessions . 5 Jazz Colours Interviews Mark Cottman . 6 BJA Member Notes, Products and Discounts . 10 Ad Rates and Member Sign-up Form . 11 VOLUME X ISSUE IV THE BJA NEWSLETTER WWW.BALTIMOREJAZZ.COM The Sweet Sounds of Saxophone Colossi tereotypes about large, stocky King, took the stage of the hall inside If anything, Collins and Ennis—a men don’t stick to Brad Collins, the Creative Alliance. Four saxophon - man known as the Dean of Baltimore Swho has managed to train his ists on a single stage might seem exces - Jazz—held back, permitting the spot - left leg to pop up each time he draws sive, but the event, billed as Saxophone light to shine more strongly on the high notes from his tenor saxophone. Colossi, and co-sponsored by the Cre - night’s younger stars. The third tune of As he and the band swing into the ative Alliance and the BJA, made for the the first set, “Minority,” featured King, first notes of a five-song set, Collins perfect backdrop. In a subtle homage to a skinny kid with a driver’s cap, seems to be more graceful than the legendary jazz saxman Sonny Rollins— glasses, and a gray blazer cut short, broadness of his shoulders suggests: the and his album Saxophone Colossus —the who started off blowing in a breezy fingers of his left hand punch the keys old heads Collins and Ennis squared off bebop style. At song’s end, when the of his sax, his right hand dangling in the against young guns Green and King in line of alto-tenor-alto-tenor traded air above his head, as he moves his two, five-song sets. fours, it was obvious Collins and Ennis hips, plays the last notes of his solo, This was no ruthless competition, but were doing more to tee up their young then sends the energy over to Tim then again, neither were the cutting con - compatriots than to draw attention to Green and his alto saxophone. tests of 1950s and 1960s, when musicians their individual efforts. That energy was easily felt the night like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis ap - Green was perhaps the most compo - of February 23rd, when Collins and peared at after-hours clubs in New York sitionally gifted of the bunch. He dis - Green, along with tenor saxophonist City, Chicago, and St. Louis and tested pensed with his first solo of the Andy Ennis and alto saxophonist Sam their chops against worthy contenders. (continued on page 2) PHOTOS BY ANDREW ZALESKI From left: Andy Ennis, Tim Green, Sam King and Brad Collins The Sweet Sounds of Saxophone Colossi (continued from front page) night—a masterful mixing of sounds and a host of other rudiments you BALTIMORE JAZZ ALLIANCE that bent bar lines and was as inventive wouldn’t dream of saying five times fast as it was quick—to roaring applause. He throughout his hypnotizing fills and was the featured sax again during one solos. Byrd, who probably plays ragtime tune of the second set, a song written by just to warm up, was bright, upbeat, and We are a 501(c)(3) Collins’s trio Firm Roots that started off forceful on the piano, at one point nearly tax exempt organization as a bossa nova before changing to a pushing it off the back of the stage. (He he Baltimore Jazz Alliance (BJA) is a fast, traditional swing, and the outcome moved it back during the intermission.) Tgrass-roots organization of jazz afi - was no different there. His cheeks bal - And Shook, who plays in Gregory cionados, musicians and venues dedi - looning outward with each bar played, Thompkins’s band and the FAB Trio, al - cated to enhancing and promoting jazz Green effortlessly switched between ways shines on bass: when the piano in Baltimore and the surrounding areas. speeding notes that hit their plateaus in drops out, and every ear in the audience New members sharing this passion are always welcome as the BJA continues its sudden crescendos and more melodic, is trained on plucky, low bass notes, it’s efforts to build a stronger and better net - wending lines of music. Shook who propels tunes forward while worked jazz scene. Together we can It was evident, however, that if Green deftly maneuvering through complex help this music thrive in the region and and King shared more time in the spot - solos of her own. reward listeners and musicians alike. light, Collins and Ennis had planned It’s not often that jazz shows of this BJA Priorities this effect, for the two elder tenors had caliber are staged. But it comes off as • To develop new audiences for jazz no trouble keeping up. Dean Ennis dis - simplistic, a trapping of fake novelty, to • To strengthen communication played his soulful, calm, complex chops wonder at the talent assembled on one within the jazz community in the first set’s “I’m in the Mood for night at a theater in Highlandtown. This • To improve media relations on Love” (segueing seamlessly into a scat- is the jazz that still exists in this city, one behalf of the jazz community sung “Moody’s Mood for Love”) and in with its own storied history in this • To bring greater visibility to the a Sonny Rollins blues, the final tune of music, a history that could rival the Big entire array of jazz offerings in the Baltimore region that set. Collins, a consummate show - Apple’s. • To provide greater access to man, split his duties between emcee of The crowd knew that. At 7:50 p.m., performance opportunities for the evening and solid anchor on stage, ten minutes before showtime, there were Baltimore-area jazz musicians cuing up band members, working the plenty of empty seats. By 8:05, not a seat audience, and adding his gregarious was open; people arriving late stood in Visit www.baltimorejazz.com for information about our tone to the mix, delivering bebop lines the back or grabbed overflow seating to accomplishments and future goals. with as much ferocity as Green. the left and right sides of the stage. Although the focus of the Creative Al - The capacity crowd of one hundred Baltimore Jazz Alliance liance show was the saxophonists, not to sixty cheered for Green, Collins, King, 847 North Howard Street be outdone was a superb rhythm sec - and Ennis as the band thundered into Baltimore, Maryland 21201 tion: pianist Eric Byrd, Amy Shook on Sonny Rollins’s “Tenor Madness.” As Please direct your bass, and on drums Robert Shahid, King pulled out his iPhone to check his questions and comments to: dressed to the nines as usual, in a dark messages between solos and the crowd [email protected] vest, white Oxford shirt, and golden tie. cheered all the louder, you knew no one Not a finer group of rhythm musicians would leave the theater after this final plays in Baltimore, and they made it tune of the first set. BJA STEERING COMMITTEE known this particular evening. Shahid Truly, why would anyone have left Alice Downs appeared out of body several times as he such a colossal event? Barry Glassman, Founder peppered in paradiddles, ratamacues, – Andrew Zaleski 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 / April 2013 Baltimore Jazz Alliance Cold Spring Jazz Quartet: Monk’s Moods udging from all the tribute al - characteristic playfulness. With no bums, the music of Thelo - idea how to name the tune, he asked Jnious Monk enjoys enduring his band to “think of one.” The com - popularity, even 30 years after his position features a typically Monk - death. Just within the last six ish angular melody, with a single months, Baltimore jazz fans have repeated note creating tension, aug - enjoyed two Monk tribute concerts, mented by fluttering riffs on the sax - one in October by Jeff Antoniuk’s ophone. “Evidence,” performed in Jazz Update at An die Musik, and the second set, is also playfully one in March at Germano’s by Cold named. It is based on the changes Spring Jazz Quartet (CSJQ). It says for “Just You, Just Me,” or rephrased a great deal about Monk’s produc - “Just Us,” which became “Justice”— tivity as a composer that there was which is grounded on evidence. very little overlap in the two The sax dropped out for the shows’ repertoires. Nor was there beautiful ballad “Ask Me Now,” much overlap in the narration and Villa brought out the rich tex - about Monk’s music, life, and ture of the tune’s dense harmonies. many quirks. There were many fas - PHOTO BY LEO HOWARD LEBOW The quartet returned with the chal - cinating tidbits to learn about his From left: Greg Mack, Mark Osteen, Gary Kerner, lenging “Criss Cross,” on which genius and his eccentricity. Anthony Villa even seasoned musicians have to CSJQ has been performing count: because the melody keeps throughout the Baltimore-Washing - coming down in a different place, ton area for many years. Saxophonist and vocalist Mark Os - one is never certain where “one” is. Osteen’s soprano sax teen co-formed the group in 1994. He has composed over gave the tune an intriguing Middle Eastern flavor.