May 2004

For a guitarist who keeps a fairly low profile, Rory Stuart drew a truly impressive crowd at Cornelia Street Café (April 10th). Stuart, who has taught at the New School since 1992, displayed a rare purity of tone and a smart compositional sense during an engaging and often heated set — the heat coming mainly from tenor saxophonist Mark Shim. There were certain echoes of Sonny Rollins with Jim Hall, although the underexposed Shim sounds more like Joe Henderson filtered through Coleman Hawkins. Bassist Brandon Owens and drummer Ari Hoenig dealt expertly with Stuart's provocative mix of cerebral cool and swinging fire. "The Same Old Same Old" put telltale hard bop devices to playful use; "Unexpected Path" combined an off-kilter rhythmic phrase with James Brown-inspired funk; "Wednesday's Child," a lyrical waltz, led into the extremely difficult melody and fast tempo of Shim's "Crazy," which found Stuart playing through an octave pedal and trading with Shim furiously. Finally, "Blues in Three Tempos," which also seemed to involve three keys, could have sounded like an exercise but was in fact a brilliant composition, an elaboration of a simple shout-chorus figure.

You may have heard trumpeter Shane Endsley with Mike McGinnis's excellent group Between Green, or on recordings by such far-flung artists as Steve Coleman and Ani DeFranco. But if you haven't heard Endsley's freakishly talented quintet KneeBody, that needs to change. These geographically separated, mainly LA-based Eastman alums play in this area only about once a year. The Jazz Gallery was kind enough to host this year's show on a Sunday (April 11), when the space is normally dark. This amusing yet rigorous venture, which used to be known as the Wendel-Endsley Group, features Endsley with Ben Wendel on tenor sax, Adam Benjamin on piano and Rhodes, Kaveh Rastegar on electric bass and Nate Wood (of the rock band The Calling) on drums. All members write, and what they write is impossibly intricate, often through-composed, epic and funky, emphasizing the written detail over the extended solo. Only none of KneeBody's material is ever written down. Every tune sounds impeccably rehearsed, and yet the band rarely rehearses. The solo sections, when they do crop up, are not enviable things to blow over. Dousing the listener in a flood of sonic and metric contrasts, pounding, infectious grooves and turn-on-a-dime endings, KneeBody announces itself as a jazz/rock chamber group of the oddest sort.

~ David Adler







As part of Jazz Gallery’s consistently impressive “Early Sets”, occuring conveniently at 6:30 pm several times a season, Joe Temperley (baritone sax) and saxophonist/clarinetist Walter Blanding rose out of their Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (LCJO) confines on April 7th with an assemblage featuring Rick Germanson (piano), Kengo Nakamura (bass), and Quincy Davis (drums). After Nakamura’s exquisite bass solo introduction, the singing baritone of Temperley - the near 75-year old veteran from Scotland who was in celebratory mode for this rare instance of small group freedom - sparked the swinging rhythm section to join in on Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin”. Delicately (not a word customarily associated with anything baritone sax-related but such was the case), Temperley coordinated with Nakamura a mesmerizing scat-like head on the burly horn for Oscar Pettiford’s “Tricotism”. Germanson’s piano trio rendition of Monk’s “Ask Me Now” revealed why he’s become so in demand; his decision to go down the road of Ellington sentimentality, rather than play with Monk’s finessed rhythms, wound up being a nice choice. “A Night in Tunisia”, the closer, showcased both horns again with an absolutely invigorating and wailing blues intro by the younger reedman on tenor. Though the baritone player’s talents are at times underappreciated behind the LCJO curtain, one hopes to get more such opportunities to hear him stretch out.

“I’ve lived my whole life for this day”. These were the humble words of Benny Powell, the recently turned 74-year old trombone playing ex-Basie band veteran – who recently added The Gift of Love (Faith Records) to his less than a handful of recordings as leader - before introducing his ensemble at New School’s Tishman Auditorium (April 14). His “Bones for Basie” celebration of Count Basie’s centennial featured a mix of students and colleagues (trombones: Dion Tucker, Stafford Hunter, Sam Griffith, Barry Cooper; pianist Sayuri Goto; and the well-versed rhythm tandem of bassist Earl May and drummer Vinnie Johnson). Powell opened things up with two early Basie staples, Eddie Durham’s “Swingin’ the Blues” and Earl Warren’s “9:20 Special”, each featuring the 5-member trombone frontline. Multi-layered parts and harmonies glided over the spacious yet swinging accompaniment by Goto’s Basie-influenced single-note approach. Neal Hefti’s ever so sweet theme, “Lil Darlin”, once again showcased the obvious camaraderie Powell has developed with his fellow bone players, Tucker and Hunter in particular, leaving a gratifying sense of group harmony. Asides from Lester Young’s “Lester Leaps In”, the program was then dedicated to Powell’s original compositions, as well as a sampling of his singing (let’s just say he’s no trombonist-singing Jack Teagarden or Frank Rosolino).

~ Laurence Donohue-Greene







Seeing pianist Kenny Barron in the Kaplan Penthouse on April 17th against the backdrop of the city skyline makes one realize how much he is the consummate New York pianist. Full of grace, refinement and, yes, even optimism, he commanded the full and entranced room. After a number of high profile engagements (Carnegie’s Zankel Hall for example), Barron’s star finally seems to be rising to its deserved heights. Playing solo performances for three days is taxing effort but Barron’s exquisite style draws listeners right up to the side of the piano. By the end, Barron stated “I don’t remember anything I just played” but the material for the first set included “My Sweet Embraceable You”, “Prelude to a Kiss”, “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most”, “Night and Day” and “Oleo”. What is most striking about Barron is that when he plays softly and languorously, it is a wonder how much meaning and emotion he inserts into so few notes. And when he plays barnstormers like his version of “Oleo”, no note seems superfluous. This is the result of a florid, lyrical right hand playing off his steady left, used, as it should, to ground the melodies and ably support his flights. - Andrey Henkin

On the surface, the concept behind The Three Altos may seem steeped in novelty, much like the different instrument summits convened in the ‘70s (trombone, clarinet, violin and also alto). However, Sonny Fortune, the de facto leader of the group, is all business. The group had played around the city for the past year before landing at Iridium on April 17th. The front line is normally Fortune, Vincent Herring and Gary Bartz. Bartz, unable to make the gig, was depped by Antonio Hart. While Hart was quite an accomplished young technician, he straddled the space between Fortune and Herring a little too much. The group normally revolves around the substantial difference between Fortune’s forcefulness, Herring’s refinement and Bartz’ intellectualism, over the support of bassist Cecil McBee, pianist Ronnie Mathews and drummer Billy Hart. Unlike many other combos that play the big clubs and stick to the five-song-per-set format, the Three Altos play only three numbers and stretch them out accordingly. The group functions as a “greatest hits” band, sticking to cover material from the late ‘60s – this evening’s performance consisted of Donald Byrd’s “Fly Little Bird Fly”, Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” and John Coltrane’s “Impressions”. Mammoth solos abounded as familiar tunes were imbued with new energy. This is a group not to be missed, particularly when Bartz is present.

~ Andrey Henkin





Roy Haynes strolled to the stage fashionably dressed and fashionably late for the 10:30 pm set at the Blue Note on March 31st, a snifter of brandy in one hand and a pair of mallets in the other, leaving little doubt that the dynamic drummer was still celebrating his 79th birthday. As his young band members tuned up, Haynes joked with the audience, checking his watch, before launching into Charlie Parker’s “Diverse”. Saxophonist Marcus Strickland led things off with a blistering tenor solo, followed by individual statements by Martin Bejerano at the piano and John Sullivan on bass, as the leader drove each one with his relentless drumming, standing up for the finale as he pedaled his bass drum. The quartet continued bopping with Monk’s “Trinkle Tinkle” and Miles’ “Sippin’ At Bells”, before slowing things for a tenor/bass duet on Kenny Barron’s “Voyage” and a striding solo piano “Easy To Remember”. The quartet returned for a dramatic rendition of Dave Kikoski’s “Inner Trust”, with Strickland on soprano and Haynes demonstrating his AfroCuban vocabulary as he soloed on each part of the kit before engaging in a four limbed polyrhythmic conversation. When someone requested a drum solo Haynes noted “I’m soloing while they’re soloing.” The set ended with a swinging “Remember” and the celebratory Haynes theme “Summer Night”.

Toots Thielmans' April 2nd J@LC Brazilian Nights concert at Alice Tully Hall featured the harmonica master with regular pianist Kenny Werner and special guests, guitar great Oscar Castro-Neves and percussion wizard Airto Moreira in an impeccably performed program of classic sambas and bossa novas mixed with originals and standards. Opening with a lively "I'll Remember April". Thielmans displayed unrivaled virtuosity on his instrument and impressive rhythmic inventiveness for interpreting melody. Castro-Neves, demonstrated his creativity on a beautiful bossa written for his daughters. Werner's tasteful piano accompaniment and keyboard orchestrations were notable on "The Dolphin" and a Sinatra medley ("All The Way", "My Way", "Witchcraft" and "Something Stupid"). Airto's drumming propelled the group on Jobim's "Aguas de Marcos" and "No More Blue", before a tender rendition of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" ended the first half. After the intermission Toots began with a swinging "Night and Day" a followed with a set of classics by Ivan Lins, Chico Barque, Bola Sete and Milton Nascimento, with Werner (who played a stirring "Love Story" duet with Thielmans) whistling on the latter's "Travesia" which culminated with an interpolation of "God Bless America". Following a well deserved standing ovation the group returned to play a Thielmans original for his wife before ending with a dedication to Louis Armstrong - "What A Wonderful World".

~ Russ Musto

Recommended Picks:

Charles Lloyd/Billy Higgins - Which Way is East (ECM)

John O’Gallagher - Abacus (Arabesque)

Bob Schneider/Paul Hofmann - Interconnection (Sons of Sound)

Craig Taborn - Junk Magic (Thirsty Ear)

Ben Waltzer - 100 Dreams Ago (Fresh Sound-New Talent)

Kenny Werner - Peace (Half Note)

~ David Adler


Peter Brötzmann/Joe McPhee/ Kent Kessler/Michael Zerang - Tales out of Time (hatOLOGY)

Bill Carrothers - Ghost Ships (Sketch)

Ned Goold - The Flows (Smalls)

Burton Greene - Live at Grasland (Drimala)

Charles Lloyd/Billy Higgins - Which Way is East (ECM)

Sticks and Stones - Shed Grace (Thrill Jockey)

~ Laurence Donohue-Greene


Art Ensemble of Chicago - Reunion (Il Manifesto)

William Parker/Little Huey Orchestra - Mass for the Healing of the World (Black Saint)

Rova Orkestrova - An Alligator in Your Wallet (Ewe) Schooldays/Atomic - Nuclear Assembly Hall (Okkadisk)

Sonny Simmons - Cosmosomatics III (Boxholder)

Cecil Taylor and the Italian Instabile Orchestra - Owner of the Riverbank (Enja-Justin Time)

~ Bruce Gallanter (Proprietor, Downtown Music Gallery)

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