New York Voices: Live

Palmetto Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: New York Voices Live

Fans categorizing jazz tend to concentrate on the stars of the bands and combos, and the vocalists who worked with such groups. Often overlooked are the vocal groups that have gained fame, either as an attraction on their own, or as part of a big band. Remember Glenn Miller’s Modernaires, and Tommy Dorsey’s Pied Pipers? 

Such groups were — and are — famed as artists in their own right: Think of the Hi-Lo’s, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, the Manhattan Transfer and New York Voices. All these groups did things in the jazz genre that hadn’t been done before, and the latter two remain active. This album features New York Voices, with one of the world’s best big bands: the WDR Big Band Cologne.

New York Voices began in 1987, as an Ithaca College alumni group. The first generation was a quintet consisting of two guys and three gals; today it’s a quartet with two guys and two gals. Damon Meader, Peter Eldridge and Kim Nazarian are original members; Lauren Kinhan is the newcomer. From 1989 through 2007, the ensemble released seven albums; this album with the WDR Big Band is their first in almost seven years, and marks their 25^th anniversary. 

The 10 tunes here include four beautiful old standards (“Love Me or Leave Me,” “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” “Darn That Dream” and “Almost Like Being in Love”), and two by Paul Simon (“Baby Driver” and “I Do It for Your Love”), along with Oliver Nelson and Mark Murphy’s “Stolen Moments” and three originals by members of the quartet.

The arrangements are stunning. Each performer is outstanding as a soloist; their combined efforts, harmonically and rhythmically, are fantastic. As for the WDR Big Band, its reputation as the world’s best steadily working jazz orchestra is absolutely accurate; the orchestrations and soloists are a match for anything I’ve heard in years.

This is a fer-shur Grammy winner, and an album that every jazz fan will adore.

Keith Jarrett: Somewhere

ECM Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Somewhere

You can’t be a jazz fan and not be familiar with pianist Keith Jarrett; he’s one of the world’s best known and most recorded artists. He’s also one of the most prolific, although his concerts and recordings have slowed during the past decade; this album is only his tenth in recent years. That’s quite a change, considering he produced more than 70 (!) during the preceding three decades. 

I also must note that he has done a dozen or so classical albums to date. 

Jarrett was born in 1945 and began playing piano at age 3; he was giving concerts at the tender age of 7. After graduating from high school, he attended Boston’s Berklee School of Music for a year, then moved to New York City and began playing at the famous Village Vanguard. That’s where Art Blakey heard and hired him, to play with the Jazz Messengers. During that period, drummer Jack DeJohnette — then playing with the Charles Lloyd Quartet — talked Jarrett into joining that group. Miles Davis was next, and then Jarrett began to record with his own groups. 

Somewhere was recorded during a 2009 concert by Jarrett’s trio — DeJohnette and bassist Gary Peacock — that took place at the KKL Luzern Concert Hall, but hasn’t been released until now. For the most part, the album features Great American Songbook classics, although the opening tracks are Miles Davis’ “Solar” and Jarrett’s “Deep Space.” The trio then deconstructs gems such as “Stars Fell on Alabama,” “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “I Thought About You.” They combine Bernstein’s “Somewhere” with Sondheim’s “Everywhere,” then proceed to Bernstein’s “Tonight,” the latter unexpectedly played up-tempo. The stylish closer: Johnny Mercer’s “I Thought About You.” 

The result is one of Jarrett’s best albums. Peacock has been with him for years, and his work on this release is superior to anything I’ve heard previously; he’s as good as any bassist playing today. DeJohnette is a truly great drummer; I remember praise given by another percussionist, who said that “the best drummers are those who are ‘felt’ more than heard,” and that perfectly describes DeJohnette. 

Jarrett’s fans are certain to love this.

Aaron Diehl: The Bespoke Man's Narrative

Mack Avenue Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: The Bespoke Man's Narrative

During the period from the early 1950s to the early ‘90s, the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was one of the most famous and influential jazz groups. Their elegant musical style — which combined blues, bop, cool and third-stream genres with the classics — was unlike any other unit in the music world. The MJQ’s discography was huge — almost four dozen albums during this period — and that long career was an indication of excellence. Fans wept when they left the scene.

Well, cheer up! The quartet featured on this album won’t merely take you back to the joys of the MJQ; this new group goes beyond them. This band’s instrumentation is identical: piano (Aaron Diehl), vibes (Warren Wolf), bass (David Wong) and drums (Rodney Green).   

Their styles aren’t identical, but the results are marvelous. Diehl plays piano more softly and eloquently than John Lewis’ funky melodic line; Wolf’s vibes are right on the beat, where Milt Jackson was looser and a little “behind” the beat. Wong and Percy Heath are two of a kind, stylistically, as are Green and Connie Kay. 

Most important: Both groups create beautiful music. 

Back in the days of the big bands, many groups would open their shows with a theme: Then the curtain would roll open, and they’d swing into an up-tempo tune. The show would conclude with a repeat of the theme, or the band might go out with one of its famous hits. Diehl uses that technique here; he opens with a short “Prologue,” grooves into a program of eight featured tunes, then closes with a short “Epilogue.” The technique remains just as effective today.

I thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of several jazz standards that are seldom recorded by other artists: Ellington’s “Single Petal of a Rose,” Gershwin’s “Bess, You Is My Woman” and Blackburn & Suessdorf’s “Moonlight in Vermont.” They’re all done beautifully. The rest of the menu features originals from the group, along with Milt Jackson’s “The Cylinder.” The latter chart and “Generation X” produce a sound that perfectly clones the MJQ.

One disappointment: Wolf isn’t utilized on about half of these tunes, which turns the group into a trio. That’s a shame, because he’s a key figure in the group’s sound.

That said, these guys are a splendid addition to the jazz world. I hope we hear a lot more from them.

The Tom Dempsey/Tim Ferguson Quartet: Beautiful Friendship

Planet Arts
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Beautiful Friendship

This is one of the happiest-sounding quartets I’ve heard in quite awhile.  

Guitarist Tom Dempsey and bassist Tim Ferguson have played together for more than 20 years. Although both also have performed with many of the better-known musicians headquartered in the New York City jazz scene, most of their (relatively limited) discography has featured them together. 

This album includes two musicians whom Dempsey and Ferguson also count as close friends for many years: drummer Eliot Zigmund and tenor/soprano saxophonist Joel Frahm. Zigmund is best known for a stint with the Bill Evans Trio some years back; Frahm has worked with stalwarts such as Maynard Ferguson and Betty Carter. Like Dempsey and Ferguson, Zigmund and Frahm are major elements of the Big Apple jazz community.

This album’s 10 tunes are a mix of originals by Dempsey (“Focus Pocus” and “Ted’s Groove”), Ferguson (“Cakewalk” and “Last Summer”) and the entire quartet (“It’s True”), and standards by Randy Weston, Thad Jones, Vernon Duke, Thelonious Monk and Donald Kahn/Stanley Styne. The latter wrote the title track.

The set is played at moderate to up-tempos, and you can feel the group’s enjoyment during the entire session. Most albums have one or two tunes that stand out, but that isn’t the case here; they’re all a joy to listen to. The interplay between the quartet members is marvelous, and I hope we’ll hear that musical connection again, when these guys get together for future sessions.

The Paul Winter Sextet: Count Me In

Living Music
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Count Me In

Unless you’ve been a jazz fan for half a century or so, the Paul Winter Sextet likely won’t ring a bell in your memory box. That’s a shame, for several reasons: This was the first jazz group invited — by Jackie Kennedy, no less — to perform a concert at the White House; it was the first jazz combo to be sent by the State Department on a six-month tour of 26 Latin American countries; and it was one of the early bands that initiated the bossa nova craze here in the States. 

All that said, Winter’s sextet never made it over the jazz radar: arriving, performing and disbanding during a period of fewer than three years.

Winter was born during the big band era, and his early influences included Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Stan Kenton. Winter’s primary instrument was the alto sax. He met Dick Whitsell, who played trumpet, while attending Northwestern University. Whitsell, who was three years older, became Winter’s mentor; they became the nexus of the sextet that followed. 

Both had chosen Northwestern because of its proximity to Chicago, which — at the time — was one of the keystone jazz cities. They formed a band and played fraternity and sorority dances held throughout the Chicago area. Winter and Whitsell wanted a “little” big band, so the sextet was voiced to include three horns — alto sax, trumpet and baritone sax — and a standard rhythm section of piano, bass and drums. The baritone sax was a must, as far as Winter was concerned; he loved the rich, “bottom” sound that instrument gave the band.

Another point of interest: This college group utilized a female vocalist for a short time, and her name was Ann-Margret Olsson. You’ll recall that she later dropped her last name and went on to fame and fortune in Hollywood.

The sextet was selected carefully, although most members weren’t well known at the time. Pianist Warren Bernhardt, a member of the Winter group during its entire life, went on to work with luminaries such as Clark Terry, Gerry Mulligan and Kenny Burell. Baritone saxman Les Rout became a famed teacher and writer; bassist Richard Evans remains active in the R&B and fusion genres. Drummer Harold Jones also still plays, and has worked with dozens of name artists. 

As a group, this sextet won the 1962 Intercollegiate Jazz Festival, was signed by Columbia Records and released several albums, and made the State Department Tour and performed at the White House Concert.

Although active during the period when bebop was the rage, the group didn’t play that genre. Some describe the style as New Age, but however you tag it, these guys swung like crazy. 

This package features two CDs with a total of 42 tracks, including 14 that are previously unreleased. Not even a single jazz standard is included; everything was written by group members, or by composers and arrangers who were their biggest fans. The melodic lines are relatively complex and tightly orchestrated, and the solo work is brilliant. 

This release is a 50th anniversary anthology of this marvelous sextet. It’s an absolute must-have collection for jazz fans who lived during that period, and for younger listeners who want to learn more about the music that existed in America at that time.

Toots Thielemans: Toots 90

Challenge Jazz
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Toots 90

Most jazz fans are familiar with Toots Thielemans, and for a very simple reason: His unlikely primary instrument is the harmonica.

Thielemans was born in Brussels, Belgium, in April 1922, which makes him 91 years old ... and he’s still performing. He began his musical career as a guitarist, and played that instrument in 1949, when he joined a jam session in Paris with Miles Davis, Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker, Max Roach and others. A year later, Thielemans was touring Europe with Benny Goodman’s band. 

Thielemans moved to the States in 1952, worked with Parker and Davis again, and then joined George Shearing’s group. During this period, Thielemans began to whistle with his guitar, and to play the harmonica. 

That opened the gate.

It’s hard to find an artist with whom Thielemans didn’t work, from that point onward. He also became a fixture in audio commercials and film soundtracks.

Everybody who has played the harmonica knows that it’s relatively easy to learn, but it’s more difficult to use as a single-note instrument than a “chordal” one. It’s even tougher to create expressive music with a harmonica. Thielemans is a master at doing both. 

This album, which celebrates his 90th birthday, contains both a CD and a DVD; the former features 11 tunes, three of which — “Waltz for Sonny,” “The Dragon” and “Old Friends” — are his own compositions. The DVD, which covers 2011 concert performances, contains half a dozen of the tunes for which he is most recognized: “Autumn Leaves,” “Turks Fruit,” “Midnight Cowboy,” “Saint Thomas,” “Bluesette” and “What a Wonderful World.” Thielemans is supported by Karel Boelell (piano), Hein Van de Geyn (double bass) and Hans van Oosterhout (drums). 

This wonderful release may have a bit too much harmonica for a single sitting, but it’s all choice. Let’s hope that Thielemans still is with us when it’s time to celebrate his first century!

Jackie Ryan: Listen Here

OpenArt Productions
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Listen Here

Why is it that some of our best musicians and vocalists turn out so few albums? Such folks are so great that anything they’d do would sell huge, but — for reasons unknown — they limit production. 

Jackie Ryan is an example. I first heard her some years ago, when I was blown away by her album Doozy. Time passed, and my next encounter came when she shared Best of Love Songs, a compilation of tunes she recorded between 2002 and ’06; I was even more impressed by that release. Then ... silence

Until now. Listen Here has just arrived. The gestation took way too long, but it sure was worth the wait! 

Beside possessing a voice and style that are second to none, Ryan is smart enough to recognize the importance of back-up musicians. A stellar group headed by Cyrus Chestnut filled the bill for Doozy, while Best of Love Songs featured Tamir Hendleman, Larry Koons, Red Holloway and others. Well, she has done it again. This album features Grammy Award-winner John Clayton (bass), his brother Gerald (piano), Graham Dechter (guitar), Gilbert Castellanos (trumpet), Rickey Woodard (sax) and Obed Calvaire (drums). This sextet swings wonderfully; they’d make almost any vocalist sound good, and they bring out the absolute best in their leading lady here.

As for Ryan, well, she’s still sensational. She has more than a three octave range, her tone is jazz perfect, and her phrasing is exceptional. She really belts it out on “Comin’ Home Baby,” then prompts tears with her renditions of “I Loves You Porgy” and “Throw It Away.” She romps her way through “Gypsy in My Soul” and “Accentuate the Positive,” then cools things down with “Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere.”

Her ballads — “A Time for Love,” “Before We Fall in Love” and “La Puerta” — make you want to slow-dance with a significant other. The latter tune is sung in Spanish, one of three languages in which Ryan is fluent.

My favorite is the title track, Dave Frishberg’s “Listen Here.” Ryan sings this with just Clayton’s piano backing her: a very poignant conclusion to a marvelous album. 

But please, Jackie ... let’s not wait so long to hear you again!