by George Lane
While all of the articles and most of the reviews I’ve done here focus on the 1920s through the 1960s, I’d like to delve into the artists I’ve heard over the past decade who, in this writer’s opinion, have held to the principles that have made Jazz such a great and special art form. In no way is this meant to be a comprehensive listing or even a real overview. It’s simply one man’s reaction to what has crossed his path in the past ten years.
One artist, who stands out as a musician who could have been one of the greatest had he not succumbed to another of Jazz’ long-standing traditions - the early departure from this planet - was the extraordinary multi-reedman/flautist/composer Thomas Chapin. I had the privilege of being friends with the man; and to know him was to love him. Not only did Thomas embody every important element of Jazz artistry - commitment, intensity, innovation, urgency, spirituality, virtuosity and vision - but his warmth, depth, intelligence, gentility and humanity made all who came in contact with him feel better about everything.
With a singular, contemporary and joyous musical vision, Thomas left behind an incredible legacy of work done over less than ten years. Whether working with his excellent trio (with bassist Mario Pavone and drummer Michael Sarin) or with his phenomenal augmented ensembles - as on the string album Haywire and the brass album Insomnia - every one of his CDs is magical and eminently worthwhile. The 8-CD box set Alive on Knitting Factory Records is an epic testimony to this very special man who succumbed to leukemia at 40 years old. Over the years, as with Booker Little, Clifford Brown and Eric Dolphy - three more gentle souls and brilliant musicians who left us much too soon - Thomas’ importance will continue to grow in his absence.
For some reason, the alto sax seems to be one of the richest veins of present-day treasure. Not only are veterans like Sonny Fortune, Gary Bartz, Jackie McLean, Oliver Lake and Roscoe Mitchell making some of today’s best music, but there’s a wealth of recent newcomers as well. Kenny Garrett has been one of the most individual and inventive soloists ever since he came to prominence in Miles Davis’ final bands. With a bold and powerful sound that seems equally influenced by Fortune and R&B great Maceo Parker, Kenny is always immensely satisfying, whether knee deep in funk or exploring the heavenly realms of the magnificent John Coltrane, as he did on his Pursuance CD.
Eric Person is another altoist who clearly adheres to the Coltrane tradition; adventurous, full-bodied and focused. In the more straight-ahead mold, Antonio Hart, Greg Abate and Abraham Burton (who I’ve heard is switching to tenor) have all impressed.
Speaking of the tenor, there has been quite a vacuum in the heavyweight horn’s history over the past thirty years, but there are signs of recovery.
Charles Gayle, a totally unpretentious, passionate and brain-scorching improviser, has been giving younger fans a taste of what the ‘60s avant-garde was really about with his big wobbling tone and passionate set-long improvisations that create a trance-like metaphysical aura of spiritual expression in the Albert Ayler/late Coltrane style. He also is an extremely interesting pianist. Ravi Coltrane is not only developing into a player of serious weight and potential, but must also be recognized for the staunch courage of taking on the instrument that his father wielded with such unprecedented power and spirit - and for sidestepping the obvious ""clone-like"" approach to pursue his own sound.
The young Cuban tenorman Tony Martinez’ CD with his group The Cuban Power, Maferefun, showed an evocative style combined with powerful rhythms and a deeply serious musical vision, and much the same can be said for the fine Puerto Rico-born saxophonist David Sanchez whose work with McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie and his own fine group shows a true commitment to the higher reaches.
Staying in the Caribbean mode, two recently popular pianists have managed to blend the rich textures and rhythms of their Afro/Latin heritages with a pure Jazz sensibility like no one before. Cuban Chucho Valdés is hardly a newcomer, having made his name initially with Irakere. However, he has recently taken the world of Jazz piano by storm. Hurricane might be a better word as his constant reminders that the piano is a percussion instrument produces blistering assaults on the keyboard. On his recent Blue Note recording, Live at the Village Vanguard, Chucho’s two-fisted playing probably should have required a piano tuner not only every day, but between tunes as well. Panamanian-born Danilo Perez has a gentler, but no less edifying approach to the piano. His tremendous Monk tribute Panamonk prompted Sonny Fortune, upon hearing that he was appearing in my hometown, to instruct ""Tell that bad boy if he gets any badder I may just have to slap him!"" When I passed the message on to Danilo, he showed the currently rare quality of humility and respect by ingenuously turning to his bass player truly stunned, saying ""Man! Sonny Fortune thinks I’m bad!"" And bad, he is.
The Sixties avant-garde tradition of pianists like Cecil Taylor, Andrew Hill and Don Pullen is being kept alive in the works of fine musicians like Andrew Bemke, Matthew Shipp and Myra Melford, and for some reason female Japanese pianists have been displaying a rather uniquely rhythmic approach, exemplified by Misako Kano and Junko Onishi, and I’ve been very impressed by a tiny powerhouse emerging from the rich music education houses of Boston (including the very special ""university"" known as George Russell), Chiharu Yamanaka.
As for the trumpet, another fine Japanese musician, Tiger Okoshi also cut his adult teeth with the legendary Russell, and Graham Haynes, son of drum master Roy, also worked in a rare small group tour with the under-recognized and profoundly influential composer/philosopher/educator/theoretician. Haynes first made a powerful impact on me over ten years ago with a stunning brass arrangement of a Hendrix tune in a concert tribute to the peerless guitar genius.
The great Philadelphia musical family, the Eubanks, have recently unleashed another excellent musician. Duane, a thoughtful and serious young man with a warm and personal sound, recognized the importance of the big band experience for trumpet excellence, has played with orchestras led by such diverse artists as Oliver Lake and Illinois Jacquet.
Duane’s older brother Robin is one of the best trombonists on the scene today. His electronic trombone experiments are not contrived simply for effect, but rather a real extension of the instrument’s tradition set forth by his personal idol and the father of modern Jazz trombone, the great J.J. Johnson. Taking a more multi-cultural approach to the instrument (along with the exotically evocative use of conch shells), Steve Turre’s music includes all of his wide range of experience with very special artists like three departed giants, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie and Tito Puente.
A virtuoso who stands above all recent players of his chosen instrument is clarinetist Don Byron. While sometimes his musical diversity may stretch a bit too thin or too far, his versatility and seemingly endless creativity evidences a link between the entirety of rich Jazz traditions and the ""downtown"" experiments of the interesting and talented composer/conceptualist/saxophonist John Zorn. Each of his live groups and recordings have a unique character and design, reflecting the eclectic tastes of their leader.
I’d be the first to admit that I am not a lover of Jazz guitar. In fact, the amount of time between the first plink of most Jazz guitar on my car radio and my pushing of another station button is even shorter than the fabled green-light horn honk of a New York cabdriver. While I love the chicken scratch funky guitar from basic James Brown or Fela Kuti to the more complex rhythms of Gary Shider and Blackbyrd McKnight with P-Funk, along with the brilliant work of Ali Farka Toure or the incomparable Jimi, the soft, compressed sound that characterizes so much Jazz guitar leaves me cold. However, the extraordinary playing of the long under-recognized Jean-Paul Bourelly is wondrous indeed. Whether stretching out on hard-blowing Jazz as he did early in his career with Elvin Jones or digging into raw blues, smoking funk or startling hip-hop, Jean-Paul is a monster. Why this extremely good looking, affable and audience thrilling musician is not a superstar is one of the more perplexing mysteries of the music business.
I also must admit to enjoying some of the work of Bill Frisell, Charlie Hunter and Mark Whitfield, especially when they‘re pushing the envelope.
Wrapping up this list is a man who I’ve only heard live once, but was impressed even more by his overall concept than by his fine playing is bassist Avishai Cohen, whose frequent focus on Middle-Eastern modalities just hits me the right way.
While I often find myself dwelling a bit on the glorious memories of the amazing New York scene of the Sixties, those who believe that Jazz is on a desperate decline would do themselves a favor to check out any of the artists mentioned above.
CD’s Recommended in the Article:
Thomas Chapin: Haywire and Insomnia (Knitting Factory Works) Tony Martinez & The Cuban Power: Maferefun (Blue Jackel) Danilo Perez: Panamonk - Impulse Chucho Valdés: Live at the Village Vanguard - Blue Note Kenny Garrett: Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane - Warner Bros.
Other Recommended CDs:
Greg Abate: Bop Lives! (Blue Chip Jazz) Abraham Burton: The Magician (Enja) Don Byron: Music For Six Musicians (Nonesuch) Avishai Cohen: Devotion (Stretch ) Jean-Paul Bourelly: Saints & Sinners (DIW) Ravi Coltrane: Moving Pictures (RCA) Bill Frisell: Good Dog, Happy Man (Nonesuch) Charles Gayle: Consecration (Black Saint) Antonio Hart: Here I Stand (Impulse) Graham Haynes: Tones For the 21st Century (Verve) Charlie Hunter: Natty Dread (Blue Note) Myra Melford: Above Blue - The Same River, Twice (Arabesque) Junko Onishi: Fragile (Blue Note) David Sanchez: Obsession (Columbia) Matthew Shipp/Roscoe Mitchell: 2-Z (2 13 61) Steve Turre: Lotus Flower (Verve) Mark Whitfield: 7th Ave. Stroll (Verve)