Marcus Roberts Performs Deep In The Shed

[Dan Gould]

Interesting review (and I so rarely say that about anything Ratliff writes) of a Marcus Roberts performance of the entirety of his Deep In The Shed album:

Music Review | Marcus Roberts

Nine-Piece Band Animates a Six-Part Jazz Album

By BEN RATLIFF

Published: February 4, 2008

The album Marcus Roberts recreated from start to finish at the Allen Room over the weekend is 18 years old, but its mannerisms don’t come from any particular era. The key to “Deep in the Shed,” that record of six concisely written pieces in blues form, is its natural shuffling of elements from jazz’s entire life.

It’s also one of the greatest cultural artifacts that owes its existence to Jazz at Lincoln Center. “Deep in the Shed” is a product of that organization’s artistic forces: Mr. Roberts started working with Wynton Marsalis’s groups in 1985 and shortly thereafter became one of the first important pianists in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

The album wasn’t pedantic, explicitly connecting style X with style Y or pulling you through a chronological history of jazz. And it never became redundant either. It shifted keys and tempos, masked its blues form in the theme sections and could sound ancient — older than the Delta blues for instance — or modern.

One thinks of it in the past tense. At the Allen Room the album was performed on Friday and Saturday, twice each night, in separate seatings. That allowed about 2,000 people to hear its music in total. But for now its rediscovery will be limited. The album is out of print, which is strange; it’s not a record that should be shrugged off.

The playing in Friday’s early set, by a nine-piece band with only one of the album’s original musicians — Wessell Anderson, the saxophonist — was a little restrained, but the beauty of the compositions came through clearly. There were Ellington-esque saxophone voicings, rhythm-section passages that suggested the John Coltrane Quartet, and semi-Arabic scales. Each piece was carefully arranged and packed with incident and contrast.

One of the album’s pieces most easily remembered across 18 years is “E. Dankworth,” if only because the recorded version included Mr. Marsalis playing a charged, perfectly one-upping trumpet solo under the pseudonym of its title. (Mr. Roberts kept up the ruse, identifying E. Dankworth in his introduction as “a trumpet player from London who sounds a lot like Wynton.” Mr. Marsalis was in Los Angeles, performing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.)

Sure enough, the “E. Dankworth” performance had a lot more than the trumpet solo. It’s a fast piece, but Mr. Roberts played sparely and without post-1960s harmonic clichés. The two tenor saxophonists, Derek Douget and Stephen Riley, alternated 12-bar stretches with wildly different tones — one honking, one mentholated. Jason Marsalis played a drum solo of immaculate logic, pumping the bass drum on every beat, then layering rhythms on top. Roland Guerin performed an unaccompanied bass solo, plucking and slapping.

Finally came Etienne Charles’s trumpet solo, which didn’t have the bravura or momentum of the original but had strength and a clear, almost classical sense of thematic organization. Mr. Charles, in his early 20s, was a student of Mr. Roberts’s at Florida State University; the other young trumpeter onstage, Alphonso Horne, bore a deep Wynton Marsalis influence.

This record, and this way of playing jazz, still has repercussions, and the show was a good example of how Jazz at Lincoln Center — in the near-total absence of a jazz vernacular or a jazz-record business — has set itself up to cultivate, manage and amplify them.

I remember when this album came out - my collection at that point was mostly hard bop plus Wynton and his followers, of whom I really enjoyed Marcus Roberts' playing. And this was a really strong album as I recall though its been many years since I've listened last. I have to admit Marcus started to lose me when he went into the long string of solo piano discs.

So, I thought maybe this review could spark a discussion of the original album - anyone else remember it? What did you think then, what do you think now?

[mikeweil]

I have that CD and I have the video with these pieces - I think they're both great! I have all of Roberts' discs under his name and a lot of his sideman appearances (except those with Wynton ) and I love his playing and think he's one of the best of his generation, with a very roots based but still highly original concept of jazz piano. I wondered what he was doing these days. I'd like to hear a new CD.

[John Tapscott]

I have it - thought it was pretty good at the time. I probably thought more highly of Wynton and his associates back then than I do now - it's been a little hard to avoid all the negative talk associated with the Wynton School. I'll admit there may be a point to some of the criticism, though I think it often goes overboard. I think that Marcus' recordings on Novus were pretty good, especially the first one with Charlie Rouse and Elvin Jones. I'll have to listen to this one again and see what I think of it today.

IMO one excellent recording from this period and this "school" (perhaps the best of all) is Delfayo Marsails' "Pontius Pilate's Decision."

[Free For All]

Finally came Etienne Charles’s trumpet solo, which didn’t have the bravura or momentum of the original but had strength and a clear, almost classical sense of thematic organization. Mr. Charles, in his early 20s, was a student of Mr. Roberts’s at Florida State University; the other young trumpeter onstage, Alphonso Horne, bore a deep Wynton Marsalis influence.

Etienne was a student at FSU before my time, but he's been back from time to time, and IMHO he shows great promise. Same with Alphonso who is currently a student and is still in the process of finding his own voice. I'm sure playing this gig was a huge learning experience for him. As is typical with young players there is often too much focus on the flashy technique & ornamentation part of playing the horn and too little on content/continuity/relevance in their improvisation; one hopes guidance, experience & time (maturity) will teach them otherwise.

[Tom Storer]

I have it, and enjoyed it a lot--but I haven't listened to it in a while. I think Roberts is a fine piano player who has somehow never really burst through a Wyntonian self-consciousness, that tendency to take himself so fucking seriously. The thought that what he's up to now is recreating that album is kind of depressing. It was a good album, but performing the whole thing four times over a weekend indicates an inflated self-regard, as if the album was historic and this is a serious cultural event. I mean, what the hell? Move on! Do something different! Surprise us!

Edited February 4, 2008 by Tom Storer

[Larry Kart]

This has come up before, but admirers of Roberts should listen to his Carmen Cavallaro-like solo on "Flamenco Sketches" from the LCJO album "The Fire of the Fundamentals":

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Lincoln-Center-...s/dp/B0000029EC

In fact the whole track is stranger than science fiction IMO.

[Dan Gould]

This has come up before, but admirers of Roberts should listen to his Carmen Cavallaro-like solo on "Flamenco Sketches" from the LCJO album "The Fire of the Fundamentals":

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Lincoln-Center-...s/dp/B0000029EC

In fact the whole track is stranger than science fiction IMO.

Do you expect that this solo will turn any "admirer of Roberts" into someone who is ashamed that they ever liked him?

[Debra]

I have it, and enjoyed it a lot--but I haven't listened to it in a while. I think Roberts is a fine piano player who has somehow never really burst through a Wyntonian self-consciousness, that tendency to take himself so fucking seriously. The thought that what he's up to now is recreating that album is kind of depressing. It was a good album, but performing the whole thing four times over a weekend indicates an inflated self-regard, as if the album was historic and this is a serious cultural event. I mean, what the hell? Move on! Do something different! Surprise us!

This was my thought exactly. Why revive Deep in the Shed? It's not as if the album featured a group of great musicians, some of whom are seriously ill and will never be able to play together again. The album wasn't that great to begin with, to deserve the revival treatment.

Just to pick one random example--it would have seemed odd if Jaki Byard had announced that he was devoting a weekend to replaying one of his mid-1960s Prestige albums song by song, eighteen years after it was released. This Roberts project seems even more odd to me.

Mr. Ratliff calls it "one of the greatest cultural artifacts" that owes its existence to Jazz at Lincoln Center. I would call it one of those decent, but not especially memorable, albums that few people would have taken note of at all, if not for Roberts' connection to Jazz at Lincoln Center.

[marcello]

Marcus Roberts has never moved me but, best of luck and all of that.

Tom, (and Debra) well said!

[Dan Gould]

From FFA's comments, at least two of the horn players are extremely young and not very experienced players, so maybe the point here was to give an opportunity to these young players to play some interestingly arranged blues tunes?

If Roberts were accompanied only by equally experienced players, I'd agree that the music isn't so important that it deserves this attention. I know Guerin, and Jason Marsalis, and of course Wes Anderson ... but maybe the two saxophonists as well as the two trumpeters are just getting their feet wet in the biz.

As for the reason Marcus got attention back then, I think it was somewhat independent of the Lincoln Center connection. He got a big RCA/Novus label push, because he was what was being marketed then - young and serious about the music (not to mention well-dressed )

[GA Russell]

IMO one excellent recording from this period and this "school" (perhaps the best of all) is Delfayo Marsails' "Pontius Pilate's Decision."

I have it, but never warmed up to it. I pull it out once a year to give it a listen.

John, I once saw a cassette of Pontius Pilate's Decision at a dollar store for 99 cents! I wasn't in the mood to wait in the checkout line just for that one item, so I left without getting it. I've always sort of regretted that!

[Larry Kart]

This has come up before, but admirers of Roberts should listen to his Carmen Cavallaro-like solo on "Flamenco Sketches" from the LCJO album "The Fire of the Fundamentals":

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Lincoln-Center-...s/dp/B0000029EC

In fact the whole track is stranger than science fiction IMO.

Do you expect that this solo will turn any "admirer of Roberts" into someone who is ashamed that they ever liked him?

No -- but it might raise some questions and/or doubts, at the least about what's going on in this performance.

[Dan Gould]

This has come up before, but admirers of Roberts should listen to his Carmen Cavallaro-like solo on "Flamenco Sketches" from the LCJO album "The Fire of the Fundamentals":

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Lincoln-Center-...s/dp/B0000029EC

In fact the whole track is stranger than science fiction IMO.

Do you expect that this solo will turn any "admirer of Roberts" into someone who is ashamed that they ever liked him?

No -- but it might raise some questions and/or doubts, at the least about what's going on in this performance.

I don't think anyone should be judged on a single recorded solo, and I'm surprised that a professional critic would imply that.

[Teasing the Korean]

I don't think anyone should be judged on a single recorded solo, and I'm surprised that a professional critic would imply that.

Are there professional critics anymore?

[Larry Kart]

This has come up before, but admirers of Roberts should listen to his Carmen Cavallaro-like solo on "Flamenco Sketches" from the LCJO album "The Fire of the Fundamentals":

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Lincoln-Center-...s/dp/B0000029EC

In fact the whole track is stranger than science fiction IMO.

Do you expect that this solo will turn any "admirer of Roberts" into someone who is ashamed that they ever liked him?

No -- but it might raise some questions and/or doubts, at the least about what's going on in this performance.

I don't think anyone should be judged on a single recorded solo, and I'm surprised that a professional critic would imply that.

I'm not a professional critic, I'm an amatory critic.

[Dan Gould]

This has come up before, but admirers of Roberts should listen to his Carmen Cavallaro-like solo on "Flamenco Sketches" from the LCJO album "The Fire of the Fundamentals":

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Lincoln-Center-...s/dp/B0000029EC

In fact the whole track is stranger than science fiction IMO.

Do you expect that this solo will turn any "admirer of Roberts" into someone who is ashamed that they ever liked him?

No -- but it might raise some questions and/or doubts, at the least about what's going on in this performance.

I don't think anyone should be judged on a single recorded solo, and I'm surprised that a professional critic would imply that.

I'm not a professional critic, I'm an amatory critic.

amatory

Main Entry:

am·a·to·ry Listen to the pronunciation of amatory

Pronunciation:

\ˈa-mə-ˌtȯr-ē\

Function:

adjective

Date:

1599

: of, relating to, or expressing sexual love

[AllenLowe]

well look, sometimes you gotta sleep with someone before they'll give you a review copy -

[Guest Bill Barton]

well look, sometimes you gotta sleep with someone before they'll give you a review copy -

Say, that's an approach I haven't tried yet...

[Larry Kart]

Dan: I was thinking more of the root Latin verb of "amatory," "amare" -- "to love." I've never had any luck getting sexy with a record, at least not since the days of 45s.

[Dan Gould]

Dan: I was thinking more of the root Latin verb of "amatory," "amare" -- "to love." I've never had any luck getting sexy with a record, at least not since the days of 45s.

OK, but you've written reviews and commentary for a major metropolitan paper, the most important jazz magazine, and published a collection of articles.

I don't think your an amateur, either.

[JSngry]

Is this the album that he made a video for with the band standing around in white tails and shit, almost comatose while they played?

That was just about the most...creepy thing I've ever seen in terms of visual jazz imagery.

I dug Roberts ok, w/Wynton, an interesting rhythmic approach sometimes, but never took him seriously as a "heavyweight", potential or otherwise. Seems like one of those guys with nothing of real note to say, but an infinite number of ways to say it. But I'm glad he thinks that he said it in one album so well that it bears repeating...

I'll also agree about Pontius Pilate's Decision being an actually interesting and at times engaging album.

[Christiern]

Anything Ratliff writes about the music ought to be taken with a grain of salt and when he writes about Wynton and his people, a grain will no longer suffice.

[Tom Storer]

I'll also agree about Pontius Pilate's Decision being an actually interesting and at times engaging album.

Who'd've thunk it? I remember being undecided and finally figuring, "This will just be another Wyntonian album that I'll think is kind of good but never listen to more than twice."

Better than "Deep in the Shed" was "Blues for the New Millenium," which was much the same idea but a few years later and done with a larger group and a bit more bite.

If I recall correctly.

[mikeweil]

Is this the album that he made a video for with the band standing around in white tails and shit, almost comatose while they played?

That was just about the most...creepy thing I've ever seen in terms of visual jazz imagery.

Yes that's the one - I see your point ... but a nice change from all those videos with jazz musicians showing facial expressions close to orgasm, IMO.

[mikeweil]

..... a group of great musicians, some of whom are seriously ill and will never be able to play together again.

Who in all the world is so seriously ill? More information, please!