SEPTEMBER 2015—ISSUE 161 YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENE NYCJAZZRECORD.COM GARY BARTZ musical warrior ARTURO RON STEVE STAN O’FARRILL HORTON POTTS GETZ Managing Editor: Laurence Donohue-Greene Editorial Director & Production Manager: Andrey Henkin To Contact: The New York City Jazz Record 66 Mt. Airy Road East SEPTEMBER 2015—ISSUE 161 Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520 United States Phone/Fax: 212-568-9628 New York@Night 4 Laurence Donohue-Greene: Interview : Arturo O’Farrill 6 by russ musto [email protected] Andrey Henkin: [email protected] Artist Feature : Ron Horton 7 by sean fitzell General Inquiries: [email protected] On The Cover : Gary Bartz 8 by james pietaro Advertising: [email protected] Encore : Steve Potts by clifford Allen Editorial: 10 [email protected] Calendar: Lest We Forget : Stan Getz 10 by george kanzler [email protected] VOXNews: LAbel Spotlight : 482 Music by ken waxman [email protected] 11 Letters to the Editor: [email protected] VOXNEWS 11 by katie bull US Subscription rates: 12 issues, $35 International Subscription rates: 12 issues, $45 In Memoriam 12 by andrey henkin For subscription assistance, send check, cash or money order to the address above or email [email protected] Festival Report 13 Staff Writers David R. Adler, Clifford Allen, CD Reviews 14 Fred Bouchard, Stuart Broomer, Katie Bull, Thomas Conrad, Ken Dryden, Donald Elfman, Miscellany 39 Brad Farberman, Sean Fitzell, Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland, Event Calendar Alex Henderson, Marcia Hillman, 40 Terrell Holmes, Robert Iannapollo, Suzanne Lorge, Marc Medwin, Russ Musto, Joel Roberts, John Sharpe, Elliott Simon, Andrew Vélez, Ken Waxman Alto saxophonist Gary Bartz (On The Cover) turns 75 this month and celebrates with two nights at Dizzy’s Club. 75 is also the atomic number for Rhenium, a silvery-white transition Contributing Writers metal, which reminds us of Bartz’ impressive mane, and the mandatory retirement age for Phil Freeman, Anders Griffen, Canadian senators; while we might wish for something similar stateside, we are glad there are George Kanzler, Mark Keresman, no sell-by dates for jazz musicians, particularly those of Bartz’ stature. Pianist/composer/ Ken Micallef, Sean J. O’Connell, arranger/bandleader Arturo O’Farrill (Interview), who resides at Birdland for a week this John Pietaro, Michael Steinman month (in addition to his regular Sundays), just turned 55 this past June, appropriate as he often seems to be right around the speed limit and has explored the musical culture of Brazil, Contributing Photographers whose country code is...you guessed it, 55. Trumpeter Ron Horton (Artist Feature), who leads Denis Alix, Scott Friedlander, tributes to his former boss Andrew Hill at Greenwich House Music School, is also 55 but his John Rogers, Alan Nahigian, seems closer to NGC 55, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor, or type 55 flour, the R.I. Sutherland-Cohen, Jack Vartoogian standard hard-wheat for pastry, given the exploratory sweetness of his playing. Saxophonists Steve Potts (Encore), 72, and Stan Getz (Lest We Forget), died at 64, add up to 136, which is the 1960 resolution admitting the Togolese Republic to the U.N. and makes no sense. nycjazzrecord.com Less numerology and more jazz, you say? We couldn’t agree more. On The Cover: Gary Bartz (photo by Alan Nahigian) In Correction: In the July issue’s festival report on FIMAV, the photographer was Martin Morissette. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors. 2 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM SEPTEMBER 2015 JERRY GONZÁLEZ ROY HARGROVE LOU DONALDSON & THE FORT APACHE BAND SEPTEMBER 8 - 13 SEPTEMBER 15 - 16 SEPTEMBER 1 - 6 JOSÉ JAMES PRESENTS: TRIO 3: OLIVER LAKE, ROBERTA GAMBARINI “THE MUSIC OF BILLIE HOLIDAY” REGGIE WORKMAN & ANDREW CYRILLE SEPTEMBER 17 - 20 FEATURING: JOSÉJAMES , JASON MORAN, W/ GUESTS ETHAN IVERSON(9/29), ERIC HARLAND, REUBEN ROGERS VIJAY IYER(9/30) & JASON MORAN (10/1) SEPTEMBER 22 - 27 SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 1 ABIAH SEPTEMBER 7 • GATO BARBIERI SEPTEMBER 14 & 28 • MINO CINELU SEPTEMBER 21 SUNDAY BRUNCH NYU JAZZ BRUNCH WITH COMBO NUVO SEPTEMBER 6 • SA SEPTEMBER 13 JOE ALTERMAN TRIO SEPTEMBER 20 • THE DEBUT OF JONATHAN POWELL LATIN JAZZ SEXTET SEPTEMBER 27 LATE NIGHT GROOVE SERIES JOE PINO QUARTET SEPTEMBER 4 • STEVE PICATAGGIO QUARTET SEPTEMBER 5 • VICKIE NATALE SEP 11 • UNDERGROUND HORNS SEPTEMBER 12 OVEOUS SEPTEMBER 18 • SUGABUSH SEPTEMBER 19 • NAO YOSHIOKA SEPTEMBER 25 • ADRIAN HIBBS SEPTEMBER 26 RD bluenotenyc l3l WEST 3 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 @bluenotenyc SUNDAY BRUNCH, ll:30AM & l:30PM, $35 INCLUDES BRUNCH MUSIC AND DRINK 2751 Broadway NYC, NY (btw 105th & 106th Streets) www.smokejazz.com 212.864.6662 sets at 7, 9 & 10:30PM + Late Night SEPTEMBER 2015 W 9/2 LE BOEUF BROTHERS W 9/16 Th 9/17 SARAH ELIZABETH CHARLES Th 9/3 PEPPE MEROLLA QUINTET Featuring Harold Mabern F 9/18 EDDIE HENDERSON QUINTET Sa 9/19 Eddie Henderson [trumpet] Gary Bartz [alto saxophone] F 9/4 THE POWER QUINTET Su 9/20 Kevin Hays [piano] Doug Weiss [bass] Billy Drummond [drums] Sa 9/5 Jeremy Pelt [trumpet] Steve Nelson [vibraphone] Su 9/6 Danny Grissett [piano] Peter Washington [bass] Bill Stewart [drums] W 9/23 A TRIBUTE TO JACKIE MCLEAN Th 9/24 Featuring the Rene McLean Quartet W 9/9 GLENN ZALESKI TRIO F 9/25 BUSTER WILLIAMS “SOMETHING MORE” Sa 9/26 Jaleel Shaw [alto saxophone] Eric Reed [piano] Th 9/10 ORRIN EVANS TRIO + SPECIAL GUESTS Su 9/27 Buster Williams [bass] Carl Allen [drums] F 9/11 “THE EVOLUTION OF ONESELF” CD RELEASE WEEKEND Sa 9/12 Orrin Evans [piano] Luques Curtis [bass] Clarence Penn [drums] Su 9/13 + Steve Wilson [alto saxophone, thu] Mark Whitfield [guitar, fri & sat] W 9/30 “SELENO’S BIRTHDAY BASH” JD Walter [vocals, fri] Antonio Hart [alto saxophone, sun] Featuring Seleno Clarke’s Harlem Groove Band ARTIST RESIDENCIES ’ROUND MIDNIGHT SESSIONS M THE SMOKE JAM SESSION BIG BAND MONDAYS: ORRIN EVANS & THE CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND Tu EMMET COHEN ORGAN TRIO W CAMILLE THURMAN QUARTET Th NICKEL & DIME OPS B-3 TUESDAYS: MIKE LEDONNE’S GROOVER QUARTET F JOHN FARNSWORTH QUARTET or PATIENCE HIGGINS & THE SUGAR HILL QUARTET Sa JOHNNY O’NEAL & FRIENDS SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH WITH ANNETTE ST. JOHN Su WILLERM DELISFORT QUARTET NEW YORK @ NIGHT It’s sometimes said that contemporary improvisation Midway through its stint at Birdland (Aug. 13th), doesn’t have enough regularly working bands and too bassist Ben Allison’s quintet was in fine form, many one-off projects. The band concept is directly tied performing his originals and cover arrangements with to the idea that there be somewhere to workshop said agility and finesse. Pianist Frank Kimbrough and band and those have become fewer and further guitarist Steve Cardenas shared comping duties, each between—even in our fair metropolis. Enter The Jazz showing the kind of song-serving restraint that kept Gallery, a collegial space with good sound; saxophonist the group sound lithe and clear. Trumpeter Jeremy Ingrid Laubrock had the opportunity to workshop Pelt, a potential firebrand, was relatively reserved, seven new pieces there with two different groups often muting his horn and executing Allison’s melodies (Jul. 31-Aug. 1st). The first was a trio with pianist Kris in whispered tones. Drummer Rudy Royston was Davis and guitarist Mary Halvorson, the second a another story; with a wide smile and staccato stickwork, quintet with French horn player Vincent Chancey, he created connections throughout the musical texture bassists Michael Formanek and Eivind Opsvik and with chattering figures alternating with abrupt drummer Tom Rainey. Laubrock first worked with punctuations and gaps. The songs showed Allison’s Chancey, a loft-jazz veteran, in the Tri-Centric Orchestra ear for accessible rock-based melodies married to more and later in trio with reedplayer Josh Sinton. The quintet unusual harmonies, augmented by simple but effective is Laubrock’s first to employ two basses, although not contrapuntal lines. After his “Roll Credits” and necessarily with the temporal counterpoint of Bill “Broke” came a carnivalesque romp through “Rainy Dixon, Cecil Taylor and John Coltrane—Formanek’s Days and Mondays”, charged by Royston’s infectious boomy, robust approach tends to obscure the deftness of gospel beat and featuring fine short solos by Cardenas Opsvik’s technique—thrumming in an explosive march and Kimbrough. A re-revamped version of Allison’s with Rainey in rockish suspension or droning “Riding the Nuclear Tiger”, during which Royston underneath sparse measures. In addition to Laubrock’s prodded Pelt to bolder flights of imagination and tone, powerful tenor and soprano, she performed two pieces was followed by a stark, elegant reading of Joe on piano with a halting dissonance that gave the Zawinul’s “In a Silent Way”, with concise solos all proceedings an even more varied palette. Chancey was around. On “Man-sized Safe”, Royston was given free the ensemble’s secret weapon, show-stealing with an rein, outstripping his extended duet with Pelt with a inventive chortle, loquaciously bridging crisp show-stopping a cappella solo, all in good time. detachment with sallying tailgate. —Clifford Allen —Tom Greenland N E H O C - D N A L R N E A H I T G I U S H . I A T N R N E B A L O R A Ingrid Laubrock @ The Jazz Gallery Ben Allison @ Birdland Denizens of the Brooklyn underground, Talibam! has For the final night (Aug. 9th) of his weeklong residency embraced noise, electro-pop, theatrical performance, at The Stone, Bill Frisell invited fellow guitarist Julian free improvisation and “no-school rap”, finally making Lage to perform two duet sets.