Wadada Leo Smith CREATE 2019

In the 1970s, Wadada Leo Smith wrote music and books while devising a theory of composition and performance that is, to this day, the backbone of the music he creates and champions. Over the past 50 years, he has played alongside members of the AACM, he has traveled the world, celebrated the lives and works of Miles Davis, Rosa Parks, the National/Natural Parks of the United States, reminding listeners of the racism that he first saw in his native Mississippi that still permeates our country, and doing so with his music and the clarion-call of his trumpet.

This coming weekend, Wadada Leo Smith returns to Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street in New Haven, CT, to present the Third Annual CREATE Festival , a gathering that will delve deeply into his multi-faceted and unclassifiable music featuring brilliant works for a diverse roster of musicians and ensembles. Taking place Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, 2019, the festival will include performances by four of Wadada’s own wide-ranging groups as well as unique collaborations and solo performances, alongside an exhibit of Smith’s Ankhrasmation Symbolic Language Art-Scores.  Performances take place at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; a lunch dialogue with Wadada and Professor Nina Sun Eidsheim will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. 

The third incarnation opens with a quartet led by guitarist Lamar Smith (the trumpeter's grandson) featuring electronic artist Hardedge, bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer Pheeroan akLaff.  Saturday’s program continues with "The First Light Gold / The Second Light Blue", a piece from "Rosa Parks: Pure Love" performed by solo violinist Mona Tian. From Smith’s latest work to one of his earliest, the composer will take the stage with his quartet NDA to reprise the music from 1979’s "Divine Love", in honor of the 50^th anniversary of the ECM record label, which released the album. The quartet will feature vibraphonist Bobby Naughton and multi-reedist Dwight Andrews, both of whom played on the original recording, with longtime collaborator John Lindberg standing in for the late bassist Charlie Haden.The opening evening will conclude with a summit meeting between two explosive trios: Smith’s Najwa, which teams Wadada with Lamar Smith as well as bass icon Bill Laswell, and Harriet Tubman, (pictured above) the audacious avant-funk-jazz-rock trio of bassist Melvin Gibbs, guitarist Brandon Ross, and drummer JT Lewis. The double trio will premiere two pieces from a new suite exploring the concepts of quantum physics and parallel universes, with music transitioning between multiple ensembles as if shifting between alternate dimensions.

Sunday’s line-up begins with "Sweet Bay Magnolia with Berry Clusters", a striking piece Smith composed for the virtuosic cellist Ashley Walters (pictured left), which she’ll perform in a duo with the Japanese Butoh dancer Oguri. The dancer will then be joined by Wadada and pipa master/vocalist Min Xiao-Fen to essay Smith’s "Lake Biwa; A Full Moon Pure Water Gold", a reimagined version of the title track from Smith’s 2004 release for John Zorn’s Tzadik label. 

The weekend will culminate with a performance by Smith’s long-running Golden Quintet (pictured below), in which the trumpeter is joined by pianist Erika Dohi, cellist Walters, bassist Lindberg, and drummer  akLaff. They'll perform two compositions inspired by iconic figures related to the Civil Rights movement, both composed but not recorded for an upcoming ECM recording that reflects on the idea of tolerance through iconic figures and moments in political, social and musical history. With "JFK in Dallas: Parkland: 11.22.1963", Smith reflects on the assassination of President Kennedy, while "Miriam Makeba: A Magnificent Voice: The Empress of Peace: 1932-2008" celebrates the life of the revered South African singer and activist known as “Mama Africa.”

Tickets are $30 for each of the concerts; $55 for both.  The lunch and dialogue is $30 per person, $50 for couples, with limited seating. For information, please call 203-785-0468 or go to http://firehouse12.com/performance-calendar/2019/2/7/wadada-leo-smiths-create-festival-2019.

Take a look at the full schedule - this is yet another impressive two days of music.

     Saturday April 6^th, 7 pm

Lamar Smith’s Band:

Lamar Smith - guitar
Melvin Gibbs – electric bass
Pheeroan akLaff - drums
Hardedge - electronics

"Blue Meditations"

Mona Tian - violin

"The First Light Gold/The Second Light Blue from Rosa Parks: Pure Love"

Wadada Leo Smith’s NDA:

Wadada Leo Smith - trumpet
Bobby Naughton - vibraphone
Dwight Andrews – bass clarinet, flute
John Lindberg - bass

"Tastalun" with soundtrack "Divine Love"

"Spirituals: The Language of Love"

Wadada Leo Smith’s Najwa and Harriet Tubman: 

Wadada Leo Smith - trumpet 
Brandon Ross - guitar
Lamar Smith - guitar 
Melvin Gibbs – electric bass 
Bill Laswell – electric bass
JT Lewis - drums

"Spiritual Horizons"
"Lake Tanganyika Nur-Water" 

 Sunday, April 7th

Exhibit of Ankhrasmation Symbolic Language Art-Scores
1:00pm - 3:00pm

Creative Dialogue
with
Nina Sun Eidsheim and Wadada Leo Smith on the Ankhrasmation Symbolic Language Art-Scores

Lunch, Coffee and Tea with Wadada Leo Smith and Artists

Concert, 7:00pm:
 

Ashley Walters – cello
Oguri – butoh dance

"Sweet Bay Magnolia with Berry Clusters"

Min Xiao-Fen – pipa
Wadada Leo Smith – trumpet
Oguri – butoh dance

"Lake Biwa a Full Moon Pure Water Gold"

Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quintet:

Wadada Leo Smith - trumpet 
Erika Dohi - piano 
Ashley Walters - cello 
John Lindberg - bass 
Pheeroan akLaff - drums

"JFK in Dallas: Parkland: 11.22.1963"
"Mariam Makeba: A Magnificent Voice: The Empress of Peace: 1932-2008"
 

CREATE Festival is made possible with generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation in partnership with Creative Capital. Smith received a Doris Duke Artist Award in 2016.

Here are several examples of Wadada Leo Smith's music:

This is from Smith's 2017 release "Najwa" (TUM Records) 

And this from 1979's "Divine Love" (ECM Records)

CT Gig Alerts (Friday & Saturday 10/05 & 6)

Autumn is here and the time is right for jazz in concert venues and performance spaces!  This weekend in Connecticut promises little foliage but three fine shows, all of which are worth your time and effort to attend.

Saxophonist, bassist, composer, and educator Mark Zaleski returns to The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme.  His band includes brother Glenn on piano, tenor saxophonist Jon Bean, guitarist Ciao Aifune, bassist Danny Weller, and drummer Oscar Suchanek.  They'll play music from Mr. Zaleski's second album, 2017's "Days, Month, and Years" as well as his latest project which is a collection  of rearrangements, reconstructions, and deconstructions of Michael Jackson's songs.  What you'll hear over the course of the two sets is great interactions, smart melodies, and powerful solos. Plus it's great fun.

For tickets, call 860-434-2600 or go to thesidedoorjazz.com. To learn more about MZ, go to www.markzaleskimusic.com.

Here's the Mark Zaleski Band live in 2016;

Firehouse 12 in New Haven continues its Fall 2018 Concerts Series this Friday night with a visit from drummer Devin Gray and his quartet know as Dirigo Rataplan.  He's celebrating the release of the group's second album "Dirigo Rataplan II"  - besides Gray, the group features bassist Michael Formanek, tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, and trumpeter Dave Ballou (the same lineup as on the 2015 self-titled album released onSkirl Records). This is one of those delightful groups that blurs the lines between styles (or genres, if you'd rather) so you'll hear snatches of blues, "free" jazz, funk, folk elements, a trace of Ornette Coleman-like interplay, and impressive interactions.

Dirigo Rataplan takes the stage for the first set at 8:30 p.m.  The second set - a separate charge - starts at 10 p.m.  You should enjoy this exploratory music not only for the way the band digs into the music but also because each musician has a distinctive "voice".  The crisp attack and sound of Ballou, the smooth yet searching tones of Eskelin, the melodic majesty of Formanek's bass playing, and Gray's exciting yet thoughtful drumming.  To find out more, go to devingraymusic.com.  For tickets, call 203-785-0468 or go to firehouse12.com.

Here's a short compilation of the album (which, on Bandcamp, is titled "Dirigo Rataplan II" - go figure.

On Saturday evening, The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street in Middletown, welcomes the duo of Christian Artmann (flutes) and Laszlo Gardony (piano).  They will be celebrating Mr. Artmann's new Sunnyside Recording, "Our Story", a quartet album (with guest vocalist) that Mr. Gardony (who often graces the piano seat at The Buttonwood with his exciting and melodic playing) is an important member of the group.  For the Middletown date, it's the two of them sans rhythm section (or guest vocalist).  Mr. Artmann's music is quite handsome, ethereal at times, and his flute sound is graceful and gracious.  He can also swing when the music calls for it.

Mr. Artmann studied classical music in his native Germany as he was growing up, discovering in his teens. He's studied at Harvard Law School, Princeton University, and the Berklee School of Music.  He has toured Europe playing in both classical and jazz settings as well as clubs and performance venues in the United States.  "Our Story" is his fourth album as a leader since 2010, three of them with the delightful rhythm section of bassist Johannes Weidenmuller and drummer Jeff Hirschfield. To find out more about the flutist, go to artmannjazz.com.

The music commences at 8 p.m. on Saturday.  For tickets and more information, go to buttonwood.org/event/laszlo-gardony-and-christian-artmann/.

Here's the opening track from the new album:

A Musically Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

Ah, to be in Connecticut this coming weekend. A profusion of wonderful music can be heard (not to forget the marching bands on Memorial Day Monday) in the clubs and concert spaces.

Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street in New Haven, continues its Spring Concert Series on Friday night with flutist, composer, and arranger Jamie Baum and her Septet+.  It's the first night of three consecutive CD Release concerts - Saturday, the ensemble plays at The Cell Theater in New York City while Sunday, Ms, Baum returns to her home town to perform at The Fairfield Theatre Company, Stage One. They are celebrating the release of "Bridges", the group's new album (reviewed here). On Friday evening, there will be two sets, the first at 8:30 p.m., the second at 10 p.m. Best of all, the musicians on the recording - Jamie Baum (flutes, singing bowl), Amir ElSaffar (trumpet, vocals), Sam Sadigursky (alto sax, bass clarinet), Chris Komer (French horn), Brad Shepik (guitar), John Escreet (piano), Zack Lober (bass, singing bowl), and Jeff Hirshfield (drums) - will crowd into the Firehouse performance space and present the wonderful music on the album plus more.

For ticket information, go to firehouse12.com or call 203-785-0468.

Here's a taste:

If you have ever considered spending a weekend along the Connecticut shoreline, say in Old Lyme, this is the weekend to book a room at the Old Lyme Inn. Not only for the fine food and furnishings, but also for the fact that The Side Door Jazz Club is attached to the Inn and owner Ken Kitchings and his music manager, Rich Martin, have a three-night music extravaganza planned. On Friday night, pianist and composer Renee Rosnes (pictured left) celebrates her new Smoke Sessions Records release, "Beloved of the Sky" with an all-star quartet that features Steve Nelson (vibraphone), Peter Washington (bass), and Carl Allen (drums).  Ms. Rosnes, who is married to pianist Bill Charlap, has not only released 16 albums as a leader but also has worked with the late Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and the SFJazz Collective.

For more information, go to reneerosnes.com.

Here's a track from the new album which features Mr. Nelson and Mr. Washington as well as saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Lenny White:

On Saturday night, trumpeter Wallace Roney brings his Quintet to Old Lyme, an ensemble that features a veteran rhythm section - bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Ronnie Burrage - and two fine young musicians - 18-year old saxophonist Emilio Modeste and pianist Oscar Williams.  Mr. Roney, a native of Philadelphia, PA,  has been active on the jazz scene for nearly three decades. He cites three great trumpeters - Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis - as his mentors.  Over the last decade, Roney has become a mentor for numerous musicians, taking them on the road and into the studio to create music that ranges from mainstream jazz to more electronic adventures, always with a melodic flair and powerful solos.

For more information, go to www.wallaceroney.com.

Here's the Quintet live from Paris, France, from 2017:

Photo: John Abbott

Stay that extra night because, on Sunday, The Side Door presents composer and vocalist René Marie.  One of the most engaging singers and performers on the contemporary scene, Ms. Marie started performing at a young age and turned professional in her mid-teens.  She got married at the age of 18 and became a stay-at-home mother.  It was her son who convinced her to get back into singing. Getting back to music caused a rift in her marriage and she soon was divorced.  Ms. Marie moved to Washington D.C., made her name on the club scene, signed to the MaxJazz label (now Mack Avenue) and released her debut album at the age of 45!  Slowly and steadily, she has developed her musical persona and stage presence that is so appealing.

Joining her will be her touring and recording Trio including long-time members Elias Bailey (bass) and Quentin Baxter (drums) plus newest member (3 years and counting) pianist John Chin. For more information, go to renemarie.com.

Here's the title track of her 2016 Motema album, "Sound of Red":




The Side Door opens its door at 7:30 p.m. and the first set commences one hour later. For more information and reservations, go to thesidedoorjazz.com or call 860-434-2600.

Hopefully, you'll be able get to one or more of these shows.

Gig Alert!! (5/18 & 5/21)

Bassist and composer Mario Pavone returns to Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street in New Haven, this Friday (5/21) with his Dialect Trio.  Pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey join the CT native for an evening of sonic explorations, edgy melodies, compelling solos, and absorbing interactions. I have always maintained that Pavone writes from the bass outward and love how his thick lines propel the melody as well as what his associates do with his compositional approach.

The Trio's second CD, "Chrome" (Playscape Recordings) , was issued in the Autumn of 2017 and is, arguably, one of Pavone's most exciting recordings.  This is a group that knows how to push each other, they listen, respond to, and inspire each other plus create  excellent solos.   Engineer Nick Lloyd (of Firehouse 12 Studios) does an amazing capturing the sound of Pavone's bass so you can not only hear his solos but also how he interacts with Mitchell and Sorey.  There's a great sense of rhythm as well as "freedom" in this music. The compositions save one are Pavone originals and the one is a group improvisation inspired by and named for pianist Paul Bley who passed six months prior to the recording.

This should be quite a musical experience and is the last date on a short CD release tour.  For ticket information, go to firehouse12.org or call 203-785-0468.

Here's the Trio from 4 years ago right before recording their first album together:

I love getting emails from Brian Charette - he's such a busy guy, making so many different kinds of music with so many people.  His latest missive included the poster above and links to the CD that the CT-born organist recorded with tenor saxophone master George Coleman.  Mr. Coleman, a Memphis, Tennessee, native turned 83 in March and is in the midst of a career that stretches over six decades.  He has recorded with B.B. King, Lee Morgan, Max Roach, Slide Hampton, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, so many others.  Steeplechase Records owner and producer Nils Winthers captured Mr. Coleman in the studio last December with Charette, guitarist Vic Juris, and drummer George Coleman Jr.  The results of their day together can be heard on "Groovin' With Big G" and, if you read the poster closely, the quartet celebrates the new CD with a date at the Blue Note, 131 West 3rd Street in New York City this coming Monday night. They'll play two sets - 8 and 10:30 p.m. - for more information, go to www.bluenote.net/newyork/index.shtml or call 212-475-8892. 

Mr. Coleman and Mr. Charette also play in a trio setting on Saturday May 26 at 7 p.m. in The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook, NY.  To find out more and make reservations, go to www.thejazzloft.org or call 631-751-1895.  

Give a listen to the Quartet live in the WBGO-FM studios:

Wadada: Creates + Peter Madsen: Poe

This coming Saturday and Sunday evenings (4/07 & 08/2018, Wadada Leo Smith presents the second annual CREATE Festival at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street in New Haven. If you went to the 2017 event (there were weekends in New Haven and San Francisco), you remember the range of music the 76-year old trumpeter, composer, conceptualist, and arranger can create.  The line-up and programs (listed below) for the 2018 Fest are just as impressive and wide-ranging with several debuts overt the course of two nights as well as an exhibit of Smith's unique scores.

Read on!

Legendary composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith presents the Second Annual CREATE Festival in New Haven, CT, a two-day celebration and exploration of his inventive and unclassifiable music that will feature world or US premiere performances of four new suites. Taking place Saturday, April 7 and Sunday, April 8, 2018 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street, New Haven, CT, the festival will include performances by five separate ensembles over two evenings and include an exhibit of Smith’s Ankhrasmation Symbolic Language Scores.  Performances take place at 7 p.m. each evening; exhibition walk-through on Sunday at 3 p.m. A full schedule of events is below. Tickets are $30 for each of the concerts; $55 for both.  There is no charge for the exhibit. For information, please call 203-785-0468 or go to http://firehouse12.com/.
 
The festival debuted in April 2017 with a weekend of performances and discussions in New Haven, CT, where it will continue each year.  Create West followed at the Lab in San Francisco in December 2017.  This year’s edition will include two World and two U.S. premieres of suites penned by Smith, with inspiration culled from the natural world, the cosmos, politics and a much-needed plea for tolerance. These pieces add significantly to what Adam Shatz of the New York Review of Books calls, “one of the most innovative bodies of work in American music since the 1960s.”
 
“This idea had been in a dream state for many, many years,” Smith says of the festivals. That long-cherished dream is being realized with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which awarded Smith the Doris Duke Artist Award in 2016.  CREATE offers a thrilling, rare opportunity to delve deeply into the full scope of Smith’s sui generis compositional voice and approach, which – in their category-defying range and breadth – can only be classified using Smith’s preferred term, “Creative Music.”
 
The weekend opens with an ensemble led by guitarist Lamar Smith (Wadada’s grandson), featuring electronic artist Hardedge and drummer Thurman Barker.  Saturday’s program continues with the world premiere of Dark Matter, Dark Energy: The Unseen Suite, a piece inspired by the great mysteries of the universe. The suite features Smith’s Kosmic Music Ensemble, in which Wadada’s trumpet is joined by vibraphonist Bobby Naughton, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, guitarist Lamar Smith, drummer Thurman Barker, and Jawara on jimbe and percussion.
 
The opening evening will conclude with Smith’s latest composition drawing on his love for America’s natural splendor, The Great Lakes. Following in the spirit of his widely-acclaimed America’s National Parks, Smith wrote the piece for his newly-assembled Great Lakes Quartet: himself, saxophonist Jonathan Haffner, bassist John Lindberg, and drummer Thurman Barker.
 
Sunday’s line-up begins with the U.S. premiere of President Obama's Speech At The Selma Bridge, a suite written for the renowned power-jazz trio Harriet Tubman. Wadada will join the band, which includes bassist Melvin Gibbs (Rollins Band, Sonny Sharrock), guitarist Brandon Ross (Henry Threadgill, Cassandra Wilson), and drummer J.T. Lewis (Whitney Houston, Bill Laswell). The piece recalls Barack Obama’s historic speech commemorating the 50^thanniversary of “Bloody Sunday” on the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in front of a crowd of 40,000.
 
The ideals represented by that speech are also beautifully represented in the festival’s final piece, the world premiere of Peace, Love and Liberty: Compassion and Respect For a Tolerant World: A Suite. Performed by Smith’s longstanding Golden Quintet – Wadada, pianist Anthony Davis, cellist Ashley Walters, drummer Pheeroan akLaff, and video artist Jesse Gilbert – the new suite is the composer’s plea for understanding, compassion and tolerance at an incredibly divisive time. As President Obama’s Speech provides a poignant look back at another fraught chapter in our history, Peace, Love and Liberty offers an optimistic and embracing look forward.
 
Both of Saturday’s premieres as well as the Golden Quintet performance will be supplemented by images provided by video artist Gilbert, who Smith says adds integral visual context to the aural elements. “The music and imagery don’t move in separate streams,” he says. “They’re actually intimately connected and responsible for each other, allowing us to create a narrative that transcends space and time. It’s twofold: there’s a technical and musical connection, and then there’s a psychological and historical connection that helps to provide for comprehension of the work.”
 
In order to further that comprehension, the Festival will include an exhibition of 20 of Smith’s Ankhrasmation Symbolic Language Scores in a special gallery at Firehouse 12.  On Sunday, April 8, Smith will lead a walk-through of the exhibition along with curator Lyn Horton. He will also lead a discussion of his unique compositional approach. Curators and the general public are invited to join.
 
“For all the minimalism of his sound,” writes Adam Shatz, “Smith has turned out to be a maximalist in his ambitions, evolving into one of our most powerful storytellers, an heir to American chroniclers like Charles Ives and Ornette Coleman.” That ambition will be on prismatic display throughout the CREATE Festival, allowing Smith to weave multiple tales across the sweeping breadth of his formidable imagination.

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There was a time in the 1980s and 90s when I would come across pianist Peter Madsen performing with his good friend Michael Musillami (guitar) and bassist Mario Pavone (when he wasn't touring with Dave Leibman, Kenny Garrett, Fred Wesley, or Maceo Parker). One of the most dynamic and creative pianists around, Madsen moved to Austria around the turn of the 21st Century and, while he retains a residence in New York City, his most recent recordings feature his Collective of Improvising Artists (CIA) Seven Sins Ensemble, an octet that blends a string quartet, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums. The ensemble has just issued "Never Bet The Devil Your Head" (Playscape Recordings), 10 new pieces composed and arranged by Madsen inspired by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.

One might expect that music inspired by Poe might dark and foreboding but actually this music is often exciting, quite rhythmic, and filled with delightful twists-and-turns.  The program opens with "The Raven"; the first several minutes belong to the string quartet - violinists Aleksandra Lartseva and Monica Tarcsay, violist Simon Frick, and cellist Bianca Reisner - playing a handsome melody. Bassist Herwig Hammerl joins them on pizzicato then arco before drummer Martin Grabher kicks in a very rock-ish, raucous, beat.  Trumpeter Herbert Walser joins the string to state the melody. The piece moves forward on the power of the melody and the rhythm section with Madsen adding colorful piano.  "The Tell-Tale Heart" opens with drummer Grabher playing a "heart" beat before the cellist, bass, and pianist break into what one think is a Black Sabbath rhythm.  But the playful ensemble often sis into short reggae rhythms before returning to the original "thumping" chords.  In the middle of the song, everyone drops out and the string players do an odd dance, plucking and hitting their instrument with their bows while the drummer moves around his cymbals.  It's quite an atmospheric piece culminating in a Han Bennink-liek drum solo (meaning all over the kit, all at once) before coming to its close.

Other highlights include the Bertolt Brecht-style melody on "The Cask of Amontillado." Walter's muted trumpet solo blends Louis Armstrong with Lester Bowie, setting the inspiration for Madsen's powerful, swinging, and frenetic solo. The title track opens on a serious bowed bass solo - Hammerl is soon joined by the string quartet and they play a serious melody, dropping back as the trumpet enters.  The rhythm section joins, speeding up the piece for the trumpet melody and string counterpoint.  Madsen's solo builds on the tension that preceded his entrance and he kicks it u several notches yet it is easy ti hear how the solo is based in the original melody.

The closing two tracks, "The Masque of the Red Death" and "A Descent Into the Maelstrom", are both quite powerful.  The former enters on  strident strings over a funky drum beat.  When the rest of the group enters, the song turns into a macabre dance.  The interplay of the piano with the strings and trumpet is infectious and their "dance" continues under the powerful cello solo.
The latter piece roars its way in, the rapid-paced bowing of strings, the mighty piano chords, the "heavy" beat, all creating a sonic congestion.  The trumpet states the handsome melody before the piece falls apart and into silence.  Madsen leads the group back with chords that may remind some of vintage 1970 McCoy Tyner.  The leader then break into a unaccompanied shower of notes and, once again, the "heavy" beat returns, the swirling strings, the trumpet and piano stating the melody before the falls apart into silence.

For this listener, "Never Bet The Devil Your Head" is great fun and powerful music at the same time. Peter Madsen's Seven Sins Ensemble really dig into the pianist's music and his arrangements bring out the best (and, sometimes, strangest) in their sounds.  Delightfully melodic, quite rhythmic, and fairly adventurous, dive in and enjoy!

For more information, go to www.petermadsen.us.

Late Notice - Live Music 11/30, 12/01 & 02

This from the Slifka Center, 80 Wall Street, New Haven, CT, an event featuring singer, songwriter, and artist Kathy Kosins. "Art Reception for the Exhibit “Jazz in the Abstract” featuring artwork by Kathy Kosins including a live performance. Light refreshments will be served. ASCAP award-winning vocalist Kathy Kosins has won the hearts of critics and fans around the globe with her eclectic musical palette that expands the rich history of Jazz and Soul."

Call 203-432-8523  or write juli.goodman@yale.edu for more information.

Tim Berne's Snakeoil - Berne (alto saxophone), Oscar Noreiga (clarinets), Matt Mitchell (piano, keys), and Ches Smith (drums, percussion) - perform two sets on Friday 12/01 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street in New Haven.  Noisy, challenging, inventive,  dynamic, fast-moving, and so much more, Tim Berne and company have created a sound like no other ensemble on the planet.

The first show begins at 8:30 p.m..  For ticket information, go to firehouse12.org or call 203-785-0468.

Saxophonist (tenor and soprano) Dayna Stephens comes to The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme Saturday 12/02. He and excellent Quartet - Aaron Parks (piano), Rick Rosato (bass), and Bill Stewart (drums) - will play music from his latest CD "Gratitude." Stephens has such a sweet tone and composes music that pulls you in on its melodies and fascinates with its power and calmness.  All four of the musicians are excellent soloists yet they also understand interactions and support.

The first set begins at 8:30 p.m.  For more information, go to thesidedoorjazz.com or call 860-434-2600.

Anniversary Tour, New Music, Sideman Gig

Jorden Hemingway/Bad Behavior

For the last four decades, these smiling gentlemen on the left - Mark Helias (bass), Gerry Hemingway (drums, percussion), and Ray Anderson (trombone) - have been touring this country, Europe, and beyond in an ensemble they smartly titled BassDrumBone.  Over that time, they have released 10 Lps and/or CDs, each led his own group, took time off for illness, toured and/or recorded with other people/groups yet always came back to this trio configuration. Methinks that is because not only do they sound good playing together, they enjoy playing together.

Connecticut fans get a rare opportunity this week to see BDB twice in the midst of its 40th Anniversary Tour.  Friday evening, Messrs. Helias, Hemingway, and Anderson return to Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street in New Haven to play two sets.  The trio last played the venue in May of 2008 - I was there and can assure you they "rocked the house."  There's a strong steak of blues that runs through their music as well as ties to the avant-garde, to the "free" sounds of the late 1960s and '70s, to straight-ahead "blowing", to funk, and to the New Orleans roots of jazz.  The band's most recent recording, 2016's "The Long Road" (Auricle Records), kicked off the group's Anniversary celebration: it's a 2-CD set with guest appearances from Joe Lovano (tenor sax) and Jason Moran (piano).  It's a wonderful blend of original tunes by all three members of the group and closes with two live tracks from 2013

The New Haven show is the final one of the Firehouse 12 Spring 2017 Concert Series and is a perfect way to kick off the two-week long International Festival of Arts & Ideas (thought the series is not connected to IFA&I, BassDrumBone epitomizes the adventurous scope of the programs to over over the course of the Festival).  The first set begins at 8:30 p.m.  For more information about Friday's gig, call 203-785-0468 of go to firehouse12.com.

On Saturday, the trio ventures north on Route 91 to Hartford to play a concert at Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street.  The event is free and open to the public.  For more information, go to www.realartways.org or call 860-232-1006.

Take a look and a listen:



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Mark Helias is also a member of Canadian-born saxophonist and composer Quinsin Nachoff's Ethereal Trio. Their self-titled debut album has just been issued on Whirlwind Recordings and is a joy to listen to.  The bassist, who has led several trios over his long career, is the perfect fit for an ensemble of this size: he possesses a really powerful sound, is extremely melodic as well as percussive, is excellent at arco bass ("bowing"), and has a great sense of what his bandmates need from him.  On this recording, he's paired in the rhythm section with drummer Dan Weiss who is also a fine accompanist with a strong sense of melody and forward motion.  They provide Nachoff with such great support and counterpoint as well as a sense that he can play anything. And he gives them material to really dig into, not just rely on cliches but to truly explore the possibilities.

My personal touchstone for sax-bass-drums trios has always been Sonny Rollins's "Freedom Suite." One can hear a hint of the blueprint that 1958 recording created; still, this is definitely 2017 music.  The funky beat Weiss produces on "Subliminal Circularity" has a hip hop feel but notice how the bass moves on his own around the beat while the tenor navigates in between the two "sonic" worlds.  The opening track, "Clairvoyant Jest", might remind one of a groove that could be found on Dave Holland's "Conference of the Birds", the intelligent meshing of structure and freedom. That carries over to the second track, "Imagination Reconstruction" - here, the rhythm is more intense, the sound a bit more diffuse yet the piece does not boil over. Both the bassist and drummer take short solos that rise organically from the music.

The leader is no slouch. He, too, enjoys the freedom the open-ended music goes him, exploring so many different possibilities. Hear how he navigates the aptly-titled "Push-Pull Topology" with its odd-time meters, his melody actually hugging the beat while his solo dances along with Weiss's playful drums.  The handsome ballad "Gravitas" is a lovely blend of tenor sax (played in a register not unlike Charles Lloyd and with a similar lightness), splendid brush work and cello-like tones from the bowed bass.  This is dramatic music, the interactions displaying the trio's keen sense of listening to each other. That description is also apt for the final track, "Portrait in Sepia Tones" - Helias leads off the piece unaccompanied before Weiss tiptoes in (sounds like he's not holding sticks or brushes). After several minutes, the bass drops out for a moment for a statement from the drums before returning 25 seconds later to play counterpoint to the tenor melody (Nachoff sits out the first three minutes).  Throughout the piece, Helias switches from bowed to plucked bass. At the six minute mark, the bassist fall into quite a walking bass line pursued by the drums and tenor - the frantic tempo and exciting interactions continue to close to the end of the 10 minute piece when they trio falls into a funky beat (like the afore-mentioned "Subliminal Circularity") to "dance" the piece to its close.

Quinsin Nachoff's Ethereal Trio has its exquisite moments but also many powerful moments as well.  Messrs. Nachoff, Mark Helias, and Dan Weiss each contribute to the success of the music, each with an authoritative "voice" and an understanding how to make their interactions human and special.

For more information, go to www.quinsin.com.

Here's a track to sink your teeth and ears into:

Weekend at the Firehouse (4/7-9)

The Firehouse 12 Spring 2017 Concert Series is in full swing (no pun intended) but this coming weekend may be the most impressive in the New Haven venue's 12-year history. The first official performance was a concert on April 3 2005 titled "Solo Duo"; the show featured pianist Lisa Moore and violinist Tim Fain playing music by Bach, Rzewski, Bresnick, Puts, and Janáček. 10 days later, guitarist Greg Davis & Kranky played the venue followed in May by the duo of Matthew Shipp & William Parker. That fall, weekly concerts started in earnest with shows usually Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  Friday became the "regular" performance night in 2006 and the performance space/recording studio has presented two 13-week series since then (with the occasional Thursday and Saturday concert).

This coming weekend (7th-9th) is, arguably, the most exciting weekend of music and seminars the venue has ever presented. Friday night, the trio of Anna Webber (saxophone, flute), Matt Mitchell (piano, keyboards), and John Hollenbeck (drums) will perform.  Ms. Webber composes all the music for the ensemble known as Simple Trio and it's an exciting concoction of imaginative pieces that blend "free" elements with composed themes and sparkling improvisations.  Skirl Records has issued the Trio's two albums, the latest "Binary" in Fall of 2016 (my review here).

The Trio plays two sets - the first at 8:30, the second at 10 p.m. - and tickets are available by going to firehouse12.com or calling 203-785-0468.  To find out more about Ms. Webber's musical adventures, go to www.annakristinwebber.com.

Here's the opening track from "Binary":

On Saturday and Sunday, Firehouse 12 presents the CREATE Festival, four sessions of seminars and music curated by and featuring trumpeter, conceptualist, and composer Wadada Leo Smith. The daytime sessions commence at 1 p.m. and features the composer talking on day one about the music to be performed at the Festival and how he creates his unique compositions.  His musical language, called  "Ankhrasmation", is described by the composer as "an approach to conveying ideas to another musician that leaves a great deal of room for personal interpretation." Day 2, he will give a fuller description of his "systems", how these ideas have evolved over the past five decades, and much more. Both sessions include video images created by Jesse Gilbert who has worked with the composer since the "10 Freedom Summers" project.  The price of admission also includes premium coffee brewed by Mr. Smith and Creole Gumbo prepared by Gianna Chachere, a film producer and director currently serving on the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Human Rights Festival and The New Quorum Artist Residency. Both these events take place in the apartment above Firehouse 12, the entrance at 47 Crown Street.  

Villagevoice.com

The two evening sessions begin at 7 p.m. and are both chock-full of music.  The Saturday session opens with the Lamar Smith Experiment, a three-guitar ensemble led by Wadada Leo Smith's grandson and featuring William Brennan and Bentley Lewis. They will be followed by the reunion of New Dalta Ahkri, the trumpeter's trio featuring vibraphonist Bobby Naughton and reed master Dwight Andrews. Mr. Smith created this group in the mid-1970s while living in New Haven and it featured many different musicians but especially Messrs. Naughton and Andrews. Another trio follows - Mbira is composed of Mr. Smith,  Min Xiao Fen (pipa and voice) and Pheeroan akLaff (drums and percussion).  The first half of the concert closes with excerpts from the "Rosa Parks Oratorio" performed by Mbira plus the RedKoral Quartet (Shalini Vijayan (violin), Mona Tian (violin), Lorenz Gamma (viola), and Ashley Walters (cello). Jesse Gilbert will supply the video images.

The second half of Saturday's concert includes "String Quartet No. 9 ( Ma Rainey; Marian Anderson; Rosa Parks; Angela Davis)" and "String Quartet No. 10 (Ellingtonia / Reminiscing in Tempo (Movement No. 1)".  Both works feature the RedKoral Quartet with pianist Anthony Davis joining them for "..No 10."  Following that will be "New Orleans: The National Cultural Park USA 1718" and "Yellowstone: The First National Park and the Spirit of America - The Mountains, Super-Volcano Caldera and Its Ecosystem", both from 2016's "America's National Parks." This expansive music will be performed by Mr. Smith's Golden Quintet that features Ms. Walters, drummer akLaff, pianist Davis, and bassist John Lindberg plus video images from Mr. Gilbert.  

Sunday evening at 7, Mr. Smith opens the proceedings with a solo performance of "A Thelonious Reflection" which includes  "Crepuscule with Nellie", "Monk and his Five Point Ring at The Five Spot" (an original work), "Ruby, My Dear" and "Round About Midnight."  Following that, the trumpeter is part of The Crystal Sextet - Stephanie Griffin (viola), Gwen Lester (viola), Tanya Kalmanovitch (viola), Jason Kao Hwang (viola), and  Hardedge (electronics) - they will perform "Pacifica, Viola Quartet No 12". After intermission, the Golden Quintet and Jesse Gilbert return to perform more music from "America's National Parks." 

Read this program over and look at how much music will be performed.  It helps one realize how important Wadada Leo Smith is to contemporary American music. Not just jazz or classical but many tributaries of American music.  This is a good selection from a very impressive oeuvre that continues to grow.  What a treat!

For ticket information and discount packages, go to firehouse12.com.  

Here's a recorded version of "Yellowstone":