20 STANDARDS

Okay, the first time I ever tried to listen to this record I stopped after the first song. The tune ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE clocks in at just over 20 minutes. Uh…the shortest tune on the record is 8 minutes; I don’t have this kinda time right now. This was 2003 during one of my record buying binges and ANTHONY BRAXTON’S – 20 STANDARDS was on the list. The fact that it was a four CD set should have set my expectations for the length but I guess I just didn’t pay attention at the time. And it was a record full of standards- we’ve been here before.

The entire recording clocks in at just less than 5 hours. It’s not background music; you will actively listen and attempt to digest it all.

I promised myself that I would spend this year searching for new artists. But I was going thru a crate and rediscovered this recording again. I had a long day ahead, sitting at my workstation and decided that this would be a chance to listen to this recording to keep my sanity because of the tedium I was about to embark upon.

On this date Braxton’s quartet didn’t include a piano. But he never had an opportunity to lose the melody due to the Guitar play of Kevin O’Neil.

I had a special affinity toward the tune, ON GREEN DOLPHIN STREET. Although this was arranged for this quartet, it is the same arrangement that my high school jazz band played. Those years are when I first learned to love this song. Over the years, I’ve heard many arrangements, but I love this one most.

While listening to APRIL IN PARIS, it struck me how deft a sax player Braxton is. Of course ballads are much harder to play because of the tempo; the improviser is much more exposed. But without missing a chord change he hangs in there with much bravado.

I’m not sure which axe he is using on the tune FREEDOM JAZZ DANCE. I can’t really tell if it’s a Soprano or Sopranino. He improvises throughout in the highest register of the horn and it almost sounds like a varitone of some sort. I’m not sure that I can really appreciate his play on this song. The interpretation of the melody from the beginning wasn’t immediately recognizable to me and just didn’t really like the output. But of course, I stand by my assessment of his ability and deftness.

As Braxton improvises throughout this record, he touches all jazz sensibilities. He does everything from swinging as hard as possible to the percussiveness associated with avant-garde or free form jazz.

The breadth and depth of this recording will make it necessary to listen too more for years to come. I know that I don’t have the ability to digest all the music here in one sitting. Maybe if I had started in 2003 I would just about have it now.

BOSS Productions Volume One: The Beginning of an Era

Have you ever seen an old picture of yourself and become immediately horrified? It’s happened to me. But it happened to me most recently when I heard myself play.

I was searching for the email address of a local artist that I’m acquainted with. I couldn’t find his card and for some reason his addy isn’t in my address book anymore. After I Googled his name, one of the entries took me to a blog on NPR. Apparently, this DJ EGON is also acquainted with the artist I was seeking out, ROGER BOYKIN. Roger is a legendary jazz/soul artist in Dallas, TX. Legendary meaning, if any jazz or soul record was recorded in Dallas in the 60s and 70s, if he didn’t play on it…he knew about it. Thus he has an incredible collection of records as well as an encyclopedic knowledge of the music at the time. I always refer to him as Dallas Jazz Royalty.

Apparently, Egon was on his way to SOUTH X SOUTHWEST Music Festival in Austin, TX and stopped off in Dallas on the way. He went by to see Boykin and raid his record collection. When Boykin decided on which records to give him, BOSS PRODUCTIONS VOL. ONE was on the list.

BOSS PRODUCTIONS VOLUME ONE, is the sole recording of the 1983 – 84, OLIVER WENDALL HOLMES MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND under the direction of local pied piper/musician/educator S. DEAN HILL – the “S” stands for Sweetness…so he’ll tell you. DJ EGON critiques the recording as bizarre. But I will tell you it is an important point in history. First, it is the first wax recording of ME playing alto sax and secondly, maybe a tad bit more important, it is the first known recording featuring ROY HARGROVE AND KEITH ANDERSON on the same date. If you are a connoisseur of jazz, you know that Anderson became Hargrove’s wingman on alto and tenor saxophones for the dates that produced THE RH FACTOR and he also toured with this group. Okay, maybe "important piece of history" is a reach, but - you know.

The song featured on the NPR Blog is titled “Break Out”. The alto solo is me – thus my horror! HOW in the world did THAT end up on NPR and the WWW for the world to critique?

As I’ve gotten older and revisited that record it makes me laugh to no end how extremely out of tune we were as well as how rhythm-less the solo was. I vividly remember being scared to death of recording that solo. I wanted to do it again after we played the song the first time, but we didn’t have the time or the money to re-record any of the record…call us “One Take Masters”. The trumpet duet features Hargrove and Jesse Fudge.

Follow the link and listen to “Break-Out”. Remember, I was only 13…try not to be too brutal or amused too much.

Nicolay got the Jazz

Dutch-born NICOLAY first hit my radar when I started listening to his random music postings on okayplayer.com. There were times when I listened to those joints thinking to myself, I wish I had his ability. His largest claim to fame to date, as far as I know, is his unique collaboration with PHONTE of the Hip Hop group LITTLE BROTHER. They formed a group, THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE, bi-continentally having never met each other in person – Nicolay was in the Netherlands, Phonte in North Carolina. They recorded and released an incredible record titled, CONNECTED in 2004.

Nicolay’s hip hop tracks are birthed from the traditions of A TRIBE CALLED QUEST’S classic record, PEOPLES INSTINCTIVE TRAVELS. He uses hard bass line grooves, funky drums and the lush-est of melodies and “he Got the Jazz”. It’s no wonder Bob James’ people tapped him to do a tribute record.

BOB JAMES has been sampled quite a bit by the Hip Hop community. Everyone from PUBLIC ENEMY to ERIC B and RAKIM to THE ROOTS to Run DMC have sampled from James. His music has been revered by the hip hop elite.

NICOLAY did a funky remix of NAUTILUS from James' debut album titled ONE (Tappan Zee). Nicolay didn’t deviate much from the original recording. He just dusted it a bit with his own magic and loved it for what it is – a classic.

Check for Nicolay - Click the link NAUTILUS for free download. I guess the Dutch have soul too!

Thanx to Aimee @ Nicolay Music

RIP Wayman Tisdale 6/9/64 - 5/15/09

Basketball Player, Bass Man, Man of God, Wayman Tisdale dies at the age of 44 after a battle with cancer. In August 2008, Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated because of bone cancer.

The self taught bassist began his professional music career while playing for the Phoenix Suns. His debut album in 1995 was titled, POWER FORWARD. Since his retirement in 1997, he's hit Number 1 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz charts several times. In 2002, he was awarded the Legacy Tribute Award by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

CIRCUMSTANCE is my favorite song by Tisdale. It always made my dinner music and cool out playlists.

I pray God's blessings, comfort and peace to Waymon's family.



Thanks for nice dunks and funky play.

Discography:
Power Forward (1995)
In The Zone (1996)
Decisions (1998)
Face to Face (2001)
Presents 21 Days (2003)
Hang Time (2004)
Way Up! (2006)
Rebound (2008)

McBride is Live

I know of few things that can produce the feeling you get when you hear a solo for the first time that completely captivates you. The artist pulls away from the microphone and you realize all in that moment, that you just heard something incredible that will almost never be reproduced the same, unless someone had the forethought to record it. But even then, if you heard it live, the recording does it no justice. But if you hear the recording first and you feel that way, you know you’ve heard something special.

That’s exactly how I felt when I heard the opening piece of CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE‘S LIVE AT TONIC. The opening piece is titled TECHNICOLOR NIGHTMARE. Its violent from beginning to end. I can’t ever recall listening to a Jazz piece that was so loud and percussive from every instrument on the stage - and then finding out it was just four musicians. But never does it become obnoxious and too loud.

The beginning of the song finds McBride bowing a solo on what I believe to be an upright bass with electric pickups. Though I can’t see him playing, I imagine that he is throwing his entire being into the instrument.

McBride is joined on this date by keyboardist, GEOFFREY KEEZER, reedman RON BLAKE and drummer TERREON GULLEY. The core is just four. Wow! Blake is becoming more a force to be reckoned with. This album is 2 years old, so imagine what I must be thinking of him now. This set also features appearances by CHARLIE HUNTER on Guitar, JASON MORAN, JENNY SCHEINMAN, DJ LOGIC, and SOULLIVE’S ERIC KRASNO AND RAHSAAN PETERSON. This on any night would make for an all star jam session. Thankfully - it was recorded!

You won’t meet anybody who purports to know enough about jazz to write about it to say they don’t like MILES DAVIS’ foray into Rock and Fusion. However you may find one or two so called purists who would dare suggest that Davis’ fusion period may have been lacking. I’m not one of those writers. I loved BITCHES BREW and I love McBride’s take on it. Keezer’s integrity to the melody gave Blake plenty of room to play.

This 3 disc set was released in 2006, and it was buried amongst many of the recordings I had acquired in those years - I forgot I had it. Now I hate I didn’t listen to it then. But I’m glad I found it. It is truly a gem.

Even if you had never heard his music, McBride’s resume is unreal and I wouldn’t be afraid to say unparalleled by any of his contemporaries. He’s played with WYNTON, STING, GEORGE DUKE, ROY HARGROVE, PAT METHANY, BILLY HICKS, ?UESTLOVE of the hip hop super group THE ROOTS, and BOBBY WATSON. Playing with as many different musicians as possible has made him even more brilliant.

Musically, everything is here - “From bebop to hip hop to funk to fusion”. I’m not that clever I quoted that lyric from SY SMITH. Sonically, its loud where it needs to be and soft where it needs to be.

More than unearthing this from my collection, I wish I had been there to hear it!

Blade on the Beat

The word fellowship invokes a certain spiritual sensibility in me. In fact, I can’t say it, think it or spell it without singing the tune, “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arm…”. I got the same feeling the first time I heard BRIAN BLADE AND THE FELLOWSHIP BAND.

My introduction to the THE FELLOWSHIP BAND was during an NPR/WGBO broadcast of a set at the Village Vanguard in New York. Somewhere around the first 6 bars of a tune called, “Rubylou’s Lullaby”, I was reintroduced to that slow, spiritual place in my mind that speaks to my ears and reminds me that I’m hearing soul music. This set was a remembrance of the warm feeling that music can bring. Sometimes in jazz, other than on ballads, we forget how pretty saxophones are supposed to sound. You’re reminded in this set.

This set opens with the first four tunes from their third recording SEASON OF CHANGES (Verve), their first for Verve. This is the first recording from the group for eight years. The first two recordings were on the Blue Note Label. It appears as tight as they sound on stage together, they are kindred musical spirits.

I listened to the recorded versions of these songs after I heard the concert, and I loved the songs just as much. I like this band because it is attempting to carve out a place in a new jazz idiom. The music swings and allows itself to find its place not within the context of interpretations of the Golden era but attempts to establish a new place.

Blade has spent the last eight years touring with WAYNE SHORTER and as a studio musician for the likes of BOB DYLAN, JONI MITCHELL, SEAL and PAT METHANY. In listening to these avant-garde arrangements it is apparent that his musical sensibilities have certainly been piqued by a range of performers and performances. Also during this hiatus from the band, he began recording and released a folksy jazz vocal document titled MAMA ROSA. I can’t wait to hear this recording. As a matter of fact, I’m going to be watching this artist quite closely for years to come.

Click the title to hear the concert on NPR