Roy Hargrove Big Band

Bias acknowledged.

I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Roy Hargrove Big Band.

I realized I hadn’t written anything on my blog since Michael Jackson’s demise. I won’t act like I was just so hurt I stopped listening to music. But I will say up until that point I had become a tad bit uninspired about what was been offered. Not to suggest that there were no good releases, I just wasn’t feeling much.

I received an alert that I had new messages on my Facebook page. And as I perused my wall, I saw it! A video of Hargrove’s Big Band and the announcement of his new album, EMERGENCE. Attached was the video for a performance of “SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN”. Hargrove also recorded this tune on his sophomore effort, PUBLIC EYE. I was so excited about seeing this that I watched and listened to it no less than 5 times in a row.

Roy Hargrove Big Band - "September in the Rain" from doug yoel on Vimeo.

Since his debut, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH, Hargrove has had major success and critical acclaim as a featured soloist and small group leader. Even his foray into fusion with RH factor earned him a Grammy nomination. There is no doubt that his ability to place himself in this context would produce this amazing record.

Grove’s ear seems to be classic. He took compositions from previous records and arranged them for this big band offering. I won’t suggest that there is anything new and or innovative. But I will say this is an awesome sounding record and really has a different sound than any of the popular big ensembles, like Marsalis’ Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

I find myself not wanting to rundown every track and what I think of said tracks. I just want to encourage all my readers to just really listen to this record. I think what I love the most about this record is the incredible amount of musicianship and technicality in the arrangements. While the music might seem to sound difficult and arranged with such dexterity, it never loses the song in the music. I read another writer call it safe. I think I'll just call it organic...

Enjoy.

In addition to Hargrove on trumpet and flugelhorn, the ensemble consists of four other trumpet players (Frank Greene, Greg Gisbert, Darren Barrett, Ambrose Akinmisure), four trombonists (Jason Jackson, Vincent Chandler, Saunders Sermons, and Max Seigel on bass trombone), five reedists (Bruce Williams, alto saxophone and flute; Justin Robinson, alto and flute; Norbert Stachel, tenor sax and flute; Keith Loftis, tenor and flute; and Jason Marshall, baritone sax and flute), as well as pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Danton Boller, guitarist Saul Rubin, drummer Montez Coleman and percussionist Roland Guerrero. Vocalist Roberta Gambarini contributes her vocal charms to two tracks. Emergence was recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood.

Dallas Record Covention

Fellow OKP SP1200 hipped me to an event of EPIC proportions: THE DALLAS RECORD CONVENTION. I can't wait to get there. It will be Sunday, August 16, 2009. It will be the first held in 3 years. Please support this convention as it will continue to bring the Art of Crate Diggin to Dallas.

Click the link go to the website and be added to the email list.

It will be held at the Westin Park Central at 12270 Merit Drive, Dallas.

Be there - beef up your lab...I'll be the cool kid in the jazz section...I need something new to write about.

Michael Joseph Jackson (1958 - 2009) Rest In Peace

This album cover sums Michael up for me...I thought I should post a long story...but I just didn't have the words...

Peace Balance & Light

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)