November 2023

THE MAGAZINE OF THE NEW JERSEY JAZZ SOCIETY

JerseyJazz

GIANTS OF JAZZ

KENNY BARRON

NOVEMBER 2023 VOLUME 51 ISSUE 10

IN THIS ISSUE

ARTICLES/REVIEWS 08 12

ON THE COVER _ Kenny Barron, photo by christopher drukker

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COLUMNS

Jersey Jazz LIVE!: Chuck Redd Duo

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All That’s Jazz

Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon: Cynthia Sayer

05

Editor’s Choice

32

From the Crow’s Nest

43

Not Without You!

13

Giants of Jazz: Kenny Barron

18

TD James Moody Jazz Festival: Stefon Harris

22

Rising Star: Jacob Tolentino

25

TD James Moody Jazz/ Grunin Center: Sean Mason

28

Shanghai Jazz: Eric Mintel

34

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Winner

35

Review: Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions

37

Other Views

41

Big Band in the Sky

CORRECTIONS: The photo of MONK’estra on page 16 of the October 2023 Jersey Jazz was taken by Lorna Chiu. Bijon Watson, far right in the photo, is a trumpeter, not a saxophonist

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ALL THAT’S JAZZ

BY CY DNE Y HA LPIN

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tiative and when you see the magic of these efforts come to life, it’s thrilling!

I encourage you to read Sandy Josephson’s event recap “Two Generations of Jazz” and watch the LIVE! concert video available on the njjs.org homepage.

Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and treat yourself to time well spent.

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lan on joining us Sunday, November 12th, for our next Jersey Jazz LIVE! concert as we present the NJJS 2023 Juried Scholarship Winners—as our Rising Stars—and feature the Chuck Redd Duo. Winners Richard LaRouech, Joseph Foglia, and Banks Sapnar, will perform with veteran musicians Oscar Perez—piano, Mary Ann McSweeney—bass, and Ron Vincent—drums. Very special thanks to NJJS Advisor Don Braden for acting as Musical Director for this Rising Stars showcase. Please see page 08 for more information.

Launched in 2022, the competition awards two $1,000 and two $500 prizes in two categories: Performance and Original Composition. The competition is open to all New Jersey college students enrolled in a college undergraduate music program and any New Jersey resident enrolled in

an out-of-state undergraduate music program. Along with a cash award, winners receive guidance, mentorship, and the opportunity to perform with an industry professional and coverage in Jersey Jazz. The 2024 competition will open in January, with winners announced in April.

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PHOTO BY CY D NEY HAL PIN

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azz is a community, and my life is so much richer being a part of it!

The annals of jazz history are chock full of examples of seasoned musicians bringing up the next generation of musicians, and this is the cornerstone of our Rising Stars initiative. Anyone who was in attendance for the October Jersey Jazz LIVE! event experienced this generational “master class” firsthand, when pianist Bill Mays invited Rising Stars Violet Mujica (trumpet) and Sam Wagner (guitar) to join him and his band in a closing number, “Star Eyes”. It was indeed a “happening”, and everything this initiative strives to accomplish. More joy ensued, as the camaraderie continued well after the concert ended with the generations taking photos and sharing questions, laughs, and anecdotes. Thank you, Bill for taking up the mantel of mentorship.

Much care has been put into nurturing and supporting this new ini-

IN THIS ISSUE The 2023 competition was adjudicated by our prestigious panel of professional musicians, educators and industry leaders comprised of: Don Braden—world class tenor saxophonist, flutist, composer and educator, Ted Chubb—Vice President, Jazz Education + Associate Producer, Jazz House Kids, trumpeter, composer, and educator, Jason Olaine—Vice President of Programming, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Mariel Bildsten—Trombonist, bandleader, sidewoman, and educator.

Our deepest gratitude to judges Don, Ted, Mariel, and Jason for their dedication and expertise, and for their input and advice as we continue to grow this competition. The 2024 Competition will open in January, with winners announced in April.

The 2023 competition was generously supported by Nan Hughes Poole.

This special LIVE! performance is generously sponsored in part by NJJS Board Member Cynthia Feketie.

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“

YOU MAKE IT ” ALL POSSIBLE!

We’re very grateful to these women for their dedication to the young musicians of jazz … they are the future.

If you’d like to make a donation to further support and expand the 2024 competition prizes, you can do so at njjs.org via the red “Make a Donation” button on the homepage, or by check payable to NJJS, 382 Springfield Ave., Suite217, Summit, NJ 07091. Please note “Scholarship.”

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ave the date Sunday, December 10, for NJJS’s Annual Meeting featuring The Royal Bopsters. Put your festive foot forward

and come cast your vote for the 2024 Board of Directors and enjoy an afternoon of, “lively celebration … with arrangements abounding with giddy delight.”—Trevor Smith, WBGO.

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he New Jersey Jazz Society was founded with the mission of promoting and preserving jazz. To that end, please consider helping NJJS continue its performance and educational initiatives by donating to our “YOU Make It All Possible!” fundraising campaign either by mail (watch your mail boxes), or anytime online at www.njjs.org via the red “Make a Donation” button.

Tuesday, November 28th is the National Day of Giving, a day to celebrate radical generosity and to “do good”—so perhaps you’d like to join this global movement and participate on this date directly online with a tax-deductible donation.

Many of you work for employers that have a matching gift program—that will double the impact of your gift for free—by completing and submitting a simple form. Check with your Human Resources Department for further information.

On behalf of my fellow Board members, we thank you for all you do to support jazz music and education.

Together we’re preserving the future of this uniquely American art form.

A

s the holiday season is officially upon us, I’d like to wish you all a very happy, blessed and healthy Thanksgiving and safe travels if you’re venturing away from home.

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Jersey Jazz LIVE! F EAT U R ING

The Chuck Redd Duo

and the 2023 NJJS Scholarship Winners

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12 3:00 PM

Madison Community Arts Center 10 KINGS ROAD, MADISON, NJ FREE STREET PARKING ON KINGS ROAD $

10 MEMBERS | $15 NON-MEMBERS $

5 STUDENTS (WITH VALID I.D.)

NTS E M H S E REFR LE AVA I L A B E CHAS R U P R O F

EDITOR’S CHOICE ‘Sonny and Roy, Roy Hargrove and Sonny Rollins, Backstage, Carnegie Hall, NYC’

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n 1991 at Carnegie Hall, tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins reassembled the quartet that recorded the classic 1961 RCA Victor album, The Bridge. The rhythm section was guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Ben Riley. Also of note was special guest, 21-year old trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Hargrove’s hero was the late Clifford Brown who played with Rollins in the 1950s.

Recalling that concert shortly after Hargrove’s death in November 2018, The Washington Post’s Matt Schudel wrote, “At the Carnegie Hall concert, Hargrove tested Rollins’ improvisational abilities and played ballads with the sensitivity of someone older than his years. His perfor-

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mance alongside the formidable Rollins gave Hargrove instant credibility among musicians. New York Times critic Peter Watrous pronounced him ‘an extraordinary trumpet player’ and ‘one of jazz’s finest improvisers, and he’s only getting better.’”

After Hargrove died at the tooyoung age of 49 from cardiac arrest brought on by kidney disease, Rollins posted this on social media: “Having been fortunate to play with the super, super trumpet stars of the day, I found it inconceivable that this new kid on the block could be in that class, could be that good. He was. He is and will always be.”

I bring this up now because I recently visited Metuchen’s Galerie

Westerhoff to see the excellent photo exhibition by Enid Farber. The exhibit ran from September 16-October 14 but was launched with a special reception on September 16 as a prelude to Metuchen’s September 30th segment of the Middlesex County Jazz Festival.

There were 27 random photos from Farber’s archives, but the one that stood out to me was “Sonny and Roy, Roy Hargrove and Sonny Rollins, Backstage, Carnegie Hall, NYC”.

Young jazz musicians today not only

mention Hargrove’s greatness, but also his accessibility. When I interviewed trumpeter Anthony Hervey in the April 2022 issue of Jersey Jazz, he said, “I miss Roy all the time. My first two years in New York, I remember seeing him at Smalls. Sometimes, I played in the Evan Sherman Big Band, and Roy would sit in with us. Most people on that level – you’re not going to see them in the clubs every night.

Roy was actually there, at the jam sessions with the younger generation.”

The Farber photos ranged from legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, and Sarah Vaughan to current performers such as tenor saxophonist Don Braden, harpist Brandee Younger, and vocalist Samara Joy. As for Roy Hargrove, the big band launched after his death by his wife Aida and daughter Kamala will be performing at the South Orange Performing Arts Center in January. Stay tuned.

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PHOTO BY ENI D FARB ER

BY SA NFO RD JOS EPHSON

ABOUT NJJS

F

ounded 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 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.

MEMBER BENEFITS

JOIN NJJS

You become an integral part of the NJJS community, and the history and future of jazz

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 $75 - $99 Jazzer $100 - $249 Sideman $250 - $499 Bandleader $500+ Corporate Membership $1000

Access to 11 Digital Issues of our Award Winning Jersey Jazz Magazine — Featuring Articles, Interviews, Reviews, Events and More Discounts to our Jersey Jazz LIVE! Sunday Concerts Discounts at NJJS Sponsored Concerts & Events.

MUSICIAN MEMBERS

FREE Listing on NJJS.org “Musicians List” with Individual Website Link FREE Gig Advertising in our Monthly eBlast THE RECORD BIN

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

A collection of CDs & LPs available at reduced prices at most NJJS concerts and events and through mail order www.njjs.org/Store

Members at Bandleader level and above and Corporate Memberships 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

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Magazine of the New Jersey Jazz Society VO LU M E 51 • I SSUE 10

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Editorial Staff

New Jersey Jazz Society, Officers 2021

EDITOR

PRESIDENT

Sanford Josephson, editor@njjs.org

Cydney Halpin, pres@njjs.org

ART DIRECTOR

EXECUTIVE VP

Michael Bessire, art@njjs.org

vicepresident@njjs.org

CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR

TREASURER

Mitchell Seidel, photo@njjs.org CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Bill Crow, Joe Lang, Dan Morgenstern, Jay Sweet CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mike Katz, treasurer@njjs.org VP, MEMBERSHIP

membership@njjs.org

VP, PUBLICITY

Sanford Josephson, sanford.josephson@gmail.com

Scott Cherniz, Christopher Drukker, Enid Farber, Vicki Fox, Cydney Halpin, Arthi Krishnaswami, Steve Mundinger, Juan Patino, Fred J. Politinsky,

Mitchell Seidel, music@njjs.org

WEBMASTER

RECORDING SECRETARY

Christine Vaindirlis

VP, MUSIC PROGRAMMING

Irene Miller CO -FOUNDER

Jack Stine

Jersey Jazz (ISSN 07405928) is published monthly for members of The New Jersey Jazz Society

382 Springfield Ave., Suite 217, Summit, NJ 07901 973-229-0543 • info@njjs.org Membership fee is $45/year.

All material in Jersey Jazz, except where another copyright holder is explicitly acknowledged, is copyright ©New Jersey Jazz Society 2020. All rights reserved. Use of this material is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the NJJS.

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Mike Katz

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Make payment at PayPal.com: payment@ njjs.org, or via check made payable to NJJS, 382 Springfield Ave., Suite 217, Summit, NJ 07901.

DIRECTORS

Jay Dougherty, Cynthia Feketie, Pete Grice, Carrie Jackson, Caryl Anne McBride, Robert McGee, James Pansulla, Stew Schiffer, Elliott Tyson, Jackie Wetcher ADVISORS

Don Braden, Mariel Bildsten, Ted Chubb, Al Kuehn, Jason Olaine JERSEY JAZZ

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JERSEY JAZZ LIVE! Chuck Redd

Chuck Redd Duo Plus 2023 Scholarship Winners to Perform at November 12th Concert

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n his review of vibraphonist Chuck Redd’s 2019 Dalphine Records album, Groove City, Dan Bilawsky of AllAboutJazz wrote that “one of the standout moments comes in balladic form with (Billy Strayhorn’s) ‘A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing’. Redd and (John) di Martino, sans rhythm section, dim the lights, and capture the essence of beauty in less than three minutes. It’s the type of performance that passes quickly yet hangs in the air. It’s but one of many examples of how Chuck Redd lives atop and within a song.”

On Sunday, November 12th, Chuck

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Redd and pianist John di Martino will again be creating their musical magic as the duo headlines the New Jersey Jazz Society’s Jersey Jazz LIVE! concert at 3 p.m. at the Madison, NJ, Community Arts Center.

Redd is well known internationally as a performer on vibraphone and drums. In 1980, he joined the Charlie Byrd Trio at the age of 21 and then became a member of the Great Guitars (Barney Kessel, Byrd and Herb Ellis).

He was also the vibraphonist with the Mel Torme Quintet from 1991-1996.

Redd was interviewed in Jersey Jazz’s centennial tribute to vibraphonist

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JERSEY JAZZ LIVE! Milt Jackson (January 2023) and recalled hearing Jackson for the first time when he was in high school. “I immediately had a powerful urge to run to the band room where there was a set of vibes,” he said. “I needed to make some of those sounds.”

Di Martino’s latest album was Passion Flower The Music of Billy Strayhorn (Sunnyside: 2020). Reviewing it for AllAboutJazz, Dr. Judith Schlesinger wrote: “Among the many eulogies to Strayhorn’s genius, this one is unique in its fresh and straightforward interpretations.”

Redd and di Martino will be preceded by a Rising Star performance by three of the four NJJS 2023 scholarship winners: trombonist Richard LaRouech (East Aurora, NY/William Paterson), trumpeter Banks Sapnar (Haddonfield, NJ/Temple), and tenor saxophonist Joseph Foglia (Raleigh, NC/William Paterson). The fourth scholarship winner, trumpeter Grace Fox (Marlton, NJ/ Manhattan School of Music) cannot attend due to a scheduling conflict.

The scholarship winners will have the opportunity to perform their

“ THE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

WILL PERFORM WITH A TRIO OF VETERAN JAZZ MUSICIANS.” NJJS.ORG

John di Martino

opening act with a trio of veteran jazz musicians: pianist Oscar Perez, Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Montclair State’s John J. Cali School of Music; bassist Mary Ann McSweeney, who served for several years on the faculty of Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy; and drummer Ron Vincent, who has presented workshops

at more than 80 colleges and universities. Prior to the concerts, tenor saxophonist Don Braden, who is an NJJS Advisor, will lead a roundtable discussion with the scholarship winners.

LaRouech won the $1,000 scholarship for Performance. His major heroes on trombone are: J.J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller, and Slide Hamp-

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JERSEY JAZZ LIVE!

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of the omni- book (note-for-note transcriptions),” he said. Demsey described Foglia as “an inspired learner, and he has a very strong and rapidly expanding jazz vocabulary.”

The Madison Community Arts Center is located at 10 Kings Road in Madison, NJ. Admission to this event will be $10 for NJJS members and $15 for non-members. Student admission is $5 with valid ID. There will be light refreshments for purchase. To order tickets in advance, log onto madisonarts.ticketleap. com/new-jersey-jazz-societyconcert-with-the-chuck-redd-duo/ dates/Nov-12-2023_at_0300PM FOGL IA PHOTO BY F RED J. P OL ITINSKY

Clockwise from top left: Sapnar, Foglia, LaRouech.

ton. Dr. David Demsey, Coordinator of Jazz Studies at William Paterson, said LaRouech is “among the strongest players we have had in our jazz program in a long time, certainly one of the strongest trombonists.”

Sapnar was the recipient of the $1,000 scholarship for Composition.

His winning work, “Red Braid”, was chosen by Terell Stafford, Director of Jazz Studies at Temple’s Boyer School of Music to be performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jack Rudin Championship this past January. Sapnar picked the trumpet as his instrument because of Louis Armstrong. “His energy and joy was so contagious to me,” he said. However, his biggest influence has been Stafford. “He is my favorite living trumpet player,” he added.

Foglia won the $500 scholarship for Performance. His first influences on saxophone were Charlie Parker and Dexter Gordon. “I would always listen to Bird and practice out

Funding for Jersey Jazz Live! has been made possible, in part, by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of The National Endowment for the Arts.

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JAZZ ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON The Swinging Sounds of Banjoist Cynthia Sayer’s ‘Joyride’ Return to the Grunin Center

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azz banjoist, vocalist, and bandleader Cynthia Sayer returns with her band to the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts in Toms River on Sunday, November 12, 2023, for a 3 p.m. concert, “Cynthia Sayer’s Joyride,” part of Grunin’s Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon series.

A Scotch Plains, NJ, native praised for her “drive and virtuosity” by The New York Times, Sayer is renowned for bringing the swinging sounds of jazz banjo, the original fretted instrument of jazz, to audiences worldwide. An American Banjo Hall of Famer and pioneer on her instrument, Sayer pays tribute to America’s jazz heritage through her virtuoso playing, relatable vocals, and

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informative, entertaining anecdotes.

Sayer’s current touring projects include “Harlem Banjo,” the famed jazz sounds of the Harlem Renaissance done her way, and “The Unexpected Journey of Jazz Banjo,” a program premiered at Lincoln Center which delves into the banjo’s controversial social and musical history. This includes its impact on Black Americans and women, and why the instrument’s venerable role in jazz has been largely forgotten.

She has played with artists such as guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and Les Paul, pianist Dick Hyman, and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, among many others. In 2021, she performed

serving on the faculty of the New York Hot Jazz Camp; and public school outreach and enrichment programs.

At Grunin, Sayer will be joined by trombonist/vocalist Jim Fryer, string bassist Andrew Hall, and drummer Larry Eagle. Fryer was in the Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks band that won a Grammy Award for the Boardwalk Empire soundtrack. Hall is a regular member of the Big Lazy duo and trio led by guitarist Stephen Ulrich. It’s a band The New Yorker has called “elegantly gritty.” Eagle was a founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s Sessions band. with The Metropolitan Opera’s revival of Porgy and Bess. Sayer was also a founding member of Woody Allen’s New Orleans Jazz Band. The Times once called her, “a rarity; a woman who plays banjo with drive and virtuosity.”

Recent educator activities have included a guest master class at Berklee College of Music in Boston;

Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon is made possible, in part, through the support of the Wintrode Family Foundation. The New Jersey Jazz Society is a media sponsor of the JOSA series. Tickets can be purchased by logging onto grunincenter.org or calling (732) 255-0500.

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‘Living Legend’ Kenny Barron to be Honored at This Year’s SOPAC Concert “One of the Most Inspiring Pianists and Composers in the Jazz World”

BY JAY SW E E T

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Kenny Barron is a true living legend. His sound, touch, and musical mind are at the heart of so many classic jazz records we love, from Dizzy and Freddie to Stan Getz and Yusef Lateef. His extraordinary work as a soloist and as a bandleader is also awe-inspiring. He is a true inspiration.” That comment was from pianist Jeb Patton, one of the many jazz artists who will be honoring pianist Kenny Barron as a Giant of Jazz on November 25 at the South Orange Performing Arts Center.

Barron was born in 1943 in Philadelphia, a city known for producing jazz legends. As a teen, along with his brother, saxophonist Bill Barron, Kenny began playing professionally with Mel Melvin’s Orchestra. During these formative years, he also began working with drummer Philly Joe Jones and other known locals. With great determination, Barron relocat-

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PHOTO BY CHR ISTOPHER D RU K KER

GIANTS OF JAZZ

GIANTS OF JAZZ ed to New York at age 19 and began playing with trumpeter Lee Morgan, drummer Roy Haynes, and saxophonist James Moody. Upon Moody’s recommendation, Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron in 1962 to fill the piano chair in his band, an association that lasted five years. With Gillespie, Barron became further introduced to Latin and Caribbean music and continued incorporating elements of those styles into his music throughout his esteemed career. In the 1960s, Barron was well represented on records by Gillespie, Moody, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, among others. In 1967, he made his first record as a co-leader with trumpeter Jimmy Owens—You Had Better Listen (Atlantic).

Barron’s activities as both a sideman and leader increased throughout the 1970s. Early in the decade, he began working with multi-reedist Yusef

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Lateef, a man he credits as a musical and personal mentor. Lateef encouraged Barron to pursue a college education (while still working as a touring musician), leading to a B.A. in Music from Empire College. In 1973, Barron joined the faculty of Rutgers University, where he remained until 2000. During his time at the university, he helped guide several students who went on to successful jazz careers, such as saxophonist David Sanchez, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and vocalist Regina Belle. In 1974, Barron released his first record as a solo leader, Kenny Barron- Sunset to Dawn (Muse). Almost 50 more would follow. Throughout the decade, he was featured on recordings by some of jazz’s biggest names, including Jimmy Heath, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, and Ron Carter.

In the 1980s, Barron continued a pattern of leadership, sideman work,

Freddie Hendrix: “Kenny Barron’s playing is as smooth and charismatic as his demeanor.”

and teaching. Some highlights include his work with his trio of bassist Buster Williams and drummer Ben Riley and the group Sphere, which included the same trio members along with saxophonist Charlie Rouse. Sphere was dedicated to presenting the music of Thelonious Monk while also incorporating original material inspired by the legendary pianist/composer.

Barron is also celebrated for his work with Stan Getz, which began in 1985.

His playing with Getz helped produce

some of the saxophone legend’s finest work towards the end of his career.

By the ‘90s, Barron had become recognized as one of the leading jazz pianists and educators of the late 20th century. Moving into the new decade, his reputation and output continued to grow and impress. After a 60-year career, Barron continues to tour, record, inspire, and educate.

While still living in Japan as a teenager, alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo had an opportunity to record three

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albums with Barron. “He was so nice and treated me as a professional,” she said. “I remember he asked me to send a chart in advance, and he practiced it and rewrote some parts for himself even though it was a complicated original tune in handwriting by a high school girl. He treated it so profes-

sionally and made me sound amazing!”

Then in 2019, “It meant so much to me when he asked me for a three-night concert at Dizzy’s as part of his quartet.”

Barron’s most recent album, The Source (Artwork Records: 2023), showcases his ability as a soloist.

Jersey Jazz’s Joe Lang called it, “a

Jon Regen: “No musician has made a greater impact on my career than Kenny Barron.”

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mesmerizing nine-song program,” adding that “Barron is one of the true giants of the jazz piano, and The Source will reinforce his standing among the elite of the jazz keyboard.”

DownBeat’s Ed Enright added that, “The Source serves as a direct emotional connection between Barron and the listener, abandoning all sense of pretense and serving as a fountain of honest, intimate gestures that unfold organically, one right into the next; there are no canned goods for sale here, and nothing forced. The music draws from a seemingly bottomless well of stylistic perspectives under Barron’s command—including straight-ahead jazz, swinging standards, canonic classical music, barrelhouse blues, bossa nova and free improv—revealing exactly why the 79-year-old DownBeat Hall of Famer has long been esteemed as a master of his craft who thrives in any setting, whether playing solo, leading a trio

or accompanying a featured artist.”

In addition to being in the DownBeat Hall of Fame, Barron was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2010 and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005. He has been nominated for a Grammy 11 times and was named Best Pianist by the Jazz Journalists Association six times.

Bassist John Lee curates the annual Giants of Jazz award, and he has gathered an impressive lineup of jazz musicians to play in Barron’s honor.

They include: Patton, trombonist Steve Davis, trumpeters Freddie Hendrix and Terell Stafford, vocalist Roberta Gambarini; saxophonists Paquito D’Rivera and Mark Gross; drummers Johnathan Blake, Evan Sherman, and Lenny White; bassists Dezron Douglas, Essiet Okon Essiet, Rufus Reid (last year’s GOJ), and David Wong; and pianists Bill Charlap, Cyrus Chestnut, Jeb Patton, Renee Rosnes, and Jon Regen.

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PHOTO BY JUAN PATI NO

GIANTS OF JAZZ

GIANTS OF JAZZ Giants of Jazz: A Short History In 1997, bassist/producer John Lee, a resident of South Orange, NJ, was approached by the town’s Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs and asked if he had any ideas to raise funds for the the community’s free outdoor concert series. The budget had been drastically reduced, and the series was in jeopardy.

After giving it some thought, Lee created the Giants of Jazz series in 1998. It has been presented annually ever since, (except during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021) presenting a Jazz Masters Award to a significant artist whose creativity has had a major impact on jazz performance. See list of honorees below.

Every fall, on one stage, for one night, the musician list reads like a “Who’s Who of Jazz”. Many major jazz festivals do not have a lineup that compares to that of Giants of Jazz. Originally, the concert was held in the auditorium at South Orange Middle School, but in 2010 it moved to SOPAC. Giants of Jazz Honorees » 1998 Jackie McLean & Phil Woods; 1999 Benny Golson; 2000 Jimmy Heath; 2001 James Moody; 2002 Frank Wess; 2003 Clark Terry; 2004 Benny Powell; 2005 Dr. Billy Taylor; 2006 Frank Foster & Marian McPartland; 2007 Barry Harris; 2008 Slide Hampton; 2009 Randy Weston; 2010 Bob Cranshaw; 2011 Albert “Tootie” Heath; 2012 George Coleman; 2013 Gary Bartz; 2014 McCoy Tyner; 2015 George Cables; 2016 Jimmy Cobb; 2017 Buster Williams; 2018 Claudio Roditi; 2019 Harold Mabern; 2022 Rufus Reid; 2023 Kenny Barron

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Regen studied with Barron at Rutgers. “No musician,” he said, “has made a greater impact on my career than Kenny Barron. From the time I discovered his music at the age of 19, he’s been the gold standard for me. His touch, time, swing, and grace formed the bedrock of my musical evolution, and they continue to inspire and delight.”

Davis described Barron as “a virtuoso, one of the most inspiring pianists and composers in the jazz world. It’s always a thrill and distinct pleasure to play with him. I’m truly honored to be a part of this celebration of his life’s work in the music.” Added Hendrix: “Kenny Barron’s playing is as smooth and charismatic as his demeanor. He’s an incredible composer. His most well-known composition, ‘Voyage’, has easily become a commonly called jazz standard at most jam sessions, still to this day. He is loved, appreciated, and highly respected around the world.

And, we wholeheartedly will honor

him for his many wonderful contributions to the legacy of this music.”

Stafford called Barron “a genius as far as a player, teacher, mentor, and friend. He’s the type of person who can teach life lessons just through example.”

The Giants of Jazz concert will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 25. For more information or tickets, log onto sopacnow. org or call (973) 313-2787.

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TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ FESTIVAL Stefon Harris to Perform with High School All-State Jazz Ensemble “I Think It’s Important That We Continue to Put Art in the Hands of Young People So They Learn to Think Creatively.”

BY SA NFO RD JOS EPH SON

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n Friday night November 17, vibraphonist Stefon Harris will be a guest performer with the New Jersey Music Educators Association/ New Jersey Association of Jazz Educators All-State Jazz Ensemble. “We’ll get together the same day as the performance,” he said, “do a sound check and go over the music. Then, you allow jazz to work its magic in the moment.”

Director of the NJMEA/NJAJE Ensemble is pianist Oscar Perez, Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Montclair State’s John J. Cali School of Music. “Oscar Perez is a very good friend of mine,” Harris added, “so

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most likely I’ll try to drop in and spend some time with the kids before.”

Perez has conducted two rehearsals with the band so far at Piscataway High School. The band will rehearse again in Atlantic City before performing a concert on November 9 with the New Jersey Honors Jazz Choir at the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) conference.

The repertoire hadn’t been finalized at press time, but Perez said, “We’ll try to include some traditional things that all the kids know, but we’ll include some more modern things as well. We’ll play some Duke Ellington and Thad

Stefon Harris

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TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ FESTIVAL Jones, and there is a great arrangement of Horace Silver’s ‘Jody Grind’ by John Clayton for the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.” Other possibilities, he said, include Mike Mosca’s arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma”; Bob Belden’s arrangement of Joe Henderson’s “Black Narcissus”; Neal Hefti’s arrangement (for Count Basie) of “Flight of the Foo Birds’; Benny Carter’s “Vine Street Rumble”, originally recorded by Basie but also part of Carter’s “Kansas City Suite”;

Oscar Perez is Director of the All-State Jazz Ensemble

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and Benny Golson’s “Stablemates”.

Miguel Bolivar, NJAJE Past President and Band Director at Elizabeth High School, said the All-State Ensemble represents “kids from all over the state with varying levels of experience. The kids are super excited. This kind of experience,” he added, “is priceless. It’s life-changing.”

The 17-piece band includes students from 15 New Jersey High Schools (see complete list below). Two schools—Newark Academy in Liv-

ingston and Ridgewood High School— have two students in the band.

Harris, formerly Associate Dean and Director of Jazz Arts at his alma mater, The Manhattan School of Music, left that position four years ago to become a Professor at Rutgers University-Newark. “Part of the reason I switched over to Rutgers,” he said, “is because of my passion for education, and I want to mentor as many people as possible in a quality arts education. So, I love the idea of a public institution because of the cost. That makes it possible for many people to study and participate in the arts.

“I’ve had some incredible teachers,” he continued. “One of my earliest teachers was a gentleman named Richard Albagli in Albany, NY, where I’m from. He was my classical percussion private teacher many, many years ago when I was in middle and high school. He really changed my life by setting the bar incredibly high,

so far beyond where I was at that moment. He really challenged me to discover. That spilled over when I began to study jazz. I was able to study with (pianist) Barry Harris for many years. I think he is the greatest educator in the history of jazz. Pure genius.”

(Albagli is Principal Percussionist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and a member of the music faculties of the University at Albany and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute).

Another important teacher was drummer Max Roach, who Harris described as “really a phenomenal mentor for me in terms of understanding not just the ‘how’ but the ‘why’ of the music—what is the purpose, what is the value of this music in our society. And how to carry yourself with dignity. Max Roach—what a genius! We often think of Charlie Parker—as we should—when it comes to bebop. When you really think about it, a significant part of bebop is har-

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TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ FESTIVAL mony, of course, but probably the greatest part of bebop is the revolution in rhythm. We often talk about the improvisation on top, but we don’t talk about the shift in the rhythm because of people like Max Roach.

“I also got to play with (saxophonist) Joe Henderson, the ultimate example of excellence and someone who had his own voice and was completely committed to beauty. And, I played with Wynton Marsalis for a couple of years and learned a lot about how to be on a large stage, to make it feel intimate, and how to really engage an audience.”

Harris will have a new album, Legacy Dances, coming out in 2024. “It’s with my band, Blackout,” he said, “and it focuses on the power of recognizing our own cultural heritage, our cultural legacy playing in a way our ancestors would be proud of. We celebrate Louis Armstrong. We celebrate Willie the Lion Smith. We celebrate the great Amiri Baraka in this album, but we do

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it with our own original voice. Even when we play music written by Willie the Lion Smith or Louis Armstrong, we do our own original arrangements that have the sound of the contemporary world and its music that is imbued with our own real-life experiences.”

Legacy Dances is a follow up to Harris and Blackout’s 2018 Motema Music album, Sonic Creed. It celebrated the music of such jazz giants as Bobby Timmons, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, and Wayne Shorter, among others, and

AllAboutJazz’s Dan Bilawsky wrote that it hit the mark “with unerring accuracy and extreme clarity. It’s Stefon Harris at his honest and unswerving best.”

Blackout’s concept, explained Harris, “is creating that sense of ownership and the intensity of the music that we make. The message that we want to give to young people is—we’re not trying to get young people to recreate the music from the past; we’re trying to empower young people with the tools they need to tell the stories their own way.

“I think it’s important,” he continued, “that we continue to put art in the hands of young people so they learn to think creatively and learn to be empathetic citizens. In jazz, the primary skill we teach is to listen. We teach young people to sit together in a group and to communicate with each other.”

The NJMEA/NJAJE All-State Band and Choir concert with special guest, Stefon Harris, will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 17, in NJPAC’s Chase Room.

All-State Jazz Ensemble » Jared Berkoff, Alto Saxophone, Moorestown High School » Jack Crawford, Alto Saxophone, Washington Twp High School » Jeff Andolaro, Bass, Shawnee High School » Kai Koyama, Drums, Ridgewood High School » Sally Shupe, Guitar, Columbia High School » Thomas Dinh, Piano, Robbinsville High School » Christian Klimczak, Baritone Saxophone, Deptford High School » Dan Ruzicka, Tenor Saxophone, New Providence High School » Abhik Mojumdar, Tenor Saxophone, South Brunswick High School

» Shane Shenk, Trombone, Clearview Regional High School » Vanessa Fang, Trombone, Newark Academy » Alexander Massuet, Trombone, Mount Olive High School » Ming-Lang Qin, Trombone, Pascack Valley High School » Nathanael Gaw, Trombone, Egg Harbor Twp High School » Julian Marlin, Trumpet, Ridgewood High School » Jacob Tolentino, Trumpet, Newark Academy » Evan Boltniew, Trumpet, Rancocas Valley Regional High School

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TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ FESTIVAL

Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap

Victoria Theater: Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap NOV 4, 3 P.M. » Victoria Theater:

Steve Turre

NOV 12, 3P.M. » Victoria Theater:

NOV 4, 8 P.M. » NJPAC’s Prudential Hall:

Abdullah Ibrahim Trio

Grupo Niche & Hector Acosta (“El Torito”)

NOV 12, 7 P.M. » Prudential Hall:

NOV 5, 2 P.M. » Congregation Ahavas

Gladys Knight with Davell Crawford

Sholom: “Words to Witness”, an event focused on dissecting the visual arts exhibit “Witness to Captivity”

by Kay Reese through the mediums of jazz music and spoken word.

NOV 11, 7 P.M. » Newark Museum

of Art: Screening of Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues NOV 16, 7:30 P.M. » Clement’s Place:

Jazz Jams, directed by James Austin, Jr. NOV 16, 7:30 P.M. » Victoria

Theater: Ranky Tanky with special guest, Lisa Fischer

Theater: The Sound of (Black) Music featuring The Shakes

NOV 10, 7:30 P.M. » Victoria

NOV 17, 7 P.M. » NJPAC’s Chase

Theater: Omara Portuondo NOV 11, 7:30 P.M. » Victoria Theater:

Take 6 with Hillary-Marie

When You Wish Upon a Star-A Jazz Tribute to 100 Years of Disney featuring pianist/bandleader Sean Mason NOV 17, 8 P.M. » Prudential Hall:

WBGO Kids’ Concert Series: Elio Villafranca Quartet

NOV 9, 7:30 P.M. » Victoria

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NOV 17, 7:30 P.M. » Victoria Theater:

NOV 3, 7:30 P.M. » NJPAC’s

Room: NJMEA/NJAJE All-State Jazz Ensemble and Choir with special guest, Stefon Harris

Dave Grusin: A Life in Music NOV 17, 7:30 AND 9 P.M. » Clement’s

Place: Mark Gross & The Moody Project featuring Cyrus Chestnut and Lewis Nash NOV 18, 6 P.M. » Bethany Baptist

Church: Cyrus Chestnut NOV 18, 7:30 P.M. » Victoria

Theater: Christian McBride and Savion Glover: One on One NOV 19, 11 A.M. & 1 P.M. » Dorthaan’s Place

at Nico’s: Steve Turre Generations Septet NOV 19, 3 P.M. » Victoria Theater: Sarah

Vaughan International Vocal Competition To order tickets, log onto NJPAC. org/jazz or call 1-888 477-5722.

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D EE BRID G EWAT ER AND B ILL CH ARL AP PHOTO BY V I C K I FOX

TD James Moody Jazz Festival Schedule

RISING STAR Jacob Tolentino’s Early Inspiration: Freddie Hubbard’s Performance on ‘Canteloupe Island’ “Jacob Has a Huge Sound and Possesses a Level of Maturity Beyond his Years.”

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D

uring the lunch break at the NJMEA/NJAJE All-State Jazz Ensemble’s first rehearsal, Jacob Tolentino started playing the blues on his trumpet. His Newark Academy classmate, trombonist Vanessa Fang, began playing the piano. Then, said Tolentino, “all the musicians just put down their food and started playing with us. We had a really great time. I was able to bond with a lot of people I’ve never met before.”

The All-State Jazz Ensemble, as reported in the previous article (“Stefon Harris to Perform with All-State Jazz Ensemble”), is made up of 17 students from 15 New Jersey high schools.

So, while these are all outstanding student jazz musicians, most of them have never played with each other.

Meeting jazz peers from other locations is nothing new for the 18-yearold Tolentino. In the spring of 2022, he was part of the Newark Academy band that competed as a finalist in Jazz at

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RISING STAR Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition. In February 2023, Tolentino was named an Outstanding Soloist at the Charles Mingus High School Competition & Festival, held at The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York.

And this past summer, he was selected as one of 10 trumpet players in a nationwide audition process to be invited to Jazz at Lincoln Center’s prestigious Summer Jazz Academy. One of the instructors there was trumpeter Marcus Printup, who said Tolentino “excelled greatly. He diligently worked on everything I gave him. Jacob has a huge sound and possesses a level of maturity beyond his years. If he continues to work hard, he could be the next ‘cat’.”

Jazz has always been a part of Tolentino’s life. His father, alto saxophonist Julius Tolentino, is Jazz Director at Newark Academy. “I guess I first realized I wanted to play jazz,” he said, “when I was in the second grade,

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From left, drummer Zach Adleman, bassist Ryoma Takenaga, pianist Ben Collins-Siegel, Jacob Tolentino, saxophonist Nicky Davis, trombonist Steve Davis (Nicky’s father), and Julius Tolentino.

trying different instruments. I kind of wanted to play the drums at first, but I had an easier time on the trumpet, so I just stuck with that. I didn’t take it that seriously at the start, but once I started playing with smaller combos and big bands, I realized that I liked it. I think that was around the fourth grade.”

Early on, Tolentino’s biggest influence on trumpet was Freddie Hubbard. “I just really liked his sound, and, specifically, he recorded a song with Herbie Hancock, ‘Canteloupe Island’. I was listening to that song over and over again. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of

Roy Hargrove and Blue Mitchell.”

Two major motivators for him have been his father and his private trumpet instructor, Nathan Eklund.

“I’ve learned a lot from my father on a daily basis,” he said. “I really appreciate how much he pushed me to practice every day and keep going. I don’t think I would be as into it if he didn’t show me how much fun it could be. During the summer, we go to a jam session in New York or somewhere close every two weeks. And, that’s a really good memory for me.”

Eklund has “really helped me figure myself out with music. I’ve always been relying on my ears for improvising, and he wants me to sit and take some lines through the circle of fourths (a diagram that shows the relationships between different musical keys). I can see improvement since I started doing that.”

Utilizing ideas through the circle of fourths, said Eklund, has helped To-

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RISING STAR

Jacob with NA classmates bassist Ethan Freed and pianist Ben Collins-Siegel.

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lentino “clearly understand and identify what the sounds are that he’s already hearing in the music. Jacob,” he continued, “is a young musician who has great ears and incredible instincts for jazz, probably hugely affected by growing up in a family of musicians.

His concepts for jazz phrasing and his ability to hear what he wants to play were apparent when I first started working with him several years ago.

But recently, over the past year or so, we’ve really worked to build a greater fluency with the jazz language. The sky’s the limit for Jacob and I know he will be someone to look out for as he progresses into college and beyond.”

Tolentino, who lives in Roselle Park, NJ, is a senior at Newark Academy but hasn’t made a college decision yet. “I’m looking into a lot of schools,” he said, adding that he’s definitely planning a career in music.—SJ

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TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ/GRUNIN CENTER Pianist Sean Mason Puts a Jazz Spin on ‘100 Years of Disney’ Music “I Love Stride Piano and Jelly Roll Morton, But I Also Love Some of the Modern Jazz Things.”

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Sean Mason

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n Tuesday, October 3, at the Numerica Performing Arts Center in Wenatchee, WA, pianist Sean Mason played a solo performance of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” from Frozen: The Broadway Musical to an audience of middle school students. It was part of the “When You Wish Upon a Star—A Jazz Tribute to 100 Years of Disney” tour, featuring Mason and the House Band of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

The arrangement was one Ma-

son used to perform with his trio at Smalls in Greenwich Village before the pandemic. “A lot of people liked it there,” Mason recalled, “and I played it on solo piano for this tour. All the kids were singing along. I never experienced anything like that. Usually when we play at the performing arts centers, it’s mostly adults, and some people bring their kids.”

The 25-year-old Mason will be transporting “When You Wish Upon a Star” to New Jersey this month—on Friday, November 17, as part of the

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PHOTO BY JUAN PATI NO

BY SANFORD JOS E P HSON

TD James Moody Jazz Festival at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and on Saturday, November 18, to the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts in Toms River, NJ. “I’m having a great time playing this music,” Mason said, “because I grew up listening to musical theater.

I loved listening to these grand Disney songs with the soprano voices. I picked the songs for the tour, and I arranged the songs in very unique ways. It really does sound like a jazz show. Some of the arrangements are a little more traditional, and some are ‘out there’. I caution the audience: ‘This isn’t your traditional show.’”

And, Mason isn’t your traditional jazz musician. “Traditional and innovation. I’ve always struggled with that,” he said. “I love the ‘20s music, and I love the ‘30s music. That’s why Catherine Russell and I got along so well and played together so many

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times. We both share that love of blues and old ‘20s and ‘30s music. But I also love everything that’s going on now.”

The idea for the Disney tour, he said, was conceived in 2021. Last year, Mason formed a quintet and recorded an album, The Southern Suite, that was released on Blue Engine Records on October 27, 2023. As a musician, he said, “I’d rather not be put into one box. I love stride piano and Jelly Roll Morton, but I also love some of the modern jazz things. This album is kind of a statement in my compositional approach to try to create work that embodies these two things.

“This record is very exciting for me,” he continued. “I’ve spent most of my career in an internship with people four times my age, going on the road with seasoned musicians and kind of playing as a sideman. I learned firsthand how to do everything—recording on so many people’s records and learn-

Alicyn Yaffey

Ahmad Johnson

Anthony Hervey

Corentin Le Hir

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AL ICY N YAFFEE PHOTO COU RTESY OF C R JUR I E N C R E AT I V E . A N T H O N Y H E RV E Y PH OTO COURT ESY OF E BAR

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ing how to be in the studio before I recorded my own album. I’m grateful for that experience.” (See Joe Lang’s review of The Southern Suite on page 38) Mason was featured as a Rising Star in the Jersey Jazz October 2021 issue. He was tapped by Branford Marsalis to play piano on the soundtrack of the Netflix movie, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Marsalis

Sasha Dobson

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continues to be a mentor. “We talk regularly,” Mason said. “He helped and consulted on the album.” Mason’s quintet on the recording features saxophonist Chris Lewis, trumpeter Tony Glausi, bassist Felix Moseholm, and drummer Domo Branch.

On the “When You Wish Upon a Star” tour, he is joined by vocalists Sasha Dobson and Kim Nalley, trum-

Kim Nalley

peter Anthony Hervey, drummer Ahmad Johnson, bassist Corentin Le Hir, and guitarist Alicyn Yaffee. (Hervey was a Jersey Jazz Rising Star in April 2022). In addition to “Do You Want to Build a Snowman”, another Mason Disney favorite is Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”, the theme song from Toy Story. Among other tunes included in the Disney concert are: Frank Churchill and Larry Morey’s “Someday My Prince Will Come”, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and famously recorded by Miles Davis; Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke’s “He’s a Tramp” from Lady and the Tramp; and Al Rinker’s “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” from The Aristocats.

Mason tries to keep an open mind about all different kinds of music.

“Right now,” he said, “I’ve been listening to a lot of bluegrass music—a lot of those field recordings of banjo players

that (ethnomusicologist) Alan Lomax has done. There’s an album, Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza (Acoustic Disc: 2006) that has all the bluegrass players.” He went to see Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier at the Met. “I’ve been obsessed with that,” he said. “Unbelievable voicing, unbelievable harmony and melody. I’ve been loving that opera.” Then, of course, there are the jazz legends. “Thelonius Monk, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Parker. Those are the typical influences.”

The TD James Moody Jazz Festival performance of “When You Wish Upon a Star” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on November 17 in NJPAC’s Victoria Theater. To order tickets, log onto NJPAC.org/jazz or call 1-888 477-5722. The Grunin Center performance will be at 7 p.m. on November 18 on the venue’s Main Stage. Tickets can be ordered at grunincenter. org or by calling (732) 255-0500.

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KI M NALL EY PHOTO BY SCOTT C HE RNI Z . SASH A DO BSO N PH OTO BY A RT H I K R I SH N ASWA MI

TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ/GRUNIN CENTER

SHANGHAI JAZZ For Pianist Eric Mintel, ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ is an 18-Year Tradition “The Favorite, of Course, is ‘Linus and Lucy’”

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n 1965, television producer Lee Mendelson was working on a documentary about Charles Schultz’s comic strip “Peanuts”. He was driving over San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and heard pianist Vince Guaraldi’s “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”, which had recently won a Grammy Award.

Mendelson was so taken by the tune that he contacted Guaraldi and asked him to write the score for the planned documentary. Many weeks later, Mendelson received a phone call from Guaraldi, who played “Linus & Lucy” over the phone. The documentary never materialized, but Mendelson used that song and other Guaraldi compositions as part of A Charlie Brown Christmas special that aired on CBS-TV during the holiday season that year. The soundtrack, A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring the Vince GuaralEric Mintel has been performing “A Charlie Brown Christmas” concerts since 2005.

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SHANGHAI JAZZ

di Trio has become one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time.

Guaraldi died of a heart attack in February 1976 at the age of 47. Over the last 18 years, jazz pianist Eric Mintel has been doing his best to keep Guaraldi’s Christmas music alive, and on Saturday, November 11, his quartet will be presenting “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ. “I believe my first concert of Charlie

Brown jazz was in 2005,” Mintel said.

“What most of our audience says to us after our Charlie Brown jazz concerts is, ‘I grew up with Charlie Brown!’ Wherever we go and play this music, the smiles on people’s faces are incredible.

They remember where and when they first saw the A Charlie Brown Christmas special and remember the simpler times. These are people who are now bringing up their children and introducing them to jazz. I love these concerts and how they make people feel.”

Audiences usually sing along when the Mintel Quartet plays “Christmas Time is Here”, but “the favorite, of course, is ‘Linus and Lucy’.

Folks at the November 11th Shanghai Jazz performances can expect a fun time as we twist and turn through Charlie Brown hits and some new original holiday tunes I’ve written.”

When Mintel’s quartet performed A Charlie Brown Christmas in 2019

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SHANGHAI JAZZ at Allentown, PA’s Miller Symphony Hall, the Morning Call’s Jodi Duckett said the group took the songs “to wild, fun places—sometimes including riffs from other songs—before returning to the notes that reminded you what the song was to begin with. That was the case for the Christmas classics the EMQ played as well, including ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Silent Night’. Mintel,” she continued, “made ‘Linus and Lucy’ even more swinging with sax solos and some manic piano playing. ‘Jingle Bells’ had a rowdy salsa beat, and ‘Do You Hear What I Hear’ was a funky outing.”

The other members of the Eric Mintel Quartet are saxophonist/ flutist Nelson Hill, bassist Jack Heygi, and drummer Dave Mohn. If you can’t make the Shanghai Jazz gig, the EMQ is also presenting holiday concerts at the Lyceum Center for the Arts in Burlington, NJ, on December 3 and the Hunterdon County Library in Clinton, NJ, on December 21.

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More Charlie Brown Music Pianist Isaiah J. Thompson is releasing a new album called A Guaraldi Holiday on December 1 on the Outside in Music label. A single, “Great Pumpkin Waltz” was released on October 13. “I’ve never heard anyone say they dislike holiday music,” Thompson said in a news release. “In my experience, the popular holiday music is jazz. I think Vince Guaraldi, in his time, deeply influenced how people experienced the music because by being connected to ‘Peanuts’, it became a part of the popular culture.”

In addition to “Great Pumpkin Waltz”, A Guaraldi Holiday includes such Guaraldi compositions as “Little Birdie”, “Christmas Time is Here”, “Heartburn Waltz”, and, of course, “Linus and Lucy”. The album also contains some holiday songs not written by Guaraldi such as “What Child Is This? (set to the music of the traditional English folk song, “Greensleeves”), Auld Lang Syne, and Mel Torme’s “The Christ-

mas Song”. Thompson was featured as a Rising Star in the November/December 2020 issue of Jersey Jazz.

Another source of Guaraldi music is the 1995 Sony Music Entertainment album by Wynton and Ellis Marsalis called Joe’s Cool Blues. On it, Ellis Marsalis’ trio plays Guaraldi music: “Peppermint Patty”, “Oh, Good

Grief!”, “Charlie Brown”, and “Pebble Beach”. Wynton Marsalis’ septet plays “Linus and Lucy”, plus Guaraldi-inspired Marsalis originals such as “On Peanuts Playground”, “Little Red-Haired Girl, and “Snoopy & Woodstock”. There is also a nonet performance of “Little Birdie” with vocalist Germaine Bazzle.

In the liner notes, Wynton Marsalis recalled that, “When I was a boy, the only time you would hear jazz on television was when Charlie Brown came to town.”

He liked Vince Guaraldi’s music “because it was happy and upbeat. Also, we were aware that my father knew him. So that made us think that our father was important ... The subject of this music affords me the opportunity to re-enter that childhood world everybody always goes back to in one way or another ... Charlie Brown, and Snoopy, and Linus and Lucy were part of the common currency of my childhood ... The challenge in music like this is to capture the freshness of the kind of childhood Charlie Brown represents while maintaining the freedom and depth of expression that growing up provides.”

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SAVE THE DATE!

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FROM THE CROW’S NEST

BY B I L L CROW

I

n 1975, Johnny Morris played two weeks in a New Orleans jazz club with Roy Eldridge. On their last night, a waitress told Johnny that two guitar players wanted to sit in. Johnny asked Roy if it was okay, and Roy said, “One guitar player is bad enough, but two? No! Tell them NO!” Then the waitress told Johnny that the guitar players were opening there the next night. Johnny went back and pleaded with Roy to let them sit it, as he was afraid the management might not like it if he didn’t.

Roy reluctantly agreed, and the guitarists were invited to the bandstand.

One of them extended a hand and said, “Hi. I’m Barney and he’s Herb.”

It was Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis.

Bill Crow is a freelance musician and writer. His books include Jazz Anecdotes, Jazz Anecdotes: Second Time Around, and From Birdland to Broadway. This column is reprinted with permission from Allegro, the monthly magazine of AFM Local 802.

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B

ill Stanley once came to sub in the pit of a Broadway show dressed in an opera cape and top hat. When the intermission was nearly over, Merv Gold knocked on the harp case in the band room and called out, “Five minutes, Mr. Stanley!”

A

n item from CBS News: A musician had a brain tumor removed in Italy this week in a nine-hour surgery during which he not only was awake and fully conscious, but was playing his saxophone. The 35-yearold male patient had the procedure at Rome’s Paideia International Hospital on Monday and was discharged early Thursday morning. Dr. Christian Brogna, a neurosurgeon and expert in awake surgery, told CBS News that the tumor was removed successfully, and that there were no negative impacts on the patient. Brogna led a highly specialized 10-member in-

ternational team for the procedure, using state-of-the-art technology.

“The tumor was located in a very, very complex area of the brain,” said Brogna. “Moreover, the patient is left-handed. This makes things more complicated because the neural pathways of the brain are much more complicated.” The doctor said his patient, who has been identified only as C.Z., played the theme song from the 1970 movie Love Story, and the Italian national anthem, at various times throughout the surgery.

G

rady Tate once told me about a night when he stopped by a jazz club uptown to see some friends.

When he came out and got back in his car, he looked up and saw a guy standing there holding a gun on him. Grady rolled down his window and gave the guy his watch and his money. The guy pocketed the loot, and then said,

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FROM THE CROW’S NEST “That ‘Windmills’ was a bitch!” referring to Grady’s hit vocal recording of “Windmills On My Mind.” Grady said, ironically, “I’ve got some copies of my new album in the trunk, if you want one.” Grady said the guy sniffed and replied, “I can buy my own!”

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ichael Lawrence was playing the guitar part with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra on a piece commissioned by Seiji Ozawa and written by William Russo for the Siegel-Schwall band, “Three Pieces for Blues Band and Orchestra.” Lawrence wrote: “The orchestral parts are well delineated, but the blues quartet parts are more improvisational. The concertmaster was seated directly behind me during rehearsal. At one point, offended by either my playing or the volume, he kicked my amp over. The orchestra, the hall, went silent. I picked the amp up, set it back in place and checked it.

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Then I looked at him as he sat there smirking. I bent over and said quietly, ‘That fiddle? I suggest you never leave it unattended.’ I turned to the conductor and told him we were good to go. There were no more problems.”

E

rik Lawrence was walking down the street of his old hometown, Nyack. “I saw a guy coming toward me with an old King trombone case, rectangular with the fake alligator on the corners. I didn’t recognize him, but I said, “trombone, right?” He looked at me like I was crazy. I asked again, “Isn’t that a trombone case?” He stopped and thought for a minute and suddenly realized what I was saying. He said, ‘Actually, I used to be a trombone player 20 years ago. But I couldn’t make any money, so I became a plumber. I got rid of the trombone, but I kept the case because it fits my plunger and snake perfectly!’”

H

erb Gardner posted his favorite Dill Jones story: When Dill first came to New York from Wales, he was hired to play solo piano at a private party in Harlem, where he assumed everyone was a connoisseur of authentic stride piano. A beautiful lady sauntered up to him and murmured, “Can you please play ‘Fiesta’?” Dill didn’t know the tune, but desperately trying to please, played every Latin-American tune he knew. The woman returned, displeased. “Can’t you play ‘Fiesta’?”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t know that tune.”

“No, no! Yuzz’r playin’ too slow! Cancha play fyasta?!”

D

ave Graf posted this story from Doug Ramsey’s biography of Paul Desmond: Desmond was sitting in with some British musicians. Pianist Dill Jones said, “I don’t know ‘Take Five,’” to which Desmond, who wrote the tune, replied, “Good.”

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SandySasso.com for more Sandy info

HERBIE HANCOCK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ

Cynthia Sayer’s JOYRIDE

Chicago-Based Pianist Jahari Stampley Tops 10 Other Keyboardists

From left, Herbie Hancock, Jahari Stampley, Connor Rohrer, and Paul Cornish

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national Jazz Piano Competition.

Second place winner was Connor Rohrer of Mechanicsburg, PA, and third place went to Paul Cornish of Houston. The competition took place on October 15 at New York’s Perelman Performing Arts Center.

All of the competitors were accompanied by bassist Richie Goods and drummer Carl Allen. Judges were pianists Bill Charlap, Orrin Evans, Hancock, Hiromi, and Danilo Perez.

The Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award went to 94-year-old architect Frank Gehry, and the Maria Fisher Founder’s Award was presented to five-time Grammy-winning vocalist, Dianne Reeves. HHIJ supports year-round jazz education programs, which serve students from under-resourced public schools.

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Sunday November 12 3:00pm

PHOTO BY STEV E MU ND ING ER

A

llAboutJazz’s Hrayr Attarian called pianist Jahari Stampley’s self-produced album, Still Listening, “an auspicious start to a promising career from an immensely talented young artist.” Stampley’s career just got more promising as the Manhattan School of Music alum beat out 10 other outstanding pianists to win first place in the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Inter-

For the complete performance schedule, visit grunincenter.org.

Grunin Center Box Office Hours Tuesday-Friday 12:00pm-5:00pm 732-255-0500 College Drive P Toms River, NJ ADA wheelchair and companion seating is available. Assisted listening devices are available at all performances.

SONNY CLARK BLUE NOTE SESSIONS Creative Genius from an Artist Relatively Unknown to Most Casual Jazz Fans

BY JOE L A N G

M

osaic Records has been an important player in the world of recorded jazz since it released The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Thelonious Monk in 1982. Since that time, Mosaic has released 176 large boxed sets compiling the complete recordings of a range of jazz artists for a given record label, as well as 38 three-disc sets in its Mosaic Select series. The latest release, The Complete Sonny Clarke Blue Note Sessions (Mosaic -MD6-276) documents the Blue Note sessions where pianist Sonny Clark served as the leader.

Clark, like so many of his era, was taken early from the scene by his addiction to heroin, in his case

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overdosing at the age of 31. He has remained relatively unknown to most casual jazz fans, but many who were exposed to his genius revered him with almost a cult-like devotion.

This set contains all the tracks from the nine albums that were released under his name on Blue Note, four of which were released 13 to 17 years after he died. There are 61 tracks including alternate takes.

Three of the albums, Sonny Clark Trio, The Singles Session and Blues in the Night, find Clark in a piano, bass and drums trio format. The other six albums have two sextet sessions, Dial “S” for Sonny and Sonny’s Crib, plus four quintet sessions, Sonny

Clark Quintet, Cool Struttin’, My Conception and Leapin’ and Lopin’.

No matter the format, Clark is consistently ear-grabbing. He started out his career as an exciting soloist, but was not as effective in group settings.

At the urging of one of his contemporaries, saxophonist Frank Morgan, Clark went to see pianist Hampton Hawes who worked with Clark on the art of comping. Clark was a quick study and was soon a perfect complement to any group in which he played.

Among the musicians who appear with Clark on these sessions are saxophonists Hank Mobley, John Coltrane, Tommy Turrentine, and Charlie Rouse; trumpeters Art Farmer and Donald Byrd; trombonist Curtis Fuller; guitarist Kenny Burrell; bassists Wilbur Ware, Paul Chambers, Jymie Merritt, and Butch Warren; and drummers Louis Hayes, Art Taylor, Philly Joe Jones, Pete La Roca, Wes Landers, Art Blakey, and Billy Higgins.

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SONNY CLARK BLUE NOTE SESSIONS While all of this material is wonderfully listenable, the albums Cool Struttin’ and Leapin’ and Lopin’ stand out among the larger group sessions. An interesting track on the latter album is “Deep in a Dream” where Turrentine and Rouse, the horn players on the session, sit out and are replaced by Ike Quebec for a glorious reading of this tune.

The Singles Session came about when Blue Note decided to release 45rpm singles for the jukebox market.

The trio sessions offer a more concentrated listening to Clark’s creative artistry. One track from the Sonny Clark Trio album is particularly noteworthy. “I’ll Remember April” finds Clark playing an unaccompanied piano solo that is wonderfully lyrical.

Clark has selected a nice mix of standards, jazz tunes and original pieces for his album programs. The variety of material shows Clark’s versatility and creative genius. While

he was mainly thought of as being a bop/hard bop player, this package shows that it is wrong to place him in any one bag, as he created a sound and approach that was unique to him.

Any listener will be thankful for the magnificent job that Andreas Meyer and Nancy Conforti at Swan Studios, NYC, have done in taking the brilliant analog files created by master engineer Rudy Van Gelder and converting them to state-of-the-art digital files. Your ears will appreciate their careful work.

This set should bring more extensive attention to Clark, one of the special jazz pianists to ever grace the scene. It is enhanced by the extensive, interesting, and informative liner notes by Bob Blumenthal in the accompanying booklet. No matter your tastes in jazz, this set is one that will be revisited by you frequently as the music is timeless and wonderful. It is a limited edition, so get it while you can. MosaicRecords.com

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OTHER VIEWS

BY JOE L A N G

With Thanksgiving approaching, it is likely that those of you with kids and grandchildren will at some point be tuned into the television special, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Lee Mendelson Film Productions – 02302), featuring the catchy score written and performed by Vince Guaraldi. The soundtrack is now available for the first time. Guaraldi on piano, keyboards and guitar joins his bandmates, trumpeter Tom Harrell, trombonist Chuck Bennett, bassist Seward McCain, and drummer Mike Clark to perform the eight tunes plus a series of alternate takes and mixes.

The tunes include selections newly written for this special, “Thanksgiving Theme,” “Thanksgiving Interlude,” “Is It James or Charlie” and “Little Birdie,” with an appealing vocal by Guaraldi, plus some favorites that have been included in prior Charlie Brown specials, “Charlie Brown Blues,” “Peppermint

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Patty,” “Linus and Lucy” and “Fife & Drum Theme.” Like the television show, this is music that your family will enjoy revisiting. This album has been released just in time for you to add it to your Thanksgiving festivities.

(See more about Vince Guaraldi on page 28) MendelsonProductions.com The Hutchinson AndrewTrio—pianist Chris Andrew, bassist Kodi Hutchison, and drummer Dave Laing—have a wonderful new album, The Senator – A Tribute to Tommy Banks Chronograph Records – 100). Banks was a pianist/conductor/arranger/composer/ TV personality/actor/producer/politician from Edmonton, Alberta ,who died in 2018 at the age of 81. He was a widely popular figure in Alberta and a man with many honors bestowed upon him. Andrew and Hutchison both regard Banks as a mentor and were inspired to record a tribute to

him that reflects his musical tastes.

Assisting them on several tracks are saxophonist PJ Perry, who was a contemporary of Banks; trumpeter Al Muirhead, who played with Banks on occasion; and Banks’ granddaughter, Mallory Chapman, who adds tasteful vocals on “I’ll Be Seeing You,” “Make Someone Happy”, and “All of Me.” The other selections are “Jig” by James Taylor, “Kerry Dance,” “Take the ‘A’ Train, “Bank on It,” an original by Andrew, and “Joy Spring.” This is one of those albums that puts a smile on your face from start to finish. It swings, and has a lineup of talented musicians who make each selection sound just right. It would have certainly pleased Tommy Banks! ChronoJazz.com On Astor’s Place (Zoho – 202305), pianist Dimitri Landrain, abetted by bassist Jim Robertson and drummer Keith Balla, explores nine original

compositions. Landrain has taken inspiration from a variety of cultural influences, most of them relating to forms of Latin music. Two of the pieces “Astor’s Place” and “Nostalgia,” are nods to one of his heroes, Astor Piazzolla, the master of the tango. The former is a tribute, while the latter is a contemplative piece that references Piazzolla’s “Oblivion.” “Lovers in the Rain” is a lovely

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OTHER VIEWS ballad that could have been written

by Michel Legrand, like Landrain of French background. The Billy who inspired his closer, “Waltz for Billy,” is the legendary Billy Strayhorn. The New York City-based Landrain is an elegant player whose touch reflects his classical roots. It is apparent that the three musicians have open ears that take in what each other is playing, giving their performances an intense coherence. ZohoMusic.com The Southern Suite (Blue Engine Records) is the impressive debut recording by pianist Sean Mason on Blue Engine Records, the label of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Mason has selected trumpeter Tony Glausi, tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis, bassist Felix Moseholm, and drummer Domo Branch to fill out the quintet that performs his eight-song program of original music. Mason’s tunes are won-

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derfully accessible and seem like old friends after just a few hearings. His charts are well-executed by the band.

Given solo time, each of them shines.

Mason has set the bar at a high level with his first recording as a leader. It will be interesting to hear the music that will flow from his fertile mind in the future. (See interview with Mason on page 25) jazz.org/watch-listen-discover/blue-engine-records

The latest album by pianist Donald Vega, As I Travel (Imagery Records/ Tiger Turn), gives the listener an ample taste of Vega’s talents as a composer and player. His melodies vary in tempo, but each of them is well constructed and reflect his life experiences. Having escaped to Los Angeles from his war-torn native country of Nicaragua at the age of 14, Vega found a home in the world of jazz.

After studying in Southern California, he eventually moved to New York City where he attended the Manhattan School of Music and Julliard. He is now a professor at the latter.. As I

Travel is his fourth album as a leader, here with bassist John Patitucci, drummer Lewis Nash, and percussionist Luisito Quintero. The album is one of those collections that consistently engages you as it takes you on a musical journey of nine tunes, is full of interesting twists and turns. You will enjoy all of the stops that Vega makes as he travels. DonaldVega.com Jazz musicians are often drawn to classical music for inspiration, with Johann Sebastian Bach a frequent muse. Pianist Adam Birnbaum has a particular affinity for Bach’s

“ MASON’S TUNES ARE

WONDERFULLY ACCESSIBLE.” JERSEY JAZZ

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OTHER VIEWS “Well-Tempered Clavier”. On Preludes (Chelsea Music Festival Records), Birnbaum, with support from bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Keita Ogawa, addresses 12 preludes from Book One of the “Well-Tempered Clavier”. This is a challenging undertaking that Birnbaum is well-suited to approach. The album fits nicely into the subset of jazz called chamber jazz. Birnbaum is working with superb source material and gives it a jazz interpretation that is appealing and satisfying. AdamBirnbaum.com Inspiration & Gratitude (Night Is Alive – 012) is an album on which the Lorca Hart Trio devotes six of the nine selections to musicians who have passed during the last few years.

These tunes are by Stanley Cowell, “Reconfirmed”; Ennio Morricone, “Ness and His Family”; Chick Corea, “Like This”; Johnny Mandel, “A Time

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for Love”; McCoy Tyner, “Blues on the Corner”; and Bill Withers, “Let Me in Your Life.” The remaining melodies are by Hart, “Song for Ganda”; pianist Josh Nelson, “Recluse”; plus “Hark!

The Herald Angels Sing.” The trio includes Hart on drums, Nelson on piano, and Edwin Livingston on bass.

Contributions are also made by saxophonist Dayna Stephens and vocalist Nicholas Bearde. Hart and his trio mates are a tight and swinging group.

Stephens supplies masterful sax interludes, while Bearde lends his vocal prowess to “A Time for Love” and “Let Me in Your Life.” All in all, this is a delightful outing. NightIsAlive.com A swinging guitarist can keep your toes tapping. Canadian guitarist Jocelyn Gould is just such a player as she shows on her new album, Sonic Bouquet (Jocelyn Gould Music – 0523).

Gould is joined by another excellent

guitarist, Randy Napolean, pianist Will Bonness, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Quincy Davis, with clarinetist Virginia MacDonald along for the ride on four tracks. The program includes the standards “Tender Is the Night” and “My Foolish Heart;” some jazz tunes, Joe Henderson’s “The Kicker,” Quincy Jones’s “Jessica’s Birthday”, and Duke Pearson’s “Is That So;” one Gould original, “Trail

Blazer;” and three songs by Napolean, “Spring Regardless,” “Last of the Rounders” and “Napolean’s Pride.”

Gould and Napolean nicely complement each other, and the support from the rhythm section is exemplary. MacDonald’s contributions add some icing to an already tasty musical cake. The album is well titled as the group covers a lot of ground, expertly so! Gould was featured as a Rising Star in the April 2021 issue of Jersey Jazz. JocelynGould.com Tubist Jim Self and guitarist John Chiodini have created a fascinating album with Touch and Go (Basset Hound Music – 102-21) on which they have a quintet with Self on tuba and fluba, Chiodini on guitar, Ron Stout on trumpet and flugelhorn, Ken Wild on bass, and Kendall Kay on drums.

Most of the 12 tracks feature the quintet, but “Only Trust Your Heart”

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OTHER VIEWS

Inspired by the recordings of legendary players such as Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Ben Webster in orchestral settings, trumpeter Antoine Drye has collaborated with orches-

trator Isaac Raz to create Retreat to Beauty: Antoine Drye with Strings (Cellar Music – 101023). The program includes an interesting mix of standard jazz tunes, “Isfahan,” “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” “The Peacocks” by Jimmy Rowles and “Reflections” by Thelonious Monk; a few pop standards, “Send in the Clowns,” “Laura” and “Goodbye;’ a couple of Drye originals, “Friend” and “Oblations;” and two Jonathan Lefcoski compositions, “37” and “Image.” Drye’s trumpet is crystal clear, his articulation is precise and his improvisations are perfectly suited to the songs. The band includes a three-piece rhythm section, two flutes, a clarinet/bass clarinet, two trumpets, two trombones, two French horns, and a sixpiece string section. They recorded the pieces as a full orchestra with no overdubbing. Drye and Raz have presented a worthy addition to the horn plus strings tradition. CellarLive.com

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has Self, Stout and Chiodini forming a unique trio, while Self and Chiodini perform as a duo on Kevin Tullius’ “Susanne,” a format that they have used for three previous albums. Each track has been carefully arranged to make the quintet sound larger than its five pieces would suggest. The other tunes are an eclectic mix of Self originals, “Touch and Go” and “Triangles,” Chiodini’s “Amber” and “Restless,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Ornathardy” by Clare Fischer, Lament”

by J.J. Johnson, “Prolepsis” by David Angel, “Whisper Not” by Benny Golson, and “Dig” by Miles Davis. The surprises keep coming as you listen to this ever-shifting landscape of sound. BassethoundMusic.com

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Featuring

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER JEFF HAMILTON WYCLIFFE GORDON CHUCHO VALDÉS March 17-23, '24 Sarasota F L Terell Stafford, Music Director

Grace Kelly Quartet

Valerie Gillespie Ladies of Jazz

Houston Person Quintet

Sarasota Municipal Auditorium

us Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl, Late Night Jam l P Sessions, Jazz Films and More...

For Tickets & information

SarasotaJazzFestival.com

BIG BAND IN THE SKY Pianist/Composer Carla Bley

Considered Avant-Garde by Some; Adventurous by Others

Pianist/composer Carla Bley, who died October 17, 2023, at the age of 87 in Willow, NY, was often described as an avant-garde musician. But, according to The New York Times’ Nate Chinen, writing on the day of her death, “that term applied more to her slyly subversive attitude than to the formal character of her music, which always maintained a place for tonal harmony and standard rhythm.”

DownBeat’s James Hale pointed out that Bley “was unable to go unnoticed in the male-dominated jazz world of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Her distinctive sometimes-absurdist/ always-adventurous compositions made her impossible to forget.”

Born Lovella May Borg in Oakland, CA, on May 11, 1936, Bley learned about

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music from her father, a church organist and piano teacher. She discovered jazz when, at age 12, she attended a concert by vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. When she was 17, she hitchhiked across the country to New York City and worked as a cigarette girl at Birdland. In 1957, she married pianist Paul Bley. Most of her early compositions appeared on his albums, but she also wrote for pianist George Russell’s sextet and saxophonist/clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre’s trio, which included Paul Bley and bassist Steve Swallow, who would later become her third husband.

In the ‘60s, she and Austrian trumpeter Michael Mantler formed the Jazz Composer’s Orchestra. She married Mantler, after divorcing Bley, in 1967. According to Hale, her

breakthrough as a composer came in the late 1960s and early ‘70s on three albums: vibraphonist Gary Burton’s A Genuine Tong Funeral (RCA: 1968); bassist Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra (Impulse!: 1970), and her rock-opera, Escalator

Over the Hill (JCOA Records: 1971).

The significance of Escalator Over the Hill was described in a 2011 article by The Guardian’s John Fordham. “In the eclectic 21st century,” he wrote, “the idea of an opera drawing on sources as diverse as jazz, rock,

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BIG BAND IN THE SKY and country music, Indian classical forms, hipster poetry, and bursts of blistering-free-improv doesn’t sound that fanciful a notion. But back in 1970, it was unimaginable—until Carla Bley, the majestically eccentric pianist and composer, conjured up a gargantuan, avant-cinematic, crossgenre venture called Escalator Over the Hill, in the face of record company indifference and no financial support.”

But she persisted, and the threedisc album included participation by a group of musical superstars that ranged from jazz saxophonists Gato Barbieri and Pharoah Sanders to former Cream bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce and vocalist Linda Ronstadt. Escalator, wrote Fordham, “became the Sgt Pepper of new jazz, or a parallel to Frank Zappa’s genre-busting work in the same era.”

Throughout her career, Bley performed with and led various-sized groups—a big band, a fusion-like sextet, and a chamber-like trio with

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Swallow and saxophonist Andy Sheppard. When she was recognized as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2015, she seemed surprised, saying, “When I first toured Europe with my own band, the audience threw things at me—and I mean fruit mostly, but bottles, too. I loved it ... Anything that happened that was out of the ordinary, I appreciated.”

On Facebook, Canadian saxophonist Michael Blake remembered that one of the first concerts he attended in New York City “was at St. John the Divine where Carla Bley’s ‘80s configuration of her Liberation Orchestra played a glorious set. Dewey (Redman) and (Joe) Lovano played together, and it was the first time I heard Charlie Haden. Her arranging was sublime, her tunes memorable ...”

Survivors include her husband, Steve Swallow; and a daughter from her marriage to Michael Mantler, vocalist/pianist/composer Karen Mantler.

William B. “Dancin’ Bill” Brislin

A Fixture on the Dance Floor at Pee Wee Russell Stomps

William B. “Dancin’ Bill” Brislin was, for many years, a fixture as one of the dancers at the New Jersey Jazz Society’s Pee Wee Russell Stomp.

Brislin passed away on October 4, 2023, in Dunellen, NJ, at the age of 92.

A lifelong lover of dancing and music, he sang in stage bands while serving in the Air Force in the Philippines.

He was an NJJS member and long-

time supporter of live music all over the state. Brislin also was somewhat of a celebrity at the Somerset Patriots baseball games in Bridgewater, NJ, where he would dance in the stands during the seventh inning stretch.

A Dunellen resident for almost 60 years, Brislin graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in Communications and began his career as an on-air radio newsman at WCRV Radio in Washington, NJ, and WDLC in Port Jervis, NY. After several years in radio, he moved on to careers in the furniture business and in security with the Pinkerton agency.

Brislin is survived by his wife, Jennie; two sons, William and Tom Brislin; two daughters, Karen Brenner and Jennie Metenosky; two grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

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NOT WITHOUT YOU! Your 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!

NJJS org

NEW MEMBERS Karen Egert

Glenn Makos

Ellie Lee

JD Orth

SPRINGFIELD, NJ

LIVINGSTON, NJ

OCEAN GROVE, NJ

RENEWAL MEMBERS James Ballard

Charles King

FLANDERS, NJ

FLORHAM PARK, NJ

Harriet Bloom

Sid Sirulnick

Rose Marie Campano

Ralph Ullman

MOUNTAIN LAKES, NJ

HACKENSACK, NJ

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ

MORRISTOWN, NJ

Stephen Fuller

Frances Williams

NEWARK, NJ

Pete Grice

FLANDERS, NJ

SOMERSET, NJ