APRIL 2017—ISSUE 180 YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENE NYCJAZZRECORD.COM IN MEMORIAM HAROLD LARRY CORYELL 1943-2017 MABERNBIG HANDS BIG SOUNDS GREG STEPHAN RENÉ JAZZ COHEN CRUMP MCLEAN EPISTLES Managing Editor: Laurence Donohue-Greene Editorial Director & Production Manager: Andrey Henkin To Contact: The New York City Jazz Record 66 Mt. Airy Road East APRIL 2017—ISSUE 180 Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520 United States Phone/Fax: 212-568-9628 New York@Night 4 Laurence Donohue-Greene: Interview : Greg Cohen 6 by george kanzler [email protected] Andrey Henkin: [email protected] Artist Feature : Stephan Crump 7 by ken waxman General Inquiries: [email protected] On The Cover : Harold Mabern 8 by ken dryden Advertising: [email protected] Encore : René McLean by alex henderson Calendar: 10 [email protected] VOXNews: Lest We Forget : Jazz Epistles 10 by andrey henkin [email protected] LAbel Spotlight : Aerophonic by ken waxman US Subscription rates: 12 issues, $40 11 Canada Subscription rates: 12 issues, $45 International Subscription rates: 12 issues, $50 For subscription assistance, send check, cash or VOXNEWS 11 by suzanne lorge money order to the address above or email [email protected] In Memoriam Staff Writers 12 David R. Adler, Clifford Allen, Duck Baker, Fred Bouchard, In Memoriam: Larry Coryell Stuart Broomer, Thomas Conrad, 14 Ken Dryden, Donald Elfman, Philip Freeman, Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland, Anders Griffen, CD Reviews 16 Alex Henderson, Marcia Hillman, Terrell Holmes, Robert Iannapollo, Suzanne Lorge, Mark Keresman, Miscellany 35 Marc Medwin, Ken Micallef, Russ Musto, John Pietaro, Joel Roberts, John Sharpe, Event Calendar 36 Elliott Simon, Andrew Vélez, Ken Waxman, Scott Yanow Contributing Writers Robert Bush, Kevin Canfield, Brian Charette, George Kanzler, April is Jazz Appreciation Month, culminating on Apr. 30th with International Jazz Day, Matthew Kassel, Marilyn Lester, Eric Wendell a chance to celebrate the worldwide impact this music has had, often serving as a political statement in despotic regions. Our enthusiasm has, however, been dampened with the Contributing Photographers Lena Adasheva, Ayano Hisa, preliminary White House Budget, which seeks to cut off funding for, among many other Alan Nahigian, Jan Persson, worthy (and hardly expensive in the grand fiscal scheme) programs, the National Endowment Dovile Sermokas, Robert I. Sutherland-Cohen, for the Arts. Readers know this organization for its annual Jazz Master Fellowships, awarded Jack Vartoogian, Irene Ypenburg to those who have shaped the music’s history. Now it is distinctly possible that the 2017 class, the 35th edition, will be the last, victim of a president who clearly believes the only thing the Fact-checker United States has that is worth exporting is military strength (and his hotels and golf courses). Nate Dorward Perhaps this budget will not come to pass in its current form. Maybe individual donors will step up their efforts to support the arts. This could even lead to a long-needed discussion within certain circles about the value—not monetary, not branding, not egotistical—of the arts to this country, its various communities and the world at large. What will not change, however, is a president so primitive, so unconcerned with anything lofty, so disgusted by anything he cannot understand, that he would poach American arts (and science and education nycjazzrecord.com and health and community development) so he can have an aircraft carrier named for himself. On The Cover: Harold Mabern (photo by Alan Nahigian) All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors. 2 APRIL 2017 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM APRIL 2017 STANLEY CLARKE RESIDENCY STANLEY CLARKE / RON CARTER DUO W/ SPECIAL GUEST RUSSELL MALONE MARCH 28 - APRIL 2 THE STANLEY CLARKE BAND KENNY GARRETT QUINTET APRIL 4 - 9 APRIL 13 - 16 THE DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA JAMES CARTER ARTURO SANDOVAL CELEBRATING DUKE & ELLA’S 100TH BIRTHDAYS APRIL 18 - 19 APRIL 20 - 23 APRIL 25 - 30 SEAN JONES BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC SEXTET APRIL 3 • DEBORAH DAVIS – 19TH ANNUAL LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY BENEFIT CONCERT APRIL 10 • BOBBY DEITCH BAND W/ NIGEL HALL & ADAM DEITCH APRIL 11 THE DIZZY GILLESPIE™ AFRO CUBAN EXPERIENCE APRIL 12 • MCCOY TYNER FT GARY BARTZ APRIL 17 • PURCHASE JAZZ ORCHESTRA APRIL 24 SPECIAL SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH $35 INCLUDES BRUNCH, MUSIC & COCKTAIL LATE NIGHTS FELIX PASTORIUS & FRIENDS - LATE NIGHT WEEKEND TAKEOVER MAR 31 & APR 1 • BEKA GOCHIASHVILI & FRIENDS - WEEKEND RESIDENCY APRIL 7 & 8 CHRIS MCCLENNEY RESIDENCY LIVE AT BLUE NOTE APRIL 15 PRODIGY OF MOBB DEEP WITH LIVE BAND - RESIDENCY LIVE AT BLUE NOTE APRIL 21 • BIG WORDS APRIL 28 • TBA APRIL 14, 22 & 29 l3l WEST 3RD STREET NEW YORK CITY • 2l2.475.8592 • WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM @bluenotenyc TWO SHOWS NIGHTLY 8PM & l0:30PM • FRIDAY & SATURDAY LATE NIGHTS: l2:30AM TELECHARGE.COM TERMS, CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY THU-SUN APR 20-23 &the joey defrancescoTROY ROBERTS - DAN WILSON - MICHAEL ODE PEOPLE WED APR 26 “VENUE OF THE YEAR” 2016 -NYCJR H“TOP 10 VENUES IMPACTING NY MUSIC SCENE TODAY”- NY MAGAZINE QUINTET pedro giraudo big band SAT-SUN APR 1-2 A 40TH B’DAY CELEBRATION CHANO DOMINGUEZ flamenco THU-FRI APR 27-28 SONIA FERNANDEZ- ISMAEL FERNANDEZ - ALEXIS CUADRADO - JOSE MORENO JIMMY GREENE QUARTET WED APR 5 AARON GOLDBERG - DOUG WEISS - OTIS BROWN III CHRIS BERGSON BAND SAT-SUN APR 29-30 CRAIG DREYER - MATT CLOHESY - TONY MASON - ELLIS HOOKS - JAY COLLINS - REGGIE PITTMAN - DAVID LUTHER JIMMY GREENE & LOVE IN ACTION THU-SUN APR 6-9 SPECIAL GUESTS MIKE MORENO - RENEE ROSNES - REUBEN ROGERS - JEFF “TAIN” WATTS - ROGERIO BOCATTO Candido Camero [4/6] H H H H Min Xiao Feng [4/6] MINGUS MONDAYS MINGUS MONDAYS MINGUS MONDAYS RANDY WESTON’S Howard Johnson [4/7] MON APR 3, 10, 17 & 24 AFRICAN RHYTHMS QUINTET Hassan Gnawa [4/8] 91ST B’DAY CELEBRATION Saliou Sousso [4 /9] TK BLUE - ALEX BLAKE - LEWIS NASH - NEIL CLARKE Tampani [4/9] MINGUS BIG BAND HMOBETTA TUESDAYSHMOBETTA TUESDAYSH WED APR 12 TUE APR 4 TUE APR 18 pass THE peas! straight, no chaser MIKE MCGINNIS/ART LANDE/ MAURICE BROWN MAURICE BROWN LAKECIA BENJAMIN STACY DILLARD - ERIC LEWIS STEVE SWALLOW CHRIS ROB NIR FELDER - ERIC WHEELER THU-SUN APR 13-16 MARCUS MACHADO LENNY WHITE DOUG WIMBISH - LOUIS CATO BRIANNA THOMAS billy childs quartet TUE APR 11 TUE APR 25 STEVE WILSON [EXCEPT 4/13] - DONNY McCASLIN [4/13 ONLY] - HANS GLAWISCHNIG - ARI HOENIG the new standard soul’d out (THE FINALE) MAURICE BROWN - JALEEL SHAW MAURICE BROWN WED APR 19 BEN WENDEL JAMES FRANCIES - BEN EUNSON CHELSEA BARATZ - CHAD SELPH MATTHEW STEVENS RASHAAN CARTER - MARCUS GILMORE MARCUS MACHADO - ANTOINE KATZ linda may han oh group RUDY ROYSTON CHRISTIE DASHIELL JOE BLAXX - SAUNDERS SERMONS HJAZZ FOR KIDS WITH THE JAZZ STANDARD YOUTH ORCHESTRA EVERY SUNDAY AT 2PM -DIRECTED BY DAVID O’ROURKEH NEW YORK @ NIGHT Five years after first bringing his music to the Village At the conclusion of the 2017 Django A Gogo (Mar. Vanguard as a bandleader, pianist Craig Taborn had a 3rd), nine acoustic guitarists sprawled across the completely different group in tow for a stand at the Carnegie Hall stage, arms strumming four-to-a-bar in Greenwich Village institution. In support of his latest perfect synchrony, like the sweeping oars of a crew- ECM record, Daylight Ghosts, with a new quartet of boat team, one giant swing machine. The tenth tenor saxophonist Chris Speed, bassist Chris Lightcap incarnation of the (almost) annual event tributing the and drummer Dave King, the late set on Mar. 1st found Belgian/Rom guitarist Django Reinhardt began much them spreading out suite-like across six originals and simpler, with a solo improvisation by host/founder a cover of Sun Ra’s “Love In Outer Space”. In addition Stephane Wrembel. Tellingly, six of the nine guitarists to piano, Taborn worked a Farfisa electric organ and he brought onstage over the course of the evening Prophet 6 analog synthesizer as well as a few other played Maccaferri-style guitars (favored by Reinhardt) dials and switches while Lightcap moved between and more tellingly all but Al Di Meola retained audible upright and an electric axe. From the beginning, traces of his musical style in their playing. It wasn’t plugged-in whir and stalled pointillism buoyed just imitative flattery, however, because the principal Speed’s deep, blatting pirouettes, King’s brushwork soloists had strong musical personalities of their own. flitting behind with delicate insistency. Once Lightcap Wrembel thrummed exciting chord solos and meteoric slung on his electric and the drummer switched to glisses with loose precision. Larry Keel injected sticks and a rhythm pad, the ensemble added a snappy, elements of progressive flatpicking and newgrass into charged propulsion into its earthen slink. The second his version of “Gypsy jazz”. Stochelo Rosenberg almost piece employed socking, flywheel-revved rhythms swiped the show with his fiery incisive attack and opposite Taborn’s fluid, darting combinations of Cecil riveting vibrato, spinning out dazzling solos with Taylor and Tommy Flanagan, kaleidoscopic but within seemingly effortless agility. Al Di Meola, in his second THE WILD a clearly defined solo space (at times the harmonic Carnegie Hall appearance ever (the first, 42 years ago, NEW FREE IMPROV CD FROM linkages between pianist and saxophonist recalled was his debut with Return to Forever!), played several Andrew Hill and Joe Henderson). King, a drummer solo pieces with more adventurous melodies and RICH AND CARSON who has separated himself as a technically formidable harmonies. The highpoint was the second set opener, but somewhat bombastic player, was fleet and detailed, “Mediterranean Sundance”, a trio featuring inspired playing a supportive role with exactitude, yet giving exchanges between Di Meola and Rosenberg over HALLEY the music a shove when necessary. —Clifford Allen Wrembel’s energetic rhythm.