’s ION T T R ESSION ER CLASS S T RO Wynton Marsalis Wayne Wallace Kirk Garrison TRANSCRIP MAS P Brass School » Orbert Davis’ Mission David Hazeltine BLINDFOLD TES » » T GLASPE R JAZZ WAKE-UP CALL JAZZ WAKE-UP ROBE SLAP £3.50 £3.50 U.K. T.COM A Wes Montgomery Christian McBride Wadada Leo Smith Wadada Montgomery Wes Christian McBride DOWNBE APRIL 2012 DOWNBEAT ROBERT GLASPER // WES MONTGOMERY // WADADA LEO SmITH // OrbERT DAVIS // BRASS SCHOOL APRIL 2012 APRIL 2012 VOLume 79 – NumbeR 4 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Managing Editor Bobby Reed News Editor Hilary Brown Reviews Editor Aaron Cohen Contributing Editors Ed Enright Zach Phillips Art Director Ara Tirado Production Associate Andy Williams Bookkeeper Margaret Stevens Circulation Manager Sue Mahal Circulation Assistant Evelyn Oakes 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 Assistant Theresa Hill 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, John McDonough Atlanta: Jon Ross; Austin: Michael Point, 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 Or- leans: 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; Den- mark: 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. 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Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688. CABLE ADDRESS: DownBeat (on sale March 20, 2012) Magazine Publishers Association. Á APRIL 2012 ON THE COVER 26 Robert Glasper’s Big Experiment BY SHAUN BRADY In Robert Glasper’s view, jazz 26 could learn a thing or two from hip-hop. Not just musically— though the pianist has increasingly worked to meld the two genres over the course of his career—but also in its attitude. “I feel like jazz needs a big-ass slap,” he says. “Slapping hurts, but at some point it’ll wake you up.” Expect Glasper’s boundary-crossing CD Black Radio (Blue Note), the first full album by his Experiment band, to sound the alarm. Robert Glasper at Brooklyn Recording Cover photography and above image shot by Jimmy and Dena Katz at Brooklyn Recording in New York FEATURES 32 Wes Montgomery Back Home on Indiana Avenue BY AARON COHEN 53 Corea/Gomez/Motian 56 Paul McCartney 57 Jack DeJohnette 69 Gregory Porter 38 Wadada Leo Smith Looking for the Diamond Fields DEparTMENTS BY MICHAEL JACKSON 8 First Take 22 Players 80 Pro Session 44 Orbert Davis Daniel Rosenthal By Kirk Garrison Orbert Inc. 10 Chords & Rez Abbasi Fabian Almazan 82 Transcription BY ED ENRIGHT Discords New West Guitar Group 84 Toolshed 13 The Beat 72 Musicians’ Gear Guide 49 Reviews 86 Jazz On Campus 14 Riffs Best of The NAMM 78 Master Class 90 Blindfold Test Show 2012 16 European Scene By Wayne Wallace David Hazeltine 6 DOWNBEAT APRIL 2012 First Take | BY BOBBY REED Indiana Avenue Jazz Masters N LDO E SH K MAR Indy Music ndianapolis has been overlooked as a music center for far too long. That might change now, thanks in part to the Super Bowl. Indiana’s musically rich capital city proudly hosted this year’s Super Bowl. IAnd a great deal of preparation was required. Indy—like any city that hosts a major sporting event or global conference these days—embarked upon civic improvement and beautification projects to spruce things up for the thousands of tourists who came to town for the big game (not to mention the millions who watched it on TV). One such project is 46 for XLVI, a murals program that is a partner- ship between the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis. Of particular interest to DownBeat readers is artist Pamela Bliss’ Indiana Avenue Jazz Masters. This mural depicts the young trom- bonist (and future educator) David Baker—who turned 80 on Dec. 21— and three iconic DownBeat Hall of Fame artists who are no longer with us: trombonist J.J. Johnson, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and guitarist Wes Montgomery. When Bliss was designing the mural, she referred to vintage photos taken by Indianapolis jazz documentarian Duncan Schiedt. Bliss’ stunning mural is on the side of the Musicians’ Repair & Sales building at 322 N. Capitol Ave. (DownBeat thanks contributor Mark Sheldon for telling us about the series of 46 murals, and for pro- viding the photo that illustrates this column.) The title of Bliss’ mural nods to the same historic music district that is referenced in the title of a new Wes Montgomery album, Echoes Of Indiana Avenue, which is a collection of previously unreleased record- ings issued by Resonance. This album celebrates the guitar virtuosity that was present even during Montgomery’s early years, and it shines a spotlight on a city whose musical legacy deserves wider recognition. The beautiful packaging of the Echoes CD (also available as a double LP) includes 16 vintage photos, including works by Schiedt and fam- ily snapshots provided by Ann Montgomery. Some of those images illustrate our feature on the legendary guitarist (see page 32). Our arti- cle includes insightful interviews with Baker, record producer Michael Cuscuna and guitarist Pat Martino—all of whom contributed fascinat- ing essays to the liner notes for Echoes. Montgomery died in 1968, but his shadow continues to loom over a diverse array of guitarists. Two examples are in this issue of DownBeat: guitarist Rez Abbasi (page 23) and the trio New West Guitar Group (page 25). These two acts play very different styles of music, but both cite Montgomery as a key influence. Our cover story is an eyebrow-raising interview with the captivating, outspoken pianist Robert Glasper. Plus, we’ve got tons of love for trum- pets and trombones in this annual Brass School issue, featuring Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Orbert Davis, Wayne Wallace, Kirk Garrison, Daniel Rosenthal, a Wynton Marsalis transcription and more. So whether you’re into brass, guitars or keyboards, we know you’ll find something memorable in this issue. Thanks for your support, and please keep on reading. DB 8 DOWNBEAT APRIL 2012 Chords Discords Woods’ Mastery and Integrity I was very pleased to see Phil Woods on the cover the February issue. We’ve lost most of the bebop masters, and now many of the hard-bop masters are leaving us. Thankfully, Woods is very much in the present and still performing well. If ever the term “jazz giant” can be applied, it most certainly can be placed next to Phil’s name. He is one of the two or three most important alto saxophonists of the past half-century. The very hip, intelligent and soulful lines he spins from his horn are instantly identifiable as his alone. Moreover, his lead alto is immediately recogniz- able when heading a big band saxophone sec- tion; his important work with the bands of Oliver Nelson and Quincy Jones attests to that. Over his long career, Woods has not once compro- mised his music or integrity. He has always been committed to the jazz tradition and respectful played a warm-up concert here at Kicks, a to the masters from whom he has learned. venue that’s long gone. You can hear some of BILL BENJAMIN that music on his 1982 album We Want Miles. BILTMORE LAKE, N.C. JORGE CASAS DORCHESTER, MASS. Henderson’s Influence As a fairly regular subscriber since the late ’50s, Jazz DJ Research I wish that old habits would subside and eventu- To assist with a research project on jazz radio, ally disappear—but no such luck.