Pete’s Random Thoughts

Puerto Rico - 2009 Pics and Video

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 10:36:02 -0700

2009 Heineken Jazz Festival Puerto Rico

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:01:45 -0700

The Puerto Rico Heineken JazzFest 2009, one of the island’s premiere music festivals, returns this year with a special honor to Puerto Rican master conga player Giovanni Hidalgo, considered by many Latin jazz connoisseurs worldwide as the greatest ‘conguero’ on the planet.

Celebrating its 19th edition, the traditional four-day musical fete – to take place May 28-31 at the Tito Puente Amphitheater – will unite an A-list of jazz and Latin jazz stars, including Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci and Conrad Herwig, among others.
“The news caught me by surprise. I still consider myself to be an apprentice because we are in this world to learn something new every day,” Hidalgo told the Latin Music Examiner earlier this week via a telephone interview from his Florida home.
“I feel honored for this great recognition and I want everyone to know that I travel the globe representing Puerto Rico with humility, loyalty and respect, so on that night there will be a lot of love, happiness and great music,” he added.
Hidalgo and his quartet will close the festival on May 31.
For Luis Alvarez, the event’s producer, the timing was ripe to pay homage to Hidalgo.
“It was important for us that we closed the first 19 years of the festival with a homage to a high-caliber musician such as Giovanni, not only because with his music he has represented Puerto Rico around the globe but also because of his incalculable talent and valuable contributions to the genre,” Alvarez told the Latin Music Examiner.
Kicking off the festival will be the local Latin jazz group Orinoco, led by percussionist Pablo Rosario, followed by the multi-talented homegrown artist Millo Torres and Planeta Jazz.
On Friday, the musical extravaganza continues with Enclave, an Afro-Latin jazz band comprised of saxophonist-percussionist Hilary Noble and pianist-Berklee College of Music professor Rebecca Cline.
Also sharing the stage on Friday will be drummer Jack DeJohnette, Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez and Grammy-winning double bass player John Patitucci. Closing the night will be Palmieri’s Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet.
The festival continues on Saturday with Latimbística, a modern band that unites talents from Israel, Puerto Rico, Perú and the United States. Recently, Downbeat Magazine honored the group as best jazz band of 2008.
Rounding out the night’s entertainment will be Oscar Castro Neves, who’ll celebrate “50 Years of Bossa Nova.” Castro is widely known as one of the founding fathers of bossa nova.
The last day of the event will headline Conrad Herwig and his Latin Side band with special guest Palmieri, followed by Hidalgo and his Silver-Gold Quartet, made up of Eric Figueroa on piano, Eddie “Guagua” Rivera on bass and Tito de Gracias on timbales.
Throughout his prolific artistic career, Hidalgo has recorded, played and toured with the top names in the Latin and jazz scenes, including Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Palmieri, Patato Valdés and ArmandoPeraza, among others.
In February, Hidalgo won a Grammy – his second ever – in the Best Contemporary World Music category for “Global Drum Project,” featuring Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Zakir Hussain and Sikiru Adepoju.
“With all those great musicians on hand, anything could happen on that stage on Sunday,” quipped Alvarez.
“The great thing about this festival is that throughout all these years we have seen how the appreciation for other forms of jazz has grown among Puerto Rican fans. We always have loves descargas and percussion, but now people also like straight-ahead jazz and big-band formats, and I think that’s positive,” he concluded.
Countdown to Puerto Rico Jazz Festival

The Bird

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:04:09 -0700

Celebrating all the Great Bass Players

Sun, 5 Apr 2009 21:39:22 -0700

Can anyone find a bass player that Jay may have missed on this cool bossa nova dedicated to all the great jazz players.

Highway 14

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:35:10 -0700

Alan Pasqua’s piano opens with this mesmerizing, enchantingly beautiful line that sort of glides taking us to a place that feels good and covers us with that moment we somehow recall through the music as we glide and our soul sings the lyrics through a non-verbal language of love...and midway on this journey, Kurt Elling adds the words that we felt but were unable to articulate as we glide and glide and feel washed all over with the soft salt water covering our naked bodies while the sun blesses us with this beautiful and mysterious thing we sing about called life.

A Brief History of Jazz Drumming

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:20:43 -0700

A Brief History of Jazz Drumming

Long ago, prior to the swing era, the drummer in a dance band was never considered a real musician. He was looked on as nothing more than a menial time-keeper, one small rung higher than the orchestra's band boy. In a sense, his job was metronomic in that it kept the dancers from tripping over one another's feet and the other musicians wandering away from the beat. His equipment was crude and simple: An oversized bass drum, usually with a decorative pattern showing the initials of the bandleader drawn in front; a cymbal with no resonance, just a dull 'kahr' sounded with no purpose other than a downbeat or an accent; a snare drum and a wood block completed his outfit. The most illustrious display one could expect from drummers were snare drum rolls, accented by a 'kahr' on the cymbal.

When drummer Chick Webb started his own band back in the Early Thirties - aside from originally introducing us to Ella Fitzgerald - he began planting the seeds for revolutionizing the role of the drummer as a musician. He was a small man, physically deformed and constantly fighting the terrible pain within his body. In spite of this, he was a powerful, pulsating drummer with magnificent control over the bass drum and cymbals. Doing more than keeping the tempo, he added color by including accents and breaks to his playing, freeing the drummer from the humdrum monotony that had prevailed.

One evening, in Nineteen Thirty Eight at Carnegie hall, the seeds of Chick Webb began to sprout. Benny Goodman was in concert with one of the most exciting swing bands of the time playing compositions penned for the orchestra by the great Fletcher Henderson. it was the first time the sounds of jazz would echo through this hallowed hall and, as it turned out, hardly the last. One of the most memorable moments of that evening was the charisma of a black haired, gum-chewing, face-contorting, young man who was to change the role of the drummer. His name, Gene Krupa and he's since become a legend in jazz. Gene was always fascinated by African drumming and would sit repeatedly through Tarzan movies enthralled by the complex multi-rhythms on the soundtrack. This influence clearly came through in his playing. Equipped with three tom-toms, bass and snare drums, Gene created a state of frenzy in the audience that night as he backed Benny on clarinet. With his pulsating poly-rhythms on the tom-toms, he had turned an ordinary piece of music, Sing-Sing-Sing by Louis Prima, into a classic that since has withstood the test of time.

About the same time, another great drummer was making some changes. However, his style was going in a different direction. While Gene Krupa was a showman who was exciting to watch - a thundering force beneath the orchestra - Jo Jones, with the early Count Basie band, was light, low-keyed, tasty and musical. Light and ethereal in his approach, Jones was a master when he worked with tile wire brushes. His solos were executed along a melodic line.

Drummers were making rapid advances in their techniques.in a relatively short period of time, Another revelation taking place in the Basie orchestra, (of which Jo Jones was a major part) was the development of the tight and smooth-Flowing rhythm section which supported the other sections in the band. Basie's rhythm section consisted of piano, bass, guitar and the drums of Jo Jones. In contrast, Gene Krupa, who worked without a distinctive rhythm section, was himself the driving force behind the Goodman orchestra. Jones was part of a section that meshed smoothly to help give the Basie band its identification.That memorable style lasted close to forty years. Drummer, Mel Lewis, summed up Jo Jones, saying: "it's a steady drum style that's felt like a human heartbeat,"

In the late Forties Be-Bop became the new direction of Jazz. It was difficult to play as it utilized complicated, invented, chord changes behind breakneck tempos that were not meant as invitations for dancers; this new music was for listening and contemplating. Max Roach was one of its main percussive practitioners. He used the top cymbal with varying accents rather than the four-beat bass drum method of the past. His left hand was not restricted to the beat and was free to improvise while his right hand rode the tempo on the top cymbal against his left foot on the hi- hat s. Out of this, Max developed his style of playing into an Art Form. He became a highly musical drummer, in that his solos followed a disciplined, melodic, approach rather than a rhythmic one. Through the years Max has extended his method of playing from the Be-Bop days and has explored other avenues of music, which has earned him the title of. 'Master Drummer'.

During the Early Sixties, many jazz musicians experimented with, what was called, Free Music. That is, music completely outside any specific time signature. Musicians 'stretched out', as it was called, so that they could adventure into new avenues of expression. For the most part, these musicians played for themselves and a few select adventurist listeners. Without the familiar harmonies the average layman became confused and distrusted by the validity and direction this new music was taking. When John Coltrane left Miles Davis to form his own quartet, he was able to focus some clarity on this 'free music' form. With drummer Elvin Jones, (no relation to Jo Jones) together they broke down the rhythmic confines of the past. Coltrane's extended solos on the tenor and soprano saxophone were counterpointed by Elvin's, two- fisted drumming. However, Jone's style subliminally implied that a beat was ever present even when he would build tensions so great by his interplay with Coltrane. Climaxing time and time again, he'd create more tension and release it in a furious blur of sweeping characterization with Coltrane expressing himself over the beat. To watch Elvin Jones was to witness a style teeming with enraged episodes of explosive communication. Elvin Jones and John Coltrane were finally able to reach many, so that a greater understanding of free music came about because of this unique collaboration. Of course there were many other drummers constantly contributing new ideas to the music. To fully cover a more complete picture of drum-evolution would take volumes. My only intention is to shed light on some major changes made as the music progressed.

And now we arrive at the present. Today, there are many talented, young drummers, some seeking to bridge the gap between rock and jazz through 'fusion' - as it's called. Tony Williams, (who started at a very tender age with Miles Davis) was the first to successfully mix chord-based and free music with rock and could move from a wistful, poetic jazz feel to raw rock energy with little effort.

Today, there are several good drummers on the scene. To name a few: Jack De Jonnette, Steve Gadd, Antonio Sanchez, Peter Erskine and the dynamic, Brazilian percussionist, who can create an array of sounds through a variety of unusual drums, bells, gourds and his own voice, I'm referring to Airto. The new drummers are leading the way toward the next phase of jazz drumming. It's certain that changes will still occur, and when they do, it will be an exciting moment for all of us sensitively aware enough to realize that it's happening.

Pat Metheny

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:52:06 -0800

Pat Metheny has long been a musician I have much admired throughout the years. His style and creativity is his own and he has played with a wide array of jazz greats through out the years. He has created an entire genre of his own makings. Along with pianist and long time cohort, Lyle Mays, they’ve created a fusion of quality music that not only has a jazz feel, you can also get a sense of the American landscape through the writings and playing of these wonderful musicians. Check out my Photo Documentary “Is This America” on this blog

It wasn’t until last year that my feelings for Pat Metheny’s music elevated from great musician to a legendary guitarist. In my estimation, he may be one of the five most important musicians living today. This estimation came while seeing Pat in two different concerts at two very different locations.

The first concert was a duo with wunderkind Brad Mehidau and Mr. Metheny at the Center for the Performing Arts in Escondido California. The other concert, also last year, took place when Metheny made his first visit to the Heineken Jazz Festival in Puerto Rico. This was a completely different approach to jazz with his rich and illustrious trio made up of Christian McBride on Bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums. Metheny played a near three hour set that electrified the mass assembly of appreciative jazz lovers. One of the thrills that occurred during both of these concerts came at the beginning of each concert when Pat soloed on the Picasso guitar, a multi stringed guitar. The results were stunning and incredible to experience. (Check out the video below)

Pat Metheny is able to break new ground and explore or associate himself with anyone worthy of standing on the same platform with him, save for Kenny G, whom Mr. Metheny, an outspoken intellectual, made no bones about in an interview with Jazz Oasis.com.

For those not that familiar with Metheny’s approach to music, I would recommend any of his vast array of compact discs. If you would like to get a sense of experiencing his music live there are several DVD’s on the market that are absolute treasures to own. Two of them I’d like to mention are: “We Live Here, Live in Japan,” and “Imaginary Day Live.”
On both of these recordings I believe the listener will come away richer having experienced one of the world’s greatest innovators alive and on the scene today.

CD Review Marvin Stamm/Bill Mays

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:10:14 -0800

By Ourselves
Musicians: Marvin Stamm, Trumpet and Flugelhorn / Bill Mays, Piano
Selections: By Myself; You and the Night and the Music; The Lamp is Low; The Widow in the Window; Judy; Beautiful Love; Waltz for Mia; You Must Believe in Spring; Airegin; Madrugada; Con Alma
Review:  Marvin Stamm has been around a while. Still, he's not a jazz household name, though he ought to be. Many listeners may remember him from the Kenton days when he played with the mellophonium orchestra. Since than he's been involved with many aspects of playing music, from the studio to the stage and has gained a considerable amount of experience. This CD, in collaboration with the wonderful pianist, Bill Mays, is a sort of culmination of where music has taken Marvin Stamm to date.
Frankly, I'd not personally heard much of Stamm in the last fifteen years or so, until hearing these two recent CDs. While, more than the other horns, there are many prominent jazz players on trumpet: Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell, Claudio Roditi and Wynton Marsalis just to barely skim the surface, Marvin's name should be included with these contemporaries. His playing is articulate, fluid and has the full range of all the emotions embedded into his style. On this duo recording with Bill Mays he shows us his virtuosity and appeal that's a joy to experience.
I think Mr. Stamm's identification is clearly labeled during the introduction with the first forty-three seconds of By Myself. This unaccompanied moment is the type of music that music teachers tell their students to listen carefully to before they dissect it and learn it note by note.
The choice of tunes for their musical venture is interesting and varied. You and the Night and the Music is respectful to the beauty of the original line. Bill Mays takes an adventurous and swinging exploration solo and feeds a balance of tasty chords to give Marvin room to add his creative impressions to this evergreen.
The Lamp is Low is one of those haunting melodies that, given the right day and circumstances, can reduce me to tears. The collaboration between these two stellar artists is uncanny. Good duo playing in jazz probably goes beyond the musicianship. There must be a special bond or friendship and understanding that must intertwine with the music. You get that sense in listening to this interpretation.
The Widow in the Window is a haunting original by Kenny Wheeler. Bill Mays demonstrates his writing skills with an infectious line titled, Judy. He weaves a pleasurable solo quoting some Benny Golson and I’m Confessin’ that I Love You into the mix of the solo.
Marvin treats Victor Young's Beautiful Love with a very gentle respect and tenderness and does not stray too far from the melody in exploring. For me, it takes something special to undertake this and making it still sound like jazz.
Waltz For Mia by Ted Nash sounds like it was written around the chords of I Thought About You and offers some nice exchanges between Stamm and Mays.
Marvin's exquisite tone and control are very evident in You Must Believe in Spring. His approach is beyond beauty and almost poetic while Mays does most of the inner searching with layers of remarkable alternates to the original melody line. Marvin concludes by going deeper within hiself to continue to search for the essence of this timeless Michel Legrand original.
Airegin, the Sonny Rollins masterpiece, swings hard without the gymnastics. Another very pretty line by Bill Mays, Madrugada is a quiet moment with much of a Brazilian feeling. The set ends with a tribute to the master; Con Alma by Dizzy Gillespie is played with sentiment and concludes a set of great duo performance by Stamm and Mays.
Reviewed by Peter La Barbera

René Marie

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 13:30:52 -0800

René Marie in Concert Athenaeum Jazz at the Neurosciences Institute San Diego California May 6, 2004

René Marie – Vocals
Takana Miyamoto, Piano
Herman Burney, Bass
Quentin Baxter, Drums

It was Forrest Gump that said "Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you’re gonna get." The same might be said for a René Marie concert. René is a veteran jazz artist that has been on the scene for a while and has also had a hiatus from her art for a long period of time. Since returning, she has emerged back unto the scene with a burst of new energy, creativity and exploration. Although there are still traces of many of her influences still evident in her art, there's no doubt that she has become an individual voice much needed in the world of jazz.

In going to jazz concerts I've always come to expect to see and hear the tunes off the latest CD or the songs that have received the most airplay. Not so at a René Marie concert. The first half of her set was mainly tunes from a work in progress CD to soon be released. This takes a lot of courage by an artist to do. However, René Marie is always at the cutting edge. Opening the concert like an advent garde group the talented quartet banged, scraped, moaned, shuffled papers until;" Nature Boy" emerged from the ashes. This entry finally combined into a sensual presentation of; "Afro Blue." The remainder of the first half of the set included new material, mostly penned by René Marie. Her lyrics are lean and often poetic.

On stage, René Marie is animated and fully utilizes all of her skills and movements to emphasize her material. Backed up by a wonderful new trio, together they work as one and complement each other on every note. Throughout the concert René makes the audience a part of her family. Telling stories about the inspirations of the songs she wrote, inviting the audience to sing along are just some of the things that make up one of her concerts. To conclude the first set she told of her father's love for Revel's Bolero and how he would prance around like an African hunter to the sounds of the music. She further told of his love for Roberta Flack's rendition of "Suzanne." Following the introduction she gave an electrifying performance of the coming together of two very unlikely compositions while she pranced and gestured as she scat the lines of Bolero.

The second half of her set was a bit looser and straight ahead. Opening up with "Lover Man;" a song much related to Billie Holiday, René makes it her own with an unusual arrangement that included an infectious hold and drop to the beat that gave new life to this evergreen. An original composition of René's followed telling of the trials and ordeals of some "Red Shoes."

She really locked in on the audience with a jazz bluesy romp on the Beatles song "Hard Days Night." René, much like the late Betty Carter, has the uncanny ability to take lyrics out of tempo then fall behind or ahead of the beat and paint them unto a mural that exists solely in their heads and deliver a brand new perception on a line the rest of us perceived to always be conventional.

The thing I admire most about her performance is her strong will to be herself even at the risk of failing. She is an artist with a vision and when it connects with the audience, it becomes a major advancement for jazz.

The encore for the concert was especially memorable. Singing the standard "The Nearness of You" alone on stage she showed us that she surely has chops.

Finally, a brief word about her band: Takana Miyamoto on Piano is a wonderful and sensitive pianist fully aware and prepared for the sudden shifts and nuances of René's vocal changes. On her soloing I sensed an economy of notes undulating from a strong sense of swing. Herman Burney on bass blew me away with a Slam Stewart like, bowing and singing, bass solo on "Hard Day's Night." Quentin Baxter on drums is strong, succinct and can shift gears at the drop of a hat. It might have been a totally complete concert had he soloed one time. I'm sure it would have been interesting.

Rene Marie

CD Review: Knoxville Jazz Orchestra

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 20:46:09 -0800

Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
A Year In The Life Of The Band

1. Angst
2. Man, What a Beautiful Day
3. Mean To Me
4. Skylark
5. Dig Uncle Will
6. Scenes of Knoxville
7. Martha Stewart Ain't Got Nothin on My Baby
8. Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

WOODWINDS
Mark Tucker - alto, soprano, flute
David King - alto, flute
Bill Scarlett - tenor, soprano, clarinet
Jimmy Mann - tenor, clarinet
Tom Johnson – baritone, bass clarinet

TRUMPETS
Michael Wyatt
Jim Williamson
Stewart Cox
Thomas Heflin
Vance Thompson, Director

TROMBONES
Don Hough
Tom Lundberg
Darrell Wyatt
Brad McDougall

RHYTHM
Bill Swann, piano
Dan Trudell, Hammond B-3 (tracks 3, 5)
Donald Brown, piano (track 6)
Rusty Holloway, bass
Keith Brown, drums

REVIEW

I grew up with the big bands. Sitting late at night - back in the Forties - listening to remote pick-ups from ballrooms and dance halls around the country, I'd savor the sounds of all the great bands when they once reigned supreme in the music business. When Woody Herman came along with the First Herd was when my head began to spin. It has been spinning since. But now we are living in a time when the big band has almost become an extinct part of the jazz world. Since there aren't enough aficionados nor the economic means to support large bands in the times that we live, when something like the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra comes along, we have to stand up to try and preserve the efforts being brought forth by great musicians doing their best to keep this tradition alive and well

They say that the Big Bands are dead. Well, those fortunate enough to live in or around the Knoxville Tennessee area may beg to differ. There are nineteen local cats to which the K.J.O. call home. This CD recorded half in Europe, on a 2001 European Summer tour, and the rest recorded in their home state of Tennessee is reason enough for a pessimist like myself to keep the big band dream alive.

From the opening shouts of the brass section on the original line, penned by leader trumpeter Vance Thompson, Angst, we are off and running. The rhythm section propelled by drummer, Keith Brown, flows and builds foundations for the band soloists.
Keith has a flowing style that is not heavy handed yet drives all of these aggressive musicians on their way. There are nice solos by Bill Swain on piano and a Tenor sax solo by Jimmy Mann.

Man, What a Beautiful Day, also penned by the very talented Mr. Thompson has a nice spirited melody line that's picked up by a lilting soprano sax solo offered by Mark Tucker, followed by a flugelhorn solo by Vance Thompson.

The band shows its versatility credentials on interpreting charts of various genres. Mean To Me features the Hammond B-3 organist Dan Trudell and shows us another side of this orchestra's vast personality.

Skylark has always had a special place in music for me as probably one of the loveliest pieces ever created by Hoagy Carmichael. Here Vance Thompson illustrates his arranging skills as the band literally floats over these wonderful lines with elegance and charm.

The band gets funky and hangs onto it's own distinct personality on Jack McDuff's Dig Uncle Will. Dan Trudell on Hammond B-3 treats us to yet another swinging romp. The band is laid back and swinging and the reed section lines are articulate and complementary while the rhythm section cooks it slowly.

Pianist Donald Brown's- tone poem - original composition Scenes of Knoxville has a variety of mood changes throughout. Again, the arrangement by Vance Thompson is the glue that holds this enigmatic composition together. Pianist Donald Brown's solo literally floats under the orchestra. The composition, inspired by James Agee's poem "Scenes of Knoxville," is the orchestra's hallmark piece.

And now we come to my favorite piece on this wonderful CD, a blues romp that lets its hair down and swings unabashedly. You gotta love the title: Martha Stewart Ain't Got Nothin on My Baby. The band opens up all the stops and we are treated to an array of fine solos, particularly baritone saxophonist, Tom Johnson, trombonist Tom Lundberg and a strong acoustic bass solo by Rusty Holloway. The ending doesn't want to happen and it finally closes on a swinging and positive note.

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries shows us yet another side of this orchestra. With a tuba holding down the bottom in the intro, drummer Keith Brown sets down some riffs as the band dives head first into a semi tongue in cheek romp that's playful and fun and above all toe tapping.

I feel as if I temporarily lived with this band; listening and re listening to this CD. I have to say that I'm sold on them and feel deprived, since I live on the west side of this country, that I may never get to see them perform live. Make no mistake; the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra is helping to keep the big band tradition in jazz alive. My hope is that in some small way I can begin to help spread the news to the rest of us that yearn for the return of the big bands once again.

Visit The Knoxville Jazz Orchesta Home Page