Jazz Consumer Guide (17):
Festival Visions

William Parker's New York festival pays dividends for record buyers everywhere

by Tom Hull

Pick Hits

William Parker: Double Sunrise Over Neptune (AUM Fidelity) A large group with free-wheeling horns, a string quartet (plus bass), oud, guitar or banjo, two drummers, and an operatic singer from India named Sageeta Bandyopadhyay. Remarkably, it all holds together, paced by a metronomic bassline, which Parker subcontracts so he can work on exotica, including the West African lute called the doson ngoni and squeaky double reed instruments. The sort of miracle Sun Ra used to conjure up, but two planets further out from Ra's home base. A

Rob Brown Ensemble: Crown Trunk Root Funk (AUM Fidelity) An unsung hero of many William Parker projects, alto saxophonist Brown finally gets his showcase, leading a superb quartet that started as a Vision Festival gig and worked their way into the studio. Parker is the bassist, of course. Gerald Cleaver drums, and Craig Taborn will turn some ears with his piano. Brown's slower pieces take a while to settle in. His fast ones are breathtaking. A MINUS

Bloodcount: Seconds (1997, Screwgun) Originally filmed in 1994, the DVD component of this three-disc package offers little visually, but rehearsal shots strip the seamless music to basic elements, all of which seem to flow through drummer Jim Black's body. Three years later, those elements merge into the mesmerizing live sets spread over two CDs here; the main trick how the two reeds -- Tim Berne on alto and baritone sax, Chris Speed on tenor sax and clarinet -- intertwine in a single, complex harmonic thread. A MINUS

The Roy Campbell Ensemble: Akhenaten Suite (AUM Fidelity) The two multi-part suites are hard to gauge as Egyptology, but their depth of feeling are palpable. Billy Bang's violin carries most of the load, the backdrop for Bryan Carrott's eccentric vibes and Campbell's avant-twisted trumpet -- shades of Gillespie moving ever deeper into African myth. The closing "Sunset on the Nile" is lighter and gentler, the river of life. A MINUS

Ted Des Plantes' Washboard Wizards: Thumpin' and Bumpin' (Stomp Off) Trad jazz still yoked to banjo and tuba, but a little more modern, with sax replacing the second cornet, and the 1924 to 1937 Harlem repertoire carrying them well into the swing era. Des Plantes is a stride pianist who sings a bit, a scholar from Ohio who makes the old sound bright and shiny new, without even a whiff of irony. A MINUS

Brent Jensen: One More Mile (Origin) Studied under Lee Konitz. Teaches woodwinds in Idaho. Doesn't write much, covering Dizzy Gillespie and Sam Rivers, and drawing on his band, effectively his Seattle label's house rhythm section. Sticks with soprano sax, getting a distinctive tone, plied with rigorous logic and panache. I run across a lot of good players in out-of-the-way places, but Jensen belongs in a higher league. A MINUS

Alex Kontorovich: Deep Minor (Shamsa) From Russia to Israel to the US, where he plays klezmer clarinet and edgy alto sax while teaching math at Brown and researching game theory and stochastic processes -- sounds like some of the latter figured into his "New Orleans Funeral March" and "Waltz for Piazzolla." Brandon Seabrook consistently sets him up with guitar and banjo, and Midrash Mish Mosh drummer Aaron Alexander has the beat down pat. A MINUS

Myra Melford/Mark Dresser/Matt Wilson: Big Picture (Cryptogramophone) Taking a clue from first names, they call themselves Trio M, but are established enough to keep their names on the spine. I figure the complex cerebral stuff is pianist Melford's and credit the bouncy bits to drummer Wilson. There's no doubt that the weird arco bass is Dresser's. He has a huge reputation, but rarely makes albums you can kick back and enjoy. This is the exception. A MINUS

Nublu Orchestra: Conducted by Butch Morris (Nublu) Morris's registered trademark (Conduction®) still reads like mumbo jumbo, but he does have an uncanny knack for keeping large groups creative and clutter-free -- nowhere more so than with this Avenue C house band, with horns from downtown jazzbos and vocals from underworld refugees (Love Trio, Forro in the Dark, Brazilian Girls). A MINUS

Slow Poke: At Home (1998, Palmetto) Recorded by Lounge Lizards/Sex Mob bassist Tony Scherr at home in Brooklyn, laid back blues for sophisticates with no reason to be blue. Slide guitarist Dave Tronzo stretches out melodies by Duke Ellington and Neil Young, and saxophonist Michael Blake sails effortlessly along. A MINUS

Mike Walbridge's Chicago Footwarmers: Crazy Rhythm (Delmark) A career summary, tacking eight new tracks onto the reissue of an LP from 40 years ago. The extension is seamless: Trad jazz hasn't evolved much, at least for the banjo and drums changes. More importantly Kim Cusack returns on clarinet and alto sax, contrasting sharply and sweetly with Walbridge's tuba. Minor instruments in most such bands, they take the spotlight here. A MINUS

Honorable Mention

The Harry Allen-Joe Cohn Quartet: Music From Guys and Dolls (Arbors) The singers follow the book, the leaders rise above it.

Grupo Los Santos: Lo Que Somos Lo Que Sea (Deep Tone) Rumba in the Bronx, Brazilian twists to Paul Carlon's sax and Pete Smith's guitar.

Dick Hyman/Chris Hopkins: Teddy Wilson in 4 Hands (Victoria) Two generations of stride pianists recall the master in five solos and 12 duets.

Mary Lou Williams: A Grand Night for Swinging (1976, High Note) Of course she can swing, but wait till you hear her deconstruct.

Paul Shapiro's Ribs and Brisket Revue: Essen (Tzadik) Yiddish revivalism so far beyond the pale he's pinching songs from Slim Gaillard.

Ari Roland: And So I Lived in Old New York . . . (Smalls) The Chris Byars Quartet, bass-ackwards.

Marilyn Mazur/Jan Garbarek: Elixir (ECM) The saxophonist hypnotic as a snake charmer, taming Mazur's exotic percussion.

Steve Lehman Quintet: On Meaning (Pi) Complex, thought-challenging abstractions set to offbeat jingle-jangle riddims.

Giacomo Gates: Luminosity (Doubledave Music) Talks his way into vocalese jams but keeps his cool, the humor of "Hungry Man" and "Full of Myself" true because he's neither.

Sal Mosca Quartet: You Go to My Head (Blue Jack Jazz) A posthumous teaser from the Tristano school pianist -- breezy, brainy standards from Gershwin, Parker-Gillespie, Konitz-Marsh.

Adam Kolker: Flag Day (Sunnyside) Mellow, measured tenor sax quartet, with subtle surprises from John Abercrombie, John Hebert, and Paul Motian.

Stacey Kent: Breakfast on the Morning Tram (Blue Note) French chanson and samba, a recipe for heartbreak penned by Kazuo Ishiguro and scored with soft sax.

James Carter: Present Tense (Emarcy) Showcases his remarkable talents, but not his former ability to conceptualize a whole album.

The Jack & Jim Show Presents: Hearing Is Believing (Boxholder) Samba with the girl from al-Qaeda, shooting ducks with Cheney.

Harry Allen: Hits by Brits (Challenge) "A Nightingale in Berkeley Square," "Cherokee," "These Foolish Things" -- enough for a record.

Jason Kao Hwang/Edge: Stories Before Within (Innova) Dense shades of Chinese jazz fiddle, tarted up by Taylor Ho Bynum's cornet.

Tom Teasley: Painting Time (T&T Music) Worldwise beats and crisp, healthy horns, pop jazz minus the junk food.

Brad Leali Jazz Orchestra: Maria Juanez (TCB) Groomed in Basie's ghost band, still tapping the great atomic power.

The Joe Locke Quartet: Sticks and Strings (Jazz Eyes) The vibraphonist's favorite strings are on Jonathan Kreisberg's guitars.

Vince Seneri: The Prince's Groove (Prince V) NJ's leading Hammond B3 salesman demonstrates his product with guest stars at every turn, including Houston Person on the sax ballad.

Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble: The Messenger (Delmark) Tailgate party, Chicago style, down and dirty but further out.

Rob Brown Trio: Sounds (Clean Feed) Another Vision Festival piece, a free sax trio with cello and taiko drums.

Marty Ehrlich & Myra Melford: Spark (Palmetto) Deceptively calm sax-piano duets, not enough tinder to catch fire.

The Rocco John Group: Don't Wait Too Long (COCA Productions) Iacovone, plays alto sax, cut his teeth in the '70s lofts, cooled his heels in Alaska, returns as gray-haired demon.

Duds

Maria Schneider Orchestra: Sky Blue (ArtistShare) Poll winner, another Grammy, but leaves me cold; guess I'd rather roll over Beethoven than teach him some Gil Evans tricks. B

Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble: Black Unstoppable (Delmark) The pied piper of the AACM, her great musical mish-mash marred by faux gospel vocals. B MINUS

Christian Scott: Anthem (Concord) Obvious metaphors for Katrina: trumpet buried in heavy keyboard sludge, loud drums, immobile bass. B MINUS

Notes

• Initial word count: 1671.
• Possible cuts from top section: Mike Ellis, Scott Fields, Vandermark 5.
• Possible cuts from HM section: Rocco John Group, Ernest Dawkins, Steve Lehman, Tom Teasley, Vince Seneri, Adam Kolker, Stacey Kent, James Carter, Sal Mosca.
• Word count after possible cuts: 1252.
• I'm inclined to say that if you cut { Teasley, Seneri, Dawkins, Rocco John } go ahead and run them on web-only; they're low priority, non-names, and by now old; worthy of HM note, but I never seem to be able to find space for them.

Rated

This table provides a working guide to how the JCG is shaping up. This does not include anything moved to bk-flush: these include items relegated to Surplus, reviewed in Recycled Goods, or just passed over. Entries in black are written, gray graded but not written, red ungraded but with prospect notes (all these are at the bottom of their approximate grade levels, alphabetized). A-list, B-list and Duds are alphabetical; HM lists are ranked, with breaks for three-two-one stars.

Album count: 38; Word count: 1423 (graded 20: 1029; additional 18: 394).

Note: Previous column totals by section:

JCG 17   2 13 17  3  1597
JCG 16   2 11 11  3  1360
JCG 15   2 11 15  4  1578
JCG 14   2 11 14  4  1504
JCG 13   2 11 16  4  1528
JCG 12   2 11 16  4  1553
JCG 11   2 10 17  3  1507
JCG 10   2  9 16  4  1607
JCG  9   2 11 16  3  1549
JCG  8   2  9 18  4  1575
JCG  7   2 10 12  5  1660
JCG  6   2 13 12  3
JCG  5   2 12 16  4
JCG  4   2 10 15  5
JCG  3   2 12 10  5
JCG  2   2 10 12  7
JCG  1   2  9 12  4

Prospecting

I try to write up an informal note on every jazz record I hear the first (or sometimes second) time I play it. Those notes are collected over the course of a week, then posted in the blog. They are also collected here.

Surplus

The surplus file collects final notes when I decide that I cannot realistically keep a record under active consideration for the Jazz Consumer Guide. These notes are mostly written at the end of a JCG cycle and posted to the blog when the column is printed. In effect, they are the extended copy to the column. There are various reasons for this. For especially good records, it is often because Francis Davis or someone else has already reviewed it and my two cents would be redundant. For old music it is often because I wrote something in Recycled Goods and figure that was enough. Sometimes good records have just gotten old. Most of the time the records aren't all that interesting anyway. I can handle 25-30 records per column. It just doesn't make sense for me to keep more than 60-80 graded records in the active list at the start of a new cycle. In many cases, I decide the prospecting notes or Recycled Goods review suffices, so note that in the file.

Pending

Working on the following (both new and old). When done they will go to the print or done or flush file. When the column is published, the done entries will be dumped into notebook.

Pending: New

Pending: Old