Discover Jazz Fest VT

[Lois Gilbert]

The "Discover Jazz Festival" in Burlington, Vermont runs from June 4 through June 13

DISCOVER JAZZ – BURLINGTON, VERMONT - 2004

Fri. June 4 Memorial Auditorium

Martin, Medeski & Wood

Sat. June 5 Flynn Mainstage 8 pm

The Grand Wazoo (A Zappa Celebration)

[Includes Ernie Watts + Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

Big Band]

Mon. June 7 Flynn Space 8pm

Chris Potter Quartet with Kevin Hayes, Scott Colley and

Bill Stewart

5pm – Meet the artist Potter with Bob Blumenthal

Tue. June 8 Flynn Space 8:30pm

Steve Coleman & Five Elements

5pm Meet the composer with Coleman

Wed. June 9 Contois Auditorium 7pm

Basie Centennial Ensemble including Big Joe Burrell

Thur. June 10 Waterfront Park Blues Tent 5pm

The Holmes Brothers, Kenny Neal and Unknown

Blues Band feat. Big Joe Burrell



Flynn Space 8:30pm

Han Bennink – Eugene Chadbourne Duo

5pm Meet the artists with Bob Blumenthal

Fri. June 11 Flynn Main Stage 8pm

Branford Marsalis Quartet with Joey Calderazzo,

Eric Revis and Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts

5pm (Flynn Space) Meet the artist with Blumenthal

Sat. June 12 Flynn Main Stage 8pm

Randy Weston African Rhythms Quintet

With Benny Powell, Talib Kibwe (T.K. Blue), Alex Blake

And Neil Clarke

5pm (Flynn Space) Meet the composer Weston/Blumenthal

Sun. June 13 Flynn Main Stage 7pm

The Omar Sosa Quartet

Jane Bunnett & the Spirits of Havana

[Chaz Longue]

Thanks Lois.

...what happened to the thread I started about

The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival?

[Gary Sisco]

Chaz -- Look




down.

[Chaz Longue]

I went to "The Grand Wazoo, A Zappa Celebration" last night out of curiosity. I should have known better. It was just as good as last year's show featuring The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival Orchestra feting Ellington, and I'm now inclined to back the idea of making this and annual affair.

Alex Stewart from The University Of VT, had rehearsed a regional 12 piece brass/woodwind group (+ rhythm section) into condition such that they could play Frank Zappa's sometimes knotty music along with triple-scaler tenor Saxophonist Ernie Watts as well as Zappa collaborators singer/multi instrumentalist Napoleon Murphy Brock and singer/guitarist Ike Willis.

Zappa's writing shone in this context, and Ernie Watts uncorked one ferocious tenor solo after another and seemed to enjoy being in on playing this music with a band. Ike Willis joined the assembled near the end of the evening to sing and add some guitar playing, which seemed entirely sensible since Frank Zappa was both a singer and a guitarist. But the showstopper was Brock who seemed utterly overjoyed to get to sing some of Zappa's loopier stuff with a large band. He danced, he sang, he mugged and he wielded detal floss like a yo yo at the appropriate moments with a giddy charm. His sheer good will brought the crowd to it's feet several times and brought home the idea that the evenings show was not only a tribute to Zappa, with a working demonstration of the sort of collaboration that can happen on rare occasions when musical community is nourished and allowed to take root. I'd like to have been around for Stewarts rehearsals to see more of this sort of alchemy, but the result was far beyond what I'd have imagined possible.

Zappa's legacy as a composer and catalyst was represented by an amazingly broad range of material. There was a bit of schtick to be sure, but for every moment of silliness, there was a lot of heartfelt playing of some very weighty instrumental music.

Conductor and alto saxophoneist Ed Palermo's remarks from the stage, and sheer enthusiasm were captivating, and renditions of numbers like Twenty Small Cigars, Toads Of The Short Forest, Cletus Alreetus Alrightus, and Blessed Relief, showed what a singular writing and orchestrating talent Zappa was. The satirical stuff suggested how refreshing it would be to have him around now. I suspect he'd be a big fan of South Park, a character on The Simpsons, and the scourge of the complacent and the mediocre. A few of the suits who run great portions of the institutional Jazz world could use a dose of his absurd humour now.


DB

[Chaz Longue]

Chris Potter's quartet played for an SRO crowd in Flynnspace last night. That's our 150+ seat modular black box theatre, arranged cabaret-style for show.

Potter played only tenor and brought a different band than was expected. Instead of Colley, Hayes and Stewart, he brought Craig Taborn on Fender-Rhodes electric piano, Adam Rogers on Fender Sratocaster guitar, and the drummer who I understand has been sitting in the Billy Kilson chair in Dave Holland's band recently, Nate Smith.

If you'd asked me if I'd have missed the bassist in a quartet like this without one, I'd have insistently said yes. But oddly enough I didn't miss a bassist for a moment.

Sure, this band eschewed Swing rhythms in favor of other beats, but all the other Jazz touchstones were on offer: good writing (including Radiohead's Morning Bell), ferocious energy, and imaginative, complimentary improvisation. Rogers and Taborn did a great job of comping TO eachother rather than stepping on toes, and Nate Smith nearly made his traps...mere scraps. I was thrilled to bring my stepson (who's a drummer) to see him play, and very quickly got over the fact that Bill Stewart was elsewhere.

Potter's as convincing now as any Tenor player around, and won the audience over immediately with the sheer flow of his ideas - a master class of narrative improvisation. Adam Rogers impressed the hell out of me. It's no wonder he's emerging as one of the stronger young guitarists to appear and record with leaders like Michael Brecker. His recordings with David Gilmore et al with a band called Lost Tribe are well worth looking for. Craig Taborn was perfect as a member of the group, but didn't really shine in this context. There are other better ways to hear why he's played with so many great leaders in recent years. I hear his new one as a leader is pretty wild, but I haven't had the pleasure myself. If he did nothing else last night he certainly helped bring the Fender Rhodes back into focus for some in the audience who haven't heard it recently.

The band will appear in Salle Gesu at the Montreal festival soon with Wayne Krantz in for Rogers. Be there or be square.

DB

[John B]

Chaz -

I'm curious to read your take on last night's Steve Coleman show. I was really underwhelmed. Dafnis Prieto and Yunior Cabrera were great, Coleman was in fine form when he was playing, but Jonathan Finlayson seemed to be extremely hesitant on trumpet. I was surprised to hear he had been in the band the longest...it really did not show at all. I'm not a huge fan of scatting, but I gave Jen Shyu the benefit of the doubt as the show started. I didn't mind her performance at first, but she seemed to dominate the set. I really wish she had sat out a bit and let the band develop a few of the grooves they started in on. Whenever Coleman, Prieto and Cabrera started getting into a groove it would fairly quickly be stopped as either Finlayson or Shyu joined in and killed whatever momentum had been developed.

I wish Coleman had brought the Three Elements last night, instead.

[Root Doctor]

Mingus and I were underwhelmed, as well. Jen Shyu proved tiresome fairly early on (did we really need a set long homage to the Swingle Singers?), and I found Finlayson's playing to be tentative to a fault. The high points were as John described, but overall it was a disappointing evening.

Shrugs, on the other hand, liked it a great deal. I'm sure he'll chime in soon.

[Chaz Longue]

I agree with you both on all counts. I could have done with Two Elements - the highlights for me were the Dafnis Prieto / Coleman exchanges.

I was actually fairly impressed with Shyu's singing in at the outset, but ultimately it struck me as more of a novelty, the way hearing a singer sing in unison on Bop head leaves me feeling. Somewhat cool, but not too deep.

I had to leave early to get my wife at the airport, but I'd had my fill by 945.

I'd been wanting to see Dafnis Prieto for ages though, and I thought he was just terrific.

So far I think the festival's been very good though, what I've seen of it.
2 & 1/2 for 3 ain't bad. Those first two just knocked me out!

Thanks for weighing in here.

Will I see y'all at the Thursday duets?

David

[John B]

Unfortunately, no, for me. My next show will be Randy Weston on Saturday. I'll try to stop by and say hello if I see you there.

[Root Doctor]

I had planned on attending Thursday's show, but a last minute work obligation has made it impossible. I'm on the fence about Weston: I love his stuff, but the Flynn isn't my kind of venue for music. Too big, too formal.

[Chaz Longue]

RD -
Too bad about Thursday. But now that Arnie's making yearly trips to Holland and seems committed to bringing Dutch improvisors to The Flynn Center, I'll bet you'll get another chance to see Han sometime.

JB -
I'll look forward to saying hullo. I'm looking forward to seeing Randy Weston. I'm really looking forward to his other events as well. And Bob Blumenthal's got some interesting events up his own sleeve too as well as his participation in the Meet The Artist events.

[Root Doctor]

Originally Posted by Chaz Longue

Arnie's making yearly trips to Holland...

I now understand the underlying cause of his rambling, disassociative introductions.

[Mingus]

Originally Posted by Root Doctor

I now understand the underlying cause of his rambling, disassociative introductions.

I thought it was the lithium...

[Chaz Longue]

Han Bennink & Eugene Chadbourne were a hoot as you'd imagine.
Arnie asked for a moment of silence for Elvin, Steve Lacy and Ray Charles before eventually being chased off the stage by the zaniness during his attempt at announcing sponsors. That lead to Chadbourne eventually doing several numbers associated with Ray Charles - and eventually to Han sitting on the floor and addressing the floor with wire brushes making a train rhythm and singing/mumbling Hit The Road, Jack.

The goofiness quotient was pretty high - Chadbourne had brought a George Dubya doll which delivered fractured Bushisms at the push of a button. Benninck brought an ironing board out and spent quite a lot of time trying to get interesting sounds out of it. He even played at playing piano a bit. And at one point he started smacking the drums with the legs of the piano bench.

Both men played enough music to keep things interesting though, and in several instances got a rocking groove up in a way that seemed unusual for a drum and guitar duet. They sounded like a half decent bar band at times.

I'm not too familiar with Chadbourne's discography. And he says the label that was going to reissue the Shockabilly material recently folded. But I'm guessing he has a pretty thorough knowledge of rootsy vernacular music buried underneath the Dr Chadula persona.

Onward to various lecture demonstrations and then Branford Marsalis tonight... I am hoping to get to Randy Weston's talk tonight. A.B. Spellman (Four Lives In The Bebop Business) is in town having a look at what we do on behalf of the NEA. I'm hoping Spellman makes a few remarks himself.


DB

[John B]

Randy Weston put on a fantstic show last night. It was by far one of the best jazz concerts I have been to in a long time. I was particularly impressed by Alex Blake, who I had never seen live before and who I had never really been aware of before last night. I will have to rectify that very quickly.

[Chaz Longue]

John -

Glad you liked the Randy Weston show. He's an old soul isn't he...I enjoyed A.B. Spellman's remarks before the show too.I got a chuckle out of finding out about the title "High Fly" (or is it "Hi Fly"?)
Did you get to see the photos Peter Curtis had hanging in the Flynn Gallery? Pater gave Randy a framed print of a photo he'd taken of Randy when he last came here.

When Branford was booked I wasn't initially too excited. It just seemed fairly...obvious. But for me it was another case of going to see somebody because you know in your head it'll be good, even though you don't FEEL particularly excited. Branford's saxophones and bassist missed a plane, so at the meet n' greet Branford was full of jokes about borrowing a bassist and a tenor. And the show did in fact begin with Joey Calderazo playing a couple solo, and then a couple of trios ala a certain Lester session - sans bassist.
But then Eric Revis showed up, and all hell broke loose. These four came to play. Jeff Watts nearly destroyed the trap set, Branford played his heart out and Revis and Calderazo did what members of a working band do when there's something to prove. The best stuff they played was a couple of things Jeff Watts wrote. Including one that I took for an obscure Monk tune. But it wasn't a Monk tune, just a witty and original number of Watts devising that had some of the structural quirks and humour of Monk's music.

DB

[Gary Sisco]

It'd take a lifetime of Amsterdam visits to straighten Arnie out. And lots of lithium. In short, too late.

[Chaz Longue]

Sunday's evening show at The Flynn was Omar Sosa's trio and Jane Bunnett and The Spirits Of Havana.

Anybody who was in the mood for enjoying the waterfront on Sunday afternoon was in for a treat. Live Gospel music in a tent at one of the prettiest spots on the entire West coast of New England. Not long ago, Burlington's waterfront was weeds, railroad tracks and junk. Now it's a destination for tourists and locals alike, with a hands-on children's science museum, a place to rent a bike, an ice cream shop, a public municipal boat house, a boardwalk, bikepath and a couple of restaurants. The waterfront's been such a success in fact, that there's even a new building going up that'll have an art house movie theatre and a black-box performance venue in addition to some other businesses. I always get a charge out of seeing people stroll on the public paths and enjoy the music at the blues tent, gospel tent and so on - for free. If they want they can pay admission and enjoy the music at close range (five bucks is requested for a donation at The Gospel Tent, there's an admission charge for The Blues tent) but if not, the music's just part of the experience of the public space.

Now, after all the music that went down through the week I figure anybody who shows up for a Cuban music double bill on Sunday evening is pretty dedicated and deserves a freakin' medal. But astonishingly enough, there was a decent crowd for Sosa and Jane Bunnett. Omar Sosa was to have brought "Anga" Diaz with him but our State Department proved an overwhelming obstacle, even though he now carries a Spanish passport. Nevertheless, his trio of less famous players (who had a lot of experience playing with him), was wonderful and Sosa himself played a set that seemed to fly by. He's a remarkable pianist and a dramatic presence on stage, with electronic signal processing for the Steinway, and candles and scarves seemingly borrowed from a syncretic Santeria ritual. A Sosa show's something of an Experience. How fascinating also to see two pianists in a single week who had played extensively with Gnawa musicians, as have Randy Weston and Omar Sosa.

After a little business from the tech crew on stage, the lights dimmed again and Jane Bunnett and The Spirits Of Havana played a lovely and engaging set. In addition to her husband Larry Cramer who plays trumpet with the group, Spirits includes two truly amazing players. Francesco Mela is hands down the most compelling Afro Cuban trap drum player I've heard, and Hilario Duran plays piano as if his life depended on it. Add a bassist and a wonderful conga player/singer, and this band plays one of the most rewarding amalgams of Jazz and Cuban music I've seen yet. Bunnett's many trips to Cuba have enriched her infinitely, and she in turn has given much to Cuba and to Cuban music over the years. She brings and refurbishes instruments when she visits Cuba, and I'd guess every time she plays in America, the power and beauty of Cuban music are spread a bit more widely and touch a few more people.