James Clark, veteran guitarist of the James Clark trio whichheads off a jazz jam every Monday at the Central Park Grill,also observed the movement of jazz. "Music changes, butsome things stay the same -.. I don't think jazz changes —itexpands to other forms, but the basics never change." Theirpopular vocalist, Joanee McDuffee, sees the direction as"going towards a funkier, rock-orientated jazz," ','away frombe-bop' is the way their other guitarist put it.

Jazz jams

Tralfamadore Cafe's •

planetary music IJazz survives

It appears unanimous that jazz is either changing orexpanding, or both, and most of-the musicians see this as themajor cause for the latest upswing in jazz awareness andappreciation. It seems, therefore, that jazz has been able tosurvive through the decades by finding its position in thetimes. But like keyboardist Tommy Schuman of Spyro Cyrasaid, "Back then jazz was IT; it was the times." Nevertheless,jazz is finding its place in the music world all over again. Withthe eighties approaching, it comes to us now in the form of"fusion."

Iby Scott Swick |

A descending flight of red carpeted stairs awaits your commitment 7to 2610 Main Street Seated at the bottom is the hostess. The cry of an Jechoing saxophone releases the day's hostilities concealed within your -

body You have entered Buffalo's premier jazz club, The TralfamadoreCafe £

Cafe owner Eddie Lawson purchased the present housing of the aTralf in a partnership with his brother in 1975. By summer, the onceDirty Dick's Bathhouse had been transformed into a reputable night ®

club, saving only two toilet seats. "The Tralf was nothing before we“

purchased it It was primarily a motorcycle type hang out We hadsome idea on what our intentions were, but I didn't think it wouldprogress this far," said Lawson Lawson took over full control of theTralf two years ago

"My reason for centering on jazz is because I like jazz. I try to beopen to all forms, as long as it is played well But it should be playedwhether I like it or not, for the exposure," Lawson said "Mypreferences include Be-bop, contemporary, and more recentlyEuropean jazz . ." he added

It is fair to say that those new recruits or patrons to the jazzscene are not there because they have suddenly developed adriving thirst for be-bop music, although this may laterdevelop. It is more likely that a contemporary artist fusingrock or classical music with some jazz artistry will capturetheir attention and imagination This combination may havepromoted the person to listen harder and look further for moreof the same, more of that thing called "jazz" as it is fusedwith other styles But is this disenchanting to the jazzmusician? To the purist? Is today's jazz merely a compromisewith the classic forms of 25 years ago just for the sake ofwider acceptance? No Stu Weismen of the James Clark groupsees the advantages in both the past and present: "Everything'sgot to progress; the new jazz music is getting better but theold jazz was a good foundation." (The James Clark group, Imight add, does some of the most experimental fusion workmoving through disco songs like "Boogie Oogie,"contemporary numbers like "You Are The Sunshine of MyLife," and jazz-rock tunes by Robben Ford and Larry Carltonwithout ever leaving their foothold-feel of jazz.) Tom Reinhartof Loosely Tight, also views the progression favorably: "There'smore different kinds and branches (of jazz) today I thinkmusic always gets better, improving and developing " TommySchuman, who describes jazz is being in a state of "entropy,"explains that, "Music started with basic blues but then spreadin all directions from one minute to the next it's —

changing but definitely moving forward . . it's infinite."

But Lawson's love for jazz doesn't stop once he steps foot out ofthe door He found himself producing this year's Artpark Jazz Festivalin Lewiston, N Y “At first I assisted producer Bill Hasset until he wasappointed as State Commerce commissioner and had to drop his workSo my total involvement came about two months before the fesitvalbegan," he said.

was. The professional life of a jazz musician does not appear,at least at these stages, to be an extraordinarily lucrativeendeavor. Simple proof is the fact that talented bands likeLoosely Tight and the James Clark Group have only one gig aweek they can coynt on. And if they are the most popular jazzbands in Buffalo, what about the less popular ones?

Richard Shulman, pianist and leader of both the RichardShulman Quintet and Quartet, said, "Unless-you're doingsomething commercial you can't work six nights a week." Andnone of them are. The key factor is demand, for a growing"interest" won't move a bar owner into booking bands until hesees growing revenue.

Planet wavesIn choosing a name for his establishment, Lawson pegged a classic.

The name Tralfamadore possesses a certain oddity unique to the CafeTralfamadore is a planet from the Kurt Vonnegut novels, The Sirens ofTitan and Slaughterhouse Five, where the inhabitants communicatenon-verbally, much the way jazz musicians perform

Could it have been the mysterious name that drew Gregg Allman tothe Tralf in the Fa|l of was in Buffalo with ever popularwife Cher seeking guidance from their tharriage counselor. On thenight of Allman's visit, a UB student named Douglas Cameron was on

Tralfamadore Is a planet from the.KurtVonnegut novels. The Sirens of Titan'

What's important

Growing revenue •

The cultivators of the jazz scene are proud of the finalproduct as well as the developing interest it has spawned. But"exists" is not thrives amt'"growing" is not flourishing. So evenas .the interest in jazz increases, it is far from what it once

and 'Slaughterhouse Five/ where theInhabitants communicate hon-verbally,much the way jazz musicians perform.stage jamming with some friends. Cameron's display of violin skill wasenough for "Allman to sign him up with The Gregg Allman Band.

Cameron's unexpected success led to his move to Los Angeles, andeventual television appearances including a'part on ABC's FantasyIsland as a gypsy violinist A Tralf-initiated success story

The Trail's reputation is well deserved. The no nonsense approachto music allows serious musicians'!© perform in a comfortable, well-appreciated atmosphere And it also accounts for the fact that well-known performers in town occasionally play the spectator role

One of those serious musicians is the legendary Dexter Cordon.Lawson reflected that Gordon's first gig at the Tralf was for economicreasons. "When Dexter Cordon first came to the Tralf about threeyears ago, he was looking for work having just returned from Europe "

Y'p «*• ;; , vCalm - .

m, however, on theival can continue amongmers on-stage, theihouses would be our *

not see the lack of>le for the sometimesout if it is a nationalicts because they

be good." This is anfor the jazz scene inively promotesIt discreetly draws youcasual manner, thatThat's all part of theleties which are tTfi-T

The atmosphere known to the Tralf is enlightening to say the leastThe crowd is not rowdy by any means, instead they are a crowd thatcame to listen, enjoy, and find refuge against the hectic pace of otherBuffalo night spots. "We haven't had a fight in four years," remarkedthe owner proudly. And bartender Joe Tynan added a very basicprinciple, "Jazz is something you listen to . .

A young female listener boasting a black felt hat swayed eye levelto the bass player as he tugged his instrument's callous strings On theopposite side of the Tralf, a middle-aged man sported long hair and abeatnik style beret He seemed content sipping his transparent glass ofintoxification A suspected loved one rested at his side Their

And why is “today's" jazz so enticing to a new generation?Tony Genovese said it best: “It is a bridge between both (theold and the new)/' one which doesn't stop the.“current" butallows it to ebb and flow with the times as it moves by.

Loo««ly Tight at tha Katharine Cornell TheaterLocal jazz outfit promotes originality occasional glance-and-nod said it all

After Burton's breathtaking solo, Chick took tothe piano for a little of his own “music magic."With a bit of help from the audience in the form ofvocal harmony and hand-clapping, Chick tried out anew piece that he said he plans on writing in thenext year. He had a total command over the crowdand, for a change, quiet and silent passages weren'tmarred by vocal outbursts His piano wasimpeccable, attaining the purest form of the art.

Cary Burton resumed his place on the stage, andthe duo proceeded through "Crystal Silence" (asChick said, their disco cut) and a Coreacomposition, "The Duet Suite

I'm sure the duo knew that the audiencewouldn't let them get away without an encore, andthey responded with their most recognizablenumber, a beautiful rendition of “La Fiesta."

of my favorite jazz-rock groups and has been forthe past five years, and to complicate matters, theyperformed in the unmatched elegance of Shea'sBuffalo Theater. But, since I've committed myselfto the art of critique, I must judge the performanceon its musical merit.

downfall may arrive soon. The music was up to par,but the show's length was downright cheap

I looked on Sunday night's show with greatanticipation. The band was donating the profits toan extremely worthy cause —public radio stationWBFO (BFO was one of the first to recognize andplay cuts from Spyro while they were still in theirinfancy). They booked Shea's, and enough can't besaid of the elegance and exceptional acoustics ofthis Buffalo landmark. The band was opening theirtour here, and were apprearing in their hometownfor the first time since their most recent album.

Success hits bands in many ways, and it seemsthat Spyro Cyra is feeling the full brunt of its force.Where does a band come off playing one set ofseventy minutes? Sure, they essentially played forfree, but that doesn't give them the right to cheatan audience that paid six to seven dollars (it doesn'ttake much math knowledge to figure that if comesout to the inflationary rate of a dime a minute)

Such a short show was a total blow to theevening No one in the music world puts on aperformance of such short duration, unless it's thefirst of a two show club act. Jay Beckenstein washonest in admitting that it was the audience's turnto bring them back for an encore. If they continuetheir miniscule act on the road, they're likely toreturn with tomato and egg stained clothes

Maybe Buffalonians aren't used to paying theseprices to see~a "local" band, but I know they'llnever get used to paying such outrageous prices forsuch a paltry performance You'd think that ahometown crowd is entitled to an above averageshow I feel Spyro Gyra fertilized their roots Sundaynight

Spyro Cyra, Buffalo's commercial jazz tofame, used to play gigs at the Tralfamadore Cafeand the now defunct Jack Daniels for the usual two

Qot Live... Morning Dance.The band ran through a mix of old material taken

from their two albums, and new songs slated forif vjcu wnnf a their next disc. Their current hit "Morning Dance"brought cheers of approval from the crowd. "LovinYou" showed off the tasty guitar of Chet CatilloJazz history occurred last Saturday night in the

Buff State gym, and the level of musical excellenceattained there probably won't be witnessed inBuffalo again for some time to come

to three dollars at the door Now they command sixand seven and are privileged to play placeslike Shea's. The band members say that theyusually return to Buffalo to less than capacityaudiences, after packing them in on tour (theyattribute it to memories of cheaper admissions atthe local clubs)

Well, Spyro Cyra has made it! If the openingnight of their U/S. tour is any indication, their

who contributed excellent riffs throughout the set"Autumn of Our Love," a slow Jeremy Wall tune,brought the bittersweet saxophone of JayBeckenstem into focus The choreographic antics ofpercussionist Gerardo Velez drew everyone's

— Doug AIpern

Spyro Cyra, Shea's Buffalo Theatre, October 21,1979

attention throughout the show, with his prancingand gyrating Then the show ended, and theprevious seventy minutes of quality music turned tonasty criticism in my mind

I honestly hoped for an early audience exit,omitting the call for "encoreItwould have returned the insultHow do I go about criticizing a benefit concert?

To make criticism more difficult, Spyro Cyra is one — Drug AIpern