The Blue Note 7: Mosaic — A Celebration of Blue Note Records

Blue Note Records
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 2.5.09
Buy CD: Mosaic

In January, Blue Note Records observed its 70th year of existence.

In recognition of that milestone, the label released this album and initiating a 51-city North American tour of the septet that recorded it. When Alfred Lion founded the label in 1939, he intended to “create a forum for composers to write music,” and he trusted them to “go ahead and do what they did best.”

The songs included were selected from the vast catalogue of music recorded during the company's 70 year span, and are favorites of those directing this enterprise. All are covers of tunes previously done by other artists in the Blue Note stable; all but two — McCoy Tyner's “Search for Peace” and Herbie Hancock's “Dolphin Dance” — were rearranged by members of this septet.

This group of artists, described as “the next generation of major players, arrangers and composers,” features pianist and leader Bill Charlap, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, alto saxophonist/flutist Steve Wilson, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash. Each is excellent, as is the group as a whole.

The library featured is mellow, and the meters selected generally are mid-tempo; everything is smooth and thoughtful, with no frenetic instrumental “screaming.” The tunes will be familiar to all jazz fans: Cedar Walton's “Mosaic” (written for Art Blakey's group), Joe Henderson's “Inner Urge,” Bobby Hutcherson's “Little B's Poem,” Thelonious Monk's “Chris Cross,” Duke Pearson's “Idle Moments,” Horace Silver's “The Outlaw” and the two mentioned above.

The tour performances — which began in Washington, stopped here at UC Davis on Jan. 13, and will continue across the country before concluding with a six-night run in mid-April, at New York's Birdland — will include additional songs, also from the extensive Blue Note library.

This is an epic endeavor, and the album is well worth your time. If you missed the Blue Note 7 when they hit town a few weeks ago, here's a chance to experience at least a part of their magic.

Holiday Jazz 1997: Santa delivers a mixed bag

By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 12.24.97

[Web master’s note: Northern California film critic Derrick Bang — the eldest, youngest and only son of this site’s jazz guru, Ric Bang — began surveying the annual holiday jazz scene with this column. Take note of its brevity, which resulted from space constraints that soon vanished, as the years continued. Subsequent columns threatened to devour the entire newspaper; in great contrast, this one is succinct to the point of being terse. Ah, well; we all have to start somewhere!]


It would seem that jazz artists continue to regard holiday tunes as a good bet, because quite a number of new releases have hit the bins during the past few weeks.

Piano fans can’t do better than Dave McKenna’s Christmas Ivory (Concord CCD-4772-2), an ambitious, one-man collection of superb solo work: blues, stride, swing rag and anything else the 67-year-old acoustic phenomenon sets his mind to.

It’s a grand series of cuts by a guy who knows he doesn’t need to impress listeners with needless flash; his renditions of “Silver Bells” and “Silent Night,” in particular, are poignant in their quiet clarity.

(By the way, if you like McKenna, do check out Butch Thompson’s solo piano work on Yulestride.)

Jim Brickman’s The Gift (Windham Hill 01934-11242-2) comes in somewhere near the lazy end of the piano spectrum: pleasant and undemanding instrumentals from a young talent who isn’t trying nearly as hard as he should. Brickman is becoming the Kenny G of the 88-string guitar, and the four vocals present on this collection are too sappy for words.

For my money, Brickman did much better work on 1996’s mini-CD, Christmas Memories, packaged with Windham Hill’s The Carols of Christmas.