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Straight No Chaser
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A blog covering all things jazz - the music, the artists, the performances - from both yesterday and today. A source for links and podcasts. Enjoy a weekly podcast and timely postings of MP3s. Proudly coming to you from the "City of Firsts", Springfield!
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A Conversation with Karrin Allyson
Karrin Allyson is the kind of jazz singer whose every album is an international incident. The Grammy nominee has released 11 albums over the past 16 years, recording her take on French and Brazilian classics alongside the Great American Songbook. Her latest release, Imagina: Songs of Brasil (Concord Records) features songs sung fully in Portuguese, as well as Brazilian songs with English translations, some written just for Karrin.
Ms. Allyson has recently put down some Western Massachusetts roots, purchasing a house in the Pioneer Valley with long-time partner Bill McGlaughlin. She’ll be appearing close to her new home this coming weekend, first with a headlining gig at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, and then leading a Jazz Vocal Master class at the Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton Theater. I recently spoke to Karrin (pronounced “CAR-Inn”) by telephone about her latest CD, her current tour and the challenges and joys of singing Brazilian music.
You’ve recorded Brazilian songs before. What made you go back to those songs and record an entire album?
I’ve loved Brazilian music for so long. I’ve added the songs to many of my albums from the past, and to my live performances. One album (From Paris to Rio, her 1999 CD) let me do more than a few. But this allows for a more concentrated approach. It gives me the opportunity to really dwell in it.
New friend (writer and television producer) Lucia Guimaraes helped me out immensely. She turned me on to new and different ways of singing and listening to these songs.
Does it make you nervous to be singing these songs in Brazil next month?
Well it’s daunting to go to the country where the music is originally from. In Brazil, if you do it right, the audience will sing along and dance along. They’re very animated, very enthusiastic.
I sang in Portugal recently and the promoter there wanted me to do a lot of Footprints (her Grammy nominated CD of 2006 - click here to listen to the title track) material because he wasn’t familiar with Imagina, but once he heard it, he said “You can do anything you want”! He said - and I was very proud - that I was one of the best he had heard sing the language.
You’ve been recorded singing in Portuguese, French and English. What sorts of challenges does that create?
Stylistically, things are different in every culture. There is a challenge when you are singing another culture’s music to make it as authentic as possible. In Brazilian music, what first attracts you first is that groove. And Portuguese is a beautiful language. So yes, phrasing can become more difficult. But I’m an American jazz singer, and I’m rooted in the American songbook and the blues, so I’m going to bring that to the material as well.
Singing in French began with my love of the language and listening to my mother’s Edith Piaf records. Not everyone understands what Edith Piaf is singing, but she gets her message across, right? Plus French was my minor in college. Then I turned to the Brazilian material, and really liked the feel and vibe of it.
What kind of challenges does singing in a foreign language make in front of English speaking audiences?
I get some blank stares sometimes, but not usually. I try to mix it up live – I never do an entire Brazilian concert, although I could. The blues are very important to me, so there is always going to be that. Mostly, they get it.
There are new lyrics to some familiar tunes on the album. Does that make the project more exciting for you?
Absolutely. When tunes are as great as these they will always remain exciting and fresh, but these lyrics let you breathe some new life into them. Particularly when you get someone like Chris Caswell, who I hope to do a lot more projects with in the future, writing the lyrics,. He speaks to a time and an era of the music. It really fits and feels right.
You write lyrics yourself, don’t you?
Writing lyrics doesn’t come as easy to me as for Chris, but I’m always working on my writing . I’m playing a lot more piano these days and trying to stretch myself.
Tell me about working with Gil Goldstein again.
I was knocked out the first time I heard him at a Pat Metheny concert. He was playing accordion, which can be a really beautiful instrument, beautiful right hand sound. He knows so many idioms and has a creative way of playing. He’s one of the people I’d really like to play more like. He has a very unique and creative approach to everything he does.
On tour, we play as a quartet, since traveling with Gil wouldn’t be feasible. I play piano and I have a great guitar player in Rod Fleeman, and a super bass player in David Finck. And Todd Strait, my drummer, has always been with me.
Your albums range from tributes to John Coltrane’s Ballads (click here to listen to "Naima" from that album) and the Blues to an album like Footprints, which puts lyrics to previously instrumental songs. What would you like to do more of in the future?
More originals, and perhaps an album that’s not as concentrated. I’d like to try something in a freer style, not as graspable. But anything that tells a story works.
You sing a lot of old standards, but your Wild for You CD featured a lot of singer-songwriter material from the 1970’s. Are there any current songs out there that you think we’ll be hearing someone interpret 10 or 20 years from now?
I’m not sure about a lot of today’s music. Now when you talk about people like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, well they both have a great interest in jazz. And a lot of jazzers are getting into Bjork, though mostly instrumental players. The bottom line is that if it has a beautiful melody, then it doesn’t have to be complicated. (Singing) “Smile/Tho’ your heart is aching/Smile/Even though its breaking”. That’s pretty simple but it’s a great vehicle for a singer.
Tell me about the Master Class you’re teaching in Easthampton. What will you be stressing to your students?
I was asked while I was at the Litchfield Jazz Festival, where I taught for a week, and since I just bought a place up here, I thought I’d enjoy it. Not that I want to teach full time or anything, but teaching really forces you to think more inwardly about music making.
I think we’ll be concentrating on a lot of rhythm. The first master class I had with Dizzy Gillespie I don’t think he picked up his horn the entire time. He just played a rhythm instrument from Africa. Rhythm is everything. I listened to a great classical concert this past weekend, - Ravel, Beethoven, Brahms – and let me tell you, rhythm is everything there too (Laughs).
Teaching younger singers about phrasing is important. They need to learn that in improvising with a band, the key is to jump in the big, deep lake. Try not to feel too self-conscious about the sounds you make. Avoid the clichéd phrase unless it works with you. I tell singers that they don’t have to scat, they have to work on their phrasing. Listen to the instrumentalists a lot. Listen to the sound a trumpet makes and try to bring that to your sound.
It’s the choice of material, the way of presenting it, the life you’ve led and what you bring to it that matters.. Billie Holiday never scatted, but she may be our greatest jazz singer. Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t scat. I rarely do, and I try to avoid clichéd sounds.. (Sings) “Shoo-Be-Doo”. But that’s me. Now, Carmen McRae could do that really well. Carmen McRae could take “sheep dip” and turn it into a great phrase..
What are you listening to now?
Right this moment, the birds and bees outside my house in Massachusetts (Laughs). Well, I just went to a classical concert. My iPod has a lot of different music – Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, (Brazilian singer) Ivan Lins, Ravel, Marian McPartland. There’s a lot of good talk radio out here, political stuff. I don’t have a television right now, so I’m listening to a lot of radio.
The Iron Horse isn’t your usual type of venue. Do you like playing there?
It’s really great to play in a cool, funky club. It’s different than playing in a dedicated jazz club, and hopefully you attract a wider, larger audience. I’ve played them all – from the largest festivals to house parties. I even played with a guitar player in a couple’s living room. It was what she wanted for an anniversary present. But my favorite places are intimate clubs. Plus I remember the Iron Horse has a good sound system and a great piano.
Audiences are all different everywhere. I like to think about being an audience member, what I like to hear and see. And if you feel better than when you came in, then it’s a success.
(Karrin Allyson and her Quartet perform Friday August 22 at the Iron Horse Music Hall at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 at the door and are available at www.nbotickets.com. Her Master Class at the PACE Theater in Easthampton will be held Sunday August 24 from 4 to 8 pm. Registrants pay a $60 fee. Contact Carol Smith to register for the class: cabbe@netzero.net or 413 529-2604. Master Class will be open to the public for a fee of $15 at the door.)
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The Return of Evan Horne: Tangled Up in "Blue"
Long-time readers of this blog know of my fondness for the mystery novels of Bill Moody, who creation, Evan Horne, is both a professional jazz pianist and amateur detective. Effortlessly mixing in fact with fiction, Moody has written another winner.
When last seen, Horne was exploring the red light districts of Amsterdam, looking for secrets surrounding the real-life mysterious death of trumpeter Chet Baker. Now he's back in the States, putting down some roots in the Bay area when he learns long time friend and mentor Calvin Hughes has died of natural causes, naming Horne as his executor and primary beneficiary. Cleaning out his beloved friend's personal effects, he comes across hand-written musical transcriptions and old photos suggesting that Hughes may have been involved in the writing and recording of Birth of the Cool and Kind of Blue, the seminal Miles Davis albums, but never credited or compensated for his work. And so another mystery begins, paralleling an even more amazing journey for Horne - a recording date with Roy Haynes and Ron Carter.
Put both albums on your CD player (or better yet, slap on the vinyl if you have it) and by the time the music has ended, you'll be thoroughly hooked. Thanks Mr. Moody, for an encore performance by one of my favorite pianists. I'm looking forward to many more.
Click here to listen to Miles Davis and an orchestra led by Quincy Jones perform one of the tunes in question, "Boplicity" from one of Miles' final performances, a retrospective at Montreux.
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Welcome Back to the "Real Side", Hub
Recordings from Freddie Hubbard, one of the last of the trumpet masters from the Clifford Brown,/Lee Morgan school of Hard Bop, have been scarce this century. For the most part, except for the 2001 release New Colors, his recorded output has been nil, as he has concentrated on teaching on the West Coast and working through the lasting problems he'd developed in the late 1990's with his lip. With the arrival of On the Real Side, I'm pleased to be able to report that the age of 70, Freddie Hubbard still serves up the right stuff, even if he's rationing out the portions of it to us all.
Hubbard's career has veered wildly from Hard Bop (classics like Open Sesame and Hub-Cap ) to funky jazz (his recordings on CTI, especially Red Clay to some disappointing material in the late 1970's. His admitted problems with drugs, alcohol and ill-health ground his career to a halt.
However, Hubbard has worked himself back into condition, primarily through his involvement with the New Jazz Composers Octet. This is his second straight recording with the large ensemble, with Freddie now playing flugelhorn on a full-time basis. The band is exceptionally talented, including two of Connecticut's finest jazz musicians, Jackie McLean proteges Steve Davis on trombone and Jimmy Greene on tenor and soprano saxophone.
Click here to listen to "Lifeflight", a 1987 Hubbard compostion arranged for the group by trumpeter David Weiss. Joining the previously mentioned musicians are Myron Walden on alto saxophone, Norbert Stachel on baritone sax and flute, Xavier Davis on piano, and E.J. Strickland on drums. This is top-notch large group playing, Hubbard taking the occasional solo but feeling no pressure to carry the group when blessed with such talented sidemen. Davis and Walden in particular contribute wonderful solos to this number.
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Podcast 120: Jazzin' with Joni
My posting about James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" last month begin a "new standard" for jazz musicians to tackle got me thinking about other songs to add to the "modern canon". Clearly, songs by Joni Mitchell will have to be included.
In particular, her songs "River" and "A Case of You" have become material that jazz singers, particularly female sings - feel obligated to take a crack at. Sometimes the results are quite stunning - Corinne Bailey Rae's "River" or Karrin Allyson's "A Case of You", for example. There are other tunes that are becoming more common in the jazz idiom every day.
Podcast 120 features songs written and performed originally by Joni Mitchell, and then covered and/or reinterpreted by jazz artists. Click here and listen to:
John Carlini - "Both Sides Now" from Further Adventures. "Both Sides Now" is probably Joni's best known song, mostly due to the top ten version recorded by Judy Collins. Carlini has a bluegrass background, and has worked with David Grisman and Tony Rice, both collaborators with Jerry Garcia. His basic quartet is composed of Carlini on guitar, mandolinist Don Stiernberg, bassist Brian Glassman, and drummer Steve Holloway.
Herbie Hancock with Sonya Kitchell - "All I Want" from River: The Joni Letters. There are two "bonus tracks" from Herbie Hancock's Grammy winning album that are only available from Amazon.com. One features SNC favorite Sonya Kitchell (watch for a new album in the Fall!) doing her take on a track originally found on Joni's classic album Blue.
Brad Mehldau - "Don't Interrupt the Sorrow" from A Tribute to Joni Mitchell. One of the few jazz artists featured on this tribute CD 9artists range from Sufjan Stevens to Elvis Costello), the lyrical pianist is a natural for Joni's material. The song first appeared on The Hissing of Summer Lawns, one of the first Joni albums to begin her foray into jazz.
Don Sebesky - "Song to a Seagull" from Giant Box. Taken from a series of sessions that were a CTI Records all-star gathering, Sebesky, known primarily as an orchestrator, sits in on organ and keyboards with legends like Paul Desmond (saxophone), Hubert Laws (flute), and Billy Cobham (drums). A brilliant reading of an early Joni ballad.
Montreal Jazz Club - "A Case of You" from Montreal Jazz Club. An instrumental reading of a Joni classic (allegedly about her brief relationship with Leonard Cohen), performed by a fellow Canadian group composed of Patrick Vetter on saxophone, Anthony Rozankovic on piano, Pierre Pepin on double bass, Ligia Paquin on alto viola, group leader Philippe Dunnigan and Mélanie Bélair on violin, Philippe Dunnigan on accordion, Carla Antoun on cello, and Camille Belisle on drums.
Karrin Allyson - "Blue Motel Room" from In Blue. Ms. Allyson is one of the best at interpreting Joni's materials, both on this album and Wild for You. She is backed by a crack quartet, including Mulgrew Miller on piano and keyboards, Danny Embrey on guitar, Peter Washington on bass and Lewish Nash on drums. The track originally appeared on Joni's jazzy masterpiece Hejira from 1976.
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Sanborn Plays the Blues
Although he may have achieved greater fame as the sideman of choice for pop artists like David Bowie and Paul Simon, David Sanborn has become a truly solid jazz artist. While his early albums were a mix of R&B and smooth jazz, his last few releases, particularly Timeagain and Closer. he's been playing with artists who have pushed him, including top bass players like Christian McBride and Marcus Miller. And his playing has been both soulful and boppish.
How disappointing for him to leave the jazz realm and put out a jazz-blues tribute album to the likes of Ray Charles and Hank Crawford called Here and Gone. The CD trots out pop-celebrity cameos by the likes of Eric Clapton ("I'm Gonna Move To the Outskirts of Town") and Joss Stone (I Believe to My Soul") in an attempt to cross-over to a more pop=friendly crowd.
Recent Ray Charles tribute albums by John Scofield and David "Fathead' Newman have mined this territory in the past few years, and both to greater effect. Perhaps its his studio-slick sound that betrays him, but Sanborn has to do a lot more before he can get really down and dirty. One shining difference comes in his take on "St. Louis Blues", elevated by Wallace Roney's trumpet solo.
Disappointing, primarily because it could have been so much better.
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Remembering Jerry Garcia
Has Jerry Garcia really been gone for 13 years? One of the great rock improvisers has left a wealth of great sounds behind for us to keep his musical candle burning.
Let's Jazz up the day with a track from the band Jazz is Dead, featuring bassist Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report), keyboardist T Lavitz (Dixie Dregs), guitarist Jimmy Herring (Aquarium Rescue Unit and Allman Brothers Band), and drummer Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra). Click here to listen to their version of one of Garcia's best compositions - co-credited to lyricist Robert Hunter, and the rest of the band as it was constituted in 1968 - "Dark Star". Have a Grateful Day!
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Melody Gardot Picks Up the Pieces
When she was laid up in a hospital bed at the age of 19, Melody Gardot was not likely thinking about her set list at the Newport Jazz Festival. Fighting for her life after an automobile accident, she was far more concerned about the searing pain in her ears and face.
Now, at the age of 23, she has a stirring CD and a place on the bill in Newport this weekend. Sporting dark glasses to ease her sensitive eyes, an earplug to battle tinnitus and a cane for support, the singer has been called "a cross between Billie Holiday and Tom Waits". Not bad company.
Worrisome Heart is the title of her latest release, and Ms. Gardot has written and sung a set of tunes that stand out in their glamour and elegance. The bluesy title track could easily have been sung by Peggy Lee, and "Love Me Like a River Does" would not be amiss on Bonnie Raitt's next CD. If you've found Lizz Wright, Sonya Kitchell, Norah Jones and Madeline Peyroux your cup of tea, then you'll find that Ms. Gardot can match them note for note, song for song.
Click here to listen to "Quiet Fire", a soulful jazz-blues number, with Ms. Gardot shining on vocals and keyboards.
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Johnny Griffin (1928-2008)
"Unquestionably Johnny Griffin can play the tenor saxophone faster, literally, than anyone else alive. At least he can claim this until it's demonstrated otherwise. And in the course of playing with this incredible speed, he also manages to blow longer without refueling than you would ordinarily consider possible. With this equipment he is able to play almost all there could possibly be played in any give chorus." - Ralph J. Gleason
Johnny Griffin, the Chicago saxophonist they called "The Little Giant" due to his diminutive stature, died at his home in the village of Mauprevoir in France on July 25. An expatriate for more than forty years, Griffin was a veteran of bands led by luminaries like Lionel Hampton, Joe Morris, Art Blakey, and Thelonius Monk. On his own, he led small groups in a number of sessions for Blue Note, Riverside and Black Lion Records.
Click here to listen to "The Little Giant" play Jimmy Dorsey and Paul Mertz' "I'm Glad There Is You" from The Congregation, recorded in 1957 for Blue Note. Griffin is backed by pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Kenny Dennis.
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Podcast 119: Connecticut Jazz Festivals
I was born in raised in the Nutmeg state, Connecticut, where the all-to-brief summer has always been chock full of free outdoor music, especially jazz festivals, to enjoy. Podcast 119 is a salute to those festivals, and feature artists who appeared or will appear at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, and the New Haven Jazz Festival, two free festivals in two of the state's largest cities. Set in beautiful Bushnell Park and the historic New Haven Green, these are perfect places to throw down a blanket and spend a great evening listening to memorable music. The New Haven Festival will run from August 9-11.
Click here to sample:
Mike Arroyo -"Inside Flight" from My Jazzy Mood. Friday night at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is traditionally for Latin jazz. this year's standard bearer in Mike Arroyo, a guitarist from Puerto Rico. A Christian who uses his music as a means of exploring his feelings for the divine, this track features guest musicians like John Benitez,Alon Yavnai,Richie Flores,Jason Lidner, and Gene Jackson.
Four Eighty East - "Viaduct" from Nocturnal. Saturday is usually Smooth Jazz, and this year one of the top two spots on the lineup belong to this group. Some listeners might already know them as the Boomtang Boys, a Canadian duo of multi-instrumentalist Rob DeBoer and drummer Tony Grace who make acid jazz sounds similar to the Brand New Heavies. Should be a good opener for....
Jeff Lorber - "Anthem for a New America" from He Had a Hat. From his days as a member of the Jeff Lorber Fusion, this keyboardists has had strong Connecticut ties - I can remember his salute to the venerable New Haven night spot Toad's Place on an early album. He was nominated for a Grammy award for this release, which features all-star guests like Chris Botti and Russell Malone, as well as orchestral backing for this track.
Giacamo Gates - "Melodious Funk" from Luminosity. Gates closes both Hartford and New Haven festivals this year, bringing his brand of vocalese to the bandstand. I highly recommend his latest live CD, Luminosity, which showcases his song selection and unique baritone, backed by John DiMartino on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, Greg Bandy on drums, Bob Kindred on Tenor Sax, and Tony Lombardozzi on guitar. The CD comes with a DVD of the band's performance, letting you know just what you're going to see on stage.
Wayne Escoffery - "I Waited for You" from Veneration. An underrated sax player who has spent time in the Mingus Big Band, Escoffery is shown in all his power and passion in this live recording. He is backed by Joe Locke (Vibes), Hans Glowischnig (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums). In New Haven, the group will be joined by vocalist Carolyn Leonhart, with whom he collaborated on 2007's If Dreams Come True.
Harold Danko - "Tidal Breeze" from Oatts & Perry. The pianist who has backed Chet Baker and Lee Konitz makes a return to his former home state with an all-star band includes Wycliffe Gordon and Winard Harper. This Danko composition features him on piano, Dick Oatts on alto saxophone, Rich Perry on tenor sax, Michael Formanek on bass, and Jeff Hirshfield on drums.
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Happy Birthday, Nancy!
It's my lovely wife Nancy's birthday today, and as always, I celebrate by posting a version of the classic "Nancy (With the Laughing Face"). For previous postings on this song, including a detailed history of its creation by comedian Phil Silvers and songnwriter Jimmy Van Heusen for Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy, click here and here. The picture above is of nancy dancing with her father at our wedding in May to the John Coltrane version of the song.
This year its Russ Peterson's version of the song. Click here to listen to Peterson on saxophone, Tom Chapokis on piano and Damon Peterson on bass from their CD of classic ballads I Fall in Love Too Easily.
Happy Birthday, Nancy. I love you.
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