Jazz Journal – 2012

January 2012

Early January of any year tends to be pretty slow for jazz and most other performance arts. But for me things were slower than usual. I confronted some medical challenges and some illness. Fortunately, none of that seems to be developing into any kind of life-threatening events. So I’m fine and quite happy/healthy. However, those developments mean that I was unable to attend as many jazz performances as I had hoped. As a result, this Journal for January is fairly slim. But what I did catch was well worth the effort...

It had been months since the group performed together, and the joy of re-discovery was evident in its performance 1/24 at the Outpost. Much of the joy appeared to come from the reunion of Joe Morris and Luther Gray, throwing time and patterns at each other, resulting in smiles and occasionally laughter at the results. But they also were doing service to the entire quartet. Steve Lantner and Allan Chase built structures and conversations on the bass-drums context and pushed Luther and Joe along evening harder. Of course, the solos were remarkable--as was the range of energy and terrain covered. And the audience responded in kind. If ever an audience could say, “Welcome back” through applause they did so at this gig. For example, at the conclusion of the first work of the first set the audience clapped enthusiastically, as one might expect. But after a period of suitable applause was concluded, the audience decided that amount was not enough. The applause went on, as if the witnesses were attempting to push the band into an encore. The night had just begun...

Jazz should be shared with all Americans, particularly very young children so they can become as hip as possible as early as possible. According to an official announcement earlier this month, the National Endowment for the Arts is trying to help. In these times of trillion dollar debts $135,000 does not sound like much money. But particularly considering that the NEA is putting up the money for jazz programs, that amount sounds kind of typical. But maybe it’s a great windfall. In the current fiscal world all the arts have to anticipate major government cuts. After all, who we really are as a species is not as important as survival at any cost. Whatever the amount of money implies, it is good to know that the NEA is giving a total of $135,000 to twelve different not-for-profit organizations on behalf of jazz. As Jeff Tamarkin in JazzTimes describes the grants, the money will be used “to bring outstanding jazz musicians, writers, producers, and scholars to communities across the nation...” Except for the writers, producers, and scholars, that sounds like a pretty good idea...

I had not witnessed Aaron Darrell’s playing before. As I mentioned in the Highlights listing, I suspected that because he was scheduled to perform 1/25 with Forbes Graham, Pandelis Karayorgis, and Curt Newton, “he must be good.” Not to worry. He acquitted himself nicely. It’s a good thing he did because these guys are a challenge to anyone who’s serious about playing. As I’ve mentioned before, Curt the respected veteran is playing at a peak--and somehow each time I catch him he keeps getting better. Pandelis is simply Pandelis, a giant at composing and using those compositions (or other people’s) for on-the-spot research at the highest level. And what is going on with Forbes? He’s been a major brass force on the scene for years. And yet, especially during the past couple years he has taken everything he does (regardless of form or context in general) to another level. Here he is 1/25 grappling with variations on the song form, and he calls up the advice of the giant predecessors, employing apparently Clifford-inspired lines of gorgeous, rare beauty. But it’s all Forbes. And, of course, they feed each other--and the audience--superbly...

It was a good-sized crowd. That fact probably had something to do with the 7:30 start time. People who get up early sometimes can’t handle the rock-club start times. Even more important, it was an enthusiastic crowd that seemed to have a pretty good idea of what to expect: Great music, full of surprises, and strong improvisational personalities. The Pandelis Karyorgis Trio with Jef Chartland and Luther Gray is really on a roll now. Unstoppable. The three of them play challenging music--both charts and what happens between the heads. And they make no compromises. So this is heady, potentially “difficult” stuff. In spite of those likely obstacles to connecting with an audience, the trio does connect. Enthusiastic applause and even an occasional “whoop” suggest an absence of road blocks. Three reasons for their success with audiences are most obvious. First (but by no means most important), all three musicians have developed significant technical facility. Sometimes one cannot help being mesmerized by the mechanics of the music. However, just as people have been floored by Charlie Parker’s technique, ultimately (as too many students fail to notice) the technique is no more than a means to something more important. The second of the trio’s seductions is the group’s passionate, joyous commitment to the music. Each band member believes in the compositions, regardless of whether the music is composed by one of them or some other jazz monster. More important, the focussed joy goes beyond composition. Whether Luther’s solo is accompanied or not, Pandelis and Jef are so caught up in the music that they are almost a part of the drum kit. And so it is, no matter who is out front. The audience knows that you can’t fake that, and it responds accordingly. Finally, there is the quality of the music. I know. That’s almost a contradiction in implications. If one examines almost any music form, one discovers that it is the mediocrity that draws the audiences. In addition, if the music is genuinely new, forget about it. You might as well be preaching to the empty choir. But something remarkable is going on with the Pandelis Karayorgis Trio. Apparently there are people who show up to really watch and listen. You know, there is a special moment when you look up at the sky and you see a marvelous sunset. And you just can’t turn your head away. I suspect something like that is what was going on 12/29 at the Lily Pad...