A P A PLACE FOR JAZZ O R June 2008 Editor: Tim Coakley WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.APLACEFORJAZZ.ORG—UPDATED DAILY Enjoy Summer, then swing into Fall by Tim Coakley There will be plenty Bassist Ben Allison Please join us of jazz to enjoy this summer, has been called an adventur- In the back of the and inside this newsletter you ous improviser and a visionary newsletter you will find a will find information on a composer by Jazz Times. His ticket order form for the fall VOLUNTEER HELP number of jazz concerts and 2004 CD "Buzz" was number concert series, as well as a WANTED festivals scheduled in the one on national radio charts membership signup form. As Capital Region for June, July for 6 weeks. On October 10, always, we depend on the and August. his quintet, which he calls generous support of our We need help: Once September Man Size Safe, will give us a members to keep the music With publicity: distributing fliers and rolls around, we will be get- chance to sample his unique coming. Your membership posters ting ready for our fall season approach. As for what the now will help us as we make name of the group means, Writing music reviews for the newsletter of jazz, to be held in the our way into the fall season, acoustically superb Great Hall you'll have to attend the con- and will also ensure that we Greeting people and handing out pro- of the First Unitarian Society cert to find out! can begin planning just as grams at the concerts of Schenectady. Vibraphonist Joe exciting a program for next First up, on Septem- Locke and his quartet will year. ber 12, will be the great Bill perform on October 24. His If you can help, please call dazzling technique and inven- Tim Coakley at Charlap Trio, with Peter Washington on bass and tiveness have enthralled audi- Kenny Washington on drums. ences for more than two dec- ades, and he consistently 518-393-4011, Bill Charlap is one of the most highly regarded inter- places high in readers' and Or e-mail him at preters of classic jazz instru- critics' polls. He has more [email protected] mentals and Great American than 25 CDs as a leader to his Standards. This trio has made credit, and his group will numerous acclaimed re- bring a unique sound to con- cordings, and their well-honed cert series. Inside this Issue interplay will make for Finally, on Novem- Tales from the Trenches Page 2 a wonderful opening concert. ber 7, Concord recording Get your tickets early! artist Karrin Allyson will On September 24, conclude our season with an Check out our updated- Summertime Jazz Page 4 local tenor saxophonist Lee evening of superb singing. monthly calendar on our Russo and drummer Joe Two of her CDs, "Ballads" website at and "Footprints," have been Jazz Appreciation Month Page 5 Barna will lead a quartet in www.aplaceforjazz.org. our second concert. They are Grammy nominees. Her wide- or www.timesunion.com/ ranging repertoire includes two of the most in-demand communities/jazz standards, bebop, and Brazil- Remembering Bill Fuller Page 5-6 young musicians in the Capi- tal Region, with an exciting ian and French classics. Her The calendar is updated post-bop style. Compositions recent CD "Imagina: Songs of frequently and includes Brasil" has received critical APFJ Concert Order Form Page 6 from their recent well- links received CD "The Abenaki" acclaim. to Jazz Festivals, clubs will surely be among those and concert series played. Page 2 A P l a c e f o r J a z z Tales from the Trenches (Anecdotes from the Jazz World of Johnny Morris) by Jan Egry When Johnny Morris and I graduated from what was going on. One night, some people come and play before asking me. Call his Crane School of Music in 1958, I went on to came in to say hello to Roy (Eldridge), and father and tell him not to bring him!” teach music. Johnny didn’t. Though classi- they wanted to sit together. So they gath- And I said, “Roy, I can’t. I don’t cally trained, his talent as a jazz pianist was ered a bunch of small cocktail tables, which have his phone number. I told the man to such that he immediately immersed himself were maybe 18 inches around, and pulled bring him.” So we went through this and I in the professional world of music in New them over to one corner where they could practically begged him. I said, “Look, Roy, York City. all sit in one group. Gene, the waiter, came let him play one song. It’s going to be em- Through the years between then up to me and was really ticked off and an- barrassing. I invited this man and his boy. I and now, he has performed with jazz greats noyed that these people took his tables away thought you’d be really interested to hear such as Zoot Sims, Jimmy McPartland, Thad from his station because he wasn’t going to him. He’s a talented kid. Please, let him Jones, Mel Lewis, Joe Newman and Clark make any money. I guess the waiters make a play something.” commission on what they sold. Terry. His club appearances have included “Oh, all right. I’ll let him play one the Rainbow Room, the Waldorf Hotel, the Those people with Roy were: song.” So this father and son come in and Plaza, the Carlyle and Sheraton Hotel, Mi- Tommy Flanagan, pianist; Bobby Durham, the little boy gets his flugelhorn case out and chael’s Pub and Condon’s. drummer; Keter Betts, bass (these were Ella I see him looking up at Roy and he’s nerv- Johnny was house pianist at Jimmy Fitzgerald’s rhythm section). Ella Fitzgerald ous as Hell. His hands are shaking. Finally, Ryan’s, in NYC for seven years, appearing was there. Connie Kay, who was with the he gets the flugelhorn out and starts playing with trumpeter Roy Eldridge, and later with Modern Jazz Quartet and was working with us. I notice Roy’s not too ticked off Spanky Davis. He spent two years in the down the street at Condon’s was there and anymore and then he tells the kid to play sixties touring and recording with Buddy he immediately went over to the group. another. So the kid played another song Rich, and also worked with Kai Winding at Benny Carter and Oscar Peterson were with us. By then, Roy was almost cracking the NY Playboy Club. there. They were all sitting together at that half a smile and he said, “Play another”. He group of little cocktail tables. It was like a let the kid play three songs. And it’s so My friend Johnny has not retired. surrealist dream, you know, and this fella is He currently divides his time between two funny, because once we were back at Jimmy saying, “Who are those people with Roy, Ryan’s, Roy would always say, “You know, venues in Connecticut/New York and in and who do they think they are?” Palm Springs, California. Several of his pi- your boy is doing pretty well.” ano arrangements have appeared in Piano So, I said, “Gene, please don’t say At first I said, “My boy? What are Today. anything. Those are some very famous peo- you talking about?” ple. I really feel I’m in a dream, here.” I asked him to recall some of the You know. That kid. That kid you more memorable moments during his years That was a wonderful night, be- brought in that night in New Orleans.” cause Oscar remembered initially hearing me of association with people whose names are “Oh?” on the tip of every jazz aficionado’s tongue. play when I was with Buddy Rich. He gave He recounted to me the following anec- me a big hug and was very friendly, and then “Yeah. He’s in New York. He’s dotes, which I’ve transcribed in his own he sat in and I stood next to him and making a lot of noise here. He’s been work- words: watched him, which was a thrill. ing and recording with everybody.” At Jimmy Ryan’s With Roy Eldridge in New Orleans: That boy was Wynton Marsalis. Well, at Jimmy Ryan’s, we had I went to a jazz fair one afternoon and I heard this young boy play. I was very some very surly waiters there. Because Swingtime Jazz Society Jimmy Ryan’s didn’t have a food minimum, impressed with his playing, so I told his fa- just had little snacks. But they did have a ther to bring him to the club. We were play- Presents ing at a place called The Club at the Hyatt drink minimum, so if anybody sat down to An All-Star Quintet comprising Peg De- Regency in New Orleans, next to the Super listen to the music and had a drink (they had laney, Bill Delaney, Mike Canonico, Dome. I wanted Roy to hear this little boy little, dinky bottles of beer), the waiters Tom Cheles and Mark Anthony would be standing over them, filling their play. He was fifteen. Sunday, June 8 glasses and looking at them to order some- So, when I told Roy that I heard thing else. The waiters were just mainly this kid play and had invited him, Roy went Appletini’s concerned with selling drinks, period.