32 Jazz Kool L.A. Fest Goes `Outside' Five -Concert Series Turns Spotlight On Avant-Garde By SAM SUTHERLAND Kool shows here have the input of and festivals, including the Playboy veteran promoter George Wein, Jazz Festival, the Jazz at the Bowl LOS ANGELES -In a fresh con- while employing Outward Visions' concerts and the Jazz at the Pavilion cert programming gambit, the Kool Marty Khan and Helene Cann to series. Jazz Festival will spotlight the evolv- capture the decidedly atypical talent "They'd tried to come up with a ing "new music" realm when it lineup. way to make new music work within alights here starting Saturday (6). In A major metropolitan jazz festival the overall scheme of earlier New the process, the five concerts headlining such mavericks as the Art York festivals," adds Outward Vi- planned in the series will challenge Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony sions' Helene Cann, "but somehow Los Angeles' frequent stereotype as Braxton, James Blood Ulmer, Leroy it never really worked, musically or a commercial, pop jazz market Jenkins and Laurie Anderson, economically." In that sense, she as- rather than a testing ground for the among others, may provide the best serts, the Kool Jazz L.A. bill will avant- garde. measurement to date of how far the seek to determine whether the field Co- sponsored by Brown & Wil- Kool Jazz packages have journeyed can be better on its own than when liamson Tobacco's Kool cigarettes from their mid '70s emphasis on r &b coupled with more traditional jazz CHICK'S CREW -It's a classy reunion backstage as Chick Corea celebrates and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and fusion. idioms. with the blue -chip players and some equally well -known wellwishers follow- the Kool Jazz Los Angeles Festival is That, however, is precisely the Both Cann and partner- husband ing his recent Oct. 22 stand at the new Beverly Theatre in Beverly Hills. Pic- being co-produced by Festival Pro- goal. Wein himself has attributed Marty Khan believe the Kool tie -in, tured from left are Mike Gerson, Les McCann, Jeff Osborne, Herbie Hancock, ductions, Inc., which packages the the decision to make the L.A. Kool with its guarantee of substantial tv Corea, Stanley Clarke, George Duke and Rodney Franklin. Kneeling in front Kool bills nationally, and Outward bill a bold departure from the more and print media exposure, can over- are Paco de Lucia and Rebe Heredia. Visions, Inc., the New York-based familiar jazz and fusion programs turn past expectations of Southern firm which has specialized in the ec- tendered in other markets to his Californian audiences as disinter- BOOK REVIEW lectic frontiers of jazz sometimes need to distinguish Kool here from ested in new music. Notes Cann, "At dubbed "new music." Thus, the other Wein- produced concert series first we said, `Los Angeles? Who in our field ever even gets to play there at all ?' Benny Carter Life Story Survey For Week Ending 11/6182 "But the more we thought about it, the more excited we got, once Is Fascinating Reading Fa Wein had approached us. It's an "Benny Carter: A Life In Ameri- mains active, electing to work only Billboard open market in there, that there are can Music" Vols. 1 & 2, by Morroe when he feels in a creative mood. He Best LPSf, no preconceptions about the music Berger, Edward Berger and James declines more offers than he accepts. that we have to work against " Patrick, Scarecrow Press, 877 pages, Born in the San Juan Hill neigh- Such built -in assumptions remain $45 hardback. borhood of New York City, only a ?rT their major obstacle. Both Cann and LOS ANGELES -Bennett Lester block or two from the present Lin- 3 8 Khan note that Wein's original coln. Center, Benny began his career. TITLÉ TITLE Carter's eminence in the music pro- 3c Je request was to develop an avant - Artit, Label I Number Artist, Label i Number fession for more than a half-century by buying a trumpet -paying a dol- (Dot. label) (Dist. Label) garde lineup, yet that very phrase is at long last acknowledged. His lar a week -in a pawnshop. He has been avoided "because it's got worked with virtually all the black 17 AS WE SPEAK 26 27 52 CRAZY FOR YOU fasci- WEEKS such negative connotations for so story, long overdue, provides David Sanborn. AT #1 Earl Klugh, Liberty LT 51113 nating reading. bands of the 1920s: Fletcher Hen- Warner Bros. 1.2365! 3 many listeners," in Cann's words. * 31 3 LOTUS FLOWER with George Wein. They had not Woody Shaw, Enia 4018 (Polygram) The series, which will utilize three The erudite, ever -gentlemanly 2 22 OFFRAMP Horace Henderson, Billy Fowler 28 28 17 THE BEST Pat Metheny Group, ECM ECM-1- different concert venues as well as composer, arranger, conductor, alto Quincy Jones, A&M SP-3200 and Charlie Johnson. 1216 (Warner Bros.) the California Institute for the Arts saxophonist and trumpeter, who 29 14 15 IN LOVE'S TIME In time, of course, Carter picked 18 INCOGNITO Dave Valentin, Arista /GRP 5511 campus, is built around conceptual also has made records as a singer, Spyro Gyra, MCA MCA 5368 up the knack of arranging, and be- 30 26 17 LOOKING OUT packages. Saturday's (6) opening trombonist and clarinetist, is now 75 4 13 WE ARE ONE fore the close of the 1920s, he McCoy Tyner, Columbia FC 38053 Pieces Of A Dream, concert at the downtown Dorothy years old and has made his residence emerged as a bandleader. The De- Elektra 60142-1 31 32 37 MYSTICAL ADVENTURE (Continued on page 55) in Los Angeles 40 years. Yet he re- Jean -Luc Ponty, pression took its toll, however, and DESIRE Atlantic SD 19333 Tom Scott, Musician 60162 -I after several attempts to keep his (Elektra) 32 30 22 UTE ME UP band employed, Carter sailed for Herbie Hancock, Columbia FC OFF THE TOP 37928 Talent Gets Europe, working there as a single -1 Local Salute Jimmy Smith, Musician 60161 (Elektra) 33 33 5 ELABORATIONS from 1935 until 1938. Returning to Arthur Blythe, Columbia FC 38163 7 11 LET ME KNOW YOU the U.S., he organized a dance band Stanley Clarke, Epic FE 38096 34 31 9 TRADSITON IN TRANSITION At Bay Area Kool Festival Chico Freeman, Musician 60163-1 which became a favorite among mu- 3 17 HANDS DOWN (Elektra) By JACK McDONOUGH Bob James, Columbia /Tappan Zee sicians and big band buffs but failed FC 38067 35 29 9 ECHOES OF AN ERA 2, THE SAN FRANCISCO -Thanks to a Society's "Jazz In The Schools" pro- to achieve wide popularity. 11 TOUCHSTONE CONCERT nudge from the Bay Area Jazz gram. Production services are being Carter moved to Los Angeles in Chick Corea, Warner Bros. 23699 -1 Various Mists, Musician 601151 (Elektra) Society, the San Francisco Kool Jazz donated by Nocturne, Inc., under the early 1940s and scuffled to keep 10 8 62 BREAKIN' AWAY Al Jarrean, Warner Bros. BSK 3576 36 36 102 WINEIIGHT Festival (Nov. 2 -13) has added a the direction of Pat Morrow. still another band intact. A 1943 Grover Washington lr., 11 12 18 WINTER INTO SPRING Elektra 6E-305 three -day "Salute To Bay Area Jazz This year's festival, with 13 events recording session for Capitol in San George Winston, Windham Hill C- for 10 venues Francisco spawned a blues, "Hurry, 1019 37 34 7 AN EVENING WITH GEORGE Musicians" to the already extensive scheduled different SHEARING AND MEL TORME eight -day schedule originally over 12 days, will mark Graham's Hurry," which turned out to be the 12 9 15 OUT OF THE SHADOWS George Shearing And Mel Tome Dave Grusin, Arista /GRP 5510 Concord Jazz CJ-190 planned. most ambitious jazz involvement in biggest seller of his career, but it 13 10 17 ROYAL JAM TOUCH THE FEELING This year's festival also marks the his company's long history, with wasn't enough. Carter wound up The ME* Crusaders With B.B. King And Slit Hooper, MCA MCA 5374 music for motion pictures The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, realliance of Bill Graham Presents (Continued on page 55) scoring MCA MCA 28017 * 45 31 TELECOMMUNICATION with George Wein, who had not and, in the 1950s, television. His Azymuth, Milestone M -9101 14 13 17 LOVE NOTES (Fantasy) worked together on the Kool event credits are lengthy. Chuck Mangione, Columbia FC 38101 40 35 9 MARIO. since the Oakland Stadium -based Polish Festival Carter has remained active and Paquito D'Rivera, Columbia FC 5 MOVING TARGET soul shows of the mid '70s. still tours frequently. Of his innu- W 38177 Gil Scott-Heron, Arista AL 9606 The addition of the three days de- Plans Still On merable compositions, "Blues In My 41 42 39 OBJECTS OF DESIRE 16 16 24 WE WANT MILES Michael Franks, voted to local players was sparked at WARSAW -Despite the existence Heart" has been the most successful Miles Davis, Columbia C2-38005 Warner Bros. BSK 3648 the Fairmont Hotel press luncheon of martial law here, the Polish Jazz commercially, with 63 recorded ver- 23 KENNY G 42 41 31 ITS A FACT Kenny G, Arista AL 9608 Jeff Later, Arista AL 9583 announcing the event, when pro- Society is determined to keep local sions documented by the Bergers 18 19 49 THE GEORGE BERSON 43 46 72 AS FALLS WICHITA SO FALLS ducer Orrin Keepnews asked Wein jazz fans happy by staging as many and Patrick, but others have stood COLLECTION WICHITA FALLS why, "in an area absolutely loaded live events as possible.