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CD Reviews - September 2001

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Today in Jazz

Today in Jazz

Friday, August 29, 2008

Birthdays of notable jazz musicians:

Jack Teagarden, Trombone, 1905, Vernon, TX

Jack's mother, Helen, a pianist, gave all four of her children their start in  music.  She was not a particularly  jazz-oriented pianist, but Jack, Norma, Charlie, and Cub all owe their start in jazz to their mother.  Jack's first instrument was the piano and then the baritone horn before finally settling on the trombone when he was around ten years   He began playing professionally when in his mid teens, working mainly in his part of the country with local bands, including Peck Kelley's Bad Boys, and Jack Ross's  Jazz Bandits, all during the mid '20s.  He then decided to go to New York where he played briefly with Wingy Manon's band..  He worked as a freelance for a while and then joined Ben Pollack's band in 1928, though he still continued to work and record with other musicians such as Red Nichols, Louis Armstrong, and Eddie Condon.  At the end of the 1930s  Jack became a member o f  Paul Whiteman's popular orchestra.  During this period he continued working with other musicians in various combos.  He never made much money with these groups, but he certainly loved the music.   Finally, in the early '40s, he was forced to  declare bankruptcy.  That was the end of his small group ventures, and also, by this time he ended his association with Whiteman.  He led a sextet from the mid '40s when he joined the first Louis Armstrong All Stars.  In 1951 Teagarden left his great friend Louie, and formed his own dixieland group, also called The Allstars.  His group included people like Dick Wellstood, Don Ewell, Max Kaminsky, and his brother Charlie.  Teagarden is considered by many critics and writers  to have been the finest of all jazz trombonists.  However, his style was so personal that he had few followers, and founded no school.  Because he grew up in southwestern towns, containing large black populations, he was far more familiar, than most white jazz players with black spirituals, work songs, and the blues, and he had a big advantage over most other white trombonists.  As a consequence Jack was one of the first white jazz musicians to master the blues, and probably the first to make use of  blue notes.  He had the ability to play in the upper register of  the trombone, and his cloudy tone, at first relatively rough,  grew much smoother as he matured.   Because of his deceptively simple style, few listeners realized how technically capable he was.  Teagarden is also considered one of the finest jazz /blues vocalists.  His singing was characterized by a lazy quality, and his husky voice was a natural for the blues.   Jack Teagarden died in 1964.

Bennie Maupin, Saxophone, 1940, Detroit, MI

Bennie's first instrument was the clarinet, which he started at about the age of ten.  He took up saxophone in high school, and next attended the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts.  He probably gained most of his jazz education by working with musicians such Yusef Lateef, Alice McLeod (later Coltrane), Hugh Lawson, and Barry Harris, all in the Detroit area.  In 1963 Bennie made his move to New York and played in soul groups,  rock groups,  and calypso bands.  In the mid to late '60s he played with Roy Haynes and Horace Silver.  Through contact with Jack DeJohnette, Bennie joined the studio group for the Mile Davis' album " Bitches Brew".  Also during the late '60s he played extensively with groups led by McCoy Tyner and Lee Morgan.  In the early '70s he replaced Joe Henderson in Herbie Hancock's sextet, remaining with the group for most of the decade.  After settling in Los Angeles, Maupin has both performed and recorded as a leader.  A strong soloist, he is probably best known for his work on saxello and clarinet.

Dinah Washington, Singer, 1924, Tuscaloosa, AL

Dinah grew up in Chicago where, at a very early age, she played piano and directed the choir at her church.  From her mid teens Dinah worked alternately in nightclubs as a singer and pianist, and in Sallie Martin's gospel choir.  It was at the Garrick Stage Bar where she worked that the bartender gave her the name " Dinah Washington".  Her real name was Ruth Jones.  It was at the Garrick Stage Bar that she was heard by Lionel Hampton, for whom she went to work for three years beginning in 1943.  Having recorded  several blues hits in 1943, she enjoyed a successful solo career from 1946 when she left Hampton.  Dinah's singing was characterized by high-pitched, penetrating sounds and precise enunciation.  Like Ray Charles, she could rework any type of material to her own distinct style.  From 1949 to 1955 her rhythm-and-blues, classic blues, pop, and country recordings consistently reached the top ten on the rhythm-and-blues charts in the U.S.  "What A Difference A Day Makes" (1959), one of her biggest hits,  marked her breakthrough into the general pop market where she obtained several other gold records, some in duet with the singer Brook Benton.  Dinah died a premature and tragic death from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.  Dinah Washington died in 1963.

Jerry Dodgion, Saxophone, 1932, Richmond, CA


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KURT ELLING, Flirting With Twilight, Blue Note 72435-31113
Now here is a young Chicago vocalist in his thirties who has high drama and energy in his style. He has previously done a CD where he harmonizes with himself in three parts. He scats a la Mark Murphy, and creates philosophical dramas while twisting the melody from here to eternity. He is very hip, slick and cool. But not on this CD. Here is a whole other Kurt Elling, one who--while still using arrangements by his piano soul mate, Lawrence Hobgood--sings beautiful ballads. Hardly any scatting, just a little playing around with the melody and that enticing sound of his buzzy baritone…with notes that go on for so long that you find yourself holding your breath waiting for the resolution. Kurt Elling is a great singer, and he finally wants everyone to know that he can do it inside the box as well as out in the stratosphere where he usually travels. Plenty of standards like "Detour Ahead," "Lil Darlin," and "You Don´t Know What Love Is" keep you listening through all twelve tracks. There is plenty of imagination and talent on this CD, but it is subtle--more subtle than Elling has ever been before--and it only adds to the soulful intensity of his sound.

RUSSELL MALONE, Heartstrings, Verve 314549-786-2
I can´t say I´m much of a fan of strings on a jazz album. It usually feels a little too mushy to me, too "beautiful music" (and I haven´t once mentioned an elevator). Yet, here I am recommending a CD with a string section, because Russell Malone breaks the mold and makes a string section work with his bluesy tone. He doesn´t overdo it, although it is slow and pretty; his talent for smooth and sultry is what makes this more than a mood CD. Of course, piano player Kenny Barron adds his own dimension to the mix, and Chris McBride and Tain Watts keep a gentle resonant pulse. You may know Russell Malone from his other gig where he swings and pops backing up singer Diana Krall; he uses that as an undercurrent to the spirit of this work. This is a CD for a quiet night, for dreaming, or for smelling the rain on the desert…or maybe for letting someone special tug at your heartstrings.

STEVE TURRE, TNT, Telarc CD 83529
Steve Turre thinks there is a prejudice against the trombone; he says he would be famous if he played sax as well as he plays the trombone. So on this CD, he gets some famous sax players to join him on TNT (which stands for Trombone ´n Tenor) and it works just fine! Now, whether it will sell a couple of CDs for him is a whole other jazz mystery. He brings in James Carter, Dewey Redman, and David Sanchez on tenors to fatten up the band on different tunes, and as on his last release--he uses each sax man with a different band. David Sanchez gets some extra bounce from Giovanni Hidalgo at the congas on his cuts, and James Carter is swinging with Mulgrew Miller at the piano and Buster Williams on the bass. One of my favorites is Turre with Dewey Redman playing "Stompin at theSavoy." The incredibly expressive tones of Redman reach out and pull you into this old standard; he inspires Turre to some fun playing and that solid swing from young drummer Lewis Nash lifts the whole group up a few notches. Peter Washington on bass steps up for a bright moment in the spotlight on this one, and Stephen Scott adds some pizzicato piano harmony to the talkative tones of the horns. Of course, not everything is this sweet and lovely; everybody gets a little wild and outside on different cuts. If you like a good screamer, Turre gets his trombone to make that horsey whinny sound that trombone players think we like, and James Carter follows suit with some whinnies and squawks of his own on "Eric the Great," in case you thought they could just play really well. But, in spite of the horseplay this is a really musical CD with some great horn harmonies and conversations, and a nice variety of sound because of the different players. Turre holds it all together; he shows that when he plays the trombone it has as much finesse and beauty as any saxophone or trumpet…maybe he´s right about that prejudice. P.S. Really glad Turre decided to leave the seashells at home and play his horn on this one.

PHOENIX JAZZ QUARTET, Phoenix Jazz Quartet, Tempest
Sometimes I forget how remarkably talented some of our fellow Phoenicians are and here is a CD to remind us of their ability. This is a self-produced endeavor from a local quartet that will wow you. Clark Rigsby--the producer and sound engineering part of the team-gets just the right balance in the studio and then the group takes off, flying low in a tight formation, with plenty of swoops and dives to impress you and a simple beauty that makes every tune something special. Armand Boatman plays piano and can slip from delicate comping to a front-and-center sound on an arpeggio. His use of harmony and dynamics keeps the whole group flowing from soft to solid throughout, and drummer Dom Moio is right in the pocket with Boatman. When they play "Alice in Wonderland" you feel as though you have stepped into the rabbit hole and you just don´t want to come back. On "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise," Boatman and guitarist Bill Moio weave through each others´ chords like Herb Ellis and Oscar Peterson in a modern dance. Warren Jones on bass and Dom Moio on drums keep this tune grooving hard, which makes you think that this is how this one-time ballad should always be done. "In Your Own Sweet Way" is played with a light touch that camouflages the intensity of the changes and movement that the quartet uses on this tune. The most amazing part of this CD is that it is over an hour long, but it is like a good book: when you´re finished, you can´t believe you went through the whole thing. Only, instead of being done with it, you can listen again and again. Part of the intrigue is the talent of each player, but part of it is the relationship between all of them. Drummer Dom and guitarist Bill Moio (as brothers) have worked together quite a bit in their playing careers, and Armand Boatman and the rhythm section have played plenty of engagements here in the valley, from backing up singers and horn players to being the main act as a trio. This is a genuine Jazz ensemble, so intertwined musically that sometimes on "Solar" you forget that there are four of them and only hear one, the PJQ. It´s a Zen approach to music: no ego, just the integration of sounds. These guys will inspire you with their ability to balance talent with beauty, perfectly. You can buy this CD at Stinkweeds in Tempe, and they are trying to get it into other stores on our local market.