[JPL] Still Another Jazz Show, Jan 21

[Dick Crockett]

STILL ANOTHER JAZZ SHOW  Jan 21
NICOLE MITCHELL'S THE BLACK EARTH ENSEMBLE   “Cause
And Effect”
“Love Has No Boundaries”  BLACK UNSTOPPABLE    Delmark
Records
PETER LERNER “Lerner Burner”  CRY FOR PEACE  BluJazz
KURT ELLING  “Undun”   NIGHT MOVES  Concord Records
CHARLIE HADEN   “Hello My Lovely”  THE BEST OF QUARTET
WEST  Verve 
Music
MARK MURPHY “Stolen Moments” “The Interview”  LOVE IS
WHAT STAYS
Verve Records
ALAN PASQUA     “George Russell”   THE ANTISOCIAL CLUB
  Cryptogramophone Records
JOSHUA REDMAN  “Surrey With The Fringe On Top”  “I'm
An Old Cowhand” “India”  BACK EAST   Nonesuch Records
THE AUDIENCE WITH BETTY CARTER   “Tight” “Fake”  “So”
Verve Music
JAZZ EXPLORERS   “Mo' Trane”   JAZZ MY SOUL  Rhythm
Dynamics
PETER BEETS   “In Your Own Sweet Way” “Tricotism”  NEW
GROOVE 
Criss Cross Records
RON DI SALVO   “Essence Of Green”  A TRIBUTE TO KIND
OF BLUE
Origin Records
What an interesting show, We prepare, but it changes
at the last minute, when one song doesn't fit( I Hate
To Say It,) with the overall discourse, remember, this
is very suggestive music.
We love what we love, be it renegade or not, and
flutist  NICOLE MITCHELL with THE BLACK EARTH ENSEMBLE
from Chicago is just the progressive note we need.
Originally from Syracuse New York and then Southern
California, where she studied classical music and was
a math major at UC San Diego. Her music class was
taught by Jimmy Cheatham. One day James Newton visited
the class and she was struck by his flute playing. For
many classical trained musicians, improvisation can be
the hardest thing. She took classes from Newton and
busked the streets for coins, creating melodies for
people, using the proceeds for advanced lessons from
Mr Newton.
She then decided on a music career, transferred to
Oberlin then to Chicago. 
The reason for this story is this how jazz music can
get a hold of someone like a happy virus, a shaker
dance.  Nicole with her musicianship and compositional
 ability embellishes an interesting dichotomy, freedom
to fuse together rag time, be bop with big city blues
and avant gard.  The Black Earth Ensemble is an
entertaining committed group of musicians forging
ahead to become trend setters in the ever evolving
jazz dynamic. To feel the fvull impact of their music
kindly listen to the whole thing first then again.
Some times we put the 'needle down,' pick a song that
seems to fit and disregard the others. We did play  a
hard bop inspired “Cause And Effect” and “Love Has No
Boundaries,” a big city bounce with lyrics, a nice
finger poppin', torchin, porchin, rompin, somethin...
Since we're “Goin To Chicago, Sorry I Can't Take You,”
the next best thing is listen to the music inspired by
that rambling around town bop style. We turn up the
steam with guitarist PETER LERNER and his new CRY FOR
PEACE CD.  We played “Lerner Burner” featuring that
old style with saxophone by Eric  Alexander and David
Hazeltine,  know as fine pianoist, this time more than
capable of robust notion on the Hammond B-3.  This is
down town stuff, all the way.  
Recored at the Rudy Van Gelder, produced by Don
Sickler, with world class musicians, Jerry Dodgion,
Jim Rotundi, Steve Davis, Ed Howard and Victor Lewis,
“Cry For Peace” is a very tasty mainstream cd, as
Peter Lerner saves his best voice for the late night
show.  KURT ELLING concludes this segment with a
different version of the 'Guess Who' hit song, “Undun”
from NIGHT MOVES. The original version was sort of
jazzy, way more kinetic, back then. Elling is more
smooth and introspective.
Bassist CHARLIE HADEN begins with THE BEST OF QUARTET
WEST, a compilation of former festive Quartet West
cd's with Alan Broadbent on piano, Ernie Watts on
tenor with Billy Higgins and now Larence Marable on
drums. Violinist, Stephan Grappelli and singer Shirley
Horn appear on a few cuts. This a very romantic
journey into late night bop epics with the hand of
Charlie Haden resting on an original, “Hello My
Lovely.”  This is the kind of cd you have playing in
the back ground and someone will ask, “Who's That?”  
Believe me, someone will ask.
MARK MURPHY is next from his latest, LOVE IS WHAT
STAYS. We played Oliver Nelson's “Stolen Moments.” 
This cd was produced in Germany under the sure handed
guidance of trumpet player Till Bronner and pianist
Frank Chastenier. 
It reminds me so much of the early sixties when Mark
Murphy was right there driving the English TR-3's with
the gorgeous girls of many early morning summers. 
This is very hip nuage.  Order up “Angel Eyes” as
well. It's seductive. “The Interview” is free verse,
scat, voiced and sung scat for Mark Murphy has been a
wondrous journey as marvels at the beginning, the
middle and the end to the far reaching shores of one's
mortality. Murphy was considered a top singer back in
the sixties. “He's another Sinatra,” many claimed. 
But his journey is more solitary, a writer's mantra to
the plasma- glorious.
And now his recent Verve recordings are a continuing
journey of a restless wandering spirit of this jazz
singer, this romanticist, this perfect blend of music
and voice.
Keyboard player ALAN PASQUA concludes this segment
from his new truth,  THE ANTI SOCIAL CLUB.  We played
“George Russell,” a tribute to the brilliant third
stream music entrepreneur with his pop iconic avant
gard magic, whose music set a lighted way to the
future. 
JOSHUA REDMAN begins the second hour of SAJS with his
new BACK EAST cd.
Remember the 1957 Sonny Rollins album, “Way Out West?”
This is the other side fifty years later with both
projects considered as innovative, very progressive in
a saxophone trio based performance. There are two
songs performed in a quartet with Joe Lovano on Wayne
Shorter's “Indian Song” and Chris Cheek on “Mantra #
5.” We played the most interesting and poignant piece
on this cd,  Joshua and his father, Dewey performing
John Coltranes “India.”
BETTY CARTER concludes this segment and begins the
next one with three selections from her historic live
performance at the Great American Music Hall in San
Francisco, 1979. The cd is THE AUDIENCE WITH BETTY
CARTER.
We played three originals by this gifted artist,
“Tight,” “Fake” and “So.” 
Born in Flint Michigan, studied at the Detroit
Conservatory Of Music and debut as a singer in 1946,
she toured with Lionel Hampton band  as  Betty 'Bebop'
Carter. She recorded and performed with Ray Charles as
her original style began to emerge. This cd and her
original material relates how different, exciting and
free form she became, evolving into a captivating
original stylist. To watch her perform was a treat,
unlike any other singer. Her piano accompanist was
John Hicks on this cd, later with Mulgrew Miller and
Geri Allen. She could be demanding on her accompanists
with her excursions through melody, tone and tempo. 
They value their experience performing with her. To be
kind perhaps, but Geri Allen commented that her
experience with Betty Carter especially on the live
performance from ther cd “Feed The Fire,” developed
her conception, thus 'made her bones' as a jazz
artist.
Verve distributed Carter's Bet-Car Records label. Some
are out of print.  
Dutch pianist PETER BEETS is next with his NEW GROOVE
cd.  The music features  the piano, guitar and bass
format.   Beets bright frenetic style reminds one of
the fifties  Oscar Peterson. We played  Dave Brubeck's
“In Your Own Sweet Way” and Oscar Pettiford's
“Tricotism.” 
We conclude SAJS from RON DISALVIO'S, ESSENCE OF
GREEN-A TRIBUTE TO KIND OF BLUE.  The theme song with
four young singer's as chorus on “Essence Of Green,”
really typifies the mood and tone of the fifties and
sixties modern jazz free from earlier syncopation of
stride, swing and post bebop, just prior to the
permissiveness of the Vietnam decade. 
As you may note that this January 21st show was look
back to an era, that cultivates the post modern.
There's always a sense of nostalgia for that period
for it's noir no nonsense celebration of the
individual, just prior explosion  of mass rock culture
that inhabits our media to this day.
Peace And Rejoice The Quiet.
Dick Crockett
STILL ANOTHER JAZZ SHOW
Mondays 10 am & 10pm, Pacific
“The Voice” 88.7fm
4623 T Street, Suite A 
Sacramento, Ca 95819-4743
audio streaming Live 365
accesssacramento.org





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