CODA 319 Jan/Feb 2005

The Flip Phillips Quartet Live at the Beowulf Arbors   ARCD 19308

The late Flip Phillips radiated enthusiasm. He did so on many a raucous JATP solo and again as he presided over his 80th birthday party at the 1995 March of Jazz in Clearwater. Arbors celebrated that star-studded event with a CD, video and DVD. In this new double CD, we go back to an earlier stage in Flip's Florida "retirement." It's an ebullient Flip and an appreciative audience in the late seventies at the now long-gone Beowulf club. his home for three years. Of the twenty-five tracks, fifteen were previously issued on a Grendel LP. Incidentally, net proceeds from all this material go to the Flip Phillips Scholarship Fund at the University of Miami.

Flip was happy with his working quartet, and deservedly so. Pianist Tom Howard rolls out eighths like Dave McKenna and also provides interesting keyboard effects on Flip's "Lemon Aid 21" and Charlie Christian's "Christian Scientist." The session draws from Gershwin ( "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Porgy"), Ellington ( "Hodge Podge," "Sultry Serenade" and "In a Mellow Tone") and a host of other composers. It demonstrates Flip's natural swing sense and sympathetic ballad style. The band soars on "Indiana" and bows to Woody with "Brotherhood of Man." Interesting counterpoint on"Symphony." Bass clarinet on "Chloe." A poignant version of Grappelli's "Tears." And Flip owns "Sweet and Lovely." He honed it over his half-century career and it was his feature on Woody's 40th Anniversary album.

He closes his notes with " If you don't like this, you don't like broccoli." Flip, your rendition even got me to like "After the Lovin," that maudlin seventies' hit. Broccoli? No problem.

Coda MAR APR Issue 320 Jazz Ambassador: Scott Robinson Plays the Compositions of Louis Armstrong Arbors ARCD 19275 CO Scott Robinson (tenor sax, baritone sax, bass sax, echo cornet, trombonium, C-Melody sax, double bell euphonium, F mezze-soprano, ophicleide/Larry Ham, piano, organ/Mark Shane, piano/Mike LeDonne, organ/Klaus Suonsaari, drums/Pat OŽLeary, bass/Indigenafrica, African drums.   Potato Head Blues, Lazy ˜Sippi Steamer Going Home, Irish Black Bottom, Gutbucket Blues, Cornet Chop Suey, Gully Low Blues, When You Leave Me Alone To Pine, Hear Me TalkinŽ To Ya, Someday YouŽll Be Sorry, Wild Man Blues, Red Cap Yes! IŽm In The Barrel, Swing That Music, Tears.

With his oversized heart and grin, Louis Armstrong was a natural ambassador. He travelled the world for the State Department and was recognized in Life Magazine's millennium list of 100 people as " the international jazz ambassador, America's greatest gift to the world." This CD is a tribute to Armstrong's compositional talent by a later-day envoy. multi-instrumentalist and rare instrument expert Scott Robinson, who made a State Department tour of Africa in 2001 in connection with the Armstrong centennial. Sidemen include Larry Ham (piano) and Pat O'Leary (bass) who were also on that trip. Robinson's intent was "not to make any attempt to recreate his style of performance, just treating his tunes as tunes ...coming up with kind of personalized treatments." And personalize he does! He matches instruments to tunes. Bass sax on three of Armstrong's blues: "Potato Head," "Gully Low" and "Wild Man." Funky organ on the last two for color. "Cornet Chop Suey" suggests bop to Robinson who aces the tune with his double - bell echo cornet. The C-melody sets the mood and period for "Lazy 'Sippi Steamer Going Home ," a pretty tune. "Hear Me Talkin' to You," written with Don Redman, is a fast-paced bari feature, while "Someday You'll Be Sorry" becomes a bossa nova. African drums flavor " Swing That Music," the only track recorded in Ghana. The closer, "Tears" comes as a surprise, as the group plays free. recognizing, in Robinson's words, that Louis was the first "out" cat! Armstrong's performances were always virtuoso, always fresh. That's exactly what Robinson has given us with his interpretation of the Armstrong compositional legacy.

CODA 320 Jim Snidero featuring Eric Alexander Close Up Milestone MCD 9341-2 Tracks: Close Up, I Should Care, Nippon Blue, Windswept, Blues for the Moment, Reality, Prisoner of Love, Smash. Personnel: Jim Snidero (alto saxophone); Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone); David Hazeltine (piano); Paul Gill (bass guitar); Billy Drummond (drums).

Jim Snidero is an innovative alto player and arranger. His 2003 Milestone release. "Strings" broke new ground, using interaction to liberate the string section from its usual accompanying role. In "Close Up" he applies his creative talents to small group mainstream jazz. Snidero's rhythm section includes bassist Paul Gill and drummer Billy Drummond from the previous CD and his long-time associate, David Hazeltine, on piano. "I Should Care" is an up-tempo Hazeltine chart with solos by the pianist, Snidero and Drummond that combine dexterity and taste. The only other standard, "Prisoner of Love," showcases Snidero who plays with the passion you would expect from a player whose first teacher was Phil Woods. Snidero's Latin-tinged "Windswept"is a study in dynamics and emotions featuring Hazeltine. Eric Alexander, the adventurous young tenor player, joins the group for five varied Snidero originals, adding further color to the charts as well as some creative solos particularly on a pair of blues. "Nippon Blue" is soulful and reminiscent of "Afro Blue" while "Blues for the Moment" is upbeat with a fiery contribution from Hazeltine. "Reality" is a high-flying jazz waltz. The title tune is funky and happy while the boppish "Smash" is probably the only tune ever dedicated to a sledgehammer! Snidero has described his approach to creativity as " not to do it just for yourself, but to have something that touches people." This philosophy has served him well on his last two CDs and it will be interesting to see what he does next.

CODA 320

McCoy Tyner Counterpoints Milestone MCD-9339-2 Incredible! Not just the music but the fact that it has been buried in the vaults for over a quarter century. These previously unreleased tracks were recorded by the supertrio of McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter and Tony Williams at a "Live Under the Sky" Festival in Tokyo in July of 1978. Carter and Williams, who along with Herbie Hancock made up the stellar Miles Davis rhythm section of the mid-sixties, had recorded with Tyner a year earlier on his "Supertrios" release. This session, which includes four Tyner compositions and "Prelude to a Kiss," is emotional and you'll be captured by the technical mastery and power of all three players. There are two Tyner solos, "Aisha" and "Sama Layuca" that illustrate why he never felt the need to take up electric piano! On the latter, there's a sequence where it seems like there's got to be more than one pianist. "Prelude," a duet with Carter, is equally intense. The opening and closing trio tracks combine innovation and drama."The Greeting" brings to mind the ocean's roar through Tyner's crashing chords and Williams' busy scattering of drum magic. "Iki Masho (Let's Go)" is new in a sense. It was introduced at the festival but remained unplayed and unnamed until now. The chart draws you in as it opens with a repeated modal figure and ends with Tyner on the edge of silence at the upper reaches of his instrument. Plenty of building and contrast in between and there's proof during Carter's rhythmic solo of Tyner's ability to comp with delicacy. "Passion Dance" (Milestone LP M-9091), should be well worth looking for. It contains the rest of the material recorded the same evening and was released promptly in 1979. However, "Counterpoints" is as good as it gets.

CODA 320 Five Play Five Play...Plus Arbors ARCD 19307 Artists / Instruments: Sherrie Maricle, leader/drums, Anat Cohen, tenor saxophone/clarinet, Karolina Strassmayer, alto saxophone/flute, Tomoko Ohno, piano, Noriko Ueda, Bass, Jami Dauber, trumpet/flugelhorn, Barbara Laronga, trumpet/flugelhorn   Selections: Theme From Mr. Broadway, That Old Feeling, Funk In a Deep Freeze, Crazy, He Calls Me, If I Only Had a Brain, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, Pure Imagination, Bud Powell, In The Wee Small Hours of The Morning, On The Good Ship Lollipop

Five Play is a quintet drawn from DIVA, the all-woman jazz orchestra. They are formidable players and inspired arrangers who share the international language of jazz. Drummer/leader Sherrie Maricle stokes the fires as she does for DIVA. Her rhythm section mates are from Japan: Tomoko Ohno on piano and bassist Noriko Ueda. Karolina Strassmayer, who grew up in Austria, plays alto and flute while Anat Cohen, on clarinet and tenor, comes from Tel Aviv and a musical family. She has recently recorded with brothers Yuvai and Avishai."Plus" refers to Jami Dauber and Barbara Laronga from DIVA who play trumpet and flugelhorn on many of the charts. The program is eclectic, the arrangements full of surprises, and the playing joyful. There are jazz compositions: Hank Mobley's "Funk in a Deep Freeze,"as cool as its title; Brubeck's "Theme from Mr. Broadway," with smooth unison passages; and Strassmayer's West Coast take on Chick Corea's " Bud Powell." Standards include high-flying and mellow clarinet work by Cohen on "That Old Feeling,"and a pair of innovative charts by Ueda. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" comes out swinging and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" uses flute colors to illustrate that time of day. "If I Only Had a Brain" gives the rhythm section a chance to shine while Richard Shemaria's amusing version of " Good Ship Lollipop" owes much more to Horace Silver than to Shirley Temple. It features Cohen on tenor and Dauber who plays conversational trumpet like the greats. This CD is a breath of fresh air! Five Play's last release, "On the Brink," was selected by Nat Hentoff as the best jazz recording of 1999. Please, let's not wait five more years.

Marc Pompe - You Must Believe in Swing - Cadence Jazz Records - CJR 1163 FOR CODA Issue 321 May/June 2005

Marc Pompe (vocals) feat. Joey DeFrancesco (Hammond B-3 org) Trio with: Henry Johnson (g) - Byron Landham (d) - Curt Warren (g) - Judy Roberts (p)

Marc Pompe is an interesting jazz singer with a distinctive voice and a musician's ear. Among his influences are Jon Hendricks, Sinatra and, from another time, Tex Beneke.

Most of the selections are from a 2001 collaboration with the Joey DeFrancesco trio. DeFrancesco's Hammond B-3 provides extroverted sound or a quiet foundation depending on the song. Pompe caresses Michel Legrand's "You Must Believe in Spring" and swings and scats his way through his own lyrics to Buddy DeFranco's closely-named title tune. His phrasing is made for the bittersweet (but always swung) "Masquerade is Over." The session ranges from ballads to blues to funk and there are plenty of times when Pompe lets the hard-driving trio take over. There are three other tracks. "Chelsea Bridge" blends a Pompe lyric with the lone guitar of Curt Warren. Pompe also teams up with pianist Judy Roberts on the introspective McPartland/ Mercer "Twilight World" and an edgy treatment of "Eleanor Rigby" that comes a long way from Lennon and McCartney.

After gigging for half a century Marc Pompe deserves more attention than his Chicago neighborhood can provide. Cadence plans to do something about this with two more releases to come.

You Must Believe in Swing / Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You / The Masquerade is Over / Twilight World / You Must Believe in Spring / Eleanor Rigby / You Came a Long Way From St. Louis / NO More Blues / Here's to My Lady / Chelsea Bridge / Call Me.]

CODA 322 JULY AUG 2005 Joey DeFrancesco with Jimmy Smith / Legacy/ Concord Jazz

1. Legacy, Dot Com Blues, I'll Close My Eyes, Back at the Chicken Shack, Jones'n for Elvin, Off the Top, Corcovado (Quiet Nights), I've Got My Mojo Workin',St. Thomas, Blues for Bobby C., Midnight Special.

Musicians: Joey DeFrancesco (Hammond New B-3 organ, Palatino piano, Yamaha Motif 7); Jimmy Smith (Hammond New B-3 organ); James Moody (tenor saxophone)*; Paul Bollenback (guitar, electric sitar); Raul Yańez (piano); Eddy O'Reilly (zither); Tony Banda (bass); Mel Brown (electric bass); Byron Landham, Steve Ferrone (drums); Ramon Banda (percussion, timbales, drums); Joey DeLoen (congas, shakere); Mikie Blowers (gong); Tom Cerino (gong holder)                                                       Joey DeFrancesco, deservedly credited for revitalizing organ jazz in the late eighties, was only seven when he first met the innovative and influential Jimmy Smith. Smith became his idol, mentor and friend. Defrancesco has had the rare privilege of recording with his mentor - twice. "Legacy" is their first studio album. DeFrancesco's working trio and added rhythm players are also involved.

The Smith book is clearly in evidence, brash, funky and extroverted. Among the tunes: A swinging "Off The Top" where DeFrancesco shows he's equally agile on piano, "Back at the Chicken Shack" which somehow takes us to Bahia, an intimate "I'll Close My Eyes", percussive keyboard work by DeFrancesco on "St. Thomas," and another well known Smith hit where his voice works as well as his mojo.

Listen throughout to talented drummer Byron Landham and you'll understand why DeFrancesco wrote "Jones'n for Elvin." On that chart, James Moody drops by with a light and airy solo, drawing shouts of approval from Smith. The versatile Smith fits right in (why not!) on DeFrancesco's opening "Legacy," a powerful modal jazz waltz that suggests Trane, Tyner and Jones.

Jimmy Smith, who died shortly after this B-3 summit, sure had a rollicking good time there. You will too.

CODA 322 July/Aug 2005 Lorraine Feather Dooji Wooji   Sanctuary 02182-34101-2.

There are brilliant lyricists who shouldn't be allowed to sing. Then there's Lorraine Feather. She's special. Often wry, sometimes nostalgic, always perceptive, with a delivery as clear as a bell. Feather is in good company. Most of the arrangements are by Bill Elliott. Pianist Shelly Berg anchors the accompaniment which ranges from solo piano and small swing groups to big band. "Dooji Wooji," like its predecessor, "Such Sweet Thunder," pays homage to Duke as Feather tailors her songs to a handful of Ellington melodies. "Calistoga Bay" travels from Harlem air shafts to a shore party. "Once Bitten (San Juan Hill)" is for those who have felt that bite while the vintage "Jubilee Stomp" describes "Indiana Lana" who runs faster and farther than Forrest Gump. The title track becomes a rocking Hawaiian blues and "Trying to Get Over (Doin' the Voom Voom)" was adapted by Berg from Dick Hyman's piano arrangement. The CD also includes several collaborations with contemporary artists, including Russell Ferrante and Eddie Arkin. Imaginative! Who else would create "Cicada Time?" The gem is "Remembering to Breathe." Set to a simple tune by Elliott, the lyrics picture a children's ballet class and provide life advice for us all.

A sophisticated lady! An enjoyable CD.

Bill Falconer

JAZZWOMEN CODA 322 JULY/AUG 2005 BOOK REVIEW Conversations with twenty-one musicians Wayne Enstice and Janet Stockhouse Indiana University Press 368 pages including photos There haven't been many books on women in jazz and there might be one less if Wayne Enstice, art professor and avid jazz fan, hadn't asked the late Dorothy Donegan to autograph a copy of his earlier collection, "Jazz Spoken Here." Donegan replied "Am I in it?" She wasn't. No women were. That was the catalyst for "Jazzwomen." Enstice is a well-informed and sensitive interviewer and each dialogue is supplemented by a biography, brief discography and,in some cases, contributions to the CD that accompanies the book.

The participants make up an interesting cross-section of female musicians. Their birth dates span six decades. Most are American, one is German, and two are alumnae of the Nanaimo Musicians Association Big Band! About half are vocalists or pianists,once thought of as the only roles for women musicians.They include Marian McPartland, Diana Krall, Helen Merrill, Shirley Horn,Teri Thornton, Joanne Brackeen and Abbey Lincoln. (In the famous 1958 photograph,"A Great Day in Harlem" only three of the fifty-seven musicians are female: Marian McPartland, Mary Lou Williams and Maxine Sullivan.) "Jazzwomen" includes a violinist, Regina Carter; trumpeters, Ingrid Jensen and Clora Bryant; organists, Shirley Scott and Barbara Dennerlein; reed players, Jane Ira Bloom and Virginia Mayhew; drummers, Terri Lyne Carrington and Dottie Dodgion, plus composer/conductor Maria Schneider.

It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. These articulate and gifted women have created thousands of word-pictures as they describe their careers and their love of the music. The first spark: Suzuki violin lessons, a child's organ for Christmas, parents' record collections, music camp, a family piano, a dedicated band teacher. Struggles: promoters, club owners,labels, poverty, alcoholism, drugs, disease, racial discrimination and sexism. And so many stories, anecdotes and perceptive comments: Thornton's comeback and fight against cancer, Horn stating "Oscar Peterson is my Rachmaninoff and Ahmad Jamal is my Debussy," McPartland and WWII, Merrill's role in bringing Miles and Gil Evans together and Lincoln's thoughts (not happy ones) about her collaboration with Max Roach in the "Freedom Now Suite." Some express understandable concern about the lack of interest in jazz on the part of African-American youth. Veteran trumpeter Bryant also deplores the quality of current jazz education. " There are more young people coming to it (jazz) but .....nobody's telling them where they came from." It seems to me however that the younger players may have had an easier road but know on whose shoulders they stand.

On one level "Jazzwomen" is about twenty-one women who succeeded in a man's world and wish to be simply thought of as musicians, not as a separate category. In McPartland's words, they "kind of went barging ahead no matter what." However if you take a look at that twelve-page index, mainly listing mentors and musical associates, you'll realize that this volume covers a much wider spectrum of the jazz world. Enstice and Stockhouse have given us a valuable collection of illuminating oral histories.