JAM: February/March 2005 Issue: For the Record

Haji Ahkba-Ervin Brown Assembly
Live Zona Rosa Summer Jazz Series
Recorded September 2, 2004

Personnel: Haji Ahkba, trumpet, flugelhorn; Ervin Brown, tenor sax; Ken Lovern, piano, electric piano; Theodore Wilson, bass; Arny Young, drums.

Tracks: Skydive (Freddie Hubbard); The Sky Is the Limit (Ervin Brown); Speak Low (Weill/Nash); I Hear a Rhapsody (Fragos/Baker/Gasparre); Invitation (Kaper/Washington); Haji's Lament (Haji Ahkba).

Produced by Mark Valentine
Engineered At Audiovision
© 2004 Box of Chalk, Inc.

It could be said that if you wanted to know everything there is to know about jazz, other than New Orleans, you would go talk to someone in Kansas City. As the second home of jazz (especially swing), Kansas City spawned the expansion of Two Step Dixieland into 4/4 swing and pretty much made history as the center for the music that stylized the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. That being known and said many times (For more information see “Jazz Style in Kansas City and the Southwest” by Ross Russell and/or “Swing To Bop” by Ira Gitler), Kansas City still, to this day, continues to host some of the finest talent that can be found in jazz on the planet.

This writer sincerely hopes that this first-rate record by the Haji Ahkba-Ervin Brown Assembly is not one that just slips through the cracks. The CD features two originals: “The Sky Is the Limit” and “Haji's Lament,” as well as four other tunes like Freddie Hubbard's “Sky Dive” and “Speak Low” by Weill/Nash and “I Hear a Rhapsody” from Fragos/Baker/Gasparre. Although the CD is a live recording, the sound quality is good, and the performances are very fine, polished work.

In total, the recording represents 71 minutes and 45 seconds of “earfood” enjoyment. In particular what caught my ear is the last piece by Haji Ahkba, called simply “Haji's Lament.” Reminiscent of early Blue Note recordings, this tune encompasses a full 10 minutes and 3 seconds and gives everyone a chance to stretch. The fact that this is Haji's tune, which he plays well, is almost eclipsed by some wonderful work by Ervin Brown, who reminded me at times of Hank Mobley, Michael Brecker, and even John Coltrane. Since this is a straight-ahead piece, it does not approach the edge or go outside like it could (since Haji has performed with notables like Sun Ra). There is a sense of solidity, especially at the coda, where the common “trading fours” occurs. I thought I might be hearing shades of Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, or in fact, the stylings of Blue Mitchell.

Haji Ahkba, who resides in Kansas City now, is originally from Milwaukee. He has studied with Roland Kirk, Lou Donaldson, Barry Harris, James Brown, Van Morrison, Archie Shepp, and Sun Ra just to name a few. Haji is interested in getting this release out so as to draw more attention to that of larger record labels, and I agree that this sound deserves to be heard. He is appearing Saturday nights at Moe Chez Charlie Lounge at 3809 Broadway, Kansas City, MO.

Ervin Brown is originally from Kansas City and has spent some time in California, where he has worked with such artists as Barry White, Ray Parker, Jeffrey Osborne, and Lou Rawls. Ervin also plays guitar and can be heard on Everett DeVan and Lisa Henry's CDs.

The wonderful Ken Lovern on piano and electric piano is originally from Kansas City and has plenty of “keys chops” to prove it. Ken has also worked with Les McCann, Eric Alexander, Ida McBeth, and other Kansas City artists.

Where would the rhythm section be without a solid bass? This disc has help from a New York-area native, Theodore Wilson. Theodore also has worked in the opera style. We can appreciate that!

Of notable mention on this recording is a highly overlooked but extremely versatile Arny Young on drums, who has played or still plays in various Kansas City ensembles, including Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Snuff Jazz, and Necessity Brass Band. Some of Arny's talent may also be heard on Clubfoot Orchestra-Wild Beasts, Kidnapped and more (Rasatacan-013). Arny makes a special guest appearance on The Unbound-Jazz Recidivists (Tapestry-76001).

Conservative as it may be, this is an excellent CD that is not boring or pretentious. You will want to add this CD to in your collection of Kansas City favorites; it shows that jazz in Kansas City has never died—“It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got KC Swing!”

For those of you interested in hearing more on the Haji Ahkba-Ervin Brown Assembly, they can be found performing about once a month a the Blue Room at 18th and Vine, in Kansas City, MO. See the Blue Room schedule for details.

—James DeRigne

Stan Kessler
Stan Kessler's Television
SBR42955

Personnel: Stan Kessler, Trumpet and Flugelhorn; Jake Blanton, Guitar; Mark Lowery, Keyboard; Jeff Harshbarger, Basses; Tim Cambron, Drums

Recorded at CR Sound Studio, November 7, 2004, Craig Rettmer, Engineer

Tracks: Bullwinkle; Star Trek; Leave It to Beaver; Dragnet; Mickey Mouse Club; The Flintstones; The Price Is Right; Friends; The Dick Van Dyke Show

I had some apprehension that an album dedicated to interpretations of television themes would suffer the same deficits a lot of Christmas collections do. However, as performed by Stan Kessler and the solid line of sidemen on the present collection, I have to reconsider my belief that nothing good comes from the idiot-box.

Some of the selections are more obvious than others: The Flintstones is a popular standard head. But the rest of the tracks are a departure from what people normally mean when they say “show tunes.”

My incredulity that Mickey Mouse Club was included made me skip ahead to it on the first spin. Done as a ballad, it has succinct but lyrical soloing — if you weren't paying attention, you might not match the melody at the beginning with the TV show.

For that matter, the arrangement of the Flintstones head breaks away from the standard presentation. Blanton and Kessler play the melody in unison, at half tempo, while Lowrey, Harshbarger, and Cambron lay down a frantic counterpoint. Dispensing with the well-worn “rhythm changes” associated with it, they take the opportunity to give it a free jazz treatment that only musicians of the highest caliber could bring off.

While The Price is Right gets a fairly straightforward presentation, The Dick Van Dyke Show gets a campy rock twist (including a distortion-laden guitar solo), and Friends is done as an ethereal Latin rock. Star Trek is a bossa nova (of course, this is a Stan Kessler CD), Leave It to Beaver gets a shuffle treatment, and Dragnet is a funk arrangement reminiscent of Freddie Hubbard's “Red Clay” album. Bullwinkle is done very much in the school of Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins .

The range of musical styles embraced, as well as the sensitivity and interplay of the entire band, keep this from being a novelty recording. I wouldn't go so far as to say that TV theme songs are an underappreciated reservoir of great music. If anything, this illustrates that given virtuoso musicians, the raw material of the “tunes” is no limitation.

— Rod McBride

Eugene Chadbourne with Malachy Papers
And the Wind Cries Malachy
No label

Personnel: Eugene Chadbourne, vocals, guitar, banjo; Mike Dillon, vibes, marimba, drum set, percussion, electronics; Mark Southerland, tenor sax, 8-track, hybrid horns; Johnny Hammil, upright bass; Brad Hauser, baritone sax, bass clarinet.

Tracks: Epistrophy; You Got It Bad; 8-Track Banjo Jungle Drum and Bass; Medley: I Had a Dream, The Buggy Boogie Woogie, The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me; And the Wind Cries Malachy

Recorded Live May 9-11, 2002, by Chad Meise. Mastered by E. Clarke Wyatt.

Malachy Papers saxophonist Mark Southerland enjoys sounds that are creatively weird, mixing sounds and genres with results that are pure entertainment. This 2002 (released in 2004) collaboration with the Chapel Hill-based banjo and guitarist Eugene Chadbourne is consistent with the philosophy and is truly satisfying fun.

Mixing of genres? Herein one will hear straight-ahead jazz and freebop, a country classic by Roger Miller, John Lee Hooker blues, some bluegrass banjo picking, and some Jimi Hendrix/Sonny Sharrock guitar jams, all infused with free passages, 8-track scratching, and similar sounds.

“Epistrophy” has the spirit that David Murray could possibly bring to this Monk classic. The track opens with Southerland, percussionist Mike Dillon (on vibes), and Brad Hauser's baritone weaving thematic lines over Johnny Hammil's walking bass. Dillon takes the initial solo, with Chadbourne's comping and occasional saxophone punctuation that increases to riffs toward the end of the solo. Dillon moves to drums for Chadbourne's fuzzed-out guitar statement. He seems to mimic Dillon's eighth-note runs early, then moves to some searing runs toward the end. Southerland is next with an inside/outside statement, again reminiscent of Murray, with fluent runs followed by honks and overblown passages, with some assistance from Hauser. This cut would have been a highlight on the Monk tribute from the late 1980s, “That's the Way I Feel Now.” It's not straight ahead,but might be as close as this collaboration will get to straight ahead.

Someone introduces “You Got It Bad” by saying, “Hey guys, let's play one off today's charts.” This grinding blues rock track features Chadbourne's vocals and a guitar solo that could have been played by Hendrix at Monterrey. But Hendrix didn't have Southerland and Hauser to match wits with. And toward the end we get a taste of Southerland's 8-track tape scratching.

Nothing has you prepared, though, for the 27-1/2 minute “8-Track Banjo Jungle Drums and Bass.” This piece has four main sections, starting with the Chadbourne banjo and more 8-track scratching in an odd country-rock jam. Some of the scratching has some spoken pieces that could be from an old TV game show. Somehow Dillon takes the rhythm to heavy rock before a free section with banjo, bowed bass, vibes, and the horns. Southerland's sax slowly emerges as the lead voice, with a theme not unlike some early Kool and the Gang. But I don't recall banjo riffs in Kool and the Gang. Dillon then changes the rhythm once again to a fast rock, setting up Chadbourne's guitar. A nice tenor/baritone riff emerges, increasing the energy until Dillon's drums announce a return to the theme, this time on baritone, before a free section. Then bam! A fast freebop jazz rhythm on drums and bass, and Southerland has a scorching tenor solo. Hammil then continues on bass, before the Chadbourne guitar again emerges, leading to another free passage. Tenor and bari then emerge with a repeated one-bar theme, a march rhythm emerges and speeds up to the end. This was a wild, surprising trip!

The medley is more weird fun, starting with Hooker's “I Had a Dream.” You'll hear more Chadbourne vocals and blues guitar, horn riffing, scratching, and free passages. “The Buggy Boogie Woogie” continues in a similar vein, with a notable Southerland tenor solo, but “Lonesome” is Roger Miller like you've never heard him, with nice country ballad choruses from Dillon, Hauser, and Hammil juxtaposed with Chadbourne's vocal from the Tennessee hills. The finale title tune starts as a bluegrass banjo stomp, with some African wind percussion and some 8-track scratching. Dillon's drums and Hammil's bass build a rhythm like a train building steam, and then slow to a fade.

An odd fusion, indeed, but it is 72 minutes that I recommend to those wanting to give their ears an early Valentine's Day present. This one should be available from the local independent music dealers or online at www.malachypapers.com.

—Roger Atkinson






	Search our site:		Haji Ahkba-Ervin Brown Assembly Live Zona Rosa Summer Jazz Series Recorded September 2, 2004 Personnel: Haji Ahkba, trumpet, flugelhorn; Ervin Brown, tenor sax; Ken Lovern, piano, electric piano; Theodore Wilson, bass; Arny Young, drums. Tracks: Skydive (Freddie Hubbard); The Sky Is the Limit (Ervin Brown); Speak Low (Weill/Nash); I Hear a Rhapsody (Fragos/Baker/Gasparre); Invitation (Kaper/Washington); Haji's Lament (Haji Ahkba). Produced by Mark Valentine Engineered At Audiovision © 2004 Box of Chalk, Inc. It could be said that if you wanted to know everything there is to know about jazz, other than New Orleans, you would go talk to someone in Kansas City. As the second home of jazz (especially swing), Kansas City spawned the expansion of Two Step Dixieland into 4/4 swing and pretty much made history as the center for the music that stylized the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. That being known and said many times (For more information see “Jazz Style in Kansas City and the Southwest” by Ross Russell and/or “Swing To Bop” by Ira Gitler), Kansas City still, to this day, continues to host some of the finest talent that can be found in jazz on the planet. This writer sincerely hopes that this first-rate record by the Haji Ahkba-Ervin Brown Assembly is not one that just slips through the cracks. The CD features two originals: “The Sky Is the Limit” and “Haji's Lament,” as well as four other tunes like Freddie Hubbard's “Sky Dive” and “Speak Low” by Weill/Nash and “I Hear a Rhapsody” from Fragos/Baker/Gasparre. Although the CD is a live recording, the sound quality is good, and the performances are very fine, polished work. In total, the recording represents 71 minutes and 45 seconds of “earfood” enjoyment. In particular what caught my ear is the last piece by Haji Ahkba, called simply “Haji's Lament.” Reminiscent of early Blue Note recordings, this tune encompasses a full 10 minutes and 3 seconds and gives everyone a chance to stretch. The fact that this is Haji's tune, which he plays well, is almost eclipsed by some wonderful work by Ervin Brown, who reminded me at times of Hank Mobley, Michael Brecker, and even John Coltrane. Since this is a straight-ahead piece, it does not approach the edge or go outside like it could (since Haji has performed with notables like Sun Ra). There is a sense of solidity, especially at the coda, where the common “trading fours” occurs. I thought I might be hearing shades of Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, or in fact, the stylings of Blue Mitchell. Haji Ahkba, who resides in Kansas City now, is originally from Milwaukee. He has studied with Roland Kirk, Lou Donaldson, Barry Harris, James Brown, Van Morrison, Archie Shepp, and Sun Ra just to name a few. Haji is interested in getting this release out so as to draw more attention to that of larger record labels, and I agree that this sound deserves to be heard. He is appearing Saturday nights at Moe Chez Charlie Lounge at 3809 Broadway, Kansas City, MO. Ervin Brown is originally from Kansas City and has spent some time in California, where he has worked with such artists as Barry White, Ray Parker, Jeffrey Osborne, and Lou Rawls. Ervin also plays guitar and can be heard on Everett DeVan and Lisa Henry's CDs. The wonderful Ken Lovern on piano and electric piano is originally from Kansas City and has plenty of “keys chops” to prove it. Ken has also worked with Les McCann, Eric Alexander, Ida McBeth, and other Kansas City artists. Where would the rhythm section be without a solid bass? This disc has help from a New York-area native, Theodore Wilson. Theodore also has worked in the opera style. We can appreciate that! Of notable mention on this recording is a highly overlooked but extremely versatile Arny Young on drums, who has played or still plays in various Kansas City ensembles, including Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Snuff Jazz, and Necessity Brass Band. Some of Arny's talent may also be heard on Clubfoot Orchestra-Wild Beasts, Kidnapped and more (Rasatacan-013). Arny makes a special guest appearance on The Unbound-Jazz Recidivists (Tapestry-76001). Conservative as it may be, this is an excellent CD that is not boring or pretentious. You will want to add this CD to in your collection of Kansas City favorites; it shows that jazz in Kansas City has never died—“It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got KC Swing!” For those of you interested in hearing more on the Haji Ahkba-Ervin Brown Assembly, they can be found performing about once a month a the Blue Room at 18th and Vine, in Kansas City, MO. See the Blue Room schedule for details. —James DeRigne Stan Kessler Stan Kessler's Television SBR42955 Personnel: Stan Kessler, Trumpet and Flugelhorn; Jake Blanton, Guitar; Mark Lowery, Keyboard; Jeff Harshbarger, Basses; Tim Cambron, Drums Recorded at CR Sound Studio, November 7, 2004, Craig Rettmer, Engineer Tracks: Bullwinkle; Star Trek; Leave It to Beaver; Dragnet; Mickey Mouse Club; The Flintstones; The Price Is Right; Friends; The Dick Van Dyke Show I had some apprehension that an album dedicated to interpretations of television themes would suffer the same deficits a lot of Christmas collections do. However, as performed by Stan Kessler and the solid line of sidemen on the present collection, I have to reconsider my belief that nothing good comes from the idiot-box. Some of the selections are more obvious than others: The Flintstones is a popular standard head. But the rest of the tracks are a departure from what people normally mean when they say “show tunes.” My incredulity that Mickey Mouse Club was included made me skip ahead to it on the first spin. Done as a ballad, it has succinct but lyrical soloing — if you weren't paying attention, you might not match the melody at the beginning with the TV show. For that matter, the arrangement of the Flintstones head breaks away from the standard presentation. Blanton and Kessler play the melody in unison, at half tempo, while Lowrey, Harshbarger, and Cambron lay down a frantic counterpoint. Dispensing with the well-worn “rhythm changes” associated with it, they take the opportunity to give it a free jazz treatment that only musicians of the highest caliber could bring off. While The Price is Right gets a fairly straightforward presentation, The Dick Van Dyke Show gets a campy rock twist (including a distortion-laden guitar solo), and Friends is done as an ethereal Latin rock. Star Trek is a bossa nova (of course, this is a Stan Kessler CD), Leave It to Beaver gets a shuffle treatment, and Dragnet is a funk arrangement reminiscent of Freddie Hubbard's “Red Clay” album. Bullwinkle is done very much in the school of Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins . The range of musical styles embraced, as well as the sensitivity and interplay of the entire band, keep this from being a novelty recording. I wouldn't go so far as to say that TV theme songs are an underappreciated reservoir of great music. If anything, this illustrates that given virtuoso musicians, the raw material of the “tunes” is no limitation. — Rod McBride Eugene Chadbourne with Malachy Papers And the Wind Cries Malachy No label Personnel: Eugene Chadbourne, vocals, guitar, banjo; Mike Dillon, vibes, marimba, drum set, percussion, electronics; Mark Southerland, tenor sax, 8-track, hybrid horns; Johnny Hammil, upright bass; Brad Hauser, baritone sax, bass clarinet. Tracks: Epistrophy; You Got It Bad; 8-Track Banjo Jungle Drum and Bass; Medley: I Had a Dream, The Buggy Boogie Woogie, The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me; And the Wind Cries Malachy Recorded Live May 9-11, 2002, by Chad Meise. Mastered by E. Clarke Wyatt. Malachy Papers saxophonist Mark Southerland enjoys sounds that are creatively weird, mixing sounds and genres with results that are pure entertainment. This 2002 (released in 2004) collaboration with the Chapel Hill-based banjo and guitarist Eugene Chadbourne is consistent with the philosophy and is truly satisfying fun. Mixing of genres? Herein one will hear straight-ahead jazz and freebop, a country classic by Roger Miller, John Lee Hooker blues, some bluegrass banjo picking, and some Jimi Hendrix/Sonny Sharrock guitar jams, all infused with free passages, 8-track scratching, and similar sounds. “Epistrophy” has the spirit that David Murray could possibly bring to this Monk classic. The track opens with Southerland, percussionist Mike Dillon (on vibes), and Brad Hauser's baritone weaving thematic lines over Johnny Hammil's walking bass. Dillon takes the initial solo, with Chadbourne's comping and occasional saxophone punctuation that increases to riffs toward the end of the solo. Dillon moves to drums for Chadbourne's fuzzed-out guitar statement. He seems to mimic Dillon's eighth-note runs early, then moves to some searing runs toward the end. Southerland is next with an inside/outside statement, again reminiscent of Murray, with fluent runs followed by honks and overblown passages, with some assistance from Hauser. This cut would have been a highlight on the Monk tribute from the late 1980s, “That's the Way I Feel Now.” It's not straight ahead,but might be as close as this collaboration will get to straight ahead. Someone introduces “You Got It Bad” by saying, “Hey guys, let's play one off today's charts.” This grinding blues rock track features Chadbourne's vocals and a guitar solo that could have been played by Hendrix at Monterrey. But Hendrix didn't have Southerland and Hauser to match wits with. And toward the end we get a taste of Southerland's 8-track tape scratching. Nothing has you prepared, though, for the 27-1/2 minute “8-Track Banjo Jungle Drums and Bass.” This piece has four main sections, starting with the Chadbourne banjo and more 8-track scratching in an odd country-rock jam. Some of the scratching has some spoken pieces that could be from an old TV game show. Somehow Dillon takes the rhythm to heavy rock before a free section with banjo, bowed bass, vibes, and the horns. Southerland's sax slowly emerges as the lead voice, with a theme not unlike some early Kool and the Gang. But I don't recall banjo riffs in Kool and the Gang. Dillon then changes the rhythm once again to a fast rock, setting up Chadbourne's guitar. A nice tenor/baritone riff emerges, increasing the energy until Dillon's drums announce a return to the theme, this time on baritone, before a free section. Then bam! A fast freebop jazz rhythm on drums and bass, and Southerland has a scorching tenor solo. Hammil then continues on bass, before the Chadbourne guitar again emerges, leading to another free passage. Tenor and bari then emerge with a repeated one-bar theme, a march rhythm emerges and speeds up to the end. This was a wild, surprising trip! The medley is more weird fun, starting with Hooker's “I Had a Dream.” You'll hear more Chadbourne vocals and blues guitar, horn riffing, scratching, and free passages. “The Buggy Boogie Woogie” continues in a similar vein, with a notable Southerland tenor solo, but “Lonesome” is Roger Miller like you've never heard him, with nice country ballad choruses from Dillon, Hauser, and Hammil juxtaposed with Chadbourne's vocal from the Tennessee hills. The finale title tune starts as a bluegrass banjo stomp, with some African wind percussion and some 8-track scratching. Dillon's drums and Hammil's bass build a rhythm like a train building steam, and then slow to a fade. An odd fusion, indeed, but it is 72 minutes that I recommend to those wanting to give their ears an early Valentine's Day present. This one should be available from the local independent music dealers or online at www.malachypapers.com. —Roger Atkinson RETURN TO FEBRUARY/MARCH 2005 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2004. All rights reserved.