DB0609_001_COVER.qxd 4/16/09 4:17 PM Page 1 DOWNBEAT BÉLA FLECK KEN VANDERMARK NELSBÉLA ROBERTS 32 & ALEX CLINE MARCUS FLECK KEN VANDERMARK ND ANNUAL STUDENT MUSIC AWARDS ANNUAL DownBeat.com $4.99 06 JUNE 2009 0 09281 01493 5 JUNE 2009 U.K. £3.50 DB0609_002-005_MAST.qxd 4/15/09 12:24 PM Page 2 DB0609_002-005_MAST.qxd 4/15/09 12:24 PM Page 3 DB0609_002-005_MAST.qxd 4/15/09 12:24 PM Page 4 June 2009 VOLUME 76 – NUMBER 6 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Jason Koransky Associate Editor Aaron Cohen Art Director Ara Tirado Production Associate Andy Williams Bookkeeper Margaret Stevens Circulation Manager Kelly Grosser ADVERTISING SALES Record Companies & Schools Jennifer Ruban-Gentile 630-941-2030 [email protected] Musical Instruments & East Coast Schools Ritche Deraney 201-445-6260 [email protected] Classified Advertising Sales Sue Mahal 630-941-2030 [email protected] OFFICES 102 N. Haven Road Elmhurst, IL 60126–2970 630-941-2030 Fax: 630-941-3210 www.downbeat.com [email protected] CUSTOMER SERVICE 800-554-7470 [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Senior Contributors: Michael Bourne, John McDonough, Howard Mandel Austin: Michael Point; Boston: Fred Bouchard, Frank-John Hadley; Chicago: John Corbett, Alain Drouot, Michael Jackson, Peter Margasak, Bill Meyer, Mitch Myers, Paul Natkin, Howard Reich; Denver: Norman Provizer; Indiana: Mark Sheldon; Iowa: Will Smith; Los Angeles: Earl Gibson, Todd Jenkins, Kirk Silsbee, Chris Walker, Joe Woodard; Michigan: John Ephland; Minneapolis: Robin James; Nashville: Robert Doerschuk; New Orleans: Erika Goldring, David Kunian; New York: Alan Bergman, Herb Boyd, Bill Douthart, Ira Gitler, Eugene Gologursky, Norm Harris, D.D. 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Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. MAHER PUBLICATIONS: DOWNBEAT magazine, MUSIC INC. magazine, UpBeat Daily. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: DOWNBEAT, P.O. BOX 906, Elmhurst, IL 60126–0906. CABLE ADDRESS: DOWNBEAT (on sale April 21, 2009) MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Á DB0609_002-005_MAST.qxd 4/15/09 12:25 PM Page 5 DB0609_006-007_INSIDE.qxd 4/15/09 12:31 PM Page 6 DB Inside Departments 8 First Take 10 Chords & Discords 13 The Beat 17 Backstage With ... Kendra Shank 19 European Scene 34 Marcus Roberts 22 Caught CISFR/DALLE 24 Players 28 Béla Fleck Gerald Clayton Thrown Into Deep Water | By Geoffrey Himes Mike Holober Melissa Morgan The banjoist appears to not know how to just work on something as a side pro- ject. First he starts a project, and next thing he knows, he has immersed himself Garrison Fewell into a new musical vein. From his new Africa project to his work with the Sparrow Quartet and Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussein—not to mention his ongo- 53 Indie Life ing, immensely popular Flecktones—Fleck stands as one of the most inquisitive, adventurous players in improvised music. 57 Reviews Features 100 Toolshed 34 Marcus Roberts 75 nd 104 Master Class 32 Annual J Master’s Return By Howard Reich 105 Transcription 40 Nels & Alex Cline 108 Legal Session Confluence of Divergence By Josef Woodard 99 Educator Hall of Fame & 114 Blindfold Test Achievement Awards Kenny Werner 46 Ken Vandermark Refreshing Initiative By Peter Margasak 60 Lynne Arriale 61 Branford Marsalis 62 Jason Marsalis 70 Amadou & Mariam 6 DOWNBEAT June 2009 Cover photography by Jimmy Katz. Taken at Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, N.Y. DB0609_006-007_INSIDE.qxd 4/15/09 12:27 PM Page 7 DB0609_008-009_FT.qxd 4/15/09 12:29 PM Page 8 First Take By Jason Koransky Béla Fleck: African collaborations COURTESY BÉLA FLECK Curiosity Creations I first met Béla Fleck in 2000, around midnight Awards. Once again, the judges did amazing at a hotel lobby in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. The work listening to the boxes of entries that we Flecktones had headlined the evening concert at received. They had hundreds of difficult deci- the Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival, and the post- sions to make to cull the best from this magnifi- show festival “hang” was in full swing, with cent batch of entries and pick the winners, which Christian McBride and Russell Malone fronting shows the amazing level of student talent that their respective groups in two separate rooms at exists around the world. The complete list of the festival’s official hotel. Being Spain, the winners, and stories on some of the winners, can music would last until near dawn. be found on Page 75. Fleck had played a long show, but this did Besides prodigious chops, a willingness to not stop him from delving into more music. Not explore music beyond standard jazz fare makes long into our conversation, the banjoist told me the SMA winners stand out from the pack. They that he had recently started to learn about Indian have open minds, and exhibit the potential (and classical music, studying the complex tala rhyth- ability) to create individual sounds on their mic patterns and raga melodies. Next thing I instruments or with their voices. They can look knew, I was counting and clapping along with to Fleck as an example of someone who, even Fleck in 5, 7, 9, 15—honestly, I can’t recall the though he has is a virtuoso on his instrument, specific patterns, but they weren’t your standard never rests in his laurels. I know that the some of 4/4 swing. Fleck had such enthusiasm about the the winners in this year’s Student Music Awards new music he was learning, as this helped to will be making music as adventurous as Fleck’s stoke the fire of his immense musical curiosity. in the not so distant future. This sense of exploration is a trademark of Other artists featured in this issue, including Fleck’s music—you never know what direction twin brothers guitarist Nels and drummer Alex the Flecktones may go in, or what guest instru- Cline (Page 40) and multireedist Ken Vander- mentalist will appear on their album or at one of mark (Page 46), have also built their reputations their concerts. This month’s cover story on by smashing musical boundaries and engaging Fleck by Geoffrey Himes (Page 28) emerges in pursuits of new musical frontiers. from new musical directions apart from the Marcus Roberts has taken a slightly different Flecktones that Fleck has veered toward because route. As Howard Reich explains in his story on of his curiosity. Most prominently, his travels to the pianist on Page 34, Roberts delves into the Africa resulted in an album and documentary, repertoire of the jazz and classical masters (his and he has recently toured the U.S. with a num- new album, after all, is called New Orleans ber of the African musicians from the album. Meets Harlem, Vol. 1, and features the music of His relentless search for new music has helped the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington him produce one musical surprise after another. and Fats Waller). His goal is to fully explore the “There’s such pleasure in learning new work of the past masters. music,” Fleck told Himes. “I love busting my “Genius is a timeless thing,” Roberts said ass and feeling like I’ve got it.” “It’s never a question of looking back to Fleck’s openness to new music stands as a something.” good example to all of the winners and entrants That sure sounds like another valuable lesson of this year’s 32nd Annual Student Music from a master to the SMA winners. DB 8 DOWNBEAT June 2009 DB0609_008-009_FT.qxd 4/15/09 12:30 PM Page 9 DB0609_010-011_CHORDS.qxd 4/15/09 12:30 PM Page 10 Chords & Discords Shared Milestones Last year marked a major milestone for the Gretsch family as we celebrated 125 years manufacturing drums and guitars. This year is a milestone for DownBeat, as you mark your 75th anniversary. Over the past 75 years, you’ve had some of the greatest jazz musicians grace the pages of your magazine, sev- eral of whom we’re proud to say were Gretsch artists of the day.