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Haymaker Noah Preminger (Palmetto) by Sean O’Connell Noah Preminger’s official biography is probably the only one to express a desire to “not get hit in the face” and mean it literally. His fascination with the pugilist lifestyle and other physically demanding pursuits seem to be a large part of his mythology. Thus naming his most recent album after an all-or-nothing swing of the fist seems appropriate. The 20-something tenor saxophonist may not have written any anthems to replace LL Cool J’s monopoly over heroic ring entrances and not every tune here renders the listener unconscious but that’s a good thing. Preminger’s last album had him in the presence of a straightahead piano/bass/drums trio, which helped place his classic tone in a classic setting. Here he is joined by bassist Matt Pavolka, drummer Colin Stranahan and guitarist Ben Monder, the latter’s reverbing creating a modern surface, opening things up harmonically for the two lead instruments. The title track, one of seven Preminger compositions on the album, is a curious juxtaposition of ground-level intensity from Stranahan and a subtler melody from Preminger. His horn is patient and deliberate over the percussive hurricane, gradually Lou Caputo & Chris White Interface A collaboration of two longtime friends with Don Stein (piano) Payton Crossley (drums) Warren Smith (vibraphone) Leopoldo Fleming (percussion) Available at CDbaby, Amazon And Itunes John Ehlis group featuring Lou Caputo & Chris white May 10th - Trumpets (Montclair, NJ) Lou Caputo Quartet May 12 - The Garage Loucaputo.com; CaputoJazz@Twitter 26 May 2013 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD stretching out. Although the album is largely selfpenned, the lone standard is an unexpected twist, with Preminger taking the melody of a curly-haired orphan for a meditative take on “Tomorrow”. It’s a short performance dwelling entirely on the hopeful melody. Preminger spends a minute alone, providing a breathy exploration before the band gently joins him to recite the popular tune. On “15,000”, Stranahan is a wonderful bouncing presence with a litany of sounds and feelings coming from his kit while “Stir My Soul” gives Pavolka a little chance to stretch out over Monder’s surf-inflected vibrations. The resulting album is not nearly as physically exhausting as one might expect given all the boxing talk but it is a carefully controlled display of confidence, allowing timing and patience to dictate when and where the punches should land. For more information, visit palmetto-records.com. This group is at Jazz Standard May 21st-22nd. See Calendar. Uplift 2: Higher Monty Alexander (Jazz Legacy Productions) by Donald Elfman Jamaican-born Monty Alexander has been a solid and welcome presence in the jazz world for nearly 50 years. He beautifully reinvigorates the standard repertoire and pleases audiences with spirited playing and infectious stage presence. Uplift 2 is the follow-up to…well...just plain Uplift and both sets, recorded at concert halls and jazz clubs from around the world, celebrate the communicative spirit that’s come down from legends like Erroll Garner, Ahmad Jamal and Oscar Peterson and fallen squarely into Alexander’s two capable hands. Alexander is fortunate to have John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton as his rhythm section. They kick in almost immediately after the pianist’s intro to “Battle Hymn of the Republic” with a groovy shuffle beat that urges forward Alexander’s dancing, rolling solo. And then comes more of the same - or at least similarly infused - “When The Saints Go Marching In”, which Alexander turns into a Peterson-like blues jam. The sensitive playing and propulsive thrust of Clayton helps make this, the most primal of all the New Orleans jazz tunes, a knockout blues with Alexander’s deeply pulsing chords. On three tracks – “St. Thomas”, “Night Mist Blues” and “Close Enough For Love” - the rhythm section changes. Bassist Hassan Shakur and drummer Frits Landesbergen give an out-of-the ordinary spin to the Sonny Rollins calypso while the lovely “Close Enough For Love” is a showcase for the gentler side of the pianist, as he takes a slow but virtuosic walk through the emotional Johnny Mandel ballad. “At the end of the day,” Alexander notes, “It’s about touching somebody’s heart.” From the uptempo crowd-pleasers to the more sensitive tunes, that’s what’s going on throughout Uplift 2. For more information, visit jazzlegacyproductions.com. Alexander is at Birdland May 7th-11th. See Calendar.
UK Live 1967, Vol. 1 & 2 Pat Smythe Trio (Jazzhus Disk) by Clifford Allen When most people think of the halcyon days of British jazz, especially with respect to recently unearthed archival gems, the names that come up are primarily avant garde. Even as British jazz was defined outside of the mainstream (especially from the late ‘60s onward), the country’s postbop traditionalists were certainly as fiery as their freer countrymen. Players like saxophonists Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes, brothers Mike and Chris Pyne (trombone and piano, respectively), drummer Phil Seamen and the outsideleaning Jamaican altoist Joe Harriott all brought original voices and a sense of community to the improvising table. Scottish pianist Pat Smythe (May 1923-May 1983), may be one of the lesser-known UK boppers but his light touch and rhythmic drive made him an exacting contrapuntal voice in Harriott’s ‘60s quintets. Interestingly, Smythe’s estate established a memorial trust, which helped jump-start the careers of young British jazz players between 1984-96. Smythe also backed visiting American saxophonists including Zoot Sims, Paul Gonsalves (the superb Boom-Jackie Boom-Chick on Vocalion), Ben Webster and Stan Getz. Two volumes supporting visiting tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis were captured live (if a bit lo-fi) in Nottingham in March 1967. The twosome are joined by bassist Kenny Napper and drummer Tony Crombie (Smythe’s working trio) for a set of standards, with Jamaican saxophonist Harold McNair guesting on a take of “Walkin’”. Davis was no stranger to UK and Continental audiences at the time; he was working as part of the Clarke-Boland Big Band and continuing his partnership with expatriate Johnny Griffin. This material was originally slated for issue on a pair of teninch LPs but has remained unavailable until now. Davis and Smythe are both full-toned, graceful and warm improvisers and it’s absolutely stunning to hear them in bluesy, conversational caresses on “I’ll Never Be the Same”. In fact, “Jaws” is probably more often considered a tough soul-jazz bar walker than a complex romantic, but the latter is on full display here. A robust and swinging tenor player who first came to prominence with Count Basie, Davis builds from fluid lilt to a series of tears through “Days of Wine and Roses”, albeit not without a sense of organizational logic and daubs of painterly clarity. Following the saxophonist’s corker of a solo, Smythe adroitly skates and conjures ringing, puckered and intricate harmonies from a somewhat out-of-tune piano. Napper provides a meaty bulwark of support while Crombie is dry and chattering; his punctuations are more often felt than heard on a misty “Body and Soul”, which ends with a steely, unaccompanied tenor spot. Following a bright, uptempo “I’ll Remember April”, in which the cracking and perhaps purposely uneven rhythm presents an interesting contrast to Davis’ yoke-tugging velvet and hard blues, McNair joins on alto for “Walkin’”. Smythe and the saxophonists work a preachy feel at the beginning, McNair’s bubbly and incisive post-Parkeriana gloriously chomping at the bit and nearly ‘free’. Still fresh over 45 years after being waxed, these two volumes of music are extraordinary nuggets from the Brit-jazz archives. For more information, visit downtownmusicgallery.com New Jersey Performing Arts Center Dianne Reeves Christian McBride, Jazz Advisor Sérgio Mendes Al Jarreau An Evening with the Jimmy Heath Quartet at Bethany Baptist Church Monday, November 4 at 7:00 • FREE A Celebration of Amiri Baraka’s “Blues People” at 50 at Newark Museum Tuesday, November 5 at 7:00 • FREE A Good Place: Celebrating Lorraine Gordon and The Village Vanguard featuring The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and special guests NEA Jazz Master Barry Harris and Christian McBride, plus the Anat Cohen Quartet Hosted by Christian McBride Thursday, November 7 at 7:30 Christian McBride Sponsored by Presenting Sponsor Co-presented by For tickets and full 2013 TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival schedule visit njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC November 4-10 Jazz Meets Samba Sérgio Mendes, Elaine Elias, Lee Ritenour, Arito and special guest Joe Lovano Friday, November 8 at 8:00 Sing, Swing, Sing! with Dianne Reeves, Al Jarreau, Jeffrey Osborne, George Duke, Christian McBride Big Band featuring Melissa Walker, and 2012 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition winner Cyrille Aimée Saturday, November 9 at 8:00 Portrait of Duke featuring Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks Saturday, November 9 at 2:00 Dorthaan’s Place: The Paquito D’Rivera Quartet Sunday, November 10 at 11:00 & 1:00 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Sassy Award with special guest judges Al Jarreau, Janis Siegel, and Larry Rosen Sunday, November 10 at 3:00 Presented in association with One Center Street, Newark, NJ NJJazzRecord_6.25x12_moodynjpac.indd 1 4/15/13 8:52 AM THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | May 2013 27
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 and 10: ON THE COVER In accepting one of tw
Page 11 and 12: MEGAPHONE Cornet and Lineage: Ron a
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
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Page 24 and 25: The View From Here Kyle Eastwood (J
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Page 30 and 31: LASZLO GARDONY / CLARITY SSC 4014 I
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Page 34 and 35: Time Travel Dave Douglas Quintet (G
Page 36: BOXED SET Ten Freedom Summers Wadad
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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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