Liner Notes to The Concert: 12 Musings for Isabella

Dear listener,

Firstly, many thanks to you for your support of this project, a project that is near and dear to me.  I moved to Boston from North Carolina in 1997 to attend New England Conservatory to major in Jazz Trumpet Performance. At the time, the Thelonious Monk Institute was integrated with the Jazz Studies program at NEC.  They gave concerts on campus as well as off. One of those concerts took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I attended on the of the concerts there once and noticed that there were empty frames on display in the museum. I didn’t understand the meaning at the time, but fast forward 20 or so years, I came to find out about the heist and the ensuing investigations that have taken place via Last Seen, a podcast produced by a local public radio station and newspaper. After taking in the beauty of the works I decided to commission myself to write a piece inspired by each of those works.

The Songs:

Disc 1:

A Lady and Gentleman in Black (Rembrandt) – The lady and gentleman in this work are indeed dressed in all black, looking to me like they are ready for an evening in the town (or village)! The melody of my composition strictly uses the black notes on the piano. This was the first song I completed of this set of music and I intended it to be the funkiest, blues-infused piece on the recording!

Cortege aux Environs (Degas) – In this scene by Degas, we see a multi-layered, almost translucent, snapshot of a party of folks traveling along a path with an incline. They seem to be in conversation as they travel along, and it’s not clear which direction they are traveling in this painting. I took a personal approach to composing a song for this piece by connecting the color scheme employed by Degas with my experience living with synesthesia.

La Sortie de Pesage (Degas) – Degas portrayed a scene which looks to be from a horse race in this painting.  There are folks filing in line to either buy tickets or place bets and the rest are going to their seats. Amongst the crowd are two jockeys, assumingly making their way to the track. In assuming that this is what’s going on in the painting and also realizing that I could be totally wrong with all of those assumptions, I compelled myself to write a piece that would feature several series of deceptive harmonic cadences (within 3 main sections), a sing-songy vertical melody supported by a “gallopy”, sneaky rhythm in 6/4 time.

Christ in a Storm on the Lake of Galilee (Rembrandt) – This historical depiction by Rembrandt is epic and vivid in its’ visual capture of a tumultuous situation. In this work, I spotted 15 th individuals battling the storm on this lake, so I decided to compose a piece in 15/8 time. Kendrick sets up the rollicking, shuffle groove which introduces a rangy, turbulent theme, followed by intense trading of choruses by Mark, Joel, and me.

A French Imperial Eagle Finial – This song is the second song that was written for a piece in this set that was not a piece of visual art. Seeing this eagle finial for the first time immediately moved me to write and brisk piece with a flighty melody for the band.

Chez Tortoni (Manet) – The gaze within the gentleman’s eyes in this painting as he’s sitting at Café Tortoni in Paris is one of urgency and mystique. This gave me mixed emotions so I wrote a mixed-meter song where the harmonic landing spots were bandied between major and minor as a nod to the color scheme of the portrait.

Disc 2

Program for an Artistic Soiree (Degas)– This simple, elegant work by Degas appears to me like a sketch several ideas that happen to be a part of the same canvas. There’s an air of smokin’ song and dance in this sketch that I find to be quite sneaky for some odd reason. This work really makes me wonder what was going on inside the imagination of Degas. This drove me to write a danceable, “sleuthy” song for this piece, drawing from my 3rd stream influences. The solo sections of this song, which feature myself, Joel, and Edward, alternate between major and minor for the entire chorus.

An Ancient Chinese Gnu – This song was written for one of the two pieces of art that were stolen that actually was not a piece of visual art. This piece resembles a sort of vase with a porous base and a body that flares out exactly like the bell of a trumpet. I wanted to give this piece a song that primarily stuck in the folksy, pentatonic-ish, rangy, melody in the trumpet to give the song an Asian melodic bend.

The Concert (Vermeer) – In this visually stunning piece by Vermeer, you see a trio of musicians performing together and they appear to be deeply involved in the moment of the music. My goal for writing a song for this painting was to have it be the one of the more lyrical pieces of this set of music, in an attempt to capture the essence of what could have been heard during the occasion that was depicted in the work. When I was in the middle of finalizing the arrangement of this piece, I played it for my 5-year-old daughter and she found it to be interesting enough that she continued to ask me to play it again. I was impressed to later find out that she had committed parts of the song to memory.

Landscape with an Obelisk (Flinck) – There is something very serene, stoic, but at the same time very powerful about the view of the Landscape with an Obelisk by Flinck. There is a lone obelisk and what looks to be an ancient tree with a strong, gnarly trunk, each standing tall, perhaps in search of the sun on a cloudy day. At the foot of the tree there are two people, one on horseback and one standing. They seem to be in searching as well. I wrote a contrafact based on one of my favorite compositions entitled Like a Flower Seeking the Sun by reedman Myron Walden. Within this track, I bookended it with a flowy intro and outro with rubato, in an attempt to capture the quality of the water in the middle of the painting.

Self Portrait (Rembrandt) – I found a lot of beauty and symmetry in the Self Portrait by Rembrandt. He appears to have a perfectly round, strong jaw with piercing eyes and long, curly hair on set to one side. I composed a melody based on Miyako, one the most harmonically-symmetrical, gorgeous songs by one of my favorite composers, Wayne Shorter.

Three Mounted Jockeys (Degas) – This interesting work features a triple image of 3 jockeys mounted on a horse, 1 that’s right-side up, and 2 that are upside down. This song is in a brisk 6/4 tempo with the melody being split into 3-bar phrases (1 for each jockey).

I’d like to give a huge thank you to Jimmy and Dena Katz, along with all the folks at Giant Step Arts for helping me bring this project into fruition. Also hats off to Mark, Joel, Edward, and Kendrick for your supreme artistry, the people at the Intercontinental Barclay, Dave Darlington, Ann Braithwaite, and to my wonderful wife Colleen and daughter Camilla!

1,000 Trumpeters (301-400)

Hello everyone,

Here’s a list of more players to check out! Once again these are in no particular order and please reserve your grievances until after I’ve posted all of the players.

301.Vitaly Golovnev

302.Ian Carr

303.Emmett Berry

304.Derrick Gardner

305.Clay Jenkins

306.Doug Olson

307.Charlie Porter

308.Joe Gordon

309.Voro Garcia

310.Felix Rossy

311.David Weiss

312.DeWayne Clemons

313.Mao Sone

314.Herman Mehari

315.Tony D’Aveni

316.Daniel Campbell

317.Gordon Au

318.Ray Callendar

319.Johnathan Saraga

320.Mike Cottone

321.Dave Chisholm

322.Chris Burbank

323.Bobby Gallegos

324.Trombone Shorty

325.Etienne Charles

326.Stephane Belmondo

327.Ryan Carnieux

328.James Morrison

329.Stephen Haynes

330.Suresh Singaratnam

331.Takuya Kuroda

332.Tatum Greenblatt

333.Taylor Haskins

334.Terumasa Hino

335.Steve Fishwick

336.Thomas Heflin

337.Jeff Lofton

338.Laura Jurd

339.Tom Arthurs

340.Uan Rasey

341.Valaida Snow

342.Valery Ponomarev

343.Walter White

344.Ziggy Elman

345.Humberto Ramirez

346.James Zollar

347.Donald Malloy

348.Dwayne Eubanks

349.Dusko Goykovich

350.Eddie Gale

351.Eric Biondo

352.Eric Vloeimans

353.Erik Jekabson

354.Erik Truffaz

355.Fabio Morgera

356.Bill Chase

357.Brad Turner

358.Brian Swartz

359.Frank London

360.Greg Adams

361.Gilbert Castellanos

362.Billy Skinner

363.Max Colley III

364.Mike Olson

365.Matthew Stewart

366.Chris Lawrence

367.Renaud Gensane

368.Leon Brown

369.Jackie Coleman

370.Ryan Easter

371.Matt Lavelle

372.Kenyatta Beasley

373.Jimmy Owens

374.Daniel Noesig

375.Laurie Frink

376.Curtis Taylor

377.Mark Van Cleave

378.John Swana

379.Raymond Williams

380.Jeremy Sinclair

381.JS Williams

382.Mark Chuvala

383.Matt Leder

384.Mike Vax

385.Jim Manley

386.Jon Crowley

387.Frank Greene

388.Dave Ballou

389.Alphonso Horne

390.Yazz Ahmed

391.Jay Thomas

392.Ryan Quigley

393.Ravi Best

394.Uli Beckerhoff

395.Gabe Medd

396.John Sneider

397.Gregory Rivkin

398.Tanya Darby

399.Steve Fulton

400.Bart Miltenberger

More to come,

Jason Palmer

Blindfold Bootleg Series: Walter Smith III

I’ve maintained for years that Walter Smith III is the Wayne Shorter of my generation.  I say this of the Houston native because like Wayne Shorter, who’s played alongside the greatest trumpet players of his generation and above (Miles, Freddie Hubbard, and Lee Morgan immediately come to mind); Walter has also done the same with his generation, performing with the likes of Ambrose Akinmusire, Sean Jones, Darren Barrett, Terence Blanchard, and Dave Douglas.  Walter has one of the most seamless streams of music originality that you can imagine coming from and improvising music.  He’s dona ALL of his homework so he is at home in any style that’s laid before him.  Not only is he a great saxophonist, he’s also an excellent composer, arranger, and educator.  Here’s what Walter had to say after hearing the examples:

Example 1: Marcus Strickland live at the Regattabar Cambridge Ma 2008
Marcus Strickland (sounds like his tone and time feel)

Response:  I’ve been listening to Marcus for years…I met him at IAJE when I was in high school and he was playing a white LA Sax! He blew me away then and continues to be one of my favorites and a real torch bearer for our generation.

Example 2: Myron Walden live at Fat Cat NYC (year unknown)
Not really sure on this one ….if I had to guess I would say Myron Walden? Sounds like his alto phrasing and articulation a bit, but I don’t know his tenor playing quite as well as his alto playing.

Response:  It’s cool how you can hear someone’s nuance regardless of the instrument they are playing! His playing with fellowship was a huge inspiration to me and still is. Also “Like A Flower Seeking the Sun” is still on the desert island list…

Example 3: Logan Richardson live at the Duc du Lombards Paris 2013
Logan Richardson (pretty awesome sound and patience).

Response: One of the absolute trend setters on the saxophone these days who is always pushing and inspiring. Another dude that’s carrying the torch for the generation!

Example 4: Ravi Coltrane live at the Jazz Standard 2013
So familiar but i can’t place it! My guess is going to be J.D. Allen but it’s more Trane than Wayne here.

Response: I can’t believe I missed this one! Especially because I’m pretty sure that I was at this show one day that week! Ravi has great ideas and great phrasing and always brings the energy!

Example 5: George Garzone live at the Museum Boston (year unknown)
Again, super familiar but I can’t place it! great sound/taste.

Response: Wow! Garzone! He’s a bad dude and has taught just about everybody I know at some point. Always great to hear him.

Example 6:  Bill McHenry Live at the Village Vanguard Nyc (year unknown)

hmm…

Response: I only have “Roses” and the quartet record with Paul Motian so I’m not as familiar with his playing as the rest of the guys here but getting more of his stuff is definitely on my list of things to do. Great ideas and unique directions with his phrases. Very cool.

Example 7:  Tim Warfield live at Scullers (year unknown)
Tim Warfield? Sounds like his sound and inflection for sure.

The one thing that’s happening here is I’m realizing how small my sound is!
Response: Tim is my man! Fell in love with his playing from the Nicholas Payton records in high school and he’s definitely a powerful saxophone player. He has one of the most colorful tones and set of inflection of anybody. I’d also imagine it would be fun to play in a rhythm section behind him since he has so much energy all the time.

Do yourself a big favor if you haven’t already and pick up Walter’s latest record on his website!!

Blindfold Bootleg Series: Chris Klaxton

Chris Klaxton is one of the great “triple-threat” (or what I like to say “triple-treat”) artists on the scene based in the New England area.  He’s got several great recordings out which you can check out here!  Do yourself a huge favor and check them out here!  Here’s what Chris had to say after hearing the test:
Example 1-Dave Douglas Live at R-bar

Dave Douglas

Example 2-Wynton live with Freddie Hubbard NYC

Freddie (Hubbard)

Example 3-Ryan Kisor Live in Japan

Woody (Shaw)

After:  Upon closer inspection, you can certainly hear Ryan in there…but MAN he’s got that Woody stuff worked out!

Example 4-Tom Harrell with Johnathan Blake

Tom Harrell

Example 5-Keyon Harrold live in NYC

YOU (Jason Palmer, lol)

After:  Keyon is incredible. I picked up his “introducing” record recently, but this live track is nuts. I could have sworn I heard some JP moments….

Example 6-Christian Scott Live at the R-Bar

This next one makes me feel real dumb. It’s got some Roy in there. But I feel like it could be Dizak (Phillip)….or even Billy Buss…or I DON’T KNOW!

After:  This still makes me feel dumb. Should have known that. That vibrato he’s got up there when he’s playing the blues….

Example 7-Art Farmer live in NYC

..and the last one makes me feel dumb too. An elder I haven’t dug into enough.
Marcus (Belgrave?)? Art Farmer?

Thanks Chris and I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with you again sooner than later!!  Please keep up with Chris at his website!

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Blindfold Bootleg Series: Trent Austin

Trent Austin is one of the great trumpeters of his (of any really) generation.  He’s one of those rare artists that can easily command the lead chair and turn around and improvise with the best of them.  And on top of that he’s recently opened one of the premier brass shops on the east coast and he makes marvelous mouthpieces.  As soon as he sent me one of his pieces to try out, set aside my Monette B2 of 12 years and haven’t picked it up since. Trent also works closely with the great Miel Adams!  Here’s what Trent had to say after hearing the examples:

Example 1-Dave Douglas Live at R-bar

Dave Douglas

After:   Dave has always been one of my favorite players. I got this one in a few seconds due to his IMO very original sound, vibrato touches, and personal style.  His work is so incredibly diverse player who can jump over any style be it totally straight ahead to his work with John Zorn.  This one for me was a fairly easy one with some of his inflections he uses  that IMO are very much his own.   It was a fantastic example of how I should listen and transcribe him some more.  I love the way his compositional mind works during this improvisation. 

Example 2-Wynton live with Freddie Hubbard NYC

Wynton (trying to sound like Freddie) love the sound of the Bach!

After:   I have to admit hearing this before,  perhaps even from you.   It still got me for a few seconds.  I literally said out loud “That’s Freddie… oh wait, that’s Wynton”.  It’s pretty cool to hear him playing like this although at times it’s pretty disjointed.  His sound and control are constant reminders to me that he is still the hands down  best player in the world.  I especially love his sound and articulations on his Bach.  I personally feel coming from someone that makes equipment these days he had the best recorded sound speaking only on a “trumpet” side of things on the Bach.   While he’s such a deeper musician than he was in the early 80’s  I strongly feel that the Monette has hampered his tonal color spectrum on recordings.  Of course me critiquing the greatest player in the world is a bit silly so I’ll go back to my corner and practice my long tones 😉

Example 3-Ryan Kisor Live in Japan

Ryan Kisor

After:   One of my absolute favorite (if not my favorite player)  out there. I have not met many folks that can do what Ryan does. The fluency on those triplets!   Man  such amazing technique!  Perhaps Ryan  and Greg Gisbert are two of the most versatile cats out there who can literally sit in any chair and any musical situation regardless of style and crush it!  Was he playing cornet on this?  I don’t think so this sounds like a trumpet to my ears.  I know he’s recently been doing a lot of his solo work on an Olds Super Cornet lately and has inspired me to check out playing more cornet in my own work.  

Example 4-Tom Harrell with Johnathan Blake

Tom Harrell

After:  Genius… enough said… Every time I hear Tom I hear just how his complete melodic sense and compositional mind inspire me to seek out more of the inner lines  he plays. I have transcribed so much of Tom’s work and I think this one will be next on my list.  Listen to that space he uses.  A lot of folks listen to his latest playing and wish he would play more like the 70’s/early 80’s versions but for myself he’s playing so much more melodically!

Example 5-Keyon Harrold live in NYC

Josh Evans? (One Finger Snap… silly burning)

After: Bummed I didn’t get this but I know Keyon is one BADDDD  cat.  Such a titanic  solo full of virtuosity.    What an inspiration to listen to and get myself back in the practice room.  Keyon is someone more people should know about as he can hang with anyone for sure!

Example 6-Christian Scott Live at the R-Bar

Nick Payton (this one was particularly tough… not totally sure)

After:   AGH!   This one got me until I sent you my before and then I heard something in Christian’s tone and inflections  that made me pick up on him after sending you the before.  I didn’t think it was Nick but was fairly confident it was a New Orleans player.  The vibrato on the F on the second or third chorus gave it away to me.  I think there still is a lot to be said about regional styles and the influence the local traditions have on players.   It’s harder and harder to hear this in players today (both in improvisational music and orchestral style as we continually head to more homogenized sounds which in my opinion is  not a good thing).  Also didn’t think of Christian initially due to the fact his current music is so different than this clip.    He’s a wonderful cat,  great spokesman for the trumpet, and really a wonderful example of always committing yourself in the moment as I have never seen a bad performance from Christian.  He was one of the first guys to hip me to Adams and I am so thankful for that as it truly changed my life (Adams were the first company to urge me to start my business).

Example 7-Art Farmer live in NYC

Art Farmer

After:  Art  plays with so much and is a master of economy!   Great to hear him  (although I’m pretty sure he was playing the flumpet on this clip and I preferred him on the Besson flugel as again it had more  of a variety tonal spectrum) and how he winds through Recordame.  One of my heroes Herb Pomeroy always stressed finding the “sweet notes”  in a solo.  Those notes that  give you the most color for the chord or pivotal notes to signify harmonic motion.    Art was always someone I could hear that in.   Another thing I love about Art is that he never stopped shedding.  I met him near the end of his life and he told me he still spent numerous (3+ daily) in the shed.

Stay afloat with what’s going on in Trent’s career by visiting his website!!

Bootleg Blindfold Series: Adam Birnbaum

I’ve been a fan of Adam Birnbaum‘s playing for several years now but had never gotten the chance to make music with him up until this past year, where I had the great fortune of sharing the stage with him on multiple occasions.   The first was at special sextet put together by saxophonist Mike Tucker for a residency at Salem State University and the second one was a great run of concerts with Darcy James’s Secret Society in the US and Europe.  Here’s the answers and comments to the test from Adam:

Example 1:  Fred Hersch, Nobody Else But Me,  live in NYC in duo with Mark Turner (year unknown).

(1) Fred Hersch playing “Nobody Else But Me.” Nothing else sounds like Fred playing solo piano. He’s simply a master and has truly developed his own language on the instrument, especially in this setting.

Example 2:  Aruan Ortiz, Ask me Now live at the Regattabar in Cambridge (year unknown)

(2) “Ask Me Now” the pianist–and the rhythm section–is very modern, but there are some elements of traditional jazz piano in there. Tough one to identify but I would guess Jason Moran.

After: I have met Aruan several times and found him to be a very nice guy, but honestly I am not very familiar with his playing so I guess that explains my difficulty identifying this one.

Example 3:  McCoy Tyner, Darn That Dream live at the Regattabar in Cambridge (year unknown)

(3) “Darn That Dream” Andrew Hill. His eccentricities (sudden changes in dynamics, thick percussive dense voicings, heavy pedal use, unusual combination of traditional and extremely modern) are pretty recognizable.

After:  Wow, did I fail to recognize McCoy on a blindfold test?! That’s jazz piano 101. However, in my defense this is a very tricky one. I’ve seen him do a solo standard in the middle of a set but it was always much more in his typical style than this. Plus Andrew Hill does this song in the same key (in F instead of the usual G) on his solo piano record “Verona Rag” so I thought it had to be him.

Example 4:  Aaron Goldberg, Impressions live in Portugal with Nicholas Payton.

(4) “Impressions/So What” Sounds like Aaron Goldberg with Hutch. Aaron is so clean and has such a great feel.

Example 5:  Leo Genovese, Berlin (Jason Palmer)  live in NYC with Jason Palmer Septet

(5) This has to be Aaron Parks with what sounds like Eric Harland on drums. Beautiful solo. Really channels Paul Bley with some of those lines.

After:  Leo is a guy I’ve been hearing great things about for years but who unfortunately I haven’t ever seen play live. This track convinced me I need to change this, so I will definitely be checking him out. Really beautiful playing here.

Example 6: Gerald Clayton, Blues live at Jazz Gallery NYC with Patrick Cornelius Octet (2013).

(6) F blues. This is the hardest of the seven for me to identify. Swinging, tasteful, I like the interaction with the drummer, but nothing about this is particularly distinctive to me. I could wager a guess but I’ll choose to pass instead.

After: Well I know Gerald pretty well and have seen him play many times, and would like to think I know his style. I’m definitely a big fan. However this one just didn’t give me anything obvious to ID him. Listening back to it now I can hear it. Oh well. Looks like I have lots more listening to do.

Example 7:  Dave Kikoski, Mr. Day live in Xalapa Mexico with Jason Palmer, Francisco Mela, Emilliano Coronel (2013).

(7) Dave Kikoski with what sounds like Jeff “Tain” Watts playing “Mr. Day.” No one else plays this kind of burn-out jazz like Kiko.

Adam currently has a new album out entitled “Three of a Mind,” featuring Doug Weiss and Al Foster.  Keep up with Adam’s latest news about this release including a Cd Release at Smoke at his website!

Blindfold Bootleg Series: Greg Osby

I consider saxophonist/composer/sonic scholar Greg Osby to be my musical godfather.  He gave me my first big break by hiring me to play in his quintet after he released St. Louis Shoes.    This came at a time when I was thinking about quitting music.    I’ve learned what it means to be on the road and how to survive once you’re there under Osby’s tutelage.   He possesses a deep well of knowledge on musical stylings as well as a highly refined sense of taste and these qualities shine brightly in his playing and composing.  Here’s what Greg had to say after hearing the examples:

Example 1: Marcus Strickland live at the Regattabar Cambridge Ma 2008

1. This tenor saxophonist may be JD Allen. He sometimes plays in trio format without chordal accompaniment and it doesn’t sound very much like an older person. I’m assuming that it’s JD based on the player’s vibrato and attention to tone. I say tone as opposed to sound because everyone has a sound but everyone doesn’t necessarily have a tone, as exhibited by many of the likes of a Don Byas, Stan Getz, Ben Webster, Paul Gonsalves, Hank Mobley, Dexter Gordon, etc… TONE – the main ingredient, And JD has a beautiful tone and a very meaningful way of interpreting music. He some exhibits an admirable amount of patience.

AFTER:  OK, it’s Marcus. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard either him or JD enough to have answered this one correctly, but what I have heard from Marcus validates my response. He also has a beautiful full-bodied tone and appears to be concerned with proper execution and the development of solos via beautiful phrases. His ouput is very broad and lush and yet, still very precise.

Example 2: Myron Walden live at Fat Cat NYC (year unknown)

2. I can’t recognize the player, but his rush to flash lost my interest very quickly. There was little to hold onto, in terms of thematic material and melodic development. In the beginning, there was a brief statement, and the next thing I know all the fireworks were quickly being lit. Listening to music like this is akin to being shouted at for extended periods. It’s great to thing hear or to experience music like this live but it somehow loses it’s impact on recordings, given the references to the Coltrane/Jones dynamic that has been explored and even exploited to no end. It makes one wonder why would anyone seek to frame themselves in such an environment these days when the social and arts climate is so significantly different than when this mode of expression was being developed? It just doesn’t have the same meaning behind it anymore and the overall impact is lessened considerably. Somehow, for me, it amounts to yelling and forcing a point when there is none. Again, the players here are fantastic musicians but I’ve grown weary of this approach unless I’m in the venue when it’s actually happening.

AFTER: This makes sense. Myron is what I respectfully call a convert  – which is to say that I heard him first and know of him primarily as an alto saxophonist. I think that would account for the way he plays tenor. Maybe not. However, it’s easy for me to understand the excessively notey approach because many tenor players who “hear” alto or hiigher pitches in their heads like Stitt and Coltrane, have a tendency towards content bombardment. I am also guilty of this, and is why no one will ever hear me play tenor saxophone publicly, or otherwise. Mind you, playing with lots of notes isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it should be a progressive act. Not an aural assault just several bars in. But, just because it overwhelmed me doesn’t make it improper.

Example 3: Logan Richardson live at the Duc du Lombards Paris 2013

3. This very definitely sounds like Logan Richardson, who does have a very considerate and refined style with a strong sense of purpose in his playing as well as in his compositions. I appreciated the pacing of the build during his solo. It was very relaxed and there was no hurry to rush into a technical display. I also recognize his tone, which has some very personal and appealing characteristics to me. Interestingly enough, as an alto player myself, I must admit that I have a very low tolerance for the output of many, if not most, alto players. Some players have sounds that are very strident and devoid of body or fullness. Not human-like enough for my tastes. Also, the tendency for players to overwhelmingly embrace the discoveries and breakthroughs of the most prominent player of the day represents, to me, a failure to define themselves adequately by developing a methodology that emphasizes the core character in their musical makeup. They resign to playing the role of copyists and parrots, as opposed to crafting a style for themselves. This is one of the primary reasons why most laypersons have the usual throwaway impression that “all jazz sounds the same,” One can’t fully blame them for having such a perception, given the lack of sonic diversity amongst the ranks. At any rate, this is not one of those instances. Logan has successfully done what used to be the normal thing to do, which was to recognize and hone one’s own voice.

AFTER: This was the easiest and most obvious example, as Logan is one of my favorite contemporary improvising artists. He has a great mind and is fearless. It would have been nice to have evaluated a few more altoists during this listening session but tenor is, and always has been, much more popular than the smaller horn. There are many reasons for this, but that’s an entirely different discussion.

Example 4: Ravi Coltrane live at the Jazz Standard 2013

4. More chordless saxophone trio. Again I’m at a loss for who it is. I’ll take a wild guess and say Tivon Pennicott but that’s a shot in the dark. I do appreciate the player’s sense of articulation, which is a characteristic That I find to be missing in the playing of many contemporary players who often seen to slur through every line with no detail to the attack or punctuating elements. Here, there’s a sameness in approach that is shared by many younger players that makes them difficult to identify, as if they are all influenced by the same guy. Proficient many, but hopelessly similar.

AFTER: I’ve always enjoyed Ravi’s playing, and I’m surprised that I didn’t recognize him here. I heard him live at Birdland a while ago and was really caught up in his creativity and dominance on the bandstand and how he navigated around within the forms of his music. This performance wasn’t reflective of anything that I heard that night, although I do appreciate his approach to the instrument. He usually doesn’t play in a manner that one would expect, which gets my attention immediately. Perhaps he wasn’t so inspired during this song or maybe there were other moments that night where he caught fire.

Example 5: George Garzone live at the Museum Boston (year unknown)

5. Without know who it is, I must say that I really like this. Some very good decisions are being made and the player sounds very mature and he makes no effort to impress, although he sounds very proficient. The beginning of the solo has definite Stan Getz inflections, which these days is so rare that hearing this is a breath of fresh air. If only players would dig into the archives and research and study the output of some of the more ignored masterful players of the music, they would find an untapped pool of resources that would separate them from the rest of the pack that has chosen to emulate the popular players of the day. I almost hear a bit of Charles Lloyd in the makeup of this player. Yet another untapped resource worth investigating.

AFTER: I was right about the mature aspects of the tenor playing here, but I’m disappointed in myself for not recognizing George. What he does is always masterful and unique. He has a genuine love of the art and comes with a great deal of passion and information that he can back up theoretically as well as sonically. I can hear many levels of acknowledgement and history in his playing, coupled with his own discoveries and developments. He is one of the important voices and minds in contemporary improvised music.Example 6: Bill McHenry Live at the Village Vanguard Nyc (year unknown)

6. No clue. I don’t hear very many identifying characteristics other than the eighth note feel in the lines. I did like the development of the riff in the beginning, as well as the articulation.

AFTER: I have heard Bill live several times, but even after the reveal I still don’t know enough about what he does to identify him.

Example 7: Tim Warfield live at Scullers (year unknown)7. I can’t identify this player either. It’s interesting because I happen to go out to hear players perform live a LOT, and I thought that I knew the approaches styles and detail of many of the younger cats. However hearing this final player is akin to sampling perfume – in a short while, they all start to smell the same, even if they are amazing. In the case of this listening session, I’ve heard some amazingly accomplished players, but, for me, most of them lack standout characteristics in style, approach interpretation, concept, logic, phrasing and TONE (most important) This isn’t to say they are not good players, I’m saying that there’s not much of a difference between them other than that they’ve all have an exceptionally similar educational makeup and inspirational foundation. They not only speak the same language, but the same dialect and inflections as will, which makes listening to them fine – the first rime.

AFTER: It’s been years since I’ve heard Tim live, and this example shows very few outstanding or identifying markers, if you will. What he’s doing certainly shows accomplishment, but I was waiting for something that really would set him apart from anyone else, and it didn’t happen for me. I’m not referring to something very radical either – perhaps a personally developed technique, conceptual approach, a way of developing ideas and phrases, a very personal tone, juxtaposition of thoughts, etc.. something that would make me do a double take or press rewind. None of my observations are meant to suggest that he is incapable of these things, it just isn’t projected on this cut.

When I hear Ben Webster, Don Byas, Gene Ammons, Paul Desmond, Joe Henderson, Cannonball, Getz, Ben Webster, Young, Hodges, Konitz, etc.. play just a few notes, their identity is unmistakeable. Who they are is not necessarily defined by content, but by a deliberate crafting and cultivation of a trademark tone and a sense of purpose.

Everyone do yourself a huge favor by staying current to Greg’s new projects and live events by frequenting his website.

Blindfold Bootleg Series: Jeremy Pelt

I truly think that any trumpeter of my generation or younger that’s playing anything of consequence owes a debt to Jeremy Pelt.  Jeremy is a prime example of an artist that has continued to reinvent himself, producing great interesting projects that are steeped in the history of the trumpet in this music as well as forward thinking.  I myself owe a huge debt to my fellow JP for simply bringing me down to Wally’s in the fall of 1997 and asking me to play for him as well as the subsequent lessons that followed!!  Here’s what Jeremy had to say after hearing the examples:

Example 1-Dave Douglas Live at R-bar

1) Hmmm… I must admit that I’m completely clueless as to who it might be. There are shades of Keyon Harrold in there, but it’s definitely not him. There are shades of me in there, but definitely not me. I like where his solo went though, and I can’t wait to find out who it was.

Example 2-Wynton live with Freddie Hubbard NYC

2) Wynton Marsalis sitting in with Hub at the Blue Note. Interesting to hear how his sound evolved. Also, funnily enough listening to the first couple of phrases, you get the impression the Wynton is mocking Hub, which was the wrong thing to do in THIS period of Hub. Before he called Wynton up, he completely KILLED ‘Hubtones’.

Example 3-Ryan Kisor Live in Japan

3) Hmmm…. Can’t say I know who this is either. Obviously they’re indebted to Woody. The voicings on the piano suggest that it could be Harold Mabern on the piano.

Example 4-Tom Harrell with Johnathan Blake

4) Tom Harrell…That sound is so great, and you can hear K.D. all up in it.

Example 5-Keyon Harrold live in NYC

5.) Keyon Harrold…so open. Like the shape of his lines.

Example 6-Christian Scott Live at the R-Bar

6.) Is it Marquis Hill ?

Example 7-Art Farmer live in NYC

7.) Again…completely clueless.

Do yourself a favor and keep up with Jeremy’s new music and live appearances on his website!

Blindfold Bootleg Series: Dave Neves

Massachusetts native and recent NYC resident trumpet phenom David Neves has been a constant sonic inspiration for me.  I’ve been lucky enough to track his progress since I first heard him play at Wally’s about five or six years ago.  And he comes down often so its been that much more pleasurable to experience his progress week in and week out.  I often hire him to play in my band because I love the sound of the trumpet, especially when it’s in Dave’s hands, lol!!!  If you ask me he should have been in the Monk Semis in LA in 2014.  Here’s what Dave had to say after hearing with test:

Example 1-Dave Douglas Live at R-bar

I think this may be Dave Douglas? There are points of this solo where it sounds exactly like him, but there are also other parts where he plays things not really characteristic of his playing. To me, his inflections are Dave Douglas-ish though.

Example 2-Wynton live with Freddie Hubbard NYC

I’m really unsure of who this is. There’s points where it sounds like Freddie, but that would be too obvious. It’s not, but I can’t tell who it is. This is a good example though of a trumpet player who has a similar to other trumpet players (Freddie in this case).

Example 3-Ryan Kisor Live in Japan

To me, this sounds like Lee Morgan. His feeling and time-feel and ideas all scream Lee to me (in the beginning).  However, the lines he plays about a minute into the solo start getting a Woody Shaw sound definitely.  I can’t tell.

Example 4-Tom Harrell with Johnathan Blake

This is definitely Tom Harrell. Everything about this is Tom Harrell. He’s one of my favorite players. The space he leaves, his time-feel and his sound. Also whenever he plays anything, it sounds like he’s constantly searching for something different, but still with a melodic sense.

Example 5-Keyon Harrold live in NYC

In the beginning, I thought this might have been Roy Hargrove. I really can’t tell who it may be. It sounds like a younger trumpet player. Has so much fire and some awesome, and creative ideas. I just don’t know, but I wish I could play “One Finger Snap” like that. Then end when he’s holding the long notes out, it sounds like Nicholas Payton.

Example 6-Christian Scott Live at the R-Bar

Again, I can’t really tell who this is. Again, there’s some points where they sound a bit like Roy Hargrove, but there’s also points where it doesn’t sound like Roy at all.

Example 7-Art Farmer live in NYC

I really need to listen to more trumpet players! Whoever this is has a kind of Tom Harrell vibe, but I’m really unsure who it may be. John McNeil?

Dave has a new recording out that is excellent entitled Progress Report!  Stay afloat with what’s going on in Dave by visiting his facebook page!

Blindfold Bootleg Series: Saxophonist Sharel Cassity

Multi-reedist, Venus Japan Records recording artist, and band leader Sharel (pronounced sha-REL) Cassity is a constant star on the rise on all fronts in the music scene since graduating from the Julliard School recently.  She’s performed with a laundry-list of music icons and has been inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame back in 2011.  I had the pleasure of hearing her play live for the first time several years ago at Birdland as a member of Nicholas Payton Studio TV Orchestra and recently got to play with her in Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society.  Here’s what Sharel had to  say after hearing the examples:

Example 1: Marcus Strickland live at the Regattabar Cambridge Ma 2008,

1. Marcus Strickland

After: Marcus is one of my favorite modern saxophone players. His sound is unmistakeable, he’s not afraid to play with soul, rhythm and blues; and he doesn’t need to lean on pyrotechnics or math to make music. An incredible musician who knows the history on his instrument but draws from current popular music to stay relevant and fresh.

Example 2: Myron Walden live at Fat Cat NYC (year unknown)

2. Myron Walden

After: Alto or tenor–NO ONE else plays eighth notes, sinuous phrases or screams like that on the horn! Also one of my very favorite modern musicians.

Example 3: Logan Richardson live at the Duc du Lombards Paris 2013

3. I like how this person is taking their time with developing melodic statements…but I don’t know who this is. I hear some Trane like phrases, I always love that on alto. I also feel like I’m hearing someone who has checked out a lot of Miguel Zenon or someone influenced by Greg Osby, in their sound particularly.

After: Logan!! I thought of him almost immediately because of the sound, but right away decided it was someone younger because they weren’t playing as much as I would expect from Logan. I’m used to hearing Logan play with a lot more of the rhythmic and harmonic complexities that were touched on in this clip, and also more extreme types of phrases on the horn. To my fault I haven’t heard him very much throughout the past 10 years, although he is a player that always inspired and fascinated me during my early years in school.

Example 4: Ravi Coltrane live at the Jazz Standard 2013

4. My first thought was Joe Lovano, but then I realized it wasn’t…not sure on this one but sounds great. 

After: Oh, Ravi! I got into his earlier recordings a lot and have heard him live a few times, but it’s been awhile. Loved this track.

Example 5: George Garzone live at the Museum Boston (year unknown)

5.Very familiar sound and I’m sure I’ll kick myself for not recognizing it, but I can’t put my finger on it!! Very warm and woody sound; reminds me of Trane, Wayne, even Getz at times. First to come to mind is Dayna Stephens, or maybe JD Allen in the way they are starting and ending notes and in nuance–but I can’t say.

After: Ha! I used to go hear George at the Lizard Lounge every week when I lived in Boston in 1999-2000! What an amazing player. I always regretted not taking his class later while I was at the New School, but I wasn’t ready at the time.

Example 6:  Bill McHenry Live at the Village Vanguard Nyc (year unknown)

6. Not sure who this is, but it’s hip.  Nice harmonic concept…the vibrato sounds familiar but I can’t place it.

After: Definitely someone I need to check out!

Example 7:  Tim Warfield live at Scullers (year unknown)

7. Hard to tell from this recording, but whoever it is sounds great.… A phrase at the beginning reminded me of something Stacy Dillard might play but I know it’s not him. Now it’s reminding me of Branford Marsalis, and I also feel I’m hearing some Kenny Garrett (or maybe that’s Brecker) influences.

After: I also need to check out Tim more, there are so many great players! I love it! 🙂

Please keep up with Sharel’s upcoming events at her website