What makes a jazz performance fresh, or new, or different in its genre? This question frequently is asked on the first Monday morning of the Month on WTJU (at 91.1 FM) as Nick Page and Gerald Watts play brand new releases, randomly selected. They don’t discuss it much on the air, since the reason for the show is to play music; nor do I want to launch into a discourse here. But here are three cd’s that have been released in the past few weeks that I believe start to answer the question, “What makes a jazz cd fresh and new in its genre?”

Eri Yamamoto’s new Album, Redwoods, is outstanding. This is a piano trio that’s different. It starts to answer the question about what a fresh approach to ‘piano trio’ would sound like. The piano and bass and drums simply weave their way through each other, in and out of the melody, maintaining a whole – no taking turns with solos. Is it straight ahead jazz? Probably. Is it avant-garde? No – but it is different. Listen to ‘Dear Friends’.

Another outstanding recent release is Joe Gil’s Breathe Deep and Enter Carefully. What’s fresh here is a combination of instrumentation and composition. Joe’s on trombone, leading a quartet of guitar, piano, bass and drums. There may be a fusion element with rock here, but it’s clearly straight-ahead jazz with a difference. One would think the brassy ‘bone would dominate, or take extensive solos. But not Joe Gil – he leads, blends, makes it work. Listen to ‘Mr. Mambo.’

The Tipton’s Sax Quartet is just somethin’ else. It’s fresh because of the instrumentation, and the arrangements are delightful. Yet it’s straight-ahead jazz. ‘Sax quartet’ is not exactly a genre, but there are others around. And they all, to my mind, are weirdly avant-garde. (My wife Liz and I went to a World Saxaphone Quartet concert here in C-ville years ago – and the experience spawned the term ‘Farting Saxaphones.’) The leaders of The Tiptons, Amy Denio and Jessica Laurie, just simply let their imaginations loose a bit, yet guide the group into an organic whole. Try a listen to ‘Fallout.’ .

Jazz is alive and well. As long as there are imaginative musicians and composers like these, we’ll continue to be delighted by fresh new sounds.

-David Lee

WTJU Jazz Sub

Gaye Adegbalola (stretch it out: a-deg-ba-lo-la) was at her best and most joyful Saturday at Gravity Lounge. She was also at her bluesiest. Liz and I have been to three ‘Saffire, the Uppity Blues Women’ concerts here in C-ville, and I’ve just never seen/heard Gaye do the blues like she did Saturday. Maybe it was because Gaye’s been gay for a while and has just recently gone public (“I’ve been out of the closet for a while. Now, I’m out of the room.”) and this was a cd release party. Or maybe it’s because in the trio setting the three do a lot of Uppity-variety, and not so much straight blues. Whichever – Gaye by herself was doing blues (accompanied by Roddy Barnes on keys). And she was instructional as well, letting us know whether the next number was going to be classic blues, jump blues, or whatever. Her Gaye Without Shame website says she’s doing a seminar at UVA some time in September, and she also has a DVD out, teaching about how to sing the blues. Who knew?

There are great sound samples on her website, but I’m embedding one here that’s not on the site, Deja Vu Blues. Toward of the end of the set, Gaye remarked briefly about what it has meant to be both black and lesbian. Have a listen: Deja Vu Blues

While I’m quoting her : “There are two kinds of people in the world: religious people, and spiritual people. Religious people are the ones who are afraid of going to hell. Spiritual people have already been there. Blues people are spiritual people.”

If Saffire or Gaye, or any permutation thereof, come back to town, do yourself a favor and don’t miss that treat!

-David Lee

Previously the Baja Jazz Collective, having collected themselves at Baja Bean on the Corner in years past, the Collective is now simply The Jazz Collective – and will be playing at Fellini’s on Sunday evenings at 6:30 (except 2nd Sundays). Beginning Sunday the 7th. Thanks to the Jazz Society newsletter for this news!

Sitting in over a brew while these folks create unique live jazz right before your eyes is a great way to relax the weekend to a close.

-David Lee

At Fridays After Five last evening John Carden and his band, Greenwich Swing Time, performed under the big FOF tent. This is the third time I’ve heard John with some version of the same band. The band is cool, stellar, capable – clearly jazz. But when he opens his mouth, I do a double-take. John gets an A for effort – telescoped by his body and facial gyrations, but his training gets in the way. Or, gets in my way. It’s the diction. When he sings Lady is a Tramp, he sings ‘tramp’ with one clear syllable. Not one-and-a-half to two as normal folks would. And, believe me, jazz singers are normal folks. And in one song, ‘forever’ was sung ‘forevah’ - many times. John’s ‘more’ doesn’t have an ‘r’ in it: it’s ‘moh-ah.’

I’ve liked listening to John elsewhere, in the past. But I’ll just keep doing double-takes when he does jazz. Maybe he’s invented a new jazz genre: jazz-theatre fusion! Y’ think?

-Pulsifier

My first introduction to Matthew was about ten years ago when Liz and I moved into a new neighborhood. Matthew lived across the street and had basement rock sessions at night. They promised the couple next door, Frank and Jane, that they would ‘keep it down’ after 10:00.

And then over the years I began to see Matthew Willner’s name showing up doing gigs at Miller’s and other places, doing rock, I assumed. But then just recently comes a new cd into the WTJU studio where I substitute as a volunteer Jazz Announcer. And the cd, Matthew’s debut, is received by the Jazz Department! “What?!” I said. Must be a mistake.

This self-titled cd is sub-titled on the CD Baby site as World Beat-Jazz Fusion. And it is. Jazz being the diverse and fluid art that it is, tends to socialize very readily, often reaching out to and sometimes absorbing some other style. But here’s rock extending out to jazz and mixing. Somethin’ else!

Matthew Willner is going to be at the Pavilion Friday – opening for John Carden and Greenwich Swing Time. Now that’s Jazz – a Rock-Jazz Fusion guy opening for a mainstream jazz group led by a guy who usually sings Stage and light opera stuff!

Wouldn’t miss it for the world! But I’m going to be ready for whiplash!

- David Lee

My wife Liz and I have been to Gravity Lounge a lot. It’s just a great place to catch interesting music. We’ve also been to Old Cabell Hall – and have seen the Free Bridge Quintet play there at least twice. But last night we caught them at Gravity. What a difference! It was much better for us, a more intimate setting for watching and listening, but I’m also sure the guys were more free, improvised more. And they looked like they were having fun. I may be wrong, but their playing in Cabell may be performing – but at Gravity last night they were playing!

Free Bridge Quintet is a local band composed of John D’earth on trumpet, Jeff Decker on tenor, Bob Hallahan, piano, Pete Spaar, bass, and Robert Jospe on drums. They’re the ‘official’ jazz ensemble of UVa’s McIntire Department of Music. And a real pleasure.

-David Lee

As a substitute Jazz Announcer at WTJU I have access to all the new cd’s that the station receives, as well as its library of thousands of cd’s and LP’s. Here are some of my faves among recent TJU library additions, and one downer . . ..

PICKS!

At the top of my List of Picks is Henry Butler’s first solo album, Pianola, on the Basin Street label. It’s on top because he’s a hoot! This New Orleans piano player and blues singer is blind, has been around for a long time, is a local favorite – and is a wild man. He plays the piano and sings with abandon. He is unfettered, doesn’t give a damn if he doesn’t sound commercial. Try this one – and brace yourself.

Thunder, a new album by S.M.V. on the Heads Up label, is intriguing. ‘S.M.V.’ is from the first name initials of Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten. These guys are electric bass players. Along with a few other instruments along the way they produce a jazz sound that could be a new genre. The tracks are a mix of straight-ahead, funk, and avant-garde. Highly recommended. I have no idea how it happened, but they are performing in Charlottesville at the Paramount August 17!

Michael Moore & Fred Hersch do duets on This We Know (Palmetto). Moore is on clarinet and alto, Hersch on piano. With just these instruments, this cd has a chamber music feel but it’s clearly a jazz chamber. There’s some sweet balladic sounds, a bit of avant-garde a bit of bounce – a real buffet. Michael Moore was recently in Charlottesville with Jewels and Binoculars, and both artists have several cd’s to their credit. A cutting edge – a soft one perhaps, but cutting nonetheless.

A local group, The Lew Woodall Trio has self-produced an excellent album, Simply Cooking. Woodall’s on guitar, Hod O’Brien on piano, Tom Harbeck, bass, and Joel Lubliner on drums. The recording was done in Beautiful Downtown Batesville, VA. (WTJU’s own Gary Funston wrote the liner notes!) Three are originals, all arrangements are by Woodall and O’Brien. This is straight-ahead stuff. They swing lightly and they swing hard. Staunton’s Jazz in the Park series featured them in July – so keep your eyes open!

Nicole Henry gets my vote for the best female vocalist I’ve heard in a while. There’s lots of them that come down the pike, and Nicole’s styling and phrasing on The very Thought of You (Baister label) set her apart. She’s doing jazz and show standards on this album, including a couple of warhorses, which makes it an even tougher challenge for someone to stand out. She does.

PANS . . .

One disappointment recently is Irma Thomas’ Simply Grand, on Rounder. She’s backed by different piano players – like Dr. John, Henry Butler, John Cleary, and several others. Right off the bat this sounded like a great project when I first saw the cd. But it’s boring. Except for two or three pieces that have a bit of tempo, there’s little of the R&B spunk or the painful soul that I remember her for – or that I expect from some of the pianists for that matter. By and large the pieces are slow and sentimental. Bummer.

- David Lee

While I only kinda like Oscar Peterson (but I’m working on improving me) my friend Dick Boelter sent me this link of Oscar at Montreaux, with bassists Ray Brown and Niels Pedersen. It’s pure pleasure hearing, and watching, these three guys play with the gorgeous melody of You Look Good to Me. I pass it along . . .and thanks to Dick for sharing it some time ago! Here’s a link to the album, Montreaux ‘77. Enjoy!

-Pulsifier

Here’s to resurrecting the early Ramsey Lewis Trio! – with Ramsey on piano, bassist Eldee Young, and drummer Redd Holt. They started playing together in 1956, and played great boppin’ jazz. It was only with the albums of 1965, The In Crowd, and Hang On Ramsey, that the trio became popular amongst the general public. But Down to Earth (see below) and The In Crowd are the only LP’s to be revived as cd’s from this early period. The Trio’s popularity was a death knell to jazz fans. I’m pretty sure they didn’t call his work ‘fusion’ (a four-letter word) back then, but they sure do now. Whatever great jazz they performed in the early Trio’s ten years has been dropped. The baby’s been thrown out with the bath water.

After that early trio disbanded in ‘65 Ramsey went on to disco-funk, and then got electric – but he returned to his own roots: jazz piano. Check out this You Tube duet with Billy Taylor. I’m not sure just when this was recorded – but it rocks just the same. And Here’s Ramsey at the 2007 New Orleans Jazz Fest.

My favorite album, perhaps of all time, is 1958’s Down to Earth. This really goes to the roots. It’s soulful and it’s funky. Listen, right here on this blog’s player, to “We Blue It.”

While Dave Brubeck often had a beat-on-the-keyboard with-both-hands-style, and Oscar Peterson played one-note-at-a-time (and lots of them) the beauty of Ramsey Lewis is his understated style. He’s a minimalist – and that’s refreshing, simply refreshing. What’s more, he rocks!

- Pulsifier