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WINNING SPINS BY GEORGE kanzlerArturo Sandoval is the complete package: trumpeter, pianist, percussionist, composer, singer, entertainer and charismatic crowd pleaser. So it's surprising that this artist, who says "to touch the audience" is "my main mission in life," has taken 40 years to make his first live recording.
Sandoval Live at The Blue Note (on the Half Note label) may be his first, but it shouldn't be his last. It's a fun-filled, roller-coaster ride through a long and varied set by Sandoval's band - and as a delightful bonus, there's a companion video DVD which complements the CD. This DVD is well worth watching. Seeing it actually enhances the listening experience, and shows you what you might not know is happening by simply listening. For instance, although the album notes only credit Sandoval as trumpeter, you can also see him playing timbales, synthesizer, piano, flugelhorn and jew's harp.
A four-time Grammy winner, Sandoval, 56, was born and grew up in Havana. He was a founding member of Cuban jazz band Irakere (as was fellow expat Cuban, Paquito D'Rivera) and defected to the United States (he now lives in Florida) in the early 1990s while touring with Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra. He considers the late Gillespie his mentor and a main influence, not only on trumpet but also as a pianist and a scat singer.
Sandoval considers his music Afro-Cuban jazz, and says that "under it all is bebop." So the set's fitting opener is his "The Real McBop," a high-velocity tune catapulted along by the beats of drummer Alexis Arce, percussionist Tomas Cruz and bassist Dennis Marks, plus some timbales from Sandoval when he's not trumpeting. His horn work is remarkably fast and high, soaring with machine-gun fire rapidity into the stratosphere, while remaining surprisingly bright and articulated. It's an amazing tour-de-force, and typical of Sandoval's exhilarating uptempo solos.
The trumpeter takes over as a sonero (lead vocalist) on the strutting "Eso Es Lo Que Hay," dealing out commentary in between vocal choruses of the title phrase. A double-timed center section features heated exchanges between trumpet and Felipe Lamogila's tenor sax. Lamoglia's "Eastern Blues," featuring a Near East motif on a fast, boppish blues, has more bristling trumpet and tenor sax, plus solos from pianist Phil Magallanes and bassist Marks.
"Blues for Diz," incorporating some of Gillespie's more famous licks and tunes, finds Sandoval displaying his tongue-in-cheek hilarious scat singing skills, including imitations of saxophone, bass and trombone, along with a boppish turn on jew's harp. He also uses a plunger to vocalize a trumpet solo into two mikes.
The next number's a complete turnaround, as Sandoval becomes rhapsodic and lyrical at the piano on his "A Lovely One," slowly building it to faster piano and tenor sax solo, then capping it with a climactic, block chords piano chorus before ending with the tender melody. He stays at the piano, with Cruz on maracas, for his habanera-like "Surena." Then it's a Harmon-mute trumpet take on the Alicia Keys' pop song, "If I Ain't Got You," with some soaring open trumpet in the middle. Wrapping it all up in spectacular fashion is "Rhythm of Our World," a suite-like Sandoval piece with changing tempos and rhythms, plus vocals, and the leader on synthesizer and timbales as well as trumpet and flugelhorn.
Arturo Sandoval will appear at Jazziz December 14 and 15.
spotlight by Mark Sachnoff AND BOB WEINBERGALBERTA ADAMS
SUSHI BLUES CAFE/DECEMBER 9
Full of sass and vinegar, Detroit blues queen Alberta Adams commands attention from her centerstage throne. Even seated, the fiesty, nearly 80-year-old blues singer holds audiences in her thrall, telling off mistreating men with her captivating voice and often humor-filled, classic blues lyrics. A legendary figure of the Motor City blues scene, Adams has worked with everyone from Louis Jordan and T-Bone Walker to Gillespie and Ellington. She's recorded with fellow Detroit blues great Johnnie Bassett and received multiple W.C. Handy Award nominations. Her current band, drummer R.J. Spangler's Rhythm Rockers, backed her on the excellent 2003 release I'm on the Move. BWWALT ANDRUS
VAN DYKE CAFE/DECEMBER 1-3
The featured singer from 1988 to 2003 with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Andrus has a new album - Love's a Song - just out on the Sweetheart Records label. It's filled with the winning melodies and heartfelt lyrics typical of the standards repertoire. Over the years, Walt has shared stages with many of his idols - among them, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Laine, Dinah Shore, Steve Allen, Kay Starr, Patti Paige, Clint Holmes, Shirley Jones, the McGuire Sisters, the Four Lads, the Four Freshmen, Al Hirt, and Gerry Mulligan. Backing him during his Great American Songbook tribute at the Van Dyke will be the Don Wilner Trio. MSMALCOLM HOLCOMBE
BAMBOO ROOM/DECEMBER 6
With gritty vocals full of sourmash and gravel, and a crystalline acoustic guitar style that recalls Mississippi John Hurt and Rev. Gary Davis, Holcombe has been winning converts with his dark-hued songcraft. The North Carolina-born singer-songwriter has received raves from Rolling Stone and warmed stages for Shelby Lynne, Merle Haggard and Wilco. This year's I Never Heard You Knockin' is a collection of sparse, acoustic gems that rings with an emotional vulnerability beneath Holcombe's flinty snarl. Fans of great songwriting, first-rate guitar-picking and unsparingly honest performance will find plenty to enjoy in his recordings - and at this upcoming appearance. BWSTEVE MARCH TORME
COLONY HOTEL/
DECEMBER 1-3 AND 8-10
Steve March Torme is a consummate entertainer. He's currently touring with "Torme Sings Torme", a tribute to his dad Mel that features a ten-piece band, arrangements by both Mel and Marty Paich, and an audio/visual presentation featuring never-before-seen footage of Mel and Steve performing together. Considering all the plusses this entertainer brings with him - scat singing, piano playing and a great deal of charisma - these shows at the Colony's Royal Room in Palm Beach should make for very special evenings. MSDAVE KOZ
BROWARD CENTER FOR THE ARTS/
DECEMBER 6
It's been over twenty years since David Koz exploded onto the Los Angeles music scene as a saxophonist touring with Richard Marx, Jeff Lorber and Bobby Caldwell. Since then, he's established himself as a multimillion selling solo recording artist, a syndicated radio host and an instrumental music advocate. He's performed with Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Kenny Loggins, U2, Luther Vandross and Vanessa Williams. His 2005 "Smooth Jazz Christmas" show will also feature Patti Austin, David Benoit and Jonathan Butler. MSLILLETTE JENKINS
OLYMPIC HEIGHTS AUDITORIUM/
DECEMBER 13
Making audiences connect with music is what pianist and vocalist Lillette Jenkins has been doing for more than six decades. She traveled the globe with USO tours during World War II and has played in clubs, theaters and cruise ships ever since. In between, she's taught music in New York schools, raised five kids, directed church choirs at several churches and supervised off-Broadway musicals. Today, at 80, there's no stopping her. She's appearing this month in concert under sponsorship of the Greater Florida Jazz and Swing Club. MS
FLORIDA BOUND: SINGER NANCY KELLY by Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Jazz vocalist Nancy Kelly is as well known for her charismatic and entertaining performing style as she is for her supple and dynamic voice. She can swing with the best of them, scat with idea-infused abandon, and imbue a ballad with a deep emotional subtext that invariably connects with her audience. This month, Kelly will be ringing in the holiday season with four Florida appearances.
On December 9-10, the singer will return to one of her favorite haunts, Heidi's Jazz Club in Cocoa Beach, where she's played to sold-out crowds numerous times in the past. On December 13, she'll appear in a concert produced by JAMS at the Harriet Himmel Theatre, located at City Place in West Palm Beach. She'll be joined onstage by a trio led by Florida pianist Mike Order, whom Nancy calls "one of the best pianists anywhere". The following evening, she'll sing at a concert presented by the Gainesville Friends of Jazz at the Savannah Grande Reception Hall. She'll finish up her Florida swing on December 16-17 with a return booking at the VanDyke, South Beach's popular, jazz boite.
Rochester native Nancy Kelly is a charter member of the Upstate Burn Society, a loosely organized group that also includes Don Menza, Joe Romano and a number of other jazz illuminati from Upstate New York. By the age of four, Nancy's musical talent was already apparent, and she began studying piano, clarinet, drama, dance - and eventually vocal technique at the Eastman School of Music. Her father was a classical music fan, and also a huge jazz buff. Her mother was a jazz pianist who, she recalls, never took her talent past the living room; so while growing up, Nancy was constantly exposed to jazz.
"As a teenager, I was interested in the Beatles, so I started a little pop/rock band. I was the only one who could sing. I loved singing. But I just didn't want to sing the singing. But I just didn't want to sing the melody - ever! I always wanted to change it. I think that it was this desire to improvise that led me into the arms of jazz. By the time that I was twenty-five, I was a full-fledged jazz singer".
Over the years, she's shared bandstands with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Houston Person, Joey DeFrancesco, and (to quote Nancy), "the finest male jazz vocalist that this country has ever produced, Mark Murphy". She's also been co-billed with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck and George Benson. Her international gigs have included a recent engagement at the Meridien in Paris, along with stints in Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey and Japan. Nancy is also a familiar face in New York City, where she's headlined at both Birdland and the Blue Note.
Kelly has released a pair successful CDs - Singin' and Swingin' and LIVE Jazz - on the Amherst label. She cites an eclectic list of jazz vocal influences, among them, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Carmen McRae. Two of her current favorites are Diana Krall, whom she admires for her wonderful phrasing, and Dee Dee Bridgewater.
Nancy Kelly's unique blend of musical chops, stage presence, instinctive good taste and warm personality have made her a favorite of musicians and audiences worldwide. The L.A. Jazz Scene was so impressed with one recent Kelly performance, that it gushed, "…without a doubt, Ms. Kelly is one of the most exciting singers in the business today."
Nancy Kelly’s appearances include: Heidi’s December 9 and 10, JAMS’s concert at the Harriet Himmel Theatre the 13, and Van Dyke 16 and 17.
HOLIDAY JAZZ ON DISC by George Kanzler
Christmas albums: Every jazz singer does one eventually. So if you're into the holiday season, musically speaking, but don't yet have older recordings by the likes of Ella, Satchmo or Joe Williams, do get them.
This year, three female jazz singers offer new entries on the Christmas album list. Two of them - Diana Krall and Jane Monheit - are already genuine stars in the current jazz firmament. While the third artist, Nancy Reed, is considerably less well known (the album's not even hers, but her pianist's), she gives up nothing in the jazz vocal department to the other two.
Both Christmas Songs (Verve) by Diana Krall with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and The Season (Epic) by Jane Monheit are impressively large projects involving dozens of musicians. The full Clayton-Hamilton jazz big band from Los Angeles accompanies Krall on seven of her album's twelve tracks, and there's a combo plus string orchestra on three others. Krall sings with her trademark insouciant drawl, although the big band occasionally throws her off her cool-hip stride. The songs are all pop chestnuts - no carols here - and the instrumental renditions, from the band to Krall's own piano solos, are satisfyingly jazzy.
Monheit, whose vocal abilities (she's still testing and experimenting with them here) would make her at home on Broadway or in Streisand territory as easily as in jazz, sings with big band, orchestra and more intimate backing on her album, and also shies away from carols, although "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" makes it. She also includes winter songs not overtly related to Christmas, including a gorgeous "Moonlight in Vermont."
I'll Be Home for Christmas (Big Bang) by the David Leonhardt Group is a cozy combo album perfect for hearing as those chestnuts roast on an open fire. Singer Reed adds her husky, easy-swinging voice to about half the fifteen tracks, and pianist Leonhardt's trio is also joined by Larry McKenna's breathy tenor sax. Traditional carols, too, are creatively jazzed up: for example, "We Three Kings" reimagined as Horace Silver funk-blues.
hot flashes by PAUL BLAIR AND Bob weinbergSACRED STEEL AND MORE
With high-profile practitioners such as Robert Randolph and the Campbell Brothers, the sacred steel tradition is ringing out beyond the pews of the churches where it was born. Centered around the keening wail of the pedal steel guitar, the rhythmic music builds to ecstatic heights, driving home its spiritual message along with the earthly pleasures of stomping one's feet and clapping one's hands.
Emerging from the House of God in Perrine, Miami's Lee Boys have brought their raucous gospel music to enthusiastic audiences in clubs, concert halls and festivals across the country and overseas. Touring behind their new CD Say Yes! on the vaunted Arhoolie label, The Lee Boys have already opened for the Blind Boys of Alabama and B.B. King.
Led by guitarist Alvin Lee, the group is made up of three brothers and their nephews. Vocalists Keith and Derrick Lee trade off on vocals, their contrasting styles rooted in tradition but also informed by modern-day hip-hop and R&B. The same could be said of the sizzling rhythm section of seven-string bassist "Little Al" Cordy and drummer Earl Walker, who manage to keep the backbeat quite contemporary. At the center of it all, young pedal steel wizard Roosevelt Collier leaves listeners slack-jawed as he throws sparks from his pedal steel with dazzling speed and creativity.
During their December 1 performance at Fort Lauderdale's Culture Room, the Lee Boys will share the bill with Oteil and the Peacemakers. Led by bass virtuoso Oteil Burbridge, who currently holds down the bottom for the Allman Brothers and was a founding member of the Aquarium Rescue Unit, the band's jam-oriented audience will hear plenty to delight them.
Jam audiences have also gravitated to the North Mississippi Allstars, another band of brothers who keep roots music at the center of their sound. Guitarist Luther Dickinson and drummer Cody Dickinson grew up with a solid foundation in the blues, thanks in no small part to their father, famed producer Jim Dickinson. The brothers, along with their good friend, bassist Chris Chew, founded the hard-rocking trio in 1996, inspired by the Mississippi Hill Country blues of artists such as R.L. Burnside, Otha Turner and Junior Kimbrough. In fact, their debut recording, Shake Hands With Shorty, included songs by Burnside and Kimbrough, and featured the mesmerizing sound of Turner's cane fife.
Since that time, the North Mississippi Allstars have cultivated jam-band audiences with their groove-heavy tunes and instrumental prowess, particularly the deft slide playing of Luther Dickinson. The trio offered surprisingly subtle backing on John Hiatt's latest album, Master of Disaster; and their most-recent release, Electric Blue Watermelon, features guests such as Robert Randolph, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Lucinda Williams. The Allstars will be returning to Revolution in Fort Lauderdale on December 2, where they opened for and played behind Hiatt this summer.
Speaking of extraordinary slide guitarists, John Mooney will be headlining a benefit concert for Franni Howe-Southern on December 4. For years, Franni has been one of South Florida's fiercest blues champions. Her annual Frannipalooza grew from a back-yard jam with area blues players into a full-blown festival with headliners such as Mooney, John Hammond, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Matt Guitar Murphy, among others.
Complications from injuries sustained in an auto accident have caught up with Franni in recent years, necessitating surgery. The all-star benefit, being held at Buzz's Lounge in Sunrise, will raise money for her mounting medical expenses. Performers will include top South Florida blues talents Joey Gilmore, Albert Castiglia, Sheba, David Shelley and Franni's country-blues-playing husband Ernie Southern. To make a donation, or for more information, contact Ellie Southern at 954/527-9154 or through Sudses1@aol.com.
The San Pedro Jazz Festival
Consider winging off to the English-speaking nation of Belize (nestled between Mexico and Guatemala) to catch this free event taking place on December 17-18. The celebration is being held on the beach in front of the Rendezvous Restaurant & Winery, just north of San Pedro. Forty musicians from more than a dozen countries will be taking part. Among the names you're most likely to know are those of saxophonist Gary Bartz, guitarist Paul Bollenback and bassist Ugonna Okegwo. Also appearing is Australian jazz vocalist Chris McNulty. There's more info on this fest posted at www.sanpedrojazzfestival.com.
Jazz anecdote by Bill CrowJazz bassist Bill Crow has written two entertaining books, available in paperback from Oxford University Press: Jazz Anecdotes, a collection of stories about jazz and jazz musicians, and From Birdland to Broadway, a personal memoir of life in the jazz world. You can order them from your favorite bookseller.
Tim Ouimette, flying from Kennedy airport shortly after the 9/11 disaster, knew that security would be tight, but he was surprised to have his bags looked through by three different agents on the way to the plane. Just before boarding, another suspicious agent pointed the trumpet bag Tim was carrying and demanded, "Is there anything sharp in there?" "Yeah," replied Tim, "a trumpet!"
Charles Earland's bass player got interested in playing extended solos with the bow. Charles let him go for a few nights to see where he'd go with it, but one night he felt his bassist's explorations had gone on much too long. Charles went to the microphone, cupped his hands around it to imitate the hollow sound of a SWAT team bullhorn, and called out with deliberate authority, "Put the bow down! Slowly! Put your hands in the air, and step away from the bass!"
Don Robertson, the drummer and editor emeritus of the Jersey Jazz Society newsletter, was approached at a concert by a lady who said, "I want to know how old Dick Hyman is." Never wanting to get into personal details, he fended her off with: "Old Dick Hyman is fine."