Okay, okay… yes, here’s yet another year-end poll. Some of you Independent Ear readers may recall our revealing series of dialogues with black music writers (that is, writers on the subject of music who happen to be African American) which we dubbed “Ain’t but a few of us” – as in, there’s a significant number of folks writing about jazz and black music, but not as many African Americans as there should be. Well, as we close out 2011 we’ve asked that crew to weigh in with their best-of list from 2011 record releases (designated below according to the writer’s choice); and to also include what for them was the most compelling book they read in 2011 (any subject), and their favorite live music performance experience. Here’s what they had to say (recordings listed by artist, title, label):

BRIDGET ARNWINE
Favorite Recordings of 2011 (“in no particular order, except for #s 1 and 2)
Freddie Hubbard, Pinnacle, Resonant
Delfeayo Marsalis, Sweet Thunder
(Orrin Evans) Captain Black Big Band, Captain Black Big Band, Posi-Tone
Branford Marsalis & Joey Calderazzo, Songs of Mirth and Melancholy, Marsalis Music
Helen Sung, (re)Conception
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Fe/Faith
James Farm, James Farm, Nonesuch
Wayne Wallace, To Hear From There,
Jeff “Tain” Watts, Family
Terri Lyne Carrington, The Mosaic Project, Concord

Favorite book of 2011 (“I wouldn’t call it compelling”): Decoded by Jay-Z and Dream Hampton
Favorite live music performance: James Farm at the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts, September 2011

EUGENE HOLLEY, JR.
Recordings (not listed in any particular order):
Ambrose Akinmusire, When the Heart Emerges Glistening, Blue Note
Orrin Evans, Captain Black Big Band, Posi-Tone
Charles Lloyd-Maria Farantouri, The Athens Concert, ECM
Ben Williams, State of Art, Concord
Deep Blue Organ Trio, Wonderful!, Origin
Kurt Elling, The Gate, Concord
Enoch Smith, Jr., Misfits, Music 4MYPeople Entertainment
James Carter Organ Trio, At the Crossroads, EmArcy
Warren Wolf, Warren Wolf, Mack Avenue
Fabian Almanzan Trio, Possibilities, Biophilla/Palmetto

Book: Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Joe Jones, by Papa Jo Jones/Paul Devlin (as told to Albert Murray)
Live: Esperanza Spalding at The Roots Picnic, Philadelphia, PA

ROBIN JAMES
Top 1-10 Records Released in 2011
Jill Scott, The Light of the Sun, Blues Babe Records
Various Artists, !Rumba Mambo Cha Cha Cha!, Putumayo World Music
Diego Urcola, Appreciation, CamJazz
Freddy Cole, Talk to Me, HighNote
Freddie Hubbard, Pinnacle, Resonance
Ambrose Akinmusire, When the Heart Emerges Glistening, Blue Note
Jeremy Pelt, The Talented Mr. Pelt, HighNote
Nicholas Payton, Bitches, In + Out
JD Allen Trio, Victory!, Sunnyside
Ernestine Anderson, Nightlife: Live at Dizzy’s CLub Coca-Cola, HighNote

Most Compelling Book I’ve read during 2011: Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (paperback edition), by Robin D.G. Kelley
Favorite Live Music performance I’ve experienced during 2011: Debbie Duncan (vocalist) at the Artists’ Quarter, St. Paul, MN (summer)

RAHSAAN CLARK MORRIS
My Ten Best
Jose James and Jef Neve-For All We Know Impulse Records
Terri Lyne Carrington-The Mosaic Project Concord
Larry Gray Trio-Three Equals One CDBY Records
Deep Blue Organ Trio – Wonderful! Origin Records
Cedar Walton – The Bouncer HighNote
Miles Davis – Live in Europe 1967 Columbia Legacy
Benny Green Trio-Source Jazz Legacy Productions
Eliane Elias-Light My Fire Concord
Greg Ward Fitted Shards- South Side Story 19/8 Records
Jason Adasiewicz-Sun Rooms Delmark Records

My favorite read was a toss-up: Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin Kelley and Diggin: The Afro American Soul of American Classical Music by Amiri Baraka
My favorite performance was Mike Reed’ (truncated) People, Places, and Things Quartet with Greg Ward live at The Green Mill Jazz Club in early June.

JOHN MURPH
Top 10 Jazz
JD Allen Trio, Victory, Sunnyside
Gretchen Parlato, The Lost & Found, Obliq Sound
Terri Lyne Carrington, The Mosaic Project, Concord
The Claudia Quintet +1, What is the Beautiful?, Cunieform
Ambrose Akinmusire, When the Heart Emerges Glistening, Blue Note
Chris Dingman, Walking Dreams, Between Worlds
Zara MacFarlane, Until Tomorrow, Brownswood
Denys Baptiste, Identity by Subtraction, Dune
Miguel Zenon, Alma Adento: The Puerto Rican Songbook, Marsalis Music
David Binney, Graylen Epicenter, Mythology

Favorite book: African Rhythms, the Autobiography of Randy Weston, Composed by Randy Weston; Arranged by Willard Jenkins

GENE SEYMOUR
Top Ten Jazz Discs For 2011
Sonny Rollins, Road Shows Vol. 2, Doxy
Ambrose Akinmusire, When the Heart Emerges Glistening, Blue Note
Noah Preminger, Before the Rain, Palmetto
Allen Lowe, Blues and the Empirical Truth, Music & Arts
Muhal Richard Abrams, SoundDance, Pi
Craig Taborn, Avenging Angel, EMI
Youn Sun Nah, Same Girl, ACT
Bill Frisell, Sign of Life, Savoy
Miguel Zenon, Alma Adento: The Puerto Rican Songbook, Marsalis Music
Evan Christopher, Remembering Song, Arbors

GREGORY THOMAS
Favorite 10 Recordings (listed in no particular order)
Aaron Goldberg and Guillermo Klein, Bienestan, Sunnyside
Monty Alexander, Harlem-Kingston Express, Motema
Christian McBride, Conversations with Christian, Mack Avenue
Miguel Zenon, Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook, Marsalis Music
Warren Wolf, Warren Wolf, Mack Avenue
Bobby Sanabria, Tito Puente Masterworks Live!, Jazzheads
Freddie Hubbard, Pinnacle, Resonance
Jimmy Owens, The Monk Project, Ipo
Branford Marsalis & Joey Calderazzo, Songs of Mirth and Melancholy, Marsalis Music
JC Stylles, Exhiliration and Other States, Motema

RON WYNN
Top 10
David Murray Cuban Ensemble, Plays Nat King Cole en Espanol, Motema
Roy Haynes, Roy-alty, Dreyfus
Branford Marsalis & Joey Calderazzo, Songs of Mirth and Melancholy, Marsalis Music
Joe Lovano and Us Five, Bird Songs, Blue Note
David Sanchez/Stefon Harris/Christian Scott, Ninety Miles, Concord
Brad Mehldau, Live in Marciac, Nonesuch
Terri Lyne Carrington, The Mosaic Project, Concord
Kurt Elling, The Gate, Concord
Sonny Rollins, Road Songs Vol. 2, Doxy
Tierney Sutton, American Road, BFM

Books (music) New Atlantis: Musicians Battle for the Survival of New Orleans, by John Swenson
(general) Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, by Manning Marable
Top musical event: (“easy choice”) Sonny Rollins Quartet at the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall (Nashville, TN)

WILLARD JENKINS
2011 faves in no particular order
(More than 10 here? Call that editor’s license.)
Miles Davis Quintet, Live in Europe 1967-The Bootleg Series, Columbia
Terri Lyne Carrington, Mosaic Project, Concord
JD Allen, Victory, Sunnyside
Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton, Play the Blues, Reprise/JALC
Charles Lloyd, Athens Concert, ECM
Terell Stafford, This Side of Strayhorn, MaxJazz
Randy Weston, Blue Moses, CTI (reissue)
David Murray Cuban Ensemble, Plays Nat King Cole en Espanol, Motema
SF Jazz Collective, Music of Stevie Wonder, SF Jazz
James Farm, James Farm, Nonesuch
Ben Williams, State of Art, Concord
Muhal Richard Abrams, Focus Thru Time, Pi
Marcus Shelby, Soul of the Movement, Porto Franco
Jerry Gonzalez, El Commando de Clave, Sunnyside
Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio, The 11th Gate, Motema
Miguel Zenon, Alma Adentro, Marsalis Music

Book: (tossup) Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, by Manning Marable
High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, by Jessica B. Harris
Live performance:Sing the Truth (Dianne Reeves, Angelique Kidjo, Lizz Wright, Terri Lyne Carrington, Geri Allen, etc.), Tanglewood Jazz Festival, September 4

Trumpeter, and erstwhile vocalist/one-man-band, raconteur/social commentator (at least based on his latest release Bitches on the IN + OUT label, which would appear to be the latest advance in his Sonic Trance odyssey) Nicholas Payton has been raising a literal firestorm of conjecture and debate with his recent series of blog posts, Twitter and Facebook rejoinders. The initial firestarter was Payton’s bold broadside “On Why Jazz Isn’t Cool Anymore,” originally posted on November 27. That was followed by such provocative posts as “White Angst,” “Can a White Person Experience Racism,” “On Why Nicholas Payton is NOT a Racist,” and “On Why I Keep Beating This Racist Horse.” Throughout this series of what to some appear to be pugilistic exchanges, Payton has shown no qualms in rather severely taking to task such younger musicians as saxophonist Marcus Strickland and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, each of whom in his own way has criticized Payton’s screeds in cyberspace. Nicholas Payton’s pronouncements and tireless Tweets have spread like wildfire across the ‘net. Frankly I’ve wondered if his tongue isn’t planted firmly in his cheek with some of his declarations.

I can’t tell you how many email forwards-as-chat group postings I’ve received, expressing ye or nay on Payton’s various rants. If nothing more Nicholas Payton has succeeded in ramping up the dialogue on the jazz and black folks question, outright rejecting the term jazz in favor of Black American Music, or BAM for short. Frankly we can go back to the 1920s for variations on the efficacy of the term “jazz.” I for one have grown weary of that bit of nomenclature skirmish. But I do respect Payton’s right to raise these questions, and support his desire to be out front on various issues, in refreshingly abject defiance of any measure of political correctness. Though I cannot say I am in total agreement with Nicholas’ various broadsides, I do see him as serving as a very useful provocateur at best, conversation starter at worst.

I do find something a bit sycophantic about the various Hallelujah Chorus members who’ve served as Nicholas Payton cheerleaders throughout these exchanges. I find myself wondering why the Hallelujah Chorus doesn’t step outside that figurative veil with issues and solutions of their own; and much more of the latter, if you please. Right now the Nicholas Payton cheerleading squad is full-up folks!

My first sighting of Nicholas Payton was as a startling young trumpeter introduced and encouraged onstage by NEA Jazz Master Clark Terry at the last IAJE conference held in New Orleans nearly two decades ago. Clearly this was a budding young trumpet ace to watch. Over the years Payton’s artistry has grown exponentially, and he has shown a healthy eclecticism in his tastes, ranging from his lovely collaboration with the grandfatherly Doc Cheatham, through his Sonic Trance experiments, various trumpet challenges, and now his one-man band Bitches release. Nothing about Nicholas Payton’s demeanor, onstage or off, ever suggested that he’d be the bearer of these current rants, which I suppose makes them all the more startling in their candor.

A dear friend and colleague of mine in music education asked me just the other day in a telephone conversation where I thought Nicholas Payton was coming from, and why all-of-a-seeming-sudden all this righteous internet fire & brimstone. The one thing I know is that Nic comes from the truth, and he’s just speaking the truth as he believes it – whether you’re inclined to swallow it or not. And no, unlike some respondents I don’t believe his truth-telling is self-serving; though I did note with interest the response of another good friend and fellow writer who warned about Payton’s penchant for hard core put-downs of those who disagree, feeling that perhaps Nic is doing himself more harm than good in the long run.

But the one thing I can confirm is that Nicholas Payton is coming from a place of veracity, as he sees it. Nicolas Payton comes from the truth; his daddy, bassist Walter Payton, was one of those hard-working, blue collar jazz musicians who toiled in the vineyards of New Orleans mightily, exhibiting the kind of versatility that is a hallmark of so many musicians from the Crescent City. Payton was raised by musicians of a similar ilk who took no prisoners, people like Ellis Marsalis and the late trumpeter-educator Clyde Kerr, Jr. These are musicians who pull no punches, either on or off the bandstand.

Think about the well-chronicled outspokenness of other New Orleans musicians who arrived a bit before Nicholas. How many times have Wynton or Branford Marsalis gone off and told it like they saw it, only to be taken to task for their bluntness and seeming political incorrectness? Spending a few glorious days in Essaouira, Morocco a few years ago on a spiritual journey with Donald Harrison and his Congo Nation band revealed more than a few truths as well; listening to Harrison pull no punches for instance on those who dismissed his passionate pursuit of the Black Indian legacy he inherited from his father, Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. was quite revealing, particularly when he got around to keeping it real about a certain cowardly trumpeter from his hometown (neither Wynton nor Nicholas, I assure you).

You get the same blunt truths from other New Orleans musicians as well, including some very strong opinions in my various conversations and interviews with friend and flutist Kent Jordan; and if you know his dad Kidd, you know where that comes from. Political correctness is not the nature of musicians from the Crescent City, and I for one have found that refreshing. So agree or disagree, I am in full support of Nicholas Payton telling it like he sees it, and in many cases revealing truths others are afraid to speak.

However, as I’ve told Nicholas in some subsequent communications, one element of his arguments that I find it difficult to support is the contention – veiled or overt – that somehow someone (that royal “someone” I suppose) has stolen jazz – or, ahem, BAM if he prefers – from black folks. Sorry folks but I continue to hold steadfast to the contention that there’s been no theft, black folks have given away the music through dwindling support and abject neglect; abdicated the throne as it were. While African Americans continue to play this music with authority – and yes, there are still young black musicians striving to learn this music in the academy and the corps of 20-something black jazz musicians beginning to make contributions remains significant, the African American audience for jazz is pitiful; that is unless certain circumstances exist: i.e. the music is presented free of charge, or the music is presented somewhere in the African American community. I’m open to suggestions, conjectures, and outright debate on that issue. You game? Look for a series of dialogues on that issue in The Independent Ear in 2012.

The Jazz Wire
December 16, 2011

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming event sponsored by JazzTimes that I think you’ll find interesting. In connection with the APAP (Association of Performing Art Presenters) conference and Winter JazzFest in January, we will be presenting the JazzTimes DIY Crash Course—a series of workshops and presentations geared to jazz artists and professionals who are dealing with a rapidly changing world with new economic challenges.

The JazzTimes DIY Crash Course will be held on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at the Hilton New York Hotel at 1335 Avenue of the Americas (at 53rd Street) in New York City. Admission is FREE.

As you know, for many years we produced the JazzTimes Convention and then later we were one of the sponsors of the Industry Track at the IAJE conference. Now, with IAJE gone, the record industry in transition and brick and mortar retail stores closing left and right, we felt that there was a real need to bring people in the jazz community together to address issues and trends that matter right now. In planning these sessions, we had three criteria. First, the workshops had to provide concrete and practical advice. Second, the effect of social media and new technology would be part of every session. Third, we would feature new voices and not the usual pundits and panelists who have done conferences before (me included!).

Check out the schedule of sessions below. We have scheduled four workshops that are meant to provide tangible and useful insight for artists—both established and emerging. In addition, we’ve asked some artists and professionals to give short and hopefully inspirational talks about their own life experiences, along the lines of the TED talks or NPR’s “This I Believe.” Move over Tony Robbins and make way for Vijay Iyer, Steven Bernstein, Matt Wilson, Jason Crane and Fay Victor!

Of course, perhaps the greatest benefit of an event like this is just bringing people together. Attendees are likely to learn as much from each other as from our so-called experts. And we have made it clear to the workshop moderators that audience participation is essential.

I hope you can come to the event and not only listen and hopefully glean practical information, but also contribute your own ideas and experience. There is a Facebook Events page set up if you would like to RSVP or find out who else is planning to attend.

Admission to the sessions is free. You don’t have to be a member of APAP or registered for the conference to participate. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of that organization and recommend that you considering attending the conference, which this year includes a track of jazz programming—JazzConnect: Building Jazz Culture – Local to Global. Learn more about APAP|NYC 2012

For those coming from out-of-town, APAP is offering a special conference rate of $189/night at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and one block away from our event. APAP guests who book by Nov 30 also receive complimentary in-room Internet access, 10% discount at the Sheraton coffee shop and market, and free access to the Sheraton fitness club. For more hotel information, click here or call: 1.800.325.3535.

Feel free to e-mail me back with any questions you might have about this event.

Best regards,
Lee Mergner
Publisher
JazzTimes
JazzTimes DIY Crash Course
Thursday Jan 5, 2012
Concourse A, Hilton New York

Schedule of Sessions:

10:00 am SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Vijay Iyer

10:15 am WORKSHOP (60 minutes) Music for Sale: New models for selling your music With Borders and other traditional retail outlets shutting their doors, channels for distribution of recorded music have changed dramatically. Beyond iTunes there are many online music services for sales and airplay. This workshop discusses strategies for the emerging artist to navigate this new and always evolving sales landscape. Moderator: John Newcott (WBGO) Panelists: Phillip Bailey (Concord Music Group), Erol Cichowski (IODA), Bret Sjerven (Sunnyside), Marc Free (Posi-Tone )

11:30 am SOLO SPOT (5-10 minutes), Jason Crane (The Jazz Session)

11:45 am WORKSHOP (60 minutes)
Breaking Through the Clutter: Social media for publicity, promotion and profit?
As traditional print & broadcast media become more and more obsolete, as the record store has all but died, as digital retailers and editorial websites have increased in power and influence, a new culture of readers and consumers has emerged—a group that goes first and foremost to the internet for all of its information & entertainment needs. We discuss this culture and how they interact with each other in real time. Topics will include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pandora, Last.fm and other important ways social media is used to spread the word on music and other topics.
Moderator: Dmitri Vietze (rock paper scissors) Panelists: Kevin Calabro (Calabro Music Media), Dick Huey (Toolshed Marketing), Josh Jackson (The Checkout)

12:45 pm BREAK (60 minutes)

1:45 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Fay Victor

2:00 pm WORKSHOP (60 minutes) New Models for Jazz Performance and Touring: Going beyond the traditional club and festival circuit The days of a jazz club in every city are over and large venues are only looking for big names, but there are all sorts of new performing opportunities available to emerging artists, both in New York City and across the country. Presenters and booking agents share what they know from the frontlines. Moderator: Jim Macnie Panelists: Mark Christman (Ars Nova Workshop), Jeanna Disney (International Music Network), Brice Rosenbloom (BOOM Collective), Meghan Stabile (Revive Music Group), Myles Weinstein (Unlimited Myles)

3:15 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Steven Bernstein

3:25 pm WORKSHOP (60 minutes) The Jazz Artist as Small Business Owner and Manager As musicians add fundraising, promotion, producing, recording, distribution, management and booking to their skill sets, individuals are becoming organizations. Some thrive on collective output and multiple platforms. What are the benefits and challenges to incorporating, becoming a non-profit entity, seeking fiscal sponsorship, and taking on self-management/promotion? Moderator: Sara Donnelly (Arts Consultant) Panelists: Ben Allison, Taylor Ho Bynum, Dianne Debicella (Fractured Atlas)m Marcus Strickand (Strick Muze)

4:30 pm SOLO SPOT (10 minutes), Matt Wilson

This is pt. 9 in our series of observations from musicians, responding to this burning question: When you read music journalism or criticism, what qualities are you looking for in the writer and the writing?

CHRIS WASHBURNE, trombonist-composer-educator (Columbia University)

I do read music journalism/criticism regularly. I am reading to learn. I want a writer that has their ear on the pulse of the newest trends. As a musician I am just too busy to constantly check out younger musicians and new bands. I let music journalists do the scoping and I will check out unknown musicians after I have had a chance to read about them. I also prefer a writer who has a solid grasp of the music’s social and stylistic history and who can provide insights about new projects which are informed by that knowledge. In terms of critiques about my own work, I also read them, but I admit that it requires some effort and self-discipline to not take things too personal. As I get older, that becomes easier.

SALIM WASHINGTON, saxophonist-composer-educator (Brooklyn College)

The main thing that I judge music criticism/journalism by is whether or not I get a sense that the writer understands what is truly at stake with the music, what it is that makes it important, and not simply, ‘I like this cat, I don’t like that one’ kind of boosterism.

The ancestor Walter Bishop, Jr. was a potent exemplar of the so-called bebop piano style. Part of modern jazz’s second wave, Bishop played with a veritable who’s who of bop and post-boppers. He left all too soon when he split in 1998, but along with his recorded output it turns out “Bish”, as he was known to friends and colleagues, also left a significant poetic legacy. Poetry was an art form about which Walter Bishop, Jr. was quite the devotee – witness his membership in the poetry society known as Poets Four. Valerie Bishop has graciously shared some of Bish’s poetry; this is the sixth installment in our series and you can locate the other five pieces in our Archives section.

I NEVER WROTE A SONG FOR MY MOTHER
By Walter Bishop, Jr.

I never wrote a song for my mother
Although I love her like no other.
They say we could pass for sister and brother,
But I never wrote a song for my Mother.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’ve written many a song…
Not nearly as much as my Father.
He’s gone on to glory but that’s another story
I never wrote a song for my Mother.

I’ve written songs like WALTZ FOR SWEETIE
Yes, indeedy,
LADY BARBARA, too.
CORAL KEYS
But none of these was a song I wrote for You.

I’ve written music for a saint called Yogananda
And a city way out West.
ROSAMOND became SWEET ROSA
But none of those was a song I wrote for You.

Now she’s nurtured me since infancy.
Now, Sonny Boy, no need to lay up in dat pee
For I will come and changeth the.
Eat your oatmeal, it’s good for you.
Castor oil will see you through.
Prune juice will keep you loose.
Drink all your milk… it makes your skin soft as silk.
Get ready for church, don’t keep the Lord waiting.
Get there on time and he’ll save you from Satan.

And when I engaged in outrageous behavior,
T’was She…She who would be my saviour.

Now Dad’s mad and he’ll whip my tail
But it’s you Mother who’ll go my bail.

Stop…don’t steal from your sisters, you’re giving me blisters
Trying to whack your little butt.
I’ll call it a wrap, you’re due for the strap
That’ll end all the crap.

Your astrological sign is Leo the Lion, the key word here is love;
Forthrightness, courage and efficiency; you are all of the above.
From stick-ball to Carnegie Hall, who was behind it all.
You, Mother

I’ve gotten standing ovations in distant nations…
Been on radio and TV too,
As you can see I’ve had a ball, but in spite of it all,
I never wrote a song for You…

A toast to you on this day of days,
I could never repay you for your loving ways.

Yes it’s true, I never wrote a song for You.
But one little song would never do
The song I write for thee would have to be a symphony,
And this I know to be true.

You’ll live a long time in spite of this rhyme
And you’ll never need pity as long as there’s Atlantic City.