Here, There & Everywhere: The Great American Narcissists Songbook

By Don Heckman

Noticing the growing stacks of arriving CDs by singers, hearing many of them in action, it occurred to me that some – not all – of their performances could more accurately be based on material from the Great American Narcissists Songbook.  Here are a few selections that come to mind:

“I’ve Got Me Under My Skin”

“The Very Thought of Me”

“The Shadow of My Smile”

“I Do Something To Me”

“I’ve Got A Crush On Me”

“Something (In the Way I Move)”

“It Had To Be Me”

“Me and the Night and the Music”

“I”ll Never Stop Loving Me”

“I Go To My Head”

“I Hadn’t Anyone Till Me”

“The Song Is Me”

Anybody out there familiar with singers who should be using some of this material (and maybe a few who already are)?

To read more “Here, There & Everywhere posts, click here.

Live Pop Music: Learning Music and Cassorla at Echo Curio

By Devon Wendell

Echo Curio looks like a small NYC art gallery and isn’t much larger than a modest Manhattan apartment living room — the perfect setting for the performance Wednesday night by two indie alternative groups, Learning Music and Cassorla.

Learning Music is known for releasing a new album every month with a different concept. This time the group presented a performance of their album: A Tribute To Jonny Pride in its entirety.  Pride was a California-based ‘60s rocker during the psychedelic era. After he experienced some moderate success, Pride’s drug use got the best of him and his career fell to the wayside.  His disappearance in the early 70′s has made him a controversial cult figure in rock ‘n’ roll.

Learning Music: A Tribute To Jonny Pride (Artwork by Suisse Marocain and Kit Brown)

Learning Music (John Wood: keyboards, vocals, Alex Silverman: guitar, vocals, Ben Cassorla: guitar, vocals, Keith Karman: bass, Mike Green: drums) presented a witty stage act – one of Pride’s songs followed by Wood’s reading of Pride’s bio between songs, reaching from upcoming stardom through a downward spiral. Each song reflected those different periods in his life, starting with “Ambition,” in which Woods read about a young Pride trying to break onto the rock scene of the 60′s, and “Me And My Hands,” Pride’s first hit which landed him a deal with an A&M records. The music was a throw back to the Sunset Strip in its heyday, with a dash of British invasion combining three chord rock with cheesy Farfisa and simulated B3 organ melodies.  Think The Doors meet The Trogs.

Often, Wood’s hilarious tongue-in-cheek, between-songs bio readings of Pride’s clichéd rock lifestyle were more entertaining than the music, which was pandering, ‘60′s psychedelic rock at its most pedestrian. Too many of the songs felt like dark, dumbed-down Jim Morrison-like tunes – “Apple Core,” “Heads A Rock” and finally, “What’s Left Behind.”

As the band took us through the fall of Pride’s life, into his odd disappearance, the two-minute songs became cloying and the act got old quickly. It was easy to predict the unfolding story: too many psychedelic drugs leading to a near breakdown by Pride (similar to the Syd Barrett story). 

Unfortunately the set was also marred by bad vocal mic mixing, leaving the lyrics almost completely inaudible.  It was a fun experiment that wore out its welcome fast, and Learning Music sounding like a good band that was holding itself back to fit the stale, retro material.

Up next, Brooklyn-based band Cassorla took the stage with a NYC art house rock sound that certainly fit the venue, especially with an opening number, “Shout It,” calling back the days of Max’s Kansas City. The trio (consisting of Ben Cassorla: guitar, vocals, Ross Garren: keyboards, harmonica, and Brian Carmody on drums) often brought to mind The Pixies or Radiohead’s less electronic explorations.

Cassorla

On “The Alphabet Song,” Cassorla’s hypnotic guitar rhythms were layered with Garren’s nursery rhyme, electric keyboard melodies.  But again, the vocal microphones were too low in the mix so the lyrics were lost.  The most interesting number in the set was “My Tree,” a bluesy number in which the band was joined by accordionist Priya Swaminathan, whose ethereal playing wove in and out of Garren, adding some soulful Chicago blues harp. Cassorla’s falsetto vocals were interesting — which made it more of a shame that the words couldn’t be heard. And Carmody’s dynamic drumming really stood out on this number.

But as the set continued, the music felt as though it called for more, as in “The Salad Days of Malcom,” in which the group went from one hook to another with no distinguishable chorus — sounding like three songs at once — and Garren’s impressive keyboard work was drowned out by the volume of Cassorla’s guitar.  The band closed with “We Are,” which felt like latter day Velvet Underground, with Cassorla’s vocals reminiscent of VU’S Doug Yule.  Cassorla and Garren displayed a unique sense of harmonic camaraderie with some nice interaction between guitar and keyboards.  But the piece eventually fell apart, mostly due to the sound problems that had never been remedied since the first act.

Overall Cassorla showed a lot of promise, but their compositions lacked structure, and the bad sound didn’t help. Where most alternative bands play too much, Cassorla could have given more.  The net result was an uneven performance at tiny Echo Curio in Echo Park.

Quotation of the Week: Mick Jagger

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“People have this obsession. They want you to be like you were in 1969. They want you to, because otherwise their youth goes with you. It’s very selfish, but it’s understandable.”

Mick Jagger

To read more Quotations of the Week, click here.

Live Jazz: The Ron Jones Influence Big Band at Vitello’s

By Tony Gieske

Ron Jones

The world’s longest running publicity stunt did not command the attention of everyone in Hollywood Sunday night. Disdaining the Oscar festivities was a discriminating crowd that filled the Upstairs room at Vitello’s out in the Valley to hear the Ron Jones Jazz Influence big band.

Jones, a noted composer for off-beat television fare, led his organization of 22 studio savants, including a pair of French hornists, to reward the visitors with a program of familiar songs and heads that were staples when bebop was young. That would have been before many of the players took up the instruments with which they now make their not inconsiderable livings.

Clockwise from upper left: Chuck Berghofer, Bob McChesney, French horn player Jean Marinelli, Ron Jones, Jeff Bunnell, Bob Sheppard, Tim May

“The Way You Look Tonight,” in a gently swinging arrangement by Mike Tomaro (available online for $47.50, in case you run a big band), followed a gently swinging opener on “Bird of Paradise,” playing the spotlight here and there on the world’s greatest trumpet section.

These horns were limber muscle and flat abs all evening, a shout when called for that gave no pain but was music to the ear, and dry muted comments in support of other soloists. Charlie Davis, Chuck Findley, Gary Grant and Jeff Bunnell were the players. Findley soloed powerfully on an original ballad.

The Ron Jones brass section

The similarly adept trombones lent a rich color and deep power to the tuttis, underpinning the various sections when necessary, warming the top line when called for. Bob McChesney stepped out for a pretty little story about “Emily,” beginning with velvety balladic wooings and ending with bold staff-surmounting calisthenics.

The reeds were light and airy on such swiftly wandering numbers as Wayne Shorter’s “Yes and No” and loaded with vigor on the Latinate “St. Thomas,” which the Bill Holman arrangement made into a more delightful romp than many of those we’ve been hearing since the Eisenhower Administration.

Such delights rested all night on the Basie-like power of Chuck Berghofer, bass, Mike Lang, piano, Tim May, guitar and Steve Schaeffer, drums. The colors of May and vibraharpist Billy Holting reminded you of the old Woody Herman sound that Red Norvo and Billy Bauer contributed.

But that was a hotbed zone; tonight was a botanical garden.

Photos by Tony Gieske.

Read and see more of Tony Gieske’s jazz essays and photos at his personal web site tonyspage.com.

Picks of the Week: Mar. 8 – 14

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

- Mar. 9. (Tues.) John Pisano’s Guitar Night.  

John Pisano

John Pisano trades riffs with Pat Kelley, who has transformed his Oklahoma roots into an amiable, highly personal guitar style. Ralph Humphrey, drums and John Belzaguy, bass, provide sturdy back-up.  Vitello’s.   (818) 769-0905.

- Mar. 9. (Tues.) Bill Watrous and the San Gabriel 7.  Virtuoso trombonist Watrous leads his seven piece band in a collection of Latin, jazz and funk music.  Singer Katie Campbell adds enticing vocal stylings.  Catalina Bar & Grill.   (323) 466-2210.

Mar. 9. (Tues.) A Special Benefit Tribute to Francisco Aguabella.  The Banda Brothers, with guests Pete Escovedo and Sheila E. lead a tribute performance to benefit the now ill, legendary Cuban drum master.  Other scheduled performers include Alex Acuna, Justo Almario, Poncho Sanchez, Danilo Lozano, John Clayton and many others.  Steamers.  (714) 871-8800.

Mar. 9. (Tues.) Night of Radical Guitar: Janet Feder and Miroslav Tadic with Vinny Golia.  Guitarists Feder and Tadic join up with multi-woodwind instrumentalist Golia to explore the outer limits of eclectic improvisation.  South Pasadena Music Center and Conservatory.  (626) 403-2300.

- Mar 10.  (Wed.)  Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.  An evening of Maurice Ravel, with Daphnis et Chloe, Ma Mere L’Oye and La Valse on the program.  Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter joins the ensemble for Shehereazade.  UCLA Live at Royce Hall .  (310) 825-2101.

- Mar. 10. (Wed.)  Scott Martin’s Latin Soul Band.  After fourteen years in the Grammy-winning Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band, saxophonist Martin is now fronting his own Latin ensemble.  His latest CD, Only Trust Your Heart, finds him surrounded by the lush rhythms and rich harmonies of Brazil.  Vibrato.  (310) 474-9400.

- Mar. 10.  (Wed.)  Classic Albums Live: The Beatles’ Abbey Road.  It’s a tribute performance in which the emphasis is on authentic musical reproduction, without the costumes and wigs.  Irvine Barclay Theatre. (949) 854-4646.

- Mar. 10 & 11. (Wed. & Thurs.)  Babatunde Lea Quintet. The veteran, master percussionist leads a stellar ensemble in a tribute to the late, great singer Leon Thomas. With Ernie Watts, saxophones, Patrice Rushen, keyboards, Gary Brown, bass and vocalist Dwight Trible.  Catalina Bar & Grill (323) 466-2210.

- Mar. 11. (Thurs.)  The Ying Quartet.  Originally founded by the four Ying siblings, the Ying Quartet now includes Frank Huang, replacing Timothy Ying as first violinist.  But the quartet’s remarkably symbiotic musical togetherness continues. CSUN Performing Arts Center. l (818) 677-1200

- Mar. 11. (Thurs.)  Joe La Barbera Quintet.  Drummer La Barbera takes a leader’s role, fronting the all-star assemblage of trumpeter Clay Jenkins, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, pianist Bill Cunliffe and bassist Tom Warrington.   Charlie O’s.   (919) 994-3058.

- Mar. 11 & 12. (Thurs. & Fri.)  Matt Slocum. Rising young jazz drummer Slocum celebrates the release of his CD, Portraits.  With Dan Lutz, bass and Josh Nelson, piano.    Thurs: Crown Plaza Brasserie Jazz Lounge.  (310) 642-7500.   Fri.: Café Metropol.   (213) 613-1537.

Hiromi

- Mar. 11. (Thurs.)  Hiromi. Japanese keyboardist Hiromi is building a style that reaches out to embrace everything from high voltage electronica to swinging, straight ahead jazz.  A Jazz Bakery Moveable Feast.  (310) 271-9039.  Japan America Theatre.

- Mar. 12. (Fri.) The Stan Kenton Alumni Band.  Mike Vax lead alumni from the 1956-1978 Stan Kenton Orchestras through a program of Kenton classics. Chapman Auditorium, Chapman University.   (714) 997-6871.

- Mar. 12. (Fri.)  Dave Pell &  Med Flory.  A pair of veteran saxophonists have fun with the alto and tenor saxophone frontline format, at one L.A.’s most cozily intimate jazz clubs.  The Back Room at Henri’s in Woodland Hills.

- Mar. 12. (Fri.)  Gary Foster and the Pat Senatore Trio.  Busy studio woodwind player Foster doesn’t spend much time as the front man in a jazz ensemble. So don’t miss this chance to hear his superb saxophone playing, backed by a solid rhythm section. Vibrato.  (310) 474-9400.

Vinicio Caposella

- Mar. 13. (Sat.) Vinicio Capossela. The Italian singer/songwriter’s performances are as unpredictable as the dark balladry of Tom Waits and the capriciousness of Tom Zé, spiced with his own unique stylings, which can reach from a tarantella or a tango to a high spirited love song.  The El Rey.  (323) 936-6400.

- Mar. 13. (Sat.)  Bill Cunliffe’s Imaginacion Quartet. The ever-versatile, always musically curious pianist Cunliffe applies his musical insights to songs with a Latin tinge (as Jelly Roll Morton would have described it).  Vibrato.   (310) 474-9400.

Andrea Marcovicci

- Mar. 13. (Sat.)  Andrea Marcovicci.  I’ll Be Seeing You…Love Songs of World War II. Singer Marcovicci knows how to get to the heart of a song, and there’s no collection of songs filled with more heartfelt emotions than the songbook of World War II. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. 

- Mar. 13. (Sat.)  John Beasley Jazz Circle.  Multi-instrumentalist Beasley sticks with the keyboards this time, leading the musically intriguing ensemble of  Dwight Trible, vocals, Oscar Seaton, drums and Ian Martin, bass.   Vitello’s.  (818) 769-0905.

- Mar. 13 & 14. (Sat. & Sun.)  The Wailers. The group that has virtually defined reggae music since the ’60s is in town for a pair of performances to support their “I Went Hungry” world food program.  On Saturday, they appear at Brixton in Redondo Beach (310) 406-1931; on Sunday they’re at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana (714) 957-0600.

- Mar. 14. (Sun.)  Larry  Coryell and “Bombay Jazz.” Guitarist Coryell explores the compatible linkages between jazz and Indian classical music.  With saxophonist / composer George Brooks, Indian bamboo flutist Ronu Majumdar and tabla player Aditya Kalyanpur Jazz Bakery Moveable Feast.  Largo – Coronet Theatre.  (310) 271-9039.

Adam del Monte

- Mar. 14. (Sun.)  Adam del Monte.  The master flamenco guitarist celebrates the release of  his new CD, A Cry in the Dark with a concert (no dancing) of all new compositions.  His ensemble includes Enosh del Monte, violin, Emir Isilai, keyboard, Asaf Kofler, bass and Gerardo Morales, percussion.  The Fountain Theatre.  (323) 663-1525.

- Mar. 14. (Sun.)  Traps ‘n’ Taps: A Brief History of American Rhythm.  The California Jazz Foundation presents an entertaining Sunday jazz brunch featuring versatile dancer, choreographer, bandleader and film archivist Chester Whitmore and drummer Clayton Cameron. Catalina Bar & Grill (323) 466-2210.

San Francisco

Bobby Hutcherson

- Mar. 11 – 14.  (Thurs. – Sun.)  John Scofield’s New Jazz Quartet brings the versatile guitarist back to a steady jazz orbit.  With Mulgrew Miller, piano, Ben Street, bass and Kendrick Scott, drums. Yoshi’s Oakland.   (510) 238-9200.

- Mar. 12 – 14. (Fri. – Sun.)  NEA Jazz Masters All-Stars. An assemblage of great jazz veterans display the skills of their lifetimes in the music.  Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, Jimmy Heath, tenor saxophone, Slide Hampton, trombone, Cedar Walton, piano. Yoshi’s San Francisco.   (415) 655-5600.

New York

- Mar. 8 – 11. (Mon. – Thurs.)  Cassandra Wilson. The inimitable Wilson, her voice one of the unique sounds in contemporary jazz, brings storytelling insights to material reaching across the full range of song. The Blue Note.  (212) 475-8592.

- Mar. 9 – 13. (Tues. – Sat.)  John Pizzarelli’s “Swing 7.” Pizzarelli’s swinging four- horn band provide a solid foundation for his songs and guitar, wife Jessica Molaskey’s crystal clear voice, and the wit and humor of the most entertaining show biz couple since Sonny & Cher.  Birdland.  (212) 581-3080.

- Mar. 9 – 14. (Tues. – Sun.)  Bill Charlap Trio.  Pianist Charlap and his sturdy companions — Peter Washington, bass and Kenny Washington, drums – bring maturity, musical insight and downright swing to everything they play.  Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.   (212) 258-9595.

Bobby Sanabria

- Mar. 10. (Wed.)  Bobby Sanabria Big Band.  Post Mamboism in the 21^st Century Continues! Grammy nominated percussionist Sanabria affirms the vitality of  big band Latin jazz.  FB Lounge.  (212) 410-7292.

- Mar. 11. (Thurs.)  Lew Tabackin.  Highlights in Jazz celebrates the playing of saxophonist Tabackin with his wife, pianist/composer Toshiko Akiyoshi, drummer Lewis Nash, bassist Boris Kozlov, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, and guitarist Jack Wilkens plus a Very Special Guest. Tribeca Performing Arts Center.   (212) 220-1460.

- Mar. 11 – 14. (Thurs. – Sun.)  The Charles McPherson Quintet featuring Tom Harrell provides dynamic proof that bebop continues to stimulate compelling new musical ideas.   With Jeb Patton, piano, Ray Drummond, bass and Willie Jones III, drums.  Jazz Standard.   (212)  576-2232.

Roberta Gambarini

- Mar. 12 – 14. (Fri. – Sun.)  Roberta Gambarini. The Italian-born vocalist has a remarkable instrument, with training and skills to match.  But it’s what she does with that admirable combination that makes her one of the unique 21^st century jazz singers.  The Blue Note.  (212) 475-8592.

Chicago

- Mar. 9. (Tues.) Rose Colella Trio.  An Evening of Academy Award Winning Songs & Colella applies her lyrical vocal style to songs from films such as “The Gay Divorcee,” Pinocchio,” “Cabin in the Sky” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”  Katerina’s.  (773) 348-7592.

- Mar. 12 & 13. (Fri. & Sat.)  Mike Melvoin Trio.  Long time L.A. jazz star Melvoin returns to his home Midwest territory to refresh his musical roots.  Singer (and actress) Theresa Russell will sing a few tunes from the Melvoin Songbook, and they’ll be backed by Larry Gray, bass and Charles Heath, drums.  Club Blujazz.   (773) 360-8046.

CD Review: Jimi Hendrix “Valleys of Neptune”

Jimi Hendrix

Valleys of Neptune (Experience Hendrix/Legacy)

By Don Heckman

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than forty years since Jimi Hendrix brought the Woodstock Music and Art Fair to a stunning climax with his now legendary solo guitar version of “The Star Spangled Banner.”  For the sturdy hold outs, the minority of the 400,000+ crowd that stayed until the bitter end, it was an extraordinary, even a definitive musical experience.

Hendrix was already well-recognized at that time, especially after his breakout appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, as one of the most gifted and innovative artists of the decade.  And he underscored that reputation with a performance that promised much more.  As it turned out, there wasn’t much time left to deliver it, despite the ground-breaking creative plans he had in the works.  A little over a year later Hendrix, only 27, was dead.

Fortunately, his far too brief career was filled with a continuing collection of recording sessions, often documenting his evolving interpretations of individual songs.  Valleys of Neptune, which will be available on Tuesday, March 9, is the first in a series of albums scheduled for release by Legacy Recordings, Experience Hendrix and the Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project.  In addition to Valleys of Neptune, which consists of 12 previously unreleased (in these versions) Hendrix tracks, Legacy will issue, also on March 9, new deluxe CD-DVD and vinyl LP editions of Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland and First Rays of the New Rising Sun.

The tracks on Valleys of Neptune – some reworkings of familiar Hendrix songs, some relatively unfamiliar — trace to sessions taking place for the most part in the months before Woodstock.  Nine of the twelve selections feature the original Jimi Hendrix Experience line-up of Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell (with the addition of percussionist Rocki Dzidzornu on a pair of tracks}.  The last studio recording by that group – “Ships Passing Through the Night” – took place in mid-April, 1969, the culmination of the growing differences between Hendrix and Redding.

In the three remaining tunes – “Stone Free” (a familiar Hendrix classic, first recorded in 1966), “Valleys of Neptune” and “Bleeding Heart” – Redding is replaced by Hendrix’s long time friend and musical associate, bassist Billy Cox.  The first two are actually assemblages of takes from several different sessions.  Elmore James’ “Bleeding Heart” is reportedly the best of several complete takes from April, 1969, with Hendrix’s guitar in powerful blues mode, and the interaction with Cox and Mitchell steaming with rhythmic energy.

Among the highlights in the remaining tracks: a searing romp through “Hear My Train A Comin’,” here heard in the original live studio recording, not the posthumous overdubbed version released on the (now deleted) Midnight Lightning; an instrumental take on Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”; “Lover Man” (inspired by B.B. King’s “Rock Me Baby”); and the dynamic “Red House.”

As with so much of Hendrix’s catalog of recordings, virtually every track has an often complicated history.  And album annotator John McDermott has done a yeoman job of providing chapter and verse on the evolution of each of the songs.

But history aside, what really matters here is the music, which is extraordinary — regardless of the circumstances surrounding its fashioning – underscoring Hendrix’s role as the major, transitional figure linking traditional blues with the waves of new musical ideas surfacing in the ‘60s.  For this listener, who was lucky enough to hear Hendrix up close and live, every note is a memorable gem.

Live Music: Ariana Savalas and Kady Zadora at Catalina Bar & Grill

By Tony Gieske

No sooner had I fallen head over heels for Ariana Savalas, daughter of the immortal Telly, than Kady Zadora, daughter of the immortal Pia, came along, and I was felled again.

Ariana Savalas and Kady Zadora

The dewy-eyed singers were debuting their act as a duo at Catalina Bar and Grill on Thursday, and they had been delivering salvo after salvo of good old fashioned heart and soul, not to mention charm and warmth.

“Whoo-eee!” cried Ariana at the close of a romping version of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” She’d sing a line in her sturdy soprano, using diction and intonation and such, as well as a merry spirit. Then Kady would sing a line with childlike conviction and velvety melodiousness — usually right on pitch.

When they harmonized, the kids made you think of a pair of Judy Garlands.  Ariana, who just starred in a movie, handled most of the hoary onstage patter, taking her case to a higher court. Kady, whose film career is just starting, dropped in a few well timed punchlines.

“Take it! Take it” cried Kady as the repertoire began to change from antiques like “For Once in My Life.” “Take a little piece of my heart,” she pleaded, heart rendering the Janis Joplin classic. “Hey, girl!” Ariana cried at the proper moment.

Their “Friendship” was not only a perfect blendship, but a living, breathing Norman Rockwell cover, during which their two part harmony began to ring with authority.  So it was on “Let It Be,” a heaven-bound anthem climbing a white picket fence. This was brought to a suitably churchy ending with a plagal cadence from pianist Jeff Lass, preceded by climactic drumming from Andy Savesi and stern underpinning by bassist Steve Venz.

The cheery chanteuses now sought to bow off, but they had utterly captured the house, and three or four encores left the crowd crying for still more.

Photos by Tony Gieske.

Read and see more of Tony Gieske’s jazz essays and photos at his personal web site tonyspage.com.

Jazz CD Review: Tord Gustavsen Ensemble “Restored, Returned”

Tord Gustavsen Ensemble

Restored, Returned (ECM)

By Fernando Gonzalez

Perhaps, as the saying goes, you can’t be too rich or too thin. As for everything else, you can have too much of a good thing. Restored, Returned, the latest recording by Norwegian pianist and composer Tord Gustavsen is a case in point.

Gustavsen established his reputation with a remarkable trilogy of piano trio recordings – Changing Places (2003), The Ground (2004), and Being There (2007), all on ECM. In those discs, his playing and his writing brim with intelligence and elegance. His is a music of deceptive simplicity. The pieces often suggest ambiguous short stories told in whispers, paced and shaped by nuance and details. It’s a music that depends as much on what is said as to what is implied, and requires from the performers as much smart listening and interplay as technical ability. Not surprisingly, Gustavsen worked on those recordings with the same partners, Harald Johnsen, acoustic bass, and Jarle Vesperstad, drums.

But for  Restored, Returned, Gustavsen expanded the group, adding a vocalist and a saxophonist. Given his esthetics, it’s an interesting, and risky, move.

Having a voice and a saxophone — both melodic and leading instruments in jazz — necessitates a change in the architecture of the music. And words, even if drawn from the elusive poetry of  W.H. Auden, offer, literally and figuratively, a text and with it, a well-defined foreground and background, as well as certain conditions for the arranging and the playing.

Most of the 11 tracks on Restored, Returned, are lullaby-like pieces set at a slow to medium tempo and treated with the pianist’s patented gospel-influenced touch.  Four songs have lyrics from Auden’s “Another Times,” others include wordless vocals, and there also are a few instrumentals.

Rather than jazz or pop tunes the tracks with lyrics suggest art songs, and vocalist Kristin Asbjornsen interprets them with a theatrical, melodramatic flair.  She has a clear tone with a raspy edge that evokes at times a young Ricky Lee Jones, and her singing in the country hymn-like “Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love,” is at once sensual and distant. In the title track, Asbjornsen paces her performance beautifully, singing the opening verses over a minimal, rubato accompaniment, a high wire artist doing her act above a void. As the song takes on a hymn-like quality and rises, so does her singing, suggesting both strength and fragility.

On instrumental pieces such as “Spiral Song,” “Your Crooked Heart” and ”The Gaze,”, Gustavsen’ group — Tore Brunborg, tenor and soprano sax, Mats Eilertsen, acoustic bass, and Vespestad, on drums – often evokes Keith Jarrett’s European Quartet, especially given saxophonist Jan Garbarek’s obvious influence on Brunborg’s tone and approach.

There is much to be enjoyed in Restored, Returned. But the sameness in the moods and tempos brings diminishing returns. And there is a point here where smart becomes precious and then, as a listener, you are just hoping for an explosion, a mistake, a goof, something perhaps utterly meaningless, but fun. Beauty in  Restored, Returned is so perfectly constructed as to make it airless and as such, uninhabitable.

Who knew, maybe you can be too rich.

The Tord Gustavsen Ensemble is coming to the United States for two concerts: March 28^th at the San Francisco Jazz Festival and March 31^st at Merkin Concert Hall in NYC.

For video excerpts from a November 2009 performance, an interview with Gustavsen about the project and other info check http://player.ecmrecords.com/gustavsen

World Music CD Review: Las Rubias Del Norte “Ziguala”

Las Rubias Del Norte

Ziguala (Barbès Records)

By Devon Wendell

Las Rubias Del Norte’s knack for putting a Latin spin on world music with modernity and originality comes through loud and clear on their third and latest album Ziguala.  The band’s two creative forces – Emily Hurst and Allyssa Lamb – are the “Two Blondes From the North” in the translation of the name, which is also a take-off on the Mexican Norteño band, “Los Tigres Del Norte.”

Hurst and Lamb have a unique sense of vocal harmony and use unusual instruments generally associated with ‘60′s kitschy psychedelic rock – the glockenspiel and Farfisa organ – which set them apart from other world music bands.  This blend of voice and offbeat instrumentals is evident on the album’s opening track, a haunting minor key version of Jose Luis Perales’s “Porque Te Vas.” Hurst uses the Farfisa organ for color and texture, adding a marimba style that rides subtly atop Timothy Quigley’s steady shakers.

Surprisingly enough, it’s the album’s traditional Latin numbers that are the least interesting and often redundant, while the group’s revamping of material from other cultures is much more impressive. One example of this is a fascinating visit to “Bollywood” on the band’s version of “Mana Janab Ne Pukara Nahim,” written by well known Indian composers, S.D. Burman, and Majrooh Sultanpuri. This Tito Puente-esque rendition has a strictly Latin dance feel, with wonderfully mournful guitar by Giancarlo Vulcano.

The title track, written by Greek singer and bouzouki wiz Manolis Hiotis, is a brilliant departure from the original, with an upbeat Mariachi flavor. Lamb delivers some delightfully odd dissonant piano playing that blends with Vulcano’s distorted rhythm guitar arpeggios.

The strongest vocal performances on the album are on a dark, ambient reading of Kurt Weill’s “J’Attends Un Navire,” with soft lush string arrangements and stark vocal harmonies by Hurts, Lamb, and Olivier Conan.  The Neapolitan “Scalatinella” demonstrates the rhythm section’s tastefully original backing, with exceptional percussion by Quigley and Greg Stare, and bluesy electric guitar leads by Vulcano.

“Seguedille” is an album standout. Lamb and Hurst’s layered ethereal chanting is mimicked by Vulcano, who alternates between flamenco nylon acoustic and Gabor Szabo-style electric jazz fills.  Amani Lara’s “Sola” has a South of the Border/country ambiance and includes steel guitar and B3 organ; the song makes for a fun experiment and is a perfect backdrop for Lamb and Hurst’s soprano vocal stylings.

The album’s weak point is that it goes on longer than it needs to, with material such as “El Alcaravan” and “Cruzando El Mar” seeming forced and unnecessary. The album’s outer explorations into other territories would have sufficed without the presence of overly used traditional Latin material.

Aside from those fillers, Las Rubias Del Norte’s take-no-prisoners approach to melding Latin music with other styles makes much of  Ziguala into an intriguing and satisfying musical adventure.

News: Sonny Rollins Is Awarded the Edward MacDowell Medal

By Fernando Gonzalez

Saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins has been awarded the Edward MacDowell Medal by The MacDowell Colony, the nation’s leading artist residency program. The prize has been awarded annually since 1960 to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to his/her field. Since the inception of the medal, the Colony, based in Peterborough, NH, has rotated it among its seven artistic disciplines.

Rollins is the 14th medalist in music composition, but the very first in the field of jazz. He joins a distinguished list of past recipients that includes Leonard Bernstein, Alice Munro, Studs Terkel, I.M. Pei, Merce Cunningham, Wendy Wasserstein, Aaron Copeland and Georgia O’Keeffe.

The medal will be presented in a ceremony to be held on The MacDowell Colony grounds on Sunday, August 15. Jazz writer and critic Gary Giddins, this year’s presentation speaker, will introduce Rollins.

In the announcement of the award, Rollins is quoted saying “I’m proud and pleased to be selected to receive this very special prize. Edward MacDowell’s spirit engaged me many years ago when, as a child, I was inspired by his composition ‘To a Wild Rose.’ Later, I had the opportunity to make it a part of my repertoire, performing it on many occasions and eventually recording it.  Somehow I feel I’m getting to meet him again.”

For more information click here: The MacDowell Colony. http://www.macdowellcolony.org