PDX Jazz Fest 2010 Lineup

Received a notice in my inbox yesterday about the lineup for the Alaskan Airlines/Horizon Air PDX Jazz Festival. WOW! Every year they always get a handful of headliners that blow me away.

I'm looking forward to Pharoah Sanders and the Dave Holland Quintet for the upcoming festivities. Both heavy hitters in the avant-garde scene. I'll try to report more news and updates of the PDX Jazz Festival as they come to me.

Other headliners are the Mingus Big Band under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, Grammy nominated Dave Douglas' ensemble Brass Ecstasy, as well as a focus or Norwegian artists Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli, the Christian Wallumrod Ensemble, and In The Country. In the theme of British jazz writer Stuart Nichcolson's book, Is Jazz Dead (Or Has It Moved to a New Address)? - New Music from Norway.

"The showcase features three North American premieres that exemplify what Nicholson calls the "Nordic Tone", as a counterpoint to contemporary American jazz masters who push the boundaries of jazz."

Tickets are available on October 27th and are currently available to PDX Jazz Members now.

Béla, Edgar, and Friends

A little off topic here, I had the chance to attend the Oregon Symphony at the Schnitzer Concert Hall on Saturday conducted by Carlos Kalmar. Along with a couple compositions by Dvorák and Suppé, Chris Thile sat with the symphony to perform his Mandolin Concerto. This was followed by Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain performing two movements of their The Melody of Rhythm.

Along with jazz, I'm a huge bluegrass fan. I pick the 5-string to the best of my abilities quite often. I believe the two genres have more in common than many would think. So when I had the chance to see Béla pick his banjo in person -- even though this was no bluegrass show -- I was happy to jump right on it. The handful of hours seemed to go by in mere minutes as we were entranced with both the spectacle of these intricate compositions and the technical awe that the symphony, conductor Carlos Kalmar, and these four head lining musicians possess.

Zakir Hussain plays the tabla with ease and pizazz as he is able to mimic and appropriate melodies that Edgar or Béla Fleck throw out. The three if them would often seem like they were competing in a playful way as you could tell the each them were enjoying every moment on stage. The blending of the symphony created an overall sublime experience. The only thing better would be Ornette Coleman playing with the 1972 London Symphony Orchestra.

After the main concert performance the four men rejoined on stage for about 45 minutes of improved tunes. To me that was the best part as I always dig smaller groups. Edgar Meyer is sick on that bass. There's no other way to describe his playing. I wish I could see him sit in on one of Ornette's groups.

A great steak dinner, some of the best live music I've seen all year, a couple signed CDs, a hand shake with Béla Fleck, and a few whiskeys later, I ended the night one happy camper.

More Blue Note on NBC... Again.

Someone over at NBC loves old jazz record covers, especially Blue Note -- with good reason of course. This caught my eye on the Tonight Show last Friday night.

New Releases

Just wanted to go over some newer albums I have taken a liken to and wanted to share.

I received word in my inbox by the great publication, Wax Poetics, of their debut album release as a label of the group 9dw. Self Titled is due to be released 09/09/09 but pre-orders for limited (1,500 pressings), hand numbered, clear color vinyl are now being taken. If you're like me, and obsess over the collectibility of rare, unique vinyl and dig talented musicians and chill backbeats, you may want to snag a copy. I would compare these guys to Tortoise like grooves colliding with the eclecticism of Aphex Twin, but definitely more funky.

Also, I've recently discovered a contemporary jazz group called Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. A wonderfully technical yet free flowing ensemble of piano, drums, bass, and slide guitar or lap steel. They often infuse the likes of traditional jazz stylings with modern math or noise rock and even as far as hip hop. You can download their entire current release, Winterwood, for free from their site. Fans of The Bad Plus and technical, progressive, melodic instrumental rock should give these guys a try.

I am going to do write up of Dave Hollands, Conference of the Birds coming soon.

Rashied Ali (1935-2009)

Rashied Ali sadly left us Tuesday the 12th after suffering from a heart attack. As I type this now I am being entranced by his swaying rhythms and dynamic accenting behind Coltrane on the amazing Impulse release of Interstellar Space. You can here him perform on the Coltrane cut, Leo, in the player above.

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So much is being said that I couldn't do justice by repeating. Yesterday and today there have been a number of great posts in memory of Rashied Ali:

Howard Mandel posted an interview he conducted with Ali in 1990 for a Coltrane documentary.

Pianist, Ethan Iverson, of The Bad Plus, despite being on blog posting hiatus, created a quick blurb on his Do The Math blog. He even had the privilege of selling a piano to Rashied Ali 15 years ago. What a trip that must have been.

And if you haven't checked out AccuJazz yet do yourself a favor and got on it. They will be highlighting Coltrane and Ali recordings on their Avant-Garde Channel in the coming future. They wrote a brief post (alongside honoring the great Les Paul) on their blog as well.

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Being a drummer and avant-garde jazz fan alongside Rashied Ali's passing has reminded me how unfortunate I am. I have never, nor will I ever, have the chance to truly experience this generation of outstanding musicians as others before me may have.

"Energy Control Center" - The Lightmen Plus One

I was so happy to see Energy Control Center make it to digital reissue. Thanks to Now-Again Records we can grab this album from iTunes or Amazon. I've been searching for an out of print copy since 2007, but having it in iTunes does a perfect job.

I don't know too much about these guys. The album was original issued in 1972 and has been available as a Japanese import for a quite awhile now. They do an amazing job of meshing sounds that remind us of CTI recordings with the cosmic, funky and free qualities of Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders. I guess it would be like taking the best stuff from CTI and the best stuff from Impulse and you have Energy Control Center. You can also hear how this stuff could fit in well with hip-hop or acid jazz samples

The first few cuts have more of the repetitive funk and rehearsed qualities. The best of the album is the title track. An out in space, free for all that's bold and fresh, requiring multiple re-listens. I also wonder if Ornette Coleman's Science Fiction album influenced these guys.

Leo has a huge McCoy Tyner styling. You can definitely hear Tyner's Passion Dance from his Blue Note album The Real McCoy as the base of this tune. It's an energetic blast that keeps the album just as exciting through to the final cuts. Jupiter is another cosmic-like tune containing a collective free improvisation. Providing us with heavy percussion and ambient tones before breaking into a swinging funk rhythm and melody.

Besides Bubbha Thomas as the front man, I'm having trouble finding a personnel -- and even the original label that issued this. This is the downside of digital downloads, no liner notes. If anyone has any info to share about these guys please contact me!

1972/2009 - Now-Again Records.

"Sonny Boy" - Sonny Rollins

I picked up a copy of this at the county library a ways back and had just finally got a chance to sit down with it. What an incredible set! Rollins plays hard on this superb bop classic released in 1960, the disc contains a combination of two different recording dates from 1956, the first three cuts were already previously released. Recorded shortly after the devastating car accident that took Clifford Brown and Richie Powell... Max Roach, Sonny Rollins and George Morrow still played powerfully as Kenny Drew filled in nicely.

The album starts off with a medium tempo, straight blues called Ee-Ah to set the flavor of what's to come. It is soon followed by what makes the disc truly amazing -- the super fast tempo and insane improvisations of B. Quik and B. Swift. As much as John Coltrane was an innovator, I can't help but wonder how be-bop tunes like these influenced him, especially to record such a great cut like Countdown from Giant Steps.

Max Roach equally stands as strong as Rollins, showing why he was one of the greatest drummers to have existed. Drummers like myself owe so much to him.

Things slow down for the ballad, The House I Live In. Trumpeter, Kenny Dorham, joins Rollins and Wade Legge replaces Kenny Drew on keys. This is a straight ahead tune, and even though it is strong, it stands out the least for me on the set. The fifth and final is the title track, Sonny Boy, which displays Sonny Rollins as we know and love him. Perfectly exemplifying his sound as we can recognize in so many of his great albums.

This album screams modernity. Prestige even precariously choose a hip Abstract Expressionist-esq album cover which generates the tone contained inside the packaging. Fans of free jazz and bop should not neglect this album.

1960 - Prestige.

Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone; Kenny Dorham - Trumpet; Kenny Drew, Wade Legge - Piano; George Morrow - Bass; Max Roach - Drums.

"Chops" by Bruce Broder

I just got this sent to my inbox. A new documentary by Bruce Broder called Chops is out.

Click here for a list of scheduled screenings. Also a DVD is in the works.

Here's the synopsis taken from their site:

CHOPS tells the story of a group of kids with extraordinary musical ability who learn to make the most of their gifts in an acclaimed public school jazz program in Jacksonville, FL.

From their early, squeaky scales to soaring, improvisational solos, we have a front row seat for their fascinating transformation. We’re with them as they stick together and as they fall apart. And we see up close how the events of their daily lives are expressed in their music. We follow their musical journey from Florida to New York City, where they compete against the top high school jazz bands in the nation at the prestigious Essentially Ellington Festival.

Win or lose, the Essentially Ellington experience puts them at the threshold of their dream, and reveals the incredible growth they’ve experienced personally and musically.

I'm looking forward to this one. It'll be interesting to see young talents like these school kids fully enthralled in jazz. Something I'm envious of as I missed the opportunity when i was younger.

Chops Trailer from B-Side Entertainment on Vimeo.

"Fate in a Pleasant Mood/When Sun Comes Out" - Sun Ra

Originally released as two separate LPs under Sun Ray’s Saturn label, Fate in a Pleasant Mood (1961)/When Sun Comes Out (1963) really allows the Myth Science Arkestra and the Astro-Infinity Arkestra breath and offers listeners a chance to really hear and understand each musician -- whether they are playing within in their own mode, or if Sun Ra is directing them.

The opening track, The Others in Their World, is a mellow theme to set the course for the album before being followed by Space Mates, offering warm sounds of percussion and bass under a flute arrangement before Sun Ra himself closes the track with a short, yet intrinsic solo. One thing I love about Sun Ra is that his recordings sometimes come off almost like instrumental concept albums, if such things exists. Even though I am unaware of the continuing narrative being conveyed, the songs suggest a visual plot without needed verbal connotations. They contain ups, downs, climaxes, and resolutions. This is especially perceived in the third track Lights of a Satellite.

The climax clearly begins with We Travel the Spaceways (now on the When Sun Comes Out half of the album). It’s a cosmic struggle between each player of the Arkestra; being the core of the aesthetics of the group. It’s almost like the first two thirds of the record were a build up to this culmination. It is brief, and we are left in a state of uncertainty as the loose, unbound stylings continue with Calling Planet Earth. I particularly enjoy the tenor solo over the eruption of bass and drums.Dancing Shadows is a pretty straight ahead post-bop rendering of sorts. The tonality of the bass is spot on. Not over bearing but noticeably enough to complement the drums and generate the environment for the front line to improvise over.

The plot’s struggle still continues with The Rainmaker. This is terrific free playing that deserves multiple plays. The group collectively supports each other while knowing when to aid or stray away at the right moments. Dimensions in Time gives you the needed conclusion to allow this story to rest until another moment in the future.
1961/1963 - Saturn.

"Uhuru Na Umoja" - Frank Wright

Frank Wright is one of the avant-garde sax players I have only just been jumping into in the last year and a half or so, and man can he swing. Uhuru Na Umoja is a really heavy and powerful album that even though it's a baseless quartet, it assaults the listener as if it were Coleman's Free Jazz or Coltrane's Ascension. Originally part of the American Records catalog, the series is now reissued under the Verve label under the series Free America and is definitely worth diving into with other artist like Mal Waldron, Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, Archie Shepp, Paul Bley and others. The album showcases Art Taylor in rare form as he strays away from his usual bop performances. And Bobby Few lays another amazing session on the ivory keys.

The opening cut, Oriental Moods, starts off with a subtle, melodic theme that sets the tone for the rest of the album. It is beautiful yet striking with layers and textures of piano and percussion. You can definitely here the influence Albert Ayler has had on Frank Wright and it's hard to imagine him blowing sessions with B.B. King and other blues and R&B artists earlier in his career. Aurora Borealis is the second tune which starts off with a cloud of slowly building free playing that's reminiscent of some Pharoah Sanders material from Impulse.

My favorite is the closing track, Pluto, which starts off with a quick written part that reminds us of the chords in Oriental Moods with more variations on the notes within them and a faster tempo. It's so catchy that even my girlfriend (who can't stand free improvised jazz) over heard me listening to it and was like, 'wow I can dig this.' Within 30 seconds of the cut it further erupts into an Ayler-esq montage and far out free improvisation before it ends up back to the original compositional theme to ultimately close out the album. I could listen to it 10 times a day and never get bored of it.
1970 - America Records/Verve.
Arthur Taylor - Drums; Frank Wright - Tenor Sax ; Bobby Few - Piano; Noah Howard - Alto Sax.