Lazaro Vega

I like his version of Sam Jones' composition "Seven Minds" on this one.

NPR abandoning cultural mission? New NEA study says yes. http://www.nea.gov/pub/Notes/92.pdf article at the Washington Post: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2...ay_morning.html Blue Lake Public Radio has maintained a mix of classical music, jazz and NPR news while this trend towards talk has dominated the airwaves. Which means running a station on less than a million dollars a year ($840,000 this year coming in part through $370,000 from listeners and $240,000 in underwriting from local businesses and arts organizations). The NEA's argument that the digital domain is a secondary service to FM is absolutely correct. There are no terrestrial FM stations I know of with a larger listenership on the web than on the air. In fact, the web listenership is a small fraction of the FM audience. In the case of Blue Lake (not a good example, but as a case) the web stream is limited to 70 users at one time and has never been maxed out, while the FM audience numbers in the thousands at any given moment.

p.s. The Great London Concert is perhaps an even better representation of what the trio could do.

Recall hearing Ornette quote "Beautiful Dreamer" during his Ann Arbor concert, too.

Hey, I missed the last sentance in the article when I read it on-line.

"...fans and musicians alike began to agree free jazz was a dead-end." Really? There's quite a bit of Sonny's 60's aesthetic in his playing today -- it isn't as if he eshewed everything he's done up until now except bebop.

What was the Monk fiasco?

Plugged in these today and with the Deep Blue Organ Trio DVD as a test drive with the new I-Mac was very happy: http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/pr...-gmx-a-2-1.aspx p.s. sub woofers are omni-directional.

Great disc. Huge sound. The title track "Sonny, Please" reminds me of where some of Fred Anderson came from. Sonny has a "worrying" sound on some of this, especially when he speeds up the line, but then will come back and hit a phrase with no vibrato, just nail everything pitch perfect, and then take off again. It's cool to hear how, at root, his bebop foundation still shines through -- there's a lot of other music coming out of the horn, his music, but he'll hit patches of bop vocabulary that are so freaking solid. Who talks through their instrument like that anymore? I mean pure bebop? Ira Sullivan on alto. It seems those code talkers are getting fewer and farther between.

That's a question for you to answer yourself. Since these musicians have a history of creating music out of open improvisation the new recording represents a mature version of how well and unexpectedly that unfolds. There's a sense that these performances did have some general guidelines, or maybe choices, agreed to a head of time, even if they didn't (a la Sonny Rollins "Blue 7"). In other words there's a sense of direction and flow to the music that gives it an impression of composition even if the entire thing is improvised. About choice -- as in one piece features the laptop in a more or less central role, or on another Roscoe concentrates on his percussion interacting with the piano while Lewis wails on trombone. The situations, however, are fluid and as new ideas arise the character of the pieces change and respond. The Abrams/Lewis duo is something I heard at the AACM's 25th anniversary concert series in Chicago, and their piano/trombone interaction on one of the pieces here evolves directly out of language they were developing then. On the title piece Mitchell reminds me again that Trane's later music was heard and understood by musicians who caught that music when it was new. He's added decades of his own ideas to that base, and on this new one the energy level hits that Coltrane high. Blue Lake was the first radio station to feature this disc.

Featured it tonight "Out On Blue Lake." Fascinating.

The grant from the Holland Area Arts Council is designed to promote Michigan based jazz artists. Rodney Whitaker runs the jazz area at Michigan State. As a school age musician from Detroit he toured Europe via The Blue Lake International Exchange Program. Wessell is now on the faculty at MSU. Looking forward to meeting Ronnie Gardiner, who plays on "My Name is Albert Ayler," but who's better known as an advocate for jazz in Sweden where he helped establish the Stockholm Jazz Festival. Gardiner played in house rhythm sections at Jazzhuis Monmartre in Copenhagen, and was heard on the European tour circut with Clark Kerry, Tommy Flanagan, Johnny Griffen, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon and other American masters. His development of a music therapy method for brain trama victums led to workshops at medical centers in Grand Rapids and near Lansing. This October he married a woman from Grand Rapids and they keep a trans-Atlantic life style. Gardiner is "sitting in" with trumpeter Sweet Willie Singleon's band. Willie Singleton (from the LOUISIANA REPERTORY JAZZ ENSEMBLE OF NEW ORLEANS web site): "cornet, trumpet; A Baton Rouge native, "Sweet Willie" performed with the Count Basie and Duke Ellington Orchestras and appears frequently on Mississippi River boats)." He does a good Ray Nance ("Squeeze Me") and is a former understudy of Clark Terry. Singleton, too, re-located to Grand Rapids and is playing three nights a week in restaurants owned by the Gilmore Collective. He's also a frequent guest with the Grand Rapids Symphony.... It is Living Legends Week on Jazz From Blue Lake (M-F 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. est). Tonight, Dave Brubeck; Nov. 8, drummer Roy Haynes; Nov. 9th, Von Freeman; Nov. 10th, Paul Motion. "Out on Blue Lake" Wednesday night at midnight features Living Legends Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell and George Lewis from their new recording of open improvisations, "Streaming" (Pi Records).

"Jazz"? Yeah - who's a real female jazz singer today that's either not older than 60-something or waaaay uinderground or tied to some sort of "image nostalgia"? Gimme some names that won't make me laugh. Roberta Gambarini. Benny Carter brought her along. She sings Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins' solos from Dizzy's version of "Sunny Side of the Steet." That, to me, isn't nostalgia -- she appears to be involved in music. The idea that Natalie made quality jazz influenced pop records is right on the money.

Her mother sang with Duke if I recall. People have compared Natalie's interpretations on the album "Unforgettable" to Jeri Southern. Heard it was her Mother who suggested Natalie "come home" and leave the rock and roll life with all its pit falls, that the music of the family could get her back on her feet. The professionalism of the "Unforgettable" tour was at a high commercial level -- I heard that tour in Kalamazoo. Harold Jones driving those charts with brushes was impeccable. The arrangements, which are from the professional working Hollywood writers, Bill Holman, Johnny Mandel, Clare Fischer, Marty Paich, were cast toward her range with few tenor solos, more trumpet, guitar and piano, and all brief -- the effect was to showcase her. Natalie was flawless, her performance was so well paced she hit everything. And it was swinging. Her "show" lived up to the highest professional standards of what pop music used to be and was entertaining. It was big band music. I don't own that album emotionally the way she or her fans do but there was no denying that it was honest. I believe her Father's music saved her life.

October 26, 2006 Music Review | 'Michael Weiss' A Veteran Sideman Shows That He Knows How to Lead By NATE CHINEN The pianist Michael Weiss knows a lot about making other people sound better. He has worked extensively as a sideman over the last 25 years, supporting elders like the tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin and the trumpeter Art Farmer. On most Monday nights he can be heard at the Village Vanguard, playing with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; his last weeklong stint at the club was just a few months ago, as the de facto musical director for a quartet led by the trumpeter Joe Wilder. This week Mr. Weiss is making his first headlining appearance at the Vanguard, with a five-piece band and a book of his own music. It’s a big step forward, but, judging by Mr. Weiss’s first set on Tuesday night, he is more than ready. Focusing mainly on material from his last album, “Soul Journey” (Sintra, 2003), he demonstrated a strong sense of both leadership and organization. It manifested itself most clearly in the compositions. “Orient Express,” for instance, started in a fusion vein, with some darkly modern harmonies; then it switched over to a sleek and swinging hard-bop mode. Mr. Weiss’s brisk solo was punctuated intermittently by a syncopated ensemble figure. And when it was time for a solo turn by Steve Wilson on soprano saxophone, the gears shifted again, into a two-chord funk vamp. The intricacy of the arrangement recalled the small-group writing of Horace Silver, while the song’s tonal palette suggested the influence of Wayne Shorter. “The Prophecy” was a much simpler tune, though it still had a noteworthy structural quirk: alternating four-bar stretches of 4/4 swing and 12/8 Afro-Cuban rhythm. That conceit, which extended through the song’s improvisational sections, nudged Mr. Wilson toward an excellent alto solo, both probing and playful in tone. At one point he quoted a phrase from “Fascinating Rhythm” and then conjugated it through several different keys, in the manner of John Coltrane’s “Acknowledgement,” from “A Love Supreme.” Mr. Weiss, though a confident and sometimes sparkling presence on piano, rarely sought the spotlight. He kept his statements concise and his volume in check; he could have played louder and longer, but seemed intent on keeping the focus on the band. So attention often fell on his expert rhythm section, with Ugonna Okegwo on bass, Daniel Sadownick on percussion and George Fludas on drums. Each player had a moment to shine; Mr. Sadownick made the most of his, starting a conga solo with quietly fluttering fingers and gradually building up to a two-handed roar. Near the end of the set’s closer, a ruminative original called “Atlantis” (not to be mistaken for the Wayne Shorter tune), Mr. Weiss fashioned an unaccompanied coda, focusing on some delicate and just slightly dissonant chords. There was no abandon in his playing, but there was sensitivity and logic, along with crisp control. The Michael Weiss Quintet continues through Sunday at the Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village, (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/26/arts/mus....html?ref=music

LENNIE TRISTANO MARATHON RADIO BROADCAST! > > WKCR-FM / 89.9 > > Tuesday, November 7, 12:00 noon to Saturday, November 11, 12:00 > noon--24 hours non-stop. > > All of Lennie’s recorded music, plus interviews--of Lennie, friends, > associates. > Special program features. Panel discussion Wedneday evening. > Call the station for program schedule: 212 854-9923 > > If you don’t live in the New York City region or can’t get the radio > station for any reason, you can listen to this broadcast on the > internet: http:// www.columbia.edu/cu/wkcr/ either through mp3 Stream > or through the program Real Audio, which can be downloaded free.

Here's the latest, from Robert Feder's Sun-Times column of 10/24/06: After months of bracing listeners for the demise of music programming on WBEZ-FM (91.5), the Chicago Public Radio station won't be going tuneless after all. WBEZ has unveiled a new schedule that includes such music-oriented shows as "Sound Opinions," "Passport," "Afropop Worldwide," "Ken Nordine's Word Jazz," "American Routes" and a jazz showcase hosted by the legendary Dick Buckley. Missing from the lineup, as expected, is the evening and overnight jazz programming that has aired for decades. Effective Jan. 8, WBEZ will expand its news, talk and information format to full-time weekdays. What's surprising is the amount of music still airing on weekends. Highlights of the new schedule include nightly rebroadcasts of each day's "Eight Forty-Eight" at 8 p.m., "Worldview" at 9 p.m. and "Fresh Air" at 10 p.m. From midnight to 4 a.m., a new "Global Overnight" show will present live, English-language programs originating from China, Africa, Australia, Russia, the Netherlands and elsewhere. Weekends also get a makeover, with new times for "Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!" and "Whad' Ya Know?" among others. Coinciding with the changes at WBEZ are plans for a new format of interactive news, opinion and public affairs on WBEW-FM (89.5) in Chesterton, Ind., and WBEQ-FM (90.7) in southwest suburban Morris. Both stations now simulcast WBEZ full time. The ambitious programming initiative at WBEW and WBEQ is expected to start on the Internet in February, with an over-the-air debut planned for spring. In the latest Arbitron quarterly survey, WBEZ ranked 16th in the market with a 2.5 percent share and a cumulative weekly audience of 530,400

Yes they are. Gerry Hemingway played live on our radio station in duet with John Butcher several years ago and hooked up a midi to his drum set. Some cool sounds but, again, coming from a free jazz aesthetic. I don't think I'd recognize an EAI aesthetic if I heard it at this point, though Laurie Anderson might.

Well, OrkestRova's version of "Ascension" from this year might fall into that catagory or area of exploration, and it was cool -- the electronics became a swirling part of the whole....also a recent Territory Band release on Okka finds that mid to large size band working the plug into the socket, again, to interesting musical sounds. A recent development in the avant garde is that Go:Organic Orchestra of Adam Rudolph and Yusef Lateef. That's a relatively recent ensemble developing some fascinating textures. (edit to capitalize the "R" in Rova)

What's EAI? At first it sounded like you're talking about Asian improv, then it's electronics -- please clarify for those of not in the know.

Hot Path, Those figures, especially Ornette, are cited and discussed because they developed a compelling method of organizing a jazz performance that furthered the sort of instrumental role liberation that began with Jelly Roll improvising his way out of ragtime. They were door openers. Roscoe was one of the first responders, and his method was to broaden the breakthrough. Because they were some of the first ones, and the change was sort great or so different from what went before, and compelling enough to attract other musicians to the open door, they are discussed. Subsequent developments were made possible by them. Gotta go.

Er, the West Michigan lure tossed in the cement waters has bounced into my boat, I suppose, and reflecting off the surface of the polished mahogany we see that Patrick Brennan's "Sonic Openings Under Pressure" played Mexicans San Frontieres on South Division Avenue in Grand Rapids this Saturday. Thriving? Well, for the people who were there...Grand Rapids has developed a row of new studio apartments on South Division designed for artists -- I'm sorry I can't recall the corporate group that put this together right now... West Michigan can be a tour stop. It isn't a place where creative music is growing, but a place where it may, if the stars line up, find some nourishment. Just a week or so ago the 10th Annual Edge Fest was held at Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor. Various folks in Grand Rapids try to get bands that are up for Edge Fest to do a run out. It's just that the money sucks right now. I tried to get The Claudia Quintet on the radio here at the beginning of the month but the economics didn't work out for it. Here's hoping Henry Grimes returns at the beginning of December. Would LOVE to have him with Fred Anderson. That would be only on the radio, live from our studios. Don't have time to raise a house or deal with concert economics anymore. Somethings have happened here, though. I mean Fred Anderson played Detroit in 1966 with Jarman and after than his only returns to Michigan have been to Grand Rapids (1995 with Vandermark and 2001 with Roscoe Mitchell's Quintet featuring Craig Taborn). Living here I take Michigan as a region as opposed to one single community who's going to carry all the water. The majority of activity is around Ann Arbor. There's a guy down in Kalamazoo who regularly puts on Chicagoans and their European allies at The Kraftbrau Brewery. And Mount Pleasent has had it's moments, too, with Mike Johnston, a musician, making a go. Since the birth of my children it's all about radio concerts for me. For a good 15 years before their arrival the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids allowed me to produce some adventuresome music on nearly a monthly basis during the season. Whether the musicians were old or young didn't matter as much as what they had to say. Roscoe, Fred, Lacy, Bowie, Vinny Golia, Rova, Lisle Ellis, Adam Rudolph, Billy Bang, Pharoah, even Lee Konitz. Thing is if you want to do something in places like this you don't have to stand in line behind anyone -- just go out and make it happen. The trouble now, though, after 9-11, the audience went back down to early 1980's levels. Where once you could work and pull in 150 to even 300 people it went back down to 50 and breaking 100 unless it was just the right venue on just the right weekend and your press was all perfect from 3 months out it just wasn't going to happen anymore. Not in a concert situation. So the fall back position is the 100,000 watt radio station and the 4,000 or so listeners in their vitual concert hall (and the handful of people who listen on the web). Maybe Mexicans San Frontieres and other artist driven venues will have more success now in these here parts, VanderGrandRapidsMa-ly yours, O'vega.

Good to hear Fred Anderson keeping it alive. Did Kidd Jordan make it in for the grand re-opening?

For me "Prime Time" was the only way to see Ornette live up to now, and I listened to "Of Human Feelings" A LOT when it was new, as well as "Body Meta," "Dancing In Your Head," and "Tales of Captain Black" by Ulmer, all the while digging "Soapsuds, Soapsuds," the Charlie Haden duo albums on A&M and "Old and New Dreams." The overlapping multi-directional aspect of his career was cool. It never dawned on me to read him as an acoustic or electric artist, but a "yes, and" artist. As for rhythm's on "Of Human Feelings," it sounds to me like the bass is the ground floor on the funk aspect and the drums were free as can be. The drums might start out together with the bass, but didn't stay with that for long. As for "restrictions," I was taking that indirectly from Mark Gridley in the way he talks about how Miles directed Tony Williams as Miles went towards his electric period, specificially on "Paraphenilia" from "Miles In the Sky."

Thanks Jim. Yes, "Of Human Feelings" is the Antilles record, which includes "Sleep Talk," a number included on the new recording, and "Mob Job" which he revisited on the "Sound Museum" records. Somehow your mentions of "Tone Dialing" have evaded me up to this post. Will have to check it again with these insights in the back of mind. In this video, which seems to be from an early period for Prime Time, the rhythm feels more hemmed in by the dance rhythms, and the multi-linear aspect of the band isn't as likely to lead the collective to another "place" as the rhythm dominates the performance. Not that "Happy House" would morph into "Lonely Woman" on any given day. Yet in his development of collective group improv this seemed to be resolved or dealt with having a general "home" rhythm for each piece, even if Ornette is the only one playing it. In the review from the Ann Arbor performance by the current band I tried to convey how different lines within the ensemble were going at different velocities yet all were heading around the "sun" (home rhythm) somehow together. Denardo is really good at doing that these days. From what little I know of physics it seems Ornette is dealing in music with ideas about how objects in motion are percieved to be in motion only as they relate to other objects.