Innehållsförteckning för May 2019 från JazzTimes

On our editorial calendar, this issue was originally designated as “The Renegades Issue.” Here’s one of the ways Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “renegade”: “an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior.” Going by that definition, you could argue that every issue of JazzTimes is full of renegades. What was supposed to set this issue apart was that we specifically wanted to highlight either up-and-coming players with a distinct sense of adventurousness in their work or established artists who normally operate outside the mainstream. We did achieve that goal, to an extent. I’m particularly gratified to see youngsters like Pedro Martins, Veronica Swift, and Brian Krock in these pages, as well as David Dominique, whose giddily genre-surfing album Mask has, in the early months of 2019, become one of my…

Hanging with Lewis Porter brings an exciting promise of discovery—some unknown fact about a jazz hero or some new insight into a historic recording. It should be that way, given his reputation as a researcher with few equals: author of the definitive John Coltrane biography (John Coltrane: His Life and Music, 1998) as well as well-read titles on Lester Young and jazz history in general, and initiator of the first master’s program in jazz history at Rutgers University. He has also been moderator of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Talk series, and now produces the well-named Deep Dive blog for WBGO’s website, each entry a veritable detective story full of intrigue and information. That Porter’s accomplishments would overshadow his first love—performing music—is both a compliment and unsurprising. But that’s changing, according…

It was a shotgun wedding heard ’round the world. Forty years ago, a game-changing album appeared that forced a volatile marriage between punk rock and free jazz, two genres that struck many at the time as worlds apart. The 1979 debut by James Chance and the Contortions, wryly titled Buy, advanced a whole movement in sound, melding the blunt-force trauma of a band like the Ramones with the surreal freedom of an artist like Ornette Coleman. To create an instant family, Chance gave his sonic couple a child via a third element—funky beats à la James Brown. The result? Punk jazz you could dance to. Or at least contort to. Everything about the Contortions’ new sound was twisted, distorted, and frantic, from Chance’s insane-asylum vocals and saxophone blares to the…

United States NORTHEAST ALLENTOWN JAZZFEST 2019 Dates TBD Various venues, Allentown, PA www.allentownjazzfest.org BOSCOV’S BERKS JAZZ FEST April 5-14, 2019 Various venues Reading/Berks County, PA www.berksjazzfest.com EXIT ZERO JAZZ FESTIVAL (SPRING) April 12-14, 2019 Various venues Cape May, NJ www.exitzerojazzfestival.com CENTER CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL April 27, 2019 Various venues Philadelphia, PA www.ccjazzfest.com INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY April 30, 2019 Various venues worldwide www.jazzday.com JAZZ & BLUES, WINE & BREWS May 4, 2019 Historic Downtown Berlin, MD www.berlinchamber.org ESSENTIALLY ELLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND COMPETITION AND FESTIVAL May 9-11, 2019 Jazz at Lincoln Center New York, NY academy.jazz.org/ee MARY LOU WILLIAMS JAZZ FESTIVAL May 10-11, 2019 Kennedy Center Washington, DC www.kennedy-center.org HAPPY VALLEY MUSIC FEST May 31-June 1, 2019 Various venues, downtown State College, PA www.facebook.com/happyvalleymusicfest BURLINGTON DISCOVER JAZZ FESTIVAL May 31-June…

Nearly 120 years after his heyday in New Orleans, Charles “Buddy” Bolden, the cornet player and bandleader widely credited with inventing jazz at the dawn of the 20th century, may finally be about to get the attention he deserves. Bolden, an independent feature film by director Dan Pritzker with original music composed and performed by Wynton Marsalis, opens nationwide in May. The movie chronicles Bolden’s high times amid the racism and casual violence of New Orleans circa 1900, and the musical achievements that led to rock star-like adulation and his crowning as “King Bolden.” It also details his sudden, tragic downfall: In 1907, at age 29, Bolden was committed to the state insane asylum in Jackson, La., where he would spend the last 24 years of his life. The film…

Big Heart Machine, a 19-piece New York big band led by alto saxophonist and composer Brian Krock, generated a big buzz when they released their self-titled debut record last summer. The music was immediately distinctive: labyrinthine forms, lush arrangements, thick streaks of contemporary classical music and progressive rock. And it seemed to come out of nowhere. Not so, says Krock, 29, who moved to New York in 2011 to earn a doctorate from Manhattan School of Music. If anything, the music came from everywhere. “Immediately after I graduated [in 2013] I had the opportunity to go on tour with a Broadway show,” he explains. “I took that opportunity, and then the show ended up running for three years. It was a very long detour in my life, but it gave…

Remo Adjustable Bass Drum Dampener Designed in conjunction with Dave Weckl, this handy little device gives drummers the ability to adjust the tone and feel on any bass drum, no matter what its size or tuning range. The dampener simply clamps to the drum’s hoop and can be adjusted around its circumference without interfering with the pedal and beater. And it works equally well on either the batter or resonant head. $59.95 online. remo.com D’Angelico Excel SS The latest version of the semi-hollow Excel SS sports Seymour Duncan 59 humbuckers paired with coil-tapping push/pull tone knobs for greater tonal variety. It’s also got split-block inlays, a gold truss rod cover, and new finish options like Iced Tea Burst (pictured; tasty). The slim C-shape neck remains the same as on previous…

SNARKY PUPPY IMMIGRANCE (GROUNDUP) Snarky Puppy’s modus operandi, while drawing from its players’ roots in jazz harmony and improvisation, has always been about musical sprawl, from the oversized personnel to the vibrant colors and textures heard and felt in the group’s sound. Yes, it’s a type of fusion, but it’s also an ever-shifting synthesis, with bassist/composer Michael League leading the group in connecting the dots between varied genres. Immigrance, its title referencing ongoing political controversies, also points to the band’s global approach to music-making, informed by its extensive travels; the fluidity of Snarky Puppy compositions reflects the fluidity of immigration across the globe. And League and Co. literalize that idea with a gambit—drummers Jamison Ross, Jason “JT” Thomas, and Larnell Lewis are all heard on every composition, seamlessly switching off…

Douglas Ewart “WASHING THE MIND” Bamboo Meditation at Banff (Aarawak, 1994) As the title says, this whole record on bamboo flute creates a meditative mood; this composition is very restful, but I also appreciate it because you can hear sounds of water flowing in a way that reminds me of my birthplace in Blackwell, Arkansas. We had a public well that had really good water that everybody used. They would gather there waiting patiently, having conversations, and you could feel the love between the people. This was something we all shared; it brought us together. Douglas’ composition makes me remember that. Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble & Ensemble Laborintus “TOWARDS EXCELLENCE” Moments of Fatherhood (Rogue Art, 2016) You don’t hear too many CDs talking about fathers and grandfathers, and I…

In an age when music from practically every generation in recorded history is at your fingertips, you’d think that bold cross-genre blending would be much more common among musicians than it is. David Dominique’s second album, Mask, is a rare instance of just such a multistylistic mashup. It seemingly combines everything from Middle Eastern folk and Steve Reich-ian minimalism to Charles Mingus’ holy-roller church meetings and metal guitar stabs, all performed by an octet led by Dominique on his quirky brass instrument of choice, the flugabone (a flugelhorn/trombone combo). “My approach is to capture music that occurs to me spontaneously in moments when I’m not specifically composing or searching for music,” Dominique says from Richmond, Va., where he’s a music professor at the College of William & Mary. “Ideas usually…

On one of her most recent visits to Philadelphia, Marilyn Crispell visited the house where she’d grown up for the first time since she’d moved away at age 10. She was shocked to discover how small the brick rowhome seemed in comparison to her memories, the vast lawn where she’d played as a child revealed as a meager strip of grass. “It makes you wonder about the world that we’re in now,” she mused over the phone from her home in Woodstock, N.Y. “Is that just going to seem like the little bits of lawn on Farnsworth Street at some point?” For Crispell, it’s very likely that the world she currently occupies will seem small by tomorrow’s standards. Throughout her career, the pianist has thrived on expanding her circles, of…

When describing the career arc of pianist Matthew Shipp, “prolific” is the definitive understatement. Now pushing 60, this longtime downtown New York City force has a staggering oeuvre as leader, co-leader, and collaborator. Yet his mission—to reinvent jazz piano—has remained constant. You can hear that on Signature, Shipp’s debut recording for the legendary ESP-Disk’ with his trio of bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker, following a pair of 2018 sets in other formats for the label (the quartet date Sonic Fiction and the solo Zero). Both freewheeling and scientific as it runs the stylistic gamut from traditional jazz to bebop to the avant-garde, this creatively dizzying masterwork makes clear that Shipp’s playing and composing stays within only one consistent genre: his own. For this interview, conducted in Shipp’s…

If you decide to step up from mass-market headphones to serious audiophile cans, one thing’s for sure: You’ll be hit with online ads promoting headphone amps. Most jazz fans, who for years have simply plugged their headphones straight into a smartphone, will wonder why they suddenly “need” a headphone amp—or if someone’s just trying to sell them another unnecessary accessory. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t simple. A headphone amp probably won’t make a big difference when used with most mass-market headphones, because those are designed to deliver good sound from smartphones. But for listeners who’ve stepped up to audiophile headphones, the right amp can give your sound quality a kick—especially if you’re a big fan of Ron Carter and Christian McBride. Yes or No There are two reasons why some headphones…