By Gerard Cox

Those who enjoyed Chick Corea’s renditions of classic Bud Powell compositions performed with the stellar company of Kenny Garrett, Wallace Roney, Joshua Redman, Chris McBride and the venerable Roy Haynes from several years ago now have a reason to smile if they have a DVD player and 20 bucks to spare.

Remembering Bud is the DVD edition of the CD release by Chick Corea (and Friends) from 1997 on Stretch records. It is a fine portrait of this most exemplary tribute band in action, and it is without doubt one of the most worthwhile Jazz concert DVDs presently available.

It was compiled from two concerts during the world tour that the group completed in 1996: the first half from the Parthenon Tama in Japan during the summer of 1996, and the second half from Munich Klaviersommer in Germany, recorded later that summer. The first concert was at a smaller theater; the latter was staged at a large concert hall, leading to a noticeable difference in the acoustics of each set.

The other main differences between the sets are that Kenny Garrett is the horn soloist in the Japan concert while Joshua Redman is the soloist on the Munich date, and the former concert was shot in fullscreen format while the latter was shot in widescreen letterbox format. The 24-bit PCM (Pulse Code Modulation, like RVG series) sound is constant to both sets.

Onto the concerts themselves, because there’s some tasty live stuff to get into.

Chick opens the Japan concert with a very typically Chick, simultaneously noodling and brooding intro, before the horns then come launching in on the Powell theme “Glass Enclosure.” It’s a fitting set opener that of course tends to betray Bud Powell’s personal fight against darkness. This is but a glimpse, however, as the buoyant “Tempus Fugit” crashes the scene and the boys then dig in for the long haul.

Chick Corea, hardly a boy (in his 50s now) certainly plays like one: His playing on this DVD concert is consistently fresh and enthusiastic and one quickly gains the impression that he seems just plain happy and excited by everything going on around him, especially that sea of activity off to the right known as Roy Haynes.

Haynes is the greatest revelation here by far. He is a legend both in name and by deed and he shows it all too thoroughly here. As this band’s direct link to Powell, Haynes demonstrates over and over what a master of driving a band through impeccably placed accents and rolls he is, and moreover what a master he is of the bop/straight-ahead idiom, period. He is a sheer joy to watch in any event, and anyone who hasn’t had the chance to see Roy Haynes live should consider this DVD for the Haynes factor alone.

“Tempus Fugit” features extended solos by both Roney and Garrett. Both are scintillating, but their difference in approach bears noting: Both very modern-playing cats, but Roney manages to address the music more directly -- there are clear elements of the bebop sound in his solo, notably in his phrasing -- while Garrett uses the contours of the tune to more or less do his usual “Kenny Garrett” thing, sketching out the changes in a way that doesn’t really remind of the tune and building a Trane-like chant up to a boil through holding out long, wailing tones. This is nonetheless very invigorating, but after your pulse has gone down you have to question whether Garrett views Bud’s music as merely a pretext for Garrett to do his own thing. Corea is also guilty of this to a lesser extent: Sometimes the harmonic modulations in his solos seem like modernistic license, even with the understanding that you should not expect these musicians to play straight bebop by any means. That said, Corea can be also quite sensitive to the bebop sound and to Bud Powell’s particular apocrypha on piano. For example, his own composition penned for Bud Powell, is totally on the mark, as is the ballad that follows the burnout “Fugit,” “Dusk in Sandi.”

Corea has his main feature on “Dusk in Sandi” and it is a beautiful thing. He plays with an uncommon sensitivity and makes a point to allude to Powell here, mainly through harmonic choices but moreover through the sense of emotional shifting that he carries out through the tune. It sounds cliched to say, but Bud not only bounced between the light and darkness in his life, but in his playing as well. Corea more than adequately reflects this.

Corea’s special tribute composition to Bud Powell (“Bud Powell”) closes the concert and the vocal by Fred Johnson here which reads the theme is very charming indeed. The Japanese audience clearly appreciates the song. That said, it’s probably not too hard to be charming with this tune because is an extremely cozy, loving-sounding tune, the kind that ought to have a long life outside of any tribute tour connotation. It’s worth noting that Garrett also redeems himself admirably here by unfolding a very reverent and rather wistful solo.

The Munich concert opens with Roney and Redman engaging in an old-fashioned cutting contest on Powell’s “Oblivion.” It seems a bizarre choice at first because of their greatly contrasting styles, but in a weird way it actually works. Redman seems to make up in enthusiasm what he may lack in the mastery of his instrument compared to Roney and compensates for Roney’s own stoic stage presence in the process.

About these two R’s: Roney turns out some brilliant solos on this DVD and Roney skeptics should bear notice to watch this one. Those who think he is merely a Miles imitator will likely be refreshed by his uptempo work here, which is extremely sharp and precise. Likewise, while Redman is not always on point here (with evidence of the usual Redman cliches), he is redeemed in the fullest sense on his feature in the Powell ballad “I’ll Keep Loving You.” He does it justice, avoiding any cloying excess he may sometimes be faulted for and making a generally soulful and inventive statement in the process. It might even be argued this is the highlight of either concert.

There’s a lot of resonance in this concert hall; at the beginning of solos, the instrument mike hasn’t been fed into right away so we hear the resonance of the hall in its fullest glory. This is not a major distraction, but one nonetheless worth mentioning.

“Un Poco Loco” is probably the most tense (and intense!) number of either set, set to a rolling samba pattern meted out by Haynes and McBride and with a sense of foreboding “doom” brought about by the combination of this lilting rhythm with the minor sounds upon which the solos dwell. A little crazy? A little dark, too. Roney hits a somber tone in his long solo and Redman goes into snake charmer’s ecstasy on soprano, with dramatic success. This is a very charged piece of music that will likely cause a rise in your pulse.

Each set is unique in certain ways. It is debatable that the first set is better because Roney and Garrett work much better as a front line than do Roney and Redman.

Finally, some visual elements to note from both sets on this DVD: At a certain point during a Wallace Roney solo, the camera focuses in on his head for a full-screen shot and we are rewarded with a wonderful detail; a large bead of sweat runs down his forehead onto his cheek in absolute unison with the rising crescendo in his solo. This is totally brilliant, no matter if it was intentional!! This is the kind of visual drama brought out by the unique experience of seeing a recorded concert on DVD that one should look for.

Another visual element that bears mention is the attention paid to Corea’s facial expressions by the camera. While he appears truly Jeff Goldblum-like sometimes with a sort of intense curiousity, by the expressions on his face you feel every ounce of the effort and deliberation that he puts into his playing; this, certainly for a pianist but for anyone who appreciates the pressures involved in improvising, is priceless

To close, this DVD has some flaws but overall it is a very worthwhile viewing and listening experience. Chick Corea fans, Bud Powell fans, Garrett, Redman, Roney fans, and not to mention Jazz DVD fans in general -- this is your ticket! If nothing else, there is most definitely the “Haynes factor” : “When it’s Haynes, it roars!” So for the very wise investment of one Abe Lincoln and change, pick up one of the best Jazz DVDs yet.

TECHNICAL NOTES:
The former was shot in full screen format and the latter in widescreen letterbox (1.85:1). The technical quality is good. The sound (PCM stereo) is clean and clear.

MUSICIANS: Chick Corea: Piano; Wallace Roney: Trumpet; Kenny Garrett: Alto Sax (Japan): Joshua Redman; Tenor Sax (Munich); Christian McBride: Bass; Roy Haynes: Drums.

SET LISTS:
Japan: 1. Glass Enclosure, 2. Tempus Fugit, 3. Dusk In Sandi, 4. Bud Powell.

Germany: 5. Oblivion, 6. I'll Keep Loving You, 7. Un Poco Loco