Monday, February 28, 2011

Clarence Johnson: Low Down Papa

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
Before radio, before the phonograph and before the jukebox, 51I2zKLBiqL._SL500_AA300_there was the piano roll. An ingenious invention dating back to the 1890s, the piano roll was the first way in which the public could hear recorded music. Many of the major piano roll companies were in Chicago, and by the early 1920s, some of these companies were recording black musicians who had relocated to the city from the South to play in speakeasies. One of these musicians was Clarence "Jelly" Johnson, whose piano rolls from the mid-to-late 1920s appear on a new release from Delmark Records.
First, a word about the piano roll. A piano roll was and is a roll of paper with holes punched in it for use on a player piano. To 0create a roll, a pianist sits at a specially outfitted piano that operates like a musical typewriter. As the musician plays, a mechanism turns the roll while another punches tiny holes in the  paper. Later, when the roll is loaded into a special player piano, the roll turns, and when little holes on the roll pass over a special track bar, corresponding keys of the piano are depressed, as though the original musician were sitting there playing them.
Piano rolls were manufactured for home use and for use inImagesrestaurants, road houses, bars and other public places. In commercial establishments, player pianos were coin-operated, and those who recorded the rolls had to play clearly and distinctly so the reproduction would be equally pristine.
Of course, when radio came along in the 1920s, with the phonograph and record JC1130discs, these formats became much more widely distributed and popular. Radio was a single purchase that allowed for all the free music you could hear. The same was true for records, which were much more durable than piano rolls and easier to change. Besides, records didn't require a tricked-out hulking piano sitting in the living room.
One of the most prolific piano-roll Blythe_roll1recording artists was Jimmie Blythe. The Capitol Roll Company released about 200 of his piano roll recordings on its various subsidiary labels. Lesser known was Clarence Johnson. Born in Kentucky, he migrated to Chicago just before World War I.
During the war Johnson served in the Army and was wounded in Europe. Back in Chicago, he composed songs and recorded piano rolls starting in 1919. Unlike JblytheBlythe [pictured], who did not like to travel, Johnson went to New York in 1923 and recorded 78-rpms. Though his 78-rpm records are few, his piano-roll output rivaled Blythe's. Many were fox trots and waltzes, but he also was captured on rolls playing blues and stomps for Capitol's nickelodeon rolls, which were similar to piano rolls except they held multiple songs for play in public places.
At the end of the 1920s, Johnson moved to Detroit, where he died in 1933.
Clarence "Jelly" Johnson: Low Down Papa (Delmark) provides Vc17you with an inexpensive time machine. First, the 14 tracks on this album are as clear as a bell. Unlike scratchy, hissy records from the period, these rolls by Johnson merely needed to be placed on a player piano and recorded. So they sound as though Johnson and the piano are in your room. The sound really is remarkable. [Pictured: Chicago in the 1920s]
What you hear is another age, a haunting recording in its clarity.1920s-jazz-age-fashionBefore disco, rock, soul, r&b, hardbop, cool, bebop and swing, there are these recordings. The result is syncopated Chicago of the early 1920s.
On this album are Johnson playing gems such as the floralIt's All Over Now, the foot-tapping Dyin' with the Bluesand sparkly I'm Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind.
Johnson's style was precise and robust, and these recordings transport you to a place of rolling kegs, snorting horses, rubber car horns and women laughing. A remarkable recording by any measure.
Used with permission by Marc Myers

CAPE MAY JAZZ FESTIVAL AWARDED DISCOVER JERSEY ARTS 2010

CAPE MAY JAZZ FESTIVAL AWARDED DISCOVER JERSEY ARTS 2010 PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR FAVORITE MUSIC FESTIVAL IN NEW JERSEY!

For the second time in three years the Cape May Jazz Festival was awarded the Discover Jersey Arts 2010 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Music Festival in New Jersey. Over 3,000 votes were cast in the category and The Cape May Jazz Festival received over 35% of the vote.

The Cape May Jazz Festival was established in 1994 and has produced 34 highly regarded and well attended jazz festivals. The Cape May Jazz Festival is held twice a year in April and November and has grown from an initial audience of 300 attendees to over 8,000 attendees per festival. The festivals have become one of the largest and longest runningweekend jazz festivals in the State of New Jersey, and has gained National and International notoriety.

In 2011 The Cape May Jazz Festival celebrates 18 years beginning with the 35th Bank of America Cape May Jazz Festival which will be held on April 8-10, 2011. The headliners for the April festival include Kevin Eubanks (formerly of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno) and Grammy nominated Latin Jazz Great Poncho Sanchez. Tickets sales began on January 31st; online ticket sales begin on February 18th. Early bird discounts for weekend passes run from January 31st through April 7th. For more ticket and festival line-up information visit 
www.capemayjazz.org.

this superb discovery from another bassist, Hugo Carvalhais....


By Mark Corroto, published dec 14, 2010
Fans of American saxophonist Tim Berne are often inclined to seek out his latest recordings. Two 2010 sessions finds him as a sideman—bassist Michael Formanek's The Rub And The Spare Change (ECM), and this superb discovery from another bassist, Hugo Carvalhais.

The Portuguese bassist composed all the music, played by Berne and fellow countrymen Gabriel Pinto (piano) and Mário Costa (drums). With Berne and his distinctive alto, it might be assumed that the focus would shift towards the Portuguese's American guest, but that would be a mistake. The very fluid compositions and flexible, ever-shifting music of this talented trio is, indeed, the highlight of Nebulosa.

Nebulosa dabbles in the jazz tradition, except the conventions exercised are those of an experimenting Herbie Hancock or early Weather Report. Like Hancock and Joe Zawinul, Pinto's acoustic piano is supplemented by Synthesizer, while Carvalhais also dabbles with some electronics. Also, similar to Berne's Hard Cell and Science Friction bands, this is not fusion, but an amalgamation of electronics with tradition.

The proof is in tracks like "Nebulosa Part V," a ruminating jazz piano trio piece, sans Berne, anchored by a slow bass groove that allows the piano and drums to test out different energy systems, all supplemented by some subtle synthesizer subtext of pings and echoes—none of which detract from the piece.

This acoustic use of electronics makes the players the focal point. The distinctive sound of Berne's alto, makes it an even better mixture. His pointed jabs, stabs and note thrusts correspond well, and add enough pigment to finish Carvalhais' pieces.





Hugo Carvalhais - doublebass
Mário Costa - drums
Gabriel Pinto - piano and synth
Emile Parisien - soprano sax

Be Part of the Doris Day Birthday Tribute 2011 Hosted by Baltimore Net Radio



Join streaming live from http://www.baltimorenetradio.com for the celebration of Miss Doris Day's birthday! Beginning at 3pm NYT, Baltimore Net Radio will stream another tribute to the legendary Miss Dorirs Day...the beautiful actress now Icon, songbird with THE most beautiful voice that ever graced this earth...and animal welfare advocate/CHAMPION. Tune in to celebrate with us and remember that you can call in to leave a Birthday message for Doris Day: US callers can call toll free - 877-577-2630 Option 6; International callers: 540-288-4001 Option 6. (Messages will be aired as time permits.) You may also send an e-mail that will be read during ute to: doris@baltimorenetradio.com

Jumpin Jive - Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sammy Nestico: Fun Time & More

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
Nobody swings like Sammy Nestico. The 87-year-old arrangerImages-2knows how to get the heel of your foot bouncing and hands clapping without you even realizing they're moving. It just sort of happens, especially if you dig big bands. Sammy is old school, so his swingers build and build and build. The whole point, Sammy says, is to drive the listener wild, and Sammy always succeeds. Between 1968 and 1983, he was the pen on 10 Count Basie albums, four of which won Grammys. I just received his latest release, Fun Time and More Live: Sammy Nestico and the SWR Big Band. It's so good I was moved to give Sammy a call last evening. More with Sammy in a moment.
I first discovered Sammy in the mid-1970s, when my high school big band ordered a package of arrangements from Images-4Sammy's company. Back then, Sammy always included a black floppy vinyl record with a pro band playing the songs, so you could hear how they were supposed to sound. I still have the disc. Sammy has published 600 tunes and thousands of arrangements, and the chart craftsmanship on his new live album is remarkable.
Fun Time and More is a concert reading of compositions that Sammy and Germany's SWR Big Band recorded in the studio over the 515eqjDQ5IL._SL500_AA280_past few years. Surprisingly, the band takes each song at a perfect pace. Which is unusual for a live album. As you know, live recordings tend to be rushed, often due to stage nerves, and they lose something in the process. Not so here. This live album is as cool as can be. I only wish I could hear the SWR Big Band playing Sammy's arrangements at New York's Village Vanguard, Birdland or the Blue Note.
Speaking with Sammy by phone is like talking to the Santa Claus of jazz. Sammy is so full of life and laughter—and his passion for swinging hard knows no bounds:
"You like the album? I'm so glad. I haven't even heard it yet. I'm recording another one soon at the Capitol Tower in Images-1Hollywood with my favorite studio musicians. The arrangements will be all standards. I have 10 of them done. I just need two more, and we'll be ready to go.
"On Fun Time and More, I think my favorite tune is Blue Samuel. I took the chord changes from Frank Rosolino's Blue Daniel, like Dizzy [Gillespie] used to do basing new songs on the chord changes of older ones. The chords on my tune are nice and the progression is real good, don't you think?
"I also like my arrangement of Johnny Mandel's Not Really Imagesthe Blues, which he wrote originally for Woody Herman. I first took on that tune back in 1993, when trombonist Bill Watrous was recording an album of Johnny Mandel songs. Johnny had sent me the lead sheet, and I loved every bar of it. The energy just won't quit. I redid my arrangement of his song for the SWR Big Band, and it came out great.
"Whenever I write a tune and arrange it, I first sit in my home and work out both on my piano. After, I record myself playing it on the piano and load the result onto my iPod. Then when I take my walk each day around the circle in our neighborhood, I fine-tune the song here and there. I call the process 'surgery.' "
Johnny Mandel by Marc Myers:JazzWax.comWhen I let Johnny Mandel know about Sammy's new album over the weekend and how he reworked Not Really the Blues, Johnny was excited but not surprised that Sammy had done a masterful job: "Of course he did. He's one of us." [Photo of Johnny Mandel by Marc Myers]
JazzWax tracks: You can sample Fun Time and More Live: 515eqjDQ5IL._SL500_AA280_Sammy Nestico and the SWR Big Band at iTunes andhere.
JazzWax note: For my two-part interview with Sammy, gohere.
JaxzzWax clip: Here's the SWR Big Band in 2009 playingBlue Samuel..
Used with permission by Marc Myers

Chatanooga choo choo

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Nicole Henry Debuts at Feinstein's - Sunday, March 6



NICOLE HENRY DEBUTS AT FEINSTEIN’S AT LOEWS REGENCY
SUNDAY, MARCH 6

Soulful songstress to showcase selections from her upcoming fourth CD release
 EMBRACEABLE

On Sunday, March 6 at 8:30 pm, vocalist Nicole Henry will perform at renowned Feinstein’s at Loews Regency in New York City, showcasing songs from the Great American Songbook, along with a preview of selections from her upcoming ArtistShare CD release Embraceable.  This marks Nicole’s debut at Michael Feinstein’s NYC club, and she recently shared the stage with Feinstein at the Jazz Roots “American Songbook” concert at the Dallas AT&T Performing Arts Center.

Sophisticated, soulful and fun, Nicole Henry has won praise from both critics and fans worldwide for her powerful ability to move and inspire audiences with her beautiful voice and stunning presence.

Nicole’s 2008 CD release, The Very Thought of You reached #7 on the U.S. Billboard Jazz Chart, and throughout 2009 and 2010, Nicole’s NYC monthly performances in front of sold-out audiences at Chelsea’s Metropolitan Room led to rave reviews and the honor of the “2010 BISTRO Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocalist.“

“She phrases songs with a freewheeling sense of play that never loses sight of the subject at hand. At the same time she holds back the force of her tart-timbered voice until the right dramatic moment to unleash its considerable power.”  -  Stephen Holden, New York Times

“Henry aims right for the emotional center…one comes away believing that Henry is a jazz vocalist poised on the cusp of bigger things.”  - Philip Van Vleck, Billboard

“(Henry) can sell a power ballad as well as Whitney, Diana and Patti.”  Jazz Times

“Nicole Henry holds an audience in the palm of her hand. Her energy and passion make her one of the most impressive live performers to personalize the great American Songbook. Stunning!”  The Japan Times

Nicole’s June 2011 ArtistShare CD release Embraceable marks a significant step in the vocalist’s career, as she embraces soulful, contemporary original material while continuing to interpret the best of American popular song. Featuring the likes of saxophonist Kirk Whalum and pianist Gerald Clayton, plus 4-time Grammy-winning arranger Gil Goldstein, and helmed by Grammy-nominated producer Matt Pierson, the project is sure bring Henry’s sophisticated, passionate and soulful voice to a much wider audience.

Hear Nicole Henry at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, 540 Park Avenue (at 61st Street) on Sunday, March 6 at 8:30 pm.  Tickets may be purchased atTicketweb.com.  For further information, please call Feinstein’s at (212) 339-4095.

From: Jazz Promo Services
Press Contact: Jim Eigo, jazzpromo@earthlink.net
http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/

Monday, February 21, 2011

Learning to cope with jazz standards (Part 1)

 by Minim Pro
I have a few private piano students at the moment at various intermediate levels of playing who are working on building effective solos. Interestingly enough, as you teach more students, you see the same difficultes being encountered time and again. It would seem that the same issues pose difficulties for many people.
unhappy
Based on these students and others like them, over the next few weeks, I'll be looking at some of the most common problems that I see in my own students and offering some hints and tips that may be of interest if you're also learning to blow. Here's something I see many students struggle with as they develop:

Learning to Cope

When I was first learning to read lead sheets and play standards, a friend of mine told me that 'learning to cope' was the most important thing to be able to do. By this he meant that you should be able to play through the chart from the top to the bottom without getting lost and making the appropriate changes.
Being able to 'cope' i.e. to hold your place in the form and stay in tune sounds like a very basic requirement. In a way it is, but the day that you can do this consistently is the day that you have taken a big step forward as a player. There are many intermediate players out there who are starting to get some reasonable chops together but reguarly find themselves getting lost in standard song forms.
where are youIt's no use being able to play hip phrases, fast runs and cool licks if their execution takes that much concentration that you lose your place. Instead, holding the form and knowing where you are in the tune should be your primary concern.
This is the most important skill to master if you don't have it. Regardless of where your playing is right now, I promise you that if you regularly get lost in tunes, this is the most important thing for you to work on right now.
Whilst you are learning to do this, the notes that you're actually playing don't really make much difference. Make the changes if you can, but always make keeping your place the primary concern.
Many players get lost when they are more concerned about the line they are playing than where they are in the form. Switch your priorities and determine that you're not going to get lost - even if that means you can only play chord tones or the first three notes of each scale.
The easiest way to concentrate on the form is simply to play less and allow yourself to listen to what's going on around you. It's much better to play 2 notes and be ready to make the next change than attempt a long line which leaves you lost.
Holding the form and keeping your place in a tune might be a basic requirement, but that doesn't mean it's automatically easy to do and it can take a lot of work just to get to this stage. Make this your primary concern in the woodshed and don't worry about anything else until you are there.
jazzjamThe beauty of being able to keep your place on tunes is that it allows you to play with other people. Other musicians don't mind if someone still learning gets up at a jam night and plays a solo that's not so hot as long as they they start and stop in the right place. However, they will get irritated with somebody who comes in too early and truncates other solos or rambles on too long and leaves somebody else to pick it up halfway through a chorus - and they won't be keen on letting that person play with them in the future.
I can't overstate the importance of this. Learn to hold your place in the form. Until you can do this, anything and everything else you can do is of no use to your fellow musicians - or to a listener for that matter.
So what can you do in the practice room learn to keep your place? One way is to listen to recordings of standards with the chart in front of you. Follow the changes through the solos and make sure that you know where you are in the form. Get used to hearing the natural 4/8/16 bars sections that are the building blocks for the majority of standards. Listen to the way the drummer will often signify the end or start of a section with a fill and/or cymbal crashes.
This is easy enough whilst the head is playing but gets a little trickier when the blowing starts. Don't be daunted - just focus on listen to the chords the bass and piano/guitar are playing underneath the soloist and sing the melody of the song in your head.
Keep your ears open for any obvious key changes that will let you know where you are if you get a bit lost. For example, many standards are in AABA form and feature big key changes at the bridge. Being able to pick these out can get you back on track if you're not sure where you are.
key-changeA few examples of tunes off the top of my head with very obvious-sounding key changes at the bridge are:
  • Moonlight in Vermont
  • I'm Old Fashioned
  • The Way You Look Tonight
  • A Nightingale Sang In Berkely Square
  • Misty
  • Girl From Ipanema
There are hundreds of these and they're good places to start. See how long you can keep your place in the form once the head ends and the solos start. If you get lost, don't panic but listen out for the things I've mention above and see if you can find your place again. If not, don't worry, simply spin the recording back to the beginning of the solo choruses and start again.
Think about it like this, if you can't keep your place when you're not playing anything then you have zero chance of doing it when you're trying to play as well. That nagging little voice in your head may be telling you that if you're not actually playing your instrument then you're not really practising. It's wrong. Spending time on this exercise is probably more useful than playing anything if you're regularly getting lost on tunes.
Give it a go and see how it works for you. Knowing where you are in a tune at any one time is half the battle and next time we'll look at some ways to deal with the other side of coping - making the changes. Until then, good luck - and don't get lost!

Nancy Wilson recorded with the George Shearing Quintet

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

I am particularly fond of The Swingin's Mutual, the album that Screen shot 2011-02-17 at 8.31.11 PMsinger Nancy Wilson recorded with the George Shearing Quintet in June 1960. Her six tracks with Shearing represented a crisscrossing over at the time for both artists. For Nancy, being accompanied by just Shearing's group rather than a big orchestra created a special intimacy that allowed listeners to hear just how special her voice was. As for Shearing, he was able to show off a more soulful feel within the confines of the quintet's sound, which by 1960 had become quasi easy listening.
A good example is My Gentleman Friend, my personal favorite from the album. 51t-9Wvv5lL._SL500_AA280_The Shearing quintet exhibits its trademark, ice cubes dropped into a crystal glass sound. But this isn't stickySatin Affair fare. Shearing brings enormous soul forward as Nancy swings with kittenish abandon. Highly sophisticated stuff within its tasteful simplicity.
On Wednesday, I had a chance to speak with Nancy about Shearing and The Swingin's Mutual. Here's what she told me:
"The Swingin’s Mutual was recorded because GeorgeScreen shot 2011-02-17 at 8.38.58 PMShearing and I were both represented by talent manager John Levy. We also were on the same label—Capitol. John thought it would be a great idea, and he was right. [Photo of Nancy Wilson atThe Swingin's Mutual session in 1960 by John Levy]
"I don’t remember when and where I first met George. It was probably in 1959. We had Screen shot 2011-02-17 at 8.38.21 PMperformed together that year at New York's Basin Street East. That was a great place to play. It was a jazz supper club rather than just another jazz club. [Photo of George Shearing and Nancy Wilson at the Capitol Tower by John Levy]

"When we decided to record the album in 1960, George and I sat down and talked about the type of material we’d record. Then we picked out the
41NH14r0a0L._SL500_AA280_songs. There was no specific strategy to having me record only six songs and for George to record six with just the quintet. We used the same six-and-six format on Nancy Wilson with Cannonball Adderley,which we recorded a year later in 1961.

"I suppose it was set up that way so the album could sell in both of our record bins. Buyers who wanted the instrumentals would have them, and the different audiences would be exposed to each of us.

"The photo on the cover? I believe those images were taken at separate times and then they joined the pictures together 
Screen shot 2011-02-17 at 8.43.39 PMto make it seem as though we were sitting back to back. In fact, I'm sure of it. I owned an orange dress, so I didn’t have to buy one for the photo shoot. But I didn’t have orange shoes so I had to dye a pair.

"After The Swingin’s Mutual came 
Screen shot 2011-02-17 at 8.38.31 PMout, everyone loved it. So did I. George and I toured for a time and performed concerts together. We’d appear separately at the clubs but then come out and do songs together. [Photo of Nancy Wilson in the vocal booth at The Swingin's Mutual session by John Levy]

"George was a joy. He had a light touch and was...I guess the word would be tasty. There also was a little humor in the 
Screen shot 2011-02-17 at 8.30.01 PMmusic every now and then, too.
"As a singer, you’re always listening to the piano. To sing accompanied by the Shearing sound really was wonderful. His style encompassed and surrounded my voice beautifully. He knew what to play and when. He’d always embellish, and the result made you sound even better.

"Of course, let’s not forget his beautiful chord structure. These are all the things you’re listening to as a singer for excitement and inspiration.

"George had a humorous and odd wit. He could come up 
Shearing-1with some really odd things when he was on the microphone. He told jokes that weren’t really funny in the traditional sense. But he meant well so you just had to love him and his sense of humor.

"As good as The Swingin’s Mutual was, I loved what George did onHello Young Lovers,which 
Nancywc4I recorded in 1962. Most people aren't aware that George wrote all the string arrangements for the album. I heard them for the first time when the orchestra played them down in the studio at the Capitol Tower in Los Angeles. There’s such grandeur and sweep to that album, I love it.

"Swingin' came along just at the right time. It broadened my
Screen shot 2011-02-17 at 8.50.32 PMaudience and took George out of jazz and put him in my thing, which he liked. Interestingly, we both needed that type of album. My style was and is pop of the day. I’m now called a jazz singer, which makes me laugh. I’m a song stylist who sings show tunes, Broadway and contemporary hits. That's who I am. Swingin' gave me a pop-jazz feel and it gave George a jazz-pop feel.

"The Swingin’s Mutual was a breakthrough for me, commercially. It raised my profile and showed off my versatility. The album that I recorded with Cannonball [Adderley] in New York did even more for my career in terms of my being taken more seriously by jazz and pop listeners.

"George was always about the ears. I remember there was a party for George in 1999 at Carnegie Hall to celebrate his 
Shearing_1826011b80th birthday. We were in a studio rehearsing, and he played the songs from our album note for note, just as he played them on the record. I had never known anything like that. To sit down and play exactly what you had played on an album from so many years ago. Well, it blew my mind. But that was George."
JazzWax tracks: Nancy Wilson and George Shearing's The51t-9Wvv5lL._SL500_AA280_Swingin's Mutual is available at iTunes or hereNancy Wilson with Cannonball Adderley is available at iTunes or here. Nancy Wilson's Hello Young Lovers, arranged by Shearing, has not been reissued, although some tracks appear on compilations.
JazzWax note: The quintet onThe Swingin's Mutual featured Shearing on piano, Eddie Costa on vibes, Dick Garcia on guitar, George Duvivier on bass and Walter Bolden on drums.
JazzWax clip: Here's Nancy Wilson and George Shearing on My Gentleman Friend. Dig Shearing's halting, tumbling intro arrangement. Then dig Shearing's soulful solo on the break before being joined by the quintet's synchronized lines. And catch Shearing's hinting of Horace Silver's Ecaroh riff on the repeated outro...
Used with permission by Marc Myers

Thanks for letting us rekindle Esperanza Hope!

Written By Vagner Pitta
In 1983, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who was then 22 years, has stunned the world with his talent by being the first artist - and the only one so far - to win two Grammy statuettes in different genres: one for best soloist jazz, through their modern and stunning improvisations on the album Think of One, and one of the best soloist of classical music, see his first album as a concert next to the conductor Raymond Leppard and the National Philharmonic Orchestra - was finally the beginning of his career one of the most amazing musicians of all time, a major American composers, a personality that was primarily responsible for the phenomenon known as "Rebirth of Jazz" before the role of the new "pop culture" in the 80 and 90.

After 28 years, now in 2011 - when jazz is already very reestablished as an art form and contemporary living - the creative singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding, 26, also just to amaze the world by being the first jazz musician to win the Grammy statuette for Best New Artist (Best New Artist) - and the event was a surprise because, beyond being the first name in jazz history to win this category, despite being completely unknown in the pop world and Grammy's glamorous, it has displaced at least nobody that famed singer Justin Bieber teen who once considered the favorite single by media speculation and market, now had to be satisfied with the assurances of his fans around the world supporting him.

That is, from time to time one of these awards media surprised the world by deciding to do justice for only the talent, renewal, innovation and criavidade in music as art, leaving aside the hype, deception by the attitudes and poses exhibitionists , song for dance entertainment, and all other pastiches of pop, that these elements, especially in this genre, leaving the musical creativity in the last plan and profit in the first commercial.

But okay, guys ... admit that the art has already been standardized by the media and the market as something for a few, that is not today that entertainment is necessarily mass-produced, something that has become necessary for mankind capitalism: pop accurate, yes, cute guys and girls and hipsters - so even as Justin Bieber - boys and fashions that inspire sensuality, and the youth needs a soundtrack to sing, dance and have sex, you know it ?! 

But what they never could have happened in history is exacerbated this imbalance, the fact of the music entertainment dominate 80% of space in the media and art market, while the forms of music that really value the art are the slices with the remaining 20% - and still think I am being somewhat optimistic in this my hypothetical estimate, since, if it even is, here in Brazil the percentage in favor of entertainment music reaches 90%, while others appreciate the aesthetics of music that for one song more developed, such as BPM, classical music and instrumental music, end up dividing the remaining 10% ... that is, the fact is that we are not yet a rich country and not a rich country, we are a developing country that buries our own culture and entertainment will import the music from the U.S. and Europe, which means also that we are a country even poorer when it comes to education and cultural dissemination.

Bringing therefore critical to the situation of Brazil in terms of culture, it is necessary to throw open the classical music, jazz - instrumental music as a whole - are somewhat elitist here, that's because they are own, the powerful institutions and media companies and marketing, who despise the sidelined and become elitist, while channels of media releases a massive scale American pop for the whole population, seeking only profits and trample his duty to take art and culture to people - and of course making up the national artists are compelled to copy the formulas of international pop success, since they themselves are its producers, financiers and sponsors - talented and creative artists linked to MPB and instrumental music have to be content with that tiny audience of people running behind the art on its own - and nobody needs to be a sociologist to see that this tiny audience is generally composed of a small part of the elite (class middle and upper class) who received enough education to become able to buy not just information, but to differentiate between art and entertainment to pay dearly for it:

that is, apart from the case when the government (via SESC, SESI, CCSP , and Jazz Festival Everything's etc) funds tours of jazz musicians, for example, not all Brazilian citizens can take $ 50, $ 80, $ 120 or $ 200 of their salary to the performance of a prestige Esperanza Spalding , a Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis or a Keith Jarrett on the big stage private, read CitiBank Hall Credicard Hall and all these "halls" chiquérrimos large companies and banks settle in cities to use as marketing and merchandising.

It is one thing: the U.S., neighborhoods and streets of major cities are still home to jazz clubs and alternative spaces for musical performances where many of the greatest jazz improvisers and present themselves every day, in Brazil, the number of bars and spaces that value jazz and instrumental music is pathetic, and the Brazilian musician who wants a dedicated aprecisar has to wait one calendar year and still pay an amount that does not match their economic situation.

But back to the 2011 Grammy, the controversial award of Esperanza Spalding before the favoritism of teen singer Justin Bieber only confirmed how much media and market hypnotizes and "uninformed" youth with the view that to be an acclaimed artist he should be, necessarily famous as Justin Bieber and controversial as Amy Winehouse - no matter if he is both talented and creative, no matter if their work has artistic value, what matters is whether he is in the media every day, because that sells magazine and newspaper are picky and not the music itself! There were so many jazz musicians have already been chosen for Best New Artist award and the Esperanza was not then a surprise, much less a fact histories and controversial:

sometimes, just to measure the size of controversy here, is must remember that fans of Justin Bieber defended not only the supposed merit of his idol - as would be right - but began firing numerous insults against the jazz singer by social networks - read Twitter, Orkut, and Facebook others - and coming to invade her profile on Wikipedia to denigrate it with epithets like "Justin Bieber deserved, go die in a hole.


Who are you anyway?"In fact, it's been a while since Esperanza Spalding is not fully known - as well as so-called "divas" of jazz, such as veterans Diana Krall and Cassandra Wilson, who has considerable fame and floodlights and traffic in the columns of leading newspapers , magazines and TV channels - because it's from their second album, the eponymous "Esperanza" (Heads Up, 2008), it follows very closely related in the U.S. media, was not that "misinformation" of people - mainly youth - which is something outrageously appalling (!), this little people of teenagers who taunted him would have considered, for example, that in recent years she has been invited regularmante a shovel famous TV shows such as The Late Show (David Letterman, on CBS) and Jimmy Kimmel Live (Jimmy Kimmel on ABC), and has participated in a show celebrating the delivery of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama being asked a second time to play in the House White in a recent conclusion that the president made the American arts.

But anyway ... although the American jazz singers have this traditional opportunity to become famous and earn more money than your friends instrumentalists, Esperanza Spalding has moved toward fame in a very sincere, authentic and original than their compatriots: unlike the mobility and eclecticism of jazz and pop that means "soft" since the style of a Diana Krall, she is a true jazz musician and composer who promotes only its own repertoire and style, ignoring the tempting possibility to include alien material, doing covers of pop songs or seasoned standards to promote themselves and / or to reach a wider audience - not to mention their songs, sprinkled with influences of soul, pop and Brazilian music, mainly jazz are acoustically well-instrumented, well-tuned with grooves, improvisation and the garb of "modern post-bop" today, this "new" jazz is happening in this new century, that is, if it does not expressly say in words, she makes it clear that the sound it makes is jazz, period.

His latest album, Chamber Music Society (Heads Up, 2010) - who curiously was not nominated in any of the Grammy categories - is even more original and daring than its predecessor: an exquisite work of composition and arrangement with vocal scats and string quartet. For all these reasons and more, thanks for showing the world Esperanza, the Grammys 2011, the value of a musician's talent and value of this true American art form "that is jazz!

Thanks for letting us rekindle Esperanza Hope: his victory was a message to the media market and adding more value to the musician's talent and, perhaps, this will not help change this mindset that only the poor and famous pop artist has the right to be acclaimed, regardless of whether he has established an education or not!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Interview: Marjorie Hyams

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com 
The George Shearing Quintet's "sound" was hugely dependent MargieHyamson the musical hand-holding of the piano and vibes. All of the instruments in the late pianist's quintet were vital, of course. But it was the block chords of the piano tempered by the daintiness of the vibes that both excited and charmed listeners. In the original George Shearing Quintet of 1949, those vibes belonged to Marjorie Hyams.

Margie, as she likes to be called by friends, and bassist John Levy are the only surviving members of Shearing's first highly successful bop-over-easy ensemble. Many people aren't aware Imagesthat Margie, prior to joining Shearing, was a member of Woody Herman's First Herd band for two years in the mid-'40s, recording with the orchestra and with Mary Lou Williams and Charlie Ventura before joining Shearing's famed group in late 1948. She also helped arrange much of the Shearing quintet's early material.
In a rare interview earlier this week, Margie, 90, spoke about growing up in New York, the mean trick Hermanites played on her, recording in a pre-Shearing quintet with Mary Lou Williams, why Charlie Ventura's sound wasn't her cup of tea, and how she was able to arrange so much of the Shearing sound so quickly:
JazzWax: Where did you grow up?
Marjorie Hyams: In Jamaica, Queens. My brother Mark 2268840838_fab570c26fwas a pianist who eventually played with quite a few big bands but never got the recognition he deserved. Probably the best-known band was Will Hudson’s, starting in the mid-‘30s. He also recorded with Spud Murphy’s band in the late ‘30s. He married L'ana Webster, a famous female saxophonist and bandleader. Until Mark died a couple of years ago, we talked weekly to each other about music.


JW: When did you start playing piano?
MH: When I was 6. My brother was two years older than me and already playing and I followed in his footsteps. My father was a sometime trumpet player but he wasn’t active. He was involved in some kind of band music at the time. I remember him practicing.  I also had a sister, but she died very young.


JW: How did you come to jazz?
MH: I just loved it from the beginning. I also loved classical, but the turning point for me came when I heard Art Tatum. I Images-1had never heard anything like that. The other turning point was when I first heard Igor Stravinsky. His music was very exciting and inspirational. That was the sound I was looking for. I loved classical music but it didn’t give me the satisfaction that Tatum and Stravinsky did.


JW: When did you start playing piano professionally?
MH: In the early 1940s. I started with a quintet of youngImages-2musicians that had a program on NBC radio. We did a lot of folk music, pop, college anthems—you name it. But they already had a great pianist, so they dragged in a vibraphone and asked me to play just background notes and arpeggios.


JW: Had you played the vibes before?
MH: No, never. All of my studies had been on the piano, and I didn’t know how to play the vibes when I picked up the mallets that day. Unlike most vibraphonists, I didn’t come to the instrument from the drums. I was a piano player. So I approached it as though I was playing a keyboard. It just came to me. We toured mostly in East Coast clubs, from New Orleans to Boston.


JW: How did you meet Woody Herman?
MH: I was playing in Atlantic City on the boardwalk in 1944. Renault Wineries had a shop there that sold pink Renaultwinechampagne. I had always worked at Frank Palumbo’s Click Club in Philadelphia. In the summer, I worked in Atlantic City. Woody was playing the Steel Pier with his band. He came in to hear me at a nearby club where I was playing piano, vibes, singing and writing arrangements. He liked what he heard and kept coming back. Finally he offered me a job.


JW: What did your club band think?
MH: I had a conference with my men and asked if they would be mad if I left. They were all local guys who knew they would pick up work pretty fast. They encouraged me to take the job.


JW: What did you think?
MH: I was so excited. This was during the war, when bandsImages-3were losing a lot of guys to the draft, so guys like Woody were constantly looking for people to take over the empty chairs. I just loved Woody. He was a great, sweet guy. He was extremely open-minded. He had no preconceived notions about anything.


JW: How did the band treat you?
MH: Well, that was a different matter [laughs].  It wasn’t all terrific with Woody. He gave people free reign, so he didn’t really know there was sort of sexism going on. There were guys in the band who really helped me and were supportive and wanted me to succeed. But there were others who went out of their way to make things hard.


JW: Like what?
MH: Guys would do mean things, petty things, that wouldImages-4impinge upon my ability to perform. For example, they’d move my vibes to a place on the stage that wasn’t easily accessible or where I wouldn’t be seen. Really dumb stuff. That now seems so silly.


JW: Did you leave Herman in 1946 to join Mary Lou Williams?
MH: No, I recorded with her while I was with Woody. I’ve alwaysImages-5arranged for quartets or singing groups, putting together hooks. Leonard Feather suggested we record those sides. Mary Lou was wonderful. We had a lot of fun and respect for each other. She had a terrific sense of humor and camaraderie. As a female jazz musician, it was good to play with women who knew what you were about.


JW: Did Williams have a strong personality?
MH: Yes. She always commanded a lot of power. She already led a couple of major bands, so she didn’t have as Images-6much trouble as I did with the guys. At that point in time, I was making my way and she had already made it. She also was very important as an artist. She was very well respected.


JW: Whose idea was it to use piano, vibes, guitar, bass and drums?
MH: That was Leonard’s doing. He had this thing about a sound he heard in his head. He thought that by using that quintet set up, he’d get a big band sound on a budget.


JW: Feather isn’t really given enough credit.
MH: That’s true. He was really something else. He always Images-7had great ideas and he was very generous with me. I lived in Greenwich Village at the time and he lived there as well with his wife Jane. So I was over their place often. He never held me back when I wanted to do something else, and he was always there when I wanted to do something and add an idea.


JW: He played an important role in the development of bebop.
MH: Yes, he did. He was always looking at ways to promote it, create new sounds using it as a base, and raising the Images-8music’s visibility. When I first moved out to California when my first husband died, I was tired of the cold Chicago weather. I got together with Leonard and went to dinner at his house. I remember bringing records and telling him who he should be listening to. Can you imagine, I was telling Leonard who to listen to? My favorite at the time was vibist Bobby Hutcherson. Sure enough, in one of his columns, he gave Bobby a nice review. He really listened to me.


JW: In 1946 and 1947, you were with Charlie Ventura. How was that?
MH: It was OK. Neal Hefti and I wrote the book for the Ventura band. As good as Charlie was, I never liked his sound much.


JW: Why not?
MH: It was too big and didn’t float. It was cumbersome. I Images-10didn’t really have a happy time in that band. He was an odd guy. I think he was beholden to some people. I don’t think he had free reign to do what he wished. Those people had an agenda for him. I don’t think he was his own man for a while and I don’t think he was happy about that.


JW: How did you wind up in the original George Shearing Quintet?
MH: By 1948, no recording was being done because of the second musicians’ ban. I was playing solo piano and Images-11singing  at a club in the Village. I can’t remember the club’s name. I wasn’t making it the way I had wanted to, probably because I didn’t have a gimmick that would attract people. I didn’t wear ball gowns, cocktail dresses and other costumes female jazz artists wore then. I was silly enough to think that the music was enough. I guess I was kind of arrogant to think that I could make it just on the music.


JW: What kind of music were you playing?
MH: Show tunes, pop tunes. I sang a lot of American songbook things but I went beyond that. I liked to find songs that were a little esoteric and that people didn’t know about.


JW: What changed?
MH: One night, on one of my breaks, Leonard came up to Feather2me. We chatted and he said, “How would you like to go with George Shearing?” I said, “Let me think about it…” [laughs]. No I didn’t. I jumped at the chance right away. Wow, George Shearing. Leonard knew I could play vibes.


JW: Did you already know Shearing?
MH: Yes. When he first came over from England in 1946, I was playing on 52nd Street at the Three Deuces. George would make the rounds to the various clubs. He was living with pianist Lennie Tristano for a while. Lennie was a good friend of my brother and our paths crossed.


JW: Did Shearing handpick the group?
MH: I don’t think so. He knew me and had been playing with John [Levy] and Denzil [Best]. We all had big ears. George had the best ears of all, though.


JW: How good was Shearing’s hearing?
MH: Oh, amazing. I was playing at the Hickory House in Images-121946 or 1947 with a trio—Mundell Lowe was on guitar, I was on vibes and there was a bass player. Leonard brought George in. When they arrived, we were playing an original boppish song that was fairly intricate and nice. Leonard asked if George could sit in. I said sure and asked George what he wanted to play.


JW: What did he say?
MH: George said let’s play that song you just played. I asked him if he was sure. George said, “Absolutely.” So we did it. After hearing that song just once, George did it. We were all blown away.


JW: When the quintet started rehearsing in late ’48, how did it work?
MH: Fortunately I had Buddy DeFranco’s book of songs to start with and transposed his arrangements. What a gorgeous player Buddy was. George and Buddy and Screen shot 2011-02-16 at 7.43.28 PMJohn and Denzil had all been playing together just before the quintet was formed. Buddy had written out the charts to the songs they had played while they gigged and had given them to George when he left the group. George gave the book to me. Then going forward, whenever George came in with a song, we’d work on it as a group to give it the same sound. When I left George in 1951, I wrote a whole book of arrangements of our songs and passed it on to Don Elliott, who replaced me.


JW: Did members of the George Shearing Quintet realize how good you sounded right away?
MH: Oh yes. George may have had a plan for that group WayneSavoyand we fell in with it. But I remember we’d talk about what octave I should play and where Chuck [Wayne] should be. It sort of just came collaboratively. It wasn’t something that was carefully planned out. That’s what George liked about us. We felt it and got it right.


JW: Did you have a hard time on the road in an interracial group that also featured a woman?
MH: People would constantly make me aware of that. What really got people is when George played solo piano and I Screen shot 2011-02-16 at 7.51.23 PMsat down on Denzil’s [pictured] drum case with him. People would say, “How can you do that?” Those kinds of comments were disgusting.


JW: Did George ever talk about the racial tension?
MH: George and I talked about it a few times. The group used to kid George and tell him he was black. He’d pick up on that and tell people he had three black guys in the group, a white guy and a woman. George loved our humor.


JW: Where did you play on the road?
MH: Most of the clubs were simpatico with interracial groups. Most jazz clubs were used to seeing black and white musicians playing together. The extra ingredient was a white woman.


JW: What did you think?
MH: I always viewed myself as a musician. I never had the1d35afdf-85de-4d8b-b629-b209f986845asense that I had to seem like a seductress. I was allowed to be me. That was the nicest part of everything. I didn’t have to play a part. I was just one of the musicians. Being blind, George had no conception of anything beyond the music. Nothing else mattered. Of course, he was aware of what was going on and how unjust it was. In his group, it didn't matter.


JW: Did you enjoy playing the quintet’s book?
MH: Yes, we looked forward to playing every night.


JW: All of the songs?
MH: Well, we did get a little bored with September in the Rain. But it was one of the biggest selling singles of 1949. Screen shot 2011-02-16 at 7.57.30 PMDo you know, we recorded that in one take and it sold 1 million copies. One take, can you imagine?


JW: How did it feel to be a jazz star?
MH: I don’t know that I’d go that far. But I did meet a lot of great musicians through George.


JW: Like who?
MH: Miles Davis. Miles was amazing. He was younger than Images-14I was and as sweet as they come. As eccentric as he was as he got older, he was that sweet when he was younger.


JW: Give me an example?
MH: Back in 1944 I had recorded in a small group that Woody had with musicians from the Screen shot 2011-02-16 at 6.56.57 PMband—Flip Phillips’ Fliptet. I had an 8-bar solo on one of the records. Well, when I met Miles, he told me how much he enjoyed my line and sang it for me. I couldn’t believe he had remembered it. We formed a friendship from then on.


JW: Did you see him in later years?
MH: Yes. When he was being difficult in his later years, my husband and I in Chicago wanted to go down to The Sutherland Lounge to hear him and John Coltrane. Musician friends warned me not to expect much and said he doesn’t talk much.


JW: Did you go?
MH: Yes. As we were making our way to our table, the bar Daviswas jammed. As we passed the bar, I got very close to Miles to get to our table. I whispered in his ear, "Does the name Margie Hyams mean anything?”


JW: What happened?
MH: His whole face lit up. He kissed me and hugged my husband, and we talked for some time. John Coltrane was my favorite of all, though. And Bill Evans. I met Bill when he was playing in Evanston, Illinois, in the early '60s. On his break, I went in the back to talk to him. I knew he was on stuff and it wasn’t as warm a meeting as I would have liked.


JW: What happened?
MH: I just wanted to tell him what I thought of him. He knew who I was but was a little cold. I did amuse him, though. I had had an old turntable Images-15and used to transcribe music off it. When I first heard Waltz for Debby, I really loved it. But I didn’t realize how off my turntable was. I told him I had gotten the song down and that it was in the key of E. He corrected me: it’s in the key of F [laughs].


JW: Why did you leave the George Shearing Quintet in ‘51?
MH: I got married, and my husband lived in Chicago. George was going to go on a world tour and I didn’t want to go. My daughter recently said to me that I gave up a lot by Images-16leaving the group, but I don’t think so. I always used to kid Leonard. He used to say in print that I had retired after I married. But that wasn’t true. From 1951 to until 1970 I played and taught and arranged in Chicago. I said to him, “Boy you’re strict. If I’m not playing with George, then I must be retired” [laughs].
JazzWax tracks: To sample Margie Hyams with the Flip  Wherman2004_mosaicPhillips Fliptet, a small group within Woody Herman's band, gohere and click on 1-2-3-4 Jump. You can also hear her with Herman's band on Woody Herman: V-Disc Years 1 & 2 (1944-46) here. She's also featured on Mosaic'sComplete Columbia Recordings of Woody Herman box here.
51gzH6qgK9L._SL500_AA300_Margie's recordings with Charlie Ventura (Either It's Love, Please Be Kind, Misirlou and How High the Moon) can be found on Charlie Ventura: 1946-1947 here.
The best George Shearing set of his 51AnaeYewvL._SL500_AA300_early works (1939-1951), including the original quintet recordings, is George Shearing: From Battersea to Broadway (Proper Box) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's the original George Shearing Quintet with Margie Hyams on vibes playing The Continental. Dig Margie's tender solo...
Used with permission by Marc Myers