AUGUST 2019 VOLUME 86 / NUMBER 8 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Reviews Editor Dave Cantor Contributing Editor Ed Enright Creative Director ŽanetaÎuntová Design Assistant Will Dutton Assistant to the Publisher Sue Mahal Bookkeeper Evelyn Oakes ADVERTISING SALES Record Companies & Schools Jennifer Ruban-Gentile Vice President of Sales 630-359-9345 [email protected] Musical Instruments & East Coast Schools Ritche Deraney Vice President of Sales 201-445-6260 [email protected] Advertising Sales Associate Grace Blackford 630-359-9358 [email protected] OFFICES 102 N. 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POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: DownBeat, P.O. Box 11688, St. Paul, MN 55111–0688. CABLE ADDRESS: DownBeat (on sale July 16, 2019) Magazine Publishers Association. Á 4 DOWNBEAT AUGUST 2019 AUGUST 2019 ON THE COVER Cécile McLorin Salvant performs at the 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. 28 Cécile McLorin Salvant ADAM MCCULLOUGH Jazz Artist, Female Vocalist BY PHILLIP LUTZ The vocalist and composer, who topped two categories in the Critics Poll, discusses her recent collaborations with pianist Sullivan Fortner and bandleader Darcy James Argue, as well as her visual artwork. FEATURES 28 32 Nina Simone, Hall of Fame BY GEOFFREY HIMES 34 Scott LaFaro, Hall of Fame Cover photo of Cécile McLorin Salvant shot by Erika Goldring at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 3. BY JAMES HALE 36 Joe Williams, Hall of Fame BY TED PANKEN 5-Star Review +++++ 38 Wayne Shorter, Jazz Album BY J.D. CONSIDINE 39 John Coltrane, Historical Album BY JAMES HALE 40 Top Jazz Albums 42 Fred Hersch Trio, Jazz Group 75 Lisa Maxwell 76 Santana 80 SFJAZZ Collective 83 Tal Gamlieli Trio BY MATTHEW KASSEL 44 Top Historical Albums 52 Natalie Cressman 46 Shabaka Hutchings DEPARTMENTS Rising Star–Trombone Rising Star–Jazz Group, Clarinet BY STEPHANIE JONES BY DAN OUELLETTE 8 First Take 94 Pro Session BY PETE MCCANN 53 Kit Downes 48 Sullivan Fortner 10 Chords & Discords Rising Star–Keyboard 96 Transcription Rising Star–Jazz Artist, Piano Rising Star–Organ Jon Irabagon BY PHILLIP LUTZ 13 The Beat BY AMMAR KALIA Tenor Sax Solo 49 Felix Pastorius 71 Reviews 98 Toolshed Rising Star–Bass 54 Sara Serpa Rising Star–Female Vocalist BY BILL MILKOWSKI 90 Wadada Leo 102 Jazz On Campus BY SUZANNE LORGE 50 Lauren Sevian Smith’s Art-Scores 106 Blindfold Test 56 Complete Critics Rising Star–Baritone Saxophone BY BILL MILKOWSKI Javon Jackson BY STEPHANIE JONES Poll Results 6 DOWNBEAT AUGUST 2019 First Take BY BOBBY REED ©PAUL NATKIN/PHOTO RESERVE, INC. Billy Boy Arnold (left) and Charlie Musselwhite perform at the Chicago Blues Festival on June 7. A Steady Stream of Blues A STURDY CURRENT OF BLUES MUSIC all together, and you’ve got an awesome play- flows through this issue of DownBeat. Part of list for a road trip to the Crescent City. Among this was planned, and part of it was coinciden- his Grammy-winning titles were 1992’s Goin’ tal. In our annual Critics Poll, the iconic Buddy Back To New Orleans (Best Traditional Blues Guy topped the Blues Artist or Group category, Album), 2008’s City That Care Forgot (Best and his scorching 2018 disc—the aptly titled The Contemporary Blues Album) and 2012’s Locked Blues Is Alive And Well (RCA)—was voted the Down (Best Blues Album). Indeed, the good doc- top blues album. tor was on intimate terms with the blues. Our 2019 Hall of Fame inductees include In the Chords & Discords section, we’ve got a pianist/vocalist Nina Simone and singer Joe letter heaping praise on the album Blues In My Williams, both towering, transcendent figures Blood by the agile duo Tiffany Pollack & Eric whose artistry was built with the blues as part Johanson. Along with original compositions, of the foundation. the album includes a potent interpretation of In The Beat, readers will find an article on Simone’s “Do I Move You?” (An interesting blues singer/guitar slinger Jimmie Vaughan, twist is that the reader discovered this satisfy- along with our recap of the 2019 Chicago Blues ing album by reading the advertisements in the Festival, which featured an excellent, eclec- Indie Life section of our June issue.) tic mix of rising stars, as well as veterans, such In the Blindfold Test, Javon Jackson correct- as harmonica wizards Billy Boy Arnold and ly identifies fellow jazz saxophonist Eric Charlie Musselwhite. Alexander after hearing “Hard Blues,” a track With heavy hearts, we present a fond fare- from his superb new album, Leap Of Faith well to Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack Jr. (Giant Step Arts). Jackson offers an insightful, (known around the world as Dr. John). thought-provoking response: “This is the blues. As a boy learning how to play the guitar, It all depends on how you evoke what the blues Rebennack studied the blues licks of Lightnin’ means to you. Do you want to play the blues like Hopkins and T-Bone Walker. As an adult, he Muddy Waters? Like John Lee Hooker? Like would craft his own sublime brand of bayou Miles? Like Charlie Parker?” boogie, honoring the New Orleans music tradi- With the April 1990 issue, DownBeat read- tions from which he sprang, while also putting ers saw a new motto appear on the cover of the his own stamp on the music and devising a magazine: Jazz, Blues & Beyond. That issue timeless persona. included David Whiteis’ article “Love of the Dr. John’s fruitful career yielded an impres- Old—Passion for the New: The New Generation sive 15 Grammy nominations and six wins. His of Blues Musicians.” Is that a topic you’d like to catalog includes five discs that were nominat- see us revisit in 2019? ed in the category Best Contemporary Blues Send an email to [email protected] to Album: Trippin’ Live (1997), Creole Moon (2001), share your thoughts about the blues (or any N’awlinz: Dis Dat Or D’udda (2004), Sippiana aspect of the magazine). We’re always eager to Hericane (2005) and Tribal (2010). Put them hear from our loyal readers. Thanks. DB 8 DOWNBEAT AUGUSTJULY 2019 2019 Chords Discords Perpetual Cooking This letter is in response to the First Take essay in the May issue, which invited comments on artists whose influences are discernible. One of my favorite younger tenor saxo- MICHAEL WILSON phonists is Joshua Redman. While Joshua is surely his own man, I pick up two distinct in- fluences in his playing. One is Sonny Rollins. Joshua reminds me of Sonny not only because of the body of trio work both men have pro- duced, but in his improvisations. Joshua’s so- los seem more based on rhythm and melody, like Sonny. Also, both men share a large, round sound and use the full range of the horn. The other strong influence I detect is Joe Henderson. Wynton Marsalis once stated that Joe played both “inside and outside” when he improvised. Joshua does this all the time, to my ears. He begins playing close to the mel- ody, and gets more and more abstract as the solo develops. I had the pleasure of seeing Joshua at the Blue Note a few weeks ago with his quartet, and he just cooked the entire time. TOM GUILFOYLE Joshua Redman AMBLER, PENNSYLVANIA Vastly Overrated Vinyl Pollack & Eric Johanson, who are cousins. In your July issue, the section We Love Vinyl My initial reaction to the ad’s claim of “their included three articles on the wonderfulness deep, gutsy feel for the blues” was that it of vinyl LPs.