The JAZZ COMMONS Blog

Yesterday, June 26^th, I attended a memorial service at The Abyssinian Baptist church in Harlem for the legendary pianist Hank Jones, who passed on May 16^th.  Congregating in a far corner, close to the pulpit and to a grand piano, were a select group of elder statesmen and legendary jazz musicians which included Dr. Billy Taylor, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Ron Carter, Frank Foster, Barry Harris, and many others. Some spoke about their early meetings with Hank, many of which occurred on 52^nd St. in the mid 1940s, and a favorite bar on 6^th Ave. called The White Rose, (nicknamed “The White Nose” by some) where apparently all of the major players on the scene would hang out, drink, and share tips. Some were so visibly moved by the passing of Mr. Jones, they could barely speak.  The musical performances were beautiful, and several videos were shown of montages depicting various photographs and anecdotes, one of which was regarding the famous Marilyn Monroe performance of “Happy Birthday,” sung to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in 1962. Hank, who was her accompanist, recounted that the 16 minute performance required an 8 hour day of rehearsal which was, in his words, “Very trying.”Read more

Seventeen years have passed since I first heard Wayne Escoffery play saxophone in the halls of the Hartt School in West Hartford, CT. Wayne and fellow freshman Jimmy Greene were quickly dubbed the "Twin Towers" in Hartt's jazz program headed by the legendary Jackie McLean. The nickname wasn't merely an obvious reference to their physical stature, but a nod to their seeming inseparability as they dedicated themselves to jazz mastery, propelling themselves forward like cycling teammates drafting in a Grand Tour.

Since the Hartt years, Wayne has followed his own course with unwavering resolution. Through college and beyond, he led a weekly jam session for six years at Rudy's in New Haven, CT, with the finest local musicians. These were intense, serious sessions, each a master class in and of itself. I distinctly recall one Rudy's session including prodigal drummer Jim Oblon that particularly showcased Wayne's steep trajectory. The lesson that night was clear. There's no better way to improve at jazz than sheer dedication and immersion.Read more

I recently was lucky enough to be invited to see Danilo Perez's latest show at the Jazz Standard. My friend is a publicist and agent, and likes to sit right in front, and so we did.

The group featured Perez, David Sanchez, a trumpeter and alto saxist new to me, plus Adam Cruz and Ben Street. The show was called 21st Century Dizzy, which mixed original compositions with VERY modern arrangements (so much so that they might as well have been originals) of songs written by or associated with Dizzy Gillespie. Even though it was clear to me that, despite this being the last of four nights, some arrangements were a bit seat-of-the-pants or were less than assured, this was not distracting and the playing was top-notch.

The thing that most struck me was Perez's presence on the stage. He is extremely emotive, and although sometimes his shoulders lift and he seems to struggle getting out of his own way (a feeling I know well as a performer), he was arguably the most engaging member of the band.Read more

When listening to my own music collection, I tend to put something on that I like and then listen to it repeatedly all day.  This immersion is a nice to really absorb every bit of an album, but it's not a good way to discover new music!

Last night, I tuned to WBGO via online streaming to hear some jazz I hadn't heard before.  It's really nice having a professional DJ serving up fresh material for you.

I heard one track that really blew my mind.  Listening on the radio is kind of like Downbeat Magazine's famous "Blindfold Test" column.  It's fun to try to figure out who you're listening to.  In this case, I was stumped.  It turned out to be Joanne Brackeen performing "Picasso" on her out-of-print CD Power Talk with Ira Coleman and Tony Reedus.  Well, I just ordered it.  Suffice it to say I'm a Joanne Brackeen fan now.

I'm listening right now to one of my favorite tracks in my entire collection. I'm serious! I absolutely love this track. It's Warne Marsh's version of "God Bless the Child" from The Unissued 1975 Copenhagen Studio Recordings.

I first learned of Warne Marsh back in 1996 from saxophonist Mark Turner. I ran into Mark, oddly enough, in the laundromat in my old neighborhood in Brooklyn. When speaking of musical influences, Mark adamantly recommended that I check out Warne Marsh. I did.

For some reason, I am more drawn to Marsh's solo efforts than his groundbreaking work with altoist Lee Konitz. I love that stuff, too. My mind or ear or whatever probably just doesn't wrap around it the same way. (It took me years before Charle Mingus really clicked for me, as shocking as that may seem by how down-to-earth and accessible Mingus is...) But jazz is huge, and each person is naturally going to be drawn to certain albums or artists first, and eventually make their rounds digging deeper into the rest of the anthology. The The Unissued 1975 Copenhagen Studio Recordings is one album for me that immediately resonated.Read more

Name one jazz master who died penniless and obscure. By virtue of the latter qualifier, this challenge is best fielded by jazz musicians and fans. Unfortunately, the list is a long one. The first musician who comes to my mind is the late Hank Mobley, whose greatness is belied by the lack of recognition he received during his lifetime. Nowadays, no self-respecting student of tenor would overlook Mobley's body of work. His relaxed mastery of the bebop language, his prolific composition, his recorded legacy as a leader and a sideman (including Soul Station, which is on many fans' "desert island" list), are collectively a hoard of wealth to jazz culture. Hank died penniless in 1986 at the age of 55.

Throughout history, jazz greats and lesser known working jazz musicians have struggled with a similar plight. Earning a living performing jazz music (which, although adored by many, has rarely seen commercial success) is incredibly difficult, perhaps impossible to all but a lucky few or those resourceful enough to cross over into more lucrative arts.

A resolution passed by Congress in 1987 declared jazz a national treasure. I've excerpted some key points below, but do read the full text, as it rather succint and eloquent in its entirety:Read more

I just stumbled across an excellent article by Desiree Quinones-Terrence entitled New York Jazz Clubs Balancing for Art and Tourism. This is a very clear overview of the challenges faced by New York jazz clubs, and the article touches on some of my favorite venues present and past.

The author makes the case that in order to survive high rent and low turnout, jazz clubs have had to either cater to tourist audiences or go out of business. Indirectly, she suggests the integral nature of jazz clubs to New York City culture, and how economic challenges have diminished the vitality of the scene for local musicians and audiences. It's a reality we jazz musicians face, and it's interesting to take a glance at the economic realities from the club owners' perspective.Read more

I bought some DVDs of live jazz concerts and TV performances, of the type that until recently was archival footage, seen only at the time and place of original transmission. In America such performances, say Miles Davis with Gil Evans at CBS in 1959, or Dave Brubeck's appearance on Ralph J. Gleason's Jazz Casual in 1961, might occasionally be glimpsed on some PBS documentary, but rarely would such things be released on VHS or (now) DVD. Maybe it was certain copyrights and such that kept films from being sold to the general public until now.

The appearance of these DVDs, plus postings on YouTube of rare footage makes me very excited; in fact I might not be able to overstate it. As I was growing up and getting into jazz in the '80s, right around the beginning of the CD era, the recordings that I loved were only twenty or thirty years old, but the images with them were precious few. I was always curious to see for myself what these performers were like when they worked: the way they carried themselves, how they interacted with their bands and with audiences. Subsequently having watched some of my favorite pianists on video: Brubeck, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett (whom I can't watch anymore, quite frankly; looks too painful), I still haven't lost the thrill, the feeling of excitement and expectation at seeing them in action.Read more

My friend Eila Kaarresalo-Kasari, a reknown Finnish jazz journalist, invited me to "The Happening 2010" at Saint Peter's Church, presented by Reggie Workman's Sculptured Sounds last Friday January 8th.  Eila and her husband Heikki visit New York City for several months every winter to experience modern jazz from its source.  Friday's concert, with the legendary bassist Reggie Workman officiating, was a terrific way to kick off the year.

Some breathtaking examples of Richard Conde's jazz photography was on display in beautiful 13"x19" archival prints.  He was also in the house documenting the event.  As a photographer myself, I was particularly impressed by his talent for not only rendering the performer in exquisite detail, but capturing the essence of the music and the moment.  Check out his work.  It just doesn't stop!

The warmup act was vocalist Francina Connors with Ethan Mann (guitar), Leopoldo Fleming (percussion), and Reggie Workman (bass).  Fleming's sparse percussion of various hand drums, triangles, and chimes left Connors' beautiful voice wonderfully exposed in the reverberant sanctuary of Saint Peter's.  Workman and Mann accompanied with tasteful reservation for what was a perfect beginning.Read more

Hello, 2010!  I have a feeling you're going to be a very good year.  I need to do more as a jazz musician this year.  The last several years have kept me busy outside of music, which has been good in a lot of ways, but there's no reason to lose touch with music.  So I've come up with a list of things I can do to keep jazz in my life and balanced with everything else I'm trying to accomplish.Read more