David Kikoski: Surf's Up

It seems that the show tunes of the '30s, '40s, and '50s have served as fodder for several generations of jazz musicians, either providing their own melodies for subsequent development or lending their harmonic framework for the jazz writer to use as a basis for an original tune. Most recently, we've seen attention begin to shift to popular material of the current set with some interesting results. Pianist Kenny Barron has recorded a delicate version of Sting's "Fragile," Bob Belden produced an entire album based on the music of Prince, and Herbie Hancock put together an aptly titled The New Standard, which contains a plethora of pop hits. Without speaking for each one of these gentlemen, it would be safe to assume that the reason they decided to employ such material was because they found something inherently tuneful and useful about the original to merit development as a jazz performance.

Striking an agreeable balance between jazz-related repertoire and modern pop classics, the latest entry among this category of "new standards" comes from pianist David Kikoski, now making his fourth appearance as a leader for Criss Cross. "Because the last two records are all originals, [producer] Gerry Teekens and I talked about doing a record of non original stuff," Kikoski explains. "I think Gerry was thinking of jazz standards, but I ended up including some Brazilian music and some rock music rather than just all standards. There's a lot of great music from the '60s and '70s that's not jazz that I really like, so I wanted to try something different from your usual jazz standard record." Summing up his tune selection as a whole, he adds, "I tried to record songs by people I admire as composers."

Of course, Kikoski has penned a good number of his own inventive originals, proficiently documented on his two previous Criss Cross dates, The Maze (Criss Cross 1168) and Almost Twilight (Criss Cross 1190). Together with Inner Trust (Criss Cross 1148) and the enclosed sides, these recordings offer the best picture yet of Kikoski's development as one of New York's finest pianists. Since his graduation from Boston's famed Berklee College of Music in 1984, David has pursued an active career as a sideman, working with such jazz luminaries as Roy Haynes, Bob Berg, Ralph Moore, Randy Brecker, David Sanchez, and Santi Debriano. In addition, the pianist has had the good fortune of leading his own groups, including a current trio that centers around drummer Jeff 'Tain' Watts and bassist James Genus. "Jeff and I have been doing a lot of records together," says Kikoski. For testimony as to their potent strength as a team, one need look no further than Conrad Herwig's Unseen Universe (Criss Cross 1194).

Suffice it to say that the pianist has obtained a musical synergy with Genus and Watts that he finds rewarding. "Both of them contribute a lot to my compositions. They add things and they interpret it and make a strong contribution to my compositions and arrangements. It's very much like three people working together." One of the most electrifying drummers of the modern jazz era, Watts is a Philadelphia native who's been turning heads since his early days as a vital member of Wynton Marsalis' crew and his vita should be familiar to all but the most casual of jazz listeners. Genus may not be as well known to the general public, but his credentials are no less substantial. A former student of Elis Marsalis, Genus has been active in New York since the mid-'80s playing with a range of artists including Horace Silver, Greg Osby, Don Pullen, and Roy Haynes.

First of four tunes taken from the modern vernacular, Frank Zappa's "Oh No" starts things off on an assertive note. "Zappa recorded that tune a number of different ways, sometimes instrumentally and sometimes with lyrics," according to Kikoski. "One day I found the sheet music to it, which was completely wrong, but I sort of worked on it and the intro to it is my own." David stretches out at length before Watts has his own say. "The vamp at the end, which goes into odd meter, is perfect for Tain's style," the pianist enthuses. "His polyrhythmic sense is outstanding and it gives him a chance to flex."

The least well known of the two Charlie Parker lines included is "Cardboard." "For me, Charlie Parker is my favorite jazz musician of all-time. There's something about the way that he played that astounds me to this day. He's been one of my main influences as far as jazz and I like finding songs of his that people don't play and I like the idea of people starting to hear some of the more obscure songs." First recorded by the alto saxophonist in 1949, this line assumes a new life in the hands of the trio, swinging ferociously from start to finish. Watch out for some fleet fingering from Genus and a round of eights with Watts at the tail end.

Kikoski has again avoided the obvious by taking on one of Thelonious Monk's lesser-performed numbers. "Four In One" retains the essence of Monk's idiosyncratic style, but finds Kikoski going for his own thing during a passionate and dynamic solo that gets spurred on by Watt's incendiary contributions. "For me it's a challenge because when you play a Monk song, Monk's style of playing, in a way, needs to be adhered to," Kikoski states. "But at the same time, you don't want to be imitating Thelonious Monk when you play a Monk song. I try to get a balance between playing my own way over the song and adhering to some of the nuances."

On a calmer and more thoughtful note, we come to the classic Brazilian composition "A Noite Do Meu Bem" written by Dolores Duran, an associate of Antonio Carlos Jobim and a popular singer in her native land during the '50s. Kikoski was initially struck by the song's beauty after hearing it performed by Milton Nascimento, another one of Brazil's cultural treasures. "Milton is one of my favorite composers and singers and I really love his melodies and harmonies and rhythms. I think he's another one of the great composers."

Jackie McLean first recorded his own "Little Melonae" for a 1955 quintet date he led for the Jubilee label. It has been heard in numerous renderings over the years, but Kikoski gives us a rare piano trio offering. "I wanted it to sound different than the version I have with Coltrane playing it, so I changed the tempo a little bit and I changed some of the rhythms to put our own stamp on it," says Kikoski. "The melody has some interesting intervals that I have been experimenting with in my own compositions, so I used that as a basis to come up with the introduction and to change some of the harmonies to try to give it a little different feel." During the middle of his heated romp, the pianist throws in some offbeat punctuations that create a great sense of suspended animation. Watts is there at every turn and his own free form solo is an added bonus.

The title track might seem to be the least likely item for a jazz interpretation, yet it is easily the standout performance of the disc. Composed by Brian Wilson, "Surf's Up" was part of a body of work undertaken by Wilson as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Pet Sounds album. "It was supposed to be on this album called Smile, which never came out, and it was like this masterpiece that was sort of fragmented. Eventually it came out in different forms on different collections, bootlegs, and such. I wanted to record it because it's a really interesting song. I choose to rework it rhythmically and form wise by changing some of the meter so it would work with the jazz trio." David contributes a cathartic statement before Genus takes his turn, the threesome then riding things out on a collective high.

Another Parker line gets a facelift, with "Bird Feathers" taking on a rather soulful personality. "All the Charlie Parker heads have amazing rhythm to them, but this one has always intrigued me," quips David about its inclusion. "It's almost like a great drum solo without any notes at all, just the rhythms." The trio effortlessly skirts between sections that swing fiercely and those with a solid backbeat. "With James and Tain, they're so free with their interpretation, that sometimes we'll swing straight ahead on it and other times it'll get a little bit funkier. With those guys it can go completely anywhere."

From the pen of another notable Brazilian composer comes "Muito a Vontade," written by Joao Donato. First heard in the U.S. on Donato's 1962 Pacific Jazz release Sambou, Sambou, this lively samba wraps things up with an opportunity for the trio to flex its collective muscles. "We go through different metric modulations over the vamp at the end, which gave it something interesting to blow over," Kikoski makes clear. "It's kind of challenging and the guys really rose to the occasion."

It seems that David Kikoski and his dynamic trio have risen to the occasion, performing flawlessly throughout a program that is both challenging and emotionally accessible. As for the pianist, it is with much enthusiasm that he views an increasing number of prospects to lead his own groups. "I'm starting to do more of my own tours under my own name, which is exciting to me." In conclusion, he adds, "I've been fortunate enough to be able to use some of the people who are working with me on the records and I'm enjoying the opportunity to do that."

Liner Notes copyright © 2024 C. Andrew Hovan.

Surf's Up can be purchased here.

Contact C. Andrew Hovan at All About Jazz.
An avid audiophile and music collector, Chris Hovan is a Cleveland-based writer / photographer / musician.

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