Dave Frank: Portrait of New York

Jazzheads Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Portrait of New York

I first was exposed to Dave Frank several years ago, when reviewing his album, Turning It Loose; like this release, it’s solo piano. Frank is primarily known as a teacher, although he often appears at jazz festivals and travels all over the world to give master classes.

He was an associate professor of piano at Boston’s Berklee College of Music for seven years, then a co-founder of the New York School of Jazz, then opened the Dave Frank School of Jazz in midtown Manhattan.

He’s among the pianists able to play at any tempo, from ballads to what he calls “burners.” Although his “supersonic” forte tends to attract most of your listening attention, and has played a major role in his previous albums, this release includes several tunes done in a ballad mode. I’m more impressed by this slower style than the high-octane stuff. Too much speed hides his beautiful technique.

The dozen tunes here are related to places or events indigenous to New York City. Eight are originals; the others are covers of compositions by Richard Rogers (“This Nearly Was Mine”), Juan Tizol (“Perdido”), George Gershwin (“My Man’s Gone”) and Howard Dietz (“You and the Night and the Music”). Frank covers the waterfront style-wise, from straight-ahead jazz and boogie woogie, to some very danceable renditions and several of the jaw-dropping burners mentioned previously.

No doubt about it: Frank is an amazing musician.

Doug Beavers: Two Shades of Nude

Origin Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Two Shades of Nude

Several years ago, trombonist/composter/arranger Doug Beavers released his excellent debut album: Jazz, Baby, a compilation of children’s tunes, rearranged in a big band jazz format. Two Shades Of Nude, his sophomore release, illustrates how far he has advanced in the interim.

Beavers’ instrumental skills continue to be exceptional, and his talents as a composer and arranger have improved remarkably. He’s working with a nonet on this release; he composed four of the nine tracks and arranged all of them.

This is a much more “modern”-sounding group than that used on his first album. The result is a combination of symphonic ensemble melodic lines and rhythms that move into free-jazz treatment during the solo passages. The covers are by Herbie Hancock (“Tell Me A Bedtime Story”), Chick Corea (“Gemini”), McCoy Tyner (“Blues On The Corner”), Tony Williams (“Hand Jive”) and Clare Fischer (“Pensativa”); all are mid-tempo tunes that swing nicely and feature creative solo passages.

Beavers’ originals are more complex and “serious.” “Lapse,” a poignant ballad featuring pianist Henry Hey, is one of the prettiest tunes I’ve heard in a long time.

The album’s liner notes include a key quote: “Players have to be musicians of the first order, who can read anything that’s put in front of them, while always swinging.” The artists here have that capability, and the result is a first-class release.

Holiday Jazz 2010: A quiet year for seasonal swing

By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 12.16.10

[Web master's note: Northern California film critic Derrick Bang — the eldest, youngest and only son of this site's jazz guru, Ric Bang — has surveyed the holiday jazz scene for roughly 15 years, with lengthy columns that just keep growing. Eventually, this site will archive these older columns; in the meanwhile, check out the sounds in this year's edition.]

Santa seems to have misplaced some of his swing.

Some years are great for holiday jazz; others … aren’t. New releases are unusually slim this year; were it not for a selection of slightly older albums that only came to my attention during the past 12 months, I’d have precious little to discuss. 2010 offers no new CDs from name-brand jazz superstars, and — perhaps more surprising — also no new compilations from labels that have delivered the goods in previous years: Concord, Origin and several others.

(Sadly, Christmas from the Blue Note came to my attention too late for this article; it’ll be discussed at this time next year.)

I’d hate to think this results from a diminished interest in seasonal swing, but one year does not a trend make. I won’t panic unless 2011 is similarly bereft of jazzy ho-ho-ho.

But the news isn’t all bad. Music doesn’t require a 2010 copyright in order to be “new”; if you’ve not encountered something before, it’s still fresh. And you’ll find plenty to enjoy in the following list. If it’s not as long as my usual annual round-up, well, that simply means your bank account won’t be as threatened.

So, I see Santa on sax, Rudolph on percussion, and three elves standing atop one another to work that bass: Grab some egg nog and prepare to snap those fingers and tap those toes.

******************

Although not on the public’s radar as much as, say, Mannheim Steamroller, the a cappella group Take 6 is just as serious about the holidays: the newly released The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is the ensemble’s third seasonal release, following 1991’s He Is Christmas and 1999’s We Wish You a Merry Christmas. It can be hard to pigeonhole the group, since their style blends elements of gospel, R&B, vintage doo-wop and jazz … but when a bunch of guys sounds this good, they deserve to be praised.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is a shortish album, its 10 tracks clocking in at just shy of 35 minutes, but the contents are choice. You’ll marvel at the way the voices “cover” the background percussion instruments one would expect from an average rendition of these tunes; this is particularly noteworthy on “White Christmas” and a soulful reading of “Jingle Bells,” along with the enchanting “Sugarplum Dance,” a doo-wop variation on Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies” (no vocal line on this one, of course).

The rowdier selections are a lot of fun, particularly “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” which opens with an argument between Claude McKnight III and Alvin Chea — over who should sing the bass melody line — and continues with all sorts of snarky side comments throughout the song.

But these guys have their sweeter side, as well: Their vocal chops are just as enchanting on the gentler arrangements, as with “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “I Saw Three Ships.”

You won’t want to miss this album … and while you’re at it, pick up the other two, as well.

Check out the rest of this lengthy article here.

Lauren Hooker: Life of the Music

Miles High Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Life of the Music

I reviewed Lauren Hooker’s debut album (Right Where I Belong) three years ago, and expressed the desire to hear more from her. She has released a new album, and it was worth the wait.

Hooker is more than a vocalist; she’s also a pianist, composer, lyricist and arranger, and all these talents are displayed nicely in this album. She composed and wrote lyrics for seven of these 11 tunes; she plays the piano on three and arranged all of them. As for her “singing,” she’s more than a vocalist; she’s an “instrumentalist.” She has a great jazz sound, a three-octave range and outstanding phrasing and timing.

Some reviewers have compared her (favorably) to other artists; I find that her combination of skills makes her unique.

As always is the case, truly great jazz vocalists know that the quality of the accompanying musicians can make or break them; the group supporting Hooker does an excellent job. The combo includes John Hart on guitar; Scott Robinson on everything (flute/saxes/trumpet/flugelhorn); Mike Richmond on cello and bass; and a standard piano/bass/drums rhythm section.

Hooker also does a beautiful job on covers of songs by others, notably “Love Me or Leave Me,” “Spring Is Here” and Joni Mitchell’s “Song to a Seagull.”

Hooker is a keeper; too bad she limits her work to the New York City area.

Steve Richman and Lew Soloff: Sketches of Spain

Sheffield Labs
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Sketches of Spain

Fifty years have passed since Gil Evans and Miles Davis collaborated in the creation of Sketches Of Spain, a true landmark recording in the field of concert jazz. It was then -- and still is -- considered one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of music ever released in that genre.

Sketches, Porgy and Bess and Miles Ahead were three of the key elements in the “Birth of the Cool” and -- unless you listen to the original recordings -- they aren’t heard often. Alter all, how can you improve on perfection?

This anniversary release is designed to pay homage to Evans and Davis and their “dream band.”

Evans’ masterful arrangement was used as the focal point in this release. The Harmonie Ensemble New York takes the orchestral part, with Lew Soloff in Miles Davis’ chair and Steve Richman conducting. Soloff -- who was a member of Evans’ band -- does Davis (and himself) proud. The Harmonie Ensemble New York is excellent: much like the original Evans group, although without the intense swinging “feel” that unit achieved. Even so, the opening melodic line still brings goose bumps to the listener.

Make sure you won’t be interrupted by conversation -- or any other noise makers -- when putting this on your sound machine. It may not be Miles and Gil Evans, but it’s still too good to miss a note.

Pete Levin: Jump

Pete Levin Music
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Jump

Keyboardist, composer and arranger Pete Levin has been around for decades. As an instrumentalist, he’s best known for his work with the organ, but he also has been involved with the creation of literally hundreds of commercials and movies. In his early career, he played French horn in the Gil Evans Orchestra, and did an eight-year stint with the late Jimmy Giuffre.

Jump features his expanded organ trio with guitarists Dave Stryker and Joe Beck, percussionist Manolo Dadrena, and drummers Lenny White and Danny Gottlieb, who split duties.

Half the tunes here are Levin originals; the rest are covers of standards by Charlie Mingus (“Nostalgia In Times Square”), Freddie Hubbard (“Little Sunflower”), Fats Waller (“Honeysuckle Rose”) and some melodies that aren’t usually given a jazz treatment (“Talk To The Animals” and “Alone Together”). The latter was a Jimmy Giuffre favorite.

Not too many really swinging organists perform today -- Joey DeFransesco comes to mind -- although past years saw quite a few. Levin is as good as they get. The nature of the instrument doesn’t lend itself jazz; an organ can overwhelm other instruments and is difficult to use for up-tempo tunes. The organist controls that, of course, but the accompanying rhythm section also is a key factor. Levin’s drummers and guitarists are exceptional.

I have one caveat: An hour’s worth of organ, no matter how good, can be a bit overwhelming. One might want to play this disc in conjunction with other albums, in a shuffle mode.

Kevin Eubanks: Zen Food

Mack Avenue Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Zen Food

Those not familiar with guitarist Kevin Eubanks must not have watched Jay Leno’s Tonight Show; Eubanks was a member -- then music director -- of the “house” band for more than 18 years. And for the 15 years prior to that, he played and toured with numerous jazz artists, including Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes and Ron Carter.

Eubanks was born to be a musician: His mother is a pianist with a master’s degree; blues pianist Ray Bryant is an uncle; and brothers Robin (trombone) and Duane (trumpet) are well known. Initially, Eubanks was most influenced by fusion and progressive rock, but his association with Leno’s show – and the numerous guests -- exposed him to every style possible.

Zen Food is his debut album for Mack Avenue Records, but he has a prolific discography with other labels, going back to 1980. While featured on The Tonight Show, Eubanks and his band also worked regular Wednesday night gigs at the Baked Potato in North Hollywood. The quintet on this release -- guitar, sax, keyboards, bass and drums -- worked out the tunes for this release at that weekly job.
Their style isn’t traditional jazz; it reflects Eubanks’ early fusion and rock influence, but remains tasteful and thoughtful. The artists’ long-time association is evident; the arrangements are tight, and both the ensemble and solo work are excellent. Best of all, everything swings nicely.

Bobby Watson: The Gates BBQ Suite

Lafiya Music
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: The Gates BBQ Suite

Alto saxophonist Bobby Watson grew up in Kansas City, graduated from the University of Miami, then moved to New York City and joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. After four years with that august group, Watson was much in demand, playing with many notable groups and vocalists.

His discography is extensive; he has 26 albums as a leader and more than 100 as a sideman. He has served on the faculty of several universities and, for the past six years, has been the director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. That institution’s 17-piece concert jazz orchestra is featured on this album.

Countless individuals, locations and events have inspired artists to compose music, but this may be the first that relates to a restaurant: Gates Barbeque originally was run by Watson’s grandparents (Jessy and Daisy Wilkes) in Merriam, Kansas, and is a key element of his life. (The Kansas City area now has multiple locations.)

As Watson puts it, “Smoking meat remains near and dear to me.”

The seven movements in this suite cover elements associated with the restaurant, beginning with the greeting that customers receive when they enter (“May I Help You”), orders to the chef (“Heavy on the Sauce”), items on the menu (“Beef on Bun” and “The President’s Tray”), employees (“Blues for Ollie” and “Wilkes BBQ”) and even closing time (“One Minute Too Late”).

It’s an imaginative and fun composition … and, most importantly, it swings.

Eddie Henderson: For All We Know

Furthermore Recordings
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: For All We Know

Eddie Henderson, who plays trumpet and flugelhorn, is another of the jazz national treasures still active in his 70s.

If a character with his background and experience were concocted for a book or movie, the audience would find it difficult to believe: His first trumpet lesson came from Louis Armstrong; one of his childhood friends was Miles Davis; and his mother and her twin sister were members of the original Cotton Club chorus line, when Fats Waller was playing there.

Henderson studied music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, earned a degree in zoology from UC Berkley, studied medicine at Howard University, served his residency in psychiatry and practiced general medicine for 10 years.

And he performed with jazz groups during this period.

His first musical break occurred with one of Herbie Hancock’s groups and, over the years, Henderson has been a part of units led by Hancock, Art Blakey and other name artists. Henderson also has led his own groups from time to time.

The quartet featured here includes guitarist John Schofield, bassist Doug Weiss and drummer Billy Drummond. Note the absence of a pianist; Henderson has performed previously with Schofield, and neither felt the need for a keyboard instrument in this album.
Eddie composed two of the eight tracks (“Sand Storm” and “Popo”); the rest are covers of tunes that have a special meaning to him. “Jitterbug Waltz,” written by Waller, was featured in an old film (Henderson’s mother was seated next to Fats on the piano bench); and “Cantaloupe Island” is one of the songs that made Hancock famous. Henderson’s wife, Natsuko, wrote “Be Cool”; and “Missing Miles” is a tribute to Miles Davis, written by Al Foster.
The rest of the menu includes songs often played by artists Henderson has worked with. His renditions of “For All We Know” and “By Myself” are particularly noteworthy; his style is laid-back, funky at times, and his tone and phrasing are pure jazz.
We all should be as blessed in our chosen fields, at his age, as Henderson.

Holiday Jazz 2010: A quiet year for seasonal swing

By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 12.16.10

[Web master's note: Northern California film critic Derrick Bang — the eldest, youngest and only son of this site's jazz guru, Ric Bang — has surveyed the holiday jazz scene for roughly 15 years, with lengthy columns that just keep growing.]

Santa seems to have misplaced some of his swing.

Some years are great for holiday jazz; others … aren’t. New releases are unusually slim this year; were it not for a selection of slightly older albums that only came to my attention during the past 12 months, I’d have precious little to discuss. 2010 offers no new CDs from name-brand jazz superstars, and — perhaps more surprising — also no new compilations from labels that have delivered the goods in previous years: Concord, Origin and several others.

(Sadly, Christmas from the Blue Note came to my attention too late for this article; it’ll be discussed at this time next year.)

I’d hate to think this results from a diminished interest in seasonal swing, but one year does not a trend make. I won’t panic unless 2011 is similarly bereft of jazzy ho-ho-ho.

But the news isn’t all bad. Music doesn’t require a 2010 copyright in order to be “new”; if you’ve not encountered something before, it’s still fresh. And you’ll find plenty to enjoy in the following list. If it’s not as long as my usual annual round-up, well, that simply means your bank account won’t be as threatened.

So, I see Santa on sax, Rudolph on percussion, and three elves standing atop one another to work that bass: Grab some egg nog and prepare to snap those fingers and tap those toes.

******************

Although not on the public’s radar as much as, say, Mannheim Steamroller, the a cappella group Take 6 is just as serious about the holidays: the newly released The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is the ensemble’s third seasonal release, following 1991’s He Is Christmas and 1999’s We Wish You a Merry Christmas. It can be hard to pigeonhole the group, since their style blends elements of gospel, R&B, vintage doo-wop and jazz … but when a bunch of guys sounds this good, they deserve to be praised.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is a shortish album, its 10 tracks clocking in at just shy of 35 minutes, but the contents are choice. You’ll marvel at the way the voices “cover” the background percussion instruments one would expect from an average rendition of these tunes; this is particularly noteworthy on “White Christmas” and a soulful reading of “Jingle Bells,” along with the enchanting “Sugarplum Dance,” a doo-wop variation on Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies” (no vocal line on this one, of course).

The rowdier selections are a lot of fun, particularly “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” which opens with an argument between Claude McKnight III and Alvin Chea — over who should sing the bass melody line — and continues with all sorts of snarky side comments throughout the song.

But these guys have their sweeter side, as well: Their vocal chops are just as enchanting on the gentler arrangements, as with “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “I Saw Three Ships.”

You won’t want to miss this album … and while you’re at it, pick up the other two, as well.

Tyler Blanton: Botanic

Ottimo Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Botanic

Tyler Blanton, at 29 a relatively young composer and vibraphonist, hails from Ojai, California, but has played in New York City since 2007. He isn’t well known at this point in his career, and hasn’t performed with any name artists; the same is true for the members of his quartet.

That said, unknown doesn’t mean unpromising.

Botanic, Blanton’s debut album, features eight of his own compositions. The style is more eclectic than traditional; while the music melodic, it doesn’t rate very high on the “swing-meter.”
At this stage of his career, Blanton’s talent is evident, but -- for me, at least – this is only borderline jazz. It’ll be interesting to see how he develops.