Curt's Jazz Cafe

2014 Jazz Grammy® Preview #5 – Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Posted in 2014 Grammys with tags 2014 grammys, alan ferber, Brooklyn Babylon, brussels jazz orchestra, darcy james argue, dave slonaker, grammy nominations, jazz, jazz grammys, joe lovano, randy brecker on January 26, 2014 by curtjazz

Our final Grammy preview touches on the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. While this category used to be home to the ghost bands of the great big band leaders, it has now become a place where you will find some of the most creative arranging and writing in jazz; from artists who often don’t even get to be heard on what remains of jazz radio (terrestrial and internet).

The nominees are:

Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society: Brooklyn Babylon (New Amsterdam Records)

This is by far the most ambitious project of any of those nominated in this category. Darcy James Argue conceived Brooklyn Babylon in collaboration with graphic novelist Danijel Zezelj, whose work evokes a mythic Brooklyn where the borough’s past, present and future collide. What you have musically is, well, everything. There are sections inspired by Sousa’s marches, others inspired by classical music; another inspired by New Orleans Second Lines and still more where you have a swinging 4/4 big band. It’s exactly what you’d expect if every musical culture in the history of Brooklyn managed to collide and intermingle. This music is never boring and at times inspiring. I’m afraid though that most Grammy voters won’t get it and therefore won’t vote for it.

Randy Brecker, Wlodek Pawlik Trio & Kalisz Philharmonic: Night in Calisia (Summit Records)

Now Randy Brecker on the other hand, they get. This recording is the result of a musical contribution to the celebration of the 1850th anniversary of Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The culmination took place in June of 2010 with a concert called ‘’Night in Calisia’’. The event was such a success the musicians decided to go into the studio to record the project nearly two years after the concert. The prolific trumpeter and the Polish pianist/composer Wlodek Pawlik, have created a beautiful slice of symphonic jazz. It’s not groundbreaking but it sounds like it is so Grammy voters will love it. Randy Brecker is also a name that they know. This album stands a very strong chance of winning.

Brussels Jazz Orchestra (feat. Joe Lovano): Wild Beauty (Half Note)

Wild Beauty features the great Joe Lovano’s inimitable tenor sound, blowing hard over some of his own compositions wrapped in terrific Gil Goldstein arrangements performed by the Brussels Jazz Orchestra. It’s one of Lovano’s most accessible sets and hearing it here reminded me what a fine writer Lovano is. Lovano’s tunes make this my favorite set of all of those nominated. When you add in Lovano’s relative renown, this set has to be considered a co-favorite with the Brecker album.

Alan Ferber: March Sublime (Sunnyside Records)

Trombonist Alan Ferber’s March Sublime features mostly his compositions and arrangements, performed by some of the best session players in New York today. The arrangements are very good and they are performed very competently. Ferber’s band is a contemporary one, that is to say that they concentrate not on the swing era but on the style of big band music that has been written and performed in the latter decades of the 20th Century and into the 21st. Though this is a nice album, I think that it is a long shot to win today.

Dave Slonaker Big Band: Intrada (Origin Records)

Intrada is veteran West Coast composer/arranger Dave Slonaker’s first album as a leader. He has filled it with hard-hitting brassy arrangements that swing like mad. Intrada hearkens back to the time when all of the late night talk shows had big bands, stocked with some of the best jazz cats on the left coast, paying the rent and making their intros and outros cook. Again, this album is a Grammy long shot but it’s an impressive showcase for Slonaker’s skills.

So here is my final bottom line unscientific prediction:

Should Win: Darcy James Argue
Will Win: Randy Brecker

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read my previews. I hope that you’ve found them informational even if you disagreed with me. I will be live tweeting during the pre-show, when these awards are being presented.

Until the next time, The Jazz Continues…

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2014 Jazz Grammy® Preview #4 – Best Latin Jazz Album

Posted in 2014 Grammys with tags 2014 grammys, afro-cuban jazz, buika, jazz, La Noche Más Larga, Larga Buika, latin jazz, Latin Jazz category, omar sosa, paquito d'rivera, roberto fonseca, Warner Music Spain, wayne wallace on January 26, 2014 by curtjazz

The Latin Jazz category was thankfully added back to the Grammys last year. Unfortunately, it was promptly made a mockery of by the selection of the worst of the nominated albums for the award and by the arrogance of the winner in his long-winded acceptance speech. As in most of the other jazz categories this year, Latin Jazz features a very strong and culturally diverse set of nominees representing a broad spectrum of the Latin Jazz experience. This time, any of them would be a deserving victor.

The nominees are:

Buika: La Noche Más Larga (Warner Music Spain)

I confess to having never heard of Buika before her nomination. She has a new fan in me. The Miami based singer grew up in Spain. Her parents are from Equatorial Guinea. On La Noche Más Larga Buika sings mostly in her native Spanish but also in English on a stunning version of “Don’t Explain”. This album mines the connection between flamenco, Afro-Cuban music and jazz to remarkable effect and Buika’s captivating voice is just the instrument to being it to us. Now will she win a Grammy? Most likely not, as most U.S. listeners are in the same boat as I was before December. But do your homework people and listen to this amazing vocalist!

Paquito D’Rivera & Trio Corrente: Song for Maura (Sunnyside/Paquito Records)

This is the second nomination this year for Paquito D’Rivera. The title track from this album was also nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo. Though he is naturally associated with the music of his native Cuba, Mr. D’Rivera has often dabbled in Brazilian rhythms. He dives in headfirst on this album with the Brazilian Trio Corrente. He avoids the familiar Brazilian compositions and leaves most of the arranging to his counterparts in the group. His alto sax and clarinet wrap around the music like a glove. It’s a very good and extremely listenable album. D’Rivera’s is the most recognizable name on this list which makes him a prohibitive favorite to win this award.

Roberto Fonseca: Yo (Concord Jazz)

This Cuban pianist knocked my socks off with his command of the keyboard that can turn from percussively powerful to lyrically soft at the drop of a hat. It’s Jazz cum Afro-Cuban cum R&B and it just flows from beginning to end. Again, his lack of name recognition in the U.S. will work against him today, as he is a long-shot to win this award.

Omar Sosa: Eggun (Otá Records)

This album was born when Omar Sosa received a commission from the Barcelona Jazz Festival to compose and produce a tribute to Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue. However, instead of just wrapping a Latin beat around the famous Davis tunes as so many have done before, Mr. Sosa takes the essence of the compositions or even one of the saxophone solos from the original and forms brand new works from them, using Cuban and West African rhythms as a bed. It’s a thrilling album, especially if you’re a lover of the source material. In a just world, Eggun would be the Grammy winner. However Mr. Sosa is probably going home empty-handed.

Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet: Latin Jazz – Jazz Latin (Patois Records)

It’s about time that Grammy got around to recognizing trombonist Wayne Wallace who is one of the best Latin Jazz/Afro-Cuban musicians on the West Coast and maybe in the whole country. Mr. Wallace and his cohorts stick to the classic Mambo/Merengue/Plena style of the genre made famous by Puente, Machito, Bauzá and others. He also throws in a few surprises (such as a flute/violin/trombone “horn section”) to keep things lively. I still think that D’Rivera will win this award but if anyone in this category will pull an upset, it will be Wayne Wallace.

So here is my bottom line unscientific prediction:

Should Win: Omar Sosa
Will Win: Paquito D’Rivera & Trio Corrente

One more preview to go before the awards show!

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2014 Jazz Grammy® Preview #3 – Best Instrumental Jazz Album

Posted in 2014 Grammys with tags 2014 grammys, chick corea, christian mcbride, Concord Jazz, Concord Jazz Records, gary burton, gerald clayton, grammy nominations, Instrumental Jazz, jazz, jazz grammys, kenny garrett, Mack Avenue, Mack Avenue Records, terri lyne carrington on January 24, 2014 by curtjazz

Here we go with the second of the two major Jazz Grammy races; Best Instrumental Jazz Album. Like the award for the vocalists, this award seems to carry a bit more prestige than the others, whether it’s deserved or not. Also like the Jazz Vocal Album award, this year’s race features its strongest field in quite a while. Any of these five nominees would be a worthy winner. But as in all of the other categories, name recognition and industry politics will likely play a role in who comes out on top. A couple of notable things: First, although Hall of Famers Chick Corea and Wayne Shorter released new projects this year, neither has been nominated in this category. Second, two record labels split the all of the nominations for the category, Concord Jazz and Mack Avenue.

The nominees are:

The New Gary Burton Quartet: Guided Tour (Mack Avenue Records)

Guided Tour is the second offering from Gary Burton’s latest group, a strong aggregation, which includes four virtuoso players, including Julian Lage who is a terrific young guitarist and the amazing Antonio Sanchez on drums. The music is easy-going and extremely well performed. However when I first heard it, it left me a bit cold and that feeling has never gone away. Nevertheless, I pick them as a favorite to win because of Burton’s familiarity with the voters.

Terri Lyne Carrington: Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue (Concord Jazz Records)

One of the most pleasant surprises of the Grammy ceremony two years ago was Terri Lyne Carrington’s Grammy win for her brilliant album The Mosaic Project. On this follow-up, Ms. Carrington decided to do something fairly daring; re-imagining the one of the holy books in jazz’s canon, the Money Jungle album that featured the once in a lifetime trio of Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach. With Gerald Clayton on piano and Christian McBride on bass, Carrington thankfully chooses not to recreate the originals but instead uses them as starting points for some interesting interpretations. Guest spots from Lizz Wright, Antonio Hart and longtime Carrington mentor Clark Terry help to give fresh perspective. It’s a tight race in this category and Ms. Carrington has won before. I’d give her a solid chance to do it again.

Gerald Clayton: Life Forum (Concord Jazz Records)

Life Forum represents another in a string of Grammy nominations for this increasingly busy young pianist. It was a departure from his previous trio focused efforts and included vocalists (Gretchen Parlato and Sachal Vasandani) and horns (Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, Logan Richardson). These additions added a spark and warmth that had been missing from Clayton’s prior albums, making it his most listenable project. But because he is the “baby” of this bunch, he is a long shot to win on Sunday night.

Kenny Garrett: Pushing the World Away (Mack Avenue Records)

Pushing the World Away is Kenny Garrett’s second consecutive nomination in this category. It was kind of surprising to see Garrett return with another strong album within 12 months of his last one (Seeds from the Underground) but Mr. Garrett said that he felt that he “had a lot of music” in him after the last project. Which may explain why Pushing the World Away sounds relatively similar to its predecessor. Which isn’t the worst thing in the world as I felt that Seeds… was one of 2012’s best Jazz albums and one of the bests of Garrett’s long career. I wouldn’t make him the favorite but I’m getting a sneaking feeling that he just may pull this off.

Christian McBride Trio: Out Here (Mack Avenue Records)

This is a back to basics trio date with two very exciting featuring the best (and busiest) bassist in jazz with two young cohorts; pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. There’s nothing new here but what they do, they do stunningly well. It’s three world-class musicians, playing some standards, some originals and a couple of fun surprises. I’m personally rooting for these cats but based on Grammy’s history in this category, I don’t think they will win.

So here is my bottom line unscientific prediction:

Should Win: Christian McBride Trio
Will Win: The New Gary Burton Quartet

In the next post, we will touch on what is surprisingly, the most eclectic group of nominees in this year’s jazz categories – Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

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2014 Jazz Grammy® Preview #2 – Best Jazz Vocal Album

Posted in 2014 Grammys with tags 2014 grammys, andy bey, Best Jazz Vocal Album, cecile mclorin salvant, grammy nominations, gregory porter, jazz grammys, lorraine feather, tierney sutton on January 24, 2014 by curtjazz

Our second category is for the singers: Best Jazz Vocal Album. This is as strong a group of nominees for this award as I’ve seen in a while. There’s not a dud in the bunch. Though there are a number of seasoned vets here who’ve had their share of nominations, I think that it’s really a race between two relative newcomers for the trophy.

The nominees are:

Andy Bey: The World According to Andy Bey (HighNote Records)

The 74-year-old vocalist is an under-appreciated treasure. Every few years he reappears again to drop another bit of timeless art on us. Usually these days it’s just Bey’s voice and his piano, which is more than sufficient. The World According to Andy Bey is his second Grammy nominated album, following American Song in 2005. Bey does might justice to a well mixed group of standards, his own tunes and rarely performed songs by others. Though a win by Mr. Bey would be a great thing. It’s not likely to happen; the juggernaut of the newcomers is a bit too strong.

Lorraine Feather: Attachments (Jazzed Media)

Ms. Feather is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. I love the unfailing wry wit in her lyrics and the way that she interprets them. Why another singer hasn’t done an album of Feather’s compositions is a mystery to me. The Grammy nominating committee also appreciates her , as Attachments is her third album in a row to be nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Attachments is classic Feather as she mines one of her favorite topics, relationships. Not just male/female interactions but family, friends and even vermin are discussed and wondered upon. It’s one of her best among many very good albums. This woman should get a Grammy but I don’t think that it will happen this time.

Gregory Porter: Liquid Spirit (Blue Note Records)

Juggernaut – Part 1. Gregory Porter’s reputation has grown by leaps and bounds since he first burst on the scene with Water in 2010. His brand of soul-infused jazz singing brought him critical and commercial acclaim. Liquid Spirit, his first album for Blue Note, has garnered two Grammy nominations; one in this category for the album and the other for Best Traditional R & B Performance for the song “Hey Laura”. The album is very strong (though not IMO, as good as last year’s Be Good, which was also Grammy nominated) The critics love him, the fans love him and his name recognition is growing. Will Grammy love him? I’d say that there’s a good chance. The only one I think who could stop him from winning is…

Cecile McLorin Salvant: WomanChild (Mack Avenue Records)

Juggernaut – Part 2. Cecile McLorin Salvant seemingly appeared out of nowhere and dropped the best jazz vocal album of not only this year but of the last few years in WomanChild. Her way with a lyric is impeccable, her swing is right on time and her voice is unique in the best way possible. The thing is, she is just 24 years old! She’s got Abbey Lincoln’s wizened soul wrapped in her youthful, downtown cool persona. In addition, the non-jazz media seems to be lining up behind her, with one mainstream publication stopping just short of anointing Ms. Salvant as “The Next Esperanza Spalding”. All of these stars aligning usually leads to victory on Grammy night, which I feel is a very likely case here. The only thing that may stop her is some may vote against her because of her youth but I doubt that will happen.

Tierney Sutton: After Blue (BFM Jazz)

Tierney Sutton alas, is to this Grammy category as Glenn Close is to the Oscars. Like Ms. Close, she is a very well-respected, gifted performer, whose art is always good enough to get her nominated for the big awards but in the end, she ends up being eclipsed by someone with a hot hand. After Blue gained Ms. Sutton her fifth nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. As usual, it’s a great album; focused on the music of the legendary Joni Mitchell. Sutton has given us some fresh takes on some very familiar tunes and done consistent justice to the material. Also as usual, there’s a big, shiny object that will likely attract voter’s attention away from Ms. Sutton’s steady artistry. She is the longest shot.

So here is my bottom line unscientific prediction:

Should Win: Cecile McLorin Salvant
Will Win: Cecile McLorin Salvant

Next up on our preview will be Best Jazz Instrumental Album, which includes another very strong field of contenders this year.

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2014 Jazz Grammy® Preview #1 – Best Improvised Jazz Solo

Posted in 2014 Grammys with tags Blue Note, donny mccaslin, fred hersch, julian lage, paquito d'rivera, ravi coltrane, ron carter, terence blanchard, trio corrente, wayne shorter on January 22, 2014 by curtjazz

Well folks, here we are again. The Grammy® Awards will be handed out on Sunday, January 26. As usual, the awards in the jazz categories will be announced during the “Pre-Show” before the televised broadcast. As I have done over the past few years I’ve put together a review of the jazz category nominees, including a musical clip and my opinion about the artists chances to take some hardware home on Sunday. Let’s start as has become customary with jazz’s equivalent of Record of the Year, “Best Improvised Jazz Solo”

The nominees are:

“Don’t Run”: Terence Blanchard – soloist (From the album Magnetic [Blue Note Records])

This is the best track on trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s best album in years. Frankly, I’m surprised that Magnetic did not get a Best Instrumental Jazz Album nomination. Nevertheless, this cut features great solos from Blanchard, Ravi Coltrane on soprano sax and the legendary Ron Carter on bass. Will it win? It’s got a good chance. Blanchard is fairly well-known and the record did create some mild buzz this summer. However there is a bona fide legend in this category who may stand in Blanchard’s way.

“Song for Maura”: Paquito D’Rivera – soloist (From the album Song for Maura [Sunnyside Records])

Another very strong track in this very competitive field, “Song for Maura” is an old D’Rivera composition given new life in this excellent rendition, which is the title track to D’Rivera’s summit meeting with the Brazilian group Trio Corrente. The album is nominated for a Best Latin Jazz Album Grammy. D’Rivera’s clarinet and the light Brazilian rhythms make for an intoxicating mix. It has a decent shot because of D’Rivera’s relative renown but I think he stands a better chance of the album winning.

“Song Without Words #4: Duet”: Fred Hersch – soloist (from the album Free Flying (Fred Hersch and Julian Lage) [Palmetto Records])

Pianist Fred Hersch has garnered six Grammy nominations during his career but has yet to take home the prize. That and the fact this is a brilliant classically tinged track from a brilliant album makes Hersch a sentimental favorite. However, I think that he is likely to go home empty-handed again.

“Stadium Jazz”: Donny McCaslin – soloist (From the album Casting for Gravity (Greenleaf Music)]

Donny McCaslin is the relative newcomer in this group, having been nominated to my knowledge, only once before, in 2005. “Stadium Jazz” is a fun, fusion based track and McCaslin reminds us all that he is one of the best saxophonists in the business. Unfortunately though, in this very strong field, he is a long shot.

“Orbits”: Wayne Shorter – soloist (From the album Without a Net [Blue Note Records])

Remember that legend that I was talking about earlier? Here he is. The biggest stunner of this whole nomination list this year was that this was the only nomination that Wayne Shorter’s return to Blue Note Records garnered. Not that this is Shorter’s best work but we all know that Grammy loves legends. But this is IMO the best performance on Without a Net and Shorter is a Jazz Hall of Famer. So although my personal favorite is Terence Blanchard, I predict that Wayne Shorter will be your winner on Sunday.

This will be a hotly contested category as will most of the jazz categories this year. Frankly I wouldn’t squawk if any of the nominees walked away victorious.

So here is my bottom line unscientific prediction:

Should Win: Terence Blanchard
Will Win: Wayne Shorter

Up next, will be Best Jazz Vocal Album. Again, there’s a clear favorite but some strong contenders.

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12 Years a Slave – A Jazz Perspective from T.K. Blue

Posted in CD Reviews, Under The Radar with tags 12 years a slave, jazz musicians, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Solomon Northup, steve turre, talib kibwe on January 17, 2014 by curtjazz

With an outstanding movie now out that has just received a slew of Oscar nominations to go along with its other plaudits, the fascinating autobiography of Solomon Northup is garnering some very well deserved and long overdue attention from the general public. In this case however, jazz cognoscenti can look at all of this Northup hype and say, “where y’all been?” For the jazz world paid a very impressive, albeit unheralded tribute to 12 Years a Slave back in 2008, with Follow the North Star an album by saxophonist T.K. Blue.

In 2007, Mr. Blue (aka Talib Kibwe) received a commission from the NY State Council on the Arts to compose a suite dedicated to the early African-American presence in the Hudson Valley area of New York. His research led him to 12 Years a Slave and Northup’s amazing story. Mr. Blue then composed a jazz suite as a musical retelling of Mr. Northup’s journey. The suite, titled Follow the North Star, was recorded in the fall of 2007 with Blue being supported by some of New York’s finest jazz musicians including Onaje Allan Gumbs, Steve Turre, James Weidman and Essiet Okon Essiet. The finished album was released in 2008 0n Blue’s JaJa Records Label.

Musically, Follow the North Star is first-rate straight ahead jazz, with a few quasi African embellishments such as Mr. Turre’s famous shells and Mr. Blue’s very competent work on the kalimba. Mr. Blue’s compositions are extremely strong and the group of committed musicians make it work. This music grabs you with equal parts of ecstatic joy and heartbreaking pain. As I wrote in Jazz Improv Magazine at the time of the album’s release: “Mr. Blue takes us on a wordless but yet richly satisfying journey through Northup’s life, from his ancestry to his return to his family, making all of the painful, harrowing, and joyous stops in between… I found the music to be most compelling when listened to from beginning to end, like a symphonic movement…” (Jazz Improv, July 2008). But in spite of the high quality of the music, Follow the North Star made barely a ripple, even with the jazz buying segment of the population.

So with interest in 12 Years a Slave and Solomon Northup running at an all time high now, it’s a good time for jazz fans to revisit this excellent but virtually ignored work of art. The CD is available from CD Baby and the mp3 version from Amazon.com. For more information on T.K. Blue, who is also the chairman of the Jazz Studies program at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, you may visit his website at http://www.tkblue.com. You may also want to check out some of Mr. Blue’s other fine albums, including 2011’s LatinBird (Motéma) and his brand new self released album, A Warm Embrace (CD Baby).

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Video Memorial: Ronny Jordan (1962 – 2014)

Posted in In Memoriam with tags acid jazz, Acid Jazz movement, ronny jordan, the jackal, the west wing on January 14, 2014 by curtjazz

I just heard that Ronny Jordan has passed away. The British guitarist was one of the leading lights of the Acid Jazz movement that caught fire in England in the early nineties and because of his work with Guru and other American hip-hop artists his cool, Wes Montgomery influenced lines were soon heard on many tracks in U.S. clubs as well.

I really dug his first two U.S. releases, The Antidote (his best album) and The Quiet Revolution, which were released at the height of Acid Jazz’s popularity in the U.S. Ironically most people in this country probably know him for a track on The Quiet Revolution that was popularized by a scene on a television show in which Jordan was never mentioned by name. The show is The West Wing and the song is “The Jackal” to which the character “C.J.”(Allison Janney) performs a quirky, yet compelling lip-sync of Dana Bryant’s spoken-word vocal.

Jordan continued to perform and record into the 21st Century but he never again reached the popularity stateside that the last decade of the 20th Century brought him.

For those unfamiliar with his work, I’ve included a few clips, including The Antidote in its entirety and a couple of cuts of Jordan playing live, showing off his chops.

Rest in Peace, Ronny Jordan

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Album Review: René Marie – I Wanna Be Evil: With Love to Eartha Kitt

Posted in CD Reviews with tags Eartha Kitt, etienne charles, jazz vocalists, Motema Records, Wycliffe Gordon on January 13, 2014 by curtjazz

The following review first appeared in the January 2014 issue of Eric Nemeyer’s JazzInside Magazine

René Marie

I WANNA BE EVIL (With Love to Eartha Kitt) – Motéma Records MTM-129 www.motema.com I’d Rather Be Burned As a Witch; C’est Si Bon; Oh, John; Let’s Do It; Peel Me a Grape; My Heart Belongs to Daddy; I Wanna Be Evil; Come On-a My House; Santa Baby; Weekend

PERSONNEL: René Marie, vocals; Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; Adrian Cunningham, tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute; Etienne Charles, trumpet, percussion; Kevin Bales, piano; Elias Bailey, bass; Quentin Baxter, drums, percussion, washboard

By Curtis Davenport

Leave it to René Marie to wreck my plans. At this point in the year, I felt fairly comfortable with my personal list of the best jazz albums that I’d heard in 2013. Now along comes Ms. Marie with I Wanna Be Evil, a tribute the immortal Eartha Kitt.

Most serious jazz fans are by now familiar with much of René Marie’s back story. The Virginia native did not sing professionally until age 42; after raising her sons who encouraged their mother to finally pursue her dream. Singing represented freedom for Ms. Marie in many ways. She married young and spent many years feeling oppressed in her marriage and by the strict conservatism of the religion that she practiced during those years. I’ve watched Ms. Marie since she first came on the scene and it has been fascinating to watch her artistic growth, from the tentative joy of her debut album, How Can I Keep From Singing to the unexpected brilliance of Vertigo; to her arresting “comeback” after some controversy, with Voice of My Beautiful Country, to this new album where she demonstrates that any of her past shackles have been cast aside as she revels in her hard-earned personal and artistic independence.

Ms. Marie had sworn to never do a tribute album but the lure of Ms. Kitt, who not coincidentally also courted a bit of controversy in her day, was too great to resist. To her credit, Marie has avoided impersonations of the legendary diva but instead has taken a fresh look at some of the tunes associated with her. She is aided by stellar work from her musicians, especially the horn section of reedman Adrian Cunningham, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and trumpeter/arranger Etienne Charles, whose charts are consistently on the money. “I’d Rather be Burned As a Witch” sets the table perfectly as the lyric practically gives Ms. Marie’s rationale for everything that follows it on the album, with a hard swinging vocal, a horn arrangement where three do the work of a big band, punctuated by a growling statement by Mr. Gordon. “Let’s Do It” after a sedate reading of the rarely heard verse, turns on the bass riff from Horace Silver’s “Señor Blues”, set by Elias Bailey and a driving beat from Quentin Baxter. Marie then mines this usually sly and sedate Porter tune for all the soul that its worth as she sings with grittiness that she has rarely displayed on record. She is pushed there by Gordon who makes his ‘bone talk like a preacher telling the truth on Sunday morning. The other Porter chestnut, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” gets perhaps the most Kitt-like reading as Marie slinks through the lyric, raising temperatures during the coda as she repeats increasingly intense variations on the phrase “…’cause daddy treats it so well…”. The title track is tongue-in-cheek fun where Marie has a ball with the lyric and the musicians drop some great solo turns (Mr. Charles’ gifts as a horn arranger are a revelation). Marie and company even tackle that most indelible of Kitt songs, “Santa Baby”. They slow it down to a sensual crawl, with just Bales, Bailey and Charles’ trumpet accompanying the vocalist’s breathy smolder. If I’m Santa, I would answer this request first.

The set concludes with the album’s only original composition, “Weekend” a compelling piece by Ms. Marie that touches on some very adult issues. It is made more interesting by the fact that it does not pass judgment on any of its characters nor does it offer a definitive conclusion. Marie tells the story and then leaves it to the listener to answer the questions, which makes the track all the more memorable.

I Wanna Be Evil may have come late to the 2013 party but it was worth the wait. It’s easily one of the best albums of the year and perhaps the best of René Marie’s relatively short but consistently impressive career.

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Album Review: Eric Reed – Reflections of a Grateful Heart

Posted in CD Reviews with tags eric reed, gospel jazz on January 12, 2014 by curtjazz

This review first appeared in the January 2014 issue of Eric Nemeyer’s JazzInside Magazine

Eric Reed

REFLECTIONS OF A GRATEFUL HEART – WJ3 Records WJ31015 www.williejones3.com I Love The Lord; In Case You’ve Forgotten; Changed; Psalm 8; ‘Tis So Sweet; Hymn; New Morning; This Day; God Cares; Prayer; Spiritual; I Love You Lord Today/We Praise You Lord

PERSONNEL: Eric Reed, piano

By Curtis Davenport

Like many other fine jazz pianists before him, Eric Reed did not spring forth from the womb playing bop or swing. Though you clearly can hear Monk, Powell, Ellington, John Lewis and others in his style, his first piano idols were men such as Thomas Whitfield, James Cleveland, Richard Smallwood, Edwin Hawkins and others; artists whose names are virtually unknown in jazz but who are legends in the world of gospel music. This should come as no surprise because Mr. Reed is the son of a minister, who started playing piano at the age of two and cut his musical teeth playing in his father’s storefront church. The jazz influences came later. So like his contemporary, Cyrus Chestnut and his predecessors like Bobby Timmons, Mr. Reed’s sound is never too far from the church. His latest project Reflections of a Grateful Heart is as the title implies, a reverent appreciation, first of God and then of the music of the under-appreciated masters of the music that has meant so much to him, spiritually and stylistically.

This is not Reed’s first “All-Gospel” recording; 2009’s Stand! was a swinging trio date featuring original Reed compositions with titles that left no doubt as to their subject matter. Mercy and Grace from 2003 was like Reflections of a Grateful Heart, a solo piano album but it concentrated on traditional spirituals such as “Jesus Loves Me” and “Wade in the Water”. Reflections… is an amalgam of its predecessors, a solo piano album that features compositions by some of the aforementioned influences and some Reed originals. But where the two prior albums were a “church service”, mixing the uptempo foot-stompers with the slower pieces; Reflections… is worship time. The song selections are obviously very personal and reverential. We the listeners are afforded the opportunity to listen in as Mr. Reed spends intimate time speaking to and thanking God for the great gifts that He has given him.

Reed chose two compositions by Richard Smallwood a classically trained pianist, who writes some of today’s most beautiful Gospel songs. The stately “I Love the Lord” opens the album with Reed taking his time, building the theme toward a hushed crescendo. A lesser pianist might have given in to the temptation to play with abandon. The fact that Mr. Reed doesn’t, adds to the effectiveness of the performance. “Psalm 8” is the other Smallwood piece. Here we hear a little more of Reed, the jazz pianist as he draws the blues chords in the melody to the fore. The opening words of the Psalm (“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth…”) permeate Reed’s playing. Thomas Whitfield, another brilliant contemporary Gospel composer, who died far too young, is represented by “In Case You’ve Forgotten”. Reed opens his version with a quote from John Lewis’ classic “Django” before moving into the rich melody. Mr. Reed also leaves some room for his own impressive non-secular compositions, including “New Morning” and “Prayer”, which had been performed on Stand! Stripped of any bass and drum adornments, these two beautiful works become even more personal. I don’t know if lyrics have been composed for either of these pieces but they certainly cry out for them. The time of devotion closes with a medley of “I Love You Lord Today”, one of the more popular contemporary worship songs and Reed’s own “We Praise You Lord”. The two pieces mesh together seamlessly, to leave instill a feeling of overwhelming peace and hope in those who have experienced this album.

Eric Reed’s Reflections of a Grateful Heart is an artistic statement of rare beauty. We often hear artists perform for us but how often do we get to hear an artist bare his soul? As someone who shares Mr. Reed’s religious beliefs, I was as much moved by the worship experience as I was by Mr. Reed’s stellar piano playing.

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Jazz Artists We Lost in 2013 – Part II

Posted in In Memoriam, Video Vault with tags ben tucker bass, boyd lee dunlop, ed shaughnessy, gloria lynne, jazz musicians, JazzTimes, jimmy ponder, johnny smith guitar, melvin rhyne, oscar castro neves, ricky lawson, sam most, sathima bea benjamin on January 2, 2014 by curtjazz

Though I never intended my previous post to be a comprehensive record of fine jazz artists who passed away in 2013, I realize after reviewing JazzTimes‘ list that there were so, so many that I left out.

So although this is still far from all-inclusive, here’s another video clip memorial to some of the fine jazz musicians who left us in 2013.

Many of these names are not as familiar as the ones from Part I, but if you’re not familiar with them, it will be worth your while to do some research.

The masters are leaving us very quickly friends, please support and appreciate them while they are here.

Sathima Bea Benjamin (voice)