Happy Birthday, Sidney Bechet!

Sidney Bechet, backed by Claude Bolling's rhythm section - "Premier Bal" (1958)

This Week in Jazz History: May 13 to May 19

May 13

• Pianist Red Garland born 1923 in Dallas, TX.
• Louis Armstrong records “S.O.L. Blues,” 1927.
• Arranger/composer Gil Evans born 1912 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and records Priestess, 1977.

 May 14

• Saxophonist/clarinetist Sidney Bechet born 1897 in New Orleans, LA.
• Fletcher Henderson records “Wrappin’ It Up” 1934.
• Drummer Zutty Singleton born 1898 in Bunkie, LA.

 May 15

• Pianist Ellis Larkins born 1923 in Baltimore, MD.
• Multi-instrumentalist/composer/bandleader Rahsaan Roland Kirk born 1936 in Columbus, OH.
• Jazz at Massey Hall concert 1953 recorded - last reunion of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, pianist Bud Powell, bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach.

 May 16

• Reedman/bandleader Woody Herman born 1913 in Milwaukee, WI.
• Clarinetist Jimmie Noone records “Four or Five Times” 1928 with pianist Earl Hines.
• Vocalist Betty Carter born 1930 in Flint, MI.

 May 17

• Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean born 1932 in New York, NY.
• Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie makes his first recordings (“King Porter Stomp”) with Teddy Hill’s band, 1937.
• Tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman born 1931 in Fort Worth, TX.

 May 18

• English bassist/composer Spike Hughes records with Benny Carter’s band 1933.
• Bassist Pops Foster born 1892 in Mc Call, LA.
• Vocalist Big Joe Turner born 1912 in Kansas City, MO.

 May 19

• Count Basie records “Pound Cake” with classic solos by tenor saxophonist Lester Young and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, 1939.
• Saxophonist Sonny Fortune born 1939 in Philadelphia, PA.
• Vocalist Sarah Vaughan records “Nice Work If You Can Get It” with trumpeter Miles Davis, 1950.

 Source: Smithsonian Jazz

Jazz Poetry - "Dream Boogie"

Dream Boogie by Langston Hughes

Good morning, daddy!

Ain't you heard

The boogie-woogie rumble

Of a dream deferred?

Listen closely:

You'll hear their feet

Beating out and beating out a --

     You think

     It's a happy beat?

Listen to it closely:

Ain't you heard

something underneath

like a --

     What did I say?

     Sure,

     I'm happy!

     Take it away!

Hey, pop!

Re-bop!

Mop!

     Y-e-a-h!

--From Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951)

Note: Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967) was an American poet, novelist, and playwright. He was one of the innovators of so-called jazz poetry in the 1920s and 1930s. Jazz poetry came to mean language with jazz-like rhythm or improvisational feel, although early versions just made reference to jazz musicians, instruments, and locations. During the 1920s, the simultaneous development of new forms of poetry and jazz bursting onto the scene resulted in a kind of merging of the two art forms. Poets such as Hughes, who was part of the Harlem Renaissance movement, incorporated jazz rhythms and repetitive phrases into their poetry. The descendants of jazz poetry include Beat poetry and even today's live poetry slams.

Sonny Rollins - "St. Thomas" (1968)

Sonny Rollins, tenor sax; Kenny Drew, piano; Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, bass; Albert "Tootie" Heath, drums.

New Release: Hot Club of Detroit - It’s About That Time

This year is the centennial of Django Reinhardt's birth and the 76th anniversary of the formation of the original Quintette du Hot Club de France with Stephane Grappelli. From all appearances, the tradition of “gypsy jazz” is alive and well, and the Hot Club of Detroit is a prime example. They both honor the tradition and extend it in new directions. Formed by guitarist Evan Perri in 2003, the Hot Club of Detroit has been winning awards ever since, and their most recent album, It’s About That Time, demonstrates just how vital Django’s music remains to this day.
     The album gets off to a fast start with “On the Steps,” played at a blistering pace and with great facility. Other numbers such as “Noto Swing” and “Equilibrium” are also played “hot.” However, to my ear, while technically impressive, this leaves enjoyment of the tune itself lagging behind, and one wishes for a little more time to catch one’s breath. As with sex, speed of execution does not necessarily lead to the most satisfying experience.
     I much prefer the medium-tempo numbers and the slow swingers on the album, such as “Duke and Dukie” and “Patio Swing.” Here, the band members get to shine in extensive solos, and particular mention goes to Perri, accordionist Julien Labro, and Carl Cafagna on sax, who are all outstanding. Bassist Andrew Kratzat and rhythm guitarist Paul Brady keep things swinging for the drum-less quintet.
     The album includes songs written by Django, Charles Mingus (the funky "Nostalgia in Times Square"), and even Frédéric Chopin. But there is also a lot of terrific new material by members of the band, including the aforementioned “Patio Swing,” a quiet ballad called “Papillon,” and the edgy waltz "Sacre Bleu." If you are a fan of gypsy jazz and want to hear some of its contemporary permutations, check out It’s About That Time.

SFJAZZ Announces New Home

Very exciting news for Bay Area jazz fans! The San Francisco Jazz Festival announced today that it will be building a new SFJAZZ Center to be the home of the festival. The new facility, on Franklin Street in the Hayes Valley neighborhood, will be a 35,000-square-foot transparent structure designed by renowned architect Mark Cavagnero. This will put SFJAZZ in the same neighborhood with the Conservatory of Music, Davies Symphony Hall, and the Opera House. The $60 million facility will include a state-of-the art 700-seat auditorium, a smaller 80-seat performance/education space, rehearsal rooms, a digital learning lab, advanced recording and broadcasting capabilities, and a cafe.
     “The SFJAZZ Center represents a major transformation for SFJAZZ,” said Srinija Srinivasan, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “It’s more than a new home for the organization; it represents a place where the world of jazz music and education can be expressed and enjoyed in all its diversity, by all its global characters. This American art form has gone around the world and come back again. The SFJAZZ Center is our way of giving it the home it deserves.”
     SFJAZZ is hoping to break ground on the new building in about a year. Watch the video announcement here.

This Week in Jazz History: May 6 to May 12

May 6

• Cornetist/composer Bix Beiderbecke records “Riverboat Shuffle” with The Wolverines, 1924.
• Bassist David Friesen born 1942 in Tacoma, WA.
• Herbie Nichols records The Third World, his first album of his own music 1955

 May 7

• Vocalist Sarah Vaughan records “If You Could See Me Now” with trumpeter Freddie Webster, 1946.
• Saxophonist Herbie Steward born 1926 in Los Angeles, CA.
• Saxophonist Ornette Coleman records Love Call, with Dewey Redman, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones, 1968.

 May 8

• Pianist Keith Jarrett born 1945 in Allentown, PA.
• Pianist/composer Mary Lou Williams born 1910 in Atlanta, GA.
• Pianist/vocalist Fats Waller records “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter,” 1936.

 May 9

• Vocalist Billie Holiday records “God Bless The Child” with trumpeter Roy Eldridge, 1941.
• Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins records “East Broadway Rundown” with Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison and Freddie Hubbard, 1965.
• Trumpeter Miles Davis records “Dear Old Stockholm” 1952.

 May 10

• Drummer/bandleader Mel Lewis born 1929 in Buffalo, NY.
• Keyboardist Mike Melvoin born 1937 in Oshkosh, WI.
• Louis Armstrong records “Potato Head Blues” 1927.

 May 11

• Cornetist/bandleader born Joe "King" Oliver in New Orleans, LA., 1885.
• Pianist/composer Carla Bley born 1938 in Oakland, CA.
• Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and alto saxophonist Charlie Parker record “Shaw ’Nuff” 1945.

 May 12

• Sauter-Finegan Orchestra records “Doodletown Fifers” 1952.
• Bassist Gary Peacock born 1935 in Burley, ID.
• Guitarist Charlie Christian is recorded in a jam session with Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke, and plays an extended solo on “Stompin’ At the Savoy,” 1941.

 Source: Smithsonian Jazz

A Groovin' Groover

Organist Richard “Groove” Holmes (born May 2, 1931) must have been extremely fond of his nickname. Or the marketing people at the record labels he recorded for were just cashing in on his brand. For whatever reason, variations on the word groove appear in numerous album titles:

• Groovin' with Jug (1961)
• Blue Groove (1967)
• The Groover! (1968)
• Workin' on a Groovy Thing (1969)
• New Groove (1974)
• Groove's Groove (1991)

     Songs recorded with the same theme included “Groove’s Groove,” “Groovin for Mr. G,” and “Let’s Groove.” Holmes was firmly in the soul-jazz camp, with his playing characterized by articulate melodies in the upper registers and a pulsating bass - I hate to say it - groove laid down under other instrumentalists.

     Holmes first started recording in 1961, and probably his best-known tune was a version of “Misty” from the 1965 album Soul Message.  This is one of my favorite albums from Holmes - it also contains the doubly eponymous “Groove’s Groove” as well as a terrific version of Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father.”

     Holmes’ playing became funkier through the Sixties and Seventies. Some of his recordings showed a trend toward commercialization, which may have tainted his reputation somewhat. However, Holmes is credited with being one of the pioneers of acid jazz. In honor of that, the Beastie Boys included an organ track on their 1992 album Check Your Head called “Groove Holmes.” He died in 1991 after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Little Bird and Papa Mutt

My previous post on Willis “Gator” Jackson entitled "Give 'Gator' Some Respect" tangentially brought up the subject of animal nicknames for jazz musicians. I was curious to see how many I could find and here’s the list:

• Bird - Charlie Parker
• Cat - William Alonzo Anderson
• The Cat - Jimmy Smith
• Duck - Donald Bailey
• The Fox - Maynard Ferguson
• Frog - Ben Webster
• Gator - Willis Jackson
• The Great Dane - Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
• The Hawk - Coleman Hawkins
• The Lion - Willie Smith
• Little Bird - Albert Ayler and Jimmy Heath
• Mouse - Irving Randolph
• Mousey - Elmer Alexander
• Mule - Major Holley
• Mutt or Papa Mutt - Tom Carey
• Pony - Norwood Poindexter
• The Rabbit - Johnny Hodges
• The Stork - Paul Desmond
• Tiger - George Haynes

Now “Frog” for Ben Webster seems just a little cruel, and I don’t ever recall seeing him referred to by that nickname. Nor had I heard of Paul Desmond as “The Stork.” A few of these animals have actually flocked together for a working menagerie: certainly Cat and The Rabbit; Bird and The Hawk; Duck and The Cat; The Great Dane and Little Bird (Albert Ayler); and The Hawk and Mule.
     Can anyone think of other jazz musicians with animal nicknames?