3 That'll Grow On You

Every once in a while, it's a treat to hear mainstream jazz, especially when it's played with the joy and energy as trumpeter Joel Behrman displays on his new CD, "Steppin' Back" Killer Kat Productions). The Midwestern native studied at the University of Miami and toured with KC & The Sunshine Band before moving to the San Francisco Bay area.  He's got a number of regular gigs (as both a trumpeter and trombonist) with ensembles such as the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers and Lydia Pense & Cold Blood.

The CD features Mr. Shelby (bass), Matt Clark (piano) and Howard Wiley (drums) with appearances by Dayna Stephens (tenor saxophone) and Danny Armstrong (trombone).  7 of the 11 pieces are Behrman originals with the centerpiece being the 3-part "Justice Suite" that hearkens back in style and execution to the music Max Roach made in the late 50s and early 60s.  Others pieces display plenty of fire; "L.I.B." (Life is Beautiful") moves in quietly on an unaccompanied bass solo and builds throughout the theme section right into Dayna Stephens' powerful solo.  Clark's spot over Wiley's hard-edged drumming stands out as does the leader's smart interjections.

Among the 4 "cover" tunes is a lovely reading of the Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges ballad, "Mood to be Wooed" - Behrman's crisp yet bluesy tones meshes well with Clark's fine chordal work. There's a snappy reading of Louis Armstrong's "The Faithful Hussar", a German folk tune Satchmo translated into Crescent City groove.  Behrman and his troops use the Armstrong template to have a grand old tune.  The leader and pianist Clark take the reins on a quartet reading of Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge", the pianist pushing Behrman to a fine solo.

"Steppin' Back" has got class and fire, good material, smart arrangements and fine musicianship.  Joel Berhman gives his band plenty of room to have their say and they reward him by playing their best. To fins out more, go to www.joelbehrman.com.

Bass clarinetist and composer Todd Marcus, a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, has released his 2nd CD as a leader; "Inheritance" (Hipnotic Records) features 2 sparkling quartets plus the artistry of Don Byron (clarinet).  6 of the 10 tracks have George Colligan (piano) and Warren Wolf (drums) with bassist Eric Wheeler while the remaining 4 also have Wheeler and add Xavier Davis (piano) and Eric Kennedy (drums).

Among the highlights is the 2-part "Herod", which pairs Marcus with Byron.  Both play with great fire, rising over the Middle-Eastern inspired chords and rhythms.  Davis's piano work is inspired and the rhythm section shines. Marcus switches to clarinet on "Herod (Reflections"), a reprise that appears after a funky reading of the standard "Bye Bye Blackbird".  The tunes features a stunning solo from Colligan and smart drumming from Wolf.   Byron also appears on the ballad "Solstice" , a piece that opens with Marcus's heartfelt solo and closes with the guest's finely wrought spot.  There's more Middle-Eastern influence on the sprightly "Wahsouli" (Marcus's father is half-Egyptian); Kennedy's hearty drums blends well with Wheeler's melodic bass lines and the impressionistic piano chords.  "Blues for Tahrir" adds the percussion of Jon Seligman to the mix.  He supports the piano and clarinet as they wind around each other on the sinuous melody line. The piece purrs instead of roars, even when Colligan's solo raises the intensity level.  Colligan shows a touch of McCoy Tyner in his chordal backing on the title track, a rollicking tune fueled by Wolf's energetic drum work.

Todd Marcus, who is one of the arrangers and composers in Orrin Evans' Captain Black Big Band, leads his own nonet, trio and duo plus is a community activist.  His work with the Baltimore non-profit Newborn Holistic Ministries helps women overcome homelessness plus he helped to create Jubilee Arts, a program established in 2008 to offer children and adults with alternatives to drugs and violence.  His music has power as well as a positive message.  "Inheritance" swings, rocks, sways and takes the listener on a pleasing journey.  For more information, go to www.toddmarcusjazz.com.

Bassist/composer Gregg August is, perhaps, best known for his work in tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen's Trio yet he has been the principal bassist for La Orquestra Cuitat de Barcelona and now holds the same chair for the Brooklyn Philharmonic.  He's played and recorded with Latin artists such as Ray Barretto and Ray Vega as well as with Chick Corea and Renee Fleming.   "Four By Six" (Iacuessa Records) is his 3rd CD as a leader; the recording features 4 tracks(all originals) of a sextet with Mr. Allen, Yosvanny Terry (alto saxophone), John Bailey (trumpet), Luis Perdomo (piano) and Rudy Royston (drums, his section mate in the Allen Trio) and 4 tracks (also all originals) by a quartet with Perdomo, Sam Newsome (soprano saxophone) and E.J. Strickland (drums).  The program opens with 2 selections from the quartet, the energetic, Latin-influenced "Affirmation" whose driving rhythms and subtle tempo changes allows Newsome's soprano sax to soar while "For Calle Picota" has fine piano work and an exciting bass line.  Strickland's drumming blends fiery Latin rhythms and his fascinating "melodic" work. August takes a short but hearty solo. The following 2 tracks introduce the sextet' August's arrangement on "For Max" has the horn and reeds deliver the melody (with fine counterpoint from the leader) and allows for a sparkling solo from Perdomo. "Bandolim" is next, with its snappy melody and boppish line.  Royston's drums crackle in the opening then push, prod with plenty of sizzle from the cymbals underneath the fine solos.

Newsome's handsome, sensual, soprano leads the way into "Strange Street" - it's fun to listen to Strickland and August not only supporting the solos but also adding colors and counterpoint throughout. Perdomo's solo is rich with fluid, dancing, lines.  Royston and August lock in on the sextet's "Relative Obscurity", a piece that changes tempo several times but never loses its forward motion. Bailey (who has worked with August in the Ray Barretto ensemble) delivers a powerful solo, gleefully riding the waves of the rhythm section.

"Four By Six" should be amended to read "Four By Six & Four By Four" but that's a minor issue.  This music does not beat one over the head; instead, it has soul, wit, lyrical passages that stand out, and solos that  have substance.  Gregg August has given us music that has power plus subtlety in its rhythms and melodies; it's well worth your time.  For more information, go to www.greggaugust.com.
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The 3rd and final installation of Harris Eisenstadt's insightful interview with Barry Altschul is now posted on destination-out.com.  Read it, listen to the free tracks posted with the interview (classic work from Paul Bley, Chick Corea and Anthony Braxton) and have your musical appetite whetted for the drummer's new Trio CD with Joe Fonda and Jon Irabagon. Click on the link above and enjoy!

Passing, Posting, Matt Shipp and Gorilla Mask

On our return from Washington, D.C., I discovered that vocalist Bobbi Rogers had passed after a long illness at the age of 81. My exposure to the Durham, CT, resident was her work with the Chick Chichetti Orchestra (which, after the bandleader's passing in 2000 became The Hartford Jazz Orchestra) but she had had a substantial career before leaving "show business" to become a nurse. She only released a few Lps while her 2007 recording with the Ray Kennedy Trio is pretty hard to find.

By the time I heard and saw her sing, Ms. Rogers had slowed considerably but her voice and classic delivery was still quite impressive.  Nothing fancy or flighty, she caressed and coddled the lyrics, making sure the audience heard (and felt) each word.  The arrangements Chichetti (and others) created for the Orchestra framed Ms. Rogers' voice nicely on each tune but never took a back seat.

WFCR-FM Jazz radio personality Tom Reney wrote a wonderful appreciation/eulogy for Bobbi Rogers and you should read it - click here to do just that.

Drummer Barry Altschul has slowly but surely returned to the spotlight over the past several years. Best known for his work in the 1960s with pianist Paul Bley before moving on to form the cooperative quartet Circle (with Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton and Dave Holland), work with multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers and then formed Brahma (with Ray Anderson and Mark Helias), Altschul moved to Europe for the next several decades.  In 2003, he reemerged as part of the F-A-B Trio (with Billy Bang and Joe Fonda), reunited with Mr. Rivers for his 80th Birthday celebration (in 2007) and also recorded with saxophonist Jon Irabagon.

Drummer/composer Harris Eisenstadt has interviewed Mr. Altschul; parts 1 and 2 are now available on the fine blog destination-out.com. The postings also include music from various projects including 2 tracks from the drummer's upcoming TUN recording with Fonda and Irabagon.  Check it out!

On January 29, Thirsty Ear will release the new CD from pianist/composer Matthew Shipp.  Dubbed "Greatest Hits", the recording collects 12 tracks from 11 CDs Mr. Shipp has recorded for the label since 2000.  The pieces range from solo piano musings to Trio hits with Joe Morris or Michael Bisio and Whit Dickey to Quartets that feature trumpeters Roy Campbell or Wadada Leo Smith to Quintets enhanced by the synthesizer work of FLAM.  Through it all, the creativity that Matt Shipp has displayed over his career (most 3 decades) comes shining through. He does not worry about fads or conventions, continually moving forward. The music bounces, dances, jabs, swings, flows, and, at times, slowly unwinds - there are moments in several of the trio pieces one can hear the influence of Duke Ellington in the spare piano chords and single-note runs.  But, Mr. Shipp is truly an original and, while calling this collection his "Greatest Hits" may seem (to some) to slight his earlier works, this is some great music.  For more information, go to www.matthewshipp.com.

Based in Berlin, Germany, Canadian-born saxophonist Peter Van Huffel plays many different styles of music, from the sublime to the noisy. His Trio known as Gorilla Mask, featuring the leader on alto saxophone alongside Roland Fidezius (acoustic bass, noise) and Rudi Fischerlehner (drums and percussion), makes hard-edged music often built upon heavy drums, thumping bass lines and rapid-fire melodic fragments.  The group's debut CD, appropriately titled "Howl" (Between the Lines), may put off listeners who have heard the earlier works of the saxophonist; yet this music follows a path similar to the fiery explorations of musicians such as Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill and Tim Berne.  The songs often seem to be on the edge of tumbling into total chaos but listen how Fischerlehner's tribal drums bring Van Huffel's scrambling sound back from the precipice on "Angry Monster."  Fidezius's droning arco bass allows the drummer to range far and wide on "Fire Burning" while the saxophonist plays long, sustained, notes.  "Dirty City" rocks quite hard with the bass and drums locked in; Van Huffel dances, squeals, and wails as the piece picks up in intensity.  The Trio plays hot and heavy on "Monkey's Revenge" with the rhythm section creating a furious forward motion for the saxophonist to fly atop.

Though there are some quieter moments, "Howl" lives up to its name with Peter Van Huffel creating numerous soundscapes for Gorilla Mask to shred.  Played loud, this music can overwhelm the listener - but the real power resides in the fine interactions of the musicians, the fusion of different styles and the go-for-broke attitude of the composer. For more information, go to www.petervanhuffel.com.

Ms. Jazz Master, Sam He Is, BG Speaks + Hello Bill Lowe

 Whenever I listen to Sheila Jordan, her voice mesmerizes me.  It's easy to enter her musical world, easy to sit and listen as she tells her stories through song.   Just last month, the National Endowment for the Arts honored her life's work by naming her one of the 2012 Jazz Masters.  Honestly, what took so long?    

Her latest CD, "Yesterdays" (HighNote), features Ms. Jordan alongside bassist Harvie S.  Recorded live in concert circa 1990, the tapes turned up one day and we are so lucky they did.  The duo recorded 3 Lps/CDs in their decade+ association but none with the warmth, the experimentation and the musicality that this program.  All of their recordings are worth hearing but this one is a necessity.  Bassist S manages to be an "orchestra" behind the voice, his thick tones and fleet lines serving as both support and equal partner. They "rock" out on "It Don't Mean A Thing"  then make "Mood Indigo" a very deep hue of the blues. Their playful take of "The Very Thought Of You" moves beyond the lyrics into a personal story of the singer being told by critic Leonard Feather taking her task for not singing the melody.

There is so much to like here, from the title track that opens the CD as a longing paean to "olden days, golden days" (Harvie S's bass chords are wonderful) to the "Fred Astaire Medley" that closes the program.  The duo blaze through "Let's Face The Music and Dance" before their playful take of "Cheek to Cheek" ending with an absolutely jovial (and operatic!) version of "I Could Have Danced All Night";  Ms. Jordan collapses in laughter at the end, a splendid exclamation point to an excellent set.  

If you don't own a Sheila Jordan recording and claim to be a fan of jazz vocalists, you should be ashamed.  "Yesterdays" is one of her best and a good place to start. To find out more, go to www.sheilajordanjazz.com.

 "From Sun to Sun" (Origin Records) is the second CD pianist/organist Sam Yahel has recorded with bassist Matt Penman and drummer Jochen Rueckert - PosiTone Records released the first, "Hometown", in 2009.  Yahel, who many listeners first encountered as an organist on numerous CDs, has worked with Joshua Redman, Norah Jones, Bill Frisell and Peter Bernstein (among others), surprised many people with the excellence of his piano playing on the previous CD and this new one (recorded in May of 2010) is equally as pleasing.  The 3 musicians are quite comfortable with each other and don't play it safe.  Their work on "A Beautiful Friendship" sounds effortless yet is filled with emotional and melodic richness.  The shifting tempos of "2 Pilgrims" allows for shimmering cymbal sounds, pleasing counterpoint from the bass and piano figures that move from swinging jazz to mellifluous classical phrases (check out Yahel's left hand..very nice.) 

One hears traces of Americana in the melody of the title track (Rueckert's drumming is pleasingly interactive) while the trio's version of Cole Porter's "So In Love" is a musical celebration of a fiery romance.  Here, Penman's bass pushes the piece forward, spurring the pianist on to one of his more "high-energy" solos.  There is plenty of playfulness in this music, whether it's the bluesy, Ornette Coleman-like, melody of "By Hook or By Crook" to the funky sprint through "Git It" (again, Rueckert's drumming is quite a joy to listen to.)

The sounds emanating from the minds, hands and feet of Sam Yahel, Matt Penman and Jochen Rueckert is a true pleasure.  "From Sun to Sun" is bright and joyous music, well worth exploring.  To find out more, go to www.origin-records.com.  FYI, Sam Yahel sits with Josh Jackson on the 1/31 edition of "The Checkout" and plays the "iPod Shuffle" - check it out at by clicking here. 

The same show features a long, very enjoyable, conversation with saxophonist/composer Benny Golson. Golson, composer of "Whisper Not" and "Killer Joe" (and lots more), turned 83 on January 25 and continues to compose, perform and record.  A 1996 NEA Jazz Master, the stories he tells to host Jackson are filled with humor, wisdom and joy.  There are moments when Golson drops into a whisper, effectively drawing the listener into his world.  Check it out at www.wbgo.org/thecheckout/benny-golson-creativity-never-retires/.

Bass trombonist and tuba player Bill Lowe has performed with a slew of fine musicians over his 4+ decades as a musician.  He's also spent many years as an educator at Wesleyan University, Northeastern, Columbia and, most recently, at Brown University. Professor Lowe has recorded and toured with Henry Threadgill, Bill Dixon, James "Jabbo" Ware's Me, We & Them Orchestra, and currently is a member of Taylor Ho Bynum's Sextet.  Along the way, he's worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Eartha Kitt, Mercer Ellington and Bill Barron (that's only 4 out of many.) He's composed work for small ensembles, orchestras and for theater productions. 

Bynum, his former student and long-time friend, has assembled recordings and radio broadcasts for the fine music blog, "Destination Out."  Part 1 is up now - it's a well-deserved (and long overdue) look at the man, his music and fascinating journey.  Give a look and listen at destination-out.com.