A generation is loosely defined as those born within a ten-year period, given such colorful epithets as Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials. Our Big Three features this month represent three consecutive generations and were all mentored by members of earlier eras. This is the connectivity that has kept jazz in its myriad forms evolving, drawing a direct line from Buddy Bolden to Ambrose Akinmusire.
Guitarist Nels Cline (On The Cover, born 1956) got early direction (and a recording debut) from reed player Vinny Golia; this month, Cline premieres the music from his Blue Note debut Lovers as part of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival and curates a week at The Stone. Saxophonist Vincent Herring (Interview, born 1964) had crucial experience in the bands of Nat Adderley and Cedar Walton; Herring is part of a Charlie Parker birthday celebration at Birdland this month and hosts Monday Night jam sessions at Smoke. Drummer Eric Harland (Artist Feature, born 1976) attended Betty Carter University on his way to becoming one of today's most in-demand performers; he leads a variety of bands at Jazz Standard this month.
The music industry has changed, clubs come and go, jazz festivals become pop extravaganzas but as long as younger musicians keep learning from their elders, jazz will be just fine.
On the Cover: NELS CLINE
By John Pietaro; photo by Nathan West, courtesy of Blue Note Records
Several years ago Nels Cline was cited by Rolling Stone as among the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. "I used to listen to guys like Scott Hamilton and think, 'God I wish I could just focus on one style, one genre, then I wouldn't feel like a sham.' But, no, I feel lucky and enriched that
I got to hear all of these other voices and incorporate them into my vision," he said. In fact, Cline's
breadth has only become more expansive as of late. Cline is at Prospect Park Bandshell Aug. 5th as part of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival and The Stone Aug. 22nd-27th.
Interview: VINCENT HERRING
By Alex Henderson; photo courtesy of the artist
Vincent Herring is one of the most skillful hard bop/postbop players to come out of the Young Lion movement of the '80s. Born Nov. 19th, 1964 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and raised in California, the alto and soprano saxophonist moved to New York City in 1983 and worked with Art Blakey,
Cedar Walton, Nat Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and many other greats along the way. Herring, known for his robust, Cannonball Adderley-influenced tone, has been recording as a leader since 1988 for Evidence, Landmark, MusicMasters, HighNote and, most recently, Smoke Sessions. During a recent interview, the 52-year-old Herring discussed his current projects as well as his impressive history. Herring is at Birdland Aug. 29th-Sep. 2nd as part of a Charlie Parker birthday celebration and Smoke Mondays.
Artist Feature: ERIC HARLAND
By Marilyn Lester; photo courtesy of the artist
The power of music as a channel for healing and spiritual exploration is, for many musicians, a given. Where some may unconsciously channel these high concepts in their playing, others, such as Duke Ellington with his Sacred Music, John Coltrane with A Love Supreme and drummer Eric Harland with his latest release Vipasanna, deliberately pursue this line of creativity. In fact, Harland says it was Coltrane who was the chief influence on his drumming. Harland is at Jazz Standard Aug. 8th-13th as a leader and Aug. 17th-19th with Joey Alexander.
Encore: HUGH STEINMETZ
By Andrey Henkin
In Spring 2016 Storyville Records released August 1966 Jazzhus Montmartre, the debut performance of saxophonist John Tchicai's Cadentia Nova Danica (CND). The group, an important European large ensemble...featured a number of Danish players, some lost to history and others whose work continued. One of the latter is trumpeter Hugh Steinmetz.
Lest We Forget: TADD DAMERON
By Stuart Broomer
Composer Tadd Dameron made a unique contribution to the vocabulary of modern jazz, creating the most melodically memorable of the bop anthems as well as crafting richly imagined orchestral arrangements. A Dameron centennial tribute with the Joe Lovano Nonet is at Village Vanguard Aug. 1st-6th.
Record Label Spotlight: CIRCUM-DISC
By Ken Waxman
Creating more exposure and new opportunities for the music of the members of Muzzix collective was the idea behind establishing Circum-Disc in 2004. Based in Lille, France, the label now not only puts out some discs by non-Muzzix members, but has also established two additional imprints, HeliX and microcidi.
CD Reviews
(this month's performance venues in parentheses):
Zero Point -- Thoughts Become Matter Mole Tree Music (Korzo)
Tomoko Omura -- Post Bop Gypsies Inner Circle (Tomi Jazz; The Cell; Club Bonafide)
JC Hopkins Biggish Band -- Meet Me At Minton's Harlem Jazz (The Django)
Gene Segal -- Spiral SteepleChase Lookout (Bar Next Door)
Mat Maneri/Evan Parker/Lucian Ban -- Sounding Tears Clean Feed (Barbès)
Seamus Blake -- Superconductor 5Passion (Mezzrow)
Don Byas -- Groovin' High (Live in Haarlem 1964) Dutch Jazz Archive
Romero Lubambo -- Sampa Sunnyside (Dizzy's Club)
Ricardo Grilli -- 1954 Tone Rogue
Mauricio de Souza -- Trajetórias (Live at Galeria West) Pitoca Music
Charlie Sepulveda -- Mr. EP: A Tribute to Eddie Palmieri HighNote
John Pizzarelli -- Sinatra & Jobim @50 Concord (Birdland)
Ulysses Owens Jr. -- Falling Forward Spice of Life (Dizzy's Club)
Simona Premazzi -- Outspoken s/r (The Cell; Mezzrow)
William Hooker -- Aria (The Italian Project) Mulatta (Lantern Hall)
Amina Baraka & the Red Microphone -- Eponymous ESP-Disk (Dissident Arts Festival)
Benny Green -- Happiness! (Live at Kuumbwa) Sunnyside (Birdland)
Peter and Will Anderson -- Blues for Joe (Dedicated to Joe Temperley) Gut String (59E59 Theaters; Saint Peter's)
Harold Mabern -- To Love and Be Loved Smoke Sessions (Smoke)
Uri Gurvich -- Kinship Jazz Family (The Stone at The New School)
Various Arists -- The Passion of Charlie Parker Impulse
Baden Powell -- Tristeza On Guitar MPS-Edel
Baden Powell -- Images on Guitar MPS-Edel
Jimmy Raney -- Live In Tokyo Xanadu-Elemental
Forrest Westbrook -- The Remarkable Forrest Westbrook Fresh Sound
Brian Marsella -- chapter one: THE CLOCKS HAVE GONE MAD Red Palace (The Stone)
Daniel Nösig/Jure Pukl Quintet -- Live at the Jazzfestival Steyr Alessa (Bar Next Door)
Jure Pukl -- Live at Thelonious Discos Pendiente (Bar Next Door)
Akiko Tsuruga -- So Cute, So Bad ATM (Bar Next Door; Roxy Hotel; Charlie Parker Jazz Fest)
Grant Stewart -- Roll On Cellar Live (Smalls)
Nate Wooley/Daniele Martini/João Lobo -- Legacy of Ashes Creative Sources (The Stone at The New School; New Revolution Arts)
Nate Wooley/Hugo Antunes/Jorge Queijo/Mário Costa/Chris Corsano -- Purple Patio NoBusiness (The Stone at The New School; New Revolution Arts)
Eric Revis -- Sing Me Some Cry Clean Feed (The Stone at The New School)
Barbara Morrison -- I Wanna Be Loved (featuring Houston Person) Savant
Jon Davis -- Happy Juice Posi-Tone (Smalls; Birdland)
Aram Bajakian -- Dolphy Formations Sansar (The Stone)
Heads of State -- Four In One Smoke Sessions
Dave Rempis/Matt Piet/Tim Daisy -- Hit The Ground Running Aerophonic (Queer Trash; The Stone; New Revolution Arts; Legion Bar)
Tim Daisy -- The Halfway There Suite Relay
Bill O'Connell -- Monk's Cha Cha (Live at the Carnegie-Farian Room) Savant (Dizzy's Club)
Steve Slagle -- Alto Manhattan Panorama (Dizzy's Club)
Paul Rutherford/Sabu Toyozumi -- The Conscience NoBusiness
Spontaneous Music Orchestra -- Search & Reflect Emanem
Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band -- All Smiles MPS-Edel
David Amram -- Classic American Film Scores 1956-2016 Moochin' About (Cornelia Street Underground)
...and Plenty More!
Look for other sections like In Memoriam, On This Day, In Print, On DVD, VOXNews, NY@Night, Recommended New Releases, Birthdays, and our invaluable Event Calendar.
Thanks so much for reading The New York City Jazz Record, the city's only homegrown gazette devoted to the music.
