Cornet Power & Trumpets Resound

June is a such a busy month.  The Arts world begins to transition to outside the concert hall and into sheds or tents, onto public greens and other open spaces. For those of us who live in Connecticut, June is the month of The International Festival of Arts & Ideas, a two-week explosions of lectures, walking tours, theater, indoor and outdoor concerts, a cornucopia of events that take over the city of New Haven to give audiences an amazing view of what the human mind and body is capable of.

That writ, this post only covers one event from the Festival. Instead, the focus is on two concerts and one recording, all of which feature cornetists or trumpeters.  Here's a quick overview courtesy of www.beginband.com: "The trumpet or cornet is the smallest and highest member of the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by buzzing the lips into a mouthpiece. The difference between a trumpet and cornet is very minor. They both play the same notes and they sound virtually the same. In appearance, the trumpet looks a bit longer and more slender than a cornet. The real difference has to do with the way the tubing of the instrument flares. A cornet is more cone shaped or conical than a trumpet."

Several weeks ago, cornetist, composer, and all-around great person Stephen Haynes sent an email blast about a new project that has taken several years to bring to fruition.  Knuckleball features Mr. Haynes in a brass quartet plus drummer that makes its debut on Tuesday June 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street in Hartford.  The quintet (see above) includes three cornetists - Mr. Haynes, Taylor Ho Bynum, and Los Angeles-resident Dan Clucas - plus Ben Stapp (tuba) and Eric Rosenthal (drums and percussion).  Stapp is one of the finer young tuba players, ranking alongside Jose Davila (Henry Threadgill's Zooid) and Dan Peck (Anthony Braxton, Tony Malaby's Novela) as someone who has moved the instrument into the forefront of creative music. Rosenthal, a Wesleyan graduate (as is Bynum), lives in Boston and is a long-time member of the Klezmer group Shirim and its more "radical" offshoot, Naftule's Dream.  Taylor Ho Bynum should need no introduction as he has been active on the CT music scene (as well as the international stage) for the better part of two decades.  One of the founders of Firehouse 12 Records, he has worked and recorded alongside Anthony Braxton since his Wesleyan days (and nights) as well as with guitarist Mary Halvorson, drummer Tomas Fujiwara, the late conceptualist and trumpeter Bill Dixon, and has several duo recordings with drummer Rosenthal as well as Mr. Haynes.  Dan Clucas is a new name to me: one listen to his albums, especially the two solo dates, on his Bandcamp page (danclucas.bandcamp.com) and you'll hear how he should fit right into this mass of brass.  

I understand how audiences might look a bit askance at this lineup, expecting a lot of noise and not much else.  Yet, my experience with the music that these people create has taught me that, yes, it can be challenging but it is created with love, humor, honesty, and respect for each other and the creative process. And, the experience is often better in concert than on recordings (not to knock the recorded output of any creative musician) as you can the performers communicate, sweat, act, react, interact, and take the music to places even they don't expect it to go.  

For more information and reservations, go to www.realartways.org/event/knuckleball/2018-06-12/. 

Photo: Charles Eshelman

Amir ElSaffar, who was recently heard in New Haven performing at Firehouse 12 with Jamie Baum's Septet+, returns to the city on Sunday June 17 to play a live concert on the New Haven Green as part of the Arts & Ideas Fest.  This time, he's bringing 10 members of his Rivers of Sound Orchestra, adding 13 members of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and performing a program of nearly-all new music! Last June, New Amsterdam Records issued ElSaffar's stunning two-CD set, "Not Two", a recording that combined the composer's study of Middle Eastern maqams and the use of stringed instruments such as the oud and the santir (hammered dulcimer) as well as his study of vocal styles and various percussion.  The results (reviewed here), are entrancing, moving, and an aural delight.

This Sunday performance is free and open to the public.  Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, snacks, children, grandparents, and more to luxuriate in this fascinating music.  For more information, go to www.artidea.org/amirelsaffar.

Here's a sample of the sounds:

Trumpeter and composer Adam O'Farrill, the 23-year old son of composer/pianist Arturo O"Farrill and grandson on composer/arranger Chico O'Farrill, has been active on the contemporary music scene from an early age.  He and his older brother, drummer Zack, formed the O"Farrill Brothers Band and released two albums for the ZOHO label, the first in November of 2010 and the other in December of 2012. In 2014, he formed a new quartet with brother Zack, tenor saxophonist Chad Leftkowitz-Brown, and bassist Walter Stinson.  After touring and recording with saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa's Birdcall and bassist Stephan Crump's Rhombal, O'Farrill issued his group's debut disk on Sunnyside Records: "Stranger Days" emphasized powerful rhythms, great group interaction, and intelligent melodies, with a sound that captures the listener on the first note.


2018 finds the quartet, now dubbed Adam O'Farrill's Stranger Days, moving to Biophilia Records for its second album "El Maquech".  All the elements that made the group's debut s appealing are evident here and more.  The majority of the new album was recorded in April of 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as the group was in the midst of its first tour.  The team of Stinson and Zack O'Farrill truly push the music forward, not just supporting the trumpet and saxophone, but challenging them (as the excellent compositions) to take the music in fascinating directions.  Therefore, pieces such as "Verboten Chant" and "Henry Ford Hospital" kick and strut with rhythmic variations and harmonic interactions.  Plus, such fire!  Listen to how the composer utilizes the front line before heading into solos. On "...Ford..", Leftkowitz-Brown comes blessing out of the "head" with a head of steam.  He and the trumpeter engage in a bit of call-and-response as well as unison "splats" before "O'Farrill steps out for a blazing trumpet solo.

Both "Henry Ford Hospital" and the title track (named for a beetle indigenous to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico) were inspired by artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). The latter tune is built off a traditional Mexican melody that the trumpeter found on a recording by Orquesta Jaranera Sonora Yucateca. It's fun to compare the two versions: the Orquesta makes the melody dance, especially thanks to the pounding drums and percussion while the newer version is respectful of the melody and rhythm (excellent work by Zack O). After the quartet throughly exposes the melody and harmony, the solos start to move into a "freer" territory.  Even as the bass and drums stick to the rhythm patterns, the trumpet and sax take a number of liberties (notice how the rhythm goes into a short swing section before a spirited restatement of the opening melody).

There are two tracks that also call out to be mentioned.  "Shall We" is a duet for trumpet and drums, a quick frolic that is playful, displaying the love and respect the brothers have for each other and their joy for making music. "Get Thee Behind Me Satan", a spiritual that O'Farrill first heard sung by Ella Fitzgerald in the 2012  Paul Thomas Anderson movie "The Master", is performed as a trumpet solo.  It's fascinating to hear he plays the melody, breaks down the tempo as the music moves along, going into rubato, his breathiness, the echo, and how the young man brings the piece to a close.  It's a visceral shock when, just seconds later, "Henry Ford Hospital" opens with its brash clarion-call of sax and trumpet.

"El Maquech" is not just an impressive sophomore album from Adam O'Farrill's Stranger Days, it's a powerful reminder of creative music keeps growing, taking elements from different cultures, making music that is fresh and challenging.  Enjoy the roar but also pay attention to how the musicians work together, fitting their sounds to the leader's vision.  Don't ignore this album and definitely see this band live!!

In keeping with Biophilia Record's mission statement, the music is issued as a download. If you buy it from the label, you receive in the mail the fascinating origami art work and a download code.

For more information, go to www.adam-ofarrill.com and www.biophiliarecords.com/artist/?id=880174455.

Here's the title track:

Arts, Ideas, & Maria Plus Stanley

wsj.com

The 19th Annual International Festival of Arts & Ideas starts this weekend and runs through June 25th (no shows on both Mondays).  As usual, the programs are a mix of music, art, theater, dance, discussions, movies, interviews and more, much of it free and open to the public. - go to www.artidea.org/calendar to check out all the events).

Among the ticketed events are the three-night run (556/14-16) of choreographer Kyle Abraham and his company, Abraham.In.Motion. The troupe will share the stage with pianist Kris Bowers, drummer Otis Brown III, bassist Chris Smith, and the impressive vocalist Charenee Wade who will perform music composed by Robert Glasper.  Composer Julia Wolfe, the SITI Company and the Bang-on-Can All-Stars present "Steel Hammer" Thursday 6/16 through Saturday 6/18 - the music, theater, and dance piece tells the story of the legendary John Henry, "the steel-drivin' man."  And, on Wednesday June 15, the Maria Schneider Orchestra will play at 8 p.m. in the Morse Recital in Sprague Hall, on the corner of College & Wall Streets in the Elm City.

NYTimes.com

Ms. Schneider (pictured above) has had quite a year.  She arranged and recorded a piece with the late David Bowie that won  the GRAMMY for Best Arrangement earlier this year.  She also carried home the award this for Best Jazz Large Ensemble Recording, honoring her brilliant ArtistShare album, "The Thompson Fields."  Last month, Ms. Schneider won five different categories in the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards.  Currently, the MSO is the midst of a 5-night run at Birdland in New York City.  

For the New Haven concert, she and the Orchestra will be premiering a new piece that was co-commisioned by the Arts & Idea Festival's Fund for the Future.  The program will also features songs from "The Thompson Fields" and you can be assured she'll dig into her impressive catalog of compositions that has built over the past two+ decades.  A good number of the 17 musicians in the MSO have been there since the early 1990s when she began a 5-year residency at Visiones in Greenwich Village.  Like Duke Ellington as well as her mentors Bob Brookmeyer and Gil Evans, Ms. Schneider writes for the various members of the orchestra.

Amazingly, there are still tickets available - go to www.artidea.org/mariaschneider and reserve yours now.

Maria Schneider will also be part of a panel discussion on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall Street, the night before the concert.  Titled " Taking Ownership: Music and Intellectual Property in the Digital Age", legal scholar and Professor of Law at Northeastern University Jessica Silbey will moderate a conversation with Nancy Baym, Principal Researcher for Microsoft Research New England, Jean Cook, Co-director of the Artist Revenue Streams project, and Ms Schneider, about alternative models that benefit consumers and artists alike. The event is free and open to the public. The composer testified before the US Congress Sub-committee on Intellectual Property in 2014 and has been interviewed numerous times on television; she's also a member of a new advocacy group, www.musicanswers.org.  

Perceptions Photography

Earlier on Wednesday - 12:00 noon, to be exact - there will be a free concert on the New Haven Green featuring Stanley Maxwell (yes, that's the quartet pictured left and no, there's no one in the group with that name). The quartet - Andy Chatfield (drums), Mark Crino (bass), Eric DellaVeccia (alto saxophone), and Evan Green (acoustic and electric keyboards) - is celebrating 15 years together this year, not easy for a CT-based group playing exclusively original material.  Their music is great fun, a joyful mix of jazz, funk, and rock.  Stanley Maxwell plays on the First Niagara Stage and it's a fine way to spend the lunch hour.  To find out more about the band, go to www.stanleymaxwell.com.  

Remember - Arts & Ideas is engaging fun, often challenging audiences with provocative topics.  There are events for kids throughout the Festival, especially on the three Saturdays. So, hie thee to www.artidea.org to check it all out.

O Such Live Music in CT

Bassist/composer Mario Pavone has a compelling new musical adventure and CD titled "Street Songs" (Playscape Recording - review here).  This Thursday (6/19), he brings that project to Studio 59, 59 Barber Street in Torrington. The venue, housed in an historic church just moments from downtown, has been hosting events since earlier this year.

The ensemble Pavone is bringing to the concert is large and includes Matt Mitchell (piano), Adam Matlock (accordion), Carl Testa (bass), and Steve Johns (drums) plus a Brass Quartet composed of Dave Ballou (cornet, flugelhorn), Peter McEachern (trombone), Leise Ballou (french horn) and Gary Buttery (tuba).  The bassist seems to get stronger with age, his music more impressive, especially on this project which recalls the "front stoop music" he heard growing up in post World War II in Waterbury, CT. For more information, go to www.studio59live.com or call 860-482-6801. 

Not only higher temperatures and more hours of daylight serve as reminders of the time of year but also the annual Hot Steamed Jazz Festival, the wonderful weekend of concerts whose proceeds benefit The Hole In The Wall Gang Camp in Ashford , CT , founded by the late Paul Newman.  The musical fun starts on Friday night, there are 2 separate sets of shows on Saturday, a Sunday Jazz Gospel service (at 10:30 a.m.) and Sunday afternoon performances. Scheduled to appear are pianist extraordinaire Jeff Barnhart, Dan Levinson’s New Millennium All-Stars, The Heartbeat Dixieland Jazz Band, Jazz Jesters with Jeff Hughes, and the Galvanized Jazz Band (plus more). If you think that traditional jazz is stuffy, these performers will shake you out of your seat. For more information and a rundown of events, go to www.hotsteamedjazz.com or call 860-575-0215. Lots of fun and food, all for a great cause.

Jay Hoggard, the perennial best-dressed musician on the Wesleyan campus (and elsewhere), brings his good vibes to the UMOJA Music Series this Friday at 6 p.m. in the Charter Oak Cultural Center, 21 Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford. He'll be playing with series founders Yunie Mojica (alto saxophone) and Raynel Frazier (trombone) plus an All-Star band including Josh Evans (trumpet), Jen Allen (piano), Stephen "King" Porter (bass), Jocelyn Pleasant (drums, /percussion), and Jonathan Barber (drums). The concert is free and open to the public.  This is the first of 4 Friday concerts (also 6/27, 7/11 and 7/18) featuring both established and impressive young players.  For more information, go to umojamusic.com.

The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme continues its weekly series of concerts that has impressed fans old and young with its variety and high quality.  This weekend is no exception.  On Friday, the impressive Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio makes its first CT sojourn in several years from its home in Iceland. Led by Ms. Gunnlaugs (piano), the Trio includes her husband Scott McLemore (drums) and Þorgrímur Jónsson (bass). With a style that owes as much to Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett as it does to British pianist John Taylor, the Trio creates a wonderful atmosphere where melodies intersect with improvisation.  The rhythm section is impressive in how the 2 interact with the soloist and each other.  To find out more, go to www.sunnagunnlaugs.com.  Doors open at 7:30 and the band's first set is at 8:30.

The following evening, Israeli-born tenor saxophonist Benny Sharoni brings his Quartet to The Side Door for an evening of hard-bop joy.  Sharoni came to the United States in 1986 to study at The Berklee School in Boston, MA, and stayed.  He has worked steadily on his composing and arranging, playing gigs around the Northeast and beyond.  He possesses a full sound, one that displays the influence of artists such as Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins but he's not a mere imitator.  His original pieces mine not only the the rich vein of Black American music but also contains echoes of his native land.

His Quartet includes long-time associates Steve Langone (drums) and Todd Baker (bass) plus special guest David Hazeltine (piano). They'll play 2 sets of songs, many of them jazz standards.  To learn more about Mr. Sharoni, go to www.bennysharoni.com.  For ticket information, go to thesidedoorjazz.com or call 860-434-0886.

The International Festival of Arts & Ideas presents one knockout of a free concert on the New Haven Green this Saturday when vocalist Diane Reeves joins forces with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, William Boughton, conductor. Need I write more?  Bring a chair, a picnic basket, a chilled bottle of wine and enjoy the show.  To find out more, go to artidea.org.

What a Week of Live Music in CT & Brooklyn + The Butler Does It

Wednesday June 11:

The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme brings vocalist Diane Schuur to the lively night spot for an 8:30 p.m. show.  Ms. Schuur is on the road to promote her new CD, "I Remember You: Stan and Frank" (Concord Jazz), released to celebrate her "discovery" 35 years ago at The 1979 Monterey Jazz Festival by Stan Getz (although the bio on her website says her discovery was in 1975). The saxophonist invited to take part in a concert at the website and her career began to take off in earnest.  The recording features songs made famous by both Mr. Getz and Frank Sinatra.

As for The Side Door gig, it's sold out.  There may be a "wait list" so call 860-434-0886 to find out.

The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown presents the Jessica Fichot Quartet at 7:30 p.m.  Ms. Fichot, a native of upstate New York, was raised in France and creates music in the French "chanson" style.  Her mother was born in Shanghai and her daughter has become quite interested in the "jazz/popular music" created in that city in the late 1930s and after World War II leading up to the Communist takeover.  The chanteuse plays accordion and toy piano while her band includes Matthas Alvear (acoustic bass), Alex Miller (guitar), and Sylvain Carton (clarinet, saxophone). Her most recent CD, "Le Secret", (self-released) came out in 2012 and features original compositions save for a Mandarin Chinese reading of Cher's "Bang Bang."  To make reservations, call 860-347-4957 or go to www.buttonwood.org.  To find out more about Ms. Fichot and her music, go to www.jessicasongs.com.

Thursday June 12:

Cellist/composer Erik Friedlander will be in New Haven twice this week. On Thursday, he's bringing his Broken Arm Trio plus One to the Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street, to perform the "Oscar Pettiford Project" at 5:30 p.m.  The concert, free and open to the public, will celebrate not only the music and tragically short life of the bassist/cellist (1922-1960) but also one of the exhibitions currently "up" in the gallery.  "Jazz Lives: The Photographs of Lee Friedlander and Milt Hinton" (on display through September 4, 2014).  Lee Friedlander is the cellist's father and has been photographing musicians (and more) for nearly 6

decades. Hinton (1910-2000) was a famous bassist, one of the first African American musicians to break the color barrier in the studios of New York City (playing on thousands of jazz and pop songs as well as advertising jingles).  He carried his camera everywhere he played and shot images of many of the jazz artists of the 20th Century.

For more information about the exhibition and the concert, go to artgallery.yale.edu/calendar/events/performance-live-jazz-jazz-lives-1.

This Saturday (6/14) is the opening day of the 17th Annual International Festival of Arts & Ideas, 15 days of music, theater, art, performance art, talks, symposia, dance and more, with almost all events taking place on the New Haven Green and venues on the campus of Yale University.

On that first day, Erik Friedlander will present "Block Ice and Propane", a program of solo cello music accompanied by photographs by the elder Friedlander and short films by Bill Morrison. When the cellist was a young boy, his father would pack the family into the camper and drive around the United States.  In 2007, Erik Friedlander released a CD (the same name as the program) made up of solo cello pieces that evoked the places where the family traveled and the many sights they took in.  The recording is filled with wonderfully vivid melodies and the cellist built the multi-media performance from his memories of those summer sojourns.  The concert takes place at 1 p.m. in the Iseman Theater, 1156 Chapel Street - for ticket information, go to artidea.org/erikfriedlander.

Here's Friedlander's "Airstream Envy"  to entice you:

Spectrum in Motion is a dance company that started in 1982 as vehicle for artists in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts to work together and continue developing their craft. In 2003, the artistic director, Olivia Sabualo Ilano-Davis began a program at the Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford to work with young people not only to teach the art and the craft of dance but also to learn to work as a team, to come together in creativity.

The company is holding a fund-raising concert on Thursday - "Solos & Duets 2014" - at 7 p.m. in the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue in Hartford.  Saxophonist Charles Neville (pictured above left) is the headliner - Mr. Neville, who is the only member of The Neville Brothers to live outside of their hometown of New Orleans, will perform with, at various times, vocalist Samirah Evans, cornetist Stephen Haynes, pianist Dan Campolieta, and vocalist Steve Mitchell.  For ticket information and more, go to www.brownpapertickets.com/event/609508EVENTPAGE.

Father's day is just around the corner (6/15) and drummer/producer Denardo Coleman has organized a concert to take place at 7 p.m. at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn.  The concert is "Celebrate Ornette: The Music of Ornette Coleman featuring Denardo Coleman Vibe." Denardo's dad, Ornette (pictured left), first put his son to work at the age of 10 (for which numerous critics took him to task) and they have worked together many times since then.  Music will be provided by the drummer with bassists Tony Falanga and Al McDowell plus Charles Ellerbe (guitar) and Antoine Roney (saxophone).  Among the guest musicians will be Laurie Anderson, Bill Laswell, Bruce Hornsby, Flea, Patti Smith, Joe Lovano, David Murray, Henry Threadgill, Ravi Coltrane, Geri Allen, Thurston Moore, and Bachir Attar & The Master Musicians of Jajouka plus more to be announced.  The concert, free and open to the public, is part of the summer-long Celebrate Brooklyn festivities and in honor of Blue Note Record's 75 Anniversary month.  For more information, go to www.prospectpark.org/calendar/event/celebrate-brooklyn-2014 or bricartsmedia.org/events/performing-arts/celebrate-ornette-the-music-of-ornette-coleman-featuring-denardo-coleman-vibe.

Friday June 13:

The Firehouse 12 Spring 2014 Concert Series comes to its ultimate performance this week with the first New Haven performance of the Satoko Fujii Trio + 1.  Ms. Fujii, a native of Tokyo, Japan, came to the US in 1985 to study at the Berklee School of Music.  She then returned home in 1987 but came to Boston to get her Master's Degree at the New England Conservatory of Music.  She studied with George Russell, Cecil McBee and Paul Bley. It was Mr. Bley who appeared on her 1996 debut album.  Since then, Ms. Fujii has released over 70 recordings with numerous ensembles including 4 different big bands, several groups with her trumpeter/husband Natsuki Tamura, trios with drummer Jim Black and bassist Mark Dresser, and a memorable duo disk with pianist Myra Melford.

This new Trio features bassist Todd Nicholson and drummer Yoshi Shutto, adding the trumpet of Kappa Maki.  Her music is often fluid blend of long melodic lines, frantic improvisations, soft passages leading to striking climaxes and more. Adventurous music that goes in many and, often, surprising directions, the 4 musicians will play 2 sets - 8:30 and 10 p.m. - for more information, go to firehouse12.com or call 203-785-0468.  

Trumpeter Pharez Whitted, who has worked with artists such as Elvin Jones, George Duke, Branford & Wynton Marsalis, and John Mellencamp (among many others), returns to The Side Door Jazz Club for an 8:30 p.m. performance.  Whitted, currently Director of Jazz Studies at Chicago State University, was one of the first artists to play the Old Lyme performance space upon its opening in Spring 2013.  His music blends hard-bop jazz of the 1960s with rhythm 'n' blues influences and can swing with great gusto.  For this gig, Whitted is bringing a Quartet.  Doors open at 7:30 - for more information, go to thesidedoorjazz.com.

Saturday June 14:

Guitarist and Hartford native Sean Clapis is performing a free concert at 2 p.m. in the cozy confines of Integrity 'n' Music, 506 Silas Deane Highway (rear) in Wethersfield.  Featured in his Trio are Jocelyn Pleasant (drums) and Ben Thomas (bass).  Integrity owner Ed Krech presents, on average, 3 concerts a month in the space and is a great supporter of local musicians as well as a huge fan of traditional New Orleans music (which is usually what's playing when you walk into the store).  For more information, call 860-563-4005.

The Side Door Jazz Club presents vocalist/composer Sarah Elizabeth Charles and her Quartet at 8:30 p.m. Ms. Charles, a native of Springfield, Massachusetts, was first exposed to jazz at the Community Music School in her home city.  She studied in New York City, earning degrees at the New School and Eugene Lang College.  She's performed alongside Jimmy Owens, Sheila Jordan, Dr. Billy Taylor, Geri Allen and many others.  Her 2012 debut, "Red" (Truth Revolution Records), featured standards, originals, and pieces built from Haitian folkloric tunes.

The Quartet features Jesse Elder (piano), Rahsaan Carter (bass) and, as of this moment, there's no listing of who's playing drums.  For more information about Ms. Charles and her music, go to sarahelizabethcharles.com. For tickets, call 860-434-0886 or go to thesidedoorjazz.com.

Here's a tune from that debut disc:

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4 years ago, I reviewed the debut EP from saxophonist/composer Johnny Butler and really liked it, not only for its musicality but also for the risks the musician took with his music (read the review here.) Well, he's back and raised the bar a bit higher.  His new EP, "Raise It Up," (self-released) finds Butler on tenor and baritone saxophones plus clarinet and a drummer (Kassa Overall) on all 7 tracks and bassist Aidan Carroll on 3 tracks. Alto saxophonist JJ Byars appears on one track.

Each track has samples galore, all contain vocals (certainly sampled), there are some serious grooves you can dance to, and it sounds darned good really loud.  There's a splendid hip hop take on "Jive Talking" (yes, the Bee Gees tune) with a strong (uncredited) rap and a solid dose of "Philly Soul" on "I Believe in You (Do You Believe in Me)."

"Raise It Up" is a glorious mash of styles, sounds and soul music, not so much a display of technical prowess as it shows what a strong producer/arranger Johnny Butler is becoming.  Go to www,johnnybutler.com and check out his music as well as his videos.

Here's some "Jive Talking" for you:

Live This, The First Week of Summer (Part 1)

Summer arrives this Friday (June 21) but the heat will be on in New Haven the night before.  With the International Festival of Arts & Ideas well into its first (of 2) weeks (artidea.org is a good place to check out the myriad events), here's a show jazz fans are sure to enjoy.  Bassist/composer Christian McBride comes to the Festival with his Inside Straight band.  The Quintet - McBride, Peter Martin (piano), Steve Wilson (alto and soprano saxophones), Warren Wolf (vibraphone) and Ulysses Owens, Jr. (drums) plus special guest Christian Sands (piano) - are in the midst of a tour celebrating its new Mack Avenue CD, "People Music" and they'll perform at 8 p.m. in Morse Recital Hall, 470 College Street.  Owens, Jr. is subbing for the group's regular drummer, the great Carl Allen, but it's no issue.  He and Sands play in McBride's Trio and they'll be releasing a CD in late summer.  For the 24-old Sands, it's a homecoming as he is a native of the Elm City. He studied with the late Dr. Billy Taylor and has worked with vibraphonist Stefon Harris, saxophonist Lou Donaldson and has traveled around the world.

For ticket information and more, click on the link above or call 1-888-ART-IDEA (278-4332.)  To learn more about the career and music of Mr. McBride, go to www.christianmcbride.com.

I had the happy occasion to chat with multi-reed player/composer Daniel Bennett - you can hear that conservation (for the time being by going to wliswmrd.net, going to the "On Demand" section and looking for "RK with Daniel Bennett."  We talked about the Daniel Bennett Group's new CD, "Clockhead Goes to Camp" (Manhattan Daylight Media Group), about his "roots", education (another NEC graduate) and his career. The DBG is playing a "CD Release Party" on Friday June 22 at the Funky Monkey Cafe, 130 Elm Street in Cheshire, CT (right off Route 10 in the center of town.) It's the ensemble's second CT gig this year as they played the Hartford Public Library's "Baby Grand" series on April 14.

For the Cheshire hit, the DBG includes Bennett, the group's New York City drummer Tyson Stubelek and Bennett's good friend, Assaf Kehati (guitar).  The music will be a giddy blend of folk, jazz, classical and pop with through-composed pieces as well as plenty of room for improvisation.  Bennett plays alto saxophone, flute, oboe and piccolo, with a pleasing, clean, tone on each and his long melody lines and the strong rhythmic of many of the songs is very appealing. To find out more about the Friday show, go to www.thefunkymonkeyycafe.com (check out their calendar - lots of stuff going on).  To get a taste of the DBG, go to www.danielbennettgroup.com.

Gig Alert + CD Pick (CT Connection)

That's bassist Ben Allison on the left of the picture and poet Robert Pinsky on the right.  They have been appearing together intermittently over the past 3 (or so) in a program that combines the spoken word and jazz.  Nothing new about that practice other than it does not happen as much these as it did even 25 years ago.  Jazz fans remember the work of Amiri Baraka with saxophonist David Murray in the 1980s as well as the hard-edged sound of poet Jayne Cortez and the Firespitters.  You dig back further and you will find the jazz poetry of Kenneth Rexroth in the 1950s plus the writing of Langston Hughes and Hart Crane in the 1920s.

Ben Allison is no stranger to the folks of New Haven as he is a native son and has appeared a good number of times over the past 2 decades.  Robert Pinsky, a native of New Jersey, studied at Rutgers then went on to get his PhD from Stanford. "Sadness and Happiness", his first book of poetry, was published in 1975 and he has since published 7 more collections, numerous essays, edited several books by other poets and served as the United States Poet Laureate from 1997-2000.

They'll be performing this coming Wednesday night (June 27) at 8 p.m. in Morse Recital Hall, 470 College Street in New Haven as part of the 2012 International Festival of Arts & Ideas. The Festival website (artidea.org) lists the Ben Allison Band  - the lineup will be percussionist Rogerio Boccato, guitarist Steve Cardenas and guitarist/banjo player Brandon Seabrook. In an email from Mr.Allison about the collaboration with the poet, "We'll be totally improvising our set with Robert.  It's very conversational and interactive music. Lots of dynamics and creative forms."  Sounds like this will be a great gig. 


I have been lax writing about this year's Fest, which began on June 16 and runs through the 30th, closing with a free concert on the New Haven Green featuring Rosanne Cash.  There has not been a lot of jazz in this year's schedule but there have been some excellent free concerts.  Click on the link above to see what great shows are coming up this week. To find out more about Ben Allison (he's quite a busy person), go to www.benallison.com - for an overview of the life and work of Robert Pinsky, go to www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/robert-pinsky.

The first time I heard clarinet player/composer François Houle was his 1998 Songlines CD "Vernacular" - the recording featured trumpeter Dave Douglas, bassist Mark Dresser, cellist Peggy Lee and drummer Dylan van der Schyff. The interaction of that band was fantastic, the music brimmed with creative energy and it remains one of my favorite recordings.  14 years later, Houle has gathered another larger ensemble, dubbing the group  François Houle 5 +1, and releasing "Genera" (Songlines). This is a band of leaders, including the "Connecticut Connection" Taylor Ho Bynum (Wesleyan graduate and New Haven resident on cornet and flugelhorn), Samuel Blaser (trombone), Michael Bates (bass) and Harris Eisenstadt (drums) - the +1 is Houle's long-time associate Benoit Delbecq (piano, electronics).  The blend of the sounds is intriguing throughout, often pairing Bynum's tart cornet lines with Blaser's buttery trombone work.  Bassist Bates and drummer Eisenstadt generate plenty of power pushing, coaxing and creating a strong foundation for the soloists to work off of.  Delbecq's left hand complements Bates' thick bass lines, offering a "freer" counterpoint.

Houle (who, by way, completed his advanced degree at the Yale School of Music) wrote these pieces with this instrumentation in mind and it offers him quite abroad palette. The frenzied "swing" of "Albatros" suggests both Andrew Hill and New Orleans, the former in the construction of the melody and the solo sections while one can hear the latter in the group's work on the theme section.  Bynum's solo builds off the energy of the rhythms section, adding even more fuel to the musical fire.  Blaser's solo over Eisenstadt's active drumming blends blues with longer tones, cooling down the music but not the interaction.  "Piano Loop (for BD)" opens with barely audible piano lines that coalesce into a classically inspired melody (played by Delbecq) and, one by one, the other musicians enter.  Bynum, Blaser and Houle play variations of the pianist's theme until the cornet and clarinet come together to play the melody then separate into their own own phrases. There is an aura of peaceful interaction until one by one, the musicians depart to leave the pianist in his solemnity.

"Sulfur Dude" meshes (or mashes) several different styles (Latin rhythms and circus music, to name but 2) into a fanciful stew.  Bynum reaches for the stratosphere in his solo while Houle tamps down that fire with a solo that starts quietly then build steadily over Eisenstadt's conversational drumming.  When the group returns to the theme, the pianist plays rapid-fire lines that seen to encourage the other musicians to abandon the melody and interact with him as the piece fades. "Guanara", the longest track on the disk at 12 minutes, has a rhythmic approach reminiscent of Duke Ellington's "Blue Bird of Delhi" (from "The Far East Suite") - Bates and Eisenstadt not only set the tempo but also are entrusted with the shifting dynamics as they interact with the energy of the soloists (Houle takes a fiery solo that leads to a fine bass spotlight.)  The sextet creates a similar musical volcano (in 2:13, no less) on "Old Paradigm", which brings to mind the musical experiments of Muhal Richard Abrams. 

Perhaps the most impressive fact about "Genera" is that the 6 musicians had not played or even rehearsed this music together in a live setting before the March 23, 2012 recording date.  Houle had recorded a "demo" with Bynum, Bates and Eisenstadt in 2011 but had worked on the music, changing arrangements and adding new songs in the months before the session.  It speaks to the professionalism of the musicians, their respect and trust of the composer/arranger, as well as their considerable talents that this music is so good.  On June 25, the 5+1 begin a 12 day-8 city tour in Toronto, Ontario, that takes them back and forth across Canada, as far west as Vancouver (July 1) and back east to St. John's/Newfoundland (July 6).  By the time they finish, this music should be stunning (they should release a "live" version of "Genera" music.) One hopes that François Houle is able to keep writing for these musicians because his initial encounter with them is quite forceful and impressive. For more information, go to www.francoisehoule.ca/.


Here's a download of "Piano Loop (for BD)" courtesy of Songlines Recordings and IODA Promonet:
Piano Loop (for BD) (mp3)