Home » Jazz News » Recording

169

Michael Wolff Earns National Raves for Joe's Strut

Source:

Sign in to view read count
“An Assured Quick-Mindedness, Full of Surprises”

National Coverage Rolls in for ‘Joe’s Strut’

“Wolff’s Joy in Playing Piano is Unmistakable and Infectious”

“A Musical Renaissance Man”

“Joe’s Strut Delivers, Smoothly and Seamlessly”

Pianist Michael Wolff’s new CD ‘Joe’s Strut’ has garnered substantial national and regional press coverage in its first week of release. A multi-page ‘Before & After’ interview feature appears in the March issue of JAZZTIMES Magazine, praising Wolff as “a musical renaissance man.” The full feature can be seen via the link, below. A terrific CD review in ALLMUSIC notes “the opening track finds Wolff, a master of harmonics with an assured quick-mindedness, full of surprises, tossing around choppy discordant post-bop chords like confetti and alternately unreeling no-nonsense bluesy flurries, the saxes and rhythm section maintaining a solid soulful block as he goes on his merry way.” In Jazztimes’ CD review, they comment: “Wolff’s joy in playing piano is unmistakable and infectious.” DOWNBEAT says: “Joe’s Strut delivers, smoothly and seamlessly,” and adds, “his uptempo solos can swing hard, and he has the temperament to leave space where it belongs on the ballads.” The San Jose Mercury News called Wolff “A commanding jazz presence,” and there’s more to come, as JAZZIZ features Wolff in their upcoming ‘Prelude’ section, ALL ABOUT JAZZ-NY plans CD coverage, and so on.



The catchy title track on ‘Joe’s Strut’ features a jazz/pop sensibility that recalls radio hits of decades past…Wolff’s original, instrumental song recalls an era when Chuck Mangione, Herbie Hancock, Cannonball Adderley, Les McCann and Eddie Harris, Ahmad Jamal, Ramsey Lewis and others found popularity with songs that reached beyond straight-ahead jazz to embrace an expansive range of listeners. In fact, radio has already begun to embrace the CD, with a 29 to 10 chart jump in JazzWeek, most added in Jazzweek with 16 new reports, and #5 in increased airplay with 50+ new spins. This is definitely emerging as an album to watch at jazz radio. Check out the music, here: http://www.SethCohenPR.com/player/michaelwolff/.

Wrong Records’ February 10th release of 'Joe's Strut' marks Wolff’s first new recording of straight-ahead, original, instrumental jazz since 2004's acclaimed 'Dangerous Vision'. Upcoming U.S. Tour dates include: March 19 Jack Kleinsinger's Highlights in Jazz, Tribeca Performing Arts Center NY, NY; April 21-26, 2009, The Village Vanguard in NYC will feature Michael Wolff/Steve Wilson/Chip Jackson/Victor Lewis Quartet. On April 30, Michael and his trio return to Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base in Reading, PA, with special guest, Steve Wilson. The Wolff Trio will return to the Florence Gould Theater in San Francisco (presented by SFJazz) June 13. On October 24, 2009 Michael returns to the Kennedy Center to perform in the Jazz Club, and he'll be bringing along Steve Wilson as guest. Additional 2009 dates will be announced soon.

BEFORE AND AFTER Feature 3/09 JAZZTIMES



Call him a musical renaissance man: As a jazz pianist and composer, Michael Wolff has worked with Cal Tjader, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins and Wayne Shorter, and he spent five years as Nancy Wilson’s music director. The mid-1980s found Wolff branching out as a comedian and singer-songwriter, which paved the way toward his high-profile five-year gig as television bandleader on The Arsenio Hall Show. He’s since composed soundtracks for several films, including The Tic Code, directed by the actress (and his wife) Polly Draper. More recently, Wolff has sharpened his acting chops in the role of the geeky accordion-playing dad on Nickelodeon’s popular rock comedy television show The Naked Brothers Band, starring Wolff’s sons Nat and Alex. We sat one night over a bowl of pistachios listening to records and talking about his latest release, Joe’s Strut (Wrong). - Larry Appelbaum Read the extended JazzTimes interview and hear audio clips here: http://jazztimes.com/columns_and_features/before_and_after/index.cfm? artist=61&action=about_the_artist

JAZZTIMES CD REVIEW – 3 09, By Thomas Conrad (Excerpts):

Critics have described Michael Wolff as a “polyglot” and a “chameleon.” On Joe’s Strut he segues from sophisticated postbop (‘Harbor Island’) to unapologetic boogaloo (the title track, a Joe Zawinaul tribute) to rarefied Ravel harmonies (‘Wheel of Life’) to ferociously swung standards (‘If I Were A Bell’) to open cinematic atmospheres (‘The Third You’) to ballads pared down to the bone (‘Come Rain or Come Shine’)…Steve Wilson, who may have the loveliest, purest soprano saxophone sound in jazz, streams molten silver on ‘Wheel of Life.’ And Wolff’s joy in playing piano is unmistakable and infectious. Just try to listen to him prance through ‘If I Were a Bell’ without smiling.

ALL MUSIC - Review – JOE’S STRUT 2/15/09 by Jeff Tamarkin



Michael Wolff's recordings as a leader have been all over the place through the years, but he's always made his most potent statements while keeping things focused and simple. Joe's Strut manages to straddle a line between honoring that simplicity and flirting with an ambition to transcend it -- it's an all-acoustic effort, mostly straight-ahead, but pianist Wolff and company toss in just enough curveballs to keep things lively and edgy. Working with two configurations -- a trio featuring Chip Jackson on bass and Victor Jones on drums, and a quintet that adds alto saxophonist Steve Wilson and tenor saxist Ian Young to that lineup -- Wolff dedicates the album to the late keyboardist Joe Zawinul (referenced by the title track) and covers his “74 Miles Away" as the album's final track. But Zawinul's influence on the album doesn't turn up in a direct musical sense so much as it's reflected in an adventurous, at times sly spirit that permeates the record. There are moments when that zeal nearly gets the better of Wolff. “Harbour Island," the opening track, finds Wolff, a master of harmonics with an assured quick-mindedness, full of surprises, tossing around choppy discordant post-bop chords like confetti and alternately unreeling no-nonsense bluesy flurries, the saxes and rhythm section maintaining a solid soulful block as he goes on his merry way. If at times it seems as though the fills are random and deliberate, it evens out in the end when the quintet brings it all home single- mindedly. Likewise, on “Freedom," another Wolff original that utilizes the full band, the pianist goes at first for a deeper, darker sound, then shifts the mood to one more swinging and loose. Just when Wolff and the saxophonists appear close to losing their grip, approaching gratuitousness, they always manage to compensate quickly for any overextensions and sync up again. The track builds to a grandeur midway, when tenorist Young comes to the rescue with a bold solo, against which Wolff attacks with a barrage of angular chords. Of the covers, Harold Arlen's “Come Rain or Come Shine" is a particular gem, a whispery ballad in which empty space counts as much as the blowing. And Frank Loesser's “If I Were a Bell" is almost giddy, a stroll in the park. Rolling along with a buoyant swing, Wolff carries on a one-man conversation between his high and low keys before inviting bassist Jackson into the chat. Jackson and Jones pitch in with brief solos, Wolff wanders off momentarily into a corner, but ultimately it all falls back into place. A positive word must also be given to altoist Wilson, whose tone is pristine and whose phrasing choices are ever on the mark -- his solos and accompaniment add multi-colors to this recording, and Wolff was wise to bring him along. These days Michael Wolff may have more of a public profile as the dad on Nickelodeon's tweens-geared TV series The Naked Brothers Band, which stars his two sons, Nat and Alex. The elder Wolff plays an accordionist on the program, and always seems to be having lots of fun doing so. It's good to hear him having as much fun here, doing what he does best. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0bfexzlkldde



Downbeat CD REVIEW 3 09 By Robert Doerschuk Three Stars (Excerpts):

Michael Wolff builds his works on a solid understanding of jazz composition, from their integrations of harmonic and thematic content to their flexibility in allowing room for exploration. As a player, Wolff is equally reliable; his uptempo solos can swing hard, and he has the temperament to leave s pace where it belongs on the ballads. All of that is clear throughout Joe’s Strut…. On the ballad ‘Wheel of Life,’ the rhythm is implied more than articulated by bass and drums, and the texture evokes the impressionist ethos cultivated by one of Wolff’s influences, the late Bill Evans. In the forefront, Wolff and Steve Wilson, playing soprano sax, craft an eloquent conversation, with inflections and pauses that suggest thoughtful as well as artful discourse. A similar intelligence enhances ‘If I Were A Bell,’ which simmers quietly as the players leave lots of room – yet it swings with a pulse that’s as irresistible as it is sometimes ephemeral. In the most revealing moment in this package, Wolff finds the essence of ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’ by paring it down to the melody and a series of single notes in the low register. Joe’s Strut delivers, smoothly and seamlessly.



Michael Wolff: A Commanding Jazz Presence



San Jose Mercury News By Andrew Gilbert 2/12/2009

Michael Wolff isn't a geek, but he plays one convincingly on TV. In real life, he's one of the hippest cats around, a commanding jazz pianist who made his recording debut at 20 with alto sax star Cannonball Adderley. He's toured the world accompanying Nancy Wilson; collaborated with his good friend, the late Warren Zevon; and led the house band on “The Arsenio Hall Show." But these days Wolff is far better known as the dorky accordion- playing dad on “The Naked Brothers Band," a hit Nickelodeon show aimed at preteens. Wife's revenge: “My wife is getting revenge; she gets to make me look stupid," says Wolff, who performs with his trio featuring bassist Rich Goods and veteran drummer Victor Jones at Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society on Sunday and Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Monday. Wolff met his wife, Polly Draper, the actress best known for playing Ellyn Warren on the popular 1980s television drama “thirtysomething," when she was an Arsenio Hall guest. “The Naked Brothers Band," a faux documentary series about a superstar kid rock band, grew out of the musical inclinations of their two young sons, songwriter/keyboardist Nat Wolff and drummer Alex Wolff. Draper is the “Naked Brothers" creator, director, writer and executive producer, and she cast her husband as the immature dad raising his sons as a single parent. “She was going to make me a piano player, but accordions are funnier," Wolff says from his Manhattan studio. “The dad is really kind of childish, and Nat functions as a parental influence. It's been fun and a challenge. I tell the kids, you've got it easy, you get to be yourselves. They write all the songs, and they're fantastic musicians. “It started as a total lark, and now it's our family shoe store. It's 'Spinal Tap' meets 'The Little Rascals.' “ Years before Wolff started playing a goofier version of himself on television, his life inspired the 1999 film “The Tic Code" starring Gregory Hines and Draper, who wrote the screenplay. Jazz as a refuge: Loosely based on his experience as a child growing up with Tourette syndrome, a condition that wasn't diagnosed until his late 30s, the film conveys the way the jazz world can serve as a refuge. “In jazz, you could be a junkie, or an eccentric, so I felt accepted," Wolff says. “There weren't too many white guys, but it wasn't about color. If you proved yourself, you could play." Raised from the age of 9 in Berkeley, Wolff displayed prodigious talent as a young teenager. He studied with tenor sax legend Lester Young's niece, pianist Martha Young, who mentored many aspiring East Bay jazz musicians. By 17 he was working as the house pianist at San Francisco's Both/And Club. At 19, he talked himself into an onstage audition with Cal Tjader when he ran into the vibraphonist at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. “He said to come by and sit in with the band at El Matador," Wolff recalls. “I wasn't old enough to get in, but a waitress finally sneaked me in the back. Cal just happened to need somebody for a two- week gig in Tucson. “I guess he liked my playing, because the next gig was a Latin jazz jam at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry and Armando Peraza. “I had just turned 20, and I was thinking they were lucky." Taught by the greats: Despite his youthful arrogance, Wolff was essentially learning on the bandstand, being tested every night by some of jazz's greatest artists. (Last year, Monterey Jazz Festival Records released “The Best of Cal Tjader: Live at the Monterey Jazz 1958- 1980," which features Wolff on a 12-minute version of “Manteca" from 1972.) “You don't get those experiences today," Wolff says. “With Cannonball, Sarah Vaughan would come sit in. Everyone would sit in with Tjader. It was really trial by fire every night." For the past decade or so, Wolff's music has mostly reflected his aggressive side with his world-jazz band Impure Thoughts, featuring Badal Roy on tablas and Alex Foster on reeds. But his latest album, “Joe's Strut" (Wrong Records), is a hard-swinging straight-ahead session divided between a quintet and a trio with Goods and Jones, a deeply funky drummer with more than 100 recordings to his credit (including albums with Lou Donaldson, Stan Getz and Woody Shaw). Wolff has worked with Jones ever since they met on the pianist's first New York gig, and he recruited Goods for the trio about three years ago. The band focuses on Wolff's original pieces, often drawn from the Impure Thoughts repertoire but arranged for trio. “As much as I love Impure Thoughts, that band was loud," Wolff says. “I really want to hear what I'm doing. I really want to hear the dynamics and harmonies." http://www.mercurynews.com/lifestyle/ci_11680395



PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW Pianist keeps groups moving By Bob Karlovits, February 8, 2009

“Joe's Strut" is a strong example of how pianist Michael Wolff is able handle playing in varying-sized groups. The basis of all the work is Wolff, bassist Chip Jackson and drummer Victor Jones, a group that has been together since the '70s. Bassist Richie Goods, a Pittsburgh native, sits in for Jackson on several tracks, but the biggest change is when the group adds Steve Wilson on soprano saxophone and Ian Young on tenor. That takes the album from a trio doing a rhythmically clever “If I Were a Bell" to the quintet doing a driving “Harbour Island. The best offerings though are the quintet's “Freedom," an original by Wolff, and the trio's sensitive “Come Rain of Come Shine." Existing in a strong way in between is the beautiful Wolff original, “Wheel of Life," which is done in a quartet with Young. — Bob Karlovits

North County Times, CA Tour preview/CD review By JIM TRAGESER, 2/11/09



“A” Pianist Michael Wolff has carved out a creative niche somewhere between the old-school traditionalists and the avant-garde. Drawing on jazz's grand heritage (due, no doubt, to his early years playing with Julius “Cannonball" Adderly and Sonny Rollins) Wolff's playing also incorporates many of the most modern threads. His latest disc finds him in a forceful mood, playing throughout with exuberance and a high level of energy. Backed by a rhythm section of drummer Victor Jones and either Chip Jackson or Rich Goods on bass, Wolff shares lead duties with Steve Wilson and Ian Young on saxophones. And while Wolff is generous in sharing solo and lead duties with the two reedmen, neither can match his dynamism ---- this is clearly Wolff's showcase. The album opens with three original songs, including the powerhouse title track which comes off as an uptempo takeoff on Vince Guaraldi's songs from the old “Peanuts" animated specials. An impassioned reading of Frank Loesser's “If I Were a Bell" is the most straight-ahead track on the album. A cover of Harold Arlen's “Come Rain or Come Shine" is the only song where Wolff slows things down, and yet even in this slow-walking arrangement, there is a ferocity to the emotions beneath his playing. Joe Zawinul's “74 Miles Away" closes the album out, and Wolff shows that fusion may be as close to a stylistic home as the versatile Wolff will ever have.Michael Wolff plays Feb. 12 at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla.

THE DAILY AZTEC – College concert review By Rachel Calkins, 2/17/09

LIVE AND DANGEROUS: Local library offers more than books and quiet The jazz-tastic Michael Wolff Trio brightens the stuffy, academic landscape



Few music enthusiasts would go to the library on a Thursday night, let alone to listen to jazz. But those who did were in for a treat when the Michael Wolff Trio played last week at the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library in La Jolla. The stylish threesome hilariously charmed and delighted the Jazz at the Athenaeum series throughout its almost two-hour set. Its youthful vigor and serious jazz talent were just the spice the gorgeously refined library needed to liven its book stacks, works of art and guests. Long-time jazz musician, pianist and composer Michael Wolff led the trio with smooth Victor Jones on drums and the slamming Rich Goods on bass. Aside from Wolff’s dashing nephew, the jazz series attendees appeared to be of a slightly older persuasion. But these older folks were transformed when infused with the playful and enchanting music the trio offered that evening. Of course, the white wine didn’t hurt either. With a combination of original songs and variations of older tunes, the band played each song with intensity and joy. From communicative and animated facial expressions to bodily movement as an extension of its instruments, it was evident these musicians cared as much about playing the music as the audience enjoyed listening to it. One particularly brilliant number was “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” from Wolff’s 2000 album, “Impure Thoughts.” Anyone who is familiar with this song instantly knows how downright funky and cool it is. While a few members of the audience seemed a bit perturbed at the loud noises in the library (one man was seen plugging his ears), it was the surprisingly loud clashes on the drums, piano and bass that made the song so epic. Each band member would take turns holding down some resemblance of the original version while one or both of the other members would solo and weave the song in jazzy, funky, rocking ways to which one could not help but move. In light of the recent holiday of love, the trio played “My Funny Valentine.” The band members all opened the song slowly and thoughtfully as they began to play what may have been the most beautiful version ever heard. The Michael Wolff Trio is currently touring to promote its newest album “Joe’s Strut.” The title track is hot and bluesy, showcasing Wolff’s New Orleans roots. Before jumping into play, Wolff joked around with the audience, “Does anyone here like the blues?” The crowd passionately cheered. “Well, maybe next time,” he said teasingly. He also noted that New Orleans-style music, like gumbo, “is fattening.” And fattening it was. The band filled our ears and hearts with rich and satisfying music while filling our bellies with deep, resounding laughter. Above all, Wolff, Goods and Jones were a fantastic trio whose open communication and pure love of jazz contributed not only to two sets of very solid music, but a pleasurable experience as well. The audience participated by singing along, clapping and randomly striking up conversation with the band. The warm and intimate setting of the Athenaeum made for a wonderful and personal evening. After the performance, the man to my left leaned over and, making a reference to the jazz series at the Athenaeum said, “Out of the past 30 years, this has been one of the top 10 (shows).” The Michael Wolff Trio will continue its tour up the coast to play at Pepperdine, Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz.





Visit Website

For more information contact .

Comments

Tags

Concerts

News

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.