January/February 2020

January / February 2020

Volume 48 Issue 1

www.njjs.org Magazine of the New Jersey Jazz Society

Dedicated to the performance, promotion and preservation of jazz.

ALL THAT’S JAZZ!

By Cydney Halpin President, NJJS

Happy New Year!!

It’s been my privilege to serve the New Jersey Jazz Society as board president this past year and I’d like to begin the New Year by thanking my fellow board members for all of their vision, hard work and dedication to the continued development and growth of NJJS. With an attitude of gratitude I’d like to thank the people and companies who generously supported the ongoing efforts and operations of NJJS in 2019: Tom Donohoe, Owner - Shanghai Jazz Restaurant & Bar; Susan Yates & Andrew Bernstein, Owners, Jim Hecox, General Manager, and the staff - Best Western Plus Morristown Inn; our past editor and art director/co-editor of Jersey Jazz Magazine Tony Mottola and Linda Lobdell; Sanford Josephson - new editor and Steve Kirchuk new art director of Jersey Jazz; Rich Steinberg and the crew at Bernardsville Print Center; Don Braden, Educational Advisor - NJJS; The Bickford Theater; 1867 Sanctuary; The Grunin Center and the McCarter Center.

Please patronize their businesses and gigs and thank them for all they do in the name of jazz preservation. Lists are tricky and my apologies if I’ve inadvertently omitted anyone.

I’d also like to acknowledge and thank all of the Jersey Jazz contributors and photographers: Fradley Gardner, Mitchell Seidel, Dan Morgenstern, Bill Crow, Schaen Fox, Jim Gerard, Sandy

Ingham, Sanford Josephson, Gloria Krolak, Joe Lang, Tony Mottola, Vicki Fox, Tony Graves, Fran Kaufman, Fed Mcintosh, Christopher Drukker and John Herr whose volunteerism and expertise fill these journal pages month after month.

Without advertisers, there would be no Jersey Jazz magazine.

Thank you to all who advertise throughout the year, and have done so year after year. Your dedication and presence allows NJJS to keep publishing this award winning journal, as membership fees alone are insufficient for a publication of this caliber.

With much appreciation, I’d like to acknowledge our grantors: Morris Arts - through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment of the Arts - whose support helps fund our Sunday Socials and who have generously committed to continued funding in 2020, the Rea Charitable Trust and Investors Bank whose support helps fund the Generations of Jazz program.

Lastly, I’d like to acknowledge and thank our NJJS members and patrons. YOU are the heart and soul of this organization and why we will celebrate our 48th year dedicated to the performance, promotion and preservation of jazz.

Jazz music requires collaboration. Our Not Without YOU! annual appeal campaign kicked off in December and we need YOU to join

IN THIS ISSUE: On the cover: Dan Morgenstern, Courtesy of Institute of Jazz Studies.

COLUMNS

ARTICLES/REVIEWS

All That’s Jazz!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Editor’s Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Jazz Trivia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Guest Column: Ed Coyne.. . . . . . . . . . 39 Dan’s Den . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Not Without You!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 From the Crow’s Nest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Noteworthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Dan Morgenstern’s 90th Birthday . . . . 5 NJJS Jazz Socials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Mariel Bildsten at the Bickford . . . . . . 8 Lew Tabackin in Metuchen. . . . . . . . . 10 Talking Jazz with Gene Perla . . . . . . . 12 Tony Bennett at the State Theatre . . . 18 Maurice Hines at NJPAC . . . . . . . . . . 20 Diva + the Boys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Caught in the Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Giants of Jazz: Harold Mabern . . . 26-27 Django’s Rare Solos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 News from WBGO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 North Carolina Jazz Festival . . . . . . . . 34 Sarasota Jazz Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Jazz at 1867 Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Rufus Reid BB at Dizzy’s . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Big Band in the Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Other Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

THANK YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS: 1867 Sanctuary, Amani, Arbors Records, Centenary Stage Co., Chicken Fat Ball, Grover Kemble, Jim Eigo – Jazz Promo Services, James Pansulla, Jazz Club of Sarasota, Jazzdagen Tours, JazzFest at Sea, Jazzology, Lance Bryant, Leonieke Scheuble, Mark Clemente - Chord Melodies, Metuchen Arts Council, McCarter Theatre, North Carolina Jazz Festival, NJCU, Ocean County College, Ramapo College - Berrie Center, Rutherfurd Hall, Sandy Sasso, Shanghai Jazz, SOPAC, Swingadelic, WBGO

2

January / February 2020

with us in this collaborative effort. Thanks to the dedication and generosity of members and patrons like you, last year’s campaign raised over $10,000 allowing us to provide better working wages for NJJS hired musicians while maintaining our college scholarship program, monthly socials and NJJS sponsored events. These endeavors don’t happen without the generous support from our donors. Thank you!

If you haven’t already contributed to this campaign, please consider a generous taxdeductible donation, to make a difference in the lives of school children, scholarship recipients, musicians and audiences. Credit card donations can be made online at www.NJJS.org/Donate or by mail to: NJJS, 382 Springfield Ave, Suite 217, Summit, NJ 07901. Please make check payable to NJJS. Would you like to maximize the impact of your gift? You can if you work for an employer that has a matching gift program. Please check with your Human Resources Department for more information.

As we continue to expand our programming, look to grow our membership, attract more corporate sponsorship and honor jazz and its musicians as uniquely American art forms, we are grateful for your stewardship. Memberships, Gift Memberships, Memorials and Tributes, Corporate Matching Programs, Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts are all ways to partner and celebrate with NJJS in the promotion and preservation of jazz.

On behalf of my fellow board members, thank you for all you do to support jazz performance and education. Together we are preserving the future of America’s great art form - jazz!

Jersey Jazz Magazine of the New Jersey Jazz Society Volume 48 • Issue 1 USPS® PE6668

Jersey Jazz (ISSN 07405928) is published bi-monthly for members of The New Jersey Jazz Society, 382 Springfield Ave., Suite 217, Summit NJ 07901

908-273-7827 info@njjs.org Membership fee is $45/year. Periodical postage paid at West Caldwell, NJ. Postmaster please send address changes to 382 Springfield Ave. Suite 217, Summit NJ 07901 All material in Jersey Jazz, except where another copyright holder is explicitly acknowledged, is copyright ©New Jersey Jazz Society 2019.

All rights reserved. Use of this material is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the NJJS.

Sanford Josephson Editor email: editor@njjs.org

Steve Kirchuk Art Director email: art@njjs.org

Fradley Garner International Editor

I’m saddened to report the death of Sheilia Lenga - longtime NJJS member, past board member, jazz enthusiast and generous patron. The board and I wish to extend our deepest condolences to her family and to her partner Jack Sinkway. Please see page 42 for more information about her life and legacy.

The Board and I also extend our deepest condolences to the Iovino Family on the loss of Michael Iovino - longtime NJJS member and avid jazz lover - and thank them for their generous In Memoriam governance as they graciously channeled “in lieu of flowers” donations to NJJS.

email: fradleygarner@gmail.com

Mitchell Seidel Contributing Photo Editor email: photo@njjs.org Contributing Editors

Dan Morgenstern, Bill Crow, Schaen Fox, Sandy Ingham, Joe Lang Contributing Photographers

Christopher Drukker Tony Graves

NEW JERSEY JAZZ SOCIETY OFFICERS 2019

Cydney Halpin President

Please join me in welcoming Holli Ross to our Board of Advisors. Holli is a dedicated music educator and professor with positions at Hofstra and Montclair Universities, is a licensed voice therapist and a “top tier jazz vocalist” both as a solo artist and as part of the Royal Bopsters. She’s a longtime member of NJJS and we’re delighted she’ll be working to help further shape our college partnerships scholarship initiative and student outreach program.

email: pres@njjs.org

Jay Dougherty Executive VP email: vicepresident@njjs.org

Mike Katz Treasurer email: treasurer@njjs.org

Pete Grice VP, Membership email: membership@njjs.org

Sanford Josephson VP, Publicity

If you are an NJJS member - and haven’t already done so - please help us more easily manage your membership by creating an online account at www.njjs.org/Join & Support. There are “Website Account Setup Instructions” to help you successfully complete your registration. 2020 poses many challenges and opportunities for NJJS but together we will make this year a success!!

“Turn your Amazon purchases into a force for good.” NJJS has joined the AmazonSmile Gives program where 0.5% of the price of your eligible smile.amazon.com purchases will go directly to us! It’s the same Amazon you know but a separate website. Same products, same service - but to generate donations you must ALWAYS SHOP AT smile.amazon.com.

email: sanford.josephson@gmail.com

Carrie Jackson VP, Music Programming music@njjs.org

Irene Miller Recording Secretary Jack Stine Co-Founder Mike Katz Immediate Past President DIRECTORS Danny Bacher, Ted Clark, David Dilzell, Cynthia Feketie, Stephen Fuller, Peter Lin, Caryl Anne McBride, Robert McGee, James Pansulla, Stew Schiffer, Mitchell Seidel, Marcia Steinberg, Elliott Tyson­, Jackie Wetcher, ADVISORS Don Braden, Bob Porter, Al Kuehn, Holli Ross

www.njjs.org Printed by: Bernardsville Print Center

January / February 2020

3

THE EDITOR’S CHOICE

Leonieke Scheuble Loves ‘Blues Aspect’ of Hard Bop

By Sanford Josephson There is no shortage of young jazz musicians who have embraced traditional swing music. But 17-year-old keyboardist Leonieke Scheuble is taking a different path. She is fascinated with the hard bop music of the 1950s and early ‘60s. I first became aware of that when I saw her lead a quintet this past August at Red Bank’s summer Jazz in the Park series. The band consisted of her father, drummer Nick Scheuble, 91-year-old bassist Bill Crow, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, and tenor saxophonist Adam Brenner. The selections included Bobby Timmons’ “Dat Dere” and “Moanin’”, Horace Silver’s “Senor Blues”, Nat Adderley’s “Worksong”, and Clifford Brown’s “George’s Dilemma”.

“Music has always been in our house,” Scheuble told me. “ I grew up hearing [Lee Morgan’s] ‘Sidewinder’, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, and Clifford Brown. Hard bop has a blues aspect, and I’ve always gravitated toward tunes that are bluesy.”

The Red Bank concert was her first time leading a quintet, and it was clear she was in charge. “It’s kind of unbelievable to have this opportunity,” she acknowledges. “These musicians are legends. But one thing I noticed in Red Bank is we’ve all had similar influences. We just blended together. It was amazing to play with someone like Bill Crow.

He knew people like Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. I’m 17, and he’s in his 90s. That’s what I love about jazz; there’s no age discrimination. “ In October, the quintet appeared at Clement’s Place in Newark, and Scheuble is hoping to bring it to Shanghai Jazz in Madison. At Clement’s Place, she says, “People were moving in their seats and clapping with the band.”

Her favorite pianist from the hard bop era is Timmons. “Right before Mr. [Harold] Mabern passed away, I got to play with him in a practice room at William Paterson, and we played ‘Dat Dere’ together.” Other piano heroes are Wynton Kelly, Bud Powell, and Cedar Walton.

Scheuble says she listens to music all day long. “I probably listen more than I practice. I hear these legends, how they flow over the chord changes. They all kind of tell a story. I just love it because it’s amazing to me, developing my ear to listen to the language. If you were to learn French from a book, instead of listening, you wouldn’t speak the same.

It’s the same with music.”

On Saturday night, February 15, Scheuble will be performing with her trio -- her father on drums and Tim Givens on bass -- at the Morristown United Methodist Church. On the afternoon of March 11, she will be bringing the trio to the Wayne Public Library, and sometime in March -- date not yet determined -- she will lead a five-piece Latin group, “in the lineage of The Jazz Messengers, Clifford Brown, and Horace Silver” at the Kearny Public Library.

A senior at Morris Hills High School in Rockaway, Scheuble has applied to five colleges/universities: Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, William Paterson, Purchase College, and City College of New York. “I want to stay local,” she says, “in order to be near the New York-New Jersey jazz scene.” Any one of those schools would be lucky to have her.

4

January/ February 2020

About NJJS Founded in 1972, The New Jersey Jazz Society has diligently maintained its mission to promote and preserve America’s great art form – jazz.

To accomplish our mission, we produce a bi-monthly magazine, Jersey Jazz; sponsor live jazz events; and provide scholarships to New Jersey college students studying jazz. Through our outreach program Generations of Jazz, we provide interactive programs focused on the history of jazz The Society is run by a board of directors who meet monthly to conduct Society business. NJJS membership is comprised of jazz devotees from all parts of the state, the country and the world.

Visit www.njjs.org or email info@njjs.org for more information on our programs and services.

MEMBER BENEFITS 10 FREE Concerts Annually at our “Sunday Socials” Bi-Monthly Award Winning Jersey Jazz Magazine - Featuring Articles, Interviews, Reviews, Events and More.

Discounts at NJJS Sponsored Concerts & Events.

Discounts at Participating Venues and Restaurants Support for Our Scholarship and Generations of Jazz Programs Musician Members FREE Listing on NJJS.org “Musicians List” with Individual Website Link FREE Gig Advertising in our Bi-monthly eBlast The Record Bin A collection of CDs & LPs available at reduced prices at most NJJS concerts and events and through mail order www.njjs.org/ Store JOIN NJJS Family/Individual $45 (Family includes to 2 Adults and 2 children under 18 years of age) Family/Individual 3-Year $115 Musician Member $45 / 3-Year $90 (one time only, renewal at standard basic membership level.)

Youth $15 - For people under 21 years of age. Date of Birth Required.

Give-A-Gift $25 - Members in good standing may purchase unlimited gift memberships. Applies to New Memberships only.

Fan $100 Jazzer $250 Sideman $500 Bandleader $750 Corporate Membership $1000 Members at Jazzer level and above and Corporate Membership receive special benefits. Please contact Membership@njjs.org for details.

The New Jersey Jazz Society is qualified as a tax exempt cultural organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, Federal ID 23-7229339. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

For more Information or to join, visit www.njjs.org

DAN MORGENSTERN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY

Saluting ‘Lifelong Lover of the Music Called Jazz’ When Dan Morgenstern retired as Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at RutgersNewark in 2012, the official announcement pointed out that he “has held many titles over his lifetime: Author. Historian. Editor.

Archivist. National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. Grammy Award winner (eight times) for album notes. Director of Jazz Studies (IJS) since 1976. But the title held longest, and the one from which all the others will flow is ‘lifelong lover of the music called jazz’.”

Seven years since his retirement, Morgenstern still lives up to that title, and on October 23, 2019, the day before his 90th birthday, many of his friends in the jazz world helped him celebrate this latest milestone. The setting was Birdland during David Ostwald’s weekly

(among others) Louis Armstrong in 1929 and Lester Young, Billie Holiday, and Teddy Wilson in 1958. First, Morgenstern thanked everyone for coming out, adding that, “For those who don’t know me, I hope I won’t chase you out.” He acknowledged his “vocal coach”, Daryl Sherman, and proceeded to sing “in the key of G”. Skonberg recalled that, at the end of the melody, “all the horns were anxious to jump in for solos, but he commandeered a swinging scat chorus.”

That scat chorus, added Ostwald was “the highlight of the evening -- Dan’s singing ‘When You’re Smiling’ with the band, including a note-for-note scat version of Lester Young’s solo.

Pointing out that Morgenstern’s birthday has been celebrated for several years during

Morgenstern, in Ostwald’s view, “has meant so much to the jazz community in a wide variety of ways.” “For me and all the other musicians who weren’t around to hear and meet our idols in person, Dan makes their presence real in the stories he tells and writes about. It is a matter of great fantasizing for me and so many of my colleagues to imagine what being there was like when Louis and Duke recorded their one album together, or when Jack Bradley photographed Louis in the raw, or when Dave Brubeck rehearsed with Louis for the Real Ambassadors album, among dozens of dreams Dan has made real for me.”

Tabackin played what Ostwald described as an “ethereal rendition of ‘My Ideal’ (Richard A. Whiting/Newell Chase).” Riccardi

From left, jazz historian Phil Schaap, Jazz Lives’ Michael Steinman, Dan Morgenstern, jazz writer-critic Will Friedwald, Mosaic Records’ Scott Wenzel, David Ostwald, and Louis Armstrong scholar Ricky Riccardi.

gig, leading the Louis Armstrong Eternity Band. The band that night, in addition to Ostwald on tuba, included Bria Skonberg on trumpet, Will Anderson on clarinet and alto sax, Jim Fryer on trombone, Jared Engel on 4-string plectrum resophonic guitar, Arnt Arntzen on banjo and guitar, and Alex Raderman on drums. There were several other notable guests including vocalist Catherine Russell, vocalist/pianist Daryl Sherman, tenor saxophonist/flutist Lew Tabackin, Louis Armstrong scholar Ricky Riccardi, trumpeter Joe Boga and writer/ critic Will Friedwald.

But the star of the night was none other than Morgenstern himself, who treated the crowd to his vocal rendition of “When You’re Smiling”, written by Mark Fisher, Joe Goodwin, and Larry Shay and recorded by

Ostwald’s Wednesday night Birdland engagement, Sherman related that, “In the course of things, my role developed as Dan’s piano accompanist and vocal coach. He’ll email his song choices and, closer to the event, we sort of rehearse on the phone so I can find his key. He really thinks about what and how he wants to sing. That became quite evident on this special 90th birthday. I was surprised when Dan told me he wanted to try, ‘When You’re Smiling” -- especially as he continued to describe how he would scat the second chorus (he’d learned from Lester Young on a recording with Teddy Wilson). I took a listen to that great solo, but thought ‘yikes, I couldn’t sing this!’ But, sure enough, that night, as Dan Morgenstern sang on the Birdland stage, and I was playing piano, I saw all the musicians around him widely grinning in surprise.”

videotaped the proceedings and posted the video on his Facebook page with this comment: “Happy 90th Birthday to my hero, the greatest of them all, Dan Morgenstern!” He urged everyone to “Dig the scat chorus . . . What a night...what a man!”

Morgenstern, who was born in Vienna, arrived in New York in 1947. Before becoming IJS Director, he spent seven years as editor of Down Beat Magazine, was the last editor of Metronome and the first editor of Jazz Magazine. He is the author of Jazz People (H.N. Abrams: 1976) and Living With Jazz (Pantheon: 2004) and is a regular columnist for Jersey Jazz (see “Dan’s Den”, page 40).

But, above all, says Ostwald, Morgenstern is, “warm, curious, and always a great hang.” JJ January / February 2020

5

NJJS SUNDAY JAZZ SOCIALS

Rising Stars: Pianist James Austin, Jr., and Alto Saxophonist Alex Laurenzi Perform in January and February Pianist James Austin, Jr.’s debut album on his Jca Records label in 2018 was called Songs in the Key of Wonder, paying tribute to Stevie Wonder. Geannine Reid, reviewing it for All About Jazz, wrote that Austin’s arrangements “focus deeply on the colorizations and appealing flavor of Wonder’s mainstay hits.”

On Wonder’s big hit, “Isn’t She Lovely”, Reid pointed out that Austin “infuses the melody while invoking a solid rhythm within his lines,” and on “Lately”, “Austin’s delicate touch is emotive and heartfelt. It speaks to his ability to create a melodic, yet colorful texture to the tune.”

Originally from Chicago, Austin studied under the legendary pianist Barry Harris. He currently curates and leads the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Jazz Jam series and serves as Musical Director for the vocalist Alexis Morrast. He is a former semi-finalist in the Thelonius Monk International Jazz Piano competition and served as pianist and arranger for two concerts at Carnegie Hall led by Ray Chew, current Music Director of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

On Sunday, January 19, Austin will be the featured performer at the New Jersey Jazz Society Social at Shanghai Jazz in Madison.

Alto saxophonist Alex Laurenzi is a protege of Bruce Williams, who he considers “my alto godfather. He has been the single biggest influence on my identity as an alto player, preaching individuality through versatility, whether that means mastering different genres or different roles such as soloist, lead alto player, bandleader, sideman.”

Laurenzi, who will appear at the Jazz Social on Sunday, February 16, is currently a student majoring in African-American history at Princeton University and is an active member of Princeton’s Jazz Program, playing in the Creative Large Ensemble led by composer/bandleader Darcy James Argue and Small Group 1 led by alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, who is Director of the Princeton Jazz Program. Laurenzi is also studying privately under alto saxophonist Ralph Bowen.

Pianist Jame Austin. Jr.

Winner of two DownBeat Student Soloist Awards and two Soloist Awards from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition, Laurenzi has performed at JALC as well as the Blue Note jazz club and the Somerville and Montclair jazz festivals.

The Mountain Lakes resident was a member of the 2015 Grammy Jazz Session Big Band and toured Peru in April 2016 with the Jazz House Kids on behalf of the U.S. Embassy.

food/beverage minimum.

Shanghai Jazz is located at 24 Main St. in Madison. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., and the music is performed from 3-5 p.m., with one short intermission. For more information, email music@njjs.org. JJ

Early on in his development as a jazz musician, Laurenzi studied privately with saxophonist/ composer Jim Saltzman, and he also credits educator/alto saxophonist Julius Tolentino with “instilling in me the importance of playing lead alto and the amount of work that goes into being a great one.”

The New Jersey Jazz Society produces 10 Sunday Jazz Socials a year, all of which are free to members.

Admission is $10 for non-members, and there is a $10

Alto saxophonist Alex Laurenzi

Funding for the NJJS Socials has been made possible in part by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts.

6

January / February 2020

January / February 2020

7

JAZZ AT THE BICKFORD

Mariel Bildsten Septet: Saluting the Duke and the Count

By Sanford Josephson

Basie’s feel, Bildsten adds, is also “special.”

The main difference between Ellington’s and Basie’s bands, she says, is “sophistication versus swing. Duke’s band was the gold standard in terms of complex arrangements, while Basie’s band is often riff-based head arrangements, but it swings harder. Either way, it’s apples and oranges.”

Among Basie tunes that will be featured, she says, are “Dickie’s Dream”, written by Basie and Lester Young, and “Tickle Toes”, written

by Young and Jon Hendricks. Re the latter tune, “I love the complex melody, call-andresponse of the horns and driving tempo.”

Mariel Bildsten

Growing up in Santa Barbara, CA, Mariel Bildsten started playing trombone in the fifth grade. “I picked trombone just because I liked it,” she says, but two years later Bildsten became aware of a jazz program for middle schoolers at Santa Barbara City College. “It was an amazing program; there were great teachers and musicians who were older than me and who inspired me. My trombone teacher made me a CD of J.J. Johnson. I probably played it 10 times a day and drove my parents crazy. That was kind of what introduced me to jazz.”

played in the Duke Ellington Orchestra for several years. “He is one of my favorites,” she says, “because of the way he expressed his melodies. He would have you on the edge of your seat. His playing had a vocal style.” Los Angeles Times jazz critic Leonard Feather once called Brown “one of the most outstanding individual stylists in trombone history.” Another special trombonist to Bildsten -- also an Ellington alumnus -- was ‘Tricky’ Sam Nanton “for his technique.”

Nanton was especially known for his expertise with the plunger mute.

After high school, Bildsten decided to pursue her jazz education at The New School in New York. Upon graduating in 2015, she remained in New York, working as a bandleader and sidewoman, performing at such venues as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village. “My mom grew up in Queens,” she says, “and my grandparents are still here. I fell in love with New York and decided I had to end up here.”

At 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 20, at the Morris Museum’s Bickford Theatre in Morristown, the 25-year-old Bildsten will be leading a septet playing the music of Ellington and Count Basie. She particularly likes Ellington’s music because “he highlighted each member’s individuality. It’s an opportunity to showcase a lot of my favorite musicians.” Some of those “favorite” musicians will be trumpeter Bruce Harris, tenor saxophonist Ruben Fox, drummer Evan Sherman, bassist Marty Jaffe, and pianist Sean Mason. There will also be an alto saxophonist, not yet selected at presstime.

At The New School, Bildsten studied under trombonists Vincent Gardner and Elliot Mason as well as keyboardist Mike LeDonne.

Her trombone hero is Lawrence Brown, who

8

January/ February 2020

Bildsten has previously done the “Duke plus Basie thing” in the lobby of the Time Warner Center, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

“We also did it at the Caramoor Jazz Festival and The Django in New York.” In Morristown, “We will transcribe some of the original arrangements and write some new ones.” Earlier in the day, which is the Martin Luther King holiday, Bildsten will be presenting two children’s concerts, at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. “We’ll talk about the blues and swing and improvisation, and we’ll play some music.”

An obvious question for Bildsten, a young jazz musician whose favorite style of music is traditional swing, is: Athough there are lots of young musicians playing swing, why aren’t there more young people in the audience? “I also thought this was old people’s music when I lived in Santa Barbara,” she responds. “I didn’t realize how powerful a band swinging is. It’s party music.

[Getting more young people to come out and hear it] is an uphill battle. All I can do is play my best and hire people who help me do that. I don’t know if I have a solution, but booking jazz into more hip venues would help.”

On Monday, February 10, clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Dan Levinson and his wife, vocalist/guitarist Molly Ryan, will present a special Valentine’s concert at the Bickford.

Tickets to each concert are $18 for museum members; $20 for non-members. They can be ordered at morrismuseum.org/events or by calling (973) 971-3706. The New Jersey Jazz Society is a proud media sponsor of the Morris Museum/Bickford Jazz Series.

January / February 2020

9

JAZZ IN METUCHEN

Lew Tabackin Leads His Pianoless Trio Tenor saxophonist/flutist Lew Tabackin has been leading a pianoless trio for 17 years. “I’ve always liked the trio concept,” he says, “because it gives you freedom and responsibility. You have to have the ability to make sure the harmony is understood.”

Tabackin’s trio partners -- bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Mark Taylor -- have been with him since the beginning. “You have to be very careful about how you program the material,” he adds, “so the audience can hear different approaches to the sound.” The trio will be performing at the Metuchen Arts Council’s Jazz Brunch at The Greek on Main on Sunday, January 26.

According to The New York City Jazz Record’s Terrell Holmes, Tabackin sounded “as vivacious as ever” on the trio’s most recent album, Soundscapes, self-released in 2015. “The listener,” Holmes wrote, was “in the palm of his hand from the opening notes . . . Tabackin exhibits a coitish playfulness on tenor saxophone as he taps into his encyclopedic musical vocabulary, playfully sprinkling in quotes from Charlie Parker . . . [He] is equally impressive on flute. He blows fire and grittiness . . . and Kozlov’s upper register pizzicato complements him perfectly, enhancing the texture and color.”

Tabackin says his flute style is “totally different from my sax concept. I play straight ahead on tenor, but I have more of a storytelling concept on flute. Going from tenor to flute is not so easy, though. I might talk a little bit between tenor sax and flute to get the blood back into my lips.”

When he was just starting out, Tabackin

10

January / February 2020

Lew Tabackin

recalls being attracted to the playing of John Coltrane, but he later came to admire Lester Young, Ben Webster, Don Byas, Coleman Hawkins, and Sonny Rollins.

“Those are my influences,” he says. “Sonny Rollins’ whole approach is so much joy. He played long solos, but they were never boring. Through the years, I have tried to create an approach that encompasses a large part of the history of the jazz tenor saxophone. I’ve played in a lot of genres.”

In the 1960s, Tabackin played with big bands led by Cab Calloway, Les and Larry Elgart, and Maynard Ferguson, among others. He was also in the studio band for Dick Cavett’s television show. In 1968, he

met pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi when they were playing together in a quartet. They eventually married and moved to Los Angeles where they formed the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. They moved back to New York in 1982, and it was during the ‘80s that Tabackin began to gain recognition as a flutist, winning Down Beat critics’ and readers’ polls.

The Greek on Main is located at 419 Main St. in downtown Metuchen. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., and the music starts at 12:30 p.m. The $50 ticket price includes music, brunch with a choice of entree, and two sets. Tickets can be ordered by calling (732) 515-9457. JJ

January / February 2020

11

TALKING JAZZ

A Jersey Jazz Interview with

Gene Perla

By Schaen Fox

Gene Perla has both a long and distinguished jazz biography and discography and deep New Jersey roots (He was born in Hackensack and grew up in Woodcliff Lake). When I interviewed vocalist Viktorija Gecyte (“Talking Jazz”, Jersey Jazz, April 2019), she told me that, in addition to being her long-time bass player, Perla has wonderful stories about his career. She was right, as this article demonstrates.

During January and February, Perla will be appearing every Monday with the Bill Goodwin Trio at Porter’s Pub in Easton, PA. On Saturday night, February 29, he will be performing in Flemington with the Horizons Quartet as part of the Flemington DIY jazz series. The quartet is led by saxophonist Dan Wilkins and also includes pianist James Collins and drummer Byron Landham.

JJ: Please tell us about the time you played with Frank Sinatra on New Year’s Eve? GP: Pat Rizzo, a saxophone player, ran a big band out of Brooklyn.

He told me, “I’m moving to LA. If you ever come out that way, give me a jingle, and we’ll hook up.” Time goes by and in early December, I made a trip to Los Angeles. I called him. He asked, “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?” I said, “I just got here, I’m not doing anything.” He asked, “Do you want to play at Sinatra’s house?” I said, “Yeah, of course!!!” Now here’s the funny part. I hung up the phone and called my mother in New Jersey. She was an Italian woman who had an Italian son who grew up in New Jersey who is a total Sinatra 12

January / February 2020

wacko. So, I told her, “For New Year’s Eve, I’m going to Frank Sinatra’s house.” There was a pause, and then I heard a scream. Then another pause, and she said, “Tell him to give you some money!”

[Laughs] This was pre-GPS; and Rizzo gave me the Palm Springs address. I left in plenty of time. I was driving along and I saw a sign “X miles to Palm Springs” and said to myself, “I’m going to be late for Frank Sinatra’s New Year’s Eve Party. They are going to find me in Los Angeles bay tomorrow morning.” I put my foot to the floor and got there, fortunately, with no cops interfering. Because Howard Rumsey, the bass player, was a friend, he loaned one of his basses to me, but it was a piece of junk. The fingerboard wasn’t even glued down all the

way. I had brought my electric in case the damn thing fell apart, which it never did, fortunately.

of five countries. We left in October and didn’t come home until April. We had three summers in a row. That was a fabulous experience!

I got out of the car, and I had the big one in my left arm and the little one in my right, and I started walking. The band was already playing! Out of the dark darted a figure, and it’s HIM! He came right up to me and, no hello or anything, said, “Give the Fender.” I handed it to him. He said, “Follow me.” He took me in, and that was it. It was so thrilling to be there with the greatest male jazz singer of all time.

JJ: Do you know how many recordings you have?

JJ: Did Sinatra say anything to you?

GP: He and his wife, Barbra, came up right after midnight and they both shook our hands. She kissed each one of us. Frank was always totally in the camp of musicians. In fact, the clarinetist you hear on these recordings is Vido Musso. He was down and out. I guess Frank knew him from the old days, and he bought him a house.

Frank was a generous man.

JJ: Who else was in the band that we might know?

GP: John Dense was the drummer, Pat played tenor saxophone, and the pianist was Lou Levy.

JJ: Your years living in lofts in New York and the music you recorded there sound extremely important.

Please tell us about that scene.

GP: If it wasn’t for those lofts, I probably wouldn’t have come nearly as far as I have.

I was extremely fortunate to hook up with three individuals who gave me the opportunity to learn, stretch, and become stronger. Those people were percussionist Don Alias, keyboardist Jan Hammer, and Steve Grossman, the saxophone player.

A lot of stuff went on, and I started meeting people: Bob Moses, the drummer lived next door; David Liebman was a friend of his, so I hooked up with him; Sam Rivers rehearsed his big band there and a bunch of other people came by. I was there four months and then lucked out, finding another loft on the lower eastside, where I could park my car year-round for free. I could play music pretty much all the time. The building was owned by the city, and the rent, including the heat, was $95 a month.

Randy and Mike Brecker, Jimmy Cobb, Benny Maupin, and many other musicians came by. I recorded most of those sessions. As time went on, we started to develop, got out into the mainstream, and started getting serious gigs. Don, Steve and I decided to form a band.

We called it Stone Alliance, and we made eight records. I’ve got a couple in the can that I hope to release one of these days. I landed a 15-day tour of Chile for us that expanded into a six-month odyssey

GP: Not off the top of my head, but there are hundreds. I did make a deal with a school and gave them a bunch of stuff, but I have a ton more with Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, Sonny Rollins, Chick, and this, that, and the other.

JJ: You were born in Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1940, but where were you raised?

GP: Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. I lived there until I went away to military school, and then to college.

JJ: Military school is not the norm for a budding musician.

Why did you go that route?

GP: Well, I was not a budding musician. I didn’t come to the point of saying I want to be a musician until I was 22. And I didn’t find my instrument, the bass, until I was 24. I’m a very late bloomer. The reason I went to New York Military Academy was, because I had spent most of my high school days either working on cars or chasing girls. I was playing in the bands and doing a little singing, playing piano and trombone, but it was all just something to do. It wasn’t until I was 22 that I heard a fraternity brother playing in a band. That spurred me on. I asked to join their band and they let me, but I still didn’t have it in my mind that I wanted to be a player.

It wasn’t until I heard Bill Evans’ Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Riverside: 1961) that I said, “That’s it. I want to play like Bill Evans.”

I found Berklee, went there, and worked like hell on the piano. On weekends I’d practice and practice until I finally came to the conclusion that I wasn’t capable of being Bill Evans. I was in a funk until a friend played The Shape of Jazz to Come. Ornette Coleman! No chords! Charlie Haden! Next day I went to Berklee, quit piano, bought a $600 Kay bass and started breaking my hands.

JJ: Did you pal around with any other young musicians we might know?

GP: Not in high school, military school, or at the University of Toledo where again I was just floating. At Berklee I ran into some people; one classmate who did very well was Sadao Watanabe, the alto saxophonist from Japan. We became very good friends. Charlie Mariano had stopped teaching by then, but I did meet him, and we once had a jam session at my loft. Later we did a tour of Europe and made a record. Mike Mantler was a roommate. He married Carla Bley. They started The Jazz Composers Orchestra and had a record company that distributed my PM Records label. Of course, Don Alias. He wasn’t in school, but he was my closest friend for 40 years.

I got him a gig with Nina Simone, and we worked together with Elvin Jones, and recorded together with Miles Davis.

JJ: You mentioned that hearing Charlie Haden on Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic: 1959) focused you on the bass. Did you ever tell him that?

GP: Oh sure. I saw him at Lennie’s on the Turnpike outside of Boston and told him. He got a kick out of that. In the last few years of his life, I’d call him on his birthday, and we’d speak a little bit. I can’t say we were good friends, because we never got to hang out, but we certainly had respect for one another. I certainly had it for him. continued on page 14 January / February 2020

13

TALKING JAZZ continued from page 13

JJ: When you moved to New York, how easy was it to fit into the city’s jazz community?

GP: I was working eight nights a week, an obvious exaggeration. I had confidence that I could do this from the minute I started listening to this music, and especially when I found the bass. When I came to New York, I went to any place and every place, and asked to sit in, which you could do in those days. When I compare myself to some of the top players today, Christian McBride, Stanley Clarke and Eddie Gomez, I’m so far behind those guys in terms of technique; and I never really learned how to use the bow. I’m good at playing whole notes at the end of ballads. I can’t play classical music at all, but I have a good beat, and a good ear to follow. Those are what pushed me through. So, coupled with having learned Latin jazz in Boston with Don Alias, I came to New York and was one of the very few jazz players who knew what the clave was. I landed gigs with Willy Bobo and Machito, so I was working Latin and jazz, and working a lot.

trio gig with Joe Farrell on saxophone. He was showing me the tunes but everything went right past me. I just relied on my ear to follow along. Afterward, WGBH gave me an audio copy, and I still have it. I screwed up here and there because I didn’t know the music, but from my perspective, the feeling was right.

I heard afterwards that Elvin mentioned to some people that he was playing with an electric bass player that made his bass sound like an upright. That is what I always tried to get, that round fullness as opposed to that electric twang. He had Wilbur Little in the band then.

When Wilbur left, Elvin called. I was in my loft, and he said, “I want you to join my band.” Don Alias and Jan Hammer were there with me. They knew something was up, but they didn’t know what. When I hung up, I said, “It was Elvin. I got the gig,” Don started jumping up and down, and Jan started running around in circles. They were so excited for me. [Chuckles]

JJ: How long were you with Elvin?

GP: Two and a half years solid, from early ’71 to the middle of ‘73, and then on and off, now and then, until the Saturday after 9/11.

JJ: What was he like off the bandstand?

GP: Boy, how do I answer that? I saw Chick a few years ago, and Elvin’s name came up in the conversation. Chick said something like, “Elvin is the sweetest guy I ever met.” I will echo that, although he was a strong man, and you better not be messing with him.

JJ: Would you share what you recall of the last time you saw him?

GP: It was a drum workshop in New York the Saturday after 9/11. I went unannounced and brought my bass thinking maybe I could play with him. He was cool with that, so we played a few tunes together. The place was jammed with people, and the vibe in the room was tense, yet people were reaching out to each other to be supportive. It was quite different. I’ve never felt anything like it before or since.

Horizons Quartet, from left: Perla, pianist James Collins, saxophonist/leader Dan Wilkins, and drummer Byron Landham. The quartet will be appearing on February 29 at Flemington DIY. Photo by Jonathan Broady

JJ: What was the big break that helped solidify your career?

GP: Elvin Jones, the greatest jazz drummer in history. Because of working with him, I experienced meeting the kings and queens of jazz, who showed me respect and friendliness.

JJ: How did you get the gig working with him?

GP: I was in the lobby of the old Berklee School with a couple of friends, just hanging out. A phone call came in and the receptionist sang out, “This is WGBH-TV, Elvin Jones needs a bass player right away.” I had only my electric bass, but immediately went to the car and sped there. It was lucky that no cops were in the way. I got there about 12 minutes before a live half-hour show. Elvin wasn’t in a good mood because his bass player, Jimmy Garrison, had missed his plane from New York. There was an old Ampeg B-15 amplifier that was not set up for jazz, so I tried to get a reasonable sound out of it. It was a 14

January/ February 2020

JJ: Why did you start your own record company?

GP: I was with Elvin for several months and was able to have David Liebman join the group. We were on a gig in Toronto when I met Lieb in the hotel lobby. He was upset and said, “I did this live recording, and sent it out to all the record labels and nobody wants it.” I said, “I’d like to hear it.” I was impressed with the vibrancy of what they were doing, and I said, “What the hell, I’ll put it out,” and I did. The record, Open Sky, was my very first. I’ve done this a few times in my life, made major decisions without even thinking about them. I don’t believe I was thinking at all about starting a record company. I spent six months of intensive learning: how a recording studio works, the lacquermastering process, the cutting lathe, the color separations for the album covers, and more stuff. It was a lot to learn. It was just a fluke.

Boom, I decided to do it.

I just released three records. One is a Don Alias project with four percussionists along with Mike and Randy Brecker that is fantastic. It continued on page 16

January / February 2020

15

TALKING JAZZ

Texas, then two weeks at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Can you do these gigs?” I was doing well but wasn’t able to land a job with one of the real heavyweight bands. I decided to give Los Angeles a whirl.

continued from page 16

is called Heartbeat Tour. I also released two Elvin Jones records, both recorded in 1972 with Steve Grossman and David Liebman. One is entitled Elvin Jones Jazz Machine Live at Carnegie Hall. The other is Live at Paris Olympia. It features long tracks with three drummers: Elvin, Roy Haynes and Art Blakey. They are on PM Records’ website PMRecords.com.

JJ: What was or is your best bass?

GP: The main one I use now. As best, my luthier (maker of stringed instruments) and I can determine it was built in Russia, which is unusual. We know it made its way to Cuba and was used in the classical world. From Cuba it made its way to Mexico City where a fellow who lived in San Miguel de Allende bought it. I’ve been going there for years, hanging out and playing with a couple of fellows who live there. The bass’s owner loaned it to me for gigs. It was falling apart, but what a great sound it had. I convinced him to sell it to me; I got it across the border and took it to my luthier. He did a marvelous job, and it’s my baby.

JJ: How did you get to play with Nina Simone?

GP: I was playing with Jeremy Steig at a rock ‘n roll joint just down the street from where the old Five Spot used to be. We finished a set, and I was then approached by a powerful looking guy. He said, “I represent Miss Nina Simone.” I saw this woman standing some feet away and it was her. She didn’t speak to me at all. He said, “We are looking for a bass player. Would you be interested in doing a rehearsal?” I said, “Sure.” A few days went by, and we rehearsed. It went very well because there was no issue for me to follow her. She was a classical musician and I was classically trained. I understood the whole scope of her thing and nailed it right from the first note. I got hired right away.

After the first night’s show at Caesar’s Palace, I heard there would be a jam session starting at six in the morning at another hotel. I didn’t sleep, went to the session, and asked to sit in. Upon finishing the first tune, the bass player Gus Mancuso, who was running the jam, came up to me and said, “Man, you play great. You want the gig with Sarah Vaughn?” My head was into Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, John Coltrane, and I responded, “She’s a singer, right?” [Laughs] That is how much I was into singers. That was how I got the gig. I was with her a whole year.

JJ: What was she like off the bandstand?

GP: She was one of the most “hang out people” I ever met. Once we were in Chicago and we hung after the gig, through the night, and all day long. When it came time for the gig, we were so blasted she called the club and said, “Oh I just can’t make it tonight.”

JJ: Would you tell us how you got to record with Miles?

GP: Don Alias had a recording session with Miles, and he asked if I wanted to come along. I said, “Yes.” I had my electric bass because I had a gig later that night. We went to Columbia Studios and sat in the control room. They waited, but the bass player Michael Henderson didn’t show up. The mics were open in the studio, and after well over an hour I heard Alias say to Miles, “There is a bass player in the control room.” I heard Miles say, “Tell him to get his ass in here.” I went in, plugged into the amp and Miles said to me, “We are going to play this line,” and he sang it to me. I picked it up almost immediately. It wasn’t difficult. I played it a few times and as he started to walk away he said, “Don’t make it swing.” The tune is called ‘Ali,’ and it is a ricky-tick type line. Finally, Michael showed up, so I was just on that one tune.

"When I came to New York, I went to any place and every place and asked to sit in, which you could do in those days."

She said, “We are going to rehearse every day.” I asked, “Why don’t you save some money and come down to my loft? I’ve got a nice piano.” The second day they came and it was all fine. The third day, Nina, her husband Andy Stroud, and Betty, her assistant, showed up.

Betty had these big shopping bags and Nina said, “I got us a band uniform.” One bag contained very nice dashikis, “the thing” back then. We all put them on. The other bag had big link gold chains with a three-inch gold continent of Africa hanging on each one. Upon looking at it in my hand, and having just gotten the gig with one of the greatest artists ever, I said, “I can’t wear this.” She strongly asked, “What do you mean?” I said, “I’m Italian, not African.” She fired me on the spot. Her husband cooled it out, and I was with her for a couple of years until I went with Elvin. Afterward, I did work with her on and off when it didn’t interfere with him. [Chuckles]

JJ: How did you get the gig with Sarah Vaughan?

GP: I was with Woody Herman for two months. He was a super person toward me. I was on the band for only one week and had already memorized a good part of the book. Lead trumpeter Bill Chase became an instant friend. He accompanied Woody, who traveled by air and rented car as he didn’t ride on the band bus. At the end of that week Bill left for a spotlight gig in Vegas, and Woody asked if I’d travel with him. It was so fabulous to interact with him.

Later on, he called me again and asked, “I’ve got a couple of gigs in

16

January / February 2020

JJ: Did Miles say anything else?

GP: Not that I recall.

JJ: You tour with Viktorija Gecyte when she visits America.

How did you connect with her?

GP: When I moved to Easton, PA in 2007, I began checking out the town. Near Lafayette College, at a coffee shop called Cosmic Cup, I noticed a flier indicating that there would be a jam session the following month. I showed up, and nobody knew who I was. I asked to sit in, played a couple of tunes, and made a connection with the pianist Sean Gough. Viktorija was standing there but didn’t sing. Vik and Sean were Lafayette students and soon afterward we began playing together. Last year marked the 11th consecutive year I have toured with her. (Gectyte won third place in this year’s NJPAC/ WBGO Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition The SASSY Awards).

JJ: I have heard that a musician’s life is stressful. What keeps you doing it?

GP: Sometimes, the time feeling between the drummer and me is so smooth that it’s like being at a lake when the air is so still that the surface looks like glass. When the beat feels that way with everyone sitting on top and not disturbing it, I find myself sailing along, not having to think about anything. The music just pours out. This is what I strive toward. It’s my greatest joy.

January / February 2020

17

JAZZ AT THE STATE THEATRE NJ

Tony Bennett Weaves Storytelling Journey Through the American Songbook

By Spotlight Central

On October 20, Tony Bennett began his set at the State Theatre in New Jersey with Michel Legrand’s “Watch What Happens,” his voice, at age 93, sounding strong, warm, and resonant.

He followed up with the Gershwins’ “They All Laughed” before launching into Gordon Jenkins’ “This is All I Ask.” Singing with nuance and communicating his story through his expert phrasing and interpretation, Bennett aptly ended with the lyric, “Let the music play/As long as there’s a song to sing/I will stay younger than spring.”

Is Here to Stay.” As he sang the opening verse, “The more I read the papers/The less I comprehend/The world and all its capers/And how it all will end,” he provided listeners with a contemporary understanding of the lyric before he impressed the crowd with a long, long, long note on the coda which elicited excited cheers and applause.

Standing center stage, Bennett and Sargent opened “The Way You Look Tonight”

The crowd cheered when they recognized the opening strains of Bennett’s signature song, George Cory’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Singing the composition as only he could, Bennett crooned, “To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars/The morning fog may chill the air, I don’t care,” painting a picture with his timeless and masterful performance. After the audience rose to show its appreciation, Bennett’s first encore was Paul McCartney’s “Who Cares”, with Sargent playing a bebop-inspired guitar solo and Ray performing a cascading piano solo.

Several audience members spontaneously shouted out “Yeah!” after hearing him sing such fitting words. Then, standing in the crook of the piano, Bennett put his spin on Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” emoting with power on this timeless classic. After giving credit to guitarist Gray Sargent and drummer Harold Jones, who were featured on inspired solos, Bennett scatted at the end of the number, much to the delight of the crowd which responded with enthusiastic cheers and applause.

Moving on to “Solitude,” (Irving Mills/ Eddie DeLange), Bennett knew precisely when to add an embellishment and when to let the silence between the notes fill the void between phrases, what only a seasoned performer can do with a song. Segueing into “I’m Old Fashioned,” (Johnny Mercer/ Jerome Kern) the sound of each instrument could clearly be discerned as Bennett phrased his vocal in between the notes of the band. Wood concluded the arrangement by playing his bass with his bow to great audience applause.

On Irving Berlin’s “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” Wood’s bass imitated Bennett’s vocal. The instruments talked to each another, as well as to Bennett, who smiled as he joyfully crooned on this swinging classic.

Bowing graciously to Sargent as he came downstage to play the guitar intro to Jimmy Van Heusen’s “But Beautiful,” Bennett started by scatting the introduction to this number he had recorded with Lady Gaga.

Following the song’s “Love is funny, or it’s sad/Or it’s quiet, or it’s mad” lyric, Sargent tastefully picked out the melody on his guitar as Bennett blew a kiss to the audience.

A highlight of the concert was Bennett’s interpretation of the Gershwins’ “Our Love

18

January / February 2020

Moving on to a more modern composition, Bennett performed the James Ingram and Patti Austin number, “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” That was followed up with “The Shadow of Your Smile” (Johnny Mandel/Paul Francis Webster), where a bossa nova rhythm permeated the arrangement, and Sargent played a lyrical jazz guitar solo. Then, Bennett and the band moved on to a jazzy upbeat version of Johnny Mercer’s “One for My Baby” which was rewarded with avid roars from the crowd.

Photo by Love Imagery

(Jerome Fields/Dorothy Fields). With its rubato vocal and guitar intro, the arrangement shifted into an uptempo instrumental played by the entire band, highlighted by a skillful Tim Ray piano solo and a sweet swinging guitar solo courtesy of Sargent.

A medley of Tony Bennett classics — “Because of You,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” and “Who Can I Turn To” — elicited cheers, and the crowd happily clapped in rhythm to a swinging version of “Just in Time.” After that, Bennett sang an audience favorite — a bluesy and melancholy rendition of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Al Dubin/ Harry Warren). Starting with Wood who played his bass low and sad, the arrangement built to a dramatic conclusion. The crowd cheered, and Bennett responded with his interpretation of “The Good Life” (Sacha Distel/Jean Broussolle), featuring a jazzy piano solo.

Another highlight of the evening was Bennett’s encore performance of “Smile”, the instrumental theme from Charlie Chaplin’s1936 movie, Modern Times.

(Lyrics were later added by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons). For his final encore, Bennett’s signature vocal style was on full display as he delivered his interpretation of “Fly Me to the Moon.” With just his voice and a lone guitar, Bennett had the audience happily singing along on the “Fly me to the moon/And let me play among the stars/Let me see what spring is like on/Jupiter and Mars” lyric.

Standing alone in the spotlight, audience members rose again for Bennett, who responded by delivering a double thumbsup to the crowd before saluting them and giving all present a warm wave goodbye.

Bennett was preceded by an opening act featuring his daughter, Antonia, who performed “That Old Black Magic” (Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen), Sammy Kahn’s “You’re a Lucky Guy”, and the Gershwins’ “Someone to Watch Over Me”, among songs. JJ

January / February 2020

19

TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ FESTIVAL

Maurice Hines Exudes Musical Bliss in a Joyful, Swinging Performance of Tappin’ Thru Life

By Sanford Josephson

As my wife, Linda, and I departed the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Victoria Theater on Saturday afternoon, November 23, Linda turned to me and said: “If you can leave this theater without a smile on your face, you have no heart.”

The performance we had just seen was Tappin’ Thru Life, a musical journey through

part of NJPAC’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival, Hines was accompanied by a ninepiece edition of the Diva Jazz Orchestra, and he was also joined by some incredible young tap dancers: The Manzari Siblings (Mary and John) and two sets of twins -- Ellis and Jaden Foreman and Ibrahim and Victor Kamate -- who appeared in Savion Glover’s re-creation of Tap Dance Kid earlier in the

and Joe Williams!” Hines shouted out at the end.

Using a variety of anecdotes about his past to connect with selections from the American Songbook, Hines recalled an argument between his parents overheard by him and his brother. That led him into Lerner and Loewe’s “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face”, what his father sang to his mother after the quarrel was over. Chris Smith’s “Ballin’ the Jack” was what the Hines Brothers’ grandmother -- a former Cotton Club chorus girl -- surprised them with one day by dancing to it.

For Fats Waller’s “Honeysuckle Rose”, Hines beckoned Diva bassist Amy Shook to come forward and do a duet with him. He got more than he bargained for. As she plucked away, he warned, “Don’t get nasty with me!” She replied, “Why not?” and he retorted, “You have no dialogue, Amy,” before urging her to “take some, baby.”

Back row, from left: lead trumpeter Liesl Whitaker, drummer/leader Sherrie Maricle, alto saxophonist Mercedes Beckman, baritone saxophonist Leigh Pilzer; front row, from left, trumpeter Jami Dauber, tenor saxophonist Amy Griffths, Maurice Hines, pianist Jackie Warren, trombonist Jennifer Krupa, and bassist Amy Shook.

Photo by Michelle Foreman

Maurice Hines’ life and career presented in a toe-tapping, swinging demonstration of the pure joy of music. It not only left the audience smiling, but also clapping their hands and shuffling their feet.

Tappin’ Thru Life premiered in 2013 at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage. It was created by Hines to honor his brother Gregory, who died in 2003 from cancer at the age of 57. Maurice and Gregory began dancing at the ages of five and three, respectively, studying tap dance at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in New York City. In the 1950s, they teamed up with their father, Maurice Hines, Sr., for an act called Hines, Hines & Dad, performing in New York, Las Vegas, and Europe and appearing regularly on such television programs as The Tonight Show and Hollywood Palace.

In two performances on November 23 as

20

January/ February 2020

year at NJPAC. Glover, the performing arts center’s Tap Dance Advisor, burst onto the Broadway scene 36 years ago as the original lead in Tap Dance Kid. He greeted the Victoria Theater audience, preparing them to see something “unworldly -- the energy of Maurice Hines.”

“I’m turning 75 this year and lookin’ good!”

Hines proclaimed. “But, when you’re 75, you gotta warm up these taps.” After singing Frank Loesser’s “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” with solos from Diva trumpeter Jami Dauber and trombonist Jennifer Krupa, Hines recalled that, “One of the great thrills of my life was when we worked with the Count Basie Orchestra.” The perfect segue was into a performance of one of Basie vocalist Joe Williams’ greatest hits, Memphis Slim’s “Every Day I Have the Blues”, punctuated by Amy Griffiths’ tenor saxophone solo. “Thank you, Count Basie

Recalling that Johnny Carson saw Gregory and him perform at the Playboy Club in Los Angeles and, “invited us to come on The Tonight Show,” Hines added that Carson didn’t know, “We had already auditioned for his show 15 times.” After that first appearance, though, they guested on The Tonight Show for 30 more appearances.

When the Hines Brothers opened for Ella Fitzgerald at Las Vegas’ Flamingo Hotel, Frank Sinatra spotted them and invited them to stay over and see his show. That steered Hines to a medley of four Sinatra songs: Sammy Kahn and Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Come Fly With Me”, Van Heusen’s “All the Way”, Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, and Frank Loesser’s “Luck Be a Lady”.

Then, Hines took a brief break, turning the spotlight on the Diva Jazz Orchestra, which performed Juan Tizol’s “Caravan” with a sizzling solo by bandleader/drummer Sherrie Maricle. After that came a tribute to Nat King Cole, who, Hines recalled, encouraged him and Gregory to sing more when he saw them in Las Vegas. The Cole tribute consisted of three songs: Harold Arlen’s “It’s Only a Paper Moon”, Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile”, and Bert Kaempfert’s “L.O.V.E.”.

The Manzari siblings appeared at intervals

throughout the show, dazzling the audience and garnering praise from Hines. John Manzari appeared in the original D.C. performances of Tappin’ Thru Life and has also performed in stage presentations of The Wiz is 40: A Celebration of Music and Dance and Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. He also was in a PBS special, Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room. His sister, Mary, has been studying dance for more than 20 years. She attended the Virginia Commonwealth University Dance Program and currently lives in Richmond, VA, where she is Tap Program Director of 804 Dance Place and is also a member of the dance company, Dogwood Dance Project.

Toward the end of the performance, Hines brought out the Foreman and Kamate twins, calling them “fierce” and then challenging them to “Show me what you got!” They did that and more, bringing the crowd along with them into a celebratory frenzy.

Diva Jazz Orchestra: Diva + The Boys

By Claudio Roditi (as told to Schaen Fox)

The Diva Jazz Orchestra’s new recording Diva + The Boys (MCG Jazz J1047) captures a live performance at Pittsburgh’s Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild with special guests clarinetist-tenor saxophonist Ken Peplowski, trumpeter Claudio Roditi, trombonist Jay Ashby,and guitarist Marty Ashby. Roditi was so enthused about it, Jersey Jazz writer Schaen Fox convinced him to put his remarks into print.

Roditi: “This is one of the best projects I’ve ever participated in, involving a large ensemble. For example, ‘Slipped Disc’ is a great arrangement by Noriko Ueda, the bass player in the band. The two clarinets of Ken Peplowski and Janelle Reichman sound beautiful. Sherrie is playing Brazilian music in many of the songs here very, very well, and Marty Ashby accompanies on guitar on the Brazilian tunes. He has a deep understanding of Brazilian music that absolutely enhances the CD wonderfully.

“I brought the ‘A Felicidade’ chart in, but the arranger, David Sharp, a saxophone

When the Foreman twins performed at the May 25, 2018, Tap Dance Reunion, an annual celebration in Harlem of Bill Robinson’s birthday, The New York Times reported that they, “put down a highly impressive mix of duo unison and trading, swinging as dancers of their great-grandparents’ day used to do.” The Kamate twins are sixth graders at South Orange Middle School and were part of the cast of How the World Got Wisdom: A Celebration of African Folklore, a musical play produced by The Strollers, a Maplewood-based community theater group.

Up until that point, Hines’ own dancing was restrained, but he broke into a full tap while singing Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing”, and then slowed the tempo to remind the audience that the show was a tribute to his brother Gregory, expressing that by singing Richard A. Whiting’s “Too Marvelous For Words” directly to him. The audience -- catching its breath -- filed out of the theater to the strains of Mary Lou Williams’ “Roll ‘Em” played by the Diva Orchestra.

There is a connection between Hines and the Diva Orchestra that goes back nearly 30 years. The late Stanley Kay, former manager and relief drummer for Buddy Rich, was a guest conductor for a freelance pickup orchestra playing at the 75th anniversary of New York’s Schubert Theater in 1990. Sherrie Maricle was the drummer for that orchestra, and Maurice Hines, one of Kay’s clients, also performed that night. “Stanley liked the way I played,” Maricle once told me, “and I certainly made a point to talk to him because I knew who he was from the Buddy Rich era. So, we sort of became friends.”

Two years later, Kay called Maricle with an idea.

“Hey,” he asked her, “do you know other women who play as well as you?” An audition was held in June 1992, and in March 1993, the Diva Jazz Orchestra performed its first concert.

player from Iowa, took the way I play it on my CD, Double Standards, and added the big band. I didn’t have to do anything special. It came out really great. It sounds really Brazilian, and this is by a guy from the Midwest. I was pleasantly shocked. The band sounds really wonderful: the pitch and intonation are fabulous, and [tenor saxophonist] Roxy Coss has a hell of a good solo.

“Jay Ashby’s arrangement of ‘Deference to Diz’ is so much in the pocket of the bebop era. Every solo is really killing. ‘Noturna’ is one of the greatest pieces of music I have ever heard in my life. The song, by the Brazilian composer Ivan Lins, is beautiful, gorgeous. Jay Ashby’s arrangement is amazing, and his solo is the best of his recorded solos; and I’ve heard a lot as we have worked together a lot. ‘The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else’ is a great straight-ahead swing thing that is also in the pocket.

‘Piccolo Blues’ is my composition, but this masterful arrangement is by Scott Arcangel, who was the music director of the West Point big band, The Jazz Knights. The arrangement has so many surprises, and one that really shocked me was that the band’s introduction is so powerful. All the written sections that Scott produced from his pen, as they say in Brazil, really enhanced my simple 12 bar blues. Jennifer Krupa’s trombone solo, and the soprano sax solo by Alexa Tarantino are absolutely wonderful. It is special to me because I’m playing piccolo trumpet, and I have not recorded very much on that. It came out pretty good, if I may say so.

“Dennis Mackrel’s arrangement of ‘Estate’ is masterful. Ken Peplowski plays it wonderfully. It is such a great song that sounds so Brazilian but is by an Italian composer. The last song, ‘Bucket of Blues’ is an absolute killer. The sound of the recording for a live date is absolutely clear and beautiful. I love all the songs, all the arrangements and the playing of everybody.”

January / February 2020

21

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

By Joe Lang

College of SE, Convent Station, NJ Danny Bacher with Special Guest Marilyn Maye November 14, 2019

Those who made their way to the Annunciation Center at the College of Saint Elizabeth on November 14 were treated to a memorable concert. The show featured singer/saxophonist Danny Bacher with the Pat Longo Big Band, and special guests vocalist Marilyn Maye and tenor saxophonist Harry Allen.

The big band, blessed with the leadership and wit of Pat Longo, opened the evening with a surprising selection “Maynard and Waynard,” a Gordon Goodwin original written for the Wayne Bergeron Big Band as a feature for the high note trumpet artistry of Bergeron and Maynard Ferguson. It certainly warmed things up quickly, and was followed by “Street of Dreams,” and an original Harry James tune, “Ultra.”

Bacher is a cat infused with a swing spirit, as was evident from his opening take on “With Plenty of Money and You.” He followed with rousing versions of “I’ve got You Under My Skin” and “Get Me to the Church on

Time.” Bacher has penned some original material and gave the audience a taste of this side of his talent on “In Spite of All This, I’m Still Happy,’ with some fine support from Allen. They had a lot of fun with Bacher exchanging scat riffs with Allen’s tenor. He closed his segment with “Come Back to Me.” Allen joined the big band for a Percy Faith composition, “Maybe September,” a lovely ballad that is a favorite among jazzers, and most notably recorded by Tony Bennett with Bill Evans, and by Shirley Horn.

It was now time for the merely marvelous Marilyn Maye. At the age of 91, she has the energy of a roomful of kindergartners, and the powerful voice of a singer half her age.

Maye performs most of her selections in well-constructed medleys. Her opening salvo was “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” “That Face” and “Put on a Happy Face.”

Next up, love was the word of the moment with “What the World Needs Now,” “Let There be Love” and ‘It’s Love.” She then turned her attention to several selections from My Fair Lady, before concentrating on songs by Johnny Mercer. Among the Mercer tunes were “Too Marvelous for Words,” a song that perfectly describes the singer, “You Must “Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” “Jeepers Creepers” and Something’s Gotta Give.” The set closed with Maye simply

nailing “Come Rain or Come Shine.”

Following an instrumental opening by the big band, Bacher returned for some more swinging vocals. He gave “Minnie the Moocher” a robust reading. It was then his turn to explore some Mercer lyrics on “Jamboree Jones” and “Day In, Day Out.” “I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)” is a delight from the animated Disney film, The Jungle Book, and Bacher gave it a joyful turn. Allen was again spotlighted with Longo’s big band on “It’s a Lovely Day Today,” and once again gave a look at why he is considered among the premier tenor men on the scene.

Maye came back to the stage, and sang “Getting to Know You,” a sentiment that the audience had enthusiastically embraced toward her from the onset of her initial set.

Her next grouping of tunes were ones associated with or written by Fats Waller, “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Honeysuckle Rose.”

The pairing of James Taylor’s “Secret of Life” and “Here’s to Life” is a staple of Maye’s performances, and she always invests it with convincing emotion as she did this time. To close out the music, Bacher and Allen returned to be featured on a bouncy reading of “Mack the Knife.”

It proved to be a wonderfully satisfying evening of music. Bacher has been establishing himself as a popular presence on the New Jersey/NYC scene and had great fun putting this evening together with the support of the producing team of Linda and Don Jay Smith. Maye, who has been packing rooms in New York City and elsewhere for eons, found a new audience in New Jersey, and a return to the Garden State by her would be welcome indeed. The Pat Longo Big Band is based in New Jersey, so keep your eyes out for future opportunities to catch their swinging sounds.

Birdland Theater, New York City

Gabrielle Stravelli October 25-26, 2019

Danny Bacher Photo by John Abbott

22

January/ February 2020

Following an extended trip to the other side of the world, including a three-week gig in Bangkok, Gabrielle Stravelli brought her considerable vocal

talent back to her home base, the Big Apple.

For two nights at the Birdland Theater, she brought along Tim Arrmacost on tenor sax, Josh Richman on piano, Pat O’Leary on bass and Eric Halvorson on drums.

Stravelli includes in her programs a wide variety of material, standards such as “A Sleepin’ Bee” or “Baltimore Oriole”, original tunes, and selections from her recent album of Willie Nelson songs such as “Good

Hearted Woman” and “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”

composer of popular songs, Stephen Foster, “Hard Times Come Again No More.”

One thing that Stravelli often exhibits is her willingness to dig deeply for songs that have been overlooked by most contemporary performers. On this occasion, she found a rarely recorded Johnny Mercer/Donald Kahn ditty titled “Single-O,” and for her closer a song by the man who is generally considered the first important American

Her voice is rangy, robust and often haunting, and having Richman as her pianist was a marvelous plus. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the truly special accompanists to come on the scene in recent years.

Eric Comstock

For their hour-plus set, Stravelli and her musical partners had the capacity crowd enthralled, with virtually each selection greeted by wildly enthusiastic responses.

With each appearance, she is proving over and over to be a very singular and special performer.

Birdland Theater, New York City Eric Comstock November 9, 2019

Eric Comstock has become a fixture in the 5:30 time slot at Birdland on Saturday evenings. In the tradition of the great New York City singer/pianists, he has a seemingly unlimited knowledge of the standards from the Great American Songbook but is also a continued on page 24

January / February 2020

23

CAUGHT IN THE ACT continued from page 23

compiler of rare gems by songwriters famous and obscure, many of whom deserve standard status. It has been said that he knows songs that the songwriters did not even know that they wrote. Joining him for these weekly jaunts into the world of musical magic are bassist Sean Smith, and his musical and life mate Barbara Fasano.

Comstock opened his set on November 9 with a song whose title is almost ironic for this master of many melodies, “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart.” In reality, the songs keep coming out of his mouth in a manner that easily charms those listening. His love for the Big Apple is evident in his reading of “The Great City,” a tune by Curtis Lewis that is a favorite with the hippest of singers.

He also has a special affinity for tunes written by jazz musicians. This time out, he took a look at Randy Weston’s “High Fly,” “Bittersweet,” Roger Schore’s lyric set to Billy Strayhorn’s “Ballad for Das & Lonely Lotus Eaters,” and Benny Carter’s “When Lights are Low.” One of the legendary singer/pianist/ songwriters of the days of piano bars was Murray Grand. Comstock gave a taste of his artistry with “Everything You Want Is Here.” The wild genius of Oscar Levant took many forms, one being as a songwriter.

His most famous tune was “Blame It on My Youth,” nicely sung by Comstock who preceded it with a more obscure Levant selection, “Don’t Mention Love,” with words by Dorothy Fields. Sean Smith is a fine composer, as well as being a bassist supreme. Comstock spotlighted one of Smith’s tunes, “Old School.”

Fasano was called up following Comstock’s take on “Oh! Look at Me Now,” and she sang the special lyrics written for Lee Wiley on the same song. She then turned to a Joni Mitchell selection and “But Beautiful” before Comstock joined her for “Guys and Dolls.” To close this Saturday evening interlude, Comstock returned to the catalog of Murray Grand for “Come By Sunday.”

Actually I did just that as he was at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ, the next evening for two engaging sets with just him, the piano and his inimitable vocal stylings.

24

January/ February 2020

Pangea, New York City Ronny Whyte appeared at Birdland to Ronny Whyte October 3, 2019

celebrate the release of his new album, Whyte Witchcraft, a collections of tunes composed by Cy Coleman. As on the album, Whyte performed some of the songs in a trio format with himself on piano, Eddie Monteiro on Midi-accordion and Mike Campenni on drums, while on others he was backed by the Cecilia Coleman Big Band. It proved to be an exciting set, with Whyte in great voice, the musicians wonderfully supportive, and Coleman’s arrangements stunningly effective.

Of course, having the music of Cy Coleman as the focus of the show made for first-rate listening. When putting the program together, Whyte concentrated mostly on stand-alone songs, only occasionally touching songs that Coleman wrote for Broadway musicals.

No matter the setting, Whyte effectively dug into the lyrics, mostly written by Carolyn Leigh, and conveyed the essence of each of them. He has been singing many of these songs for many years, some of which Coleman introduced when he would occasionally sit in on a Whyte club gig.

Listening to some of the Coleman favorites like “It Amazes Me,” ‘The Best Is Yet to Come,” “Witchcraft.” “Rules of the Road,” “Why Try to Change Me Now,” “I’ve Got Your Number” and “On Second Thought” mixed with lesser known gems like “I’m Watching You,” “Sweet Talk,” “Too Good to Talk About,” “Don’t Ask a Lady,” “Sometime When You’re Lonely” and “All Right, I Love You,” you realize what a superb composer Coleman was, deserving of a spot among the best of the contributors to the Great American Songbook. Whyte showed that he is one of the finest interpreters of the Coleman oeuvre.

For this occasion, Whyte brought the magic of the days when you could drop into any of several venues to hear a sophisticated singer assaying the best songs around, often ones that were only heard in such settings.

(See Other Views in the November/ December issue of Jersey Jazz for a review of the album Whyte Witchcraft.)

Mark Winkler and Mary Foster Conklin November 8, 2019

About 15 years ago, Mark Winkler had released an album of songs by Bobby Troup, and Mary Foster Conklin was in the process of recording an album of songs by Matt Dennis. They appeared together at the Triad on 72nd Street where they performed this material. That was their first joint gig. Since then, they have performed together several times in both New York City and Los Angeles.

They are a well-paired singing duo, and their most recent joint appearance took place at Pangea on November 8. Supporting them was a terrific trio of Allen Farnham on piano, Bill Moring on bass and Alvester Garnett on drums.

Conklin opened with a haunting rendering of “Autumn Serenade.” Winkler, who has recently released a second Bobby Troup album, stuck to the Troup catalog for “Route 66” and his new lyrics for “Hungry Man,” which he calls the “Halloween Version,” a very clever updating.

Then turning to the lyrics of Fran Landesman, Conklin sang “Nothing Like You,” with music by Bob Dorough, and “Photographs,” composed by Alec Wilder -- both songs being wonderful examples of the unique Landesman way with words.

Both singers shared Troup’s quirky “Triskaidekaphobia,” a song about the fear of the number 13. Winkler is a clever lyricist as was evident as he sang “Your Cat Plays Piano,” and was joined by Conklin for “Sweet Spot.”

Standards comprise a large part of Conklin’s repertoire, and she showed her jazz chops on “Thou Swell,” and her passionate side on “The Night We Called it a Day,” one of her Matt Dennis favorites. The evening closed with Winkler’s heartfelt rendering of “Here’s to Life.”

With Winkler residing in the Los Angeles area, and Conklin a denizen of New York City, they do not get many opportunities to work together, so when they do it is a special occasion, and that was certainly the case at Pangea.

January / February 2020

25

Honoring the ‘Iron Man’

By Sanford Josephson

“This is a great night because everyone from a William Paterson sophomore to the legendary George Coleman is here to honor the ‘Iron Man’. He would be happy because they’re also honoring the legacy of the music.” That statement by Harold Mabern’s son, Michael, captured the spirit of an amazing evening.

There were so many great moments in the November 16th concert to honor the late pianist and educator Harold Mabern that it’s difficult to single out a highlight, but everyone in attendance would probably agree that the stirring performance by 84-year-old tenor saxophonist George Coleman was the emotional and musical highpoint. Seated as part of a septet that included Mabern’s “adopted son”, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, Coleman literally blew the roof off the South Orange Performing Arts Center’s mainstage theatre. Coleman and Mabern were high school classmates in Memphis; and Mabern appeared on Coleman’s most recent

album, The Quartet (Smoke Sessions: 2019).

Bassist John Lee, who was producing his 22nd Giants of Jazz concert, welcomed the audience by emphasizing that, “This is not a memorial.

It’s a celebration.” (Mabern died on September 17 at the age of 83).

The celebration was launched by a Vic Juris-Dave Stryker guitar duet of Mabern’s “Edward Lee”, a dedication to trumpeter Lee Morgan.

Pianist Cyrus Chestnut, playing with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Tommy Campbell, recalled performing one night at the popular Greenwich Village jazz bar, Bradley’s, and looking up to see Mabern studying him “with his arms folded.”

The majority of performers were recognizable jazz veterans, but there were also some wonderful performances by young upcoming artists. Trombonist Steve Davis introduced and played a duet with Nana Sakamoto, a 24-year-old trombonist from Hokkaido, Japan, who moved to New York in 2018.

And, pianist Bill Charlap, Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University, presented a quartet of current WPU students, who, Charlap said, “had the privilege of learning from Harold Mabern.” The quartet -- pianist Caelan Cardello, bassist Griffin Fink, drummer Hank Allen-Barfield, and saxophonist Alex DeLazzari -- also played “Edward Lee”.

From left, Michael and Roxie Mabern, Harold’s son and daughter; and John Lee. Photo by Christopher Drukker

26

January / February 2020

Prior to the WPU students’ performance, Charlap led his trio on two standards, Johnny Green’s “Body and Soul” and Vernon

JerseyJazz

George Coleman

Mabern’s “adopted son” Eric Alexander

Photo by Tony Graves

Duke’s “Not a Care in the World”. “Harold Mabern,” Charlap said, “loved songs. We remember his childlike spirit, his wisdom, and his warmth. He nurtured and raised other people’s souls. One of the great honors of my life was to know this man.”

Pointing out that one of Mabern’s favorite composers was Henry Mancini, vocalist Roberta Gambarini, segued into an emotional rendering of Mancini’s “Two for the Road”. Guitarist Russell Malone said of Mabern, “One of the things I will miss are my conversations with him, which were fascinating. He never lost his passion for the music. He also loved hymns.” Malone, along with pianist Jeb Patton, bassist Nat Reeves, and drummer T.S. Monk, then played the hymn, “How Great Thou Art”. Alto saxophonist Vincent Herring joined the quartet to perform Brook Bowman’s “East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)”.

A recognition of Mabern’s fondness for creating music dedicated to jazz legends continued as a sextet played “Mr. Johnson”, composed for the trombonist J.J. Johnson. The septet consisted of trumpeter

JerseyJazz

Nana Sakamoto

Photo by Christopher Drukker

Photo by Christopher Drukker

Freddie Hendrix, also saxophonist Mike DiRubbo, trombonist Davis, pianist Mike LeDonne, bassist Rufus Reid, and drummer Jimmy Cobb. Reid, who directed the WPU Jazz Studies program from 1980-2000, recalled that Mabern “had the biggest hands. He could play the piano so softly, and he could make the piano levitate.”

Coleman’s extraordinary saxophone performance came at the end of the concert where, in addition to Alexander, he was joined by Davis on trombone, Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, David Hazeltine on piano, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. They delighted the crowd with Hank Mobley’s “This I Dig of You” and finished with one of Mabern’s signature tunes, “Rakin’ and Scrapin”.

Alexander, one of Mabern’s former students, along with Farnsworth and Hendrix, was clearly overcome by the remembrance of his mentor and the various musical and spoken tributes to him. “He was the most decent human being I ever met,” Alexander said. “Whatever I am, it’s entirely because of him. He was my best friend.”

January / February 2020 27

DJANGO AND DEBUSSY

Stephane Wrembel Explores Gypsy Jazz Legend’s Rare Solo Guitar Music

By Tony Mottola classify. I hear it as classical music on the guitar. But it is not your standard classical guitar music. It’s closer to pure creation and to the spirit of the guitar than any other guitar music I’ve ever heard. I’ve never played anything like this.”

It’s well known that Reinhardt was inspired to play jazz after hearing the recordings of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. It’s less known that he also loved the music of Bach (he left behind an unfinished organ mass inspired by him) and the Impressionist composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. This other “classical” side of the Gypsy jazz musician is what emerges in his solo recordings, recreated here by Wrembel —modernist modal compositions seasoned with passages of fiery jazz, pulsing swing, Spanish classical guitar, and mournful Gypsy melodies.

Stephane Wrembel

Stephane Wrembel picks his vintage Busato guitar with impressive authority on the new release Django L’Impressionniste (Water is Life Records XIV: 2019). He should. The Maplewood, NJ, guitarist spent a full three years transcribing, learning to play and recording the complex solo guitar music of Django Reinhardt.

Reinhardt recorded prolifically from 1928 to 1953 with some sources estimating a total of 900 sides, the majority released as 78-rpm records. There’s no need to estimate his recordings on solo guitar though — there are just 17 — and Wrembel presents all those chronologically (1937 - 1950) on this new recording.

“Everyone knows that he recorded a few solo pieces, but they are scattered all over the place and the sound quality of many of them is really bad,” says Wrembel. “But it’s an incredible repertoire. ‘Tea For Two’ is a swinging jazz Django, with a classical harmonies feel; ‘Improvisation 1’ and ‘Improvisation 2’ are more like complete impressionist preludes. But ‘Improvisation No. 5’ has more of a baroque twist to it and ends up like Spanish guitar. It´s hard to

28

January / February 2020

The entire program is composed by Reinhardt with the exception of the popular standard “Tea for Two” (Youmans/Caesar), a delightful performance that made me wish Reinhardt had recorded hours of such carefree solo meanderings. The sources for the CD’s music are 13 studio recordings, three radio transcriptions, and one live performance (“Improvisation 2; variation No. 3,” Chicago Civic Opera House, 1946).

Somewhat confusingly 11 of the pieces are titled as various numbered “Improvisations”.

The word is a bit misleading, as Wrembel explains. “‘Improvisation 2’ has been recorded three times. I have the three different versions, and only the ending really is different. So it might have started as someone saying ‘Django, do you want to improvise something on the guitar?’ at the end of a session and so he plays — but that doesn’t mean he just sat there and made something up on the spot. He is playing something that he probably has been preparing for years.

It’s obvious when you start learning it.”

For Wrembel, a Paris-born artist who has made the music of Django Reinhardt his life’s work, the recording is a magnificent accomplishment —a unique collection of

original music by one of the 20th century’s greatest artists impeccably performed by a contemporary virtuoso of the guitar. The guitarist understands that, “most people who are interested in Django, especially musicians, are interested in his jazz recordings, his swing stuff. This [solo music] is a very difficult repertoire. These pieces are very hard to learn, and very hard to play.”

While most of the music on Django L’Impressionniste will be new to many listeners, the concluding track, “Nuages”, is Reinhardt’s most famous song. The composer recorded it at least 10 times, but only once as a solo guitar performance in an extended arrangement intended for a film soundtrack in Paris in July 1950. Wrembel’s nearly 10-minute performance of the solo arrangement, with its lyrical intro and

"Most people who are interested in Django are interested in his jazz recordings, his swing stuff.

This is a very different repertoire." outro, is remarkable. That concluding cut is preceded by a Ravel-inspired “Belleville”, also a recognizable Reinhardt melody taken from the same 1950 soundtrack recording session that’s another bravura performance.

No Django fan’s music collection will be complete without a copy of Stephane Wrembel’s Django L’Impressionniste.

January / February 2020

29

NEWS FROM WBGO

Champions of Jazz Gala Highlights 40th Anniversary Celebration WBGO’s Champions of Jazz Gala, a 40th anniversary celebration, was presented on November 6, 2019, and honored Grammy and Tony Award-winning National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater and Festival International de Jazz de Montréal co-founder André Ménard.

The gala, which was held at Capitale in New York City, was hosted by Emmy Awardwinning actor Joe Morton and featured musical performances from more than a dozen celebrated artists.

Vocalist Dominique Fil-Aime, left, and Dee Dee Bridgewater Photo by Bernard Fairclough

Bridgewater, who hosted National Public Radio’s “Jazz Set” for 23 years, acknowledged the significance of the station on her career. “WBGO has been a welcoming home for me since I can remember,” she said.

“They provided me with a platform, and they’ve played every album that I’ve ever done. I’m forever grateful to [them].”

The program, which was filled with dazzling performances, featured a surprise finale for Bridgewater with a performance by Carla Thomas, the Queen of Memphis Soul.

Thomas emerged to perform her 1966 hit “B-A-B-Y.” Bridgewater, who was born in Memphis, stood beaming during the song, as most of the show’s other featured vocalists filed onstage: Alicia Olatuja, Lillias White, Dominique Fils-Aimé, and Alexis Morrast.

WBGO was the brainchild of an urban think tank whose members came together in Newark in the 1970s to effect change after the rebellion of 1967. Marshaling an extraordinary group of city activists, and with the help of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, they established the first public radio station in New Jersey in 1979. Early founders Bob Ottenhoff and Dorthaan Kirk were among the guests who attended the celebration.

Dorthaan said that after her husband, jazz musician Rahsaan Roland Kirk, passed away, she was approached about supporting an effort to bring a jazz radio station to Newark.

“I [took] a chance on a dream that a young man had to turn a signal that was based in the classrooms of the Newark Public School system into a first-class jazz station,” said Kirk. “We decided we would do whatever it took to support this music. I would like to think that we have made a difference.”

Ménard is one of the most influential figures in the Quebec artistic community. He retired

30

January / February 2020

as a producer of the Montréal Jazz Festival last year and shares a long friendship with Bridgewater, who has performed at the festival a dozen times.

WBGO, which is also committed to spotlighting youth jazz, featured the Newark Arts High School Jazz Band during the gala reception. The funds raised at the Gala allow WBGO to champion music and innovative programming to reach and expand to new audiences as they begin the next 40 years.

Keanna Faircloth Named New Afternoon Host Keanna Faircloth has been an important voice for jazz in Washington, D.C., her hometown. She began a new era on October 28, 2019, making her official debut as the voice of “Afternoon Jazz” on WBGO, after spending 16 years on the airwaves at WPFW 89.3FM in the nation’s capital.

“It’s a great privilege to be able to share Keanna with our audience,” said Amy Niles, WBGO’s President and CEO. “Her respect and understanding of the legacy of our music

New WBGO Afternoon Jazz host Keanna Faircloth

and her ear for the new sounds is exactly what makes WBGO so vital.”

In an online interview with Nate Chinen, WBGO Director of Editorial Content, Faircloth said she “always looked to WBGO as the pinnacle of jazz radio. I am absolutely honored to join its 40-year history.” Faircloth started out as an intern at WPFW and “was suddenly thrust into the announcer seat one day when a host didn’t show up for ‘Midday Jazz’. As they say, the rest is history because the slot became mine in my sophomore year of college (at Howard University).” JJ

JAZZ TRIVIA

Jazz Babies of 1920

By O. Howie Ponder

The year 1920 proved to be a banner year for producing future jazz talent, and 100 years later, the world will be singing the praises of these greats on centennials of their births: 1. The alto saxophonist was a leading figure in the creation of bebop in the 1940s, dazzling fans at Minton’s in Harlem and later around the world with his lightning-fast runs and chord-changing innovations. Tragically, his heroin addiction led to his death at age 34, but his music lives on forever.

2. This 1994 NEA Jazz Master was a West Coast-born pianist who came to prominence in the early 1950s as a “cool jazz” hero on college campuses. His experiments with unusual time signatures vaulted his records to best-selling status and earned him a Time Magazine cover in 1954. His long-lasting quartet was one of the first integrated jazz combos.

3. This Harlem-born singer and pianist joined the NEA Jazz Masters roster after an illustrious career as an interpreter of the Great American Songbook, and is regarded by many as in a class with Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. A nominee for seven Jazz Grammy vocalist awards over 38 years of making records, her duets with

Betty Carter, Latin album with Cal Tjader and tribute albums to Holiday and Thelonious Monk are standouts.

4. The trumpeter and novelty vocalist from St. Louis played in both the Basie and Ellington bands, then joined the Tonight Show band from 1962-72. His languagegarbling scat vocals resulted in his hit “Mumbles”, and he was equally witty on his horn. He was named an NEA Jazz Master in 1991. Among many who credited him as a mentor were Quincy Jones and Miles Davis.

5. The North Dakota-born singer straddled the jazz and pop genres and also acted and sang in Hollywood films in the 1950s. She replaced Helen Forrest in Benny Goodman’s band in 1941 and recorded her first hit, “Why Don’t You Do Right?” in 1943. Other hits included “Fever” in 1957 and “Is That All There Is?” a Grammy winner, in 1969.

She continued performing into the 1990s.

6. Raised in Atlantic City, this singer is best known for her years with the Ellington

Orchestra from 1942-44 and again in 1951, when her extended vocal on “Take the A Train” was recorded. Stints with the Savoy Sultans, Hot Lips Page and Lester Young in the 1940s followed her winning a competition at the famed Apollo Theater.

7. The Arkansas-born blues singer had a Number 1 hit on the rhythm ‘n blues charts in 1949 with “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” going on to lead on more than 60 albums, joined by blues and legends such as Jay McShann, Panama Francis, Big Joe Turner, Buck Clayton, Robben Ford and Duke Robillard.

8. The tenor saxophonist from Brockton, MA., spent 24 years in the Ellington Orchestra (1950-74) after post-WWII gigs in the Basie and Dizzy Gillespie big bands. His 27-chorus solo in the middle of “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival caused such a stir it is credited with reinvigorating Ellington’s career answers on page 46

January / February 2020

31

32

January / February 2020

January / February 2020

33

NORTH CAROLINA JAZZ FESTIVAL

Jazz Turns 40 on the Banks of Cape Fear River

By Sandy Evans

One of the oldest traditional jazz festivals in the country, the North Carolina Jazz Festival, will celebrate its 40th anniversary January 23-25. This three-day event, held in the ballroom of Wilmington’s Hotel Ballast (formerly Wilmington Hilton Riverside), features internationally known jazz musicians from across the U.S. and beyond.

To celebrate this significant birthday we are bringing in some of the “rising young stars” of the jazz world to play with some of our favorite “seasoned” musicians for a weekend of stellar jazz!

Thursday night, January 23, which is our special event night featuring different styles of jazz, will open with the Jon Hill Trio, three young musicians from the University of North Carolina Wilmington Department of Music.

Following this group will be our headliner and “rising star”, vocalist Veronica Swift, with the Emmet Cohen Trio. Veronica was recently featured in DownBeat Magazine, Syncopated Times, and Jersey Jazz. She has toured extensively, playing on jazz cruises and jazz festivals across the U.S., plus Champian Fulton Adrian Cunningham Photo by Steven Pope performing at many of the great jazz clubs in New York City including Birdland, Dizzy’s Coca Cola, Kitano, Jazz ends at 10:30, Friday and Saturday’s go until midnight! A unique Standard, Mezzrow and Smalls. A set by some of our weekend all- part of the festival is the Saturday Patrons’ Brunch, which is free to stars under the leadership of clarinetist/saxophonist Adrian our valued Patrons. Our all-stars will be playing for five sets during Cunningham will close out the first evening with a traditional jazz the brunch, and any patron who is also a musician is invited to “sit jam. in” and jam with the all-stars. This is a great time to socialize with On Friday and Saturday evenings, January 24 and 25, we will have the musicians as well as other patrons’ who have a common interest our 13 all-stars playing seven sets of traditional and classic jazz each –Jazz! night. The sets are made up of six or seven musicians with each set General admission ticket prices for Thursday are $40. Friday and having a different leader.

Saturday general admission is $60. Each night admission is $25 for This year our all-stars include such favorites and “seasoned“ active military and $15 for students. Our Patron tickets are $200. musicians as tenor saxophonist Houston Person, vibraphonist/ And include Friday and Satuday evening performances plus the drummer Chuck Redd , pianist Rossano Sportiello, bassist Herman Patrons’ Brunch. The $225 Patronship also includes the Thursday Burney, trombonist Dion Tucker, guitarist Nate Najar, violinist evening performance.

Jonathan Russell, Cunningham, bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott, and For more information please check our trumpeter Bruce Harris. The new “Rising Stars” for the weekend website www.mcjazzfestival.org are pianist/vocalist Champian Fulton, trumpeter Ben Polcer and e-mail ncjazzfest@yahoo.com drummer Chris Gelb or call 910-793-1111.

All shows begin at 7:30 pm, and while Thursday night’s performance

34

January / February 2020

January / February 2020

35

SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL

Manhattan Transfer, Charles McPherson, and Dick Hyman Help Celebrate Jazz Club’s 40th Anniversary

By Sanford Josephson

by Charlie Parker. In 1974 at a tribute to Parker at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York, McPherson was part of an alto saxophone trio within a big band led by pianist Jay McShann. His alto partners were Sonny Stitt and Phil Woods. He was also the featured alto saxophonist in Clint Eastwood’s 1988 movie, Bird, a biographical film about Parker.

Manhattan Transfer, from left: Cheryl Bentyne, Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, and Trist Curless.

“Presenting some favorites that people know and some faces that will be new to them.”

That’s how Music Director Ken Peplowski plans to celebrate the Jazz Club of Sarasota’s 40th anniversary at the 2020 Sarasota Jazz Festival. For example, there will be the regulars: legendary pianist Dick Hyman, who lives in nearby Venice, FL; soul-jazz vocalist Clairdee; and tenor saxophonist Houston Person. But new additions will include the popular a cappella vocal group, Manhattan Transfer, which had its 45th anniversary in 2017; veteran bebop alto saxophonist Charles McPherson; and a young Tampa-based trio, La Lucha, which will play with all the performers for each of the three main stage performances.

“We’re trying to step things up a bit,” Peplowski adds, “getting new people to come but keeping the festival as a bastion of good straight ahead jazz.” The Manhattan Transfer has won 10 Grammy Awards and recorded close to 30 albums. Clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Peplowski has worked several times with vocalist Janis Siegel, who joined The Manhattan Transfer in October 1972, shortly after it had formed. “She’s a great vocalist on her own,” Peplowski says, “but we’re really excited to have the whole group.”

McPherson, he adds, “is a great alto player, one of the last of the genuine bebop

36

January / February 2020

saxophonists. He plays so melodically and beautifully.” Peplowski is also enthusiastic about La Lucha, a trio of young friends who come from three different parts of the world.

Bassist Alejandro Arenas is from Colombia; pianist John O’Leary is from Mexico; and drummer Mark Feinman is from Clearwater, FL. They play a varied blend of styles, but Peplowski says, “They really come out of standards-based jazz. I’m going to be producing an album of their music for Arbors Records.”

In 2018, The Manhattan Transfer recorded its first album since the 2014 death of founder Tim Hauser, The Junction on the BMG label. Pointing out that Hauser was succeeded by Trist Curless, formerly of the Los Angeles-based group, m-pact, JazzTimes’ Christopher Loudon wrote that the group’s harmonies “are as tight as ever, the vocal faculty and pliability of Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, and Cheryl Bentyne still sterling, with Curless ably filling Hauser’s bass chair while lending plenty of freshly inventive touches.”

The title track, he added, gives a nod to their signature song, “Tuxedo Junction” and “joyfully celebrates the group’s seemingly limitless musical vocabulary.”

The 80-year-old McPherson is one of the last remaining saxophonists from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s who were greatly influenced

After moving to New York from Detroit in 1959, McPherson spent 12 years, from 196072, with bassist Charlie Mingus. In the 1970s, he often performed at Boomer’s in Greenwich Village alongside former Mingus band mate, trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer. McPherson moved to San Diego in 1978 and is currently resident composer for the San Diego Ballet.

Jazz critic Stanley Crouch, writing in The New York Times, called McPherson “a singular voice who has never sacrificed the fluidity of his melody making and is held in high esteem by musicians both seasoned and young.”

Peplowski and Hyman plan to play several selections from their recent Arbors album, Counterpoint, which features duet treatments of the music of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. In his review of the album in the November-December issue of Jersey Jazz, Joe Lang pointed out that many of the selections were new to both players, “but with musical minds such as those of Hyman and Peplowski, the results are exceptional . . . You will hear songs like ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, ‘Almost Like Being in Love’, ‘On the Street Where You Live’, and ‘If Ever I Would Leave You’ in ways that you have never heard them before.”

The Sarasota Jazz Festival opens on Sunday, March 8, with a free Jazz in the Park concert from noon-4 p.m. in Phillipi Estate Park. The music will be provided by the Don Levine Ensemble, the Debbie Keeton Band, and a high school band, not yet selected at presstime. The annual Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl, featuring 10 bands and 10 downtown venues, will be held on Wednesday night, March 11, from 5:30-10 p.m.

The three Main Stage events will all be presented at 7:30 p.m. at the Municipal Auditorium. Each featured musician or band will perform individually, followed by a

finale with everyone playing together. The schedule:

Thursday, March 12: Hyman, Peplowski, McPherson, guitarist Russell Malone, and La Lucha.

JAZZ AT THE 1867 SANCTUARY

Kickoff Concert for 2020: ‘Danny Tobias with Strings’

By Bob Kull

Friday, March 13: Clairdee, Peplowski, Person, trumpeter Terrell Stafford, and La Lucha.

Saturday, March 14: The Manhattan Transfer, Peplowski, and La Lucha.

Other features of the Festival include: Keep On Keepin’ On, a documentary film about trumpeter Clark Terry’s mentoring of young jazz pianist Justin Kauflin, preceded by a musical introduction, from 9:30 a.m.-noon on March 13; and four simultaneous theme stage concerts from noon-4 p.m. on March 14. Among the artists performing will be: Bobby Blackmon Band (blues); trumpeter Randy Sandke, leading a quintet (classic); Art Seigel Band (contemporary); and Frankie Piniero Band (Latin).

The Jazz Club of Sarasota was founded in 1980 by Hal Davis, a former publicist for Benny Goodman.

For more information or to order tickets to the festival, log onto www.sarasotajazzfestival.org or call (941) 366-1552.

Photo by Lynn Redmile

Trumpeter Danny Tobias leads our first show in 2020, “Danny Tobias with Strings” featuring guitarists Chris Buzzelli and Pat Mercuri on Saturday afternoon, January 4, at 2 pm. He returns with “Joe Plowman and the Philadelphians” on Saturday, February 8, at 2 pm.

Tobias is an old-fashioned jazz player in the best modern way, at home in any swinging jazz context. Like his heroes, Buck Clayton and Ruby Braff, he loves melody. His improvisations have a beautiful shape, and he is always recognizably himself. Tobias didn’t learn his jazz from a textbook but through experience -- early gigs with Ed Metz Jr., Joe and Paul Midiri, Joe Holt, and a 15-year musical apprenticeship with drummer Tony DiNicola and master clarinetist Kenny Davern. His quietly lyrical cornet can be heard at jazz festivals across the United States.

Our complete January and February jazz schedules at the 1867 Sanctuary is: Saturday, January 4, 2 pm:

“Danny Tobias with Strings” Sunday, January 26, 3 pm:

Alex Hiele Paris Jazz Quartet Sunday, February 2, 2 pm:

Luiz Simas and Wesley Amorim Saturday, February 8, 2 pm:

“Joe Plowman and the Philadelphians” featuring Joe Plowman, Bass; Silas Irvine, Piano; Dave Sanders, Guitar; Joe McDonough, Trombone; and Danny Tobias: Trumpet Sunday, February 16, 2 pm:

“Max’d Out!”, Max Morden Quartet Sunday, February 23, 2 pm

PJ Parker and Sean Gough Saturday, February 29, 8 pm

Andrew T. Miles and Evan Miklosey The New Jersey Jazz Society is a co-sponsor of the Sanctuary jazz series. Tickets are $20 for general admission; $15 for NJJS members; $5 for school and college students. They can be ordered by logging onto Charles McPherson

www.1867sanctuary.org or by calling 609-392-6409. Jazz at the 1867 Sanctuary is located at 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ (One mile south of I-295 Exit 73B).

January / February 2020

37

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER

Rufus Reid’s Big Band Blends Jazz And Classical Music at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola

By Schaen Fox

Bassist Rufus Reid brought his 17-piece big band into Dizzy’s to perform his original music for a four-night gig in late October.

We attended the last night, which was cold and wet from a long rain, but when the music began, the room was packed. In the crowd were two prominent musicians, saxophonist Ted Nash and drummer Ron Vincent. The band was also packed with major talents, such as the maestro himself on bass, Dennis Mackrel conducting, guitarist Vic Juris, saxophonists Steve Wilson and Scott Robinson, trumpeters Ingrid Jensen and Freddie Hendrix, and trombonist Ryan Keberle.

Reid said that approximately 80 percent of his band were returning members, and one said he had turned down more lucrative gigs to play this music. It was easy to see why.

Reid has long been one of the world’s most

38

January / February 2020

admired bassists. (The Principal Librarian of the Philadelphia Orchestra told me that members of that august ensemble were impressed when he told them he had attended Reid’s gig.) For decades, artists such as Stan Getz, Eddie Harris, Dexter Gordon, Grace Kelly and Giacomo Gates have relied on his rock-steady beat to build their music. His modified bass can play lower than standard models, and sitting about 10 feet away from it, I could occasionally feel its vibrations. Shortly before, he had toured with the Frank Kimbrough quartet performing works of Thelonius Monk. Now his big band was playing his own remarkable fusion of jazz and classical compositions, as he performed with them.

would really divide my time, because the music is a lot more complex.” Indeed, as he played, he carefully studied his own writings.

Between some numbers, he did tell some interesting and charming stories. One was how a favorite aunt so loved a piece he had written for her that other relatives begged him to write more, because she played it so much, they were tired of it.

Later, he told me why he didn’t conduct, “I still want to play. To conduct from the bass

The music was thrilling and compelling, and his fans responded warmly.

Another was how his winning, the first Sackler Music Composition Prize for jazz led to his twice Grammy nominated Quiet Pride (Motema Music: 2014). From that, the band performed “Singing Head,” a work about nine minutes long from the CD. Altogether the set comprised only five extended compositions, among them “Whims of the Bluebird” and “Always in the Moment.”

GUEST COLUMN

Is Jazz An Endangered Species?

By Ed Coyne

When I was a teenager the jazz world was at its peak! Fifty Second Street had five or seven clubs featuring the jazz greats seven nights a week. I saw Charlie Parker and Dizzy, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Red Rodney, Oscar Peterson, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstein, and so many more. The jazz concerts at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall and other major venues were sold out. In the New York metro area there were three or four radio stations featuring jazz as a major part of programming. Television programing featured big jazz bands such as Basie, Ellington, Kenton and Herman. Movies featured these artists, and jazz was used as the musical background in numerous films.

Through the ‘40s and ‘50s jazz had a substantial position in the music world. As we moved into the ‘60s and ‘70s, jazz became less of a feature as rock and roll made the scene. Less jazz was featured, and exposure to the general public was reduced. As we moved into the ‘80s and ‘90s less and less great jazz was featured on radio, TV and in the movies.

The big names in jazz began dying, and their followers left the planet; and younger generations have not replaced jazz fans as in previous years. As we entered the new millennium, the process continued, and the audiences and the number of new jazz fans disappeared to a greater degree. Jazz clubs and associations saw substantial decline in membership, and many are struggling to maintain membership, finding it very difficult to add younger members.

For the past 17 years I have been producing jazz concerts featuring small groups, big bands, vocalists, and vocal groups all including top jazz artists. When I started, it was not difficult to generate decent audiences and, in some cases, sold out concerts, depending upon the artist appearing and adequate promotion and timing of the jazz concert.

In 2019 it was extremely difficult to generate good audience participation regardless of artist, ticket prices or time of year or venue. Jazz gets little exposure on radio, almost none on TV; and fewer and fewer clubs throughout the country are featuring jazz. The older audiences that appreciate the music are passing away. Many who are alive are ill and, in many cases, are in wheelchairs or in retirement homes. Many senior citizens are on fixed incomes and cannot afford to spend the money for a jazz concert.

My experience indicates young people have little or no interest in jazz and, even if tickets are offered to them at no cost, they do not show up. If you cannot replace the older audience with new younger jazz fans there will be no way to keep this music alive.

Will the music’s future will be left only to musicians who will play for their own self enjoyment with no compensation?

To stop the decline and develop audiences, a major effort by everyone in the business of jazz… promoters, musicians and fans is needed to stimulate an interest in “America’s musical treasure”. It will not survive unless the younger generations are exposed and solicited in a manner that will encourage them to attend live jazz events. It’s time for a summit to develop a strategy that may prevent this element of the music world from becoming extinct.

Ed Coyne is the producer of the Jazz Series at Rutherfurd Hall in Allamuchy NJ. January / February 2020

39

DAN’S DEN

By Dan Morgenstern

I know it’s not good form to talk about oneself, but think that turning 90 is a good excuse. In any case, here goes: My dear friend, David Ostwald, master of the tuba and leader of the Louis Armstrong Eternity Band (which will soon celebrate its 20th birthday of Wednesdays at Birdland), made October 23, the day before my 90th birthday, a very special occasion (See our cover story on page 5. Dan had no knowledge of it when he wrote this column).

the first time I had vocalized with the Eternity Band—my debut goes back at least a decade—but this time it was a bit more ambitious. Of course it was a song associated with Louis, who put it on the jazz map: “When You’re Smiling”. But I decided (with fair advance warning to the leader of the band) that since I could not tackle the famous elevation Louis gave it instrumentally, I’d instead follow the vocal chorus with my scat version of Lester Young’s great solo on the Billie Holiday-Teddy Wilson recording, the second of the two takes. I did not inform the

The band that night (David draws from the deep pool of first-class musicians) was Bria Skonberg (need I say trumpet and vocal?); Jim Fryer, trombone and vocal; Will Anderson, clarinet and alto sax; Jared Engel, resonator guitar (a very special collector’s item; the great Eddie Durham played one with Bennie Moten); Arnt Arntzen, guesting on banjo and guitar; Alex Raderman, drums; Joe Boga, trumpet and Evan Arntzen, clarinet, sitting in for the finale—always “Swing That Music.” As it did for the whole set.

The standout for me was Bria in both her role on “Lover Come Back to Me,” at a tempo a bit faster than usual for this standard (Eddie Condon adjusted “Lover” to “Liver”).

I was more than pleased to see our Editor’s warm review of Bria’s latest, Nothing Never Happens, on her own label. My first encounter with this special lady from British Columbia was in fact with the Ostwald Louis bunch, and she nearly bowled me over when ripping off Louis’ famed opening cadenza to “West End Blues” as if it were easy to execute faultlessly, as she did. Been a fan ever since; she is a sterling example of an artist who is both contemporary and in touch with the legacy—and original in both aspects.

So many friends showed up for me (and the music) -- among them Lew Tabackin, who saluted me with a beautiful reading of “My Ideal,” and Ed Polcer, who sat in for a number—both gentlemen had other things to do, and that they dropped in just for me was quite a birthday present.

Possibly the musical low point of the event was my vocal effort. It was not by any means

40

January / February 2020

Bria Skonberg.

Photo by Dan Morgenstern

audience but knew that a few sharp ears would catch on. Sure enough the one and only Phil Schaap called out “Take three!” which truly made my day!

Speaking of Louis, I find it hard to believe that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of his death. That will surely trigger quite a few tributes, but of course such have been part of the scene ever since Pops left us. A particularly fine one took place about a month later, also at Birdland but downstairs, at the relatively new space called the theater.

It was presented by Daryl Sherman, joined by her regular of many decades, bassist Boots Maleson, and a more recent frequent collaborator, the remarkable Scott Robinson.

Scott commands (and owns) an astonishing range of instruments; on this occasion he brought two: the tenor he features on his most recent (and splendid) CD, and the tarogato, a Hungarian relative of the clarinet (with a tone reminiscent of the alto version of that horn). It was a gift, as Scott mentioned, from the late Joe Muranyi, and thus most appropriate for a Louis tribute, as Joe had been an Armstrong All Star. Daryl always makes her tributes special, and this was no exception, starting off with a rousing “Jubilee”; including a rarity, Louis’ own “Red Cap” (with a lyric by Ben Hecht, not the famous one, but a little known songwriter, who did a nice job for Pops); the always good to hear “A Kiss To Build A Dream On”; and a sparkling “I Double Dare You,” on which Daryl and Scott did a couple of near telepathic instrumental choruses, with Boots seeming to read their minds. Louis (and the song’s composer, Terry Shand, whom I once met) surely relished that performance up on their clouds!

January / February 2020

41

BIG BAND IN THE SKY

By Sanford Josephson

three sisters -- twins, Lisa and Wanda, who are painters, and Nicole, a cellist and stained glass artist. The family has indicated that donations in Sheilia’s name are welcome at Planned Parenthood.

Sheilia Lenga, 79, former New Jersey Jazz Society Board Member and Vice President, Publicity, August 10, 1940, New York City -November 12, 2019, Glen Rock, NJ. Lenga grew up in an artistic family in Westport, CT. Her father, Samuel Reindorf, came to the United States from Toronto on an Art Students League scholarship. He owned his own advertising agency in New York City and painted in his Westport studio.

Reindorf wanted his daughter, Sheilia, to become a concert pianist, and she won a scholarship to attend the Juilliard School of Music. She became interested in jazz through her music contacts, and this interest led her to become active in the New Jersey Jazz Society. During her many years as an NJJS Board member, Lenga devoted countless hours to serving the organization, attending jazz concerts and events throughout New Jersey to spread the word about the benefits of belonging to the Jazz Society. Her perseverance resulted in many new NJJS members, and she also worked continuously to advance NJJS’ mission: promoting the performance, promotion, and preservation of jazz.

Lenga also loved photography and became President of the Cranford Camera Club (now known as the Cranford/Millburn Camera Club). Her photographic images have been exhibited in several venues including the Watchung Arts Center, the Westfield Art Gallery, and the Jewish Community Center in Edison.

Survivors include: her partner, Jack Sinkway; three children, Kirk, Renee, and Samara; and

42

January / February 2020

In recognition of Lenga’s contributions to the New Jersey Jazz Society, the organization’s Board has voted to change the name of its Board of Directors Scholarship to the Sheilia Lenga Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship provides grant monies to a student(s) in one of the five New Jersey colleges with degree programs in Jazz Studies: Montclair State University, New Jersey City University, Rowan University, Rutgers University, and William Paterson University. The funding of the Jazz Studies scholarships is an important priority of the NJJS, with the goal of providing grants that cover a significant portion of educational costs.

A contribution to NJJS can be earmarked for its Scholarship Fund. Anyone wishing to donate to the Sheilia Lenga Memorial Scholarship Fund, in memory of Sheilia, can do so by clicking on JAZZ EDUCATION/ Scholarship Program on the NJJS website (www.njjs.org) and give via the “Donate” button provided, or by mail to NJJS 382 Springfield Ave., Ste. 217, Summit, NJ 07901.

All contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

public schools where he remained for 11 years. From there, he moved to the University of Connecticut Department of Education, teaching there for eight years.

In the early 1970s, he was contacted by trumpeter Bobby Hackett, an old family friend, who hired him for a one-week engagement in Raleigh, NC. Masso’s children were now grown, and that one week inspired him to consider returning to the road as a professional musician. Hackett arranged for him to join the Benny Goodman Sextet, and Masso resigned from his teaching job and moved to New York City. He spent three years with Goodman (in a band that also included guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and bassist Slam Stewart). After Goodman, he toured with Hackett and then joined The World’s Greatest Jazz Band, led by trumpeter Yank Lawson and bassist Bob Haggart.

Masso stayed with the WGJB until 1996 when the leaders retired. After that he recorded several albums as a leader and worked as a sideman for Woody Herman, George Shearing, and Charlie Ventura, among others.

In 1979, he was part of the band helping honor Hoagy Carmichael in a Newport Jazz Festival in New York concert at Carnegie Hall called “The Stardust Road: A Hoagy Carmichael Jubilee.” I met Masso at that concert, and he was clearly delighted to be a part of it. “When I first started to play, ‘Stardust’ was one of the tunes I played and liked,” he told me. “I played it as a solo when I made my first public appearance. I’ve been playing it ever since.”

Masso was also part of Bob Wilber’s 1988 50th anniversary re-creation of Benny Goodman’s historic 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. That concert was produced by the late Jack Stine, founder of the New Jersey Jazz Society.

George Masso 92, trombonist/educator, November 17, 1926, Cranston, RI -- October 22, 2019, Bristol, RI. In the mid-1950s, Masso, after playing with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and the house band at New York’s Latin Quarter nightclub, decided to settle down and concentrate on raising his family.

He began teaching in the Cranston, RI,

In 2001, JazzTimes’ David Franklin reviewed Masso’s Arbors Records album, At Long Last Love. Masso’s tentette, Franklin wrote, “sounds a lot like a hip dance band. Some of the leader’s 10 arrangements suggest a scaleddown version of the kind of conservative charts Woody Herman and others often used for dances. Here they serve mainly as vehicles for extensive soloing by the leader and an excellent group of improvisers that includes tenorist/clarinetist Dick Johnson, trumpeter Lou Colombo, guitarist Jon Wheatley, and

baritonist/clarinetist/flutist Mark Phaneuf . . . Although the rhythm section operates more or less in a swing-oriented mode, the improvisations tend to blur the line between swing and modern jazz.” Masso, he added, “has been called the ‘Bobby Hackett of the trombone’.”

Tenor saxophonist Harry Allen told Jersey Jazz he was, “very fortunate to meet George early in my career and play with him and tour with him many times through the years.

If you had a question about a melody, a chord change, the original sheet music for a song, he was the guy to ask. He taught me so much about music. His musicianship was unparalleled. He was a true gentleman and one of the most complete musicians I’ve ever known.”

Masso retired from playing in 2012 at the age of 85. In 2015, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.

Survivors include: a son, David Masso; three daughters, Marjorie Veltri, Lisa Orleck, and Paula Roy; six grandchildren; six greatgrandchildren; and his companion, June Flori.

album, Frenesi, which won a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin album. In a review of Rhino Records’ 2011 reissue of the album, the Latin Jazz Network’s Raul da Gama wrote of the “complexity of the arrangements masterfully written by Ray Santos.”

Santos rose to prominence in the 1950s and ‘60s as a member of several bands that played at New York’s Palladium where, according to The New York Times’ Daniel E. Slotnik, “Latin jazz was played, and elegant dancers tried the newest Cuban-inspired steps.”

Among the bands that Santos played with were mambo’s “Big Three”: bands led by Tito Puente, Machito, and Rodriguez.

In the 1990s, Wynton Marsalis hired Santos to conduct some concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center, describing him in an interview as an, “extremely astute musician”, adding that, “He just represented the quality, the insight, and the dignity of a whole idiom, and, by that idiom, I don’t mean Afro-Latin music; I mean American music.” Another highlight of Santos’ career was playing tenor saxophone on Machito’s popular 1958 Afro-Cuban jazz album, Kenya, on the Roulette Records label.

Some of his band mates on the record were trumpeters Doc Cheatham and Joe Newman and alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley.

The Latin Recording Academy awarded Santos with a Trustees Award for Lifetime Achievement in 201l, and the Berklee College of Music presented him with an honorary doctorate in 2016. Santos’ most recent work was writing some arrangements for Eddie Palmieri’s 2018 Ropeadope album, Mi Luz Mayor. Drummer Bobby Sanabria, writing on the WBGO website (October 19, 2019), said Santos’ “quiet demeanor always projected strength, dignity, and supreme knowledge.”

Survivors include five children: Virna L. Santos, Cynthia Santos DeCure, Carmen Myriam Santos, Rhynna M. Santos, and Raymond Santos; and eight grandchildren.

Ray Santos, 90, saxophonist/composer, Eddie Duran 94, guitarist, September 6, December 28, 1928, East Harlem -- October 17, 2019, the Bronx. While arranging most of the music for the 1992 movie, The Mambo Kings, Santos met and worked with vocalist Linda Ronstadt, who performed two songs for the film, “Quireme Mucho” and “Perfidia”. That encounter led to his hiring as the arranger for Ronstadt’s 1992 Elektra

1925, San Francisco -- November 22, 2019, Sonoma, CA. Growing up in a musical family, Duran learned to play the guitar by listening to Django Reinhardt on his family’s record player.

In the 1950s, Charlie Parker was visiting San Francisco and selected Duran to be his

guitarist for his local gigs. That boosted his reputation, and, as a result, he was hired by other well-known jazz musicians such as tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, and pianists George Shearing and Vince Guaraldi. He also went on an international tour with Benny Goodman.

“I was always amazed at how beautifully he could accompany people, whether it be vocalists or horn players,” Dick Conte, pianist and DJ at San Francisco area jazz station KCSM, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He had a great ability to listen and know where someone was going musically, and he’d go right along with them.”

He is survived by his wife, Madaline.

Michael J. Iovino 80, drummer and business owner, 1939, Newark -- November 6, 2019, Far Hills, NJ. Iovino, founder and owner of Parsippany-based consulting firm, Delta Corporate Services, was also a jazz drummer and played in several jazz bands before entering the business world.

He is survived by a daughter, Pam Isenburg of Far Hills; a son, David Iovino of Portland, ME; a sister Joan Zaleski; and two grandchildren.

According to his daughter and son, Iovino “was a huge fan of the New Jersey Jazz Society and looked forward to every edition of the magazine.” As a result, the family has requested that donations in his memory be made to the New Jersey Jazz Society by logging onto www.njjs.org. continued on page 47 January / February 2020

43

Not without YOU!

Y

our membership is vital to NJJS’s mission to promote and preserve America’s great art form – jazz! Thank you and welcome to all who have recently joined or renewed their memberships.

We can’t do what we do without you! * Three – year Membership † Gift Membership Names in bold type - Patron Membership

RENEWED MEMBERS

Edward Holzwarth Sprngfield, PA *

John Vogel Whippany, NJ

Danny Bacher Cliffside, NJ

Carrie Jackson Orange, NJ

William Weisberg Fort Lee, NJ

Michael Banas Hillsborough, NJ

Michael Kulakis Brielle, NJ

Ira Whitman East Brunswick, NJ

Ellen LaFurn Thomas Bartha East Stroudsburg, PA* Ridgefield, NJ

David Yennior Belleville, NJ

Pamela Bennett Union, NJ

E Daniel Lass J Herbert Young West Allenhurst, NJ* Lancaster, PA

Mark Boginsky Livingston, NJ

Stuart J. Lasser Morristown, NJ

Joel Zelnick Closter, NJ

Steve Brauner Mahwah, NJ

Linda Lynch Rockaway, NJ

NEW MEMBERS

Beverly DeGraaf Morristown, NJ

Kenneth MacKenzie Morristown, NJ

Andrew Brashears Maplewood, NJ

Diane Ducas Casper Somerset, NJ

Bob McGee Florham Park, NJ

Lisa Calderwood Hillsborough, NJ

John Drew Chatham, NJ

Eileen McInerney West Caldwell, NJ *

Dorothy Coviello Murray Hill, NJ

Ed Coyne Great Meadows, NJ

Joe McManemin Netcong, NJ

Anthony Gartmond Lawrenceville, NJ

Alan Eisenberg Rockville, MD

Andrew Murro Jeremy Johnson Woodcliff Lakes, NJ * Newark, NJ

Sandra Evans Wilmington, NC

Mark Neidorff Riveredge, NJ

Larry Johnson Orange, NJ

David Fortna Elizabeth, NJ *

Suzanne Newmann West Orange, NJ

Peter LaMattina SpringHill, FL

Rosalinda Guiditta South Plainfield, NJ

Frank Noviello Union City, NJ

Matt Kane North Plainfield, NJ

Stanley Parker Alan Haddad New York City, NY * Saddlebrook, NJ Arlene Rosenberg Karrie Hanson, Elmwood Park, NJ Ben Greene

Nancy Kraemer West Orange, NJ †

Westfield,NJ

Alexander Samu College Point, NY

John Samorian West Orange, NJ

Gail Schaefer Brick, NJ

Peter Seckel South Orange, NJ

Otto Harrassowitz/ Rutgers Piscataway, NJ Bruce Hector Glen Rock, NJ

Don Jay Smith Lebanon, NJ

Willi Hegelbach Kendall Park, NJ

Terrence Smith Morristown, NJ

44

January / February 2020

Christopher Merlino Manalapan, NJ

January / February 2020

45

FROM THE CROW’S NEST

By Bill Crow

In the late 1960s WPIX-TV (Channel 11) showed Abbott & Costello films on Sunday mornings. One Sunday they ran a movie from 1941 called Hold That Ghost. In that movie Ted Lewis’ band was featured along with the Andrews Sisters. Lou Caputo watched the movie and told me that in the opening scene the camera panned across the sax section, and right in the middle of the screen was Charlie Ponte playing tenor. Lou said Charlie kept leaning over to the left to stay in the frame.

The next day Lou was in Ponte’s music shop and mentioned it to Charlie, “I saw you with Abbott & Costello yesterday.” He said Charlie kind of grunted acknowledgement. While Lou was there, three or four other guys came in and said pretty much the same thing. Charlie evidently didn’t want to be reminded of his days with Ted Lewis, and finally told everyone, “The next guy that comes in and mentions that damn movie gets thrown out!

Ten seconds later Sonny Rollins walked in. Sonny, an old movie buff, said, “Hey, Charlie, was that you with Abbott & Costello yesterday?” Silence fell over the shop.

Of course, Charlie wasn’t going to throw Newk out, so once again he just grunted a response.

Sonny picked up the vibe and saw a chance to have a little fun with Charlie, so with a big smile he went on, “Hey, what year was that movie?... How old were you when you were with Ted Lewis?... Were you with the band long?... Did you get to meet the Andrews Sisters?”

Lou said that all the while Charlie turned red and redder.

Stella Bell, a dancer and choreographer, was married to trombone player Joe Turi from 1953 to 1958. They met at Billy Rose’s Diamond Horseshoe in the Paramount Hotel. She was dancing in the show, and Joe was in the band. The club folded after a long run, but Joe went on to play a few Broadway shows and was busy in the recording field.

“It ruined our marriage,” Stella told me. “He was never home.”

Stella said, “I told Jimmy that I had seen him in my family album in Beaumont, Texas, where my drummer dad Frank Bell was a big fan of the Jimmie Lunceford Trio, and he had gone after his gig to see them. I love how musicians were always color blind!” She told me that the Diamond Horseshoe became more integrated when Sugar Ray Robinson hung up his boxing gloves to tap dance in the show there. Many famous African-American artists came to see him, and that opened the door.

Another story from Stella was about Bert Pederson, a great trumpet man with a bald head who came from Hollywood to New York City with Vaughn Monroe’s Band to play a TV show. Vaughn told Bert that he had to wear a toupee because Vaughn wanted the band to look young. Bert said there was no way he was going to pay for and wear a wig. So Vaughn bought a hairpiece off the rack, not fitted to Bert’s head at all. “When the camera shot Bert as he stood to take a solo,” she said, “he slapped the rug on his head. We fell on the floor laughing. It was on backwards like bangs! Bert never had to wear a rug from then on!”

Steve Herberman posted this story on Facebook. He got it from Steve Abshire, who said that Barney Kessel was on a recording date in the late 1950s with Shelley Manne, Hampton Hawes and Red Mitchell. Listening to a playback, Barney said, “Red, that bass tone is great.” Red thanked him. A bit later, Barney said, “Red, I really like the sound of your bass. I have a record date next month. Can we borrow your bass?”

I also found this story online: Frank Portolese was playing a hotel job, and on a break, he looked in the other ballroom to see if anyone he knew was playing there. His friend Bobby Roberts was playing guitar in the band. As Frank walked in, someone was giving a toast, and said, “Please join me in raising your glasses.”

Dutifully, Bobby took off his eyeglasses and raised them high above his head. JJ

Stella continued, “I regularly drove Joe every Monday morning to the union and sat in the car parked in front of the union hall. I had some funny accidental meetings, like the time Cab Calloway in a yellow topcoat and hat was putting on a show up and down the sidewalk. He did gags and jive talk with musicians as they walked by. He was so distracted he opened my car door and sat down with me before he realized he was in the wrong car.

JAZZ TRIVIA ANSWERS

Stella was surprised when, while she was dance captain at the Diamond Horseshoe, Teddy Wilson became the rehearsal pianist.

There was segregation at the club at that time. But when Frank Sinatra played there, he used Jimmy Crawford as his drummer.

6. Betty Roche (1/9/1920 - 2/16/1999)

46

January / February 2020

1. Charlie Parker (born 8/29/1920, died 3/12/1955) 2. Dave Brubeck (12-6-1920 - 12/5/2012) 3. Carmen McRae (4/8/1920 - 11/10/1994) 4. Clark Terry (12/14/1920 - 2/21/2015) 5. Peggy Lee (5/26/1920 - 1/21/2002) 7. Jimmy Witherspoon (8/8/1920 - 9/18/1997) 8. Paul Gonsalves (7/12/1920 - 5/15/1974)

BIG BAND IN THE SKY Continued from page 43

Edlin “Buddy” Terry, Jr.

By Dave Post

Bandleader, Swingadelic Buddy Terry, Jr. was born on January 30, 1941, and left us on November 29, 2019.

A lifelong resident of Newark, Buddy picked up the clarinet at age 12 at the Charlton School, and continued on tenor sax in the South Side High School Band. His contemporaries and classmates were Larry Young, Eddie Gladden, and Woody Shaw.

His talents were prodigious, and immediately upon graduating, Buddy was on the road with Billy and Dee Dee Ford, and then in 1961, with trumpeter Cat Anderson. In 1963 through ’66 he played with organist Rhoda Scott, had forsaken alcohol and drugs, and became an outreach minister. The same year he performed in the bands of Lloyd Price and Lionel Hampton.

In 1968, Buddy appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival as a member of the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band. That year also marked a two-year stint with Ray Charles, taking the chair vacated by David “Fathead” Newman and Hank Crawford. The ‘70s were a busy and lucrative period for Buddy, playing with Horace Silver, Art Blakey, the Max Roach Quartet and Charles Mingus. He started his association with Aaron Bell and the Duke Ellington Alumni Band in 1974.

In 1975 he worked in the Broadway production of Bubbling Brown

Sugar and was an original band member of the Saturday Night Live band. In the latter part of the ‘70s, Buddy was busy with shows, advertising jingles and recording sessions, teaching with Jazzmobile, as well as doing dates with Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Gil Evans and Duke Pearson. In 1979 though 1981 he played concurrently with Sy Oliver and Panama Francis at New York City’s Rainbow Room and taught music and reed instruments at Essex County College in Newark. From 1980 through 1986 Buddy played and toured with the Count Basie Orchestra. He felt that his times with the Basie and Ray Charles big bands were his most rewarding experiences. From ’87 to ’99 Buddy worked with various club date offices and casual gigs.

He came recommended to me in May 2000, and we hit it off at once as friends and band mates. He proceeded to play hundreds of gigs with Swingadelic, until his debilitating stroke in December 2009.

With his irrepressible humor and musical generosity, he was the life of the party at our concerts, dances and private events, and he regaled audiences on weekly Mondays at Maxwell’s in Hoboken with his singing and playing. He was presented a lifetime achievement award by the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation, and was made a “Jazz Elder” of the City of Newark. Buddy’s discography includes five LPs as leader on the Prestige and Mainstream labels, and as sideman with Joe Morello, Alphose Mouzon, Art Blakey, Freddie Roach, Harold Mabern, Billy Hawks, Swingadelic, Paul Carlon, Groove Holmes, and the Tonemasters. My last conversation with him took place on the phone while he was in a nursing home in West Orange. I signed off with a line that he used to enjoy using when he met elderly fans on the gig. “Now Buddy, don’t be buying any green bananas!” His reply, amidst bellowing laughter, was his typical, “You dig? You dog!” JJ

January / February 2020

47

NOTEWORTHY

Ben Webster Award Winner On American and Nordic Jazz

By Fradley Garner, International Editor

On October 23, milady Hanne and I enjoyed a lively concert for mainly elderly jazz fans in suburban Copenhagen. The Snorre Kirk Quartet, with drummer Kirk, pianist Magnus Hjort and bassist Anders Fjeldsted, featured tenor saxophonist Jan Harbeck. He co-won Denmark’s 2018 Ben Webster Award. The iconic tenor player spent his last years in Copenhagen. Webster is buried not far from Hans Christian Anderson in Assistens Kirkegaard. Following is a lightly edited transcript of our interview with Harbeck:

FG: Here in Copenhagen, you’re featured with Snorre Kirk. But I understand you lead two groups of your own?

JH: Yes. I lead the Jan Harbeck Quartet, which is 100 per cent acoustic, and the Live Jive Jungle. We play often at the Copenhagen club, La Fontaine, which is known for being very loud. I tried to play there with my quartet, and it nearly drove me mad. We played three times louder than we normally do and still it didn’t work. Then I formed Live Jive Jungle, which uses microphones and amplifiers. And that worked.

FG: Are you open to concerts and gigs in the United States?

JH: Yes, but it can be quite difficult for European musicians to work in the States these days. This past June we should have played four concerts over there – at The Danish Embassy in Washington, the Danish Cultural Center in Los Angeles, The Nordic Museum in Seattle and Dizzy’s in San Diego. But we could not get visas! We thought that when the Danish Embassy was involved, it should be possible. But no! We had to document our whole life stories – where we had played and with whom. Quite a job and then no go. So maybe next year, but then we’ll have to hire smarter lawyers.

FG: Do you think the Scandinavian ‘jazz sound’ is any different from that of American jazz?

48

January / February 2020

JH: Swedish jazz and Norwegian jazz are very much influenced by their folk music.

But in Denmark, we believe that we are so influenced by all the great American jazz musicians: Stan Getz, Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon among them, who lived for periods here in Copenhagen. We think we definitely play American jazz. But when we Danes go to the States and play, right away the audience will say, “Oh yeah? That is Scandinavian jazz - ha-ha! Maybe we play more softly than we want to believe.

FG: Do you think jazz as we know it today will still exist in years to come?

When we go to our favorite café, Joe & The Juice, it is a bang-bang-bang assault on the ears.

JH: Yes, I think jazz music will continue to exist, and in many ways, I think it will become more important than ever. The music you hear at your café is so manipulated, you don´t know if the singer you hear has been pitch-corrected. Everything has been altered in the computer. So it is not really human any more.

When you go to a live jazz concert, the players sometimes make human mistakes, and it is happening right now. That is partly why jazz will survive. Today, many people listen to Spotify on their mobile phones, the so-called ‘streaming‘ music. Our new album, The Sound The Rhythm (Stunt Records, Copenhagen), has been listened to two and a half million times. I think that is more than any other Danish jazz recording.

FG: I want to understand the historic significance of this. For instance, take Stan Getz. Can you stream all his albums?

JH: Oh yes, there’s a lot of Stan Getz on Spotify. Instead of buying CDs, many people listen to Spotify on their mobile phones.

FG: What do you think of vinyl?

JH: Actually, I think it is wonderful that you can choose. The Sound The Rhythm was released on several media, including vinyl.

Young people like to sit down with their vinyl and listen as if they were at a concert.

Our new album was inspired by our pianist, Henrik Gunde and I, sharing The Ben Webster Prize last year. Henrik and I decided to dig deeper into Webster’s compositions.

We recorded four of them on our new album.

I have loved Ben Webster’s music all my life. My father was a big fan of his, so I grew up with Ben Webster´s sound. When I decided to play saxophone as a young man of 15, it was because of Ben Webster´s sound.

That way of playing the saxophone that made me say “woo, isn’t this beautiful?”

Further information: www.janharbeck.com

Jan Harbeck Photo by Stephen Freiheit-Copi

OTHER VIEWS

By Joe Lang

It is that time again.

There were a lot of new releases to choose from, and whittling them down to a manageable number was not easy, but here is what I chose to highlight.

True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter (Verve – B0030829) is an exciting take on the Porter catalog by HARRY CONNICK, JR., featuring scintillating arrangements by Connick for big band, with strings added on some tracks. There are 13 selections, including three, “Mind if I Make Love to You,” “True Love” and “You’re Sensational,” from High Society, one of Porter’s best scores.

Connick has a baritone voice that is immediately recognizable, jazzy and nicely controlled, with a slight coarseness that provides an appealing unique quality. Above all, he knows how to put a song over convincingly. The Porter material fits Connick like a custom made suit. He knows how to swing it or caress it, depending on the selection, and oh, those arrangements. His charts are innovative and full of surprises, reflecting all of his myriad influences from Monk to the swing masters. This is a Porter collection to be savored! (vervelabelgroup. com) NAT KING COLE was one of the most significant musical figures of the 20th Century. He was a superb jazz pianist, and a singer who was popular with a wide audience.

2019 is his Centennial year. Fittingly, Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) (Resonance – 2042), a definitive seven-disc compilation of Cole’s pre-Capitol recordings has been released by Resonance Records.

They range from a 1936 session under the

name of Cole’s brother Eddie to his final preCapitol session from November 2, 1943, four tunes released on the Premier label. The bulk of the recordings in this set are taken from radio transcriptions. Most are trio tracks, but there are also several tracks where the trio backs vocalists Bonnie Lake, Maxine Johnson and Anita Boyer, as well as two vocal groups, Pauline and Her Perils, and The Dreamers. Of course, there are ample vocals by Cole, and many examples of his exceptional pianism. These recordings capture Cole’s evolution as an artist, especially the development of his trio format comprising piano, guitar and bass, a format that was adapted by many artists who followed.

The accompanying 56-page booklet has an essay by Will Friedwald that examines the various sessions contained in the set, an appreciation of Oscar Moore by guitarist Nick Rossi, and a series of appreciations of Cole by the likes of Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Dick Hyman, John Pizzarelli and Freddie Cole. The material is a mixed bag of standards, pop tunes of the day, some novelty songs and several Cole originals. Like Billie Holiday, Cole could make even the most mundane material sound terrific. Put it all together, and you have a delightful compilation of Nat King Cole at the formative and maturing period of his singular artistry. (resonancerecords.com) Two vocalists with very different approaches, but voices that have hints of the Nat King Cole sound have released albums dedicated to the memory of Cole in his Centennial year. On I Remember You: The Music of Nat King Cole (Right Groove Records – 3666) NICHOLAS BEARDE sings 10 selections with a jazz rhythm section, with tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander added on three tracks. Bearde has a rich baritone with a nice feeling to his vocalizing. ORICE JENKINS takes a different approach on Centennial Cole: The Music of Nat King Cole (Truth Revolution --050). He sets each of his 10 selections in a different musical format from an a capella reading of “Let There Be Love”, with sole support from his own snapping fingers, to a funky take on “Smile”. His voice is lighter than Bearde’s, and he is more varied in his approach. Both of these are interesting tributes to Cole. (www.nicholasbearde.com) (oricejenkins.com).

Something Good (OA2 -22173) is the fifth album from Seattle-based vocalist KELLEY JOHNSON. Given that she made her first album in 1998, it is a sad commentary on the current music scene that a vocalist as good as Johnson has had such a limited recorded output. This 10-song program finds her with backing from pianist John Hansen, bassist Michael Glynn and drummer Kendrick Scott, with a few contributions from Jay Thomas on soprano and tenor saxes and trumpet. Johnson has a voice that rests comfortably on your ears, has a wonderful sense of phrasing, and gives each lyric the respect that it deserves. The songs are well selected, and even those that are most familiar like “Anyone Can Whistle,” “You do Something to Me,” “Lullaby of Birdland,” “Let’s Do It,” “Some Other Time,” “Unforgettable” and “Something Good” are not ones that make you think, “Oh no, not that one again!” This is a nice set from a simply terrific singer. (www.originalarts. com) The first time that I heard VIVIAN BUCZEK sing, several things were evident. She is Swedish, but sings in English with no discernable Swedish accent. She has a wonderfully engaging vocal instrument. She sings with a natural jazz feeling. Lyrics mean a lot to her. Buczek is supported by the Norrbotten Big Band on her latest release, A Woman’s Voice (Prophone – 203), with excellent charts written by the band’s leader, Martin Sjöstedt. She has selected songs that express the feelings that she has experienced as she turned 40 years of age. Most listeners will be familiar with “Here’s to Life,” “Yesterdays,” “Estate,” (sung in Swedish), and Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today.” The other selections are Abbey Lincoln’s “Throw It Away,” Wayne Shorter and Jean Carn’s “Infant Eyes, and two Swedish songs, “Lighthouse” and “Tales,” both sung in English. This is an album for serious listening. If you make the effort, the rewards are rich indeed, for Buczek is a wonderful storyteller, and her voice is always worth hearing. (amazon.com) Back in 1959, vocalist ANNE PHILLIPS released a much-heralded album titled Born to Be Blue. It was not until over 40 years later that she once again entered a studio to record continued on page 50 January / February 2020

49

OTHER VIEWS continued from page 49

a new album, Gonna Lay My Heart on the Line. There is no specific date attached to her latest release, Live At the Jazz Bakery (Conawag Records – 1014), but it is likely from the early 2000s. No matter the date, it is a delightful set that intersperses her commentary with eleven songs seven of her own plus “Born to Be Blue,” “Easy Street,” “Embraceable You” and “”There Will Never be Another You.” Phillips is an excellent singer who can put a song over with the best of them. It would be a smart move to add this one to your collection. (annephillips. com) Following an 18-year hiatus from performing as an acclaimed cabaret artist, vocalist WENDY SCHERL returned to the scene in 2015, and now has released her first album, You’ll See (Harbinger Records – 3504), a 14-track collection comprising mostly songs from musical theater. At the urging of Barry Kleinbort, she undertook this recording with arrangements by Kleinbort and pianist/ musical director Christopher Denny. The band includes Denny, bassist Bob Renino, drummer/percussionist Rex Benincasa, reedman Ken Dybisz, trumpeter Hollis Burridge, trombonist Dan Levine, baritone saxophonist Rick Walburn and cellist Eric Allen. Scherl has selected a program that is well-paced and interesting. Her opener, “You’ll See,” is a superb stand-alone song by Carroll Coates, and sets the bar high, a bar that she easily clears throughout the program.

There are many surprising delights sprinkled throughout the program like Rusty Magee’s “New York Romance” and “There Are Two Sides to Everything” from Alice Through the Looking Glass, a television musical. You’ll See has already had several plays in this quarter, and there will be more in the future.

(HarbingerReords.com) It is hard to believe that over 25 years have passed since the DIVA JAZZ ORCHESTRA came into existence. Since 1994, Diva has been performing at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in Pittsburgh. Diva+ the Boys (MCG Jazz – 1047) was recorded live at the MCG with guest appearances by clarinetist Ken Peplowski, trumpeter Claudio Roditi, trombonist Jay Ashby and guitarist Marty Ashby, who is also the Executive Producer of MCG Jazz. (See Claudio Roditi’s commentary on this album, page 21) The disc contains eight tracks of big band jazz that is

50

January / February 2020

incessantly swinging. The band, powered by the drums of leader Sherrie Maricle, is filled with superb soloists, and some of them step forward on this concert, but the spotlight is on the gentlemen, each of whom is a firstrate jazz player. The selections include the familiar, “Slipped Disc,” “A Felicidade,” “The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else” and “Estate,” plus originals by Jay Ashby (“Deference to Diz”) and Claudio Roditi (“Piccolo Blues”), “Noturna” by Ivan Lins and Vitor Martins, and “Bucket O’ Blues by Plas Johnson. Diva + the Boys is a welcome addition to the impressive Diva catalog of recordings. (www.mcgjazz.org) After a wait of 14 years, the terrific Pennsylvania version of the DAVE STAHL BAND has finally released a new recording, Workin’ (Abee Cake Records – 1105). The eight charts written by leader and trumpeter Stahl, and trombonists Todd Fronauer and Dale DeVoe are creative in the best contemporary big band tradition. There are 11 selections composed by the likes of Nat Adderley (“Work Song”), John Coltrane (“Grand Central”), Horace Silver (“Nica’s Dream”), Cannonball Adderley (“Sack O’ Woe”) and Clifford Brown (“Sweet Clifford”), plus a couple of standards, “My Shining Hour” and “Days of Wine and Roses.’ The ensemble playing is tight, and soloists like Stahl, Nelson Hill on alto sax, Tom Strohman on tenor sax, Bob Stoyko on trumpet and Wayne Fox on piano shine. ( davestahl.com) There are not many big bands led by a guitarist, but the PETER HAND BIG BAND has its guitarist as the leader. He also happens to be a talented composer and arranger, as can be heard on Hand Painted Dream (Savant – 2175). Hand composed five of the nine selections, each having a different feeling, while he created superb charts for Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird Suite,” Tadd Dameron’s “If You Could See Me Now,” Randy Weston’s “Berkshire Blues” and a medley of John Coltrane’s “Mr. P.C.” and “Cousin Mary.” The band is full of top New York City players including saxophonists Jay Brandford, Bruce Williams, Don Braden, Ralph Lalama and Kenny Berger; trumpeters Kevin Bryan, Eddie Allen, Valery Ponomarev and John Bailey; trombonists John Mosca, Sam Burtis and James Burton III; and a rhythm section of Hand on guitar, James Weldman on piano, Harvie S on bass and Steve Johns on bass. Hand and his crew have

produced a recording filled with wellexecuted charts sprinkled with some sparkling solo interludes. (jazzdepot.com) There is a wealth of jazz talent who make their home base in the area of the Poconos.

Someday (Dear head Records – 010) features the SKIP & DAN WILKINS QUARTET with Skip Wilkins on piano, Dan Wilkins on tenor sax, Tony Marino on bass and Bill Goodwin on drums. These cats are frequently seen in the groups that perform at the Deer Head Inn; in fact Skip Wilkins and Bill Goodwin live at the Deer Head Inn. It is not surprising that the group on this recording is a nicely cohesive unit. Dan Wilkins is a tenor player with an old school sound and approach. His father, Skip Wilkins, is a joy to hear, tasteful and swinging. Marino and Goodwin lay down a perfect rhythmic bed. The program is an interesting one. None of the tunes is over done. “Spring Isn’t Spring Anymore,” a gem from Matt Dennis, and another wonderful song by Alec Wilder and Johnny Mercer, “If Someday Ever Comes Again,” are rarely heard. (deerheadinn.com) Pianist BILL MAYS is another player who hangs his hat in the Poconos. His latest album, Mays Plays Mays (No Blooze Music – 4) is a 15-track disc comprising 13 original compositions by Mays plus The Gershwins’ “How Long Has This Been Going On” and “Mays in the Mirror” by Chris Cuvier.

Trumpeter/flugelhornist Marvin Stamm, guitarist John Hart, bassist Martin Wind and drummer Matt Wilson join him in various combinations. Mays is inspired to write his pieces from a variety of sources, people, situations and places. No matter the source of his inspiration, Mays has a talent for writing tunes that are immediately accessible, and soon feel like old friends. Two pieces are particularly interesting, “Play Song” and “Kalavrita,” both of which have rare vocals

by Mays, supported by his electric piano, Stamm on flugelhorn, Wind on bass and

Wilson on drums. Mays originally recorded the first as an instrumental piece, but here he performs the lyrics that were added later by his wife, Judy. The other is dedicated to the Greek town named in the title, with words by Mays. Hearing Mays is a never ending pleasure, and Mays Plays Mays is a nice addition to that continuum. (billmays.net) Jazz Marathon 4: Live at Hangar 18 (Jazz Marathon – 4) finds guitarist DOUG MacDONALD AND THE TARMAC ENSEMBLE playing 16 tracks of steadily swinging sounds. Actually, there are two ensembles, a quintet with MacDonald, vibraphonist Charlie Shomake, pianist Joe Bagg, bassist Harvey Newmark and drummer Kendall Kay; and a septet of MacDonald, Ira Nepus on trombone, Kim Richmond on alto sax, Ricky Woodard on tenor sax, Ron Stout on trumpet, John B Williams on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums. There are two variations on these formats with Kim Richmond adding his flute to the quintet for “San Fernando Blvd,” and MacDonald taking a solo turn on “I Thought About You.” The playing is of a consistently high caliber. The tunes are mostly standards, the exceptions being Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage,” “Tune Up” by Miles Davis, and a couple of MacDonald originals. These cats are all top-drawer LA players, and they provide almost two hours of straight ahead jazz that will definitely put a smile on your face. (dougmacdonald.net) The nine tracks on pianist ALAN ROSENTHAL’s new album Elbow Grease (Street of Stars Records) include six original pieces and the standard “They Didn’t Believe Me.” Following a gentle opening solo piano take on “(Preface) Another Sky,” Rosenthal leads a septet on a spirited tune named “Up the Kazoo.” The balance of the program comprises five trio tracks with Brian Glassman on bass and Steve Johns on drums, while the other two selections have Peter Brainin joining the trio, playing soprano sax on “Monk Over Marrakesh,” and tenor sax on “Dextrously.” (store. cdbaby.com) For additional Other Views, log onto njjs.org after January 1.

January / February 2020

51

c/o New Jersey Jazz Society Michael A. Katz Send all address changes to the address above

382 Springfield Ave., Suite 217 Summit NJ 07901

Time Value Material Deliver Promptly

PERIODICALS Permit No. 6668 Postage PAID at West Caldwell, NJ and additional mailing offices