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MARCH 2021 U.K. £6.99 DOWNBEAT.COM MARCH 2021 DOWNBEAT 1 March 2021 VOLUME 88 / NUMBER 3 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Reviews Editor Dave Cantor Contributing Editor Ed Enright Creative Director ŽanetaÎuntová Design Assistant Will Dutton Assistant to the Publisher Sue Mahal Bookkeeper Evelyn Oakes ADVERTISING SALES Record Companies & Schools Jennifer Ruban-Gentile Vice President of Sales 630-359-9345 [email protected] Musical Instruments & East Coast Schools Ritche Deraney Vice President of Sales 201-445-6260 [email protected] Advertising Sales Associate Grace Blackford 630-359-9358 [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; Boston: Fred Bouchard, Frank-John Hadley; Chicago: Alain Drouot, Michael Jackson, Jeff Johnson, Peter Margasak, Bill Meyer, Paul Natkin, Howard Reich; Indiana: Mark Sheldon; Los Angeles: Earl Gibson, Sean J. 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Inqui- ries: 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 DOWNBEAT label showing old address. DOWNBEAT (issn 0012-5768) Volume 88, Number 3 is published monthly by Maher Publications, 102 N. Haven, Elmhurst, IL 60126- 2970. Copyright 2021 Maher Publications. All rights reserved. Trademark registered U.S. Patent Office. Great Britain registered trade- mark 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. magazine, Up- Beat Daily. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: DownBeat, P.O. Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688. CABLE ADDRESS: DownBeat (on sale February 23, 2021) Magazine Publishers Association. Á 4 DOWNBEAT MARCH 2021 MARCH 2021 ON THE COVER 20 Ethan Iverson Doing Bud Justice BY ED ENRIGHT COURTESY UMBRIA JAZZ DownBeat catches up with pianist, educator and frequent blogger Ethan Iverson to discuss his big band commission for the 2018 Umbria Winter Jazz festival, documented on the new album Bud Powell In The 21st Century. The suite-like program draws upon Powell classics like “Bouncing With Bud,” “Celia” and “Tempus Fugit,” as well as Iverson’s own original material 20 inspired by the DownBeat Hall of Famer’s frequently overlooked contributions to the classic Ethan Iverson performs at the 2018 Umbria Jazz Winter festival in Italy. bebop canon. Cover photo of Ethan Iverson shot by Jimmy Katz in New York City. FEATURES 26 Gretchen Parlato Renaissance in Bloom BY SUZANNE LORGE 30 Gary Bartz Bridging Generations BY DAVE CANTOR 44 Keith Jarrett 45 Angel Bat Dawid 49 Patricia Brennan 50 Kevin Sun 35 Indie Life SARAH ELIZABETH CHARLES DEPARTMENTS ALONZO DEMETRIUS ARBORS RECORDS 8 First Take 10 Chords & Discords JIMMY KATZ BRASS SCHOOL 12 The Beat 54 Master Class 13 Yoko Miwa By Sean Jones 14 Joe Chambers 16 Billie Holiday 56 Transcription 41 Reviews Enrico Rava Trumpet Solo 61 Jazz On Campus 58 Toolshed 62 Blindfold Test Jason Palmer Jason Palmer 6 DOWNBEAT MARCH 2021 First Take BY PAQUITO D’RIVERA GEANDY PAVÓN Paquito D’Rivera Too Good for America? I VIVIDLY RECALL A CONVERSATION FROM THE EARLY 1980S, AT the end of a recording session at the Nola Studios in Manhattan. Some musicians were talking to the great Mario Bauzá (1911–’93) about the course the entertainment industry was taking in our ever-changing world. The musical director and co-founder of the iconic band Machito & His Afro-Cubans told us how, in the early ’40s, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Kenny Clarke, Thelonious Monk—and other young, enthusias- tic members of the bebop movement—had developed a highly creative, mostly instrumental style. It was totally different from the traditional jazz listened to by most audiences at the time. Bebop players dramatically altered the role of the singer. They virtu- ally replaced the romantic lyrics of their songs with the angular, dis- sonant inflections of scat singing, which evoked the sounds of instru- mentalists. Mario explained very convincingly that by taking away the vocals—and later on, the danceable aspect of the music—the new style became an exquisitely hip and modern art form, but one that was elit- ist and exclusive. The new style was embraced by writers, photographers, poets, painters and intellectuals of the time, moving the music further and further away from the most popular ballrooms, home parties and commercial radio stations. It has been nearly four decades since that enlightening discussion with the legendary Cuban musician, and throughout the years, I have heard so many colleagues complain that jazz seldom is broadcast on radio or TV, nor is it taught widely enough in schools, and that students (and sometimes their teachers) believe that Louis Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon. So, we should remember the seeds of elitism that we sowed, how we alienated listeners in a way that led to jazz becoming—and I see nothing wrong with it—a minority-group activity, much like symphonism, avant-garde music, minimalism, opera, ballet, skydiving and swimming with sharks. Jazz is, and always will be, an important part of America’s cultural contributions to the world. Speaking ill of this country has been a fair- ly widespread practice in certain artistic and intellectual circles. But the undeniable reality is that today, the SFJAZZ Collective in San Francisco, the Jazz Masters fellowship program of the National Endowment for the Arts, and, above all, the monumental and unique project that is Jazz at Lincoln Center—driven by the perseverance and persuasive power of the ineffable Wynton Marsalis and his formidable team—completely refute the exaggerated concept that “Jazz is too good for America.” The truth is that jazz may not be very popular among the masses—it’s true in the Bronx as in Nicaragua, Poland or Kampuchea—but it is nev- ertheless one of the clearest examples of individuality, independence and democracy. Therefore, its appreciation must be strictly voluntary, never imposed or obligatory. DB 8 DOWNBEAT MARCH 2021 Chords Discords Friends & Icons I want to express a multitude of accolades for your coverage and spotlight on the pass- THE ARTS ing of master percussionist and NEA Jazz Master Cándido Camero in your January issue. I am quite fortunate and privileged to have shared the stage with Baba Cándido, and we NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR enjoyed a wonderful friendship. In your article, TOM PICH, COURTESY OF THE when listing the extraordinary artists associ- Percussionist Cándido Camero (1921–2020) frequently ated with Cándido, you omitted an extremely collaborated with pianist Randy Weston. important person: NEA Jazz Master Dr. Randy Weston (1926–2018). As a member of Dr. Weston’s group Afri- Masters Randy and Cándido had a long can Rhythms for 38 years, I was always over- and intimate history of making incredible whelmed with joy when Cándido augmented music. Their musical dialogue started in 1960 our band. One such highlight was at Carnegie with the iconic album Uhuru Afrika, continued Hall a couple of years before Randy’s passing. with the 1973 album Tanjah (which featured Long live the spirit and musical legacy of Cándido as a percussionist and narrator) and Cándido de Guerra Camero. culminated with the 2016 release The African T.K. BLUE Nubian Suite. JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY Humor Belongs in Jazz music that you do choose to review. To my When did DownBeat declare open season on ears, it all sounds like a 1960s Miles Davis re- the reputation of its writers? hash. The writing is mediocre, and they all How else, then, to explain your publi- sound alike. The musicians are clearly high- cation of a mean-spirited letter by a reader ly trained, and the recording technology is named Bob Oberg in your January issue (“No wonderful, but the players lack soul. Patience for Puns”). Mostly, I go back to my old records. Oberg attacks the author of a piece on JAMES MORTON Charles McPherson, in which said author [email protected] makes a harmless pun about the saxophon- ist’s range of talent in composing both jazz and music for a ballet company (“Charles The Talented Few McPherson Takes A Leap,” December). As a pianist, bassist and former resident of Oberg ridicules your writer by suggest- Cleveland, I want to pay tribute to pianist and ing that he or she was under the influence Cleveland native Bobby Few, who died on of drugs when they wrote the article.