Thursday, June 28, 2012

René Urtréger: Plays Bud Powell

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

Rene_Urtreger
Yesterday I posted on Claude Williamson and two albums he recorded for Capitol in 1954 and '55, making mention of his interpretations of several Bud Powell compositions. Today we swing way east to Paris, where René Urtréger recorded his own tributes to Powell seven months later, in February 1955. The tracks first appeared on Urtréger's 10-inch album for the Barclay label entitled Joue Bud Powell ("Plays Bud Powell"). 
Urtreger-rene-joue-bud-powell-jazz-in-paris-collection-cd
Before we dig in, a little big picture: Both Kenton Presents Claude Williamson and Joue Bud Powell feature two white pianists in two largely white jazz environments—Los Angeles and Paris—interpreting original works by a black New York artist they admired. Why does this matter? It doesn't really, but by understanding the social and artistic forces at work in both cities in the mid-'50s, we're able to hear nuances in the playing styles that were specific to Los Angeles and Paris of the period. The jazz language was the same but the accents were slightly different. And in both largely white cities, jazz was beginning to have a profound influence on all of the arts—from photography and poetry to painting and film.
Vogue_1955_11
In 1954 and '55, Los Angeles and Paris were rapidly evolving and thriving jazz centers. Both were culturally isolated from the other—5,588 miles apart—and nearly equidistant from New York. Remember, this is an era before jet travel, the domination of television, and proliferation of discount record stores. It's even before the start of our own Interstate Highway System. Music (and film, to some extent) are the most potent agents for rapid cultural change.
Avedon11
As a result, all three cities were distinct environments and culture capitals in their own right—Los Angeles as the center of film, New York as the center of music and art, and post-war Paris as the center of style and fashion. All of these activities left a mark on the musicians who lived there, and the musicans, in turn, were influenced by the jazz they heard on records and in club performances.
Bud-powell
In the Paris of the mid-'50s, French jazz musicians were in awe of visiting American jazz artists. For a French jazz musician, New York held enormous appeal, with its nocturnal mystique, vast ethnic diversity and creative freedom. California, by contrast, was just too far away to know and impossible to imagine or even love. For a jazz pianist in Paris, Bud Powell [pictured] was a powerful force.
0105148
By '55, Powell was recognized as a pianist of extraordinary gifts, and he had become the very embodiment of a jazz artist—thanks largely to the import of his early '50s Clef and Blue Note recordings. To be taken seriously, a budding French jazz pianist needed to be able to play Powell's music without fear, complete with the unbroken ribbons of tumultuous bop improvisation.
On Joue Bud Powell, Urtréger combines his veneration of Img_931837_37011597_0Powell with the colorful touch of a devout French Impressionist. Urtréger's bop a la Powell is flawless, but the joyous Parisian spirit manages to slip through from time to time during long improvisational runs. While Urtréger tries hard to imagine himself as a New Yorker, there's a Conservatory polish and flourish that can't help but bleed through to delightful effect. 
You can hear Urtréger's graceful touch on nearly every track, fromBudo to Celia. Though Urtréger is faithful to Powell's Bud_Powell_-_The_Lonely_One_(album_cover)stylistic approach, this album isn't an artistic forgery as much as it is a tender rendering. Perhaps no track displays this perspective, complete with a touch of irony, more than Parisian Thoroughfare— Powell's rollicking love letter to the city's bustling boulevards. Though Urtréger holds fast to the original, he re-interprets thebillet-doux with a distinct lightness—perhaps his own reimagined impression of New York's busy streets.
Or catch Urtréger's bounce on So Sorry Please and his gloss onMercedes, a reworking of Darn That Dream. Like Williamson, Urtréger's approach is less percussive and rhythmic, and sparer, with an emphasis on the right hand's antics rather than a pounding left hand.
Agenda1257703785
But it's this economy that makes Urtréger's Powellian renditions so appealing. Rather than applying thick layers of sound, he comes at the material with watercolors, and the result is pretty and distinctly French, no matter how hard he tries to disguise it.
JazzWax tracks: René Urtréger's Joue Bud Powell, with 61SHAokymDL._SL500_AA280_Benoit Quersin on bass and Jean-Louis Viale on drums, can be found as a download or CD on Jazz in Paris: Joue Bud Powell here.
JazzWax clip: Unfortunately, tracks from Joue Bud Powellaren't available on YouTube. Instead, here's Urtréger'sTune Up from 1957, also with a delicate Parisian touch...
Used with permission by Marc Myers

René URTREGER (p),
Yves TORCHINSKY (b),
Eric DERVIEU (dms)

Marchant sur les pas de Bud Powell, René Urtreger est considéré comme lun des plus grands pianistes de ces cinq dernières décennies. Cest dailleurs lui qui était aux côtés de Miles Davis sur la musique du film « Ascenseur pour lEchafaud ». Ce véritable maître du be bop fêtera ses 75 ans au Duc des Lombards avec de nombreux invités surprises !

Durant sa carrière, on a également pu lentendre aux côtés de Chet Baker, Lester Young, Jay Jay Johnson, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Stéphane Grappelli, Bobby Jaspar, Lionel Hampton
Pour loccasion, le pianiste français donnera à entendre ses propres compositions, des plus anciennes aux plus actuelles.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

NJJazzList.com Calendar

06/29 Fri 38th Annual Jazz Record Collectors’ Bash June 29th at Hilton Woodbridge 9:00 am to 1:00 amStyle: Mixed, Cover: over $10, Buy, Sell, Swap, Trade, Schmooze 78s, LPs, CDs & Memorabilia - Plus Rare Jazz Films Learn more , (732/848)

06/29 Fri Barbara Rose, Pianist & Vocalist at Oyster Point Hotel, Red Bank 7:00 pm to 12:00 am Style: Mixed,Cover: None, Barbara’s style as a vocalist ranges from Judy Garland to Janis Joplin. Her piano style is reminiscent of Thelonius Monk. Celebrate The American Songbook! Call for Dinner Reservations. 732-530-8200Learn more , Hear samples , (732/848)
06/29 Fri Bernie Worrell Orchestra at Sparta Summer Concerts 8:30 pm to 11:00 pm Style: Soul/Groove, Cover:Tickets Available, Bernie Worrell Orchestra Learn more , Hear samples , (862/973)
06/29 Fri Betty Liste Quartet w/Bill Robinson at Cortina Restaurant 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm Style: Mixed, Cover:over $10, Quartet with Vocals, Great food, Dancing. Learn more , Hear samples , (862/973)
06/29 Fri Bob DeVos Trio featuring Don Friedman at Nyack Library 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm Style:Contemporary/Post Bop, Cover: over $10, Tribute to Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly. Bob DeVos-guitar, Don Friedman-piano, Mike McGuirk-bass. 59 South Broadway, Nyack NY. Carnegie Concert Series for Rockland Blues & Jazz Society. 845-608-3593 for tickets Learn more , Hear samples , (Other )
06/29 Fri Dave Keyes Trio Feat: Rob Paparozzi at Barnacle Bill's 9:00 pm to 1:00 am Style: Mixed, Cover:None, w/ George Naha on Guitar Learn more , Hear samples , (732/848)
06/29 Fri Mauricio de Souza Trio at Moonstruck 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Style: Straight-ahead, Cover: None, Maurício de Souza Trio at Moonstruck. 6-10pm. 517 Lake Ave., Asbury Park, NJ. 732-988-0123. www.moonstrucknj.com. Mauricio de Souza Trio will be playing tunes from the new album, with arrangements of compositions by Tom Jobim, Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, Miles Davis, Benny Golson, Roberto Menescal, Ary Barroso, Milton Nascimento, Luis Eca, Herbie Hancock, Baden Powell, and Pat Metheny among others. Maurício de Souza (drums), Ben Winkelman (piano), Joonsam Lee (bass). Learn more , Hear samples , (732/848)
06/29 Fri Mike Barris & Friends at Woman's Club of Red Bank 8:30 pm to 11:00 pm Style: Gypsy/Jazz Manouche, Cover: donation, Barris, rhythm guitar, Jennifer Jordan, vocals, Doug Clarke, lead guitar, and Tom Bender, trumpet, pay tribute to Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Django Reinhardt and other prewar jazz masters in "Reckless Steamy Nights" concert presented by Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation. The Woman's Club is located in Sen. Anthony Reckless Estate, 164 Broad St., Red Bank, N.J., 07701. A donation of $10 is suggested, in support of scholarship programs sponsored by the Woman's Club and the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation. The event is BYOB and includes free snacks. Learn more , Hear samples , (732/848)
06/29 Fri OPEN JAZZ JAM at Moore's aka Bill and Ruth's , Jersey City, NJ 8:30 pm to 12:30 am Style: Jam Session, Cover: None, OPEN JAZZ JAM, No Cover, No Minimum. stop by and enjoy Ms. Ruth's fresh fried fish sandwiches and hear great jazz music.Musicians, Vocalists, Poets and Jazz Lovers are welcome. , (201/551)
06/29 Fri Rave Tesar Trio at Classic Quiche Cafe 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm Style: Mixed, Cover: over $10, Featuring Kermit Driscoll- Bass, Bill Tesar Drums. Performing new material from their upcoming CD Learn more , Hear samples , (201/551)
06/29 Fri Stephen Fuller and Alan Rosenthal at Hibiscus American and Caribbean Cuisine 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Style: Vocal, Cover: None, Vocalist Stephen Fuller and pianist Alan Rosenthal perform jazz and a variety of musical styles. , (862/973)
06/29 Fri The Dave Keyes Trio at Barnacle Bill's 9:00 pm to 12:00 am Style: Mixed, Cover: None, Dave Keyes - Piano & Vocals, George Naha - Guitar featuring: Rob Paparozzi on Vocals & Harmonica Learn more , Hear samples , (732/848)
06/29 Fri The J-Town Community Jazz and Concert Bands at Jefferson Township Municipal Building and Library 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Style: Mixed, Cover: None, The Jefferson Arts Committee’s Gazebo Committee Presents Our Summer Concert Series Come hear part of our always expanding repertoire, under the direction of Peter Tummillo, Jr. - Our increasingly popular Jazz Band will be on handl, including our newest vocalist! Directions from GoogleMap: http://ow.ly/bvGTx Learn more , (862/973)
06/29 Fri james l. dean tv show band at hawthorne public library, hawthorne n.j 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm Style:Swing/Big Band, Cover: None, the james l. dean sextet will present a salute to the great t.v show themes from the 50's to the 90's and more. Learn more , Hear samples , (862/973)
06/30 Sat BLUE SOUL at WONDER BAR 1213 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park NJ 9:30 pm to 1:00 am Style:Blues-Electric, Cover: None, Blue Soul fuses vintage Blues, Soul, R&B, New Orleans, Jazz and Rock styles. Featuring Herb Woodson (vocals), Bailey Gee (bass/vocals), Mitch Eisenberg (guitar), Jeff Levine (keyboards), Gary Dates (drums). Call (732) 502- 8886 for information. Learn more , (Unknown)
06/30 Sat Barbara Rose, Pianist & Vocalist at Oyster Point Hotel, Red Bank 7:00 pm to 12:00 am Style: Mixed,Cover: None, Barbara’s style as a vocalist ranges from Judy Garland to Janis Joplin. Her piano style is reminiscent of Thelonius Monk. Celebrate The American Songbook! Call for Dinner Reservations. 732-530-8200Learn more , Hear samples , (732/848)
06/30 Sat Carole Lynne/Pat Pratico Duo at Villa Romanza 429 Rt 156, Yardville, NJ 585-1717 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm Style: Vocal, Cover: None, Carole on Piano/Vocals Pat on Guitar Swing, Ballad, Latin, Great American Songbook Learn more , Hear samples , (609/ )
06/30 Sat FLEISCH TRIO at Bamboo Grille Basking ridge 7:00 pm to 10:30 am Style: Guitar, Cover: None, The Fleisch Trio( Joel with Ed Fleischman Bass and Nick Schueble Drums) returns to The Bamboo Grille on Saturday June 16 at 7 PM The Bamboo Grille : 185 Madisonville Road Basking Ridge, NJ to The Bamboo Grille on Saturday June 16 at 7 PM The Bamboo Grille : 185 Madisonville Road Basking Ridge, NJ Learn more , Hear samples , (Unknown)
06/30 Sat Jerry Topinka Quartet with vocalist Jackie Jones at The Mill at Spring Lake Heights 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm Style: Vocal, Cover: None, Join us for dinner or just join us for drinks, every week for the "Saturday Night Jazz Sessions"! Call 732.449.1800 for reservations. Learn more , Hear samples , (732/848)
06/30 Sat Joel Perry Solo Guitar at Black Horse Tavern 1 West Main, Mendham, NJ 7:00 pm to 10:30 am Style:Guitar, Cover: None, Great Jazz standards, pop, originals Great Food Great Drinks a great time Learn more ,Hear samples , (Unknown)
06/30 Sat John Henry Goldman and the StraightJazz Trio at Tusk Restaurant, Rt. 206, Montgomery, 908-829-3417 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm Style: Straight-ahead, Cover: None, Jason Fraticelli (bass) * Spencer Caton (piano) * John Henry (trumpet) - the sound of music when the musicians are listening to each other, and to you! Learn more , Hear samples , (908/ )
06/30 Sat Shikantaza at Blue Rooster Cafe 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm Style: Straight-ahead, Cover: None, Reservations are requested. Please call (609) 235-7539. Learn more , Hear samples , (609/ )
06/30 Sat Swingadelic at Swing 46, 349 W. 46th St, New York, NY 9:00 pm to 1:00 am Style: Swing/Big Band,Cover: None, Learn more , Hear samples , (Unknown)
07/01 Sun Dr. Dubious and the Agnostics at Blue Moon Mexican Cafe 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm Style:Traditional/Dixieland, Cover: None, Six piece Dixieland band plays the hot jazz of the '20's and '30's to go with great food and drink . . . Dixieland and Dos Equis . . . perfect together Learn more , Hear samples , (201/551)
07/01 Sun Dr. Dubious and the Agnostics at Blue Moon Mexican Cafe 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm Style:Traditional/Dixieland, Cover: None, The hot jazz of the '20's and '30's with this 6 piece Dixieland Band . . . great food and drink . . . Dixieland and Dos Equis . . . perfect together Learn more , Hear samples , (201/551)
07/01 Sun KEVIN HILDEBRANDT at Siam Garden Thai Restaurant 2 Bridge Ave Red Bank 5:00 pm to 9:00 pmStyle: Guitar, Cover: None, Solo jazz guitar Learn more , (732/848)
07/01 Sun Lou Volpe Jazz Guitar at The Waterside 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm Style: Smooth Jazz, Cover: None, Lou Volpe plays solo at the Jazz Brunch at this beautiful waterside restaurant opposite the 79th St. boat basin with beautiful views of the harbor. Learn more , Hear samples , (Unknown)
07/01 Sun Piano Man Larry Hunt at Hibiscus 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm Style: Mixed, Cover: None, Do a web search for Piano Man Larry Hunt Learn more , Hear samples , (862/973)
07/01 Sun Swingadelic at Swing 46 8:30 pm to 1:00 am Style: Swing/Big Band, Cover: None, Learn more , Hear samples , (Unknown)

Claude Williamson: Kenton Presents

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

Claude-williamson-20120408181759
In the very early 1950s, Los Angeles was awash in jazz pianists who could play with ferocious speed and delicate grace. The names that spring to mind include Russ Freeman, Marty Paich, Hampton Hawes, Dodo Marmarosa, Carl Perkins, Pete Jolly, Lorraine Geller, Victor Feldman, Sonny Clark and Jimmy Rowles. But perhaps the most overlooked member of this silky-swinger set is Claude Williamson. Back in 1954 and '55, Williams recorded two perfect trio albums for Capitol when Stan Kenton briefly headed the Stan Kenton Presents imprint, which showcased West Coast talent.
Al-Haig-Al-Haig-Trio-And-448552
Williamson was born in Brattleboro, Vt., and his father was a drummer and leader of a local territory band. Williamson studied piano and soon joined his father's band from 1940 to 1944—an invaluable experience while in high school. After graduation, Williamson studied at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music. But his exposure to an Al Haig record began to lure him regularly to New York. Before long, though, Williamson came under the influence of bop pianist Bud Powell.
Images
Back in Boston, one of Williamson's teachers, Sam Saxe, moved to Los Angeles in late 1946 and convinced Williamson to join him there in early 1947. Soon, Williamson was behind the keyboard in Charlie Barnet's band, where he remained for several years. Manny Albam's flag-waver Claude Reigns, recorded by Barnet's '49 bop band, was written for Williamson as a feature, and he soon became June Christy's accompanist.
47830493
In 1951, Williamson was drafted into the Army, and when he was discharged two years later, he returned to Boston. But he soon received a call inviting him to take Russ Freeman's place as the house pianist at Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, Calif. Williamson played with the Lighthouse All Stars from 1953 until 1955 while recording with a string of session leaders including Art Pepper, Charlie Mariano and Bud Shank.
It was during this period while at the Lighthouse that Kenton brought Williamson into Capitol's Melrose Ave. studios in Hollywood for a series of recordings that would become Claude Williamson (June and July 1954) and Keys West (May 1955).
Kenton+54
Williamson's trio mates on the different sessions were Curtis Counce (b) and Stan Levey (d); Max Bennett (b) and Levey (d); and Buddy Clark (b) and Larry Bunker (d). The results remain exquisite—comparable in taste and dexterity to Sonny Clark. Not a track goes by without Williamson delighting the ear with stellar keyboard runs, minimalist but choice chord voicings, and trills added in just the right places.
Claude+Williamson+Trio+-+1955+-+Keys+West+%28Affinity%29
Bean and the Boys
 puts Williams' bop chops to the test, as doWoody 'n You and All God's Chillun Got RhythmPenny and Like Someone in Love are revealing and sensitive solo tracks, while pop tunes like On the Atchinson, Topeka and the Santa Fe, Get Happy and Of Thee I Sing receive the Williamson touch.
This is magnificent West Coast piano trio playing, when the sound still had a churning New York sound along with a heaping scoop of L.A. parfait. Claude Williamson (whose brother was the great trumpeter Stu Williamson) is still with us. With any luck he'll reach out to me by email (the link is on the upper right-hand corner of this page).
JazzWax tracks: You'll find these recordings as a download or 51QVe5BAZdL._SL500_AA300_a double CD on Claude Williamson Trio: The Complete 1954-55 Kenton Presents Sessions (Fresh Sound) at Amazon.
JazzWax clip: Here's the Claude Williamson Trio in 1954 on Bouncing with Budand Bean and the Boys. Dig how easily Williamson whisks into songs. And catch the minimalist chord and line treatment, but with just the right level of sophistication and taste. Reminds me of one of those glass Richard Neutra homes—airy but a knockout from every angle...
Used with permission by Marc Myers

Claude Williamson Trio 1954

1) Bouncing with Bud (Bud Powell)
2) Bean and the Boys (Coleman Hawkins)

Personnel: Claude Williamson (piano), Curtis Counce (bass), Stan Levey (drums)

from the album 'KENTON PRESENTS JAZZ - CLAUDE WILLIAMSON'

Sunday, June 24, 2012

From Far and Wide

Arabic Roots in Blues, Jazz, Rock? Yes, Says Hofstra Prof

Does Islamic music have anything to do with the blues, jazz and rock? A whole lot, asserts Dr. Hussein Rashid, a native New Yorker who teaches religion at Hofstra University. In a lecture at Southern Methodist University in Texas, Rashid spoke of several waves of Islamic-Arabic immigration to America. Muslim Africans in slave-trade times were not allowed to practice their faith or play their ritual drums, and came to add their share to "Negro spirituals."
He played a clip of the Adhaan, the muezzin's call to prayer, followed by Mahalia Jackson's "Amazing Grace." There was a striking resemblance. Blues led to jazz. A clip of Billie Holiday's lament on lynching, "Strange Fruit," also reminded of Arabic music. In the repetitive recital ofJohn Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," Rashid could hear the chant of "Allah Supreme." He compared the song to a Sufi chant. A newer song with ethnic roots is Dick Dale's surf rock standard, "Misirilou." Dale is of Lebanese descent; his tune was adapted from an old Ottoman Turkish song, with Arabic lyrics. Rashid also found elements of quarter-tone scales from the ancient Arabic in such melodies as Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" and the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black."
Andrews Sisters Song Tops 2.57 Million YouTube Hits
The Andrews Sisters have amassed a big-city population of living fans, many quite young, and it's growing. At press time, Phillip Glaser, an American expat in Denmark, told me the old movie clip he posted on YouTube in January 2008 of the three sisters' 1941 war song, "The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B," had clocked 2,574,068 hits. A teenager commented, "Most of my friends call me nuts for liking the good old music from the fifties and earlier. I'm only 18 and I found the Andrew sisters two years ago, I was immediatly[sic] in love with their music and the innocence of their songs. My fav song is 'Don't sit under the apple tree.' It's so catchy and all. :) These days all artists seem to have no inspiration or originality. I'd say: 'Sit down, listen to the good oldies and take some notes! Yes that means you too Bieber!'"
A few said they hoped Patty Andrews knows how popular the movie clip is. Patty turned 94 on February 16. At last official count, in the mid-1970s, 75 million Andrews Sisters records had been sold.
NYC's Longest-Running Jazz Concert Series
Highlights In Jazz could be the longest-running concert series in the annals of New York City. Attorney and impresario Jack Kleinsinger started it in 1973, and has held some 325 concerts. Jack grew up in a jazz family. His father and other members were steeped in the music. So while he taught in public school, went to law school at night, then worked as an attorney in the Lindsay administration, Jack listened to live jazz and befriended musicians.
"The late Zoot Sims, and Bucky Pizzarelli, among others, said, 'You're comfortable with musicians, you love the music, why don't you take over a club, or rent a hall and get it out of your system?,'" he told DailyNews.com.
The evening performances are in their 40th year, at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street. Tickets are $40 ($37.50 for students with valid ID). More info athighlightsinjazz.org or call 212-220-1460.
Musicians: What Other Instrument Would You Play?
"Even though you play the instrument of choice, what instrument would be your second choice that you always appreacted[sic] and felt like playing?" That was the question on the June Jazz Friends blog, on Linkedin. For the Huntsville, Alabama pianist-arranger and teacher Pete Harrison, the answer would be his "hobby," the trombone. "And yes, I pull it out at some of the jam sessions that I run here in H'ville. (How do you know a trombone player's knocking at the front door? He's wearing a Domino's Pizza delivery hat....) Guitar is one of those things that I'd like to do, but never seem to have enough time to really get some skills together on it. I pull it out every once in a while and play for a half hour or so. Pretty slowly. But that's ok. It's a little break from the mountain I set in front of myself so long ago when I heard [Oscar] Peterson play and said that I had to learn to do that..."
Photo Credit
Courtesy of Noor Cultural Center
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=42367