Jazzoids Go to Summer Camp

Ever since the series of American Pie movies came out, band camp has been stereotyped as a place for musically talented geeks to fiddle on their instruments, march around, and then return from band camp with stories that no one else cared to hear.

Band camp has changed…well, at least one “band camp”.

Medeski, Martin and Wood recently accepted applications to the Second Annual Camp MMW, running from August 4th through August 9th. This is not your everyday camp, as you can probably already guess.

For starters, you are at camp with Medeski, Martin, and Wood. I’m sure that being said, we have already taken any music camp up about twelve notches. The camp takes place at the Full Moon Resort, the foreground to 80,000 acres of New York State’s stunning Catskill Mountain wilderness.

The camp is all about musical exploration, growth, and interaction. This is not some camp where a well known band puts their name on it and shows up for an end of the week concert. On the contrary, MMW is intensely hands on. As the website for the camp boasts, I could be a trumpet player working on mastering rhythm with drummer Billy Martin, a guitarist studying melody with keyboardist John Medeski, or a pianist that wants to develop my groove with bassist Chris Wood.

Discovery is the theme of the camp, where all musicians are put in positions to break out of their comfort zones and bad habits, and explore a creative side of themselves that they have yet to meet.

There are some aspects of Camp MMW that resemble a traditional summer camp in some ways. All accommodations are shared, and sharing living quarters with someone you know is discouraged as it may hinder the creative process. There is a dining hall (complete with all-organic meals), swimming, bonfires, and even a dance party. And of course, there will be performances from MMW as well as jam sessions to participate in.

The application process, however, is slightly different than the average camp you might like to attend. The group selected to attend is not large, and in order to be considered applicants must submit two samples of music in Mp3 format only (one sample of applicants playing original music on their instrument with no accompaniment), alongside a non-refundable $50 application fee.

If you are one of the few who is accepted, the cost of the camp for the five days will run you $2000. Clearly going to camp with the big boys doesn’t come cheap.

Certainly there are musicians who I might favor more than Medeski, Martin, and Wood. But after thinking about it, there might not be a more interesting and fun trio to have head up a camp like this. For musicians looking to grow and become more creative, heading to camp with these three extremely creative musicians could be just the ticket. And feel free to come back and tell me all about it.

Michael Jackson covered by Brazilian star Caetano Veloso

Well, everyone else is doing it, so I’ll put in my 2 cents on The King of Pop. I wasn’t a fan growing up. My sister had a copy of Thriller and played it over and over and over and after a few months, even through my door & her door and another wall between, those songs were permanently stuck in my head. Looking back, Michael Jackson wrote some great songs and those three albums produced by Quincy Jones – Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad – loom large in the American Pop canon.

The other day, a friend and I were trying to think of people who have covered Michael Jackson songs. They’re few and far between in my mind, but a few days later I was sent this link of Brazilian pop superstar Caetano Veloso’s version of “Billie Jean” and I was blown away. With a Brazilian intro & a Beatles coda, this version strips MJ’s version down to the sweet melody and reveals a beauty I hadn’t heard before.

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. Thank you, Caetano Veloso.

~abe beeson

Concert Review: Arturo Sandoval 6/25/09 at Jazz Alley

Every time Arturo Sandoval comes to town, I try to make a point of bringing someone who has never seen him before with me. Sometimes I will go as far as taking someone that I know doesn’t particularly care for jazz. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a challenge, but maybe more of a point of pride to know ahead of time that there is one concert I can literally bring anyone to, and they will walk away with their mind completely blown.

The opening set Thursday night didn’t let me down. I spent most of the drive from Tacoma to Seattle talking up the concert to my guest, who by the time we showed up I’m sure had heard enough from me and was just ready to hear what all the hype was about.

There was an initial skeptical raise of the eyebrows from my guest when Sandoval walked on stage and opened the first song with synthesized strings from his keyboard. I slumped in my chair, but only for a moment. The keyboard playing stopped and the horns were picked up, and we started to hear exactly what I said we would hear: a true trumpet virtuoso with an incredible high energy band.

If you attend Sandoval concerts on a regular basis, the set list might seem a little predictable. That might be the only thing you can truly prepare yourself for, even if you attend his shows regularly. You know he is going to play high and fast, but it is still going to blow your mind when you hear it. His tone, his band, no matter how many times you hear it, you are never disappointed.

The band featured Ed Calle on tenor saxophone, who I always walk away wondering why I don’t hear more of him on recordings. While his sound certainly has Latin roots, his solos definitely demonstrate the influences of Wayne Shorter and Michael Brecker.

Aside from Sandoval admittedly being a little distracted by the news released earlier in the day of the death of music icon Michael Jackson, and seemingly never being satisfied with the volume (or lack thereof) being put out by his bass player, the concert was once again spectacular. Once a year someone makes the uneducated comment that Sandoval doesn’t have the chops that he used to. And every year he comes to town and shows with his range, tone, and ability to play tirelessly  that the chops are more than fine.

And once again, Arturo Sandoval and the band managed to blow the mind of my guest. And I would be lying if I said my mind wasn’t once again blown as well.

Call and Response – My Thoughts on Your Thoughts Volume 1

I figured it is about time that I offer up some thoughts to some of the wonderful comments and contributions that we’ve received on Groove Notes so far. Thanks to everyone who has offered an opinion so far, and keep ‘em coming!

First, my response to jazz radio legend and fellow KPLUer Jim Wilke’s comment to my December 17, 2008 poll asking readers to vote on who would win the jazz Grammy awards this year. Jim wrote:

“Judging artistic achievement is NOT like judging giant pumpkins. You can’t weigh a jazz solo. However, Americans love a competition and that’s why we have the Grammys, the Oscars, even the Country Music Awards. I rather prefer an unranked list of significant achievements, because what I like is not necessarily what you will like, but hopefully we can both appreciate the artisanship, imagination and skill that goes in to producing an exceptional recording. Is this one “better” than that one? I wouldn’t want to be “the great decider” to that question.“

I agree with Jim. How are we to decide better or worse with such a wide variety of artistic contributions? Personal taste, I suppose. While we all might agree that certain qualities go into what makes a “great” recording, I think it is safe to say that we, in general, love to offer our opinions on what recording might be the “best”. Whether it is or it isn’t, it is fun to talk about.

Next, I received several responses to my post “My Top 10 Jazz Albums That You Probably Don’t Own“. Tom T writes:

“Are you kidding me? These are good tracks, but not the best 10. Come on. Get real.“

One might get offended, but not me. In fact, I enjoy responses like these. I never offer Top 10 lists as a universal list that everyone should accept. I only post lists based on my own personal opinions and personal tastes. In most cases, readers offer their own lists, which results in me buying their suggestions and expanding my own personal music library. I hope everyone can accept that my lists are simply personal, and that I always encourage everyone to make their thoughts just as personal, whether offering their own lists, or their thoughts on mine.

On a similar note, my April 25th post “The Debate Over Coltrane’s Best” ask readers to vote on what they think John Coltrane’s best album was in a poll, and offer their thoughts. As of today, A Love Supreme is in the lead with 39 percent of the vote, while Coltrane’s Ballads release is bringing up the rear with 4 percent. Keep the votes coming!

And finally, I received an overwhelming number of responses to my post “Where is the Fine Line in Jazz?“, offering perspectives on whether or not Steely Dan’s album Aja belongs on jazz radio after a listener to my radio show wrote in and scolded me.

There were several people saying “play what you want”, while many others felt like it should belong on the local classic rock station. Nick Francis writes:

“If this tune were performed with traditional acoustic jazz instruments rather than the electric ones on the record, absolutely NO ONE would consider this tune a rock or pop tune. The pop and rock elements are only on the surface.“

Thomas Marriott responds with:

“Well said and very true, but it isn’t performed that way and I think that’s what probably bothers the listener who wrote in.“

But my favorite line comes from former colleague Troy Oppie:

“…if you don’t like something… just take a 5-minute break. Something new will be on then, and it’s very likely to be something I like.”

Thanks to everyone who wrote in. Troy is right. If you don’t like something, come back in a few minutes, and you will probably hear something you do like. That is the great thing about jazz radio.

My thoughts on Aja? Truthfully, it is an album I can honestly say I will never buy. Not because I think it is or isn’t jazz, has talented musicians on it or not, or is or isn’t well produced. I wont buy it, well, because I don’t want to. And I have that right and freedom, without having to go into any more detail than that.

Keep those comments coming, and thanks for reading!

Emerging Artist: Melody Gardot

Perhaps singer Melody Gardot has already emerged, but I feel that it is safe to say that while her popularity has risen quickly, Melody is still in the early stages of what will be a long, wonderful career.

What is most interesting, and truly inspiring, is the story of how twenty-four year old Melody Gardot came to be a singer and songwriter.

Melody was 19 at the time of the accident. She was in fashion school, and played piano at a handful of nightclubs in the Philadelphia area. She was riding her bicycle when a car took a turn and hit Melody, fracturing her pelvis and skull, among other injuries.

It was music that she held to for inspiration during the several months she spent in the hospital, and through rehabilitation. She stayed positive writing music and singing, and even recording from her hospital bed.

Life since leaving the hospital has not necessarily been easy. Melody is extremely sensitive to light and sound, and is prone to headaches. She is forced to wear dark glasses, and requires the assistance of a cane to walk.

Even with the great pain she deals with on a daily basis, and the fact that loud noise can only enhance that pain, Gardot continues to take her music career to the next level. Following a wonderful debut release Worrisome Heart, her new album My One and Only Thrill has peaked at number two on the jazz charts. With the exception of Over the Rainbow, the album is made up entirely original compositions, and offers a mellow, laid-back feel to compliment her warm, smokey tone.

I’m never one to suggest that anyone buy an album or listen to a musician out of sympathy, or the story behind the musician…so I wont. The music itself is worth the purchase. But to know not only what a person went through, but what she goes through on a daily basis while still managing to produce such wonderful music only heightens my appreciation for what one musician can do.

Watch Melody Gardot sing Worrisome Heart:

Other blog entries from the Emerging Artist Series

Grace Kelly

Ryan Keberle

Just for Fun – Tractor Style

Rumors of Jazz Movies

It seems like it has been a couple years since I heard whispers of two jazz related films that were in pre-production. I hadn’t heard anything about either of these projects in a while, and decided to do some digging.

The first film I originally heard about from Abe Beeson on Evening Jazz a couple years ago. He had mentioned that Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor, Lucky Number Slevin) would play Chet Baker in a film called The Prince of Cool.

The concept of this film surfaced during the same time that the life of musicians Ray Charles and Johnny Cash were being put on the silver screen, becoming huge cinematic hits.

The problem, as it turns appears, is that the reasons that producers wanted to create a Chet Baker biopic and the reasons Josh Hartnett wanted to create a Chet Baker biopic were completely different. While producers wanted to rush a project in order to capitalize on the Ray and Walk the Line bandwagon, Josh Hartnett claims that he wanted to dedicate a significant amount of time and thought to the project, making it unique and original. Because Hartnett (apparently a huge jazz fan), and the producers could not come to agreement on their differences, Hartnett withdrew from the project and that is that.

The second film of note accumulated press in 2006 upon the announcement of it, but there has been little word of it since. The film is called The Jazz Ambassadors, and is set to star Morgan Freeman as Duke Ellington.

This is not so much of a biography of Duke, as it is a look at what role members of Duke’s entourage might have had in the 1963 coup let by the CIA in Iraq.

That’s right. It is suggested that the CIA planted spies within Duke’s band as they toured the Middle East. While your first reaction might be “yeah right”, U.S. State Department official Tom Simons, who toured with Duke’s band in the Middle East, is working on the project.

Maybe “working on the project” is a loose term to use, as I struggled to find much work being done on the project announced three years ago at all. Freeman (who I think would make an excellent Ellington) is involved on a variety of other projects currently, as is the designated director of the film, and the only suggested release date I came up with is 2011, posted on IMDB.com.

The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Benny Goodman

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of jazz legend Benny Goodman.

Goodman put jazz on the pop charts, commissioned classical composers like Bartok and Stravinsky to write music for him, brought the first jazz band to Carnegie Hall, and helped break the jazz color barrier.

Rather than offer my own thoughts and reviews, I want to direct you to a wonderful appreciation I heard this morning on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, done by Tom Vitale.

The audio looks back over what brought Goodman from poverty to a superstar, and Tom discusses Goodman with clarinetist Anat Cohen, who is transcribing Goodman’s solos for his centennial celebration next month at the Village Vanguard.

Click here to hear and read Tom Vitale’s appreciation. Enjoy!

1959 – 50 Years Ago and Still the Best Year in Jazz

50 years ago certainly told some sad stories in jazz, including the death of Billie Holiday and Lester Young. But 1959 still appears to be the year that produced some of the most influential albums in jazz history. Here is a list of the best from 1959 (and thanks to Robin Lloyd for the list, and pointing out their similar anniversary).

1. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis

The most legendary album in jazz history easily takes the top spot on this list. The original album still sells 5,000 copies a week. A two-CD “Legacy Edition” version of this album was released celebrating the 50th anniversary, including alternate takes, false starts, and a 17-minute live version of So What.




2. Time Out – Dave Brubeck

The album that left the 4/4 time signature behind, was the first jazz album to have a single (Take Five) that sold one million copies. Sony will release its own 50th Anniversary edition of Time Out this Tuesday, featuring three discs. Disc one will feature a newly remastered edition of the original. Disc two is a 30-minute DVD interview with Dave Brubeck talking about the making of Time Out, with never before seen footage, and Disc three is a compilation of recently discovered tapes at the Newport Jazz Festival from 1961, 1963, and 1964.

3. Giant Steps – John Coltrane

Another great album where every song became a jazz standard. The album features two different trios, with bassist Paul Chambers being the only member to participate in both. Constant chord changes and wonderful improvisation made this a classic.

4. Mingus Ah Um – Charles Mingus

As mentioned earlier, the great Lester Young died in 1959, and Mingus Ah Um is highlighted with a wonderful tribute to Young called Good Bye Pork Pie Hat. Columbia has also released a two disc “Legacy Edition” of this album this year, featuring unedited versions of tunes that were shortened for the original version, as well as some great outtakes.

5. The Shape of Jazz to Come – Ornette Coleman

Released exactly 50 years ago last Friday, The Shape of Jazz to Come basically said “forget about the rules, just let me play”. That might sound sloppy (the description, not the music), but Coleman might have just looked at things differently than those before him. He always heard a melody, and managed to create great jazz with freedom that didn’t sound chaotic.

Where is the Fine Line in Jazz?

I was recently scolded by a listener.

It is not unusual for a radio jock to get an unhappy email from a listener. In my experience, it almost always has to do with a song that is played, overplayed, or not played enough, and even though it is the music that the listener has an issue with, it is the radio host who gets the blame.

It was this most recent complaint that came across as far more angry than your average letter. In fact, the note made it quite clear that after hearing a particular song, the individual was “through” listening to my program.

The song in question was the title track to the Steely Dan album Aja. The complaint, in short, was that Steely Dan didn’t play jazz, and that Aja wasn’t jazz and didn’t sound like jazz, even if Steely Dan was a jazz band by nature.

My initial reaction to letters like this is to respond with a common defense, which is to suggest that jazz is a free art form that knows no borders, and that just because it doesn’t sound like Coltrane or Charlie Parker doesn’t disqualify it as jazz. But in this case, and for the purpose of this blog, I decided to take a deeper look.

Allmusic.com suggests that Steely Dan plays in the styles of Soft Rock, Pop/Rock, Jazz-Rock, and Album Rock, and the album Aja is listed under the same headings. In fact, if I was to try and find Aja on ITunes, I would have to look under the rock genre, not the jazz genre. Ok, so maybe not a lot in my corner so far.

But then you look a little deeper. The song Aja features some great jazz musicians, including Wayne Shorter, one of the most legendary musicians in jazz history, and sax man Pete Christlieb. The problem with that, after doing my research, is that to consider Steely Dan/Aja as jazz, based on the fact that Shorter and Christlieb play on it would also qualify the following musicians/bands as jazz: Santana, Don Henley, The Rolling Stones, Lee Ann Womack, John Denver, Vanessa Williams, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Christina Aguilera, and yes, Tony Danza. These musicians all recorded with either Shorter or Christlieb, none of which would qualify as jazz musicians or jazz bands (although Tony Danza’s album was packed full of standards).

I also can’t argue the improvisational factor. Certainly there are improvised solos on this track, even good ones, but I’ve heard good improvised solos from Slash of Guns N’ Roses too, and that doesn’t make Paradise City a jazz tune.

Pete Christlieb, ironically enough, will actually be in town at a jazz club soon performing with a group called Nearly Dan, paying tribute to the music of Steely Dan. I might have that in my corner, if they weren’t doing a pre-concert interview on our local classic rock station. That, and the fact that you could probably do a jazz tribute to Megadeath if you got the right band and arrangements together doesn’t put a lot on my side either.

So did I lose this one? Did I cross the line with Aja? Should I have just responded with “Jazz is free, it has no boundaries”? Should I have said “I’m the DJ, I’ll play what I want”?

Maybe I did the best thing I could do, and just not write back.