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Tribute to Russ Long at Jardine’sa most wonderful night in KC

Russ Long continued on page 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Beingsent to Wentworth Military Academyfor my high schooland junior collegedays in the mid-1960s, only 40miles from Kan-sas City, I wasprivy to somewonderful musi-cal acts at a widevariety of venues.

I was diggin’the likes of a very young Stevie Won-der, the Rolling Stones with Mick Tay-lor, my first acid trip with Jimi Hendrix,Stevie Ray Vaughan before anybodyknew about him, Tracy Nelson, ElvisCostello, Al Green, etc. You get thepicture. Regardless of where I lived,my musical ventures to KC contin-ued through my rock years to my cur-rent involvement with jazz. The list istoo long to mention, as I tried to catcheveryone I could while living here inNebraska—Joe Henderson, Herbieand Wayne, Shirley Horn, CharlieHaden, J.J. Johnson plus current starslike Karrin Allyson and BobbyWatson, to name a few.

In this issue of Jazz....

Prez Sez.........................................................2Jim Monroe Memorial Concert................6Tomfoolery: Jim Monroe legacy..................8Jazz in June Review.............................9Giacomo Gates/Joe Cartwright Review...10Luke Polipnick & Volcano Insurance...11“When Broadway meets Swing Street”....13Jean Reldy: Jazz Patriot.......................14Curtis Salgado Benefit.........................16NJO and “Caliente” Review....................17Sam Myers Memorial..........................18Jazz on Disc Reviews........................19Discorama Reviews.............................21Letters to the Editor...............................23

September 2006Vol. 11, Number 2

By Butch Berman ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

With this kinda background, Iknew the Aug. 6 tribute for

e v e r y b o d y ’sbeloved icon—pianist, singerand songwriterextraordinaireRuss Long—arranged by mydear friend,BMF consult-ant, and one ofthe best bassists

anywhere, Gerald Spaits, was goingto be a gasser, and how! The magicalevening of love and fabulous jazz sur-rounding this ever-so-talented, lovelyman may have been one of the mostwonderful nights I ever spent inKCMO. Special kudos goes out to theentire staff of Jardine’s jazz club forworking with Gerald to make thisblessed event a reality.

Feeling a little like Perry Masonwith his trusted secretary and assis-tant Della Street at his side, I tookRuthann Nahorny to accompany andassist me on this soulful sojourn. My

File Photo

Russ Long visits Berman museum.

Photo by R

uthann Nahorny

Butch Berman outside Jardine’s

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Page 2 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Prez SezLife’s joys and sorrows add to “Soul Stew”By Butch Berman ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Keeping cool, my late summerreaders?

Well…. I’m not as hot under thecollar as I thought I might be, consid-ering the jazz scene as envisioned bymoi.

Lincoln, Nebraska isn’t NYC, oreven close to KC as a Mecca for ourbeloved music. The former heavy-weight line-up of jazz monsters fromcoast to coast at the annual Jazz inJune series fell to a more localizedarray of talent to fulfill a need to makea few more bucks, and the “Hey…it’sfree, so how GREAT does it have tobe?” kind of attitude from the recentpowers to be.

I had high hopes for the nowdefunct Melting Spot, which provedyou can fill a cool night spot with jazzfans, bring in a great act like GiacomoGates, backed by the Joe CartwrightTrio, for a wonderful night of superbentertainment—with hopes of moreto follow—and then close the doors aweek or so later, due in part to a fewlocal acts overpricing themselves anddrawing little, as the door price had toequal what we charged for Gates.

I also had high hopes that theKrem le Bistro, whom we did a littlepiece on in the last issue, would try tofind some time to work with us on thedinner piano concerts or duos we haddiscussed. I know that starting a neweatery is a major nightmare, and I’llalways try to be patient when it comesto jazz venues-to-be, but I’m begin-ning to have my doubts. Some of thelocal pianists advertised as “jazz pi-ano” are fine music teachers whodon’t improvise, which in my opinionisn’t jazz. Hey, they’re doing a finejob with good food and regular music,so I’m only stating the reality, with all

my “I should know better” expecta-tions. Maybe the past few lovelyyears with my wife, Grace, has hadsome positive effect on my occasion-ally passionate, but emotional behav-ior. I seem to take things a little morein stride and try to not burn everybridge I can’t cross.

So between doing our web/jazznewsletter, my enjoyable work as D.J.on my “Tuesday Morning Soul Stew”radio show on KZUM, 89.3 FM inLincoln, and rocking out with my bandThe Cronin Brothers, I’m livin’ a life.If I knew during my younger days try-ing to “find myself” that I’d end upwith a lifetime career of turning myhobby into my job, mostly on my termsto boot…Wow! I have too much tobe thankful for to be pissed about stuffI’ll probably never be able to change.You can’t blame a guy for havingdeep principles concerning jazz. On-ward.

Two incredible piano virtuosiwhom I was extremely fortunate tohave met and hung with on occasion,

and listened to in NYC when I wasvisiting, passed away suddenly a fewweeks apart last month. I’m referringto the genius that was John Hicks andHilton Ruiz. Thanks to my dear friend,percussionist Norman Hedman, whointroduced me to both of these finegentlemen within the past decade ofmy involvement in jazz. He attendedboth funerals and shares my sadnessin dealing with the shock of their de-mises.

I caught John several times overthe years, and cherish a ton of his re-corded stuff…all inspiring, solid bril-liant pieces of work covering a lot ofjazz styles. From his “Live atMaybeck” concert to his stunningensemble work with Bobby Watson,Victor Lewis and Curtis Lundy, as wellas his classic tributes to Erroll Garnerand Mary Lou Williams, his work wasdazzling. His contribution on Norman’s“Flight of the Spirit” CD showcasedhis artistry as well. The most memo-rable performance was at the legend-ary Bradley’s several years ago, when

Photo by R

ich Hoover

BMF gathers for dinner before Giacomo Gates concert with (from left) RuthannNahorny, Ray DeMarchi, Gerald Spaits, Joe Cartwright, Grace Sankey Berman,Butch Berman, Giacomo Gates, Mary Jane Gruba and Tom Ineck.

Page 3September 2006○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

JazzJazzJazzJazzJazz is published online at:www.bermanmusicfoundation.orgThe office of The Berman Mu-The Berman Mu-The Berman Mu-The Berman Mu-The Berman Mu-sic Foundation sic Foundation sic Foundation sic Foundation sic Foundation is at 719 P St.,Studio G, Lincoln, NE 68508.

Editor and Designer:Editor and Designer:Editor and Designer:Editor and Designer:Editor and Designer:Tom Ineck

Contributing writersContributing writersContributing writersContributing writersContributing writers:Butch Berman, Phil Chesnut,Dan Demuth and Tom Ineck

Photographers:Photographers:Photographers:Photographers:Photographers: ButchBerman, Phil Chesnut, DanDemuth, Rich Hoover, TomIneck and Ruthann Nahorny

For inclusion of any jazz orblues related events, letters tothe editor or suggestedarticles, mail them to theoffice, phone (402) 476-3112,fax (402) 475-3136 or e-mailbmusicfoundtn@neb.rr.com.

To be added to our mailinglist, call (402) 476-3112, fax(402) 475-3136 or e-mailbmusicfoundtn@neb.rr.com.

The Butch BermanThe Butch BermanThe Butch BermanThe Butch BermanThe Butch BermanCharitable MusicCharitable MusicCharitable MusicCharitable MusicCharitable MusicFoundationFoundationFoundationFoundationFoundation is a non-profit, taxexempt, 501(c)(3) private foun-dation recognized by the Inter-nal Revenue Service and theNebraska Department of Rev-enue. It was established in thespring of 1995 to protect andpromote unique forms of jazzmusic.

Trustee:Trustee:Trustee:Trustee:Trustee: Butch Berman

Consultants:Consultants:Consultants:Consultants:Consultants: Grace SankeyBerman, Russ Dantzler, DanDemuth, Norman Hedman,Gerald Spaits, Leslie Spaits andWade Wright

he did a double-piano concert withLarry Willis.

I only got to meet ‘n’ greet andhear Hilton once, in a duo at a spotcalled Zino’s. His Latin tinged beboptore up the place, and he made a heftyentry into my never-ending jazz LP/CD collection soon after witnessinghis magic. We can be thankful thattheir vast catalogues of music will liveforever beyond the too-soon depar-tures of these special cats.

I also lost a new friend on May14, on a much more personal level.Steve Alvis, the general manager atKZUM, while on a golf-and-fishingtrip with his buddies, died instantlyafter a freak fall from a golf cart inFlorida. I’d only been back on the airfor a few months, but the depth ofcharacter and personality of this kind,jovial middle-aged man was apparentfrom the get-go. We bonded with amutual love of the soul-tinged ‘50s and‘60s soul music I play on my show.He was a devoted husband to hiswife, Tammy, a master chef and avidsports enthusiast with a great repfrom his many years putting a sportsagenda together at Nebraska PubicTelevision before taking over the helmat KZUM.

Our own Jazz newsletter editorand webmaster Tom Ineck, chairmanof the board at the radio station, hastemporally assumed Steve’s positionuntil his huge shoes can be filled. Mayall of these magnificent men’s soulsrest in peace…never to be forgotten.

On a cheerier note, my old friendBob Popek, after many years atDietze Music House as their string

instrument luthier, left to start his ownprivate business, called CGSMUSIC,at 1244 High St. in Lincoln. Bob’swork is world-renowned, as is hissplendid website, showcasing themusical tablatures of his arrange-ments for guitar. His store will be anall-purpose, service-oriented musicestablishment featuring his repair ca-pabilities as well as the selling of awide array of interesting guitars,basses, violins, some keyboards, andworld instruments, as well as musicalliterature. Tom Ineck will do a fea-ture article on Bob’s venture in thenear future. We wish him the best. Ifyou loved the way my guitars havesounded in all of my bands the past25 years, Bob’s the reason why. He’sthe best in the biz!!

In closing, I also want to wel-come a new addition to my household

with the arrival of a 3-year old En-glish shepherd named Peanut thatcame from a farm in Gordon, Neb.,where I was told an evil farmernamed Leo Woodhouse brutalizedthis adorable dog, and caused thedeath of his brother. Shame on himand “Yea!” for Peanut. He joins myother fairly new adopted No. 1 dogKaliber and even gets along great

with the real boss—no, not Grace, butmy cat Muggles.

This one big, happy and jazzyfamily wishes you all a swinging au-tumn.

Peanut

Photo by B

utch Berm

an

Muggles

Photo by B

utch Berm

an

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Page 4 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Russ Long continued from page 1

dear wife, Grace, had not yet returnedto the states after nearly six weeksvisiting her African homeland, familyand friends she hadn’t seen in manyyears. She knew Ruth and I had ouract together, and insisted we go whenTom Ineck had to pull out due to othercommitments.

The joint, as they say, wasrockin’, swinging ‘n’ swaying, andpacked to the gills. It was standingroom only for the multitude of fellowplayers, fans and friends assembledthere that evening. The program nam-ing all of the tunes and astute cats thatgelled perfectly can be found on theback cover of this newsletter. Geraldrounded up an interesting collectionof musicians to showcase 17 of Russ’jazzy creations, including a four-piecehorn section led by master of ceremo-nies and former KC trumpeter GarySivis, with his “musical son” trumpeterStan Kessler, new Westport Art En-semble sax player Dave Chael, trom-bone veteran Arch Martin and theamazing reedman Charles Perkins,who I had never heard live before. Iwas blown away by his astoundingchops.

In all, the horn arrangementscame off so well that Russ even men-tioned re-recording some of his tuneswith this lineup and new charts.Drummers Ray DeMarchi andTommy Ruskin split sets with Geraldremaining on bass, and Paul Smith onpiano played his ass off as always.

Everyonestood whenRuss got up todo a few tunesand reminisceabout his 50-plus years ins h o w - b i z .Even thoughRuss carriesoxygen withhim when heleaves hishome, heplayed andsang withstrength andgusto, bringing his throng of teary-eyed followers to their feet severaltimes. And if this wasn’t enough of atreat, 50 years’ worth of KansasCity’s greatest divas were present toopen their mouths and hearts and singto the man who has provided suchbeautiful melodies and stories for themto sing, as well as accompany them,probably from coast to coast, cover-ing over a half century—KarrinAllyson, Julie Turner, Carol Comer andMarilyn Maye.

Ruth and I were sitting withinearshot of these legendary song-

stresses, which was a trip in itself,seeing everyone from so many erashaving such a good time, together allat the same time. Each artist had herown little thing goin’, remembering allthe gigs with Russ, often resemblinga roast, as the laughter and tearsflowed like the wine that night…in

abundance.By the

time you readthis, my founda-tion will havewined, dinedand met withGerald and therest of the Ne-braska consult-ants to discussour involvementin seeing that allof Russ’ com-positions arecopyrighted,published and

professionally charted to stand the testof time.

Even though the years and somehealth problems have taken some ofthe starch out of Russ Long, he’s stillthe hippest of hip and the coolest ofcool. The Berman Music Foundationwill be eternally grateful to GeraldSpaits for getting us involved withhelping to produce Russ’ dynamite“Never Let Me Go” CD and, now,this tribute…a night to remember al-ways.

Ruth Nahorny is Butch Berman’s“Della Street” on trip to KC.

Photo by B

utch Berm

an

Russ Long takes a turn at the piano at Jardine’s.

Photo by B

utch Berm

an

Gerald Spaits and Russ Long visited theBMF museum in 2001.

File Photo

Page 5September 2006○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Photo GallerySnapshots of Russ Long tribute at Jardine’s

Julie Turner and Tommy Ruskin

Karrin Allyson in conversation

Stan Kessler

Russ Long with his many fans Marilyn Maye and Karrin Allyson

Russ Long signs autographs during a breakin the action at Jardine’s in Kansas City.

Ginny Coleman

Photos byButch Berman

Leslie Spaits

Songstresses (from left) Karrin Allyson, Julie Turner,Marilyn Maye and Carol Comer

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Page 6 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Concert Review

Monroe memorial concert draws audience of 600TOPEKA, Kan.—The purpose

of the Jim Monroe Memorial Concertwas two-fold—to pay homage to thelate, world-class jazz promoter and toraise funds for a scholarship thatwould help ensure the continuation ofMonroe’s legacy.

In both respects, the free July 23event at White Concert Hall on theWashburn University campus was asuccess. Some three dozen musiciansfrom all over the country showed upto pay their respects and to play inthe rotational-set format that Monroeperfected during his seven years asmusic director of the Topeka Jazz Fes-tival (TJF). From 1 p.m. to after 8p.m. on this celebrative Sunday, play-ers and singers moved on and off thestage in various combinations, oftenperforming together for the first time.

As always in such cases, resultswere mixed, sometime producingawkward moments of musical andpersonal incompatibility, but occasion-ally yielding surprising camaraderie

among seemingly disparate players.As Monroe himself might have ar-gued, it is that sense of surprise thatis at the heart of all jazz improvisa-tion.

Even before the concert, dona-tions to the Jim Monroe ScholarshipFund had exceeded $31,000, and anadditional $5,500 was collected at thedoor, according to Marcene Grimes,executive director of Topeka JazzWorkshop Inc. The fund was ex-pected to net about $26,000 after ex-penses, she said.

An estimated audience of 600turned out for the memorial concert.An exact count was difficult since, likethe players, they rotated in and out ofthe auditorium throughout the day.What follows is a recap of some ofthe most memorable musical mo-ments.

Gary Foster was the perfectchoice as the day’s artistic director.The woodwind player, based in LosAngeles, was a longtime friend ofMonroe’s and a TJF regular. Fosterand saxophonist Bob Kindred pairedup for a wonderful rendition of “Beau-tiful Friendship.” Boston-based trom-bonist Phil Wilson sat in on a coupleof numbers before adding WestCoaster Stacy Rowles to the mix onflugelhorn. They matched nicely on

Cole Porter’s “I Love You,” startingin ballad tempo then moving uptempo.Rowles proved a fine vocalist on “’SWonderful.”

Rowles and Wilson later teamedup again with pianist Joe Cartwright,bassist Gerald Spaits and drummerTom Morgan—a very compatiblequintet—for a very satisfying set thatincluded “Time After Time” and RayNoble’s sadly obscure ballad “WhyStars Come Out at Night,” withRowles caressing the vocal andCartwright interjecting a typically out-standing solo.

B a s s i s tJim DeJulio hadthe luxury oftraveling fromL.A. with hisown trio, whichalso featuredpianist TedHowe anddrummer JoeLaBarbera. Af-ter expertly es-saying “HowHigh the Moon,” they turned to an off-kilter rumba version of Juan Tizol’s“Caravan,” an inspired rhythmicworkout for the inventive LaBarbera.On “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear fromMe,” the piano and bass stated themelody in tandem.

Trombonist Dan Barrett tippedhis hat to the Mills Brothers on “If IDidn’t Care.” The great young tenorsaxophonist Harry Allen joined Barretton Ellington’s “All Too Soon.”Barrett’s take on “Besame Mucho”began as a rumba before shifting to aswing tempo and back.

Singer Julie Turner, with husbandTommy Ruskin on drums, Paul Smith

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Gerald Spaits and Bob Kindred

Photo by Tom

Ineck

Artistic Director Gary Foster

Photo by Tom

Ineck

Photo by Tom

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Jim DeJulio

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on piano and Jennifer Leitham onbass, were impressive on Rodgersand Hart’s “Where or When,” and afast rendition of “You Do Somethingto Me,” with admirable solos byLeitham, Smith and Ruskin, whosebrushwork was especially notable atthis tempo.

In typical grandiose style, trum-peter Tiger Okoshi began with a bra-vura and dramatic solo reading of“Ave Maria,” piercing the upperreaches of the auditorium without amicrophone. He also exhibited hisbright and brilliant, diamond-cut pre-cision phrasing on “Some Day MyPrince Will Come.” Dueting withbassist DeJulio on “Days of Wine andRoses,” Okoshi resorted to every trickin the book—including leaps, trills,valving and tonguing techniques. Asif that was not enough, he set a blaz-ing tempo on “Yesterdays,” tradinglicks with drummer Ruskin as hereached for the stratosphere.

Baritone saxophonist KerryStrayer fronted a fine six-piece en-semble whose front line also featuredtrumpeter Stan Kessler and trombon-ist Paul McKee, with pianist PaulSmith, bassist Bob Branstetter and

drummer Joe LaBarbera. “Alone To-gether” was followed by a wonderfularrangement of “Out of Nowhere,”with an outstanding solo by Kesslerand Strayer sounding a lot like his maininfluence, Gerry Mulligan.

Gary Foster on alto and Bob Kin-dred on tenor returned for a soul-searching marriage of “I Thoughtabout You” and “Body and Soul.” Butit was tenor saxophone great HarryAllen who earned the day’s most en-thusiastic ovation, as he illustrated histechnique and soulfulness on “JustOne of Those Things,” “I Get a KickOut of You,” and an incredibly fast-paced “The Man I Love,” which chal-lenged the rhythm section (pianistRoger Wilder, bassist Branstetter anddrummer LaBarbera) to hold its own.L a B a r b e r awas most suc-cessful, tearingloose with adynamic anddriving percus-sion solo.

A l l e n ’sset would havebeen the logi-cal high point atwhich to endthe day’s pro-ceedings and send everyone homesmiling. In a programming faux pasthat Monroe never would have made,two male vocalists with similarstyles—David Basse and Giacomo

Gates—were scheduled to performconsecutively. Programmed earlier inthe day and in sets separated by in-strumentalists, they both would havehad a greater impact, especially Gates,who is one of the most underratedvocalists on the scene.

Instead, Gates had to follow alackluster performance by Basse astime was running short. Backed bythe compatible rhythm section of pia-nist Joe Cartwright, bassist GeraldSpaits and drummer Tommy Ruskin,Gates instantly connected with the au-dience on “Lady Be Good” and theballad “P.S. I Love You,” proving him-self a master storyteller of the heart.Gates and Cartwright share an affin-ity for the music of Thelonious Monk,apparent on the Monk tune “Well YouNeedn’t.” In a gracious gesture,Gates invited Basse back to the stagefor a duet on “Centerpiece.”

Overall, the concert lacked the“star power” of classic TJF programs,where (in 2001, for example) it wasnot unusual to encounter Ray Brown,Monty Alexander, Scott Hamilton,Eldar Djangirov, Karrin Allyson, KenPeplowski, Jay Leonhart, GerryWiggins, John Clayton and JeffHamilton all in the same day.

As homage to Jim Monroe, how-ever, it was fitting to have so manyKansas City-area musicians partici-pate with such enthusiasm and genu-ine love for the man and the music.

Photo by Tom

Ineck

Harry Allen and Dan Barrett

Tiger Okoshi

Photo by Tom

Ineck

Giacomo Gates, Joe Cartwright, David Basse,Gerald Spaits and Tommy Ruskin

Photo by Tom

Ineck

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Page 8 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Jim Monroe’s single-minded,authoritarian style as director of theTopeka Jazz Festival from 1998 to2004 occasionally irked musiciansaccustomed to more artistic freedom.After recruiting them from all over thecountry, Monroe would then dictatewho would perform with whom andeven what tunes they would play.

It was a degree of micro-man-agement that often worked against thespontaneity that makes jazz so unpre-dictable. It also anchored the festivalin the staid style of the swing era, pre-cluding attendance by a younger au-dience and, ultimately, dooming thefestival to oblivion.

On the other hand, it is testimonyto Monroe’sdedication anddeterminationthat the TJF sur-vived against allodds for sevenyears under hisleadership andthat the TopekaJazz WorkshopConcert Seriesthat he helped to

found in 1969-70 continues to this day.It is likely that nothing could havesaved the festival, although ButchBerman bravely carried on as artisticdirector for its eighth and final year.

No one can dispute Monroe’slove and enthusiasm for jazz. He be-came hooked on the music whilegrowing up in Kansas City, Kan., andas a retired insurance agent he at-tended jazz festivals around the na-tion, befriending musicians and fellowjazz fans and luring them to Topekafor the annual festival. He tirelesslyworked the phones, wined and dined

and pressed the flesh of prospectivedonors in order to guarantee that theMemorial Day weekend event wassufficiently funded, though it nevermade money. The Berman MusicFoundation was a sponsor of the To-peka Jazz Festival from 1998 to 2002and again in 2004.

Monroe was president of theTopeka Jazz Workshop Concert Se-ries from 1977 until his death last year.He led the marketing effort to in-crease membership and oversaw theestablishment and growth of severalyouth jazz scholarship funds to en-courage more young musicians tostudy and play jazz. Along these lines,

Tomfoolery

Monroe succeeded despite abrasive styleBy Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

the Berman foundation sponsored theTopeka Jazz Festival Academy in2002 and 2004. The workshop hasbeen supporting young musicianssince 1966, awarding a total of 212scholarships.

Monroe was vacationing insouthern Africa with his wife whenhe suffered a fatal heart attack anddied Nov. 7 at age 76. Net proceedsof some $26,000 from the July 23memorial concert will bolster the JimMonroe Memorial Scholarship Fundand ensure that his legacy as jazz im-presario and promoter will not be for-gotten.

Photos byTom Ineck

Ted Howe, Jim DeJulio, Harry Allen, Tom Morgan and Dan Barrett

Gary Foster and Bob Kindred

Julie Turner and Jennifer LeithamMonroe at 2004Topeka Jazz Fest

Page 9September 2006○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

LINCOLN, Neb.—Overall, the15-year-old Jazz in June weekly con-cert series has seen better days musi-cally. The audiences and goodwill do-nations for the free performances, how-ever, continue to grow.

I attended only the final two of thisyear’s four Tuesday evening concerts,and by all reports they were the mostmusically satisfying of the lot.

Rick Trolsen and Gringo DoChoro, a quintet from New Orleans,fused European melodies and Latinrhythms in that infectious Brazilian songform known as choro when they per-formed June 20. Trolsen’s intricatetrombone lead lines blended nicely withBrazilian-born pianist Eduardo Tozzatto,mandolinist John Eubanks, bassist Pe-ter Harris and drummer WayneMaureau. The marriage of tromboneand mandolin was especially interest-ing.

“Tico Tico” evoked memories ofCarmen Miranda in its exotic exuber-ance. Jobim’s “O Pato (The Duck)” alsoprovided a firm footing for the evening’sLatin motif. Trolsen took the melody onhis composition “Medicine Lodge” be-fore turning it over to a playful inter-change between piano and drums.

Trombone and mandolin mergedon Jobim’s masterpiece “No MoreBlues (Saudade)” Other highlights in-cluded Jobim’s “No More Fighting” andthe classic “Brazil.”

Even more of a pleasant surprisewas the relatively unknown CoreyChristiansenQuartet, whoappeared June27. Based in theSt. Louis area,Christiansen isadjunct guitarinstructor at theUniversity ofSouth Floridaand hasauthored more than 40 Mel Bay instruc-tion books. Jazz in June committeemember Ted Eschliman had recom-mended the young guitarist after see-ing him perform last year at a Mel Bayworkshop.

Adding to Christiansen’s own con-siderable fretwork abilities were thecombined talents of his cohorts—Swed-ish pianist Per Danielssen, bassist BenWheeler and drummer par excellenceDanny Gottlieb, formerly of the PatMetheny Group. It made for a volatilequartet of pros.

“Alone Together” got a swingingtreatment, with Gottlieb sizzling on thecymbals and Wheeler providing some

very impressive bass work. Gottliebshowed his sensitive and skillful brushwork on a ballad rendition of “Darn ThatDream.” The drummer reminds the lis-tener of the great Shelly Manne, theultimate in skill and sensitivity.

Christiansen arranged “All Blues”in a jazz shuffle beat that again illus-trated Gottlieb’s talents. The drummerimprovised over a riffing pattern thatled into an astounding guitar solo. An-other original arrangement transformed“Softly as in a Morning Sunrise,” in aminor key with a loping beat. WithGottlieb again using brushes, Danielssentook a bluesy solo that segued into aguitar statement that had echoes of John

Scofield’s pinchedtone and slitheringlines.

Christiansen’se x c e l l e n t“Roads” was fol-lowed by DenzilBest’s “Wee,” aswinging tunebased on the ubiq-uitous “I Got

Rhythm” changes. The guitarist soaredon this one, alternating chords andsingle-note passages in an outstandingdisplay of virtuosity, which in turn in-spired a powerful drum solo in whichGottlieb gave a lesson in creating a one-handed roll on the snare.

Jazz in June will no doubt continueto thrive. The free event drew a recordaudience of 7,000 at its second Tues-day concert this year. Just as impor-tant, however, is to maintain a high stan-dard of musical quality. Let’s hope thatthe series organizers take that lesson toheart.

Concert ReviewChristiansen and Trolsen best of Jazz in JuneBy Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Rick Trolsen and Gringo do Choro

Photo by Tom

Ineck

Photo by Tom

Ineck

Members of Gringo Do Choro aretrombonist Rick Trolsen, mandolinistJohn Eubanks, pianist EduardoTozzatto, drummer Wayne Maureau,and bassist Peter Harris.

Corey Christiansen

Courtesy P

hoto

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Page 10 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Concert Review

Planets aligned for Gates and Cartwright TrioBy Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

LINCOLN, Neb.—SingerGiacomo Gates is a human barometer,able to instantly “read” a room and re-spond accordingly. He also possessesthat rare personality trait that can bendan audience to hiswill, the gift of emo-tional interaction.No listener needfeel “out of theloop.” All are madewelcome to Gates’very personal musi-cal experience.

More thananything, that iswhat made his per-formance of April 7at the Melting Spotin downtown Lin-coln such a memorable event. That, andthe fact that he was accompanied byKansas City’s finest rhythm section,fronted by pianist Joe Cartwright andalso featuring bassist Gerald Spaits anddrummer Ray DeMarchi. The planetswere aligned that evening, and thoselucky enough to be in the intimate com-pany of such artists were blessed.

Their appearance was made pos-sible by the Berman Music Founda-tion.

The Cartwright trio kicked thingsoff with a stunning rendition of that bitof Latin exotica called “Poinciana,”most memorably associated with pia-nist Ahmad Jamal. Gates then chan-neled Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson’s in-structive lyric to the sprightly MilesDavis melody “Four.” TheloniousMonk’s “Let’s Cool One,” with origi-nal lyrics by Gates, showed the singer’spenchant for Monk’s music and hisability to negotiate the composer’s dif-ficult changes.

Even the standards of Tin PanAlley find their way into Gates’ variedrepertoire, as beautifully exemplified byhis take on Cole Porter’s “You’d BeSo Nice to Come Home To.” On Oliver

Nelson’s “Stolen Moments,” Gates de-livered a full-throated scat interludecontaining yodeling effects reminiscentof the great Leon Thomas.Cartwright’s bluesy piano solo ex-panded on Gates’ primal emotive power.

More than any other singer whocame before him, Gates is indebted toEddie Jefferson, both for his lyricalwordplay and his phenomenal vocalise.Gates paid homage on “Lester LeapsIn/I Got the Blues,” while establishinghis own unique approach to the changeson “I Got Rhythm.” Spaits injected asuitably rhythmic bass solo.

Charlie Parker’s classic 1947 soloon “Lady Be Good” was the inspira-tion for Gates’ vocal gymnastics on thetune. Next, he whistle-mimicked a fluteon Gershwin’s “Summertime,” eventrading licks with Spaits. Cartwrighttook a brilliant solo before turning it overto Spaits for a bowed bass statementto end the first set.

Duke Pearson’s “Jeanine,” with

lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr., provided avery hip and swinging vehicle for Gatesand his smooth baritone voice. Monkreturned with “Ask Me Now,” trans-formed by the Jon Hendricks lyric into

“How I Wish.” One ofthe most satisfying per-formances of theevening was on “FiveCooper Square,” theGates lyric to Monk’s“Five Spot Blues.”Cartwright and Gatesproved their sharedaffinity for Monk’smusic with Cartwrightinfusing Monk quotesthroughout. It is obvi-ously a tune with verypersonal resonance for

singer and pianist alike.Not even a technical glitch could

darken the room’s spirits. Gates good-naturedly addressed the problem withthe old saw, “When the speakers hum,it’s because they don’t know the lyr-ics.”

With consummate style andaplomb, Gates the storyteller introduced“Since I Fell For You,” establishing themood and drawing the audience into thenarrative circle. The Miles Davis-Os-car Brown Jr. standard “All Blues” was,indeed, very bluesy. For his rendition of“I Cover the Waterfront,” Gates turnedto Eddie Jefferson’s lyrics inspired bythe James Moody improvisation on theballad standard, renamed “I Just GotBack in Town.”

Monk returned again to the pro-gram in the form of “Too Many Things,”a Gates lyrical transformation of “Thinkof One.” Feeling comfortable with the

Photo by R

ich Hoover

Giacomo Gates and bassist Gerald Spaits at the Melting Spot

Continued on page 11

Page 11September 2006○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Transplanted from Minneapolis toLincoln a couple of years ago, guitaristLuke Polipnick reunited with a coupleof “home boys” June 3 at the Zoo Bar,when the trio—under the name LukePolipnick and Volcano Insurance—showcased some of the guitarist’s manyjazz compositions.

The concert was presented withthe support of the Berman MusicFoundation.

I caught up with Polipnick whilehe and his wife were traversing ruralIowa by car recently. From behind thewheel, he chatted by cell phone abouthis musical ongoing journey. At the ten-der age of 25, it already has evolvedthrough numerous styles as he seeks amedium of musical expression.

A student of classical piano as achild in Minnesota, he first was drawnto the guitar by the sounds of late ‘60sicons Jimi Hendrix and Cream-era EricClapton. His ears were first opened tojazz in a big way when he got a copy ofJohn Coltrane’s “Blue Train” at age 15.

“That was a big revelation for me.From that point on, I started doing myown research. I got into a lot of thegreats of the ‘50s and ‘60s, kind of bytrial-and-error. I didn’t have a lot of

people telling me, ‘Oh, you should checkthis out.’” Among his serendipitous dis-coveries were Charles Mingus and theentire Miles Davis oeuvre, but jazz stillwas a “foreign language” to the musi-cian in Polipnick.

“I always had a fair amount offacility, but trying to figure out what wasgoing on with the harmony and how theywould develop the melodies” took time,he said. “It was a really organic pro-cess. I didn’t start trying to do it until Iwas ready. It’s been a really slow pro-cess to get where I am now, and I’mstill really working on it.”

Polipnick moved to the Twin Cit-ies area while still in high school to at-tend St. Cloud University, majoring intrumpet. He later transferred toHennepin Technical College in subur-ban Minneapolis to study audio record-ing. But at age 19 he was ready to pur-sue his growing jazz impulses. He al-ready had done some transcription, buthad not devoted himself entirely to theeffort until then. He soon dropped outof school, and made some importantconnections with like-minded musicians.

“I got in with a crowd of musi-cians when I was about 20. That’swhen I dropped out of college to just

practice. I was working in a restaurantand practicing all day. It was kind ofthe young Minneapolis vanguard,” herecalled. “They inspired me to take itreally seriously. It was the first time Ireally had someone to hang out with.They encouraged me to listen to ev-erything.” It was, as Polipnick says, a“real-world music education, rather thana conservatory education.”

Among that Minneapolis vanguardthat helped to shape the young guitarist’sdirection were bassist Chris Bates anddrummer Joey Van Phillips, who joinedPolipnick at the Zoo as Volcano Insur-ance. Bates, a decade older thanPolipnick and a first-call player in theTwin Cities, first performed in Lincolnwith The Motion Poets in an October1997 concert at Westbrook Recital Hall,sponsored by the Berman MusicFoundation. He returned last year withtrumpeter Kelly Rossum for a BMF-sponsored performance Nov. 10 at P.O.Pears. Polipnick and Phillips are near-contemporaries who have been friendssince their teens.

Minneapolis remains a music hot-bed that welcomes all styles of jazz,

small, but enthusiastic audience in theintimate confines of the Melting Spot,Gates launched into a hilarious versionof the soliloquy from “Julius Caesar,”liberally laced with hipster jargon.

It’s hard to imagine a more com-patible unit than Gates, Cartwright,Spaits and DeMarchi. It is fitting thatsince this performance the singer andpianist have managed to collaborate onseveral club dates in the Kansas Cityarea. We hope they will continue to worktogether whenever possible.

By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Artist InterviewGuitarist reunites with Twin Cities “home boys”

Polipnick continued on page 12

Photo by R

ich Hoover

Giacomo Gates conducts pianist Joe Cartwright, bassist GeraldSpaits and drummer Ray DeMarchi.

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Page 12 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

from the most accessible mainstreamsounds to the free-jazz fringes.

“There’s always been a strongpatronage of the arts there,” Polipnicksaid. “I don’t know if it’s because thewinters are really harsh or what.There’s always been a scene. It’s areally hot spot right now because ofbands like The Bad Plus,” referring tothe popular trio blending jazz with pop,hip-hop and rock influences for cross-over success.

It was the Twin Cities-inspiredfreedom of expression that impressedPolipnick.

“That was the real fire for me,getting to see these guys on a nightly orweekly basis, who were really pushing

it, that were working in all aspects, fromthe traditional to the avant-garde.”

When Polipnick landed in Lincoln,word got around quickly that a talentedyoung guitarist was in town. He metsome of the city’s longtime jazz play-ers, including guitarist Peter Bouffardand pianist John Carlini, with whom helanded a few duo gigs. He joined thelocal funk outfit Electric Soul Method,appearing frequently in the area andplaying on the band’s debut CD. He hassince left the ESM, but still exploresmusical ideas with some of the formerbandmates.

Playing opportunities in Lincolnare rare, but Polipnick likes the city andmakes the most of it. He does not con-

LINCOLN, Neb.—Jazz improvis-ers, and iconoclasts in general, are attheir best when in the company of fel-low free thinkers. Even more liberatingis the opportunity to reunite with home-town friends who are equally open tomutual, musical exploration.

Such a rare opportunity was pre-sented by the Berman Music Foun-dation June 3 at the Zoo Bar in Lin-coln, where guitarist Luke Polipnickfronted the provocatively named trioVolcano Insurance. All three developedtheir jazz chops in Minneapolis, a musi-cal hotbed that they still consider theirhome base. Bassist Chris Bates hasbeen on the leading edge of that city’snew music movement since his tenurea decade ago with The Motion Poets,who performed in Lincoln in 1997.Drummer Joey Van Phillips andPolipnick, now in their mid-20s, havebeen friends since their teens.

It was apparent that the three-

some was stoked and ready to burnwhen they took the stage around 10p.m., and most of the audience offriends and curious jazz fans was re-ceptive to experimentation. What fol-lows are some random reflections onthe evening.

“I-80 West” was inspired byPolipnick’s many hours traveling thatlong stretch of Interstate highway. Itwas aptly explorative and apprehensive,sort of like the uncertain feeling of pass-ing a loaded semi-trailer truck at 80miles per hour in a roaring blizzard.

On “Miles Mode” the guitaristexpertly utilized the volume pedal, cre-ating intensity and a sonic bite whilerunning through arpeggios. Switching toelectric bass, Bates kept a funky, in-fectious dub rhythm going on his com-position “3x3=8,” which also hadPolipnick dipping into dissonant chordsand arrhythmic passages ala Bill Frisell.

“Legs on a Stick” employed com-

plex changes, stop time and a fuzz-tonefade for effect. Bates took off on ablues shuffle, detouring on a solo acous-tic bass excursion. Local sax phenom-enon Chris Steinke took the stage forseveral tunes, including the standard“Alone Together,” performed in an un-conventional manner with Bates onelectric bass and Phillips showing hisextraordinary skill in driving the triowhile exhibiting frequent flashes ofrhythmic brilliance.

The blues later emerged in its mostelemental form when Polipnick dug intoa fast and bluesy tune reminiscent ofJohn Scofield. Lest the audience fail torecognize the blues progression as itflew by, the trio slowed down for a clas-sic late-night blues improvisation.

Polipnick and his wife remain resi-dents of Lincoln, but the guitarist willundoubtedly continue to explore newand interesting musical terrain.

sider himself a prolific writer, but 90percent of the tunes in the Volcano In-surance repertoire are originals and, ofthose, 90 percent were penned by him.Asked to describe the trio’s music, hecalled it “really eclectic. It’s modernjazz, for lack of a better handle on it,but we have some stuff that’s fairlyrocking.” The band draws on dub, funk,blues, Latin and other influences, for amix that’s sure to keep listeners inter-ested.

Among his favorite jazz guitaristsPolipnick named modernists Bill Frisell,Wolfgang Muthspiel and Ben Monder,as well as the legendary Jim Hall.

Concert ReviewVolcano Insurance explores new musical terrainBy Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○Polipnick continued from page 11

Page 13September 2006○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Concert Review“When Broadway meets Swing Street” in the Rockies

COLORADO SPRINGS,Colo.—Ed Polcer and his all-starsswung into Colorado Springs on March25, leaving an SRO crowd in a swing-ing mood. Judging by the audience re-action during and after the concert, cor-netist Polcer, vocalist Judy Kurtz and ahot quintet fulfilled all expectations. Allof these musicians are at ease estab-lishing rapport with the audience.

Perhaps mimicking too closely thetouring days of yore, the “band van”suffered a breakdown in the wee hoursof the morning en route to the Springsfrom Jackson Hole, Wyo. The venue,a large private room in Giuseppe’s OldDepot restaurant (a beautifully restoredturn-of-the-last-century railroad station)provided a club atmosphere not totallyremoved from what one could havefound on “The Street” in New York Citywhen the likes of Eddie Condon andBenny Goodman were holding court.A friendly and efficient wait-staff, goodfood and bar service surrounding theentire event added to the ambiance.

Selections ran the gamut of Broad-way standards, swung in a jazz modebut still retaining their original flavor. Thefirst set included “Softly As in a Morn-ing Sunrise,” “I Love Paris,” “Gettingto Know You,” “Just One of ThoseThings,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed ToHer Face,” “My Gal Sal,” “In My Soli-

tude,” “I’m Beginning To See the Light”and “Strike Up the Band.”

Some brief bios are in order.Trombonist Tom Artin worked with theSmithsonian Jazz Repertory Ensemble,Louis Armstrong Alumni All-Stars, theWorld’s Greatest Jazz Band, Wild BillDavison, Mel Torme’s big band, andBob Wilber’s Benny Goodman revivalbig band, plus years as the house sliphornat Eddie Condon’s in New York. JohnCocuzzi on piano and vibes (who canalso hit the skins) worked with JimCullum’s Jazz Band (“Live from theRiverwalk Landing”), performances inthe D.C. area, and was the piano driv-ing the Big Joe and the Dynaflows jumpblues group.

Drummer Kevin Dorn, who is alsoan alumnus of Cullum’s band, has beenfeatured with Vince Giordano’s Night-hawks, The Flying Neutrinos, LeonRedbone, The Manhattan RhythmKings and TV exposure on “AfterBreakfast” and “Good Day New York.”Tom Fischer, doubling on clarinet andsax, teaches jazz clarinet at the Uni-versity of New Orleans. Well knownat festivals and clubs in the Big Easy,his resume’ includes recording dateswith Al Hirt and Banu Gibson.

Bassist Mike Weatherly hashoned his chops on gospel, swing, Cajunand jazz. Mike has been featured in off-

Broadway productions, a gospel seriesat the Brooklyn Academy of Music, andperformances for Nelson Mandela andthe late Pope’s anniversary celebration.

Cocuzzi opened the second set,sitting solo at the keyboard, vocalizingand playing a great version of “Em-braceable You.” Showcasing his bluesbackground, he then asked for—andreceived—a few “amens” and jumpedinto a great rendition of “Caldonia,”with the rest of the band graduallysegueing to a driving finish.

“I Guess I’ll have to Change MyPlans” and “Write Myself a Letter”followed. Judy Kurtz continued the oc-casionally interspersed vocals with“Lucky So and So” and a rollicking ver-sion of “Them There Eyes.” Her back-ground includes many performances atcenters, summer stock productions, theLance Hayward Singers, New Hori-zons Vocal Jazz Ensemble and StanRubin’s Swing Orchestra. Her deliveryreflects this training with a light jazztouch and just a smidgeon of cabaretstyle blending nicely.

Ed Polcer has a lengthy and all-encompassing portfolio, of which twoexperiences of note are outstanding. Hewas manager and co-producer of EddieCondon’s club in New York for 10 yearsand performed with the BennyGoodman Sextet.

The set continued with “CarelessLove,” then two requests “Chicago”and “Cabaret,” followed by a stunningjazz version of “America the Beauti-ful,” the writer of which was inspiredby Pikes Peak, which dominates theskyline of Colorado Springs. “AfterYou’ve Gone” closed out the set withthe requisite encore of “When You’reSmiling,” very apropos, as it reflectedthe mood of the crowd.

By Dan Demuth ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Tom Fischer, Mike Weatherley,Judy Kurtz and Kevin Dorn

Photo by D

an Dem

uth

Photo by D

an Dem

uth

John Cocuzzi, Mike Weatherley, TomFischer, Ed Polcer and Tom Artin

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Page 14 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Author’s note: Jean Reldy, as of thiswriting, is a friend, historian of bothjazz and WWII, jazz writer, jazzbooster, and a jazz record and memo-rabilia collector, all at 87 yearsyoung. He has had numerous articlesand photos published in jazz publi-cations. In the last few years I havehad the pleasure of many great con-versations with Jean as they relateto the above topics. At my sugges-tion he agreed to let me put some ofthem in writing to share with others.

COLORADO SPRINGS,Colo.—With bullets and shells explod-ing all around, a young man seeks a safehaven during the Japanese battleagainst the Americans’ push to retakeManila. While running to safety, he ishit in three places with grenade frag-ments but survives, only to see hundredsof other men, women and children ruth-lessly shot and killed by the retreating,angered Japanese soldiers.

It is January 1945. Just three shortyears earlier, Jean Reldy, a youngFrenchman living with his father in thePhilippines, was enjoying what had tohave been one of the most sublimelifestyles anywhere in the world. Linensuits, broad-brimmed hats, two-hourlunch siestas with evenings alive withclubs, bars and shows. Lazy days en-hanced by balmy breezes, a now long-forgotten lifestyle that could be enjoyedby everyone—not reserved for just therich and famous. In 1941, with the Japa-nese takeover, Jean becomes an unwill-ing guest of the Japanese for the dura-tion of the occupation.

His earliest recollections go backto 1924, living in his native France, andlistening to English dance bands suchas Jack Hylton and Ambrose via the

BBC. His first record was a copy ofLouis Armstrong’s “Take It Easy” b/w“Jubilee Stomp” (on the EnglishParlophone label), where his affinity forjazz and Louis in particular had its start.This record remains in Jean’s exten-sive collection. His serious study of jazzwas encouraged upon acquiring a copyof Hugues Panassie’s “Le jazz hot” andtheir paths were to later cross.

He was also able to attend sev-eral jam sessions, some organized bythe Hot Club de France and featuringsuch musicians as Django Reinhardt,Frank “Big Boy” Goody, Bill Coleman,Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins,musicians who were currently touringor living in Europe.

But around 1936, Jean began hisPhilippine odyssey. A brief interruptionin 1939 found him in the French Armyin Saigon prior to returning to Manila,during which time he had his first jazzarticle published—of which he still hasa copy.

Curiously, during the occupation,the Japanese allowed the showing ofAmerican movies, as well as jazz per-

formances by local musicians. Jean re-calls attending a jazz program spon-sored by the Red Cross (a black revuenamed “Drum Boogie”). He recognizedBill Coleman and met up with him af-terward at a party that lasted until thosefabled wee hours.

Manila was eventually liberatedand around 1950 Jean immigrated to thestates, living in California, then Texasand finally settling in Colorado Springs.Once in the states, he quickly took ad-vantage of the music available at liveperformances, while continuing to en-hance his burgeoning record and bookcollection.

In L.A., he met up again withBenny Carter, and as a guest at hishome he was surprised to find out thatCarter was also an excellent pianist.Guitarist T-Bone Walker was anotherof the first musicians he recalls meet-ing, followed shortly by some personalmeetings with Duke Ellington, a manhe describes as an absolutely extraor-dinary and beautiful person.

In 1954 he attended a concert inTexas and met Armstrong for the first

Colorado CorrespondentJean Reldy: Reminiscences of a jazz patriotBy Dan Demuth ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Jean Reldy sits in his office in Colorado Springs surrounded by jazz memorabilia.

Photo by D

an Dem

uth

Page 15September 2006○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

time. He relates that the band includedTrummy Young, Billy Kyle and BarneyBigard. 1957 found Jean living in Hous-ton. Also there at the time was Light-ning Hopkins, to whom Jean gave aguitar as a gift. Arnett Cobb was an-other acquaintance who frequently hadJean as a house guest.

“Freedom” still had a price at thistime for some less-fortunate citizens.One of Jean’s earliest recollections hashim and a visiting friend from Franceattending a Lavern Baker performancein Houston. The audience was raciallymixed, but with segregated seating—unbeknownst to the new citizen and hisguest. With the program ready to beginand some seats closer to the perform-ers in the “colored” section still empty,Jean and his friend attempted to moveto them, only to be told by a burlybouncer that “… they weren’t allowedto sit with the niggers.” But, such a dis-play of intolerance didn’t dim his en-thusiasm for this country.

He again met up with Ellington,becoming friends with Russell Procope,and recalls going to a night club withRay Nance and Cat Anderson, whoboth got up and played trumpet“….beautifully for a couple of hours.”Another acquaintance was jazz writerand critic Stanley Dance, whom Jeaninterviewed in Brownsville, Texas, forpublication in the Hot Club Bulletinnewsletter. At another of Duke’s ap-pearances, Jean met up with JohnnyHodges and Russell Procope, chauf-feuring them to the concert. BusterBailey and Tyree Glenn were also re-cipients of Jean’s “taxi” service whenall three attended a private party.

As Jean reminisces, names ofother jazz celebs with whom he social-ized are casually mentioned—ClarkTerry, Jo Jones, orchestra leader MiltonLarkin, Ray Bryant (at Arnett Cobb’shome), Milt Hinton, Billy Taylor,Ellington introducing Jean to FreddieJenkins. Trumpeter Willie Cook, whowas working in a music store, was an-other acquaintance.

Blues are also a part of Jean’s lifeas evidenced by his meeting such lumi-naries as Cleanhead Vinson, GatemouthBrown (who became a good friend),John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, BigMama Thornton and Koko Taylor. Histastes defy his age—Roomful of Bluesis another favorite.

In 1978, Jean moved to ColoradoSprings, promptly joining the BroadmoorJazz Club and the Pikes Peak Jazz andSwing Society. He has lent his record-ings and knowledge of Ellington’s mu-sic to local radio stations for programscommemorating Duke’s birth date.During this period, he again caught upwith former Basie sidemen SweetsEdison, Lockjaw Davis, Jimmy Forrestand Al Grey, resulting in another pub-lished interview for the Hot Club JazzBulletin.

During one of the Dick Gibson jazzparties at the Broadmoor Resort Hotel,Jean and his charming wife, Georgette,hosted at their home, Jackie Williams,George Duvivier, Doc Cheatham, ScottHamilton, Al Grey and Johnny (Otis)Johnson. Others he met at these par-ties included Jay McShann, VicDickenson, Ruby Braff, Ralph Sutton,

Gus Johnson, Kenny Davern, JoeNewman, Zoot Sims, Teddy Wilson,Peanuts Hucko and Trummy Young. Asubsequent interview with Young waspublished. Gibson also presented a se-ries of programs at the Paramount The-atre in Denver during the wintermonths, which Jean would attend. Hehas dozens of cassette tapes recordedat these sessions—perhaps surrepti-tiously.

During all of this time, Jean keptup a correspondence with HuguesPanassie and in 1974 while in Marseillehe was invited to be a house guest ofPanassie and his wife, MadelineGautier. This was just three monthsbefore Panassie’s death. Later, the HotClub of France was to celebrate its 50th

anniversary, and Jean suggested to theMontauban (France) civic leaders thata street be named after Panassie and aplaque placed on the home whereHugues and Madeline had lived for solong. They embraced the idea and in-vited Jean as the keynote speaker atthe dedication.

“This music (jazz) has occupiedin my life a tremendous place (and)permitted me to meet with jazz aficio-nados in the Far East, in Indo-China, inthe Philippines, in California, Texas andof course here in Colorado,” says Jean.

As would be hoped and expected,Jean has a vast collection of photo-graphs taken during these events, ofwhich he is justifiably proud. He haswritten for jazz reviews in Spain and inFrance (the Hot Club newsletter), aswell as newsletters in Houston, NewOrleans, Denver and Colorado Springs.

As to the word “patriot”—Jean isas serious, conscientious, unabashedand ebullient a patriot of the U.S. asone will ever meet. He will long remem-ber the Japanese occupation and thesubsequent liberation by Americanforces, which ultimately provided himthe opportunity to participate in thiswonderful amalgamation of talent wecall jazz.

Reldy’s poster of the Monterey JazzFestival signed by many famous artists

Photo by D

an Dem

uth

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Page 16 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

PORTLAND, Ore.—On June 13bassman and promoter John Lee and Iwere the guests of Curtis Salgado ata very special benefit concert at theTheater of the Clouds in Portland’sRose Garden. The event was afundraiser to assist Curtis with the mas-sive medical bills incurred while battlingthe recently diagnosed liver cancer.

With the support of so manyfriends, fans and artists, the Concert forCurtis was a huge success. Proceedsnot only came from tickets, but from asilent auction with some high-dollarprizes that did very well. With the cloutof this great blues city, and the help ofso many, the benefit was truly worthyof this great bluesman. There have beenmany other locally-based benefits forCurtis recently, including ones fromSeattle, Eugene, Ore., Fremont, Calif.,and Omaha, showing how far this mas-ter soul man’s influence has spread.

I got to meet with Curtis for a shorttime before the show. He was in greatspirits and was a bit taken aback by thehuge support shown on this specialnight. Later, Curtis put on his usualmasterful performance, demonstratingwhy he is truly one of the world’s great-est soul singers. As a true showman,Curtis also demonstrated great courageand strength, considering his situation.In response, both fans and artists

showed their love and support to a per-son who has done so much for both themusic and the people.

Opening the show was the CurtisSalgado Band, with a five-piece hornsection and four-piece choir, the bandshowed off their huge sound. Curtis andhis crew certainly set the high-spirited,soulful mood for the night. Followingthis great soul set came the familiar

blues of Little Charlie & theNightcats. Fronted by guitarist Char-ley Baty and vocalist and harp man RickEstrin, the band continued the essenceof things to come. A loud MTV rockband named Everclear played next,which gave me a chance to mingle inthe halls, catching up with old Portlandfriends and checking out the many auc-tion items.

John Belushi’s widow, Judith, tookthe stage next with some heartfelt sto-ries of two friends who came togetherand how they forever influenced theblues. Following these tales of theREAL Blues Brothers, came—forme—the highlight of the night, TajMahal and the Phantom BluesBand. Flying in from Europe to per-form at this benefit, Taj and band puton a superb performance to the delightof the multitude.

Next to perform was Curtis’ oldbandmate, Robert Cray. Cray dem-onstrated his own blues-based popmusic that has made him popular withmore than just blues fans. Following

Concert ReviewBenefit for Curtis Salgado a huge successBy Phil Chesnut ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Photos byPhil Chesnut

Little Charlie Baty and Rick Estrin All-star jam led by Curtis Salgado

Curtis Salgado and Steve Miller

Taj Mahal Salgado continued on page 17

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The Nebraska Jazz Orchestragathered some of its longtime friendsfor a Latin music fiesta May 25 at theEmbassy Suites in Lincoln.

Entitled “Caliente,” the celebrativeconcert had the big band decked out intropical shirts for a loose and exoticblend of island rhythms and bravurabrass, as the featured guests took thestage in well-rehearsed rotation.

“One Mint Julep” got things off toa refreshing start, with Dave Sharp onalto sax and Bob Krueger on trumpetproviding just the right dollop of spice.

Krueger’s trumpeter son, Paul,this year’s winner of the NJO YoungJazz Artist competition, was featuredon three tunes. A mid-tempo renditionof “Just Friends” proved the youngerKrueger a mature player with a goodsense of articulation, intonation and thevalue of space. For Gerry Mulligan’sbop classic “Line for Lyons,” Kruegerand tenor saxophonist Paul Haarteamed up with the NJO rhythm sec-tion. The smooth blues shuffle “HowSweet It Is,” from the pen of Basie fa-vorite Sammy Nestico, displayedKrueger’s skill as he alternated betweena muted and open horn. NJO saxesjoined in with an impressive section soli.

Pianist Broc Hempel lived up tothe promise he showed as a teen in the

late 1990s, returning to his hometownfor this special appearance. He wasfeatured to good effect on MarkBenson’s “The Sapphire Necklace,”and Freddie Hubbard’s “Little Sun-flower,” which was further flavored withflutes and clarinets in a Dave Sharparrangement. A year in Brazil and sev-eral years studying with jazz mastersJames Williams, Harold Mabern, DonBraden and others have given Hempeladditional depth, confidence and a feelfor Latin rhythms.

In presenting the annual JohnTavlin Award to longtime jazz educatorDennis Schneider, Tavlin gave a verypersonal testimonial to the Lincoln trum-pet legend, recalling his own youngerdays as a student trumpeter underSchneider’s tutelage and the teacher’slasting influence on the city’s jazz scene.

The first half ended with the livelyBrazilian bossa “O Pato.” Hempel onpiano and Ed Love on soprano sax cre-ated the appropriate whimsical tone.

Christ Varga took the spotlight onvibes for a lovely rendition of HoraceSilver’s “Song for My Father.” Vargaand the band returned to Brazil forJobim’s standard “Corcovado (QuietNights of Quiet Stars).” His backgroundas a multi-percussionist provides Vargawith the skills to easily maneuver

through the subtly shifting rhythmic pat-terns of the bossa nova and samba.

Haar’s emotive tenor sax leadvoice on Billy Strayhorn’s melancholy“Chelsea Bridge” contrasted dramati-cally with the band’s brassy counter-point. Jobim’s “Triste” brought to thestage trombonist Loy Hetrick, whoplayed with the NJO in its infancynearly 30 years ago, as Hempel pro-vided the solid Brazilian pulse.

Juan Tizol’s “Caravan” is a sure-fire crowd pleaser. This version beganwith a percussion intro from guestsDoug Hinrichs, Joey Gulizia and ChrisVarga, in addition to solid regular GregAhl on traps. Great solo statements byHetrick and Bob Krueger were fol-lowed by a final percussion barrage.

That set up the grand finale, inwhich 23 musicians crowded the stagefor a rousing rendition of Tito Puente’s“Machito Forever.” An alto saxophoneconversation between Dave Sharp andMark Benson, in which they cleverlyseemed to finish each other’s thoughts,set the mood for good-natured joustingamong 16 horn players, four percussion-ists, bassist, guitarist and pianist, mak-ing for a thrilling conclusion to the 2½hour concert, attended by nearly 350people.

Cray came Northwest rock icon SteveMiller and his band. After performinga few Steve Miller gems, Curtis cameout to finish this long set. This Miller-Salgado set was truly magical and worththe price of admission by itself.

If that wasn’t enough, Cray cameback out, along with various other bandmembers, to create one killer all-starjam that lasted way later than theplanned time. Although it was only a

Tuesday, noone seemed tocare.

AlthoughCurtis still hasa tough row tohoe, he canrest assuredthat he is aman who is greatly loved and appreci-ated by thousands. At every perfor-

mance of his I’ve ever seen, he alwaystook the time to make the point aboutlove and respect towards each other.After my experience at this specialevent, his healing words and insightcarry more weight than ever.

Phil Chesnut, a former Lincoln resi-dent now living in Seattle, is an oc-casional contributor to the BMFnewsletter.

Concert ReviewNJO gathered friends for Latin music fiesta

Robert Cray

By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Page 18 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Author’s Note: SamMyers died July 17 athis home in Dallas,after recent throatcancer surgery.Myers was diag-nosed with cancer inFebruary 2005 andhad been unable toperform since De-cember 2004.Fronting AnsonFunderburgh’s bandsince 1986, Sam waswell known for hisbrilliant harmonicaplaying and unmistakable vocals.I was very proud to call Sam Myersmy friend. I enjoyed many enlight-ening conversations with this ar-ticulate, scholarly man, whether ata blues venue or when I’d call himat his home in Dallas. The bluesworld will miss Sam Myers for whathe gave. I will miss him because hewas my friend. What follows is anarticle that I wrote on Sam last year.

Texas guitar slinger AnsonFunderburgh and his band, the Rock-ets, are always a huge crowd pleaserduring blues festival season. WithAnson’s superb guitar, along with thetight ensemble playing of the Rock-ets, this band by itself would be a treatfor any blues fan. But the band has aringer. That ringer is Sam Myers.

Sam Myers is a truly unique per-sonality in the blues community. Un-like many of his contemporaries,Myers is very articulate and scholarlyand is known as the “Deacon of theDelta.” His mid-set sermons are anexperience in themselves. He’s al-ways been very free with a story or

with his own wisdom, including hisencyclopedic knowledge of the inter-state highway system.

Sam’s harmonica is a brilliantcombination of Chicago and drippingMississippi mud, which complementsthe impeccable phrasing of his vocals.At 69, Sam is not only sharp as a tack;he’s also one of the truly nice guys inthe business.

Born in Laurel, Miss., in 1936,Sam showed his musical talents early,earning him a scholarship to theAmerican Music Conservatory inChicago. This move was the genesisof his life in the blues. Sam was soonshowing his multiple musical talentson the south side with the likes ofMuddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, HoundDog Taylor and Robert Jr. Lockwood.It was, however, with the legendaryElmore James that Myers first cre-ated blues history. These days, Samis the frontman, with his finely honedharp style and unmistakable vocals,but back then, he was an equally adeptdrummer. From 1952 to 1963, throughthe golden era of Elmore James’ ca-reer, Myers was his drummer. That’s

Sam’s smooth shufflesthat one hears on virtu-ally all of Elmore James’classic recordings. AfterElmore’s death in ’63,Sam became a true itin-erant blues musician andfan favorite on the Chi-cago and chitlin’ circuits,until 1986. That’s whenSam met Anson.

Playing the samevenue in Jackson, Miss.,Anson asked Sam to joinhis band. Thankfully forthe whole blues world,

Sam said yes. This was the beginningof one of the most prolific partner-ships in blues history. Since then, Samand Anson have toured the worldmany times over, spending 300 daysa year on the road. I figure they’vedone close to 6,000 performances to-gether! And they just keep gettin’ bet-ter, as Sam, Anson & the Rocketsproved last year, winning a HandyAward (their 10th) for best traditionalrecording for their CD “Which WayIs Texas?” on the Bullseye label.

The Rockets, with a super solidrhythm section, and the hot B3 andpiano of John Street, along withFunderburgh’s true blue guitar, set theperfect groove for this legendarybluesman, Sam Myers. After a threeweek tour of Europe, ending in June,this Texas-, Chicago-, Delta-influ-enced band will begin another Ameri-can blues festival tour, to the delightof the many blues fans lucky enoughto see them. Sam Myers, along withAnson and his Rockets are a testa-ment to how a band can be success-ful and still true to the blues.

MemorialLate bluesman Sam Myers was multi-talentedBy Phil Chesnut ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Illustration by Phil C

hesnut

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By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Jazz on Disc

One-name wonder has lost nothing in technique

We at the Berman Music Foun-dation can say we knew Eldar whenhe had a last name. Since he hit thebig time, the young, hyper-virtuosicpianist has dropped the second halfof his moniker—Djangirov—pre-sumably for easier audience identifi-cation, at the behest of big-label ex-ecutives.

“Live at the Blue Note” isEldar’s second release on the SonyClassical imprint. He may have losta last name, but he has lost nothingin technique or jaw-dropping speed.Recorded here at age 18, he remainsas astoundingly precocious as he didat his Topeka Jazz Festival debut in1998, at age 11.

Backed by longtime sidemanTodd Strait on drums and bassistMarco Panascia, Eldar roars out ofthe gate like a young thoroughbredon the opener, “What Is This ThingCalled Love.” His sense of time andtouch never falters as he drives thetempo with amazing keyboard pyro-technics.

In recent years, Eldar has alsoproven himself an accomplishedcomposer, and there are four suchoriginals here. “Someday” is a gor-

geous ballad that allows the pianistto explore the lush changes fornearly 10 minutes. “Daily Living”bounds lightly over expansive chords,with arpeggios accelerating wildly,then segueing into a drum solo be-fore returning for an exhilarating cli-max. “Sincerely” is another heart-wrenching ballad distinguished by itsstately, classical voicing and sustainedwaves of sound.

Eldar demonstrates his affinityfor percussive, soul-jazz riffs with hislengthy variations on BobbyTimmons’ bluesy “Dat Dere.” Hebegins “Besame Mucho” at an ap-propriately dreamy tempo, graduallystepping outside the familiar melodyfor some extended harmonic impro-visations as the trio ratchets the in-tensity, Strait switching from brushesto sticks and Eldar synchronizingtwo-fisted block chords. It is an ob-ject lesson in dynamics.

“Chronicle” is the most extraor-dinary example here of Eldar’s com-posing and playing abilities. Full ofcomplicated stop-time passages andtaken at a precarious tempo, it hark-ens back to some of the more mind-boggling feats of the young KeithEmerson, blurring the lines betweenclassical technique, jazz explorationand rock audacity. Strait also con-tributes some stunning drum work.

The live setting is given a moreinformal ambience by the inter-spersed guest appearances of twotrumpeters, Chris Botti on the roman-tic ballad “You Don’t Know WhatLove Is” and Roy Hargrove onMonk’s “Straight, No Chaser.” But,let’s face it, the reason we’re hereis Eldar, last name or no last name.

Jessica Williams, theunderappreciated piano master ofthe San Francisco Bay area, hastaken a unique approach in her solotribute to fellow piano giant Dr. BillyTaylor. Rather than simply playingvariations on Taylor’s compositions,she has fashioned a very personalhomage with eight Taylor-inspiredoriginals.

The stately chords, the gentlestride in the bass register and the gos-pel feel of “Finally Free” opens theproceedings with the dignity appro-priate for Taylor’s own graceful élan.Williams effortlessly varies tempoand mood, telling a story rather thansimply going through the motions.

“Billy’s Theme No. 1” is builton a series of chords and modula-tions reminiscent of Ellington’s or-chestral motives. Stretching beyondnine minutes, it allows Williams torange widely in variations before re-turning to the main theme. “The SoulDoctor” is a bluesy rumination pit-ting a comping left-hand patternagainst searching right-hand flurries.Even more elemental is “Blues for

ELDARLive at the Blue NoteSony Classical Records

JESSICA WILLIAMSBilly’s ThemeOrigin Records

Jazz on Disc continued on page 20

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Page 20 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

BT,” a mid-tempo shuffle in whichthe left hand remains anchored in thelower regions of the keyboard whilethe right hand roams freely. Williamssensitively explores the minor-keywaltz motif on “Taylor’s Triumph,”with lovely descending lines and oc-casional dissonant touches that areas refreshing as a summer rainfall.

More than 20 minutes of thisgenerous CD is taken up by “Spon-taneous Composition and Improvisa-tion No. 1” and “Spontaneous Com-position and Improvisation No. 2.”These tunes are so well conceived,so carefully constructed and so bril-liantly developed that it is hard tobelieve they sprang full-blown in themoment. The closer is “Billy’sTheme No. 2,” a return of the ear-lier melody and an ideal showcasefor Williams’ deft arpeggios and ring-ing tones at both ends of the key-board.

To give it the concert hall fidel-ity that both Taylor and she favor,Williams placed the microphones far-ther from the piano, allowing thekeyboard’s full transient overtonesand deep bass tones to be heard.

As Williams says in the linernotes, she intentionally chose a “lessis more” approach over the “flyingfingers” style of so many contempo-rary keyboard virtuosi. The di-chotomy is immediately apparentwhen you compare this relaxed,evocative outing with the more fre-netic display by the young EldarDjangirov on his latest recording, re-viewed above. Perhaps the realiza-tion that less is more is a lessonlearned only with age and maturity.

I was first made aware of Wil-liams when she played a trio date atYoshi’s back in the early 1980s. De-spite her relative obscurity outside theBay area, Williams has nearly 30CDs still in print. You are advised tocheck them out.

Jazz on Disc continued from page 19

“Organic Vibes” gallops out ofthe gate like a Roman chariot race,with musicians charging ahead whilefirmly in harness and working to-gether. Joey DeFrancesco’s “TheTackle” is the riotous, swingingopener, an indicator of more goodthings to come.

Always energized, organistDeFrancesco has rarely had an un-satisfactory recording, but this is oneof his best in years. Chalk it up to theinspired collaboration with legendaryvibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, whois much too rarely recorded in recentyears. The light, ringing tone of thevibes seems like the perfect sound-mate for the brawnier Hammond B-3. And these two leaders on their re-spective instruments seem ideallycompatible.

Add to the mix Ron Blake ontenor and soprano saxes and flute,guitarist Jake Langley and longtimeDeFrancesco sideman drummerByron Landham, and you have a for-midable ensemble of musical giants.The capper is George Coleman, wholends his classic tenor sound to twotracks.

Hutcherson’s familiar melody“Little B’s Poem” is a nice vehiclefor the front line of vibes, flute andorgan as they leap through the changeswith obvious glee. The 65-year-oldvibraphonist carefully delineates thebeautiful changes of “I Thought aboutYou,” then hands it off to

DeFrancesco, who contributes hisusual jaw-dropping variations beforereturning it to Hutcherson for the con-clusion.

Everyone gets a workout on themid-tempo “Somewhere in the Night,”which is Coleman’s first appearanceon the CD. In his solo, he proves hestill has a powerful presence at age71. DeFrancesco follows, in his fullJimmy Smith-style mastery of thekeyboard. “Down the Hatch” isbluesy DeFrancesco burner that illus-trates the rhythmic rapport that theorganist has with Landham after 16years working together.

The standard “Speak Low” istaken at a frightening clip and servesas a showpiece for Coleman, whodeftly maneuvers through the rapidchanges. The drummer contributedthe romantic ballad “JeNeane’sDream.” DeFrancesco holds back asHutcherson and guitarist Langley in-troduce the waltz-like tune in tandem.

“My Foolish Heart” finds organ-ist and vibraphonist pairing up in anexquisite reading of this evergreen.DeFrancesco is especially sensitive toHutcherson’s long sustained passagesand echoing tone.

JOEY DeFRANCESCOOrganic VibesConcord Records

A classical pianist with an eclec-tic interest in world music and Latindance, Roger Davidson brings off thiscollection of boleros and rumbas withaplomb and sufficient authenticity tosilence all doubters.

ROGER DAVIDSONPensando en tiSoundbrush Records

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Discorama continued on page 22

It certainly helps that Davidsonhas surrounded himself with superbmusicians, including drummer IgnacioBerroa and bassist David Finck, inaddition to flutist Marco Granados,guitarist Francisco Navarro, trumpeterKenny Rampton and percussionistPernell Suturnino. Together, they cre-ate the irresistible rhythmic drive andmelodic romanticism inherent in theseLatin song forms.

Recorded like a jazz album ratherthan a classical session, the mood isrelaxed and the arrangements areuncomplicated, giving the musiciansplenty of space to express themselves.For example, Navarro delivers a stun-ning guitar solo on the bolero “SomosNovios,” by the famous bolero com-poser Armando Manzanero. “LaGloria Eres Tu,” by Jose Antonio

Mendez, has the muted trumpet pass-ing the melody to the flute, then toDavidson at the piano. The flute andguitar improvise the introduction to“Mi Amor.”

Osvaldo Farres’ “Tres Palabras(Three Words)” was a rare hit for thebolero genre back in 1946, when theEnglish version, retitled “WithoutYou,” with lyrics by Ray Gilbert, wassung by Andy Russell in the animatedfilm called “Make Mine Music.” Hereit is accelerated to a rumba tempo,getting the respectful treatment withDavidson stating the theme, followedby an open trumpet passage and astately piano solo.

Another classic of the genre is“Mi Dolor,” a tango written in 1931by Carlos Marcucci. Here it is trans-formed into an intoxicating bolero for

piano and guitar. Both bassist Finckand trumpeter Rampton (on mutedhorn) take exhilarating solos on theuptempo “Rumba Feliz,” withRampton delivering an especially daz-zling statement before Davidsonwraps it up with a nice piano solo.

Davidson owes melodic and sty-listic allegiance to Bill Evans, ex-pressed here in his version ofArmando Manzanero’s “Esta TardeVi Llover,” which Evans recorded inits American version, “Yesterday IHeard the Rain.”

Davidson himself penned nine ofthe 14 tunes here, proving his affinityfor the rumba and bolero. The similarsong forms provide the perfect ve-hicles for his lyrical keyboard style.

Discorama

Allyson scores a bullseye with latest release

BULLSEYE!! That’s exactlywhat this NYC songstress scoredwith her newest release, “Foot-prints,” on Concord Records. Whenthey first signed her around a de-cade ago, they knew they had some-one special in their midst. With thiswonderful new CD, it’s apparentthat Karrin has become their pre-

cious little gem, and I mean that ina good way, as she deserves all theacclaim she receives.

I’ve adored her music, and Ihave enjoyed my schoolboy crushon her since we first met in 1995.You bet she’s cute and sexy, but it’sher swingin’ confidence behind herimmense talent that really turned meon the most. Watching her growthmusically, on stage and personally,has been a pleasure to behold. Yep,she’s that good.

Being a true player andbandleader, besides her lovely voice,has gained Karrin much respect inthis biz from her peers as well themultitude of fans the world over.Some have criticized her occasionaloutspokenness towards her audi-ences regarding not conversing dur-ing performances, but I’ve alwaysthought she was right on. Some-

times you have to teach people howto listen to jazz, not only for thosesurrounding these rude-niks but fortheir own good, as an appreciationof jazz is a proven healing entityworthy of their attention. Karrin hasearned her right to preach forwhat’s right, most evident on “Foot-prints,” which I stand on record asstating is her BEST ever, setting herown bar even higher. Now dig this.

You can’t go wrong when:

1. You bring on board one of,if not THE savviest jazz singers inits history, Nancy King.

You can’t go wrong when:

2. You add the legendary Jon

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KARRIN ALLYSONFootprintsConcord Records

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Page 22 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Discorama continued from page 21

Hendricks to the mix, recreating thelost art of vocalise in the traditionsof Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, orFrance’s Blue Stars featuring Blos-som Dearie.

You can’t go wrong when:

3. You use drummer ToddStrait, who has been with Karrinfrom her early KC days, despite hismove to Portland, Ore., and canprobably out-swing any of the NYCcats that she could have pickedfrom. Her solidarity with Toddmakes for one tight recording unit,as Todd can pick up on all of Ms.Allyson’s nuances and take it homein spades. It’s a wise choice, in-deed, by either Karrin or her astuteproducers Nick Phillips and partnerBill McGlaughlin.

One of the city’s premier bass-ists, Peter Washington, blends withStrait to lay down a dynamite rhythmsection augmented by pianist BruceBarth, who’s really come into hisown in the past few years and justtotally cooks. Karrin found lyricistChris Caswell, formerly with PaulWilliams, at Feinstein’s, a Big Applecabaret hot spot, and his clever newlyrics to some of the classic tuneschosen for this project are just bril-liant.

I may have placed the firsttrack, “Something Worth WaitingFor (Con Alma),” in a different slot,as I tend to like the first cut on allalbums and CDs to jump out at mea little more instead of being a littlelaid back. It’s still a very pretty num-ber, and all of the rest not just shinebrightly, but truly sparkle. Her stuffwith Ms. King is picture-perfectthroughout. Frank Wess, as always,blows his tenor sax to perfection.His signature tone captivates thesongs he’s on, as well as his flute

playing on “But I Was Cool.”I’d love to see this whole al-

bum done live with this same line-up. It’s truly a work of art. Onceyou pick up “Footprints,” you willknow you stepped in the right placeat the right time. My wife, Grace,said she thought Karrin looked thehappiest she could remember on thecover and all the rest of her photo-graphs on the CD jacket. If I hadjust created a masterpiece like thisone, I’d be feeling mighty serenemyself. Bravo again.

The piano trio is a delicatething, kinda like cooking. Too muchof this, not enough of that… For allthings created to come out right,sometimes it’s what you leave outthat makes it delicious. That’s ex-actly what composer, arranger andpianist Laura Caviani has accom-plished on her new Minneapolis-based CD “Going There.”

A stunning photo of Lauragraces the cover, and her jazzy,self-produced tunes are as lovely asis she. When I noticed she hiredher dear friend and top-notch mu-sician in her own right KarrinAllyson’s rhythm section of To-peka-born, Kansas City-bred bass-ist Bob Bowman and drummer ToddStrait, I knew this puppy would fly.As a matter of fact, it not only flies,it soars.

Caviani cleverly crafts eachselection, knowing how to use spaceand dynamics to perfection. Toddand Bob are stone pros who weavein and out of Laura’s nifty key-boarding, and set up a mosaic ofsound. They’ve gigged and re-corded with the best—and eachother—for decades, and it shows.Their stone-cold accuracy in pro-viding the perfect accompanimentfor the wide variety of fine compo-sitions written by Caviani is mostadmirable. Being on the playing sideof the biz for years, I can attest tothe fact that no matter how “great”you might be, if your band sucks,you suck. On the other hand, if theycook you feel propelled to excel. Inthe case of this aforementioned trio,when they’re all that hot… look out.

“Going There” isn’t a CD thatblazes, but of the “cool jazz” vari-ety with just a touch of a wistful mel-ancholy that makes me wonder ifLaura was going back somewhere,visiting a musical reflection of dayspast. My fave track, showing off herwell-honed beboppish licks, is “Inthe Interim,” which should havebeen the lead-off cut, for mymoney. All other selections are en-joyable listening, with a catchy vo-cal number entitled “Between theLines,” utilizing a back-up horn sec-tion for a nice change of pace.

The band really hits theirgroove in a zone-like fashion on“The Gilded Cage,” which will bythen have you, the listener, in thepalms of its hands on this ratherdreamy, but spirited jazz journey.Matthew Zimmerman’s recordingcapabilities at Wild Sound Studios,in Minneapolis, and Ms. Caviani’sproduction skills, are totallycopasetic and in sync. Contact herat www.lauracaviani.com to pur-chase your own copy of “GoingThere” and you’ll be “where it’sat,” too.

LAURA CAVIANIGoing ThereCaviani Music

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Jazz fan goes “nutty” over Giacomo Gates

Please send me the newsletter. I didn’t know you all existed until I fell nutty over Giacomo Gates and found that hehad been in Lincoln just prior to my “going nutty” over him. I am interested in your group. I have long been a jazz andblues fan and collector.

Many thanks,Sherrie (The Land Lady) Gregoy

Crimson Jazz Trio is big hit with BMF reviewer

Butch & Tom,

We just discovered your kind review of the Crimson Jazz Trio’s first CD and wanted to write to thank you for yourgenerosity and support!We’ve added the review to our site with a link to your foundation!

Best wishes,Marjorie & CJ3

PS. CJ3 was in the studio in June to record Volume Two!

Editor’s Note: Tom Ineck’s review of the Crimson Jazz Trio’s debut appeared in the March 2006 issue of theBMF newsletter.

Kudos and best wishes for the future of the BMF

Hello,

Please let me know when future newsletters are published online. Kudos for a tremendous organization! May yourwork continue uninterrupted.

Greg Waits

Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know wants to get on the Berman Music Foundation e-mail list, just sendthe e-mail address to bmusicfoundtn@neb.rr.com.

Letters to the EditorFriends and fans offer greetings and salutations

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Page 24 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

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Return Service Requested

This is the program for the Russ Long tribute at Jardine’s. Itshowcased 17 original compositions by Long. Organized bybassist Gerald Spaits, the tribute featured more than a dozensingers and musicians.