Burlington Discover Jazz Festival 2005

Chaz Longue · March-13th-2005, 03:39 PM

The out-of-town talent this year heavily favors the Jazz mainstream, which is a bit of a departure for us. But I think it's a strong 10 days and may bring in some new people discovering Jazz. The dates are 6/3 - 6/12.

Some of these dates have been announced, and some have not as of yet.
This is good information, but of course subject to change. Many additions will be made: we typically offer some sort of programming in dozens of venues. There's so much Jazz in town that week every year that 10 years ago or so we were paid the ultimate compliment: on the sidewalk outside one local dive (the bar across from divorce court, in fact) there was a sandwich-board sign reading "we guarantee - No Jazz all week!".

Announced:
Madeline Peyroux in The Flynn Theatre (1440+/- seats) 6/3.

BDJF Big Band with Randy Brecker playing Gil Evans/Miles Davis collaborations -Sketches and Porgy etc. in The Flynn Theatre 6/5.

Bill Charlap trio in Flynnspace (160 seats +/-) for 2 shows on 6/6.
Matt Wilson Quartet in Flynnspace 6/7.
Kurt Rosenwinkel in Flynnspace 6/8.

"Saxophone Summit" with Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker + Phil Markowitz, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart in the Flynn Theatre 6/10.

McCoy Tyner Trio in the Flynn Theatre 6/11.

Stanley Clarke/Jean-Luc Ponty/Bela Fleck trio in The Flynn Theatre 6/12.

Then there's another one the ink isn't dry on and which is more like much of what the Flynnspace audiences often get in that room during the BDJF.
2 duets: Bobby Few/Avram Fefer + Sonny Fortune/Rashid Ali. I believe that's going to happen 6/9 in Flynnspace, but for now don't hold me to it.

The other dozens of gigs in bars etc, as well as regular events like the free afternoon in the park, the Blues Tent, The Saturday Night Block Party, the various cruises, etc etc etc are all still in flux and various stages of development, but I expect no major changes in the shape of the week as a whole.

As always many of the artists will, I presume, appear at Meet The Artist events and various school music department workshops etc as has been the case for the festival's 20+ year history.

It's always a wonderful week to be in Burlington VT. I'll keep an eye out for you if I know you're coming!

Pete C · March-13th-2005, 04:42 PM

I'm sick of trumpeters doing the Miles/Evans collaborations. Damn it, they're charts for a soloist. It doesn't have to be a trumpet--in fact, a trumpet will more likely compare poorly to Miles than another instrument. And there's nothing saying it has to be ONE soloist. I've seen Ingrid Jensen do it with Maria Schneider, and Orbert Davis doing it with Chicago Jazz Ensemble. All excellent musicians and bands, but as Miles would say, "So What?" It's this thinking inside the box that gives jazz a bad name these days.

Gary Sisco · March-13th-2005, 05:01 PM

'S what you can expect of anything that goes "official," Pete. It's a law of the universe and can't be broken.

Chaz Longue · April-22nd-2005, 05:09 PM

Tickets are selling briskly.

As of 4/21 the Fleck/Ponty/Clarke TRIO show is better than half sold, and Rosenwinkel is 1/3 sold. Other shows are at or beyond last year's figures.

The db and Jazztimes ads look pretty good :-)

Gary Sisco · April-23rd-2005, 08:09 AM

If I wasn't boycotting all things Flynn, I'd go hear Matt Wilson, and Fortune and Ali. If I still had the bread, I'd go hear Charlap.

The flagwaving shows this year don't do much for me. Ponty and Clarke are someone else's nostalgia. Fleck's played Burlington so many times even "Trey" can't compete.

Chaz Longue · May-27th-2005, 05:14 PM

-Chris Potter is playing in place of Michael Brecker in the "sax summit" performance.

- "TRIO!" (Fleck/Ponty/Clarke) is sold out.

Ticket sales are looking very strong with a few exceptions.

Chaz Longue · June-6th-2005, 12:03 PM

The flute soloist was featured in the "Sketches Of Porgy" gig last night in a part not typically played on flute...

Randy Brecker was terrific and the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival Orchestra was quite beautiful. As derriere garde as Jazz repertory is in general, I do hope this tradition (guest soloists with community orchestra/big band) is kept going at Burlington Discover Jazz. Joe Muccioli directed and was charming and funny.

Jennifer Hartsick's ensemble opened, and played what was a fairly brave set. She sang (who knew?) and played trumpet. She did some original material, including something with just her voice and string bass, with a very small guitar part. There was no place for her voice or trumpet to hide and she carried it off well. She made some friends last night. I sat next to a local concertgoer who leaned over and whispered "this is a local band?" in disbelief.

The night before, Madeleine Peyroux sold out.

We're off to a good start...

Next stop The Bill Charlap Trio in Flynnspace.

Root Doctor · June-6th-2005, 12:13 PM

I have tix for Matt Wilson and Fortune/Ali, Dave. Are you around for them?

Chaz Longue · June-6th-2005, 12:20 PM

Wouldn't miss them.

I'll look for you at those two!

Pete C · June-6th-2005, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaz Longue

-Chris Potter is playing in place of Michael Brecker in the "sax summit" performance.

I'll bet only a few people realize how lucky they are.

Gary Sisco · June-7th-2005, 08:07 AM

Truly.

Chaz Longue · June-7th-2005, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Truly.

I like them both actually, and wish Michael Brecker a full recovery. I'm excited about Potter because I've seen him on fewer occasions than Michael Brecker.

============

Bill Charlap's performances last night rank among the very best Piano trio sets I've ever seen. Several friends in attendance weren't terribly excited about this one, and came anyway. People seemed uniformly thrilled. Friends of mine from Montreal made the trip even though they'll soon get to see these 3 play at Salle Gesu. It just doesn't get much better than this imho: First, there's nothing like a working group to give the impression of three seperate highly literate and passionate minds working toward one common purpose.

They played not only mid century popular song (Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, et al - often represented by somewhat more obscure works) but JAZZ pieces, written by improvisors FOR improvisors. Two Gerry Mulligan pieces, as well as Jim Hall and Kenny Dorham numbers for instance.

But even for those who aren't besotted by the sheer intelligence of the repertory, the interplay was simply astonishing. Kenny Washington, (I believe it says "swingin' MACHINE" on his business card) without a single lead sheet, played every "hit" and accent as if he'd written the damned arrangements - which were clever as hell in the first place. Peter Washington was equally impressive, unfailingly propulsive and yet cleverly limning every possible chromatic harmony in the bass clef. The combined effect was more than the sum of the trio's parts. In spades.

The sheer generosity of musical spirit on display was quite moving. It's not every day I get to hear Body and Soul AND Stardust played in one evening at such a refined level that all of my own prior experience of the songs is overthrown. Throw in Sondheim, Cole Porter, and a solo version of My Man's Gone Now, from Porgy and Bess, and time stops for a while.

Magnificent.

Chaz Longue · June-7th-2005, 12:10 PM

Who's going to Matt Wilson tonight?

Root Doctor · June-7th-2005, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaz Longue

Who's going to Matt Wilson tonight?

My brother-in-law Mingus and I, for certain. We'll be at the Needs for a pre-show brew about 7:15.

Chaz Longue · June-7th-2005, 02:31 PM

I'll look for you.

Root Doctor · June-8th-2005, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaz Longue

I'll look for you.

We looked for you, but to no avail.

Wilson and his band were perfectly fine last night. They were expert players, Ron Miles in particular, but never seemed to catch fire. The songs struck me as well-played genre exercises, interesting but never challenging. In all, a decent show but not one for the ages. Perhaps things heated up in the second set, but I had to split at the break to make the ride back to the boonies.

Chaz Longue · June-8th-2005, 11:06 AM

I looked for you too, but missed you.

I'm typically sitting a table or two from the front, at house left, just off the center.

I may have enjoyed last night a bit more that you did. And yes, the second set was also great. At one point they played something Matt Wilson had written for Lester Bowie and Ron Miles held forth with a great wave of gurgling and whinnying in loving tribute to Lester - and had the crowd roaring with laughter.

I find Matt's whole approach charming as hell. He translates child-like wonder to the trap set pretty well I think - not an easy task. His drumming strikes me as both swinging and witty, and wit isn't an adjestive that springs to mind with just any drummer. He reminds me of a bastard cross between Ben Riley and Han Bennink - and the later the evening got last night, the more Han-like he sounded. At one point he played part of a solo with his hands, with two drum sticks trapped in between the high hat cymbals - and swung.

One of the most compelling aspects of Matt's playing is his ability to take a solo and retain both the structure of the song and the melody as well. That just thrills me, and also makes the music all the more approachable to civilians.

btw - I just found out Make Chamberlain is coming for the Fefer/Few & Fortune Ali show.

See ya Thursday!

Chaz Longue · June-9th-2005, 02:17 PM

So far the 3 shows on offer this week have set what seems to me to be an impossibly high standard. Your mileage may vary due to driving habits and personal taste of course. And let's face it - taste is all. Last night's show, for instance just didn't land quite as hard on people for whom Jazz Guitar isn't of much interest. But I can think of only one other guy who has made this kind of impression on me before...

Rosenwinkel comes out in one of those goofy hats snowboarders wear, sort of a knit cap with a bill built in - straps the thing on, and starts in. But instead of playing something of his, he plays I'll Remember April. Now of course, a guitarist with only a string bass and drums, has to worry (or not) about improvising with single-notes AND conveying the harmonic contours of the song. Every guitarists wrestles with this. Rosenwinkel runs with it. On his recordings, this isn't quite as apparent as it is live, but I've seldom seen anybody integrate this stuff as well as he did last night.

He just stood there and played SO MUCH GUITAR. This seemed perhaps all the more breathtaking for the fact that these were well known songs that good players have been testing themselves against for years. Monk tunes, blues, friggin' Real Book tunes fer chrissakes. It's as if a cellist played Bach cello sonatas and completely reharmonized them, adding harmonic material along the way. Astonishing. Sometimes it's the most capable players who share the spotlight most readily. But last night he had to get the guitar to do it all. I'm so glad he only brought the bassist (Joe Martin) and Jeff Ballard, the drummer... Wow...

Root Doctor · June-9th-2005, 03:03 PM

Dave, I should reach the Needs by 6:30 (Nicole was bartending the other night; I was glad to see her. Not only is she the most attentive server I've encountered in 30 years of barflying, she looked mighty fetching in her halter and crushed velvet pants), where I hope to meet Mingus and John B. I'll head over to the Flynnspace about 7.

Chaz Longue · June-9th-2005, 03:16 PM

Ah yes. Nicole. You conjure a welcome image in the mind's eye. That's another reason to look forward to Jazz Festival Season: the flannel comes off and the more ...comfortable clothing comes out of the closet.

Oh - I forgot. David Fiuczynski's KIF (www.torsos.com) at 11 PM at Metronome.

Kenny Washington, Matt Wilson and Jeff Ballard and Rashid Ali playing drums one night after another.

Kurt Rosenwinkel and David Fiuczynski playing guitar one night after the next.

It's a good week!

Chaz Longue · June-10th-2005, 03:13 PM

I was very happy to see Root Doctor finally last night, and to meet Mingus!

Few and Fefer played a very satisfying set consisting of nearly equal parts well known Jazz pieces (a Monk number, a Mingus piece, and a Strayhorn ballad) and originals. Both players played very well, but Few particularly struck me as an under recognized talent. I knew him better by reputation than from familiarity with his work. What a pleasant way to get to know his playing better. Few also got off a great line. He looked at Fefer at one point and said "When I get younger, I want to be like you!"

Then a break and Sonny Fortune and Rashied Ali came on - and proceeded to play at a breakneck pace, for 75 minutes. At that point the piece continued, but fortune took a minute to gather himself. The played the head to Impressions - and just kept on thrashing - for 110 minutes. Mike Chamberlain leaned over at about the 10 minute mark and said "Rock and Roll for smart people" - which seems to me a good working definition of Jazz for those entirely unfamiliar with it. They just built and built the energy of the music until people were just literally hollering in the audience. A few people wandered off and the remaining 98 % just leaned in closer and let it wash over them. Mike leans over and says "it's gonna take these guys 6 miles to stop - don't let's get in front of them".

I asked Mr Ali in all seriousness what he eats for breakfast. He let a hearty laugh escape and allowed as how he'd had French Toast thanks very much.

If I have half the energy these guys seem to have at thier ages, I'll be thrilled.

A truly awe inspiring end to the 4 night Flynnspace series.

Chaz Longue · June-16th-2005, 01:46 PM

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (pun intended) the rest of the week was notable for the wonderful Tyner trio show, which was the best of many performances of his I've seen - and for the extraordinary world premiere of TRIO! the new group consisting of Jean Luc Ponty, Bela Fleck and Stanley Clarke.

As I predicted, Charnet Moffet lifted Tyner to his accustomed hights, and Eric Gravatt (from the second Weather Report album) was no slouch either. I hope these guys work together a lot. Moffet reigned it in a little out of deference to Tyner, but I still heard people afterwards raving about him.

Trio! was excellent too. I kept wanting to hold a lighter up in the air. The writing wasn't world class, but the playing sure was. Each player took a solo spot and on each occasion nearly brought the house down. Damn it's good to see Stanley Clark out playing for people again. Actually, Ponty too...

Bob Blumenthal came again and was heard to remark that BDJF is one of the best in the country.

Those of you underwhelmed by The Boston Globe Jazz Festival - Come join us next year in Burlington!