D O W N B E AT PRISM /// OMAR SOSA /// SNARKY PUPPY /// RECORDING SCHOOL /// JAZZ VENUE GUIDE FEBRUARY 2014 February 2014 VOLUME 81 / NUMBER 2 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Associate Editor Davis Inman Contributing Editor Ed Enright Creative Director Andy Williams Contributing Designer Ara Tirado Bookkeeper Margaret Stevens Circulation Manager Sue Mahal Circulation Assistant Evelyn Oakes Editorial Intern Kathleen Costanza Design Intern LoriAnne Nelson 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 Pete Fenech 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, 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 January 21, 2014) Magazine Publishers Association. Á FEBRUARY 2014 On the Cover 28 Prism Fantastic Four BY AARON COHEN Dave Holland, Kevin Eubanks, Craig Taborn and Eric Harland have eagerly committed themselves to this important new collective, 28 whose purpose is to create a situation that’s creatively satisfying for everyone involved. Features 36 Omar Sosa Superheroes in Seattle: Prism onstage at Dimitriou’s Ancestral Reflections Jazz Alley, Oct. 8 BY TED PANKEN Cover photo of Prism (and image above) shot by Daniel Sheehan in Seattle, 2013 42 Snarky Puppy Worlds Colliding BY KEN MICALLEF 5-Star Review HHHHH 48 Getting Deep & Breaking Rules The New Wave of Brass Bands BY JENNIFER ODELL 53 160 Great Jazz Venues 74 3 Cohens 78 Kirk Knuffke 80 Christine Jensen 83 Marty Ehrlich The Best Places To Hear Live Jazz Worldwide special section Recording school Departments 96 Work the Room 100 Pro Session In the Studio with Producer BY PAUL GRIFFITH 10 First Take Joe Ferla 102 Transcription 12 Chords & Discords BY KEN MICALLEF James Carter Tenor 15 The Beat Saxophone Solo 24 Players 98 Lightning in a Bottle 71 Reviews In the Studio with Producer 104 Toolshed 110 Jazz On Campus Oded Lev-Ari 114 Blindfold Test BY MICHAEL GALLANT 108 Gear Box 8 DOWNBEAT February 2014 First Take BY DAVIS INMAN Stan Tracey DOD MILLER/EMI RECORDS UK Honoring Stan Tracey IN THIS MONTH’S FIRST TAKE, WE HONOR A GREAT JAZZ MUSICIAN. British pianist and composer Stan Tracey, whose long career included col- laborations with saxophonist Sonny Rollins and drummer Charlie Watts, died on Dec. 6 from cancer. He was 86. Tracey was born in London in 1926. He began his music career as a teen- age accordion player in Britain’s Entertainment National Service Association during World War II and later served in the Royal Air Force. He was a musician onboard cruise ships—which took him to New York, where he was influenced by American musicians like pianist Bud Powell—and was later a member of Ted Heath’s Orchestra, one of Britain’s most popular big bands. From 1960–’67, Tracey was the house pianist at the London jazz club Ron- nie Scott’s, where he played with visiting American jazz musicians like Rollins and saxophonists Stan Getz and Ben Webster. Tracey appeared with Rollins on the original British film soundtrack to Alfie (1966). Tracey became known as “the godfather of British jazz” for championing an original style that was not merely imitative of American jazz. In 1965, he released Under Milk Wood, a jazz suite inspired by a Dylan Thomas radio drama, followed by Alice In Jazz Land (1966). His style, he told DownBeat in 2007, “all comes down to touch.” “If you have the right touch, then you don’t have to do all that much,” Tracey said. “Duke Ellington could play two notes and you knew it was him. Ditto with Monk. Even if the phrase isn’t recognizably Monk, you know it’s him by his sound. You can’t copy that. You have to find your own.” In the ’70s, Tracey’s career took a new direction as he began working with avant-garde musicians like British saxophonists Mike Osborne and John Surman. He founded his own label, Steam, which served as an outlet for recordings such as Sonatinas, a 1978 collaboration with Surman. Tracey’s sense of humor was ev- ident on his 1979 solo piano outing, Hello Old Adversary, which referred to the greeting he gave dysfunctional house pianos at clubs like Ronnie Scott’s. For a stint during the 1980s, Tracey joined a big band led by Watts, who’s better known as the drummer for the Rolling Stones. The pianist toured with Watts’ group and appears on its 1986 album, Live At Fulham Town Hall. In 1993, Blue Note released Tracey’s Portraits Plus, an album of songs dedicated to his influences (including Thelonious Monk and Gil Evans). It was nominated for a Mercury Prize. Tracey was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1986. He was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2008. Tracey’s most recent album is The Flying Pig, inspired by his father’s ex- perience as a soldier in World War I. The album title comes from the nickname for a British mortar bomb. Tracey is survived by his son, Clark Tracey, a jazz drummer. DB Chords Discords Dex Lives Thanks for the holiday season gift. That is, seeing the smiling face of Dexter Gordon on the cover of the January 2014 edi- tion of DownBeat. During the several decades I lived in Chicago, I was fortunate to see Dexter live many times. Almost al- ways, it was under the aegis of Joe Segal whenever he brought Dexter into his Jazz Showcase club. Hearing “Long Tall” in tandem with other great tenor players like Gene Ammons, James Moody and Sonny Stitt has left musical memories that thrill to this day. Every pore of Dexter Gordon’s body exuded the spirit of bebop. First and foremost was his great musicianship. But equally compelling was the rapport he established with his audience. Often at the conclusion of a tune, he would hold out his tenor saxophone in extended arms as if to present it as a gift to listeners. How wonderful to know that the gift still keeps on giving. BILL BENJAMIN BILTMORE LAKE, N.C. Only One Here Comes the Sun Thanks very much for the great review of my latest solo In the Jazz Venue Guide in album, ONE, in the August issue. For the most part it was your February 2013 issue, well informed, but I would like to straighten out one mis- take for your readers. It was a great compliment that the I was shocked to see that reviewer assumed that I used overdubs to achieve some the jazz club in Paris called of the polyphonic textures on the disc. However, I assure Sunset-Sunside was missing. you that all the tunes were performed by a singular Whenever I’m in Paris, I go performer without the use of additional tracks or looping there to enjoy a wonderful devices. Hence the title, ONE. concert. I’ve seen Gerald Clay- JONATHAN KREISBERG ton with his trio and the great NEW YORK CITY Kenny Werner there. NORBERT WIELSCH Vote Kilgore in 2014 MUNICH, GERMANY It has taken me a couple of weeks to recover from perus- ing the annual DownBeat Readers Poll in your December Editor’s Note: The Jazz issue.