NEW YORK January 2006 | No. 45 Your FREE Monthly Guide to the New York Jazz Scene newyork.allaboutjazz.com YUSEF LATEEF Roots & Routes Annie Ross • Ken Vandermark • ArtistShare • Enzo’s Jazz • Event Calendar piano by WORLD’S FINEST JAZZ CLUB & RESTAURANT • 131 W 3RD ST NYC • 212 475-8592 • WWW.BLUENOTEJAZZ.COM MONDAY NIGHTS • 8 & 10:30PM LATE NIGHT GROOVE SERIES • 12:30AM SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • 12:30&2:30PM DEBORAH DAVIS Jan 2 REGGIE WASHINGTON 4TET Fri Jan 6 DANA LEONG QUINTET Fri Jan 20 YUKIJURUSHI Jan 1 BENEFIT FOR LEUKEMIA SOCIETY EISHIN NOSE TRIO Jan 8 ALTER EGOS Sat Jan 7 DANIEL SADOWNICK Sat Jan 21 RONDI CHARLESTON Jan 9 'EnJ' - EIJIRO NAKAGAWA & JIM PUGH Jan 15 ROLAND GUERIN Jan 16 QUEEN AAMINAH Fri Jan 13 JONATHAN MARON Fri Jan 27 AYAKO SHIRASAKI TRIO Jan 22 NEW SOUND OF SOUL JAZZ SERIES ANGELA JOHNSON Jan 30 LICORICE Sat Jan 14 THE SQUARE EGG Sat Jan 28 TRIO RICOCHET Jan 29 NEW YORK MILAN TOKYO OSAKA NAGOYA 4]`@SaS`dObW]\a /ZZaV]ea BcSAc\%(!'(!^[ #&'#'# e(!^[aSb4`WAOb BcSAObOTbS`V]c`aaSb eeeXOZQ]`U C>AB/@BA 4`SRS`WQY>@]aS6OZZ ;]\ROga%(!'(!^[ 6][S]T8OhhOb:W\Q]Z\1S\bS` 0`]OReOgOb$bVAb`SSb#bVÀ]]` 8O\cO`g% ;O`Y=¸1]\\]` BO^G]c`7\\S`8Ohh 6]bAeW\U e@]PS`bO5O[PO`W\W6]eO`R/ZRS\ 0`gO\Acbb]\8]\0c`` /4B3@6=C@A(5`SbQVS\>O`ZOb]1] 8O\cO`g!& 8O\cO`g " ' 8]Sg2S4`O\QSaQ]B`W] ;cZU`Se;WZZS` /4B3@6=C@A(>O^O8]V\2S4`O\QSaQ]B`W] O\REW\Ua^O\ 8O\cO`g# eAbSdS<SZa]\2cO\S3cPO\YaAbSdSEWZa]\ 7dO\BOgZ]`@]R\Sg5`SS\ BVS;caWQ]T /4B3@6=C@A(5S]`US1]ZZWUO\B`W] B][[g4ZO\OUO\ 8O\cO`g!4SP`cO`g# O\R;WZb8OQYa]\ e:SeWa<OaV@S\SS@]a\SaAbSdS<SZa]\ AVORSa]T8ORS >SbS`EOaVW\Ub]\ e;O`Y8]V\a]\8]S:]dO\]3ZWO\S3ZWOa8]Sg0O`]\ /4B3@6=C@A(7/83/eO`REW\\S`a /4B3@6=C@A(<ObVOZWSR4O[WZgeWbV;O`Q1O`g NEW YORK So after turkey overload during Thanksgiving and the exhausting festivity of the holiday season (made extra special by our transit strike), most of us can hope to New York@Night take it easy during January. Don’t count on it. Better make some time in your 4 schedule for the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) 2006 Interview: Annie Ross Conference, four days of all things jazz from performances to panels to clinics to 6 by Marcia Hillman the awarding of the 2006 NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships to general schmoozing (Jan. 11th-14th, visit www.iaje.org for more information). See pgs. 28-31 of the CD Artist Feature: Ken Vandermark reviews for a preview of some of this year’s performers and participants. 7 by Andrey Henkin And as a bonus, as if New York didn’t have enough concerts already, most NYC venues are hosting extra and extra special performances during that week, Label Spotlight: ArtistShare including double and triple bills and late night jam sessions. One particularly 8 by Brian Lonergan exciting event is the first of a series of Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts focusing on important cities in jazz history; the inaugural installment is “Detroit: Motor City” Club Profile: Enzo’s Jazz featuring a rare appearance by Yusef Lateef (On The Cover, pg. 9). Not as rare but by Suzanne Lorge just as special are our Interview (pg. 6) and Artist Feature (pg. 7), vocalist Annie Ross and reedman Ken Vandermark respectively. On The Cover: Yusef Lateef Other coverage in this first issue of 2006 is also vaguely inspired by the 9 by Thomas Greenland IAJE: George Russell (Encore, pg. 11) was a previously awarded NEA Jazz Master; ArtistShare (Label Spotlight, pg. 8) will have heavy presence at this Megaphone VOX News year’s conference; and Enzo’s Jazz (Club Profile, pg. 8) is a new club to appear in 10 by Joel Harrison by Tessa Souter the most important jazz city in the world, the main reason the IAJE has decided to make NYC its permament conference home from now on. Encore: George Russell But big events and spectacles aside, January is just another month full of 11 by Ed Hazell endless concerts to be enjoyed. Now that we have subway service again and you have already set aside your post-New Year diet, go out and get your fill of all the Lest We Forget: Harold Ashby music that the city has to offer. by Donald Elfman See you at the shows... 12 Listen Up! Sebastian Noelle & Robert Stillman Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor Andrey Henkin, Editorial Director CD Reviews: Bill Frisell, Dick Griffin, Mark Whitecage, Herb Robertson, Milt Jackson, Will Calhoun & more On the cover: YUSEF LATEEF, Alice Tully Hall, 02-25-2000. 13 Photograph © 2000 Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos. Event Calendar 34 Correction: In the December 2005 Encore, Reece’s first name is Alphonso, not Alfonso. Of several factual errors in the Taylor Ho Bynum CD review, most glaring 39 Club Directory was that Bynum only plays cornet, not trumpet, on the album. Submit Letters to the Editor at newyork.allaboutjazz.com Miscellany In Memoriam • Birthdays • On This Day 43 U.S. Subscription rates: 12 issues, $25. (International: 12 issues, $35) For subscription assistance, send check, cash or money order to the address below. AllAboutJazz-New York A Publication of AllAboutJazz.com Managing Editor Laurence Donohue-Greene Mailing Address AllAboutJazz-New York Editorial Director & Production Andrey Henkin 116 Pinehurst Avenue, ste. J41 Publisher Michael Ricci New York, NY 10033 Staff Writers David R. Adler, Clifford Allen, Ty Cumbie, Donald Elfman, Sean Fitzell, Ken Franckling, Kurt Gottschalk, Thomas Greenland, Advertising Sales Laurence Donohue-Greene Marcia Hillman, Terrell Holmes, Francis Lo Kee, [email protected] Brian Lonergan, Russ Musto, Brandt Reiter, Joel Roberts, Andrew Rowan, Elliott Simon, Event Listings Andrey Henkin Tessa Souter, Jeff Stockton, Celeste Sunderland, Andrew Veléz, Florence Wetzel [email protected] Contributing Writers Ernest Barteldes, Ken Dryden, Joel Harrison, Ed Hazell, Karen Hogg, Robert Iannapollo, Printed by Expedi Printing, Brooklyn, NY Judith Insell, George Kanzler, Suzanne Lorge, Abe Pollack, Michael Puccio, Gregory Robb, Greg Thomas All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. All material copyrights property of the authors. ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK | January 2006 3 NEW YORK @ NIGHT At Makor (Dec. 14th), guitarist Joel Harrison Though what month isn’t one for jazz piano in NYC, premiered an extended five-movement composition December seemed particularly piano-heavy with duo titled “The Wheel”, employing double-quartet piano concerts at Merkin Hall, Birdland and Jazz instrumentation that bring Patrick Zimmerli’s jazz/ Gallery, the latter with five straight piano duo nights Dec. 28-Jan. 1: GATO BARBIERI classical hybrids to mind. Harrison is more the in the midst of their 10th Anniversary celebration. Americana buff, however; violinists Todd Reynolds Qualifying as a late entry into one of this year’s best Jan. 5-8: and Christian Howes conveyed that flavor early in the performances (Dec. 16th), pianists Vijay Iyer and BEATLEJAZZ first movement “American Farewell”. The suite Amina Claudine Myers gelled so naturally they Dave Kikoski, Boris Kozlov, Brian Melvin involved dense interplay between strings (with violist achieved the rare feat of two distinct stylistic pianists Caleb Burhans and cellist Wendy Sutter) and an sounding like one. In Myers’ own words, “Playing Jan. 12-15: efficient horn section featuring trumpeter Russ with Vijay is like playing with myself!” The two WALLACE RONEY Johnson and alto saxist David Binney. Bassist Lindsey naturally complemented each other without Horner and drummer Dan Weiss provided the reluctance, nor being overtly preoccupied with one’s Jan. 18: THE BAD PLUS rhythmic juice. Harrison added guitar colors on the own or the other’s playing, comping as mere Jan. 19: RAVI COLTRANE; THE BAD PLUS Jan. 20-22: RAVI COLTRANE middle three movements but did not solo. background or regressing to competitive tactics - The brisk patterns and ostinatos of the first all common detractors to this unique instrumentation. Jan. 25-29: BILL CHARLAP movement led to the haunting 5/4 lope and trumpet On pianos of legends (once belonging to Carmen solo of “Blues Circle”. Sutter opened the third McRae and Paul Desmond respectively), the two Feb. 2-5: DR. LONNIE SMITH movement “Rising” with angular cello lines, setting displayed an immediate trust in this first-time up a bright tempo and a scorching Binney solo over a collaboration, performing an even mix of originals straight-eighth feel in seven. The fourth movement (Iyer’s previously recorded “Plastic Bag”), ‘free’ EVERY WEDNESDAY: “We Have Been the Victims of a Broken Promise” creations (“By Way Of” found Iyer letting as much ED PALERMO BIG BAND evoked a dark and wistful mood, with cello in the lead hair down as Myers’ beautiful long braids) and THE MUSIC OF FRANK ZAPPA melody. Horner and Reynolds weighed in with standards (Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” theme arose from passionate improvisations. The finale “Ceaseless a Radiohead-like repetition from Myers’ “My True Motion” began with polyrhythmic violins and worked Love” opening, Iyer subtly pressing strings with one up to another heated Binney solo, with Weiss hand while striking keys with the other, a percussive (Binney’s drummer of choice) fanning the flames. effect that eventually and ideally insinuated Monk). -David R. Adler - Laurence Donohue-Greene ©John Rogers/www.flickr.com/photos/crayonsemble Jacob Blickenstaff / www.33-13.com Joel Harrison, Makor, Dec. 14th Vijay Iyer and Amina Claudine Myers, Jazz Gallery, Dec. 16th Saxophonist/composer Patrick Zimmerli is in the Boston-based pianist Donal Fox has been performing midst of a year-long residency at the Triad, bringing his “Monk and Bach Project” for five years with a different ideas and guests to the bandstand every rotating rhythm section and stellar results.