Modern Jazz
Jazz enthusiasts know who the great jazz
musicians were and what the classic jazz albums are. These artists will
never be forgotten. Because I grew up slightly south of Chicago, and
because my folks are avid jazz listeners, they often took me to see many
of the greats when they were still alive and playing. I feel very
fortunate as a kid to have experienced first hand the musical talents of
Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson and the MJQ,
Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Tony Williams, McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey, and
Buddy Rich. Though most of these classic musicians are no longer with us,
there are plenty jazz musicians of the younger generations who are
certainly living up to the legacy of the greats.
I’ve heard people say things like
“nothing good has happened in jazz since the 60’s,” or “nobody is
musically saying anything these days.” It’s like when people say
“Saturday Night Live stinks since the old cast left” and surely enough
the new cast turns out to be classic. I enjoy keeping up with modern jazz
as much as I can, and I’ve heard many incredible jazz musicians play
some great modern music. I just wanted to mention a few actively
performing artists that I feel have produced some great music in the
period of about 1985 to the present, and mention those CD’s that never
stray too far from the stereo because they get played so much!
Of all the live performances
I’ve ever seen, nothing has surpassed my experiences of The Pat
Metheny Group. I’ve been listening to his group since my college
days, but never had the chance to see them live until their Speaking Of
Now tour stopped in St. Louis. Seeing this group is more like going to
a rock show in terms of lights and staging, with the big difference being
that the musicians on stage truly have an abundance of talent! They played a 3 hour 10 min show (with
no intermission) of wonderful music that Metheny and Lyle Mays had written
and recorded over the years. Their performance was absolutely rich in
sounds, textures, moods, dynamics, orchestrations, improvisations,
variety, and anything thing else you can think of. As a friend put it, their
concert was just an all-around great musical experience! After seeing them
a second time at the College of Dupage, and a third time for their “The
Way Up” tour, I will certainly make a point to see this group as long as
they continue to make music. I particularly like The Way Up, Speaking Of Now, Still Life Talking, The
Road To You, Letter From Home, We Live Here, and Offramp. Metheny's website is also fantastic especially if you want in depth insight into his
music and how he thinks about music.
The Christian McBride
Quartet knocked my socks off at the Iowa City Jazz festival one year when
they performed a very eclectic and exciting set of killer original jazz,
then lightened the mood up and grooved with some classic R&B bass
riffs including some audience participation on a Rapper’s Delight tune.
He truly had every single person from the serious jazz listener to the
folks who just happened to be there in the palm of his hand with his
outstanding musicianship and on-stage charisma. I was very much looking
forward to the following act, but at the same time I felt sorry for anyone
who had to follow that performance. Wow! I particularly like Christian’s
CD Sci-Fi (2000), an eclectic album of interesting originals and
some renditions of tunes by Steely Dan and Jaco. His liner notes are also
very entertaining and informative.
Two different players in two
different times, but the sense of raw energy and passion I get from
listening to Coltrane is very similar to the feeling I get when listening
to Kenny Garrett. It’s also refreshing that Kenny’s tastes in
music seem to be very eclectic, but no matter what style his music is in,
I feel like he plays it with such integrity. If you want to hear mostly
simplistic and easy listening ideas then listen to Simply Said. If
you want more complex modern jazz with lots of raw energy then listen to Songbook.
If you want to groove to some funky hip-hop jazz then listen to Happy
People. Or better yet if you just want to hear good spirited music
then listen to ALL of his albums. He definitely doesn’t hold back in a
live performance, and you might even catch him on break speaking to
various folks in fluent Japanese.
(Photo: Cassie Hart, Kenny Garrett, and Kevin Hart).
McCoy Tyner
is of course one of the older guys on my list, but he always sound fresh
and modern to me. His energetic and powerful style has influenced many
pianists who have come after him, and some of his stylistic trademarks
continue to thrive in most modern piano players. Hearing him live a few
times were very special experiences for me. Sitting within arms reach of
the piano I got to hear and feel that energy and intensity first hand that
I always heard on record. Wow! Meeting McCoy was also a thrill, and it’s
especially nice to see an artist of his stature be friendly and personable
with fans. I brought the Parkland Jazz Combo class to see him in Chicago
and told my students to make a point to meet him, and McCoy was nice to
every one of them. His work with Coltrane in the 60’s, and his own
recordings and works as a sideman through the present are all great stuff.
For something more recent I really like McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke
and Al Foster (2000).
The late Elvin Jones has
been doing his thing since the 60’s when he played drums with John
Coltrane, but he continued sounding fresh, exciting, and modern to me
whenever I heard him. I first saw Elvin in the early 90’s with his own
group which included a young Nicholas Payton and Ravi Coltrane (son of
John). Many musicians I’d been hanging around with at the time all
seemed to think that Elvin’s style was all about bashing and crashing
behind soloists. It became evident to me from that and future performances
that Elvin’s musicianship was much deeper. He’d play chorus upon
chorus of subtle time, just making you feel good and setting the mood. As
the music developed he continued to add a little more here and there,
keeping you in suspense. Occasionally along the way he’d surprise you
and throw you a curve, and if the music was going that direction, he’d
explode! He was very dynamic, and I truly felt like I was experiencing a
direct extension of his personality. I love his older work especially with
Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and Larry Young. A few newer recordings I really
like are John McGlaughlin’s After The Rain and Michael
Brecker’s Time Is Of The Essence.
After all of this time I
finally got to hear one of my vibe heroes Bobby Hutcherson live in
Chicago during the Spring of 2003. I’ve heard him on numerous records as
a sideman, and it’s always with musicians I really like. His own albums
not only showcase his modern approach to the vibes, but his thoughtful
compositions as well. He was also a joy to meet in person and was happy to
tell stories of how his Skyline CD (1999), one of my personal
favorites, came together and how his family and the movie Superman
inspired that particular recording. As with modern jazz veterans Elvin and
McCoy I was again thrilled by his energy and youthful spirit.
During my college days I played
drums in a fusion band called “Backsreets” led by my friend
Steve Wunder (no kidding). Steve gave us cassettes of all the material he
wanted the band to learn, and his taste in music provided me a great
introduction to fusion jazz. Of that stuff, the Yellowjackets
material always stood out as being exceptional to me. I loved Will
Kennedy’s drumming, Russell Ferrante’s sounds and textures on keys,
Jimmy Halsip’s killer bass work, and of course their satisfying
compositions. The band has changed a little since the 80’s, and the
addition of saxophonist, arranger, and composer Bob Mintzer was the icing
on the cake! Listening to this group live a few years ago at the Jazz
Kitchen in Indianapolis (with Peter Erskine on drums) was comparable to
something like eating the most flavorful meal you’ve ever tasted. There
was always something going on musically that made me think mmmmm, oooooh,
aaaaah. I have since heard them with their newest drummer Marcus Baylor,
and they just keep getting better! Of their more recent CD’s I really
like Blue Hats, Greenhouse, and Time Squared.
Since
his retirement from the Berklee School of music, vibraphonist Gary
Burton and his Generations Quintet
are sure making their rounds these days.
It’s a good thing too, because it’s not often that you’ll hear a
group as well rehearsed as this. Gary always finds incredible, youthful
musicians, and leads the way with his own incredible musicianship. They
play modern, interesting compositions, many of which are written by the
talented young musicians in his band. Gary is currently featuring a
sixteen year-old guitarist Julian Lage who plays, and writes way beyond
his years! Get the album Generations, and better yet, go catch this
group live in an intimate setting like the Jazz Showcase in Chicago!
Pianist Benny Green embodies
a combination of incredible talent, personality, and kindness. I’ve
heard him play several times, each was full of energy and swinging like
crazy. The best experience though was when he was our guest artist at the
Rootabaga Jazz festival in Galesburg Illinois. He of course inspired
everyone with his amazing talent, but he further inspired everyone with
his kindness. In fact, he gave a friend and myself a piano lesson, and
wouldn’t accept any money. He said that it actually wasn’t a lesson,
but that we were just getting together to “share some ideas.” Yeah
right! Not only does he have a talent for music, but for modesty as well.
(Photo: Daniel Leahy, Benny Green, and Kevin Hart).
Organist Joey Defrancesco and
his trio with Paul Bolenbeck and Bryon Landrum were an awesome experience
as well. They played many hard-swinging standards with fantastic solos
throughout the night, but the thing that struck me the most was the
comfort level that they seemed to have together as a group. It was very
obvious that they have been playing together for a long, long time.
Michael Brecker and his
group with Larry Goldings, Adam Rodgers, and Idris Mohammed were fantastic
at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago a few years back. They were playing tunes
mostly from Brecker’s “Time
is of the Essence” album, and really putting out some major energy! In
addition to the album mentioned above, I also really enjoy “Tales from
the Hudson,” and “Michael Brecker.”
I could go on and on about all
of the living great modern jazz artists worth checking out, but I’ll
wrap things up by mentioning a few others that I’ve really enjoyed
either on CD and/or in a live setting. Guitarist/bassist (at the same
time) Charlie Hunter - what a great feeling he creates. Stephon
Harris - a modern vibraphonist full of fire, and has an awesome group.
Guitarist John Scofield – very eclectic, and always putting an
unusual twist on things. Alto saxophonist Greg Osby - I loved his
hour and a half show of non-stop great music at the Iowa City Jazz Fest.
Saxophonist Joshua Redman - who continues to expand his musical
horizons, and is always a great listen. Pianist Darryl Grant - has
a really nice CD called Smokin’ Java.
Other musicians I have enjoyed
for many years and hope to see in concert sometime soon are the eclectic
pianists Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, saxophonist and
composer Wayne Shorter, and the adventurous pianist Keith
Jarrett.
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