Naxos Jazz
April 1998

By C. Michael Bailey

Build a Better (Cheaper) Mousetrap. For both readers who don’t already know, Naxos is an audio label specializing in budget-priced classical compact discs. Klaus Heymann founded the Hong Kong based company in 1987. Since its inception, Naxos has concentrated its efforts on releasing both standard and non-standard classical repertoires, emphasizing the latter. Naxos is notable for providing musical surveys through the release of complete cycles. Survey examples in the standard repertoire include the ongoing Haydn Symphony, String Quartet, Piano Sonata cycles, and the recently completed Beethoven Symphony cycle. Examples of nonstandard repertoire cycles include the complete piano music of Karol Syzmanowski and the complete orchestral music of Witold Lutoslawski. The rub in this discussion is that Naxos provides this music for one-third the cost of the major labels while often producing sonically superior recordings. Naxos does this by using young performers and less well known orchestras, all who perform competently if not brilliantly.

Music’s Great Society. Providing an inexpensive product coupled with an expansive release vision have enabled Naxos to have a manifold effect on classical music evaluation, selection, and purchase. First and foremost, the Naxos approach anecdotally broadens the listening market. By offering well-recorded classical music for such an affordable price, even the most pedestrian listener will find the music temporally and fiscally accessible. These are casual listeners who do not read criticism in Fanfare, The American Record Guide, or Grammophone and are unaffected by informed opinion. A number of these listeners will eventually buy one or two discs and decide that it is not for them. But, a certain subset will like what they hear, will want to buy more, and will find it in the Naxos catalog. That is some pretty smart marketing.

The second effect of Naxos’ marketing strategy provides a catalog replete with works by minor composers, which Naxos shrewdly and effectively promotes this ("18th Century Symphony", "Romantic Piano", etc). They provide an entire new listening area that has been for the most part ignored by the major labels. Classical music trade publications frequently lament the state of classical music sales. This lament is in spite of many major label mid-price and budget efforts. I suspect Mr. Heymann is laughing all the way to the bank. I lament nothing about the state of current classical music recording – this is the most exciting time in classical music in my listening life.

American Classical Music. Naxos has recently released six compact discs on their new off-shoot label Naxos Jazz. These discs are intriguing for what they have in common with the Naxos classical tradition and what they do not. But first, what do classical music and jazz have in common? Well, both have a standard repertoire. That is, both have a basic core of compositions that have been performed many times by many different performers over a long period of time. Examples of the standard repertoire in classical music include Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and Copland’s Rodeo. Examples of the jazz standard repertoire, called, oddly enough, standards, include Thelonious Monk’s "Round Midnight," Dizzy Gillespie’s "Night in Tunisia," and Bobby Timmons’ "Moanin’." In both cases, the fact that a given musical piece is part of the standard repertoire is a priori a testament to its creative endurance and appeal. More globally, classical and jazz are both highly specialized music defined by stylistic forms and periods. In classical music, one refers to the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic forms or periods. In jazz one refers to Swing, Be Bop, Cool, and Hard Bop.

What are the differences between classical and jazz music? One difference is where the performer stands in any analysis. This topic is fraught with hazard. Much to do has been made in classical music that it is the composition and not the performer that is important. That is, the performer should not be elevated above the piece of music. This has been a contentious issue in classical music since Nicolo Paganini made his first Mephisto stance on an Italian stage and established himself as ÃŒber soloist. Those sanguine classical types are forever wanting to fight about this.

On the other hand, jazz types are much more civilized about the whole thing. In jazz, while the composition is important and standards are standards for the same reasons as in classical music, it is the performance and performer that are often more important. This is because of the innate "composition on the spot" improvisation that is a touchstone of jazz. In jazz, a song may have been composed by one musician, but its definitive or a revelatory performance may have been by another. An exquisite example of this is Thelonious Monk’s "‘Round Midnight." Monk composed this ballad in the mid-1940s, but it was not until the 1950s that the definitive performance, the Gil Evans arranged Miles Davis Quintet Columbia recording, was realized. Monk’s solo piano version is essential listening – the Miles Davis Quintet performance is defining and sublime. An example of the revelatory performance of a standard was Charlie Parker’s famous version of the Gershwins’ "Embraceable You." Parker resets the course of jazz by using the Gershwin chord progression as a road map, while playing his own harmonically complex melody over it. (To be historically correct, Parker first did this with the bridge of "Cherokee" somewhat earlier.)

A Fingerpoppin’ Ariadne auf Naxos I was very curious about these Naxos Jazz discs. I was expecting Naxos to employ less well known jazz musicians dutifully executing the jazz standards that make jazz. I got half of it right. At first glance I was not familiar with any of the musicians recording except for trombonist Frank Lacy. After a little research, I discovered that all of the involved musicians have been working with varying levels of success and recognition for the past several years.

Enough rumination, here are some global observations of these six discs: They are all produced by Mike Nock, who also appears on two of the discs. Nock is a New Zealander pianist who made a name for himself as a progressive Hard Bop Specialist in New York in the 1970s. Taken as a unit, these six releases represent a passage down the middle of jazz performance since 1960, and there is something here for everyone. It is not fair to say that this is all Hard Bop. I would come closer to calling this collective music mainstream to fringe mainstream. It’s all here: trio, quartet, quintet, soprano, tenor, flute, trumpet, Latin-Cubano, straight ahead, almost free, and thank God for Miles Davis in the 60s. The vast majority of pieces are original compositions. There are nine standards on four of the discs out of a total 54 pieces.

Gordon Brisker Quintet: The Gift, (86001). This disc more than any of the other Naxos releases owes a great debt to Miles Davis. But not because of trumpeter Tim Hagans. Miles Davis’ stamp is all over this because of the famous use of space. Listening to this disc made me want to listen to Miles’ second great quintet in the same way that listening to the Black Crowes made me want to listen to early 70s Rolling Stones. I enjoyed this disc very much. It is exciting to hear this music so well performed. Brisker’s tenor is quite Coltranesque without being as harsh, and his support suitably swings without going out of control. This disc is mostly original pieces, including the title composition, which was penned by the ubiquitous Mike Nock. My only quibble is a weakly arranged and performed "I Got Rhythm" that closes the disc.

New York Jazz Collective: I Don’t Know This World Without Don Cherry (86002). This is a cool disc. It is a little outside of the mainstream for my tastes, but it is fun and interesting. Clarinets in post-swing era jazz always get my attention and Marty Ehrlich’s was shouting in my ear on the title cut. As with other discs in this initial release, this one owes a great deal to Miles’ great 60s quintet with Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Herbie Handcock, and Ron Carter. This music is what I call a controlled unwinding of jazz. Where Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz was a total free for all that turned everyone on their ear, Miles retained restraint while still loosening the shackles of form. The music on this disc benefits from that loosening. A good bit of the disc sounds modal, allowing the soloists to breathe. It is immediately enjoyable while still being challenging. The tempi ranges from ballad slow to medium fast, but never hurried. The pieces on this disc are characterized by a mixture of time signatures The disc also has Mike Nock’s name written all over it. Literally. Nock penned half of the pieces on this disc. His writing and arranging for larger groups is as facile and inventive as it is on his trio outing discussed below.

Ron McClure Quartet: Pink Cloud (86003). I found this disc the most accessible of all the Naxos releases. This music is very much mainstream jazz. McClure, the bassist, writes and leads the date with confidence if not inventiveness. Rick Margitza plays a slippery, vibratoless tenor and a full throated soprano. His tone is unassuming and non-threatening. His playing is competent and does not demand a Ph.D. of the listener. The rhythm section is very good. There is one standard, Sammy Cahn’s "Day by Day" and eight originals. The sonics are also very good; this was recorded direct to two track digital, combining the best of two worlds: two track recording as perfected by Rudy van Gelder with superb digital sound. Despite the digital recording, the sound still remains analog warm without being soggy. The performance was recorded live.

Sam Yahel: Searchin’ (86004). This recording is the "Young Lions" disc of the Naxos set. The members are all 20 to 30 something. Yahel, a 25 year old transplanted New Yorker, leads the band from his Hammond B3. Yahel’s date possesses the most standards of all of the Naxos releases. They are interesting in that they are not standard standards. The title cut is a Duke Ellington piece. Others include Jobim’s "Double Rainbow" and Harold Arlen’s "A Sleepin’ Bee." See what I mean? No "Take the A Train" or "Girl from Ipanema" (Thank God). Yahel’s standard choices are tasteful as is his and the ensemble’s playing. Based on the typical organ trio (organ, guitar, and drums), Yahel adds Ryan Kisor’s trumpet and Eric Alexander’s tenor to these titles. The result is not a rehash of Jimmy Smith’s Blue Note period, nor Joey DeFrancesco’s 15 minutes of fame. Yahel’s playing is understated and very ensemble oriented. It is very cultivated and decisive. The originals are fun, but not as much fun as the standards. Searchin’ is quite a romp.

Havana Flute Summit: Havana Flute Summit (86005). I am not that wild about the flute in jazz in spite of notable playing by Herbie Mann, Frank Wess, Eric Dolphy, and Rashaan Roland Kirk. Thus, I must admit a personal bias from the start. However, the performances are very lively and infectious. All compositions are originals and feature the flute quartet of Jane Bunnett, Orlando Vallé, Céliné Vallé, and Richard Egues. Recorded in Havana, the music is distinctly Latin-Cubano in rhythm, instrumentation, and performance. The charts are all complex and upbeat. To my ears, the standout performer on the dates is pianist Hilario Duran. His playing is precise and percussive, playing off the percussion section of Robert Vizcaino, Adel Gonzalez, and Juan Carlos Rojas. Generally, this is a competent disc, but four flutes was just a bit too much. I would recommend this to jazz flute enthusiasts only.

Mike Nock Trio: Not We But One (86006). Mike Nock’s performance on Not We But One is a cross between George Winston, Don Pullen, a young Cecil Taylor, and Herbie Handcock. In short, it is a Mike Nock performance. Nock’s reputation for being a progressive is well known in the jazz community. This recording, as well as the New York Jazz Collective recording are the most progressive, demanding, and satisfying of the Naxos outings. Nock’s playing is percussive and compelling. He is capably supported by Anthony Cox on bass and Tony Reedus on drums.

The Final Word I recently responded to a post on a jazz newsgroup asking if any of the Naxos Jazz releases were essential. I wrote that I did not think that any of the discs were essential listening. However, all of the performances are of uniformly high quality. At the requested price, this music cannot be beat. I enjoyed all of the discs. I suspect that I will be listening to them again, which is what tells me that I liked the discs a lot. I enthusiastically support Naxos in their efforts. I have checked the Naxos Web Site (http://www.hnh.com) and saw that there will be four upcoming releases on the Naxos Jazz label: James Zollar: Soaring with Bird, Los Angles Jazz Quartet: Look to the East, Umo Jazz Orchestra, and Niko Schauble: On the Other Hand. I look forward to hearing all of them.

Please feel free to send me email if you have comments.