JULY 2016 VOLUME 83 / NUMBER 7 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Managing Editor Brian Zimmerman Contributing Editor Ed Enright Creative Director ŽanetaÎuntová Circulation Manager Kevin R. Maher Assistant to the Publisher Sue Mahal Bookkeeper Evelyn Oakes Bookkeeper Emeritus Margaret Stevens 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 Associate Sam Horn 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. 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Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688. CABLE ADDRESS: DownBeat (on sale June 21, 2016) Magazine Publishers Association. Á JULY 2016 ON THE COVER Kamasi Washington (center) performs with his father, Rickey Washington (left), and Ryan Porter at Webster Hall in New York City on Feb. 24. 24 Kamasi Washington ‘All the Doors Opened’ BY JOSEF WOODARD The 35-year-old saxophonist, bandleader and newly anointed jazz star speaks at length about his collective of players, as well as matters of musical integrity and jazz lineages. 24 FEATURES 30 25 for the Future ©JACK VARTOOGIAN/FRONTROWPHOTOS Melissa Aldana Miho Hazama Cover photo of Kamasi Washington shot by Paul Wellman in Los Angeles on March 8. Sullivan Fortner Aaron Parks Cyrille Aimée Justin Brown Ben Williams Jacob Garchik Marcus Gilmore Marquis Hill 5-Star Review 5-Star Review +++++ +++++ Marius Neset Becca Stevens Kris Bowers Gerald Clayton Aaron Diehl Mark Guiliana Tyshawn Sorey Etienne Charles Matthew Stevens Jamison Ross Kris Davis Bria Skonberg 46 Daniel Freedman 46 Brian Bromberg 47 Melissa Aldana 59 Theo Croker Julian Lage Joey Alexander SPECIAL SECTION DEPARTMENTS 70 Master Class 61 Guitar School BY ERIC DIVITO 8 First Take 62 Bridging the Gap 72 Pro Session The Evolution of the BY FRED RANDOLPH 10 Chords & Discords Semi-Hollow Guitar 74 Transcription 13 The Beat BY KEITH BAUMANN Christian McBride Bass Solo 43 Reviews 76 Toolshed 82 Blindfold Test Sherman Irby 6 DOWNBEAT JULY 2016 Ibanez Artstar Vintage First Take BY BOBBY REED Futuristic Vision REGINA CARTER, DAVE DOUGLAS, STEFON HARRIS, INGRID Jensen, Brad Mehldau, Matthew Shipp, Ken Vandermark, Matt Wilson. What do these jazz artists have in common? Seventeen years ago, they were dubbed “rising stars” when they were included in the cover feature “25 For The Future” in the June 1999 issue of DownBeat. That article included an amazing parade of talent, and it offered a prescient look at artists who would go on to have great careers. As you can see in the image below, the cover for the June 1999 issue was an aerial portrait depicting Carter, then a promising young violin- ist, and Mehldau, who was riding a wave of acclaim for his Art Of The Trio discs and whose latest work was the solo piano album Elegiac Cycle. Jason Koransky (then DownBeat’s associate editor) described the premise for the story: “We feature 25 musi- cians in this issue with the specific intent of not examin- ing which artists will perpetu- ate the sounds of Phil Woods’ alto saxophone, Ray Brown’s bass, Milt Jackson’s vibes or Miles Davis’ trumpet. That’s a boring read: A magazine full of imitators wouldn’t tell us anything except for the fact that past generations of jazz musicians developed their own voices. Rather, we turn our attention to the sounds of a new generation.” Fast-forward to 2016. The DownBeat editorial staff has enthusiasti- cally revisited the “25 For The Future” theme. For this issue, we have compiled a list of 25 young artists—all of whom have made fantastic music and who have shown tremendous potential. Leading our parade is Kamasi Washington, whose three-CD set The Epic (Brainfeeder) became the most talked-about jazz album of 2015. That sprawling work continues to be the subject of many debates (and downloads), thanks to its originality, its unusual length and its connec- tions to jazz history. Also adding to the buzz surrounding Washington is his tireless touring aesthetic, his onstage rapport with his bandmates and his penchant for playing massive rock festivals. Following our feature on Washington are brief profiles of two dozen other musicians who have made their mark. One thing these artists have in common with those in the 1999 roundup is a wholehearted commit- ment to pursue their artistic vision—without fear, without compromise. But artists nowadays are navigating a jazz industry that is a far cry from the one in 1999—back when physical CDs and major labels played much different roles in the big picture. Today’s jazz artist has to be resourceful in a completely different way, thanks to shifting digital tech- nology and social media. In assembling this issue, our impulse was not to answer the question “Who’s going to become a big star?” Instead, the motivation was to explore a more important question: Which artists have the potential to significantly shape the direction of jazz in decades to come? We’re not implying that these players are the 25 best young jazz musicians on the planet; we’re merely shining a spotlight on an intriguing array of ascend- ing artists. These are musicians to watch. Welcome to the future. DB 8 DOWNBEAT JULY 2016 th- nd ent ted for mo Chords Discords sch Pelting DownBeat um I wish to express my extreme disappoint- vor ment in the story written about me in the May ho issue of DownBeat. While I’m appreciative of m) a feature on me, I feel like this was a wasted usi- opportunity. ver While a portion of the story did deal with GULNARA KHAMATOVA nd- my latest HighNote release, #JIVECULTURE, a ro- sizable portion had more to do with my ap- s— pearances with Joe Farnsworth and Ben Alli- son, and sideman work in general. I have been leading bands successfully for over 10 years. The feel of the story is that I’m Jeremy Pelt still a sideman. I’ve been a part of this music story that has to do with my work. We all have scene for nearly 20 years, I have 13 releases to our heroes—and I can wax poetic about all of date, and I have appeared on over 100 record- the past icons—but those are questions that ings. In short, I have a legitimate body of work. you ask someone who’s fairly new to the scene, Also, it’s just lazy journalism (and border- not someone with the experience I have. line disrespectful) to keep giving life to the I expected more. Miles and Freddie comparisons and in general JEREMY PELT having discussions about past jazz icons in a NEW YORK CITY Heartfelt Tribute The Gretsch family joins everyone in the drum and percussion industry in mourning the passing of Remo Belli on April 25. As a vet- BOBBY REED eran of that industry myself, I had the pleasure of knowing Remo for many years on a person- al and professional basis. My wife, Dinah, and I shared visits with him at trade shows and oth- er drumming events, and we always enjoyed our time together. But Remo’s connection to the Gretsch family goes back much further.