Writer's Notebook - James Rafferty Blog

Newport Jazz 2022

On a sunny Saturday morning on July 30, I set out with three friends to attend the Newport Jazz Festival.  After a long ride in through traffic, we got to take our seats at the Fort Stage around 12:30.  But soon enough, we all went in different directions to enjoy the many different groups playing on that day.  Alas, one of my favorites, Jack DeJohnette was sick and had to cancel, but the order was shuffled a bit and is shown in this picture.  Amongst the many fine musicians, my eyes were drawn to the Quad stage lineup.  

The Quad stage is within the fort (here at Fort Adams) and had several hundred chairs, typically all filled and lots of room on the outskirts for standing and placement of chairs. With a bit of patience, I was able to find a seat as audience members moved in and out.  

The first group I saw there was Antonio Sanchez and Bad Hombre. Sanchez has played with a number of other groups, including notably several with Pat Metheny, but on this day, he played with his own quartet.  The music was heavily percussion driven and easily filled the area. Excellent vocals were provided by his wife, Thana Alexa.  On a song called Suspended Animation, her vocals soared high and included long non-verbal stretches.  Toward the end, she offered birdlike sounds that swirled with help from an echoplex effect. Here is a picture of the band, which also included a fine keyboard player and a bassist (hidden behind Alexa in this shot).   

The next group, named after their lead percussionist Yuseef Dayes, hailed from the United Kingdom and mentioned how happy they were to play at Newport.  The band members didn't get introduced for a while, but featured great alto sax work on the first song from Malik Venna. He then disappeared for a while, as the band featured more percussive music, but when Venna returned, he continued to add the best saxophone sounds that I heard on this day.  Here's a look at the band, with Venna on the left and Dayes behind a big drum kit.  The keyboard player was also excellent on both piano and when adding Corea-influenced synthesizer lines. Here's a shot of the group.  

The next group was one of my favorites for the day, the Maria Schneider Orchestra. She was very animated and played a couple of pieces from a recent work called "Data Lords."  She expressed concern about trends in recent years toward Artificial Intelligence in high tech and the music was a hyperkinetic rejoinder to this trend. On the intro to this song and the next, she talked about world annihilation and then proceeded to conduct the orchestra and use her hands to extract the traumatic sounds she wanted from the players.  This music was far different than the pastoral sounds I heard from her group when she played at Newport a few years earlier. Nonetheless, the musicians were outstanding both in ensemble and in their solo work'; Schneider herself gave a shoutout to guitarist Ben Monder (on far left) for the work he did on a song about the debris that is swirling above all of us in orbits around the earth. Here's the full group we saw playing under her guidance:  

From here, Schneider's group played a deconstructed version of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," but I made a tough tradeoff and began to walk back around to the Fort Stage.  When I arrived there, Esperanza Spalding was singing against the backdrop of some fine piano work. On the next song, Spalding did stunning work on both her upright bass and in vocals that reached into the stratosphere. Many of us in the audience were mesmerized was we watched her play and sing with her curly black hair flowing along with the music.  Alas, I have no picture to share of this moment, but I assure you that she captivated us.  She also was the only musician all day that stood up and gave thanks to the vision offered by late Newport Jazz founder, George Wein, who passed away last year.  Spalding ended her set with a Wayne Shorter song and I was glad I'd had a chance to listen to her abbreviated set.  

The last artist that caught my attention was back at the Quad Stage -- the remarkable Cecile McLorin Salvant. Salvant was backed by a strong group, which included the wonderful pianist Sullivan Fortner, who was fresh from a set played with his own group earlier in the day.  Salvant's forte is to bring alive music from the American Songbook and she ranged broadly in her renditions of such standards, but she also sang some of her own material. One song, called "Do Do," was sang in French with some backup vocals from other musicians as well, adding another dimension to her singing style.  She seem to be able to stretch her voice to hit any note she wants and the songs seemed to get stronger as she got deeper into the set.  She finished with one of her own songs -- "Ghost Song," where one of the lyrics talks of "... the ghost of our long lost love."   Here is a glimpse of Cecile (see her in the bright luminescent green outfit) and her group toward the end of their set.  

 

Return to Newport Jazz - 2021

This past Sunday I joined a friend and we drove down to see the Newport Jazz Festival. In the time of Covid, a few differences were in place, including a "Health Pass" protocol for all who entered.  But, as always, the important part was the music. This time it was divided between two stages -- one on the lawn in front of Fort Adams and Quad stage in its usual place within the fort.  

The first act we saw was harpist Brandee Younger on the lawn stage. The band had already started when we captured a spot on the lawn to the right of the stage. In her comments from the stage, Brandee paid tribute to earlier harpists who'd played Newport, including Alice Coltrane. Younger's style was melodic, but also very jazzy and she made ample use of amplified electronics as part of her sound. On one song, I noted how the rhythm section reminded me a lot of John Coltrane's and Younger played chunky chords on top of it. Later, she played some sounds that reminded me of the "Chinese music" from Steely Dan's Aja. In the spirit of the day, she later invited another harpist, Macaela Davis to sit in.  Macaela's style wasn't as complex, but she worked well with Younger's band.  Here's a scene of me writing in my journal about the shows.  

Next, we popped over to the Quad Stage, just in time to see the remarkable Kenny Barron - Dave Holland trio, which was rounded out by a much younger, but very talented drummer, Johnathan Blake.   

I'd seen Holland years before in Hartford, but it was a treat to hear him again in this trio. I've often enjoyed Kenny Barron on records, but I think this was the first time I'd seen him live. He played numerous styles on this day.  On one of the early tunes, he soloed with high notes from his right hand, then added McCoy Tyner style block chords with his left.  Holland showed complete command of the bass throughout as he roamed up and down the instrument with perfect intonation and verve. On another song, Barron began alone with flowing rubato lines and was eventually joined by Holland, who played a deep counterpoint. Blake soon added a subtle rhythm on the brushes, quite a contrast to the powerhouse drumming he'd displayed earlier in the set.  Barron built up this song with bright major chords which later segued into a solo from Holland. On this song, Holland eschewed complex patterns in favor of a melodic set of lines. After an upbeat Latin tune, the band closed the set with the Kenny Barron song "Speed Trap." The band blitzed through this song at lightning speeds whose tempo reminded me of Trane's "Giant Steps." 

After this, we returned to the lawn stage area and saw a diverse set of groups. The first, David Oswald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, played in the New Orleans style, but also added elements from later jazz eras which made it easier for me to enjoy their music.  The next two bands brought extended jamming to the stage.  The Bogey Band, featured an extensive horn section and drummer Joe Russo.  At times the ensemble work from the saxes, trumpets and trombones reminded me of early 80's Carla Bley, but more often, the band pounded out jazz rock that seemed to draw from the early Miles Davis electric bands. 

The next band, the Jam Jawn, were true to their name; they jammed throughout their set, but with a much jazzier sensibility than the Bogey Band. This was the first time I'd seen guitarist John Schofield play in a full band setting. Schofield played a tan and black thin hollow body guitar through what appeared to be a Vox amp. He kicked off the first song with distorted electronic licks and then the rest of the band joined in.  And what a band -- Christian McBride on bass, Macaela Davis on harp, Marco Benevento on keyboads and Joe Russo on the drums. In this context, Russo showed his jazz chops as polyrhythms rippled across the stage among the musicians. In this band, the musicians all listened to each other and themes jumped from one player to the next. Schofield closed the song with Wes Montgomery style octaves on the last few choruses. 

For the second song, McBride moved over to electric bass and laid down a funky beat to push the band ahead.  Schofield continued to amaze me as he brought Hendrix electric stylings into this song --- not exactly typical for Newport!  Per my notes, the organist eventually went ballistic with high energy surges up and down the keyboard. 

Macaela Davis started out the third song by plucking out a melody on her harp.  McBride had shifted back to the upright and laid down the bottom. This time, Schofield built a layer on top with long extended notes ala Duane Allman; Schofield's toolkit for inventive sounds seemed to be endless.  By this point, staying in my seat was no longer an option.  I masked up and moved into the standing crowd at stage front to be closer to the band and reveled in the delightful sounds being laid out by the musicians.  

Schofield started the next song, laying out a sweet blues line which later segued into a familiar rock anthem. The band jumped in and filled out the sound.  We were rocking at Newport with masters of jazz and the band brought us all along for the ride.  McBride finally introduced all the members of the band we'd been hearing.  

After this, it seemed like half of the musicians in town jumped up on the stage. I recognized members from the Armstrong tribute band, notably the trombone player. On the next song, Stewart Bogey and his bandmates joined in as well.  This was one of these Newport jazz moments where unusual configurations of players got on stage and played jazz, mixing the sounds of multiple eras with verve and lots of smiles.  Whew. 

Time to take a breather and get ready for the final set of the afternoon, Andra Day. My friend and I visited a falafel stand and picked up wraps for a light dinner, then got back to our seats. A while later, Andra Day appeared on stage and began to sing Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit."  The song isn't easy to listen to, but Day sang a powerful version. The Billie Holiday stylistic influence was quite evident, but Day also used her expansive vocal range to add high twisting notes that reinforced the song's painful message. The inclusion of this song was important and signaled that this set would be different than the pop-inflected set she sang at Newport in 2018.  

Day's group included 2 backup singers and a full band which was comfortable in playing both her jazz and pop material.  Here's a view of Andra Day and other members of the band:  

Day's set was split between jazz songs and her own original pop compositions.  The common element throughout was her powerful voice, which reached out to all of us with emotion and the ability to sing long lines which could move quickly between high and low notes to accentuate the words.  Later in the set, she sang a fine rendition of another Holiday signature song, "God Bless the Child." The main stage show was augmented by side views which showed video closeups of Day and other band members. In either case, one's eyes were often drawn to Ms. Day, who commanded the stage with both her voice and visual presence.  As she shifted to songs from her latest album, we listened and began the long walk back to our car. But in our heads, all of the music and sights of the day gave us a final burst of energy to join the graceful exodus from Newport as we took the high roads that brought us by the famed mansions of Bellevue Avenue.   

 

Rolling on the Cape Cod Rail Trail

The sky is a pure blue, with bare hints of cirrus and streaks of white written by jet fuel as if viewed upon a global spectroscope. I sit at a picnic table by my hotel, beneath a canopy of twisted pine limbs and an overspread of maple and oak trees above. Across the way, I see glimpses of bicycle riders as they roll silently by. It's a Cape Cod morning and it's already been a fine day. 

My wife and I are staying for a long weekend at a hotel located strategically by the Cape Cod Rail Trail. We had a relaxing start to the day, taking in the continental breakfast offered by the hotel. Once fortified by coffee, juice and light food items such as muffins and fresh bananas, we were ready for the next step.  

I took my time and had a nice chat with a neighbor from a nearby room; like me, he has a background in the telecom world, so we briefly compared notes about the transition from that work into some form of semi-retirement. Both of us were getting ready for a bike ride, but at a leisurely pace.  

I listened to the last minutes of the Saturday edition of CBS This Morning, hearing an energetic song of gospel inflected blues rock performed by Mavis Staples and her band, and pulled together my supplies for the bike ride.  Some fifteen minutes later, I was ready. By this time, the reader may wonder, is there a point to this post or will it simply meander. To which I'd say, that's one of the joys of a visit to Cape Cod; there's no schedule, no need to rush out or, for example, to roll up 50 miles on one's bike. But yes, let's begin the tale of the bike ride. 

I got onto my bike and rode a short way on a path through the woods. Moments later, my tires hit the pavement of the path. I turned right and headed south in the direction of Orleans. I haven't been riding a lot this spring, but as I rode down the path, my leg muscles felt limber. I enjoyed picking up speed and feeling mild breezes brush against my face and legs. Just last evening, we'd experienced fierce winds at sunset, but that phase of weather had passed. Since I felt very good, I decided to push ahead and see how much ground I could cover in about twenty minutes on the trail  For those who want to track mileage. stone markers appear at every mile and identify which town you're in and how many miles you are from the start of the trail in Dennis. 

Most of my ride was in the town of Eastham. Sights include the back side of the local transfer station, which now doubles as a massive solar farm, vestiges of departed businesses such as a fully overgrown golf driving range and a diverse variety of different micro eco-systems. On my way out, I was content to move along past all of that, but planned to view the trail-side flora and fauna more closely upon my return.  So I rode and rode.  The trail wasn't too crowded.  I saw one large group of teenagers in matching tee shirts, most likely a scout troop, various walkers, the occasional jogger and of course, bikers coming to and fro. My journey continued, past some of my favorite small lakes and ponds, across numerous intersections and the miles rolled up. 

As I approached my twenty minute goal, I decided to continue until I hit a major cross street. As luck and my route would have it, I naturally hit a stretch where there were no cross streets. I continued on, but noted how the terrain had changed to a mix of swamps and green lowlands;the scent of decaying vegetation filled the air. Finally, I saw an indication of incline on the trail just ahead. I continued until I reached that point, which led onto a bridge that crossed over into the town of Orleans. I'd taken that particular ride last year, but decided It was time to stop and begin my return back. My outbound ride had expanded from twenty to twenty-six minutes. I scanned the map at trail-side; the spot I'd stopped at branched off the trail to a road that led to Rock Harbor. Years ago, this had all been part of the rail trail, but a relatively new set of bridges and interconnections built since then now totally bypasses that segue.    

As I rolled down the hill, I noticed a mile marker and pulled my bike to a stop. The mark showed I'd reached the town of Orleans: 

And so the slower and more observant return began. I soon reached a group of elder women who were taking a walk and I guessed they'd be knowledgeable about the local birds. I was right. One woman quickly identified a white bird in the nearby marsh to be an egret and another called attention to a massive nest atop a power line tower:  

The nest, atop the middle stanchion, was the home of a large Osprey. The bird itself was perched on the top of the left tower. Quite a sight and one I wouldn't have noticed on my own. I passed along my thanks, bid adieu to the women and continued down the path.  

Along the way, I saw several of the lakes and ponds I'd passed on the way out.  

By now, my muscles were getting a bit sore, but I carried on toward my goal. Near where I began, a large stone marks a distance where the trail is 100 miles from Boston.  Here's a glimpse of when I reached that point.  

After this stop, I circled back to my hotel and concluded a perfect morning by writing about the journey. If you like nature and are visiting Cape Cod, be sure to check out the wonderful Cape Cod Rail Trail.  

 

Rainy Day Jazz at Newport

The forecast didn't sound too bad. As I drove down from Massachusetts, the traffic moved well and my ride through Newport got me to an upper level parking area by 11:00.  I scouted for a spot to view the Fort Stage, ending up about 10 feet back of the sound tent and on the right side.  As I settled in, trumpeter Roy Hargrove began his set. I mostly know his music by reputation; he's one of the premier trumpet players in jazz.  Hargrove's music is in the tradition of Miles Davis and I imagined his group would have fit in nicely at the festival if they played during the Fifties or Sixties.  Hargrove's style is on the cool side, but he plays well with or without a mute. Midway through the set, he surprised me by putting the horn aside and singing a tenor vocal on a song called "From the Top of My Head." Here's a picture of the group:  

Next up was one of my favorite musicians, Pat Metheny. He began his set with a solo rendition of a piece on harp guitar. He'd strum a chord on the harp fingerboard, which would become the sonic background and then played melodies and solos over that.  It was a mellow way to begin the set. Here's the view of Pat on harp guitar: 

Next, he was joined by the members of his quartet, Antonio Sanchez on drums, Linda May Han Oh on bass and Gwilym Simcock on piano. Rather to my surprise, the group dipped back into some of Pat's earliest music.  The third song was a rendition of "Bright Size Life," the title track from his first album. It's one of my favorites, both to hear and play, so it was a treat to hear Pat laying out the melody and then soloing over the form. This group communicates very well and there was plenty of room for Pat to play quietly, then have space for the group raise the volume and intensity. 

They followed with more music from Bright Size Life and I think I also recognized music from his second album, Watercolors.  Things changed with Pat launched into one of my favorite songs of his, "James."  The music was delightful, but suddenly the band was competing with sheets of rain that made watching from the lawn seats a challenging ordeal. No matter how I adjusted my umbrella, I was getting soaked. From there, the weather only got worse. The band played a few more songs, and during of one the most furious bouts of rain, Pat serenaded us on solo acoustic guitar, moving from early songs like Phase Dance to other pieces in his oeuvre. Finally, the band came back and Pat switched over to his synth guitar in a powerful ensemble piece that ended the set. The musicians were superb. Simcock more than held his own on piano and added a lot of color in his comping and in his solos.  Sanchez has played with Metheny for years and drove the band forward or added the small parts of percussion as needed. Linda May Han Oh also shined during her solos, predominately on upright bass and meshed well with the group's fabric by providing the bottom end for the rhythm section.  

When the group's set ended, it was time to examine the mess. The lawn at Newport had become a sea of puddles and my cloth seat was soaked. I decided to move on and check out the music at the Harbor Stage.  I first heard Anat Cohen at Newport several years ago and she's become one of my favorite musicians to see live. She played in a duet with Brazilian guitarist Marcello Goncalves. Cohen plays clarinet with in a lyrical and articulate style. Goncalves had a delicate touch on acoustic seven string guitar and the two musicians played music that weaved bossa or samba rhythms with soaring melodies; sometimes they played alone and then the two of them would play together again. From my perch on the side, I heard the music quite well and was also able to see the musicians. 

I returned to the Fort Stage to catch the beginning of the music of Charles Lloyd. He's a jazz legend on tenor sax and was introduced by well-known jazz announcer Eric Jackson, who told stories of listening to his music during the Sixties.  I heard a couple of songs which were in the style of John Coltrane, then decided to see if I could get a drier spot over by the Quad Stage. Alas, the seats were already filling up under the tent in advance of an upcoming set from Jon Bastiste,  Having endured a very tough day, I decided to check out the beer tent. I got my over 21 wristband and ordered a pilsner from the sponsoring New Belgium beer company.  There was a spot to escape the rain after the purchase and I engaged in conversations with a couple of the other attendees.  Newport Jazz always attracts a highly diverse crowd from many locations on the east coast and I enjoy hearing why people decided to come and who they count among their favorite musicians.  

After a while, Jon Bastiste began to play on solo piano. He's from New Orleans and brought us music that draws from that heritage.  He played some energizing boogie-woogie piano and then played a meditative rendition, on piano and vocal, of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."  

One of the attractions for me on this day was to hear Laurie Anderson play live. I bought some of her music several years ago, but was highly curious about what she would bring to the main Fort Stage of Newport.  I returned to my spot, dried off as well as I could and sat down for her set. The group was a trio, all on stringed instruments.  Laurie plays electric violin and today she was accompanied by Newport Jazz's musical organizer, Christian McBride on upright bass and cellist Rubin Kodheli. Laurie is best known as a performance artist based in New York City and that connection was evident in her music on this occasion. The music itself was very intense, conveying a lot of emotion, but the sounds were really "out there," so not for everybody. From time to time, she added some trenchant commentary in the form of stories and even introduced us to a play called "The Birds" from Aristophanes, which seemed quite suitable, since we were being invaded by seagulls who were dive bombing the lawn area looking for food. All in all, I liked the set. Here's a view of the trio on stage and a sample of the rain gear in use by the audience: 

The final musician of the day on the Fort Stage was vocalist Andra Day. I was not familiar with her music, but wanted to give it a listen.  Andra draws from the R&B and gospel traditions, along with a healthy dose of social justice themes.  Her music ranged from upbeat stompers to tales of woe and for one song, a soulful ballad called "Rear Views," she sang with an impressive vocal range at both low and high volumes. The group had very good ensemble vocals; Andra was backed by two woman vocalists and both the drummer and keyboard player sometimes added lower pitches to the blend.  At the end of a long day, Andra's group played one more song that rocked Newport. The lead lyrics said: "I want it all and I want it now," and Andra belted the words out with intensity and feeling. Her guitarist Dave Wood also played well throughout and contributed an energetic hard rock solo to help close out the song as Andra left the stage. Her's a view of the band: 

That finished my day at Newport. I gathered my stuff, all still damp from the earlier storms, and sloshed back up the hill to my car along with hundreds of others.  

 

Return to the Cape

This past weekend, my wife Cindy and I returned to the Cape Cod to celebrate our 28th anniversary. Our Cape history goes back to the early years of our marriage and it's always been a special place for us. Richard Russo wrote a novel called Cape Cod Magic and truly it's always felt that way to us. Going to the Cape brings back old memories, but there's often new bits of experience in store. 

After a scrumptious seafood lunch at Seafood Sam's on the Sandwich side of the canal, I dropped Cindy at a local beach and strode back up a hump-backed boardwalk to my car. A few young men in white shirts and ties were unloading a truck and I wondered what that was all about. I'd find out later. I'm not much of a beach person, so I drove to the nearby Sandwich village and stopped in at the local library. Outside I saw this stone plaque in the shape off a book. 

The inscription had always been a favorite of the pastor at our church and it was a reminder that we all have choices about how we spend our time now and going forward. I relaxed with a favorite pursuit - reading in the library for a while - and recharged my phone. Then I set out on walk through the village. For about five years, some close friends had lived in Sandwich. It's a classic New England village, replete with homes that go back over 150 years, cute cafes and a cornucopia of bushes, beach grasses, and other greenery filling the  nooks and crannies between houses and shops. At one time, Sandwich connected dIrectly to the mainland before the canal was dredged and along my walk, I saw this stone which dated from that earlier time.  

 

 A while later I returned to the beach. As I again followed the boardwalk to the beach, I encountered an attractive, young woman in a open-backed, white dress accompanied by several other young women in light tan outfits -- a bridal party. Just ahead on the beach, a crowd had gathered by the water.  I found my wife about 100 yards further down the beach and we watched briefly as the wedding ceremony began. Just another bit of that Cape Cod magic.   

We drove up the Cape to our hotel in Wellfleet. A while later, we donned our swim suits and swam in an outdoor pool whose waters had been warmed using an array of solar panels. Our stay at the Cape had begun. We had a fine meal that evening at Van Rensselaer's a few miles down the road, which began with the local specialty -- fresh Wellfleet oysters. The rest of the meal was equally good and we began to settle in for a fun weekend. 

The next morning, we took to the bike path. The Cape Cod Rail Trail extends from Dennis to Wellfleet, so we were on the final portion heading up toward Marconi Beach.  Here's a look at a view of the bay side looking out from the trail:  

I'll close this post with a view of the bike trail itself looking towards it terminus. We'd been on the Cape less than a day, but we were already much more relaxed as we let the beauty of the outdoors weave its spell upon us. 

 

 

 

 

 

ACS Jazz Trio - Tribute at Newport

My first experience seeing jazz bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding was at the Newport Jazz Festival in 2011, after she had won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. This year, she was booked as part of the jazz trio Allen, Carrington and Spalding. Christian McBride, musical director for the festival, introduced the group and noted that the pianist Geri Allen had died about a month ago. However, the group wanted to play anyway as a tribute to her. To complete the trio, three pianists had agreed to sit in, beginning with Christian Sands, who had just finished playing a set with Christian McBride's Big Band.

On the first song, Esperanza began by singing a high pitched aria and then added her upright bass. Terri Lyne Carrington added polyrhythmic drum parts to drive the music forward. During Spalding's solo, her singing and bass felt like a single well honed unit, the bass driving the bottom and her vocals soaring high above, and all the while interacting with the pushes and prods of the other musicians.  This version of the band hit its stride on the second song, which was high speed, straight ahead jazz. Carrington propelled the group forward and added flourishes which reminded me of Elvin Jones. In this setting, Sands played in a more free flowing style than I seen when he was playing in the big band. The communication among the musicians was wonderful here, but begged the question of how it would have sounded if Allen had been there to add her own unique piano sounds.    

Here's a view of Spalding and Carrington with Christian Sands in the piano chair.  

After the third song, Sands left and Carrington offered some heartfelt words about how much they had enjoyed playing with Geri Allen and how they were offering this day's music as a tribute.  

The next pianist to join was Vijay Iyer, fresh off a set played with his own sextet. Piano is an amazingly versatile instrument and Vijay took it to different places. His flowing lines reminded me of the work of Chick Corea and Hiromi.  On this song, the structure reminded me of the Steve Swallow song Falling Grace, particularly when Esperanza was soloing over the passing chords and warm major key sounds. Here's a shot with Vijay.  

The group played a mix of standards and Allen's own compositions. On The Drumming Song, written by Allen, pianist Jason Moran joined the group. This song had a stark, spare beginning, before evolving into a ballad. Moran played precise flowing arpeggios, leaving space for Esperanza's bass lines and exquisite brush work from Carrington. Moran seemed the most comfortable of the pianists in this unusual context. His playing was supportive and also added color to the alchemy produced by the duo of Spalding and Carrington. Here's another shot of them in action.  

Before they finished, Esperanza talked about the ACS band and how they had wanted to play the standards within a trio format. She added that Allen's own compositions fit well and were standards in a sense. She again emphasized that this was a tribute, not just a set of all star jazz trios. The crowd sounded restless and she said, "we've got more for you."  

On the final song, all three pianists took turns. Early in the song, Esperanza cut loose on a fast-paced bebop solo and then segued into a melodic line as Christian Sands jumped back in. At this point, it felt like something special was happening. The music was clearly unrehearsed, but replete with energy. Sands stepped aside and Vijay re-joined with his much more vertical piano style.  In response, Spalding simplified her bass lines and Carrington banged out fills on her toms. As she shifted to her ride cymbal, Moran   took his turn and brought the music back to a bright melodic feel. Here's the trio with Moran playing.  

At the end, Esperanza chanted "Thank You, Geri" several times in succession with high energy, reaffirming that what we had just seen was a tribute and made possible by the music and spirit of Ms. Allen, not to mention all of these wonderful musicians. This peformance was one of my favorite moments in the years that I've attended Newport Jazz.  Thanks so much to all of the musicians for this special tribute.  

 

 

Notes on Newport Jazz - 2017

This year's excursion to the Newport Jazz Festival started with rain, but the skies eventually cleared and the great music of the day prevailed. The ride in was faster than usual, likely owing to the clouds overhead and a mixed forecast. Equipped with an umbrella, LL Bean rain jacket, a foldup chair and small pack, I rode the bus from the upper lot to the entrance. After a quick check through security, I got my program and headed to the main stage area and picked out a spot to the right about 150 feet back.  I checked the program and decided my next stop would be the Quad Stage, where a special show called Jazz 100 was just beginning.  

The seats by the Quad Stage were filled, so I skirted to the left. Rivulets of water scattered off of the tent's edge, but the music had begun. Jazz 100 featured an ensemble hand-picked by bandleader and pianist Danilo Perez and celebrated the music of Dizzy, Ella, Mongo & Monk.  The front line was fabulous: Chris Potter on saxophones, Avishai Cohen on trumpet and Josh Roseman on trombone. As I arrived Cohen played some melodic lines over a latin beat. A little while later, Potter took over. He played a powerful solo with echoes of Coltrane on tenor sax and the band drove hard behind him. The sound shifted to percussion. Roman Diaz stood behind an array of congas and other drums, laid down a Cuban jazz beat on his congas and accompanied them with energetic vocals in Spanish. At one point, drummer Adam Cruz joined him and overlaid cymbal work and Perez also jumped in to help  Eventually Cruz and Perez returned to their own instruments to restate the song's melody and bring it to a close. Perez followed with an angular solo piece dedicated to Thelonius Monk.  Next was the classic song Afro Blue. Here the rhythm section built a strong foundation between the drummers and bassist Ben Street, then sparse piano notes segued into the song. Josh Roseman led the front line on this one, then Cohen and Potter filled in harmonies on the melody ala the hard bop Blue Note sound of the late Fifties.  Here is what the band looked like at work (Perez is hidden by one of the many umbrellas):  

One treat was to hear Potter playing much of the time on soprano sax. Potter's tenor lines ripple through the history of jazz with nods to bebop, Dexter Gordon and more, but his soprano work is more ethereal and had sweet tones that reminded me of Wayne Shorter's best work on the instrument. As the band's music drew to a close, Potter's high notes floated above us all.  

I returned to the main area, formally called the Fort Stage.  The next band up was Christian McBride's big band.

McBride was a busy guy on this day. He's recently become the musical director for the festival, but here he was out front as the band leader.  The band has a huge brassy sound coupled with a healthy dose of funk. It was fun to see a bassist (McBride) leading the band and the material dipped deep into the music of jazz greats who'd influenced him including Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson and George Duke.  On Black Narcissus (by Henderson), saxophonist Ron Blake played a fine sax solo and was backed by Christian Sands on the piano. Next, McBride introduced a special guest, Warren Wolf on vibes. Wolf added another dimension to the band with his highly percussive approach to vibes and also filled out the bottom with ringing tones.  The last part of the song was very effective as Wolf laid the foundation and the tight horn section punched out its lines on a Cedar Walton tune.  McBride had a large band, but gave all of the musicians a chance to shine with lots of solos and tight ensemble work. The band put on a great show and had me smiling by the time they closed it out. And the rain had stopped and was over for the day.   

I'll write another post on Newport to talk about a special tribute that took place later that Saturday afternoon.  

Quad Stage Magic at Newport Jazz

One of the aspects of the Newport Jazz Festival which really works well is the multiple stage concept. True, it often seems like two groups you've just got to see are playing at the same time, but you can always split your time if you're really intent on seeing both acts.  

Newport normally has three stages, but this year a fourth smaller indoor venue was added. The main Fort stage often has the headliners, but sometimes the best action is on the other stages. My favorite tends to be the Quad Stage. Here, one walks through the walls of the fort (yes, there is still a Fort Adams) and arrives on an open field with a long tent set up to the right.  The stage is at the back of the tent, near the fort walls, but the tent also extended over a seating area with folding chairs, lawn seating and standing room along the sides.  In this more intimate venue, it's easier to see the musicians and the scale is much more manageable for all. 

After sitting in the sun for two hours on a hot Saturday afternoon, making my way into a shaded tent seat sounded like a great idea. I caught the very end of a set performed by a unique vocalist -- Jose James. His sound clustered with rap speed and a vocal style that reminded me of singers as diverse as Al Jarreau and Gil Scott Heron. After he finished, I sidled over to the folding chairs and settled into an aisle side seat. In about twenty minutes, the next act, the Hiromi Trio Project was ready to begin.  

My oldest son Jason is a huge Hiromi fan and he introduced me to her music at Newport a few years back. Hiromi is a young Japanese pianist who is visually striking.  She has a lean frame and jet black hair which seems to defy gravity.  The Quad Stage suited her group very well. A trio like hers tends to get swallowed up by the Fort stage, but here the size is just right. They began the set with a punchy vamp ala Chick Corea. The music built up and her percussive touch drove the band forward. Sometimes she'll bang out her piano lines and rocks forward and back until she momentum seems to propel her a few inches up off of her seat -- it's natural movement and fits the music. Here's a glimpse of Hiromi at work (she's on the left):  

 

She can create crystalline melodies with her right hand, then add the left to dive deep into the lower timbres of her piano.  The band was outstanding.  Anthony Jackson played an 8 string contra-bass guitar and was the rock who held together the music even when Hiromi embarked on flights of extended improvisation.  To the right, drummer Simon Phillips made full use of his large drum kit and lent a highly percussive counterpoint to the ensemble. Hiromi mainly played her acoustic piano, but at times stood up and added a synth line with her left hand while continuing to play melody lines with her right. Later she told us the names of her songs -- Warrior, Desire and Dreamer, to name a few. Her music touched many bases -- a two-handed ragtime feel flowed into chunky chords like Monk, then ultra-fast lyrical lines with her right hand accompanied by delicate brush work from Phillips. They closed the set with the title track from her latest album, Alive.  I wondered if any music I would hear later in the day could possibly match this.  I'll talk about that in my next post. This post is the second in a short series on the 2015 Newport Jazz Festival. The first post can be found here.  

Hot Jazz Afternoon at Newport

It's a challenge to keep up with new developments and artists in the jazz world.  The Newport Jazz Festival offers the best local remedy for people in the northeast US. This past Saturday was a near cloudless day and the bright sunshine attracted thousands to Newport. The streets were filled with visitors and bicyclists made much better time than drivers throughout much of the route to the seaside Fort Adams site.  

But all was forgiven when I was able to plunk down my lawn chair a couple hundred feet from the main stage and listen to the music. The site is right on the harbor and on a day like this sailboats take advantage of the breezes that flow through Narragansett Bay. Here is what it looked like facing the stage:  

 

Drummer Jack DeJohnette led the first act, a group aptly named Made In Chicago. As I found my seat, Jack was driving the band hard as they collectively improvised on their instruments. The musicians present had helped originate the classic late Sixties Chicago avant-garde sound - Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams and Larry Graham -- but still played with intensity and originality.  Not a bad way to start the day.  

The next act on the Fort Stage was new to me, but the Maria Schneider Orchestra had been highly recommended by a friend. Maria is a young, blonde-haired woman who writes music and leads a group of about twenty musicians. Maria has listed Gil Evans as an influence, but the music ranged widely. The  musical structures which left room for multiple horn players playing over the band reminded me of seeing the Gil Evans Band in Montreal in the late eighties, but the overall musical palette covered a lot of ground. Jazz guitarist Ben Monder was featured on a couple of different songs which illustrated the band's range. On an early tune in the set, Ben played a highly distorted and blazingly fast guitar sound reminiscent of early Al DiMeola, coupled with wails of Hendrix style feedback. On a later song, Ben's approach was quiet and lyrical, helping to paint the vision of Maria's home region of Minnesota countryside. Most of the music in the performance was from her latest album, The Thompson Fields. On another composition, dueling saxophonists played over choppy piano overlaid by orchestral textures.  On the final song, Stephen Wilson played immaculate soprano sax stating the melody with support from the rest of the band. Lately, there's been more big band jazz music evident at Newport; Maria Schneider showed that her work is an important example of this direction. Later, I purchased her CD and she seemed very down to earth as we chatted briefly about her music and jazz in the signing line.

I'll share a few more of my experiences from my day at Newport on my next post.   

Nantucket Stroll

Last weekend, we visited Nantucket for the first time. It's the off season, but we had fine weather -- perfect for strolls in the village and along the beaches. We departed from Hyannis. At this time of year, the logistics are easy -- park the car, hop a shuttle and scoot onto the ferry. We were a mite tardy, but they let me grab my tickets. We ascended onto the upper deck and here's what we saw as the ferry began to pull away.

The ferry itself was quite modern and designed for speed. Nantucket is 27 miles from Hyannis, but we made the trip in an hour, reaching speeds of up to 40 mph when on the open seas. I'm accustomed to having time to read and relax on ferry trips, but this time I sighted land after reading just a couple items from the Sunday paper. The water vantage point offers fine views of the village:

We stepped off the ferry and quickly found a casual place to eat -- the Easy Street Cantina. My wife got the last of the lobster salad rolls, but my son and I were content to munch on falafels and sip from raspberry lemonades. We were staying at a B & B, so we set out to find it after lunch. We ended up walking a bit too far, but enjoyed a stint out in the bright sunlight. We circled back and soon found the right spot. We got settled in pretty quickly and then checked out the view from the deck attached to our room.

It was wonderful to be able to stay at a place right near a small beach and within easy walking distance to the downtown.  My wife decided to nap on the veranda, but my son and I set out to explore the village.  We walked toward the center of town and soon encountered cobblestones underfoot on the roadways and inlaid brick on the sidewalks.  Soon we reached Main Street and found a sign which helped to orient us -- turns out we were only about 3700 miles away from Paris.  

We turned back to Main Street and began walking up its slight incline.  The street is lined with numerous shops.  We'd noticed the buildings near the waterfront all looked relatively new, but the buildings seemed to get older as we walked further up Main Street.  A bookstore on the left caught our eyes.  Inside, the books were neatly arrayed on the shelves and I quickly found myself thumbing pages of books by David Foster Wallace, Thomas Pynchon and Robert Silverberg.  Tempted, but not hooked, we eventually moved on.  I'll finish this post with a glimpse of Main Street as it looked on this comfortable spring day.  

In my next post, I'll talk more about our walk into Nantucket's history and reflect on a few of the sights we met along the way.  

Writer's Notebook: Signs of the Seasons

Fall in New England is one of my favorite seasons.  I've lived in New England most of my life, but never tire of the variety this season brings to us. 

Yesterday, I rode with a business colleague through New Hampshire and Vermont.  It was Columbus Day, sometimes celebrated as a holiday in the United States, and often touted as a great weekend for viewing foliage.  Well, in most years, you won't see much but bare trees in Northern New England by the time that weekend rolls around.  Happily, this year is an exception.  We had copious amounts of rain in the Spring and enough during the summer so that the foliage this year is rich in colors of gold, harvest brown, and pumpkin orange, and many shades in between.  Smoke from wood fireplaces drifts in the air, stirring ancient urges to gather around the warmth.  As the temperature drops, we develop a taste for hearty meals such as stews, curries, and ragouts, washed down by mugs of hot cider, cocoa and pints of auburn ale. 

Frost warnings permeate the weather forecasts, but often the days are still warm enough to enjoy our favorite outdoor activities, be it tossing a football, riding a bike, hiking a trail or walking with your pet. 

For a writer, autumn presents backgrounds that tickle the senses, but the season also works as a metaphor for the passing of years and the progression toward mortality.  I've included scenes of Fall in my novels and the nip in the air, variegated colors of leafy canopies and harvest aromas can transport the reader directly to that destination, bringing it alive. 

As a reader, how to you react to seasons in writing?  Do authors draw you in with the vivid descriptions of the change that Autumn or Winter brings?  Or is there a hidden terror in these periodic changes of life and its rhythms? 

If you are a writer or another type of artist, how important are the seasons in your work?  Do they inspire you?  Do they transport your characters to new realizations or spiritual yearnings?  Let's talk about the seasons and how they affect your art.