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First Take | By bobby reed<br />
James Farm<br />
jimmy katz<br />
Collaboration As<br />
A Way Of Life<br />
Jazz is a collaborative art form. So what Theater, dance and filmmaking—as<br />
well many other creative endeavors—are also collaborative<br />
in nature. Jazz musicians, however, share a special vocabulary<br />
and empathy that allow them to improvise, adapt to the unpredictable<br />
and create art in the moment. (Their closest artistic cousins might be<br />
improv sketch actors.) On the bandstand, jazz players listen and respond,<br />
agree and revise, quote and reply, and then listen some more.<br />
In this issue, we shine a spotlight on two bands that illustrate the<br />
power of collaboration. Our cover subjects are vibraphonist Stefon<br />
Harris, saxophonist David Sánchez and trumpeter Christian Scott, three virtuosos<br />
who had never played together before they embarked on the Ninety<br />
Miles project. The trio ventured to Havana to collaborate with Cuban musicians,<br />
including the pianists Rember Duharte and Harold López-Nussa.<br />
The title of the Ninety Miles CD/DVD package released by Concord<br />
Picante refers to the approximate distance from Florida to Cuba. The<br />
assembled players came from diverse backgrounds, and they spoke different<br />
languages, but they found common ground as improvisers.<br />
Also highlighted in this issue is James Farm, the exciting quartet<br />
whose self-titled release is out now on Nonesuch. With a lineup of saxophonist<br />
Joshua Redman, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman and<br />
drummer Eric Harland, this group is making major waves. What drew<br />
them together The collaborative spirit. “We had never played together,<br />
but we were already a band,” Redman told DownBeat contributor Dan<br />
Ouellette. The albums titled Ninety Miles and James Farm provide evidence<br />
that the whole can be much, much greater than the sum of its parts.<br />
Pianist Dick Hyman knows as much about collaboration as any<br />
musician you could hope to meet. We’re honored to include a feature<br />
on Hyman (whose legendary career stretches back to work with<br />
Benny Goodman) as part of this keyboard-themed issue. We’ve got pianist<br />
Orrin Evans taking the Blindfold Test, a transcription of a Joey<br />
DeFrancesco organ solo, a Master Class from pianist Joel Forrester and<br />
a Pro Session from pianist Champian Fulton.<br />
In his superb book Why Jazz: A Concise Guide (Oxford University<br />
Press), jazz critic Kevin Whitehead writes, “It’s exciting to hear musicians<br />
improvise, making a coherent statement in real time, as each player<br />
feeds and feeds on what the others are doing.” So true.<br />
The skills of collaborating and improvising can unite people from<br />
various walks of life. It’s a lesson that non-musicians should apply to<br />
boardroom negotiations, labor disputes, legislative sessions and community<br />
council meetings. The key, of course, is to listen intently and, to<br />
quote a common expression, “to understand where somebody is comin’<br />
from.” In the elusive quest for mutual understanding, jazz musicians can<br />
lead by example. Let’s all listen. DB<br />
8 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2011