JUNE 2017—ISSUE 182 YOUR FREE GUIDE TO THE NYC JAZZ SCENE NYCJAZZRECORD.COM CHRIS POTTER LIVING THE DREAM JEAN-LUC TOMEKA REUBEN PAUL PONTY REID WILSON MOTIAN Managing Editor: Laurence Donohue-Greene Editorial Director & Production Manager: Andrey Henkin To Contact: The New York City Jazz Record 66 Mt. Airy Road East JUNE 2017—ISSUE 182 Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520 United States Phone/Fax: 212-568-9628 New York@Night 4 Laurence Donohue-Greene: Interview : JEAN-LUC PONTY 6 by ken dryden [email protected] Andrey Henkin: [email protected] Artist Feature : tomeka reid 7 by clifford allen General Inquiries: [email protected] ON The COver : chris potter 8 by marilyn lester Advertising: [email protected] Encore : reuben wilson by alex henderson Calendar: 10 [email protected] VOXNews: Lest WE Forget : paul motian 10 by john pietaro [email protected] LAbel Spotlight : ROPEADOPE by mark keresman US Subscription rates: 12 issues, $40 11 Canada Subscription rates: 12 issues, $45 International Subscription rates: 12 issues, $50 For subscription assistance, send check, cash or vOXNEWS 11 by suzanne lorge money order to the address above or email [email protected] IN Memoriam Staff Writers 12 David R. Adler, Clifford Allen, Duck Baker, Fred Bouchard, Festival Report Stuart Broomer, Thomas Conrad, 13 Ken Dryden, Donald Elfman, Philip Freeman, Kurt Gottschalk, Tom Greenland, Anders Griffen, CD REviews 14 Alex Henderson, Marcia Hillman, Terrell Holmes, Robert Iannapollo, Suzanne Lorge, Mark Keresman, Miscellany 39 Marc Medwin, Ken Micallef, Russ Musto, John Pietaro, Joel Roberts, John Sharpe, Event Calendar 40 Elliott Simon, Andrew Vélez, Ken Waxman, Scott Yanow Contributing Writers Robert Bush, George Kanzler, Matthew Kassel, Marilyn Lester We have referenced poet John Donne’s 17th Century work “No Man Is an Island” in this space before but it seems like a particularly good time to revisit the concept. We are currently Contributing Photographers at the mercy of a president who can’t remember or won’t admit if he has ignored his advisers Anthony Alvarez, Bill Bungard, Caterina di Perri, Peter Gannushkin, or not, a small man who feels that he and he alone has the wisdom, knowledge, charisma and Rene Jakobson, Alan Nahigian, experience to solve complex issues that have befuddled generations. Another relevant quote is John Rogers, Robert I. Sutherland-Cohen Louis XV’s “Après moi, le déluge”, generally taken to mean that after the French king’s reign was over, little mattered to him; our current president’s motto instead is, “Before me, nothing Fact-checker of consequence happened”, demonstrated by his notion of historical significance in everything Nate Dorward related to him, regardless of its wild inaccuracy. Our feature subjects have far more humility and maturity. Saxophonist Chris Potter (On The Cover), violinist Jean-Luc Ponty (Interview) and cellist Tomeka Reid (Artist Feature) all speak of the musical communities of which they were a part, of how mentorship and partnership made them the musicians they are today. The same sentiment runs through the label profile on Ropeadope Records and is implied in every CD review, every calendar listing. nycjazzrecord.com If our president wants to be an island, he should buy one and relocate there permanently. On The Cover: Chris Potter (Bill Bungard Photography) In Correction: In last month’s crossword, Ig Henneman’s name was misspelled. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors. 2 JUNE 2017 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD JUNE 2017 WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND HIROMI DANILO PÉREZ/JOHN PATITUCCI/ 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION & EDMAR CASTANEDA DUET BRIAN BLADE TRIO JUNE 1 - 4 JUNE 6 - 11 JUNE 13 - 18 JACOB COLLIER MICHEL CAMILO TRIO CASSANDRA WILSON JUNE 20 - 21 JUNE 22 - 25 JUNE 29 - JULY 2 THE HOT SARDINES - BLUE NOTE RESIDENCY JUNE 5, 12, 19, 26 CHARLIE HADEN’S LIBERATION MUSIC ORCHESTRA W/ CARLA BLEY JUNE 27 • MCCOY TYNER JUNE 28 SPECIAL SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH $35 INCLUDES BRUNCH, MUSIC & COCKTAIL LATE NIGHTS PRODIGY OF MOBB DEEP WITH LIVE BAND - RESIDENCY LIVE AT BLUE NOTE JUNE 2 • TBA JUNE 3 TOO MANY ZOOZ LATE NIGHT WEEKEND TAKEOVER JUNE 9 & 10 • EMMET COHEN JUNE 16 • ANIMUS REXX JUNE 17 • TBA JUNE 23 & 24 TOBIAS MEINHART FT. 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TUE-SUN JUNE 27-JULY 2 CHARNETT MOFFETT’S NETTWORK 75TH birthday SCOTT TIXIER - BRIAN JACKSON - MARK WHITFIELD JR. LONNIE SMITH CELEBRATION THU-SUN JUNE 8-11 TUE-THU JUNE 27-29 FRI-SUN JUNE 30-JULY 2 JONATHAN KREISBERG ALICIA OLATUJA - SEAN JONES - ROBIN EUBANKS - JOHN ELLIS JOHNATHAN BLAKE JASON MARSHALL - JONATHAN KREISBERG - JOHNATHAN BLAKE ETIENNE CHARLES’ HMINGUS MONDAYSHMINGUS MONDAYSHMINGUS MONDAYSH CREOLE SOUL MON JUNE 5, 12, 19 & 26 IMMANUEL WILKINS - SULLIVAN FORTNER - JORGE GLEM - JONATHAN MICHEL - QUINCY PHILLIPS MINGUS BIG BAND TUE JUNE 13 HJAZZ BRUNCH SUNDAYSHJAZZ BRUNCH SUNDAYSH DAVID GILMORE GROUP $ MARK SHIM - VICTOR GOULD - CARLO DEROSA - EJ STRICKLAND 35 (MUSIC, FOOD AND A DRINK) WED JUNETHE 14 TheJAZZ BRUNC SmokestackH SUN JUNE 18 Peter Brendler BENOIT DELBECQ’S CONVERSATION 11:30AM MARK TURNER - JOHN HÉBERT - GERALD CLEAVER SUNDAYS 1:30PM SUN JUNE 25 VUYO SOTASHE NEW YORK @ NIGHT As local spaces for experimental music dwindle, it’s Behind The Appel Room stage a huge wall of windows good to know that there is a sacred home for creativity revealed a panoramic view of Central Park South, rows in Brooklyn Heights at the First Unitarian Universalist of red and white car lights wending through the drizzly Church, a Gothic Revival structure erected in 1844. Friday night (May 5th), an apt setting for guitarist While the surroundings may change (and the context), John Scofield’s second double-set. The first section, a this vaulted and resonant building has provided the revisiting of his 1996 album Quiet, included six horns foreground for a range of auditory explorers over the (three brass, three reeds) featuring tenor saxophonist last several years, lately hosting performances curated Joe Lovano. Scofield’s tangy tone and short, barbed by Blank Forms. May 2nd featured two particularly phrases linked into longer thematic chains, which appropriate sets utilizing far-flung instrumentation, stood in stark relief to the muted sonorities of the two beginning with the trio of Medieval flutist Norbert French horns, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone and Rodenkirchen, reed player Robbie Lee and bassist flutes—a bit like hearing Ray Charles’ gruff baritone James Ilgenfritz. Across five pieces divided into solos, against a treacly string section or chorus. Scofield’s duos and group improvisation, Ilgenfritz’ tugged playing, always interesting, and Lovano’s brief solo harmonic resources supported false-fingered unison spots, though tasteful, lacked the inspiration that leaps and transverse elisions. Lee’s palette, in addition elevates a concert into a jazz experience, though the to Baroque and Medieval flutes, also includes closer, “Rolf and the Gang”, was certainly headed in JUN-AUG | FREE contrabass recorder, chalumeau and gemshorn, that direction as drummer Bill Stewart, bolstered by alternately piping and globular. French conceptualist bassist Larry Grenadier, dug deeply into a swinging Jean-Luc Guionnet followed with a lengthy, multi- groove. The second section, comprising material from Sat, Jun 10, 7:00PM part work on the church’s organ. Known also as a Scofield’s 1986 album Blue Matter, recorded just after saxophonist and electronics artist, Guionnet’s use of his stint with Miles Davis, featured bassist Gary intervallic, twittering leaps against pillowy subtones Grainger and drummer Dennis Chambers, two of the ALICE SMITH and obsessive, glitchy cycles spoke as much to the funkiest musicians to play jazz. With Jim Beard on Bilal post-Eric Dolphy lineage as to the sonic architecture of keyboards, this set was definitely heavier, especially Iannis Xenakis (with whom he studied) and the during Scofield’s solos on the title track and “Trim”, Kris Bowers theatricality of Mauricio Kagel. In the darkened and where he coaxed a wide range of dynamics from his sparsely populated church, Guionnet’s cast shadows guitar without once pushing a pedal, highlights in an Fri, Jun 23, 7:30PM were those of a scientist and sculptor. —Clifford Allen otherwise fairly straightforward set. —Tom Greenland AMERICAN EXPRESS SERIES T PHAROAH SANDERS E N . C I Brooklyn Raga Massive: S U M Coltrane Tribute N W O T N W O Sat, Jun 24, 7:00PM D / N I BUD LIGHT MUSIC SERIES K N H S A I U G N I feat. N THE SOUL REBELS H A A G N R N E A TALIB KWELI, T L E P A PHAROAHE MONCH & Jean-Luc Guionnet @ First Unitarian Church John Scofield @ The Appel Room It’s a bit surprising that one of the foremost musician- Known for earlier work in seminal AfroCuban jazz KIRK KNIGHT scholars of John Coltrane’s music, saxophonist Andrew orchestras, in the latter part of his 50-plus-year career Goapele White, was not interviewed in the recent Coltrane Chucho Valdés has performed in smaller ensembles, documentary Chasing Trane.