2 Sem 2017 - Part Eight

Ahmad Jamal
Marseille



By Roger Farbey
There are few true jazz legends left alive now let alone still recording albums of the calibre of Marseille. Ahmad Jamal is one such venerable figure and the octogenarian (born July 2, 1930) has recorded an album of consistent brilliance. Jamal prefers to refer to his playing as American classical music rather than jazz and he's been regarded as a "mainstream" pianist but to stylistically stereotype him in this fashion is to do him an injustice.
The title track is afforded three different versions, the first being a mesmeric modally-inspired instrumental foray. The title is also a paean to a country that has enthusiastically supported Jamal throughout his long career culminating in the French government awarding him the prestigious Chevalier De L'Ordre Des Arts Et De Lettres in 2007. The album itself was recorded in Malakoff, a suburb on the outskirts of Paris.
It's well-known that Miles Davis was a fan of Jamal's and admitted to being influenced by the pianist. Miles and Jamal became friends in the 1950s and Davis recorded Jamal's "Ahmad's Blues" on Workin' and "New Rhumba" on Miles Ahead. So on one level, it's not too surprising that on "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" Jamal includes a funky quote from Davis's "Jean Pierre" from We Want Miles, released in 1982. But on another level the inclusion of this vamp, which bookends the track, demonstrates how versatile is Jamal's approach, and how a standard can be completely transformed so seamlessly.
The quoting continues on "Pots En Verre" with a repetition of two tantalisingly familiar chords from Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder." The French rapper Abd Al Malik contributes tersely spoken words in French on the next beguiling version of "Marseille" on which Jamal evinces an alternative chordal interpretation.
"Autumn Leaves" is given a rich makeover, with percussionist Manolo Badrena and drummer Herlin Riley adding a Latin-esque feel and all underpinned by James Cammack's resonant double bass. There's even a micro-quote from Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" here too. The languid "I Came To See You / You Were Not There" and the more vibrant "Baalbeck" almost conclude this set but for the addition of a sumptuous third version of "Marseille," adorned by Mina Agossi's mellifluous vocals.
It's undoubtedly Jamal's use of space and deft light and shade which characterise his playing and this proves that frenetic pyrotechnics are not necessary to make a huge impact on an audience.
This extraordinarily beautiful album, simultaneously released on CD and double vinyl, demonstrates how age alone does not diminish an artist's musical ability and creativity. This superb album's appeal will be undoubtedly very wide indeed.
Track Listing:

Marseille (instrumental); Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child; Pots En Verre; Marseille (vocal #1); Autumn Leaves; I Came Back To See You / You Were Not There; Baalbeck; Marseille (vocal #2).
Personnel: 

Ahmad Jamal: piano; James Cammack: double bass; Herlin Riley: drums; Manolo Badrena: percussion; Abd Al Malik (4), Mina Agossi (8): vocals.

David Kikoski
Kayemode



By CrissCross
Since his first appearance on record (Randy Brecker's album In the Idiom), pianist David Kikoski has demonstrated an infinite capacity to swing, a rare sensitivity as a ballad interpreter and genuine harmonic savvy as a composer. He delivers once again on all counts on Kayemode.
Kikoski says:
"I'm very proud and lucky to have 2 new collaborators in my trio. I met Justin Faulkner on a Monday night at "the Jazz Standard" where I play with the Charles Mingus Big Band and was very impressed. Soon after we really hooked up on a gig with Branford Marsalis and I remember thinking I would love to try and use him on my own project. We had a ball hanging at my house and shedding and listening to music.
Joe Martin was someone we both agreed on to be the perfect bassist for the session. I recently heard him at "Mezzrow" with Spike Wilner and was blown away. His use of harmony and counterpoint is more advanced than most bass players I've known. I knew he could get inside of my concept.
We are using 1st or 2nd takes with no fixing or editing, because I wanted the freshness and honesty to be there".
Total Time: 62:15
Recorded September 20, 2016 in Brooklyn, NY, USA by Michael Marciano
Personnel:

David Kikoski (P), Joe Martin (B), Justin Faulkner (D)

Benedikt Jahnell Trio
The Invariant


By Karl Ackermann 
The Invariant, as in a "constant," is a fitting title for Benedikt Jahnel Trio who have recorded as a unit since their debut Modular Concepts (Material label, 2008) and later moving on to the ECM label with Equilibrium (2012). Jahnel, a musician and mathematician in Berlin, has a deep appreciation for complex similarities between the two disciplines and he reveals an ability to peel away the superficial elements to tinker with the inner workings of the music.
Canadian native—now Brooklyn resident—drummer Owen Howard has led his own group as well as playing with Dave Holland, Joe Lovano, John Abercrombie, Dave Liebman and a host of other well-known artists. The Spanish bassist Antonio Miguel has been performing professionally since the age of sixteen. He had studied with Chick Corea, Christian McBride, John Patitucci and Francois Moutin and—like Howard—has performed with Liebman and Abercrombie as well as Fred Hersch and Paquito D'Rivera.
Knowing his trio-mates as well as he does allows Jahnel to tailor his compositions to match their strengths. He continues to develop creative concepts around irregular meters and layering of sounds as on the opening piece "Further Consequences." Jahnel's lightning-fast piano propels "Mirrors" initially, before the piece takes a precipitous drop in tempo with Miguel's deep, woody bass solo. Accented by a superb solo from Howard, the appealingly off-kilter "Part of the Game" opens with a torrent of piano notes, in a piece that is in direct contrast to the gentle balladry of "For the Encore." "Interpolation One" has Miguel and Jahnel working independently, knit together by Howard's intricate direction.
The compositions on The Invariant include pieces the Jahnel has developed over the past five years though there is a consistency across the program that points toward a more focused pattern of creativity. As dominant as the pianist's play can be—and often is—the album is clearly a democratic model where all the artists have the opportunity to display their considerable talents.
Track Listing:

Further Consequences; The Circuit; Mirrors; Mono Lake; Part Of The Game; For The Encore; Interpolation One; En passant.

Personnel: 

Benedikt Jahnel: piano; Antonio Miguel: bass; Owen Howard: drums.


Yamandu Costa
Mafuá



By Biscoito Fino
Um belíssimo álbum instrumental, que vai do choro ao samba, passando pelo tango, em performances virtuosas e intensas de Yamandu Costa. Assim é o álbum Mafuá, primeiro projeto solo de Yamandú, que chega ao Brasil quatro anos depois de lançado na Europa. Gravado na cidade de Osnabruck, na Alemanha, em outubro de 2007, o álbum Mafuá ganha agora sua primeira edição brasileira, via Biscoito Fino. Apenas três das 13 canções de Mafuá não são de autoria de Yamandu Costa nesse projeto, gravado em dois dias no estúdio alemão Wonderland.

Grady Tate (1932-2017)

By Richard Sandomir-The NewYorkTimes

Grady Tate, a jazz drummer who was known for his work with Peggy Lee, Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and many others and whose warm baritone led to a second career as a singer, died on Oct. 8 at his home in Manhattan. He was 85.
His wife, Vivian, confirmed the death and said he had had dementia.
Mr. Tate started drumming professionally in the late 1950s and eventually became one of the busiest sidemen in jazz, recording with stars like Jimmy Smith, Stan Getz, Clark Terry and Billy Taylor.
“Listen to Quincy Jones’s famous recording of ‘Killer Joe,’” Loren Schoenberg, a saxophonist and founding director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, said in a telephone interview. “Listen to Grady’s drums. It’s just phenomenal timing and rhythm that’s almost transparent. He was there to serve the music without the imposition of a defined personality or style.”
The bassist Christian McBride recalled the first time he saw Mr. Tate perform, at the Manhattan nightclub Indigo Blues with the pianist Sir Roland Hanna. “Mr. Tate is one of those rare, unsung heroes of the drums who you rarely kept your eye on when he played because you were busy dancing, moving and grooving,” Mr. McBride said in an email. “Like a truly great rhythm section player, you noticed his absence more than his presence.”
On records, Mr. Tate accompanied a wide range of singers, from Lena Horne and Aretha Franklin to Bette Midler and Paul Simon. He was also heard on the soundtrack to both the original “Twin Peaks” series and the 2017 reboot. The All Music website lists more than a thousand recording credits for him.
Peggy Lee, whom he accompanied on tour and on recordings, was a favorite of his. Mr. Tate told one of her biographers, Peter Richmond, that the real shows began after their nightclub gigs had ended, when the band jammed with her in her hotel suite.
“There were some performances you wouldn’t believe,” he was quoted as saying in “Fever: The Life and Music of Miss Peggy Lee” (2006). One night, he recalled, “I heard this voice, and the song that she was singing, whatever it was, she sounded more like Billie Holiday than Billie ever sounded.”
Miss Lee encouraged Mr. Tate’s desire to sing publicly. She had him sing “The Windmills of Your Mind” in 1968 as part of her set at the Copacabana in Manhattan.
“You know, that was not only a great thing Peggy did for me, it was also unprecedented,” Mr. Tate told Downbeat magazine in 1971. “Singers are a funny lot. The stage is all theirs and as a result, quite often they don’t want anything that has the remotest chance of upstaging them. That’s why the music is geared just so, the lights just so. But Peggy is a beautiful lady.”
He released several albums as a vocalist, starting in 1968 with “Windmills of My Mind.” He also sang “I Got Six” and “Naughty Number Nine” on “Schoolhouse Rock,” ABC’s long-running series of short educational cartoons.
“When you’re playing as a drummer, everybody’s playing and nobody cares a thing about you,” he told the pianist Marian McPartland on her NPR show “Piano Jazz” in 2009. “Everybody’s out front and the drummer’s in the back and you don’t get the play you should get.”
In contrast, he said, singing “is something that gets directly to the person.”
Grady Bernard Tate was born on Jan. 14, 1932, in Durham, N.C. His father, also named Grady, was a stonemason. His mother, Elizabeth, was the dean of women at a local business school. He played drums and sang, but when his voice changed he stopped singing.
At 13, he had an odd if inspiring experience watching the jazz drummer Jo Jones perform at the Durham Armory, he told the website All About Jazz in 2008.
He recalled being mesmerized as Mr. Jones, “the craziest man I’ve ever seen in my life,” played with unalloyed joy. Afterward, Mr. Jones invited him onto the stage and asked if he had brought his drumsticks with him.
“No, sir,” Mr. Tate said, and Mr. Jones offered his own pair but whacked one of his hands with them. “That’s just a tiny bit of the pain that you’re going to get,” Mr. Jones said, “if you’re gonna pick these damn things up and use ’em.”
In the Air Force, Mr. Tate played in a 21-piece stateside band, where he worked with the trumpeter and arranger Bill Berry. After his discharge, he graduated from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s degree in English and drama and then moved to Washington, where he briefly taught at a high school and worked in the post office.
One musician he knew in Washington, the saxophonist Herschel McGinnis, took him to see the organist Wild Bill Davis play. Emboldened, Mr. Tate asked Mr. Davis if he could sit in for one number. It proved to be an epiphany.
“I hadn’t played drums in so long,” Mr. Tate said in a 2005 interview with the newspaper Port Folio Weekly. “I just exploded. When we finished, it was like the cleansing of my life, everything was out.
“The next day the phone rang. My wife said, ‘It’s Wild Bill Davis!’ He said: ‘I was wondering. Would you like to work with my band? We’re opening in Pittsburgh Tuesday night. Are you in?’”
He stayed with Mr. Davis for a few years and then took a detour, moving to New York City to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Ultimately, he said, although he loved acting, he did not pursue it because he felt that the instructors and other actors were insincere.
In 1962 another saxophonist, Jerome Richardson, intervened to bring Mr. Tate back to music; he was with Quincy Jones’s big band, which had lost its drummer as it prepared to go on tour. Would Mr. Tate play with the band for a while? He went to a rehearsal, where Mr. Jones “seemed to call all the tunes that I knew,” he recalled.
Working with Mr. Jones led Mr. Tate to decades of studio work. He was also a member of the “Tonight Show” band for several years before the show moved from New York to California in 1972.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Grady Jr.
In his later years, Mr. Tate sang more and played the drums less.
“I had never thought of singing as a career, which it is for me now,” he said in 2005. “I don’t know how it happened; I just go with the flow. And I find that to be totally acceptable.”
- Correction: October 18, 2017:
Because of an editing error, an obituary on Sunday about the drummer and vocalist Grady Tate referred incompletely to his work on the television series “Twin Peaks.” He played drums on the soundtrack of both the original series and the recent “Twin Peaks: The Return” — not just the original series.