Jazz and Conversation

The Lyrical Collaboration: Pat Metheny and Brad Mehdau

From: Metheny/Mehldau(Nonesuch Records - 2006).

Not since the days in the 60’s when Bill Evans and Jim Hall were producing piano/guitar duets, has there been a more perfect musical match with those instruments than the combination of Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau. Now that they are both on the Nonesuch label, a collaborative recording has finally been put together. Recorded last December, Metheny/Mehldau features ten tracks; eight of them in duo situation, and two in a quartet setting, with the addition of Larry Grenadier’s bass and Jeff Ballard’s drums.

The stength of the disc lies in the elegant interplay and flow between the players. Guitars and pianos both have the capability of filling a lot of musical space; it’s very easy to create something that too tense and cluttered; but these guys have a way of complementing each other and working out a musical dance of sorts. It’s quite astounding.

The only thing that I think hurts the disc is the presence of any memorable compositions. With the exception of the disc’s final track, Making Peace, the tunes sound way too much like they were made on the spot. But this is truly secondary to the overall way the music flows and how these two navigate around and through each other.

I’m featuring four tracks on the audio file; Summer Day, followed by Say The Brother’s Name, the aforementioned Make Peace, and Legend.

Chick Corea - New Selections

From: The Ultimate Advenure(Stretch Records - 2006).

Chick Corea has one of the largest musical palettes of any jazz musican I know; his recording career has been filled with a wide variety of musical styles and moods. His latest effort harkens back to the 70’s, with a very electric and exotic blend of melody, groove, and atmosphere. If you’re an old Return To Forever fan, or enjoyed 70’s solo offerings like My Spanish Heart, you’ll enjoy this new disc a lot. He even has a few RTF alumni (Steve Gadd, Airto) playing with him on the session.

Miles Davis Quintet On The Tonight Show - November 1955

From: The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions (4-CDs) (Concord Records - 2006).

Here’s a little blast from the past; a recording from Miles Davis’s 1955 appearance on the Tonight show, with the show’s original host, Steve Allen. This clip is a special feature within a new 4-CD box set being released this week, featuring all the studio recordings from the Miles Davis Quintet between 1955 and 56 that were recorded for Prestige Records. The band of course is legendary: John Coltrane on tenor, Red Garland on Piano, Philly Joe Jones on drums and Paul Chambers on bass.

The thing that gets me about this recording is how incredibly uncomfortable and nervous Steve Allen was in introducing the band. He was stumbling all over himself, with a strong sense of trepidation in his voice. Probably because this was one of the first nationally televised programs to ever feature bebop, which was considered way far-out to the American mainstream audience of the time. Also, it should be noted that there were very few black entertainers visible on TV in those days, particularly anyone with such an uncompromising attitude as Miles Davis. (Props to Steve Allen for having the balls to bring these guys on.)

The band rips right into it from the start, with a hard-driving rendition of Max Is Making Wax. Allen then comes on and tries to make a little smalltalk with Miles, which doesnt go anywhere, followed by Allen awarding Davis a 1955 Downbeat Award. The quintet then goes into a sweet rendition of It Never Entered My Mind.

A compelling piece of musical and TV history.

Dianne Reeves Movie Mix

From: Good Night And Good Luck - Original Soundtrack (Concord Records - 2005).

Any moviemaker that wants to include jazz in their movie, that’s fine with me. And even better when they approach the music with respect. Thumbs up to George Clooney.

This disc won a 2006 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal performance, and deservedly so.

Although she’s made a handful of stellar albums in her 20+ years of recording, this is a recording that Dianne Reeves was meant to make, as she lays down a mix of ballads and mid-tempo standards, done straight and unadorned, with a great small combo backing her up, featuring Matt Catingub on sax; Peter Martin, piano; Robert Hurst and Chris Luty sharing the bass duties; Jeff Hamilton on drums; and Alex Acuna playing percussion.

Rather than use the actual recordings from the late 40’s and early 50’s to lend atmosphere to his film, Director Clooney instead picked out a handful of tunes, and brought in Reeves (looking a lot like Dinah Washington) and company to enact a faux-1950’s recording session, shot in a stellar black and white. Just about every tune on the CD was shot live for possible inclusion into the film (Clooney used Reeves spartingly in the final cut.) It would be cool if all the footage of the recordings will someday be seen on DVD.

This mix features a slow bluesy version of Nat Cole’s Straighten Up and Fly Right; a slow finger-snapping rendition of Too Close For Comfort; How High The Moon, arranged as a ballad; the Latin-flavored Pick Yourself Up, and a stunning recording of Duke Ellington’s Solitude.

With a plethora of new Jazz singers flooding the music market , it’s a relief and a joy these days to actually hear some vocal performances with style, depth, and character. Bravo!

Brian Bromberg Acoustic Mix

From: Wood II (Artistry Music - 2006).

It’s been a while, eh?

I guess you could say I’ve had “bloggers block”, which means some kind of resistance to sitting down and posting. I’ve also been tremendously busy at KPLU, basically shaking up the music library and the sound of the radio station (more tempo, more variety and color); organizing a huge project where we’re ripping thousands of CDs onto a lot of hard drive space; and organizing a large music research project. This, in addition to trying to find a permanent residence in the Seattle area.

I have been listening to a LOT of music too, and I will get around to sharing the best stuff I find in the postings to follow.

Now, regarding Brian Bromberg and his latest CD, Wood II. This trio of tunes I’ve selected from the disc simply knocked me out. For those not familiar with Brian Bromberg, here’s his bio from AllMusic:

A very versatile acoustic and electric bassist capable of playing straight-ahead jazz, funk, and fusion, Brian Bromberg is also one of the few bassists to master the tapping technique made famous by Stanley Jordan, sometimes sounding like three bassists at once during his often-thunderous solos. Although he was a drummer at the age of 13, the folowing year Bromberg started classical lessons on bass. He developed quickly and by the time he was 19, he was part of Stan Getz’s group. Bromberg has been a valuable sidemen with many bands since including those led by Horace Silver, Monty Alexander, Dizzy Gillespie, Richie Cole, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, and Freddie Hubbard. He recorded his first album as a leader in 1986 (A New Day for the Blackhawk label) and has since led sessions for Intima and Nova; unfortunately, all of those record companies have since gone out of business. Brian Bromberg into the next century remained one of the most underrated bassists in jazz.

My two cents: he’s every bit as creative and exciting on the electric bass as Jaco Pastorious was, and with this new recording, he’s nearly in the same category amongst acoustic players. Wood II is a celebration of the acoustic bass. Brian’s bass is old (like, 300 years old; an Italian make I believe). And the CD is collection of piano trio recordings with a few solo pieces in between.

The thing that got me about this recording is how it was mixed. Bromberg’s bass sits right out in front, yet blends so well with his two collaborators, pianist Randy Waldman, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. All three musicians are in top from. Their collective energy is simply breathtaking.

Today’s mix starts off with Duke Ellington’s Caravan, in a kind of New Orleans-Second Line kind of groove. Bromberg is doing stuff here that I have rarely heard from bass players. After that, we hear a sharp version of Cedar Walton’s Bolivia, which features some cool drumming from Colaiuta (who as a youngster played with Frank Zappa, and who Zappa considered his best drummer ever.) The third track is a sprightly rendition of I Remember April.

The mix here is a simple 64k MP3 file. The real treat is to hear this recording on your CD player, with the loudest speakers you’ve got. Do your ears a favor. Get the disc, y’all!

First Sessions From The Ahmad Jamal Trio.

Selections from: The Legendary Okeh & Epic Recordings (Epic).

I dont think there is anyone these days who denies the incredible talent and decades-long artistic contribution of Ahmad Jamal. But when he was starting out with his trio in the early 1950’s, he wasn’t getting a lot of respect from the jazzoids out there. He was often labeled a lightweight; Nat Hentoff once commented that Jamal was nothing but a lounge pianist.

Jamal did not overwhelm you with a wild-rollercoaster wave of notes in his solos. His method was more geared to dynamics and phrasing. The style was understated, which was often mistaken for a lack of skill. And his band didn’t even have a drummer. The only other artist with a similar trio setup was Nat Cole.

But there were a handful of people who totally got what Jamal was about. John Hammond, the legendary producer and talent scout (who discovered Billie Holiday, Bennie Goodman, Count Basie, and Bob Dylan, among others) signed Jamal to his first contract. And Jamal’s most vocal booster in those days was Miles Davis, who flat-out said that Jamal was the most influencial musician for him during the 50’s.

Today’s mix features tracks from Jamal’s first two sessions; one recorded in 1952 with Guitarist Ray Crawford and bassist Eddie Calhoun; the other a 1955 date with Crawford and Israel Crosby on the bass. Both sessions in thier entirety (21 songs) are available on the Legendary Epic and Okeh Recordings disc.

Both Ahmad’s Blues and Billy Boy were from the earlier session, and remained in the Jamal repertoire for many years later.Take note of Crawford creating a percussive bongo sound with his guitar on the witty and silly Billy Boy.

Duke Ellington’s Black Beauty follows. This is a piece where you can hear the ever-changing sense of phrasing in Jamal’s playing. It’s so subtle but so captivating. Every bar seems unique; he’s not repeating any riffs here, but the overall blend is consistent and played in the spirit of Ellington, (himself a fairly low-key soloist.)

The next tune is Jamal’s first recording of Poinciana. He had a big hit with this tune in the late 50’s and has probably recorded the tune a dozen times since. When first hearing this version, I was surprised to hear so much of Crawford’s guitar; Jamal’s role was a secondary one on this take.

Autumn Leaves shows Crawford doing that bongo thing again, with Jamal playing with a breezy fluidity. The set finishes with Pavane and Donkey Serenade, both tunes filled with a swinging groove (minus the drums) and stellar ensemble playing.

These recordings are a taste of what’s to come. Over half a century of stellar performances and recordings later, Ahmad Jamal continues to tour and perform in the masterful style that was there from the beginning.

The Derek Trucks Band.

Selections from: Songlines (Sony - 2006).

Although the year is young, this may be one of the best new recordings you’ll hear all year. Derek Trucks is a musical “magical child”, born from the symbolic loins of the Allman Brothers. (His uncle Butch is the long-time drummer for the band.) He made his mark as a child prodigy guitar wizard while still a teen. Now in his 20’s, Trucks has been touring for eight years with his own band, as well as being a touring member of the current Allman Brothers lineup.

I am astounded by his playing; his slide guitar sound is so greasy, so swampy, so liquid and exotic. And this new disc also highlights his skills as a songwriter, arranger, and leader. The young man has most definitely come of age.

Songlines is a tasty mix of earth and space, with a great blend of originals and covers. The music is all over the map, from earth-gut blues, to spacey eastern raga. Today’s mix starts with a short take on Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s Volunteered Slavery, followed by some eastern flavored rock; a cover version of Sahib Teri Bandi/Maki Madni, written by Pakistani vocal phenomenon Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Trucks and vocalist Mike Mattison then come together for some acoustic blues with Chevrolet. Another instrumental, the African-flavored Mahjoun, follows. We finish up with a sweet midtempo groove with This Sky, with Mattison again on vocals.

The production on this record is superb; these guys do a lot of long jams in their live show, but they’ve really tightened it up for the studio. The tunes are well crafted, and although Trucks is present and infront on the mix, it’s not overdone. When the disc is finished, you still yearn to hear more.