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ENCORE Steve Williams by Marcia Hillman There are drummers who are timekeepers and then there are drummers who go beyond and play the melody on their drums as well as keeping the beat going. Steve Williams belongs to the latter class. Born in 1956, Williams grew up in Washington, DC and started playing drums at about 8 or 9 years of age. Williams recalls, “My father played all kinds of music around the house. For some reason, the drum was the first instrument that made my ears perk up. And when my father played Philly Joe Jones,” he continues, “I realized that drums could play both melody and rhythm.” After high school, Williams went on to the University of Miami and continued his music education in the jazz department there, working locally at nights with fellow schoolmates Carmen and Curtis Lundy and Bobby Watson. It was while he was in Miami that he joined Monty Alexander’s band and started to travel internationally. After the Lundys moved to New York in 1978, Williams decided to try his luck in the Big Apple. In New York he studied with drummer Billy Hart and performed with such artists as Clifford Jordan, Tex Allen and Charles Davis. After some time, Williams returned to Washington to continue building his reputation the old fashioned way - on the job. At that time he played a lot with visiting musicians that he had met in New York, including Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Williams, Eddie Henderson, Larry Willis, Mulgrew Miller and John Hicks. And then in 1980, the next step in Williams’ musical education began – one that lasted for the next 25 years of his life. Shirley Horn was looking for a drummer to replace Hart in her trio and came to hear Williams play on a gig. “I think she liked me because she felt she could work with me and teach me what I needed to know to work with her,” he comments. LEST WE FORGET Revolutionary Ensemble by Andrey Henkin Unlike “Hardest Working Man in Show Business” James Brown, “Greatest Show on Earth” Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus or other self-adhered honorifics, Revolutionary Ensemble, the trio of violinist Leroy Jenkins, bassist Sirone (né Norris Jones) and drummer/keyboardist Jerome Cooper, deserved their name. Expertly knitting together the disparate threads of avant garde jazz, Third Stream and primal blues, the group would spearhead the genre known as “Chamber Jazz” (wherein strings took the role traditionally held by brass and/or reed instruments in small groups) and inspire entire swathes of modern American and European jazz. Jenkins and Cooper were both from Chicago while Sirone was born in Atlanta. The former two spent time in Europe during the late ‘60s, participating in sessions with other American expatriates like Anthony Braxton, Alan Silva and Archie Shepp while Sirone was busy with Gato Barbieri, Marion Brown and Dave Burrell. Jenkins, Sirone and original (and short-tenured) drummer Frank Clayton came together in New York City as Revolutionary Ensemble in 1971, an odd period in jazz history, where (not-so) New Thing, fusion and soul jazz eyed each other’s scenes warily. Cooper came 10 May 2013 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD Pierre Sprey, owner of Mapleshade Records remembers the night: “It was at a club called One Step Down in Washington, DC. I knew Shirley well and she asked me to come and listen to this drummer... Steve is a very creative drummer and I thought he could be perfect with Shirley.” This meeting also marked the beginning of a strong friendship and association between Sprey and Williams. “Over the years, Steve has become a sort of resident drummer at Mapleshade Records, appearing as sideman on a number of albums and working with Larry Willis.” Williams can be heard on Kendra Shank’s first CD for Mapleshade, Afterglow, co-produced by Horn. Shank says, “I was thrilled to have Steve on the date... I was doing a lot of slow ballads, which Steve plays so masterfully.” Horn was able to keep the same personnel together in a working trio (with bassist Charles Ables) for the next quarter-century, which afforded Williams steady work and the opportunity to play on bandstands all over the world. This also gave Williams the chance to play and/or record with Miles Davis, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Branford and Wynton Marsalis and Carmen McRae. One of Williams’ fondest memories is of playing on McRae’s last recording (Sarah: Dedicated To You) with Horn on piano and Ables. “It was the relationship between Shirley and Carmen and their talking about Sarah. It was like the three of them were in the room,” he states. Working with Horn provided Williams with the major portion of his musical education. Horn’s slow singing of ballads tailored his brushwork. “I had to learn to make a wide figure eight on the snare in order to keep with her timing. I learned to listen to know when to play the fills. I found it fascinating to play slow. You just have to tell your body and your mind to slow down,” he relates. Talking about Horn, Williams goes on, “My time on the road with her was very precious. On the road, she became a mother figure, a sister, a teacher, a best friend and almost like a love.” Williams worked with Horn and Ables until their deaths (Horn in 2005 and Ables a few years before hers). Since then he has been working as leader with his own quintet and as sideman with other musicians. He also continues working with vocalists such as Teri on board by the time of the group’s first album, Vietnam, recorded at Greenwich Village’s Peace Church in March 1972 and one of the late period ESP-Disk’ albums. The group worked steadily during the ‘70s, releasing four more albums for four different labels: Manhattan Cycles (India Navigation) came from a New Year’s Eve performance of the Wadada Leo Smithpenned title track in the titular borough; The Psyche (RE: Records, 1975), also waxed in New York, was the first disc to include tunes from each member; The People’s Republic could be called the group’s major label debut, recorded over three days in Burbank, CA in December 1975 and released by A&M/Horizon; and the eponymous Enja album from August 1977 documented a set from the swanky Moosham Castle in Salzburgerland, Austria. It is unclear whether the group split up over anything more substantial than normal attrition. Jenkins went on to record frequently as a leader. Sirone joined Cecil Taylor’s 1978 Unit and later the cooperative group Phalanx (and released two obscure sessions under his own name) before settling permanently in Europe. Cooper added more instruments to his arsenal and split time between his own projects and sideman work. The group may have been consigned to history, its influence felt solely through its excellent recordings and heirs, but on May 30th, 2004, over a quartercentury after their last performances and in the wake Roiger who says of him, “Steve creates this tapestry of sound. He listens so well to the song right with me and never overplays. He always knows where the beat is and his sense of swing is pure joy!” v For more information visit abrushfire.com. Williams is at Jazz at Kitano May 4th with Greg Abate, ShapeShifter Lab May 10th with Teri Roiger, 55Bar May 11th with Roz Corral, 55Bar May 20th with Sean Smith, Somethin’ Jazz Club May 21st with Larry Corban, Birdland May 23rd with Sally Knight and Village Vanguard May 28th-Jun. 2nd with Joe Lovano. See Calendar. Recommended Listening: • Shirley Horn - I Thought About You (Verve, 1987) • Carmen McRae - Sarah - Dedicated To You (RCA Novus, 1990) • Toots Thielemans - For My Lady (with the Shirley Horn Trio) (EmArcy, 1991) • Thurman Green - Dance of the Night Creatures (Mapleshade, 1994) • Shirley Horn - The Main Ingredient (Verve, 1995) • Steve Williams - New Incentive (Elabeth, 2005) of Mutable Music making The Psyche the first of their albums to be available on CD, Jenkins, Sirone and Cooper gave a transcendent reunion performance at that year’s Vision Festival. Still adept and, more importantly, still relevant, the reformed group went into the studio a few weeks later to record And Now... for Pi Recordings. In 2008 Mutable released a May 2005 concert from Warsaw, Poland as Beyond the Boundary of Time and just this year put out Counterparts, the group’s final concert, from Genoa, Italy in late 2005. Jenkins passed away in 2007 and Sirone followed two years later, ending any hope that Revolutionary Ensemble would be as active in the Aughts as it was in the ‘70s. But advanced jazz listeners can be happy one of the most revolutionary ensembles in jazz history got a second, well-deserved go-around. v Recommended Listening: • Revolutionary Ensemble - Vietnam (ESP-Disk’, 1972) • Revolutionary Ensemble - Manhattan Cycles (India Navigation, 1972) • Revolutionary Ensemble - The Psyche (RE: Records-Mutable Music, 1975) • Revolutionary Ensemble - The People’s Republic (A&M/Horizon, 1975) • Revolutionary Ensemble - And Now... (Pi Recordings, 2004) • Revolutionary Ensemble - Counterparts (Mutable Music, 2005)
MEGAPHONE Cornet and Lineage: Ron and Butch by Kirk Knuffke I play the cornet and so have my two biggest musical influences. I got my first cornet when I was 13 years old and I still have it, a funky Olds Recording that I played for years. I had to switch to trumpet when I joined the orchestra in high school and I stayed on it until I was 29. But I always kept the round mellow cornet sound in my head. Now I get a lot of questions like: What is that? Why do you play cornet instead of trumpet? What’s the difference between the two, etc? I was first attracted to the instrument when I saw it and other cornets at the store. They came in all shapes and sizes and were very individual. There was never really a standard model and there was a lot of experimentation. And it’s precisely individuality and experimentation that drew me to music! You can go your own way on any instrument but I am also attracted to the whole idea of playing cornet because it is different from trumpet. Four years ago I made the permanent switch back to cornet and followed the sound in my head. I had the strength and opportunity to do this thanks to two amazing influences who always did their own thing: Ron Miles and Butch Morris. When I started hanging around Ron I was 17. He and I have become close over the years and I now have the great honor of playing his cornet, a truly beautiful and unique horn made by Dave Monette. When I played it the first time a whole new sound opened up and it felt like home. I learned and still learn so much from Ron and he never told me how to play. He did show the way by his own playing. This was perfect for me, because when I was young the reason I didn’t want regular trumpet lessons or to go to college was because I didn’t want anyone telling me how to do it. Music was my sanctuary, a place where I could go and be myself. I would ask Ron questions and sometimes he would just say, “After you play for a while you’ll figure VOXNEWS These Two are One by Katie Bull A flock of birds lift off of a branch at the exact same second and fly in unison. It’s beautiful. Instinctive sensitivity sparks a reflex response and away the birds venture, gliding together. Perhaps the birds fly in a common mind space as well. The shared impulse between a singer and an instrumentalist is like the flight of birds - sonic receptivity in motion. Pianist Geri Allen has an exquisite way with giving and receiving. Her masterful exchanges with vocalists Lizz Wright and Dianne Reeves will be featured in the Harlem Jazz Shrines’ “Celebrating Great Jazz Women of the Apollo” (May 11th), which also includes drummer/vocalist Terri Lyne Carrington. Wright sings with an easy strength and richness of unmasked tone that is movingly unembellished while Reeves, an icon herself, sounds sourced from singer’s heaven. Also part of the Harlem Jazz Shrines festival, pianist Marc Cary’s tribute to Abbey Lincoln at Harlem Stage Gatehouse (May 10th) will showcase a wide lineup of vocalists including one of Lincoln’s best protégés, Maggie Brown, whose gutsy voice is full of deep and robust resonance. Like Lincoln, Brown conveys the persona of a grounded and earthy woman. Cary was Lincoln’s long-time pianist, working with her in total it out” and he was right! He also introduced me to the music of Steve Lacy and Lee Konitz, among many others. He told me not to copy other people but to look for the things that may have informed their ideas in order to construct my own. Ron taught me being a jazz musician is about individuality and proficiency. You will get hired because you are you, not by what instrument you play. And you have to have good time! The idea of lineage and influence can seem overwhelming, but it is precisely men like these that make lineage not overwhelming at all. And I mean trumpet, cornet, or any instrument. When you create your own space there is always room for you. If you try to force yourself into someone else’s space or only play on a “style level”, as Ornette calls it, then you might not fit. Just like the cornet, there is no standard model in jazz and improvised music. Listening to the great individualists always gives me strength and confidence, especially self-taught musicians and guys from the Swing Era: Pee Wee Russell, Red Allen, Rex Stewart, etc. Which brings us to Butch Morris, another cornetist and a true innovator of modern music. When I started working with Butch I was still playing trumpet and he told me I would end up a cornet player again. Butch believed there was something truly special about the cornet specifically and, of course, when Butch played cornet he made it special. Butch showed me how to make music in a way no one else ever did. He answered the questions: What is music? What makes music work? What does music need at any given moment to make more of an impact? Butch separated the building blocks of music and dealt with them one at a time: sound, idea, duration, line, repetition... He also allowed great freedom for the improvisers in his ensembles but we had to give something to the music - that was the key word: Give! Sometimes instead of showing me a sign to make an entrance he would lean in and whisper, “Give me your baddest shit!” But if he felt like we weren’t giving the band something, we would get cut out immediately. Everything you did had to have musical interest and a place to build to. Information should always be for the collective good. simpatico. You can bet all the singers at the tribute will explore the same synergy with Cary. Louise Rogers is a naturally swinging vocalist who has been on the scene for years. In advance tracks from her recent recording date, Rogers’ soulfully assured tone synchronizes with pianist Mark Kross and flutist Jamie Baum in a buoyantly lyrical tribute to the French composer Gabriel Fauré. The trio will offer this fresh music at Somethin’ Jazz Club (May 4th). Also at Somethin’ (May 18th), another solidly in-thepocket singer, Deborah Latz, will celebrate the release of Fig Tree (June Moon). Bluesy at heart, Latz sings in a versatile range of styles from swing to bossa. Latz’ playful humor and radiating warmth will surely permeate the night. For more heat, travel to the Brazil side of sound and make May your Birdland month. The club’s Bossabrasil Festival features two remarkable Brazilian veterans: vocalist/guitarists Dori Caymmi and Joyce Moreno (May 14th-18th). Their supremely intricate weaving of voices and guitars creates a very fine musical fabric. Their shared heritage is evident and they play with a relaxed and joyous nature. Speaking of heritage, an absolutely extraordinary first-time issue is available this month: Tony Bennett with pianist Dave Brubeck’s quartet! You will not believe the recording quality on Bennett/Brubeck – The White House Sessions, Live 1962 (Legacy Recordings). This album is a national treasure. Bennett’s voice is Thank you, Butch and Ron - two amazing teachers that teach by example, who taught me that along with being yourself you have to be good and you have to give. v For more information, visit kirkknuffke.com. Knuffke is at The Firehouse Space May 4th with Stephen Gauci, 92YTribeca May 8th with Allison Miller, Sycamore May 13th and Korzo May 28th, both with Max Johnson, and Ibeam Brooklyn May 24th with Federico Ughi. See Calendar. Originally from Colorado, cornetist/composer Kirk Knuffke has been based in New York City since 2005. Knuffke played in four projects conducted by the late Butch Morris, generating three CDs and a film soundtrack, and is currently a member of the Matt Wilson Quartet, Mark Helias Quartet, Merger with Andrew D’Angelo, Ideal Bread, Bizingas and Jeff Davis Band, among others. A largely self-taught musician, Knuffke also studied improvisation with Ornette Coleman, Art Lande and Ron Miles. Knuffke has released eight CDs as a leader or co-leader for Clean Feed, SteepleChase, No Business, NotTwo and other labels. charged with 10,000 watts of energy. An equally charged Brubeck meets Bennett’s energy and sends it right back. Note that on May 11th there is a Brubeck tribute at the Church of St. John the Divine. History moves us towards some very important CD releases representing the best of unified impulse in the spoken world realm. Barry Wallenstein’s fantastic new recording Lucky These Days (Cadence Jazz) presents a wholly evolved artist. Wallenstein has been a major force in the jazz and spoken word world for over 50 years and the convergence of the two realms doesn’t get any more satisfyingly entrained than on this recording. We are all lucky to have Wallenstein. He will be celebrating his CD release at Medicine Show Theater (May 11th). Radical veteran poet and spoken wordist Jane Grenier B.’s collaboration with husband/bassist Albey Balgochian - Tragically Hip, available as an electronic download (Zenbeatz.com) - includes a printed book of Grenier’s poems with themes that span from earth to cosmos. Drenched in a beat-cool sound while delivering an understated yet electrically charged energy, the album is a sonic hologram of a politically happening poetry club. To quote the Greek poet and philosopher Ovid: “We two are one. We two form a Multitude.” This month some particularly fine singer-instrumental oneness is taking place in New York City and the listening multitude are invited to fly along. v THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | May 2013 11
Page 1: May 2013 | No. 133 WILL CALHOUN You
Page 4 and 5: NEW YORK @ NIGHT The Hell’s Kitch
Page 6 and 7: Photo by Bill Bernstein INTERVIEW D
Page 9: ON THE COVER In accepting one of tw
Page 14 and 15: CD REVIEWS HUSH POINT SSC 1358 In S
Page 16 and 17: GLOBE UNITY: ITALY Sin Fronteras Ac
Page 18 and 19: $18 ADVANCE $20 AT DOOR 9/20: Roy E
Page 20 and 21: Oye!!! (Live in Puerto Rico) Miguel
Page 22 and 23: 22 May 2013 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZ
Page 24 and 25: The View From Here Kyle Eastwood (J
Page 26 and 27: Haymaker Noah Preminger (Palmetto)
Page 28 and 29: Chants Craig Taborn Trio (ECM) by J
Page 30 and 31: LASZLO GARDONY / CLARITY SSC 4014 I
Page 32 and 33: 32 May 2013 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZ
Page 34 and 35: Time Travel Dave Douglas Quintet (G
Page 36: BOXED SET Ten Freedom Summers Wadad
Page 39 and 40: Saturday, May 4 êCyro Baptista and
Page 41 and 42: Monday, May 13 êGil Evans Birthday
Page 43 and 44: Saturday, May 25 êMark Soskin Trio
Page 45 and 46: CLUB DIRECTORY • 54 Below 254 Wes
Page 47 and 48: KENNY BALL - The British trumpeter

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