BEST ALBUMS OF 2013 - Downbeat

116 Pages·2013·25.8 MB·English

BEST ALBUMS OF 2013
SPECIAL SECTION: JAZZ SCHOOL
ESPERANZA SPALDING
Dexter Transcribed
JOHN CLAYTON
on Arranging
Gordon
BOB MINTZER
on Improvisation
BRIAN CHARETTE
on Drawbar Settings
The legacy
endures and
inspires 90
JOE
years after LOVANO
BLINDFOLDED
his birth
TOM
HARRELL
AARON
PARKS
JANUARY 2014 U.K. £3.50
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January 2014
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Á

JANuArY 2014
on the cover
Dexter
26
26
Gordon
Dexter Forever
BY ED ENRIGhT
We celebrate the late tenor
saxophonist’s 90th birthday year
with an update on his enduring
legacy, two book excerpts that
recount his friendship with
label executive Bruce Lundvall
and three historic articles from
DownBeat’s archives.
NC.
OS. I
NER BR
WAR
features saxophonist Dexter Gordon, portraying Dale turner in a scene from the 1986 film Round Midnight ©1986
Cover photo of Dexter Gordon by Francis Wolff, courtesy of Mosaic Images
34 Tom harrell
‘Magic Can Happen Anytime’
BY PhILLIP LuTZ
40 Aaron Parks’ Arrival
BY TED PANKEN
45 Best Albums of 2013
5-, 4½- and 4-star Reviews
From the Past Year
67 Gillet Singleton Duo 68 Matana Roberts 70 The Thing 77 The Wee Trio
departments 87 SPECIAL SECTION I JAZZ SChOOL
88 John Clayton 102 Master Class
10 First Take
A rranging Dave Brubeck for
BY PETE MCGuINNESS
Big Band at Monterey
12 Chords & Discords
92 Bob Mintzer 104 Pro Session
15 The Beat
M otivic Development in Improvisation
BY BRIAN ChARETTE
22 Players 96 Tónica
J azz Education Blossoms in Guadalajara 106 Solo
63 Reviews
Esperanza Spalding
98 Jazz Academy
114 Blindfold Test
A n Educational Project by
Joe Lovano Jazz at Lincoln Center 108 Toolshed
8 DOWNBEAT JANUARY 2014

First Take
BY frank alkYer
The Art of Making
Music That Lasts
wHen YoU tHInk aBoUt tHe tHoUsanDs of artIsts wHo Have
graced the pages of DownBeat, the question comes to mind, “What makes an
artist’s work lasting?”
It’s a fitting and fair question in the context of this January issue, which is
packed with artists new and old, past and present.
Each of these artists has done their level best to make music that’s in the
moment, of their time, but that ultimately becomes timeless. Thousands try.
Mercilessly, few succeed. Dexter Gordon is one of those select few.
Why, 90 years after his
birth and 23 years after his Dexter Gordon
death, are we still talking
about Dexter Gordon?
It’s partly his personality.
Gordon was a larger-than-
life character, physically and
artistically. At 6-feet, 6-inch-
es tall, he was known as the
“Sophisticated Giant,” which
hinted that the only thing
larger than his stature was
Gordon’s undeniable ability
to woo an audience. ON
bop,“”D ise xjutesrt oenvee ng rweaatl kqsu obtee- JAN PERSS
from Dan Ouellette’s new
book on legendary record executive Bruce Lundvall. Beginning on page 30,
we have two excerpts from Bruce Lundvall: Playing By Ear (ArtistShare), where
Ouellette chronicles the friendship between the mighty tenor man and the
mighty record man.
That relationship illustrates one of the most important aspects of creating
art that lasts—having others see value in that work and even carry an artist’s
torch long after they’re gone.
As the president of CBS Records during the late 1970s, Lundvall took a big
chance in signing Gordon to the Columbia label. After all, Gordon had lived and
worked mainly in Europe for the previous 15 years —at a time when the world
seemed much larger than it does today. Lundvall also endorsed Gordon for his
Oscar-nominated starring role in the great jazz film Round Midnight.
Maxine Gordon, Dexter’s widow and longtime manager, continues to
champion his legacy, organizing performances, discussions and even the trav-
eling celebration “Dex @ 90” that will hopefully come to a town near you.
Another artist who had all these attributes and more was the great Dave
Brubeck, who passed away on Dec. 5, 2012. During the past year, the outpour-
ing of support for his life’s work has led to numerous festival tributes, perhaps
none more important than John Clayton’s “Sweet Suite Dave: The Brubeck
Files.“ Beginning on page 88, read all about the big-band arrangements of Bru-
beck tunes that the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra performed at Monterey
in September.
And while we’re connecting the dots, be sure to check out this month’s
Blindfold Test on page 114 with another great tenorist, Joe Lovano. This was
a live event at Monterey and was conducted by Ouellette. Lovano’s ability to
listen, combined with his deep knowledge of this music’s history, is priceless.
But there’s another essential element to creating music that lasts. Gordon,
Brubeck, Clayton and Lovano all have an openness, honesty and optimism that
draws listeners in. It’s a rare quality.
In an interview in the Feb. 10, 1977, issue of DownBeat, Gordon made
that exact point: “I’m very optimistic. About the future, and about music.
These last five years, I think, have been good. All over Europe and here there
has been a renaissance in music, and jazz in particular. And that’s what
we’re talking about—jazz. I like the word jazz. That word has been my whole
life. I understand the cats when they take exception to the name, you know.
But to me, that’s my life.” DB
10 DOWNBEAT JANUARY 2014