£3.50 £3.50 U.K. S DEEP ED B G AT.COM E B N Ralph Peterson 35th Annual Student Music Awards Annual Student Music Ralph Peterson 35th Blake TRANSCRI BLINDFOLDED Seamus Grégoire Grégoire Mats Gustafsson The Fringe Maret 40 Years on 40 Years GARRETT DI KENNY KENNY DOW JUNE 2012 DOWNBEAT KENNY GARRETT // RALPH PETERSON // THE FRINGE // 35TH ANNUAL STUDENT MUSIC AWARDS JUNE 2012 JUNE 2012 VOLUME 79 – NUMBER 6 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Managing Editor Bobby Reed News Editor Hilary Brown Reviews Editor Aaron Cohen Contributing Editors Ed Enright Zach Phillips Art Director Ara Tirado Production Associate Andy Williams Bookkeeper Margaret Stevens Circulation Manager Sue Mahal Circulation Assistant Evelyn Oakes 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 Assistant Theresa Hill 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, John McDonough Atlanta: Jon Ross; Austin: Michael Point, 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 Or- leans: 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; Den- mark: 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 May 15, 2012) Magazine Publishers Association. Á JUNE 2012 ON THE COVER 26 Kenny Garrett Digs Deep BY DAN OUELLETTE The Detroit-bred, New York- 26 based alto and soprano saxophonist talks about his deep-rooted artistic cultivation, specifically as it relates to Seeds From The Underground, his new CD on Mack Avenue Records. FEATURES 34 The Fringe Cover photography and image above shot by Jimmy and Dena Katz at The Iridium in New York City. 40 Years on The Fringe BY CLAIRE daly 40 Ralph Peterson Protecting the Truth BY TED panken 46 Grégoire Maret 64 Jeff Parker Trio 66 Eri Yamamoto Trio 70 Sidi Touré 80 Kat Edmonson Close to the Human Voice BY KEN MICALLEF DEPARTMENTS 50 Indie Life 91 35th Annual Student 8 First Take 22 Players 84 Transcription Music Awards Tom Kennedy 10 Chords & 86 Toolshed Scott Tixier Discords 112 Jazz Education Mike LeDonne 118 Jazz On Campus Hall of Fame 13 The Beat Kresten Osgood 122 Blindfold Test 114 Jazz Education 14 Riffs 57 Reviews Mats Gustafsson Achievement 16 European 82 Master Class Awards Scene by Dan Wilensky 6 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012 First Take | BY BOBBY REED Musical Roots rtists respond to the sights Ralph Peterson and sounds they observe in nature. Evidence of this can Abe found throughout history, from Paleolithic cave paintings to Web- based sitcoms. Images from nature influence every type of artist working in every kind of medium today, and jazz musicians are no exception. Many people think of jazz as music of the city—an urban art form resulting from streets and steel, brass and glass, bricks and sidewalks, sub- ways and buses. That is certainly true, but jazz players in cities like New York, Chicago, New Orleans and Los Angeles are sensitive to the natural wonders in their environment: bodies tracted by the fruit, the root will teach you what of water, clouds, rain, birds, soil, flowers and the fruit means.” trees. Nature surrounds us. Watering a jade The Duality Perspective contains a song plant on a high-rise windowsill isn’t the same called “Bamboo Bends In A Storm,” which is as hiking through the Rocky Mountains, but yet another example of how art can use imag- it’s still an interaction with the natural world. es from nature to help us gain a greater under- This issue of DownBeat includes features standing of our place in the universe. on saxophonist Kenny Garrett and drummer As these features on Garrett and Peterson Ralph Peterson—two artists who utilize imag- demonstrate, a magazine profile of a musician es from nature. Garrett, who is our cover sub- can be about much more than merely the tracks ject (page 26), has a new Mack Avenue album on his or her latest album. titled Seeds From The Underground. This pow- Month after month, in print and online, erful collection of 10 original compositions was DownBeat provides insight on “Jazz, Blues & inspired by people who have shaped Garrett, Beyond” and examines the personalities of the both personally and musically. Writer Dan creative artists who make improvised music. Ouellette discussed the concept with Garrett at So how are we doing? Let us know by send- The Iridium, a club where the saxophonist has ing an email to [email protected], and performed many times. Garrett told Ouellette, please put the word Chords or Discords in the “This is an album about the planting of seeds subject line. Tell us what we’re doing right, and and how that’s impacted me.” where we could improve. Be sure to visit our Garrett landed on the cover of DownBeat’s website, downbeat.com, which has exclusive Sept. 1997 issue, and 15 years later, he’s still content. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, making fantastic music. We’re proud to present which contains reviews, news, Toolshed and a an article on such a thoughtful, brilliant musi- Classic Interview—all free of charge. One of cian. (Fans can catch Garrett at Blues Alley in the most popular pages on our website is the Washington, D.C., on June 8–10.) monthly Editors’ Picks album reviews, which For our profile of Peterson (page 40), writer also appear in our e-newsletter (but not in our Ted Panken conducted a wide-ranging inter- print edition). This is another forum for us to view in which the drummer made a few refer- provide commentary on albums that we feel are ences to botanical imagery. The cover illustra- worthy of your attention. tion for his new album, The Duality Perspective, As you read a print or digital edition of depicts a tree with branches, each of which is DownBeat, or a story on our website, take a labeled with the name of a musician with whom moment to send us your reaction. Like us on Peterson has collaborated. Just as important- Facebook and follow us on Twitter. We’re eager ly, the illustration contains six tree roots, and to read your thoughts, and we love publish- they represent the people who were mentors to ing your emails (or old-fashioned letters). It’s Peterson in his formative years. always rewarding and informative to interact In a discussion about how one musical form with readers, musicians and educators who are can influence another, Peterson said, “Don’t just as passionate about jazz as we are. check out the thinnest, newest branch on the Thanks for your support, and please keep tree. If you dig into the root instead of being dis- on reading. DB 8 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2012 Chords Discords Creativity at 70 I am a longtime reader of DownBeat, and I hadn’t seen many articles on members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in recent issues. So I was delighted to read the feature on Anthony Braxton in your March issue (“Music as Spiritual Commit- ment”), and writer/photog- rapher Michael Jackson’s in-depth article on Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith in your April issue (“Looking for the Diamond Fields”). The interview with Smith en route to an engagement in 1974. and the quotes from his colleagues were ADOLPHUS B.