'All My Yesterdays' Captures The Beginning Of A 50-Year Engagement

February 24, 2016, 10:30 am

≫ Next: Ortiz's 'Hidden Voices' Mixes Cuban Strains With Modern Jazz

≪ Previous: New Box Set Shows Off The Twisted Rhythms Of Jazz Pianist James P. Johnson

Transcript

DAVE DAVIES, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. In February 1966, New York's Village Vanguard booked the new Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band to play two Monday nights. That engagement got extended to a month and then some.

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Ortiz's 'Hidden Voices' Mixes Cuban Strains With Modern Jazz

March 16, 2016, 10:15 am

≫ Next: Guitar Prodigy Julian Lage Finds His Sweet Spot With 'Arclight'

≪ Previous: 'All My Yesterdays' Captures The Beginning Of A 50-Year Engagement

Transcript

TERRY GROSS, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. Our jazz critic Kevin Whitehead has the review of a new recording by pianist Aruan Ortiz, who grew up in Cuba and lived in Spain a few years before moving to the U.S. in 2002.

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Guitar Prodigy Julian Lage Finds His Sweet Spot With 'Arclight'

April 11, 2016, 10:20 am

≫ Next: Henry Threadgill Doubles Up On 'Old Locks And Irregular Verbs'

≪ Previous: Ortiz's 'Hidden Voices' Mixes Cuban Strains With Modern Jazz

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Henry Threadgill Doubles Up On 'Old Locks And Irregular Verbs'

April 20, 2016, 10:26 am

≫ Next: Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Revisits Past Performances With 'Holding The Stage'

≪ Previous: Guitar Prodigy Julian Lage Finds His Sweet Spot With 'Arclight'

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Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Revisits Past Performances With 'Holding The Stage'

April 28, 2016, 11:22 am

≫ Next: Power Trio Mixes Old And New, And The Result Is 'Perfection'

≪ Previous: Henry Threadgill Doubles Up On 'Old Locks And Irregular Verbs'

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Power Trio Mixes Old And New, And The Result Is 'Perfection'

May 6, 2016, 12:40 pm

≫ Next: Ralph Peterson Proves We're In A Golden Age Of Jazz Piano Trios

≪ Previous: Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Revisits Past Performances With 'Holding The Stage'

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Ralph Peterson Proves We're In A Golden Age Of Jazz Piano Trios

May 19, 2016, 9:18 am

≫ Next: Kindred Spirits Cuong Vu And Pat Metheny Come Together In A New Jazz Album

≪ Previous: Power Trio Mixes Old And New, And The Result Is 'Perfection'

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Kindred Spirits Cuong Vu And Pat Metheny Come Together In A New Jazz Album

May 31, 2016, 12:37 pm

≫ Next: Jazz Drummer Matt Wilson's 'Big Happy Family' Is Heartfelt And Harmonious

≪ Previous: Ralph Peterson Proves We're In A Golden Age Of Jazz Piano Trios

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Jazz Drummer Matt Wilson's 'Big Happy Family' Is Heartfelt And Harmonious

June 15, 2016, 10:40 am

≫ Next: Jazz Legend Allen Toussaint's Touch And Timing Shine On His Last Record

≪ Previous: Kindred Spirits Cuong Vu And Pat Metheny Come Together In A New Jazz Album

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Jazz Legend Allen Toussaint's Touch And Timing Shine On His Last Record

June 29, 2016, 10:24 am

≫ Next: The 'Complete Bee Hive Recordings' Buzz With The Energy Of '70s Mainstream Jazz

≪ Previous: Jazz Drummer Matt Wilson's 'Big Happy Family' Is Heartfelt And Harmonious

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The 'Complete Bee Hive Recordings' Buzz With The Energy Of '70s Mainstream Jazz

November 2, 2015, 10:34 am

≫ Next: 'On The Way To Two' Offers A Snapshot Of A True Jazz Partnership

≪ Previous: Jazz Legend Allen Toussaint's Touch And Timing Shine On His Last Record

Copyright 2015 Fresh Air. To see more, visit TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. In 1977, Jim and Susan Neumann of Evanston, Ill., started a mainstream jazz record label called Bee Hive. They released 16 LPs over the next seven years. Now the complete Bee Hive recordings have been reissued on CD for the first time. Our critic, Kevin Whitehead, says that hive contained a lot of honey.(SOUNDBITE OF "BARITONE MADNESS" SONG, "DONNA LEE")KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola and Pepper Adams playing the bebop anthem "Donna Lee" at a slightly insane tempo. It's from 1978's "Baritone Madness," the first LP that came out on the industrious Bee Hive label. Some folks say mainstream jazz almost died out in the '70s, but hundreds of bebop-oriented musicians and their diehard fans stayed the course. Bee Hive catered to that audience, spotlighting some superior players who weren't household names, like Nick Brignola or his fellow saxophonist from Upstate New York, tenor man

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'On The Way To Two' Offers A Snapshot Of A True Jazz Partnership

November 12, 2015, 11:33 am

≫ Next: Percussive Piano And Rollicking Swing Float Matthew Shipp's 'Conduct Of Jazz'

≪ Previous: The 'Complete Bee Hive Recordings' Buzz With The Energy Of '70s Mainstream Jazz

Copyright 2015 Fresh Air. To see more, visit DAVE DAVIES, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. In September of last year, Toronto-born English trumpet player Kenny Wheeler passed away after an illness at 84. In July, his longtime pianist John Taylor died suddenly at 72. A duo record they made 10 years ago is now out for the first time. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says it's a snapshot of a partnership.(SOUNDBITE OF ALBUM, "ON THE WAY TO TWO")KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Kenny Wheeler on muted trumpet and John Taylor tapping on the piano strings from their newly issued 2005 session "On The Way To Two." By then, they'd been recording together 36 years. At first, it was mostly in London big bands, then they really bonded in smaller groups starting with the trio Azimuth. They made dozens of records together often under Wheeler's leadership. Steve Lacy used to talk about the importance of working partnerships in jazz. Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor are a good example.(SOUNDBITE OF ALBUM, "ON THE WAY TO TWO"

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Percussive Piano And Rollicking Swing Float Matthew Shipp's 'Conduct Of Jazz'

December 7, 2015, 9:08 am

≫ Next: Jazz Master Kenny Barron Dazzles As A Soloist 'At The Piano'

≪ Previous: 'On The Way To Two' Offers A Snapshot Of A True Jazz Partnership

Copyright 2015 Fresh Air. To see more, visit TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. In the last 25 years, New York pianist Matthew Shipp has led his own bands and played with leading lights of new jazz, including William Parker, David S. Ware, Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker. Shipp has a new trio record out. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says Shipp's music can be heavy in a good way, like a holiday dinner.(SOUNDBITE OF MATTHEW SHIPP SONG, "THE CONDUCT OF JAZZ")KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Matthew Shipp's trio on the title track of his new album, "The Conduct Of Jazz." That's the kind of lofty title one associates with swing-minded Jazz at Lincoln Center types. But Shipp is a mainstay of New York's downtown free jazz scene. He likes big, blocky chords and making the piano go boom. But here, he contrasts that stuff with bursts of swing time and darting, right-hand melodies.(SOUNDBITE OF MATTHEW SHIPP SONG)WHITEHEAD: Some exploratory jazz bands can sound like the musicians are playing past each

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Jazz Master Kenny Barron Dazzles As A Soloist 'At The Piano'

December 16, 2015, 11:18 am

≫ Next: Saxophonist Scott Hamilton Harmonizes With The Jeff Hamilton Trio On 'Live In Bern'

≪ Previous: Percussive Piano And Rollicking Swing Float Matthew Shipp's 'Conduct Of Jazz'

Copyright 2015 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.Transcript TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. Our jazz critic Kevin Whitehead describes Kenny Barron as one of the great all-around jazz pianists. An official NEA Jazz Master - Barron played in the co-op quartet Sphere - has led many groups of his own and has backed Dizzy Gillespie, Yusef Lateef, Stan Getz and many others. A 1981 Kenny Barron solo album has been reissued. Here's Kevin's review.(SOUNDBITE OF KENNY BARRON SONG, "CALYPSO")KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Kenny Barron on his tune "Calypso," laying down a rolling baseline with his left hand as his right goes about its business. Barron usually works in small combinations where a too active left hand will crowd the bass player. So it's odd he's made very few solo records where he gets the whole field to himself, especially considering how the first one turned out. That would be the newly reissued gem "Kenny Barron At The Piano," recorded for Xanadu in 1981. On his tune "Bud

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Saxophonist Scott Hamilton Harmonizes With The Jeff Hamilton Trio On 'Live In Bern'

January 12, 2016, 12:07 pm

≫ Next: From Meditation Music To Whaling Songs, 2 New Records Showcase Berendt's Mashups

≪ Previous: Jazz Master Kenny Barron Dazzles As A Soloist 'At The Piano'

Copyright 2016 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.Transcript TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. For years, saxophonist Scott Hamilton has been touring as a soloist without a band of his own. So he often works with new acquaintances. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says that can be risky, but sometimes everybody gets along - like on a recent meeting in Switzerland with drummer Jeff Hamilton's trio.(SOUNDBITE OF SCOTT HAMILTON

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From Meditation Music To Whaling Songs, 2 New Records Showcase Berendt's Mashups

January 18, 2016, 10:49 am

≫ Next: The Riffs And Rhythms That Led To Jazz As We Know It

≪ Previous: Saxophonist Scott Hamilton Harmonizes With The Jeff Hamilton Trio On 'Live In Bern'

Copyright 2016 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.Transcript DAVE DAVIES, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. British writer Tessa Hadley has published many of her short stories in the New Yorker, and she's also written six novels. Her latest novel is called "The Past." Book critic Maureen Corrigan says readers shouldn't be misled by that rather bland title.MAUREEN CORRIGAN, BYLINE: Tessa Hadley's novel "The Past" doesn't make a first great impression. Its title is bland, and its plot promises to be as contrived as a Hallmark holiday movie - not that I would know what any of them are like. Hadley's story centers on four adult siblings - three sisters and their brother - who gather together at their grandparents' house, deep in the English countryside. The sibs, along with their own children and the brother's new third wife, have agreed to spend a final summer vacation together - three full weeks - after which they'll put the old family manse up for sale. Predictably, before the first gin and

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The Riffs And Rhythms That Led To Jazz As We Know It

February 1, 2016, 10:46 am

≫ Next: New Box Set Shows Off The Twisted Rhythms Of Jazz Pianist James P. Johnson

≪ Previous: From Meditation Music To Whaling Songs, 2 New Records Showcase Berendt's Mashups

Copyright 2016 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.Transcript TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. A year from now, we'll be hearing a lot about the hundredth anniversary of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's first recording in February, 1917, which is usually cited as the first jazz record. But our jazz critic, Kevin Whitehead, says there are a couple of earlier records that may be contenders, one of them recorded on February 3, 100 years ago. Before we hear them, let's hear the Original Dixieland Jazz Band from 1917.(SOUNDBITE OF ORIGINAL DIXIELAND JAZZ BAND SONG, "DIXIELAND JASS BAND ONE STEP")KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: That's the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in February, 1917. With "Dixieland Jass Band One Step," the flip side of "Livery Stable Blues." You can hear why folks call it the first jazz record, the way cornet, clarinet and trombone mix it up helped define New Orleans-style jazz. You can hear its military roots in that opening call to arms and ragtime behind the

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New Box Set Shows Off The Twisted Rhythms Of Jazz Pianist James P. Johnson

February 9, 2016, 10:51 am

≫ Next: 'All My Yesterdays' Captures The Beginning Of A 50-Year Engagement

≪ Previous: The Riffs And Rhythms That Led To Jazz As We Know It

Copyright 2016 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.Transcript TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. In New York around 1920, three pianists reigned - Willie The Lion Smith, Fats Waller and James P. Johnson. Johnson was considered the greatest of the three. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says Johnson was a formidable piano soloist, supportive accompanist and writer of hit songs. A new boxed set shows off James P. Johnson's technique, drive, and versatility. Here's Kevin's review.(SOUNDBITE OF JAMES P. JOHNSON SONG)KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Eubie Blake, no slouch himself, once called James P. Johnson the greatest piano player I ever heard. Johnson mentored Fats Waller, and Duke Ellington and Art Tatum studied his style. Johnson was Bessie Smith's best accompanist, and among the few who could nudge George Gershwin off the piano bench at a party. The stride piano style Johnson epitomized grew out of ragtime, but his rhythms were a lot more twisted.(SOUNDBITE OF JAMES P. JOHNSON SONG

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'All My Yesterdays' Captures The Beginning Of A 50-Year Engagement

February 24, 2016, 10:30 am

≫ Next: Ortiz's 'Hidden Voices' Mixes Cuban Strains With Modern Jazz

≪ Previous: New Box Set Shows Off The Twisted Rhythms Of Jazz Pianist James P. Johnson

Copyright 2016 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.Transcript DAVE DAVIES, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. In February 1966, New York's Village Vanguard booked the new Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band to play two Monday nights. That engagement got extended to a month and then some. The orchestra they founded is still playing Mondays at the Vanguard 50 years later. A new live set includes some music from their opening night. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says they got it right the first time.(SOUNDBITE OF THAD LEWIS/MEL LEWIS ORCHESTRA SONG, "BIG DIPPER")KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Thad Jones spent years playing trumpet with Count Basie and writing tunes and arrangements for his band. Some of his charts were a little weird for Basie and Jones filed them away with some other unheard music. Then he and drummer Mel Lewis started a rehearsal band with top musicians they knew mostly from New York's TV studios. They rehearsed Jones' music two or three months and then went into the Vanguard. The first

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Ortiz's 'Hidden Voices' Mixes Cuban Strains With Modern Jazz

March 16, 2016, 10:15 am

≫ Next: Guitar Prodigy Julian Lage Finds His Sweet Spot With 'Arclight'

≪ Previous: 'All My Yesterdays' Captures The Beginning Of A 50-Year Engagement

Copyright 2016 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.Transcript TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. Our jazz critic Kevin Whitehead has the review of a new recording by pianist Aruan Ortiz, who grew up in Cuba and lived in Spain a few years before moving to the U.S. in 2002. Musicians he's worked and recorded with since then include Esperanza Spalding, Wallace Roney, Greg Osby and Steve Turre. Kevin says Ortiz's new trio music is fully bilingual.(SOUNDBITE OF ARUAN ORTIZ TRIO ALBUM, "HIDDEN VOICES")KEVIN WHITEHEAD: Aruan Ortiz with a little typical misdirection. He starts like he's going to play a stately Cuban song, and then slowly everything slides a little sideways. That's Ortiz's new album "Hidden Voices" in a nutshell, with its offbeat recombinations of Cuban strains and modern jazz.Those traditions have always been compatible, but there was a time when musicians from each stream could sound unsteady stepping into the other. Nowadays, there are many more musicians like Aruan

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