The Independent Ear

The Case for Hubert Laws

Posted on July 16, 2010 by The Independent Ear

The 2011 class of National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters, the highest honor this country bestows on living jazz artists and advocates, is not without controversy.  There’s been much conversation about the unprecedented elevation of the entire Marsalis Family; and just the other day while doing some research at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University’s Newark campus, I overheard two musicians debating the merits of Johnny Mandel being named a NEA Jazz Master to represent the composer/arranger’s art on this occasion.  Their words were to the effect that Mandel’s merits otherwise are without question, but as a jazz master(?).  From my perspective Mandel’s wizardry on NEA Jazz Master Shirley Horn’s striking album Here’s to Life, with strings, alone would bear this consideration; evidence: the title track and especially the heartbreaking string arrangement on "If You Love Me."

But the name from this year’s class that took me back a bit, in a fit of warm nostalgia, was flutist Hubert Laws.  In jazz there have been few absolutes, despite decades of all manner of popularity polls.  Sure, there are a handful that standout; for example the greatest living tenor saxophonist is without question NEA Jazz Master Sonny Rollins; and the three pillars of jazz history remain Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Charlie Parker, the fourth being a tossup between NEA Jazz Master Miles Davis and John Coltrane. 

 

Another of the few certainties is that Hubert Laws is the greatest living flute specialist in jazz history.  Notice I said specialist; certainly his peers on the instrument include such worthies as fellow NEA Jazz Masters Yusef Lateef, James Moody, and the late Eric Dolphy, (who unfortunately passed prior to the inception of the program in ’82) — doublers all.  The case for Laws is admittedly weakened by several choices of recorded material, including a soft underbelly of flyweight fluff from his CTI days.  But it is precisely that segment of the Laws discography, bordered by a couple of fine earlier dates for the Atlantic label, that is the core of his recorded work to consider.  Those CTI dates, which carry me back to my formative college years in the late 60s/early 70s, were also notable for ample displays of Hubert Laws’ enormous classical chops.  And there’s where some may get stuck in their consideration of Laws jazz credentials.

There are some who dismiss Laws for the crystal clarity of his dexterity, or his rich and pristine tone on the instrument — ‘lacks grit’ some might declare.  But for serious consideration of Hubert Laws considerable jazz bonafides, don’t sleep on the following performances:

"Airegin" from In The Beginning (CTI)

"Equinox" from Wild Flower (Atlantic)

"Windows" from Laws Cause (Atlantic)

"Moment’s Notice" from In The Beginning (CTI) (also available on a "Best Of" compilation on Columbia)

   

Posted in NEA Jazz Masters | 5 Comments

Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne

Posted on July 5, 2010 by The Independent Ear

 Though still in progress with James Gavin’s thick new volume on the life & times of the recently departed ancestor Lena Horne, several in-progress observations give high marks to the writer’s thorough, detailed efforts.  Gavin, who penned the equally-rewarding Chet Baker bio The Long Night of Chet Baker, details La Horne’s vivid and often troubling life, a life full of seemingly equal measures of heartache & triumph from the moment of her life’s inception in Brooklyn, pulls no punches in telling it like it was, and delivering a balanced sense of Lena’s life through the lens of someone possessing deep admiration coupled with the often gritty realities of her life.

I’ve lifted a couple of sample paragraphs to give some sense of Gavin’s craft, beginning with this passage on Horne’s early chorus-girl days:

    "But in their attic dressing room, Webb’s chorines [dancer-choreographer Elida Webb] faced the tawdry realities of show business seven nights a week.  They were crowded into a long, narrow space, one side occupied by racks of costumes, the other by dressing tables and mirrors.  The dingy walls were hung with mirrors and the dancers sat elbow to elbow, budget cosmetics and overflowing ashtrays spread out in front of them.  Outfits were slung over chairs, and the air reeked of perfume, cigarettes, and sweat.  It was a typical backstage chorus-girl scene; dancers at most of the big white nightclubs had it no better."

Throughout the book Gavin repeatedly takes the reader back to the scene of Horne’s various exploits, pratfalls and all, with an unerring eye to detail; the kind of detail that makes the reader a veritable fly on the wall of 20th century show business history, in "sepia" tonalities. 

Here’s a later passage from Horne’s earliest Broadway star turn, as part of the determined integrationist impressario Lew Leslie’s doomed show "Blackbirds of 1939":

    "Finally, on  February 11, Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1939: A Harlem Rhapshody opened at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre.  After all the turmoil, the results reeked of haste and desperation.  The show looked like a bus-and-truck version of a Cotton Club review [The notorious, tough-on-black-asses Cotton Club was Ms. Horne’s show biz entry point, as a teenaged chorine].  Its dancers executed a cyclone of punishing moves, but the sketches seemed pale and cliched.  There were a few entertaining songs by the team of Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom (who would soon write "Fools Rush In"), and some memorable scenes.  In the opener, "Children of the Earth," hands pushed up through the ground and wriggled like snakes.  "Frankie and Johnny," the old folks song about a murderous woman, was spun inot a fully staged courtroom scene; this time Johnny was tried for shooting Frankie, and jurors, lawyers, and defendant sang their testimony."

This is one of many examples of how Gavin turns back the hands of time and places the reader squarely in a box seat at the Hudson Theatre for this vivid glimpse of one of Horne’s earliest tribulations, prior to the great triumphs of her hall-of-fame career. 

The book is Stormy Weather – The Life of Lena Horne by James Gavin (pub: Atria), and it is highly recommended.   

 

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JJA Marches On

Posted on June 16, 2010 by The Independent Ear

 Monday, June 14 marked the annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz (JJA) Awards event.  The venue City Winery proved to be quite the ambient locale for what has become a jazz community tradition.  As the tribes gathered to schmooze, catch-up on news, hugs and air kisses, and just generally revel in the greatness of jazz music (and the auspicious list of jazz greats on hand), I was reminded not so much of the actual birth of the JJA as it’s conception. 

JJA was actually conceived at A Jazz Media Symposium, May 20-22 at the University of Illinois-Chicago.  The symposium was produced by Arts Midwest, co-sponsored by DownBeat magazine, and at the time I was Jazz Program Coordinator at that Arts Midwest, a regional arts rganization (a relationship I’ve happily renewed more recently with my work as coordinator of the NEA Jazz Masters Live project for Arts Midwest via the National Endowment for the Arts).  As Wayne Self, a fellow writer who at the time was also on staff at Arts Midwest, and I hammered out the details for the symposium our primary goal was the development of a jazz writer’s association and a concurrent jazz radio programmers association; the former proved much more successful (i.e. the JJA), while the latter remains in the we’ll-see category.  There have been various collectives of jazz radio stations and programmers, but nothing approaching the success or longevity of the JJA; and for that the primary thanks goes to the JJA’s tireless and longtime Pres. Howard Mandel. 

Our symposium featured general sessions on "Record Companies & the Media"; "The Future of Jazz: Hope or Hype?"; and jazz writer-specific sessions on "Plugging into Outlets: Jazz Writing Opportunities Today & Tomorrow"; "Jazz Journalism: Responsibility & Function;" and a Day 1 closing general session on "Musicians & the Jazz Media: A Dialogue" between writers, programmers and musicians.  Our closing general sessions on Sunday included separate feasibility studies on "Establishing an American jazz radio network and a jazz writer’s guild" — thus the eventual birth of the Jazz Journalists Association, whose first president was writer Art Lange, who at the time was concluding a stint as editor of DB.

On the writer side the panelists for those sessions included Mandel and Lange, Paul Baker, Leslie Gourse, the late Gene Lees, Bill Millkowski, Don Palmer, Neil Tesser (who wore both his writer and radio hats for the occasion), and Kevin Whitehead (Stanley Crouch, scheduled to appear, stiffed — another story/another time).  Other symposium participants included musicians Bunky Green, Ernie Krivda, Ben Sidran (also wearing his radio syndication hat), Bill Smith (ditto his Coda magazine hat), and Douglas Ewart.  Radio folks included the late Oscar Treadwell ("An Oscar for Treadwell"), Bob Porter (also wearing his writer hat), Sandy Ratley (NPR at the time), and Linda Yohn.  The record industry was repped by such panelists as Terri Hinte, Don Lucoff (pre-DL Media), and Ricky Schultz.  The evening hits were provided by the annual UIC Jazz Festival, including Dizzy Gillespie, and the Count Basie Orchestra, and of course the ever-lively Chicago jazz scene.

And a productive time was had by all, particularly the assembled journalists.  So there you have the conception of the JJA.  For membership, complete details on this year’s Jazz Awards, and other timely & useful jazz news & views, be sure to visit (and bookmark) WWW.JAZZHOUSE.ORG.

— Willard Jenkins, Founding Member, Jazz Journalists Association

 

Posted in General Discussion | 1 Comment

On the road with Weston

Posted on June 13, 2010 by The Independent Ear

 Coming this fall: African Rhythms, the autobiography of Randy Weston, composed by NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston, arranged by Willard Jenkins (Duke University Press).

 

Geographically, ranking third only to Africa and Brooklyn in the odyssey of NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston, is the idyllic, green-mountain Berkshires region of New York and Massachusetts.  The past Memorial Day weekend was a particularly joyous time for Randy to renew his Berkshires connection.  A collective of Berkshires jazz enthusiasts presented Randy in concert at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA.  The evening was preceded by an afternoon panel discussion featuring journalist-broadcaster Seth Rogan, veteran writer Milton Bass (who wrote tellingly in his concert preview in the May 27 edition of Berkshires Week: "I first encountered Randy more than 50 years ago in Lenox [MA]") at the Music Inn, and writer-professor (Boston University) Jeremy Yudkin, author of the important book The Lenox School of Jazz ("A vital Chapter in the History of American Music and Race Relations"; Farshaw Publishing), and Weston, which I had the pleasure of moderating.

The evening’s concert was a sublime duo performance by Randy Weston and his longtime bassist Alex Blake.  One of the highlights was a pungent, obligatory essay on Weston’s enduring waltz "The Berkshire Blues."  The journey was a particularly nostalgic one for Weston as numerous friends and associates came out to celebrate his return, including one of the former chefs at the Music Inn, whose culinary magic inspired a Weston tune "Willie’s Blues."  Randy’s granddaughter, filmmaker Rebecca Farella, captured Weston’s reminiscences for a future film.

The Sunday following the concert we took a drive through various of Weston’s former haunts, including the resort formerly known as Avaloch where Weston began to establish his 10-year Berkshires piano residency.  This vital chapter in Randy Weston’s odyssey is chronicled in great detail in our forthcoming book, which will be released by Duke University Press in October.  As they say in radio land, Stay Tuned… and don’t sleep!

African Rhythms, the autobiography of Randy Weston; composed by Randy Weston, arranged by Willard Jenkins (Duke University Press, October 2010).

                                — Willard Jenkins

 

Posted in Weston Chronicles | 1 Comment

Jazz Venue Chronicles — Part One

Posted on June 13, 2010 by The Independent Ear

 Following on the heels of our recently concluded series Ain’t But a Few, conversations with African American jazz and music writers, we begin a series of conversations with African American and other black folks who have presented jazz music on their stages.  Historically, as my current research project on jazz venues in Brooklyn courtesy of the Weeksville Heritage Society clearly indicates, as well as anecdotal evidence from Lost Jazz Shrines across the country, there have been many examples of African Americans operating jazz venues… but not so much here in the 21st century.

Our series begins with Twins Jazz, one of Washington, DC’s most vibrant jazz clubs, located on bustling, re-born U Street N.W., upstairs at 1344 U.  After years of presenting all manner of jazz artists — from emerging talents to NEA Jazz Masters — Twins Jazz has embarked on the development of a not-for-profit foundation as a means of further spreading its tentacles into broader service to the art form and sustaining the audience for jazz. 

 

Twins Jazz was developed by the twin Ethiopian sisters Kelly and Maize Tesfaye ("Jazz found us," says Kelly).  Kelly’s daughter, Love-Leigh Beasley, is spearheading the Twins Jazz foundation, and we turned to her for some history and update on Twins Jazz.  [Full disclosure: Willard Jenkins serves on the board of directors of the Twins Jazz Foundation.]

What is the history of Twins Jazz?

For over twenty-three years, Twins Jazz Club and [sister venue] Twins Lounge have worked to conceptualize and develop a friendly environment wherein jazz lovers can congregate in geniality and ambiance, sharing our love and celebration of jazz.  Twins Lounge, Twins Jazz uptown sister club located at 5516 Colorado Avenue N.W., opened as an Ethiopian restaurant in 1986 in a 50-seat space that previously featured jazz and blues music.  Several musicians would continue to patronize the Lounge and insisted upon the continuation of showcasing live jazz performances.  By 1987, Twins Lounge opened their stage nightly to live jazz performers.

Twins Lounge closed in 1999 due to building condemnation, and re-opened as Twins Jazz along the famous U Street Corridor, also known as Black Broadway back in the day.  Twins Jazz perpetuates and cultivates "authentic" straight-ahead traditional jazz, and features a combination of Ethiopian, American, and Caribbean cuisine. 

Twins Jazz strives to not only be a jazz venue, but a social and economic force in the local and regional community via our newly formed Twins Jazz Foundation.  We not only feature popular staple jazz artists, but also offer opportunities for young, aspiring musical talents attending Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Georgetown University, Howard University, Catholic University, American University, University of Maryland, and George Washington University.  Music students are encouraged to participate in our weekly jam sessions to learn their craft from more experienced musicians.  We aim to bring greater appreciation and understanding to jazz from traditional to contemporary, via festivals, forums and workshops.

Kelly & Maize Tesfaye, the "Twins" in Twins Jazz

How did your mom and aunt come to develop Twins Jazz?

The development of the Twins Jazz brand was certainly not an overnight discovery.  Twins has evolved from a live music "mom & pop" shop to "Washington’s Top Jazz CLub" through the hard-work and dedication of our staff, and respected counsel from jazz industry professionals.  Over the years we have worked to establish a solid, unmistakable identity by working to remain current in jazz as well as researching the ever-evolving trends of the social entertainment consumer. We are continuously working to gain a market presence via web and social portals, newspapers, radio, and other media outlets, and we certainly have learned over the years that a loyal patron goes a long way.  We thrive on creating an environment that is actually friendly and meaningful, so that our patrons and artists continue to comee back and support our establishment, as well as the music we love.

What have been some of the highlights of Twins’ history?

The restless iconoclast Peter Brotzmann has touched down at Twins Jazz with his Die Like a Dog Quartet

The original Twins Lounge, Twins ll (our temporary location on Moore St. NE), and the current club Twins Jazz, have been host to many performances that have since become regarded as legendary milestones in DC jazz lore.  Twins has also showcased a great variety of younger talent and acts that have later gone on to national (if not international) fame.  And Twins is still the local venue of choice for many established jazz greats who make their homes in the DC metro area.  The Twins venues featured some of the last DC appearances of many of the great artists who have passed on, including Shirley Horn, Keter Betts, James Williams, John Hicks, Malachi Thompson, Kenny Kirkland, Walter Bishop Jr., David "Fathead" Newman, Cecil Payne, and Ronnie Wells.

Some landmark events fondly remembered by our regulars include the Twins-sponsored "Piano Summit" at the University of the District of Columbia, the 2001 grand openinig of Twins Jazz at our current location featuring Barry Harris and Charles Davis, acclaimed poet Amiri Baraka reading his always-provocative poetry written for jazz accompaniment by groups led by (trombonist) Reginald Cyntje, and (saxophonist) Rene McLean; many appearances by the versatile Hamiet Bluiett — always bringing different groups and very different musical concepts — active veterans Gary Bartz and Larry Willis re-united for two sellout evenings; the late Shirley Horn sitting in with the late James Williams’ band ICU; rare DC appearances by such international acts as Peter Brotzmann’s "Die Like a Dog" quartet; the Jean Michel Pilc Trio, and the Moutin Reunion; the 2007 NY-DC exchange series of new music organized by Reggie Workman (culminating in a great performance by the Workman-Hal Galper-Rashied Ali trio); David Murray offering (in addition to his well-known instrumental talents) a unique vocal twist on "When the Saints Go Marching In"; and our festive New Years Eve celebrations for jazz purists — featuring the likes of Larry Willis, Bruce Williams, Miles Griffith, and the late Cecil Payne.

Reggie Workman’s New York-to-DC connection series was a Twins Jazz highlight

Twins is also proud to have hosted performances that helped launch the careers of young artists once based (or schooled) in the DC ara, who have gone on to success, such as pianists George Colligan, Benito Gonzalez, and Allyn Johnson; saxophonists Antonio Parker, Tim Warfield, and Kelly Shepherd; drummer Aaron Walker; and bassist Kris Funn and Corcoran Holt.

Talk about your plans for the Twins Jazz Foundation.

The Twins Jazz Foundation was formed in an effort at stimulating a renewed, living relationship with America’s rich jazz heritage for younger audiences today, at the same time providing vehicles for students and less-established musicians to extend their mastery of the forms and reach newer audiences.  The Twins Jazz Foundation aims to preserve and promote jazz, to provide education funding assistance to deserving students, and to create opportunities for students and young aspiring musicians to play and perform.  We strive to bring greater appreciation and understanding of jazz from traditional to contemporary, via festivals, concerts, forums, workshops, and jam sessions.

The key activities of the Foundation are:

    – Annual Jazz "Mini-Tour" series

    – Annual Town Hall Event

    – Annual Jazz Achievement Awards Gala

Twins Jazz has launched a new and improved website: www.TwinsJazz.com.

Twins Jazz Foundation activities are underway.  Please visit www.TwinsJazz.org to remain current on upcoming events.

Posted in The Presenter's P.O.V. | 1 Comment