Pianist Geri Allen Dies at 60

108 Pages·2017·6.77 MB·English

SEPTEMBER 2017
VOLUME 84 / NUMBER 9
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4 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017
ON THE COVER
N
A
M
Ambrose R
O
2 8 Akinmusire AZZFEST/JEFF F
The Thinker C J
RI-
T
BY YOSHI KATO
The acclaimed trumpeter talks
about his new double album,
A Rift In Decorum: Live At The
Village Vanguard, as well as his
next project and his relocation to
the Bay Area. 22
FEATURES
34 Fred Hersch
Truth Teller
BY PHILLIP LUTZ Jane Bunnett (left) and Maqueque members Celia Jiménez
and Elizabeth Rodriguez at the Tri-C JazzFest in Cleveland on June 24.
40 Roscoe Mitchell
Cover photo of Ambrose Akinmusire (and images on pages 28–30) shot by Jay Blakesberg at SFJAZZ Center in
'People Don’t Want To Be San Francisco on June 12. Info for this venue is at sfjazz.org.
Categorized’
BY TED PANKEN
44 Matt Wilson
Life's Calling
BY DAN OUELLETTE
48 Indie Life
Ropeadope
Yoko Miwa 62 Steve Coleman 62 Fabian Almazan 65 Anne Mette Iversen 67 JD Allen
Berta Moreno
SPECIAL SECTION DEPARTMENTS
8 First Take 59 Reviews
81 Keyboard School 92 Pro Session
BY VADIM NESELOVSKYI 10 Chords & Discords 102 Jazz On Campus
82 Melding Classical
Music & Big Band 96 Transcription 13 The Beat 106 Blindfold Test
Jazz Herbie Hancock Louis Hayes
Synthesizer Solo 24 Players
BY BILL CUNLIFFE
Adam Rogers
98 Toolshed A
8 8 B MY aDAsVteIDr L COPlaATsOs MNDoYaSnuQ rBereyna nCthoi Louis Hayes GULNARA KHAMATOV
6 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2017

First Take
BY BOBBY REED
N
A
M
R
O
AZZFEST/JEFF F
C J
RI-
T
Dan Polletta (left), Terence Blanchard,
Ravi Coltrane and Kenny Barron share a laugh at the Tri-C JazzFest.
Mutually Beneficial Exchange
TEACHERS LEARN FROM STUDENTS. ASK unfortunate bout of flatulence. Barron learned a
any educator, and he or she will tell you that lot from Diz, and this funny tale made me realize
sometimes the instructor feels like the pupil. that while the great trumpeter definitely belongs
The same is true in the grand tradition of jazz on the Mt. Rushmore of jazz—I revere him as
mentorship. Art Blakey (1919–’90) is revered much as anyone in music history—he was also a
today not only for his artistry but also for the regular human being.
way that he served as a mentor to so many Polletta asked Blanchard about his role as
remarkable jazz “Messengers” who worked in Artist-in-Residence at the festival, and his
his band over the years. Blakey (and his fans) work mentoring students at Tri-C (Cuyahoga
benefited tremendously by having incredible, Community College) in the art of scoring films.
younger players in his band, including artists Blanchard said, “What they’re teaching me is to
who would later become important leaders keep my eyes and my ears open and to not settle.
themselves, such as Wayne Shorter, Wynton They’re bringing innovation of their own.” He
Marsalis and Terence Blanchard. went on to describe how young people with fresh
During my experience at this year’s Tri-C ideas are key to maintaining the cutting-edge
JazzFest in Cleveland (June 22–24), jazz men- aspects of music (and other art forms) today.
torship emerged as a theme. Blanchard played Young musicians can also inspire elders to
in two contexts at the fest. On Friday night, he explore new avenues. This was illustrated by
delivered a stunning set that focused on his score Blanchard’s concert on Saturday night with his
to the Robert De Niro film The Comedian, fea- band The E-Collective, which is made up of
turing the same musicians who played on the young players, including the remarkable pianist
soundtrack, including tenor saxophonist Ravi Fabian Almazan (whose new album is the sub-
Coltrane and pianist Kenny Barron (see review ject of a 5-star review on page 62).
on page 22). Regarding Barron, Blanchard told This notion of artists from different genera-
the crowd, “If you’ve got Michael Jordan on your tions learning from each other was also illustrat-
team, you don’t leave him on the bench.” That ed by veteran saxophonist/flutist Jane Bunnett’s
was how the trumpeter introduced Barron’s bril- performance at Tri-C with her band Maqueque.
liant trio rendition of the standard “Isfahan,” Bunnett repeatedly told the audience how much
which was a master class on elegance and swing. inspiration she has drawn from these incredi-
After the concert, producer/host Dan ble young Cuban players. Fans at this show were
Polletta of WCPN moderated a lively conversa- dazzled by the energy radiated by this ensemble.
tion with Blanchard, Coltrane and Barron in the Mentors help youth, and youth help mentors.
festival’s Jazz Talk Tent. At one point, Barron dis- That two-way street—that exchange of ideas and
cussed his stint in Dizzy Gillespie’s band, and he energy—is one of the things that keeps jazz glori-
related a humorous anecdote about Diz and an ously, perpetually moving forward. DB
8 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2017

Chords Discords
Our National Treasure
Wadada Leo Smith N
O
How could Wadada Leo Smith not be your KS
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A
Aheuagvuesnt sc, oavfteerr acortnisvt,i npcoiningtliyn wg inhnisi nhgo Arnr tiuspt, Atolb uthme AEL J
H
C
& Trumpeter of the Year in the Critics Poll? MI
As Ted Panken’s story, “Rising Up in Purity,”
conveys, sometimes the passage of time is nec-
essary for listeners to catch up to an innovative
artist like Mr. Smith. Panken mentioned that the
pianist Anthony Davis heard Smith play a duo
concert with Marion Brown in 1970 while he was
a freshman at Yale in New Haven. My wife and I
were there, too, getting an antidote to the stress
of being a medical student at Yale. Unfortunate-
ly, there were less than a dozen attendees in the
basement room for the concert and there was no
newspaper coverage. I did some jazz record re-
views at the time under the name “Dr. Jazz.” That Please take care of yourself, Mr. Smith, as I’m
was before Smith had added “Wadada” to his sure you will provide us with many more of your
name. Now we are both devoted grandparents. musical treasures.
Like his Jazz Album of the Year, America’s
H. STEVEN MOFFIC, M.D.
National Parks, Smith is a national treasure. MILWAUKEE
Eileen Southern Book Poll. I know that torches exist to be passed, es-
In your August issue, the cover story on pecially in jazz, but I’m just not ready to accept
Wadada Leo Smith misstated the title of one Sonny’s retirement.
of Dr. Eileen Southern’s books. The title is The poll results made me appreciate once
The Music of Black Americans: A History. again Sonny’s majestic, nearly 70-year contri-
bution to our music.
JERRY GARMAN
WHITEHALL, MICHIGAN ALLEN MICHIE
AUSTIN, TEXAS

RTIST Poll Criticism
A
HE At first, I was happy to see the results of
OF T the annual DownBeat Critics Poll because I
Y
URTES usuaBlulyt athgereye m wisitshe dth oeu ct roitnic os’n oep oinf itoondsa.y’s best
O
C Rising Star acts, the saxophone-and-drums
duo Binker and Moses. Also, the duo’s new
release, Journey To The Mountain Of Forever,
has not been reviewed in DownBeat. You are
doing the duo (and your readers) a disservice
by not giving these musicians their due.
LAWRENCE BUCHAS
[email protected]
Helen Gillet
Editor’s Note: A review of the new Binker
NOLA Pride and Moses album will be in our October issue.

I always look forward to the annual Critics

Poll issue, and I was really pleased with most of
Corrections
the results this year. I loved seeing New Orle-
(cid:31) In the August print edition, the article on Jen
ans greats Clint Maedgen and Aurora Nealand
Shyu should have indicated that her name is
make the cut, but I was surprised that another
pronounced like the word “shoe.” Also, Shyu
New Orleans standout, Helen Gillet, didn’t. She
plays the Taiwanese moon lute, but not the
is a phenomenal cellist/composer/vocalist wor-
Vietnamese moon lute.
thy of note. Anyway, thanks again for the poll!
(cid:31) In the August issue, Jim Macnie’s review of
SCOTT ARNOLD
[email protected] Matt Wilson’s album Honey And Salt should
have indicated that actor/singer Jack Black is
the husband of Tanya Haden.
Missing Sonny
I’ve been depressed all day because I saw DOWNBEAT REGRETS THE ERRORS.
Sonny Rollins’ name missing from the Tenor
Have a Chord or Discord? Email us at [email protected]
Saxophone category of the 65th Annual Critics or find us on Facebook & Twitter.
10 DOWNBEAT SEPTEMBER 2017