Playlist: 20060830

Ascension I

John Coltrane

The Major Works of John Coltrane

Impulse

On Green Dolphin Street

Sonny Rollins

The Impulse Story

Impulse

Alfie's Theme

Sonny Rollins

The Impulse Story

Impulse

A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

Sonny Rollins

Without A Song

Milestone

Global Warming

Sonny Rollins

Without A Song

Milestone

No One Cares About Your Dreams…

Pete Robbins

Waits & Measures

Playscape Recordings

There There

Pete Robbins

Waits & Measures

Playscape Recordings

Canal Street Blues

Dr. Michael White

Our New Orleans

Nonesuch

World I Never Made

Dr. John

Our New Orleans

Nonesuch

Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Our New Orleans

Nonesuch

Goin' On Again (documentary)

Dirty Dozen Brass Band

I Wouldn't Have Religion / Wild Tchoupitoulas

Los Hombres Calientes

Vol. 4: Vodou Dance

Basin Street Records

Funk It Up On Mardi Gras

Doreen's Jazz New Orleans

Vol. VI: The Blues

DJNO

Struttin' With Some Barbecue

Doreen's Jazz New Orleans

Vol. XII: Jackson Square Jam!

DJNO

Down By The Riverside

Doreen's Jazz New Orleans

Vol. VII: God Is My Rock

DJNO

Beale St. Blues

Doreen's Jazz New Orleans

Vol. VI: The Blues

DJNO

Didn't He Ramble

Doreen's Jazz New Orleans

Vol. XIV: Bill Bailey

DJNO

Playlist: 20060823

Ashley Kahn interview postponed until 8/30.

La Nevada

Gil Evans

Out of the Cool

Impulse

Birth of the Cool (Suite)

Joe Lovano

Streams of Expression

Blue Note

Consanguinity

Max Roach & Abdullah Ibrahim

Streams of Consciousness

Piadrum

New Africa

Grachan Moncur III Octet

Exploration

Capri Records

Not Sleeping

Andrea Wolper

The Small Hours

Varis One

Walkin'

Miles Davis All-Stars

Walkin'

Prestige

The Creator Has Master Plan

Pharoah Sanders

The Impulse Years

Impulse

Demon Dance

Vernon Frazer

Slam!

Woodycrest

Erika

Art Ensemble of Chicago

Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City

PI Recordings

Monk's Mood

Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane

The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings

Riverside

Osmosis Part III

Paul Motian

I Have The Room Above Her

ECM

Spiritual

John Coltrane

Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings

Impulse

India

John Coltrane

Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings

Impulse

Liberator of the Spirit

Kamau Daaood

Leimert Park

MAMA Jazz

No Hype Blues

Deep Blue Organ

Goin' To Town

Delmark

Can't Hide Love

Deep Blue Organ

Goin' To Town

Delmark

But Beautiful

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

Cookbook, vol. 1

Prestige

What, No Savagery?

Maybe I listen too intently for other things.

Maybe I take seriously the notion that the music is supposed to be about something; even if it's about something ineffable.

Maybe I'm taking the whole thing way too seriously and it's really all about entertainment and chops and swing... to the exclusion of anything deep or serious or, heavens forefend, meaningful.

All this, because a new CD came across my desk, recently. And, while the writing and arranging and composing are all very capable, it doesn't grab me. There are echoes (faint ones, to be sure) of some of the giants here, and it's all very listenable, but it doesn't affect me.

And so I got to thinking: Shouldn't the musician be reaching... for something? I mean, not every single recording has to scream. Some can weep or sob or cry or just barely well up. They can, for that matter, smile and guffaw and giggle. But shouldn't there be something behind – or in front of – the playing, the sound?

And I still maintain that there are differences between "peaceful" and "introspective" as opposed to, say, "(merely) pleasant" or "relaxing". I'm thinking now of "Transparence" (from "Nocturne" by Charlie Haden)... so quiet and sad. Joe Lovano's playing is so soft and poignant... perfect. It has nothing to do with "nice" or "unobtrusive", though.

And I want to find the musician in question and yell, "Wake Up! Take some chances!", but who am I, after all?

If I'm to take myself as some sort of occasional critic, I really ought to keep a sense of perspective and recognize that I may simply not "get it"... but still...

I look at it this way: Let's be passionate about the music. All the dulling of the edges and dumbing-down of musical ideas that I went on about in "Lounge v. Jazz" is antithetical to what I (and, by extension, you, since you're reading this) wish to accomplish or foster... or, at the very least, hear in 'jazz', today. Let's expand that: in music... no... in the culture. More reality and less "Reality TV"... It's what we're after, right?

But, at the same time, let's maintain some civility. We don't want to penalize those very capable (if slightly unsatisfying) musical efforts. We want to help them attain a higher level of something approaching perfection.

So, no... no savagery. Encouragement.

Playlist: 20060816

Everything centered on my 7PM airing of the radio documentary: "The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records". Next week, I interview Ashley Kahn, author of the book of the same name.

Stolen Moments
Oliver Nelson (var)
The House That Trane Built
Impulse

Black & Tan Fantasy
Earl Hines (var)
The House That Trane Built
Impulse

Chasin' The Trane
John Coltrane
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Scag
Archie Shepp
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Naima
Archie Shepp
The Impulse Story
Impulse

India
John Coltrane
The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings
Impulse


Documentary: The House That Trane Built (Documentary)
Hosted by: Saul Williams


Journey in Satchidananda
Alice Coltrane
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Translinear Light
Alice Coltrane
The Impulse Story
Impulse

The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
John Coltrane
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Truth is Marching In
Albert Ayler
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul
Charles Mingus
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Goodby Pork Pie Hat
Charles Mingus
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Haitian Fight Song
Charles Mingus
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Boerum
Bonnie Barnett & Ken Filiano
Trio for Two
Nine Winds

Discreet Alliances
Bonnie Barnett & Ken Filiano
Trio for Two
Nine Winds

All Blues
Dom Minasi Trio
Goin' Out Again
CDM

The Seduction
Dom Minasi
The Vampire's Revenge
CDM

Toucouleur
Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble
The Messenger
Delmark

Playlist: 20060809

You and the Night and the Music
Andrea Wolper
The Small Hours
Varis One Jazz

Los Olvidados
Archie Shepp
The Impulse Story
Impulse

Erika
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City
PI Recordings

Stolen Moments
Oliver Nelson (var)
The House That Trane Built
Impulse

Alamode
Art Blakey
The House That Trane Built
Impulse

Moanin'
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
Moanin'
Blue Note

Moanin'
Andrea Wolper
The Small Hours
Varis One Jazz

Trane's Slo Blues
John Coltrane
Fearless Leader
Prestige

Albert Ayler
Our Prayer
The Impulse Story
Impulse

The Brood
Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble
The Messenger
Delmark

Lookin' for Ninny
Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble
The Messenger
Delmark

Flashback
Fred Anderson
Timeless
Delmark

Moonglow
Coleman Hawkins
The Hawk Relaxes
Prestige

Blue Ammons
Gene Ammons
Boss Tenor
Prestige

Confirmation
Gene Ammons
Boss Tenor
Prestige

Goin' To Town
Deep Blue Organ Trio
Goin' To Town
Delmark

Once I Loved
Deep Blue Organ Trio
Goin' To Town
Delmark

The Way You Look Tonight
Deep Blue Organ Trio
Goin' To Town
Delmark

Yolanda's Dream
Rich McGhee & Trytone
First Reincarnation
self-produced

If I Could Be With You
John Sinclair & Ed Moss
If I Could Be With You
Schoolkids Records

Andrea Wolper's "The Small Hours"

I rarely fall for a singer, but when I do... (See Lounge v. Jazz for the rationale.)

Nonetheless, I've fallen hard for Andrea Wolper's "The Small Hours".

In just twelve songs (two-and-a-half originals) Andrea introduces herself, invites us inside, and (with the grace and ease that is possible only after considerable woodshedding), gets us on her wavelength... and does so on her own terms, no less.

By rights, I should dislike several of her selections (I'll leave you to guess which ones); yet it is on these very songs that she wins me over. This, to me, borders on magic.

The phenomenon is that her soul and vulnerability, bolstered by tremendous chops and an understated delivery that comes only with confidence and mastery of one's instrument, shine through the glossy veneer of such chestnuts as the CD's opener, "Dancing on the Ceiling" (okay, there's one).

The effect is to reveal that which was (who knew?) buried deep within what was nothing more than a 'nice pop tune'.

The paradox is that there is no gimmickry here. Her take on "Dancing" is straightforward, soul-baring, and perfect. And she does this again and again, throughout the CD; sidestepping the corniness that could have been "Night Time Was My Mother" or "Little Suzie's Humming" (by Cathi Walkup). By all rights I ought to have dismissed this last one as being so much fluff (I prefer the darker modes), but damned if I don't tap and sing along!

One reservation I often harbor with respect to singers is my biased perception that, if you don't compose, you are somehow less invested (as if standing alone, on stage, with only a microphone is easy or safe). Andrea has included two originals ("Gray, Not Blue" and "Not Sleeping in Your Arms") and has set a poem by D. Nurske to her own melody ("Rendezvous in Providence").

"Gray, Not Blue" is a straightforward 12-bar blues with unconventional, thoughtfully wry lyrics (e.g., I'm tryin' to hold onto all the things that I once thought I knew. Shadows creep and steal my sleep and that is why I'm gray, not blue.).

"Not Sleeping In Your Arms" is destined, as others have asserted, to become a future standard; albeit a wistful, hot-and-steamy one.

Even the avant-garde-ists among us will find something satisfying in her loosened, freeform rendition of "You and the Night and the Music", and her impressionistic "Rendezvous in Providence".

And just to prove that it's not so dear an accomplishment, Andrea includes two ringers, each with its own twist.

The song that hooked me was "Small Day Tomorrow"; a poignant Bob Dorough diamond-in-the-rough if ever there was one. And, while the composition veritably screams his name, I'll hazard that Andrea's wrested this one from his very respectable grip. If you can listen and not be affected, check yourself for vital signs.

It took me several listenings before I realized that Andrea's "Moanin'" and the well-known Bobby Timmons/Jon Hendricks song (most famously rendered by Art Blakey) were one and the same.., which is just beautiful, as I often rail at musicians (on my stereo) who cover or redo a song to no purpose; all the time raising the question, 'Why'd you bother?'. The difference between Blakey's and Wolper's versions is the difference between 'hot' and 'smoldering'. Where they dive in, she sidles up to... and at about half the tempo.

Consider: These are songs eleven and twelve on the disc.

Also included are such unlikely and varied pieces as: Van Morrison's "Crazy Love"; Blossom Dearie's "I Like You, You're Nice", and "Today" (The New Christy Minstrels!).

At the core of this music is the trio. Joining Andrea are guitarist, Ron Affif, and Andrea's husband, bassist, Ken Filiano. All I've said of Andrea holds for these musicians, as well: confident, understated, accomplished, and oh-so-soulful. Their less-is-more aesthetic is not borne of minimalism, but, rather, of 'essentialism'. This is a particularly noteworthy testament to Ken Filiano's virtuosity and versatility, as he is best known for his own avant-garde excursions and for his work with Dom Minasi. The trio is joined by other notables on various tracks, including Jamey Haddad and Victor Lewis on drums (that's Victor on "You and the Night and the Music"); Lou Marini on flute; and Frank London on (haunting) trumpet and flugelhorn.

If I were to level any criticism at all against the CD, it might be that I wish it included a few selections in which she really belted one out. But then even that assertion rings immediately hollow. Applying such boorish, even Procrustean, formulae to such a thoughtful, delicate, nearly flawless work is to ruin it; all due to an insistence that it supposedly 'doesn’t swing hard enough'. Because – and let's be very clear about this – it does swing; very solidly, but very subtly and quietly. It's as if Ms. Wolper is showing us her most confident side; the side that says, 'even if so much is riding on this CD, I know I don't have anything to prove'. Furthermore, it appears she knows what works.

"The Small Hours" is intimate and easy-going and friendly and comfortable and very very satisfying on all sorts of 'entertainment' and musical levels. So what if it's not party music?

Lounge v. Jazz

"Before you can do something, you must do something else, first"

I set about reviewing my first CD, here, but realized that I'd get bogged down in exposition if I didn't first work through some background.

I've previously confessed my toughness on jazz vocalists; which is a slightly misleading way of putting it.

The Crux of the Biscuit: When did jazz go all soft and mushy and 'nice' and impotent?

Early on it was a music of raucous celebration... of daring... of subversion; a potent transformation and augmentation of various African musics.

Too often, nowadays, jazz is expected to be (or decried as being) nice and genteel, boring and bland. I maintain that the subjects of these criticisms are not actually jazz, but, rather, jazz off-shoots or jazz-wannabes such as "smooth jazz" or "lounge".

I'm not a purist. Seriously. Describe my tastes to any jazz purist and he'll agree.

I am very open to experimentation, evolution, even hybridization. And while it's not completely relevant that I should site my acceptance of styles such as fusion (as it already existed in the world by the time I heard my first jazz recording) I do; albeit with certain caveats.

Slapping 'fusion' on a project doesn't guarantee soul or virtuosity any more than doing likewise with 'free' or 'avant-garde'. But still... 'smooth jazz'... and 'lounge'? These are barely fortified brands of pop music, which have appropriated some of the trappings long-associated with jazz.

'Smooth jazz' has adopted some of jazz's instrumentation and arrangements (along with a sterilized vibe), while 'lounge' has tarted up its pillaged songbook. Appreciate these genres on their own terms (or don't) but please don't mistake them for jazz. And don't, upon learing that I listen to or program jazz, ask me if I like Boney James. Please.

So, I'm tough on jazz/pop vocalists... not because they're the worst offenders, necessarily, but because they're the easiest to spot. There are plenty of instrumentalists that warrant similarly harsh treatment. In fact, singers – even the ones whose singing I don't like – are, arguably braver (or more fearless... don't get me started on the distinction) than their instrumentalist counterparts. Even violinists have a small wooden mass behind which they can hide (if only figuratively). From there, we ascend to more and more instrumental bulk between performer and audience... flutes, clarinets, soprano and alto saxophones, guitars, tenors, baritones, upright basses, drums and, finally, pianos (I give pianos the edge if only for the reaon that, while both could protect a performer from hurled produce, a good piano (even an upright) could probably stop a bullet.

Now... my distaste for dilution/sterilization is in no way an indictment of all quiet or gentle compositions or performances; especially if they smoulder or are tinged with melancholy. " 'Round Midnight" is quiet and gentle for God's sake. Ditto several other compositions by Monk, Trane, Miles, Prez...

The value lies not in the glossy veneer, but in the soul beneath.

Don't be distracted, and try and keep up.

Grounds Rules: Reviews

I will, from time to time, review concerts, CDs, and even the occasional DVD, here.

Just in case anyone does read them, I feel I should establish the grounds rules and disclose such biases as I may harbor.

1) If a work is mentioned here, you may usually safely assume that I enjoyed, appreciated, or at the very least, found something redeeming in it. Only very very rarely will this be a forum for savagery, and even then will there have to be some extenuating circumstance; my perception that someone is 'getting over' or blatantly manipulating the audience, or that the work is so agregiously in commercial or cynical that, IMNSHO, it presents a hazard to the culture... like that.

2) As concerns Jazz– While I have some very deeply held beliefs about what jazz is and is not, I am (perhaps paradoxically to some) very accepting of genuine innovations (radical and incremental) to the genre; even of certain types of hybridization. All I can really say about such experiments is that it probably has more to do with the spirit or the approach than with the final product.
I also harbor some very strong opinions of what jazz should or should not aspire to; what its role or place in the culture is or ought to be. I will be at turns very critical and very defensive of this genre (and of other sectors of the culture).
I temper this with the realization that what I seek in music has little to do with music as an industry; that my ears are simultaneously very jaded and very innocent.
As a corollary, I understand that others listen to music for a variety of reasons; many of which perplex me... but then, as Murph recently reminded me, "It takes all kinds, even if sometimes you wished it didn't".
As a second corollary, I don't expect people to come around to my way of listening to or looking at things. I am putting them out here because I have to, I guess.

3) The construct which we've termed "irrational compulsion" has played very heavily on my mind, as I write this. Maybe, at some point it will have its own entry, should I ever arrive at a deep understanding of it.
Here's my minor admission of one that I harbor: I will be particularly critical of jazz vocalists. For a defense of this irrational compulsion, you'd probably have to read "Lounge v. Jazz", and also pick up bits of confessions scattered throughout this blog.
Here's another: I can't stand "Satin Doll". "Cherokee" also kinda bugs me. Yes, I will concede that Charlie Barnet's version is the least offensive that I've heard, but this is still a long way from the song actually moving me. The list goes on, but does not bear publication at this time, as it is wholly idiosyncratic.
A hopeful prediction – Some day, some musician, perhaps some singer, will find the treasure buried in either or both of those songs. If that happens, I will sing his or her praise.

Playlist: 20060802

Well, You Needn't
Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane
The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
Riverside

Birth Of The Cool Suite
Joe Lovano Ensemble
Streams of Expression
Blue Note

The Messenger
Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble
The Messenger
Delmark

Alamode
Art Blakey (var)
The House That Trane Built
Impulse!

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
Charles Mingus (var)
The House That Trane Built
Impulse!

Stolen Moments
Oliver Nelson (var)
The House That Trane Built
Impulse!

Moanin'
Andrea Wolper
The Small Hours
Varis One Jazz

Urgent Attitudes
Ken Filiano & Bonnie Barnett
Trio for Two
Nine Winds

Mahabharasta
Paul Flaherty & Marc Edwards
Kaivalya Vol. #1
Cadence Jazz Records

Autumn Leaves
Dom Minaso Trio
Goin' Out Again
CDM

On Green Dolphin Street
Dom Minaso Trio
Goin' Out Again
CDM

Song for My Sister
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City
PI Recordings

The J Song
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City
PI Recordings

Streams of Expression
Joe Lovano Ensemble
Streams of Expression
Blue Note

Straightahead, Forward Motion
Test
Test
AUM Fidelity

Playlist: 20060726

Part Pitbull
Michael Musillami Trio
Dachau
Playscape Recordings

Phonolith 2
Bernd Konrad-Hans Koller Unit
Phonolith
Hathut

Aufwärtsregen
Bernd Konrad-Hans Koller Unit
Phonolith
Hathut

Indécision
Christophe Joneau Quartet
Ici et Maintenant
Engine Records (USA)

Mikuro's Blues
David S. Ware Quartet(s)
Live In The World
Thirsty Ear

My Funny Valentine
Miles Davis Quintet
The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions
Prestige

A Noise From The Deep
Dave Douglas
Keystone
Greenleaf

Just Another Murder
Dave Douglas
Keystone
Greenleaf

Sapphire Blue Sky
Dave Douglas
Keystone
Greenleaf

Butterfly Effect
Dave Douglas
Keystone
Greenleaf

Mercy Mercy
Accoules Sax
Funky Pizza
self-published

Some Cow Fonque
Accoules Sax
Funky Pizza
self-published

The Messenger
Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble
The Messenger
Delmark

Goin' Downtown Blues
Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble
The Messenger
Delmark

Toucouleur
Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble
The Messenger
Delmark

The Brood
Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble
The Messenger
Delmark

Traumtänzer
Bernd Konrad-Hans Koller Unit
Phonolith
Hathut

Lush Life
Bernd Konrad-Hans Koller Unit
Phonolith
Hathut

Happenstance
Rich McGhee
1st Reincarnation
self-published

Meditation for the Celestial Warriors
Kahil El'Zabar Trio
Love Outside of Dreams
Delmark

Blues To The Freedom Fighters
Fred Ho and the AAME
Tomorrow is Now!
Soul Note

Ask Me Now
Thomas Chapin Trio
Sky Piece
Knitting Factory

Night Bird Song
Thomas Chapin Trio
Sky Piece
Knitting Factory