JAM: October/November 2005 Issue: Editor's Corner

by Roger Atkinson

2005 was a great year for “larger than life” jazz events. Isn't it amazing that there were three newly discovered “larger than life” recordings issued in 2005? All three — the Parker/Gillespie Town Hall recording, the Monk/Coltrane Carnegie Hall recording, and the Coltrane Half Note session — were immediate classics, recorded from 40 to 60 years ago!

The annual International Association for Jazz Education convention in New York City is another “larger than life” event. With its all-day menus of presentations and clinics, and all-evening slates of concerts, the IAJE is a feast for anyone involved in jazz, from serious fan to teacher to player. These are some of the events that made the 2006 convention memorable to me:

Wednesday, January 10

This is really a registration day, with concerts in the evening. And what concerts! The Ravi Coltrane Quartet showcased John's son, who has become a leading tenor player in his own right. Ravi has a wonderful tone, his compositions are worth hearing, and he proved to be an engaging host. Monty Alexander's trio followed; I've never left one of his performances without a smile, his style is accessible without “playing down”. He has always incorporated his Jamaican roots into his music, and did so this evening with his take on a Bob Marley tune. The highlight was Maria Schneider's Orchestra, which played compositions from her Grammy-Award winning Concert in the Garden in addition to a sampling of earlier works, including a composition written when she was a student of Bob Brookmeyer's.

Thursday, January 11

The session entitled “Performance Turf Wars” was seemingly intended to deal with the battles between various presenters to present certain bands. The panel quickly said that there is no “turf war”. They did acknowledge the many struggles that presenters face, including a lack of marketable names, diminishing corporate and media support, and an aging clientele. The panel included Kansas City native Jim Wadsworth , who is a booking agent as well as a club presenter in Cleveland . The “Jazz Lives in Print” panel included personal hero Gary Giddins, who has written biographies of Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. He explained how he tries to show the path of how someone from often tragic backgrounds becomes an icon known the world over — the hard work and “breaks” along the way. All of the panelists shared a desired to present complete and accurate pictures of their subjects, rather than just writing about their music or writing “fan” books. A lesson learned: if there is something you REALLY want to see, get there early, and the majority of attendees wanting to attend a live interview with Sonny Rollins were turned away due to space constraints. The Northern Illinois University Jazz Band's performance was the winner here, as many of those turned away wound up hearing some fine, polished modern big band performances. After visiting a couple of clubs, I heard Karrin Allyson's IAJE set, which included selections from her soon-to-be-released CD Footprints. Former KC favorite Todd Strait was with Karrin, who had to be pleased with the appreciative reception from the IAJE attendees.

Friday, January 13

The Grandview High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Garry Anders , gave a noon concert in the Sheraton Ballroom. The selections included a wild chart of Charles Mingus and Sy Johnson's “Children's Hour of Dreams”. Bobby Watson was the guest soloist on “Prelude to a Kiss”, his own “A Wheel within a Wheel”, and Benny Carter's “Rompin' at the Reno ”. The band is unique in that they use no music on stage; all parts are memorized. It was just a tad humorous, however, that Watson DID have music for himself!

The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters concert was a highlight of the convention. Newly recognized Masters are Ray Barretto, Tony Bennett, Freddie Hubbard, manager John Levy, Buddy DeFranco, and Kansas City native Bob Brookmeyer . Jon Faddis' New York Big Band and the Count Basie Orchestra performed, including a finale when the bands joined forces for “Battle Royale” and “One O'Clock Jump”. On the latter, they invited other masters to play, which Jimmy Heath and Slide Hampton did… as did a ten year old trumpeter, not yet an NEA Jazz Master, who electrified the audience with his choruses. Basie guitarist Will Matthews said after the performance after I mentioned what a blast it was, “It was a ball for us, too.” His smile said it was true.

Saturday, January 14

Maria Schneider served as the interviewer, and her old teacher, mentor, and new NEA Jazz Master Bob Brookmeyer was the interviewee at the annual Grammy Sound Table. Maria prepared a musical summary of Brookmeyer's career, from the early 1950's with Gerry Mulligan, to his later work in the Mulligan Concert Jazz Band, to his quintet with Clark Terry, the Thad Jones — Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, his return in 1979 to the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, and his New Art Orchestra. The interview provided a thorough review of Bob's career, influences, musical compadres, and his reemergence in 1979 to become one of the music's most respected composers and educators. At the end of the discussion, Clark Terry joined Brookmeyer and talked about their music and friendship.

The NEA Jazz Masters returned — sans Tony Bennett — for a panel discussion. Each master gave a discussion of the key inspirational events early in their career. Most interesting was the lesson that Buddy DeFranco received when he joined Count Basie's Octet in 1950. DeFranco was under the bopper's spell by this time, and played “a million notes” in his first Basie rehearsal. “Slow down, we'll get there!” was Basie's words of wisdom.

There were plenty attendees from Kansas City in New York . My guess is that their list of memories would be different than mine, as the variety of events was incredible. Truly a larger than life jazz event!






	Search our site:		by Roger Atkinson 2005 was a great year for “larger than life” jazz events. Isn't it amazing that there were three newly discovered “larger than life” recordings issued in 2005? All three — the Parker/Gillespie Town Hall recording, the Monk/Coltrane Carnegie Hall recording, and the Coltrane Half Note session — were immediate classics, recorded from 40 to 60 years ago! The annual International Association for Jazz Education convention in New York City is another “larger than life” event. With its all-day menus of presentations and clinics, and all-evening slates of concerts, the IAJE is a feast for anyone involved in jazz, from serious fan to teacher to player. These are some of the events that made the 2006 convention memorable to me: Wednesday, January 10 This is really a registration day, with concerts in the evening. And what concerts! The Ravi Coltrane Quartet showcased John's son, who has become a leading tenor player in his own right. Ravi has a wonderful tone, his compositions are worth hearing, and he proved to be an engaging host. Monty Alexander's trio followed; I've never left one of his performances without a smile, his style is accessible without “playing down”. He has always incorporated his Jamaican roots into his music, and did so this evening with his take on a Bob Marley tune. The highlight was Maria Schneider's Orchestra, which played compositions from her Grammy-Award winning Concert in the Garden in addition to a sampling of earlier works, including a composition written when she was a student of Bob Brookmeyer's. Thursday, January 11 The session entitled “Performance Turf Wars” was seemingly intended to deal with the battles between various presenters to present certain bands. The panel quickly said that there is no “turf war”. They did acknowledge the many struggles that presenters face, including a lack of marketable names, diminishing corporate and media support, and an aging clientele. The panel included Kansas City native Jim Wadsworth , who is a booking agent as well as a club presenter in Cleveland . The “Jazz Lives in Print” panel included personal hero Gary Giddins, who has written biographies of Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. He explained how he tries to show the path of how someone from often tragic backgrounds becomes an icon known the world over — the hard work and “breaks” along the way. All of the panelists shared a desired to present complete and accurate pictures of their subjects, rather than just writing about their music or writing “fan” books. A lesson learned: if there is something you REALLY want to see, get there early, and the majority of attendees wanting to attend a live interview with Sonny Rollins were turned away due to space constraints. The Northern Illinois University Jazz Band's performance was the winner here, as many of those turned away wound up hearing some fine, polished modern big band performances. After visiting a couple of clubs, I heard Karrin Allyson's IAJE set, which included selections from her soon-to-be-released CD Footprints. Former KC favorite Todd Strait was with Karrin, who had to be pleased with the appreciative reception from the IAJE attendees. Friday, January 13 The Grandview High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Garry Anders , gave a noon concert in the Sheraton Ballroom. The selections included a wild chart of Charles Mingus and Sy Johnson's “Children's Hour of Dreams”. Bobby Watson was the guest soloist on “Prelude to a Kiss”, his own “A Wheel within a Wheel”, and Benny Carter's “Rompin' at the Reno ”. The band is unique in that they use no music on stage; all parts are memorized. It was just a tad humorous, however, that Watson DID have music for himself! The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters concert was a highlight of the convention. Newly recognized Masters are Ray Barretto, Tony Bennett, Freddie Hubbard, manager John Levy, Buddy DeFranco, and Kansas City native Bob Brookmeyer . Jon Faddis' New York Big Band and the Count Basie Orchestra performed, including a finale when the bands joined forces for “Battle Royale” and “One O'Clock Jump”. On the latter, they invited other masters to play, which Jimmy Heath and Slide Hampton did… as did a ten year old trumpeter, not yet an NEA Jazz Master, who electrified the audience with his choruses. Basie guitarist Will Matthews said after the performance after I mentioned what a blast it was, “It was a ball for us, too.” His smile said it was true. Saturday, January 14 Maria Schneider served as the interviewer, and her old teacher, mentor, and new NEA Jazz Master Bob Brookmeyer was the interviewee at the annual Grammy Sound Table. Maria prepared a musical summary of Brookmeyer's career, from the early 1950's with Gerry Mulligan, to his later work in the Mulligan Concert Jazz Band, to his quintet with Clark Terry, the Thad Jones — Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, his return in 1979 to the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, and his New Art Orchestra. The interview provided a thorough review of Bob's career, influences, musical compadres, and his reemergence in 1979 to become one of the music's most respected composers and educators. At the end of the discussion, Clark Terry joined Brookmeyer and talked about their music and friendship. The NEA Jazz Masters returned — sans Tony Bennett — for a panel discussion. Each master gave a discussion of the key inspirational events early in their career. Most interesting was the lesson that Buddy DeFranco received when he joined Count Basie's Octet in 1950. DeFranco was under the bopper's spell by this time, and played “a million notes” in his first Basie rehearsal. “Slow down, we'll get there!” was Basie's words of wisdom. There were plenty attendees from Kansas City in New York . My guess is that their list of memories would be different than mine, as the variety of events was incredible. Truly a larger than life jazz event! RETURN TO FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2006. All rights reserved.