Albums We Love: Lee Morgan’s “Charisma”
Lee Morgan’s recorded output was so prodigious in the 1960’s that it’s easy for a record such as Charisma to fall through the cracks. That would be a shame because Charisma, recorded in 1966, is a hard bop gem. Morgan is joined on this one by some familiar faces which may account for the relaxed and joyful spirit of the album. Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean – a frequent Morgan ally – is on board along with tenor Hank Mobley (another longtime collaborator), pianist Cedar Walton, who contributes a lovely ballad, and a rhythm section of drummer Billy Higgins and bassist Paul Chambers. McLean, Mobley and Walton, like Morgan, all served apprenticeships in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.
Morgan by this time had established himself as a leading exponent of the hard bop sound. He had also enjoyed crossover success in the pop/R&B markets. The title tune from his 1963 album The Sidewinder spent time on the pop charts in 1964, a rarity for a jazz record. The sound on Charisma doesn’t stray far from the winning formula found on earlier Morgan albums like The Sidewinder and Cornbread (which featured his ballad masterpiece “Ceora”). But though the formula may be familiar the sound on Charisma is always fresh, swinging and soulful.
Morgan pulled from a number of influences including Latin, boogaloo, blues and R&B to create songs that were catchy and often danceable. All of those ingredients are in full play on Charisma starting with the funky lead-off track “Hey Chico” which gives way to the propulsive bop grind of “Somethin’ Cute.” Duke Pearson contributed two songs and his rollicking “Sweet Honey Bee” is a further highlight. Unlike so many jazz reissues these days, Charisma contains no “alternate takes” or “bonus material”; no filler here, just pure and joyous hard bop from a master at the top of his game.
Chris Darkins, Host of The Bridge on Monday mornings.
International Jazz Day
Today is the final day of Jazz Appreciation Month…and it’s also International Jazz Day.
A bit of history:
“In November 2011, during the UNESCO General Conference, the international community proclaimed 30 April as “International Jazz Day”. This International Day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate and learn about the art of Jazz, its roots, its future and its impact. The goal is to celebrate Jazz for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity, eradicating discrimination, promoting freedom of expression, fostering gender equality, and reinforcing the role of youth for social change.”
The first International Jazz Day intends to:
-Celebrate the unique musical style that jazz represents!
-Raise international awareness of the need for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding;
-Mobilize the intellectual community, decision-makers, cultural entrepreneurs, cultural and educational institutions and the media to promote jazz-related values as a vector of UNESCO’s mandate, pioneering role and intellectual mission;
-Reinforce international cooperation and communication in the field of jazz music.
The all-day event culminates with a Sunset Concert:
The worldwide programs and events will conclude in New York City at the United Nations General Assembly Hall with an historic sunset concert certain to be one of the most heralded jazz celebrations of all time, with confirmed artists including Herbie Hancock, Tony Bennett, Terence Blanchard, Richard Bona, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Candido, Ron Carter, Vinnie Colaiuta, Robert Cray, Eli Degibri, Jack DeJohnette, Sheila E., Jimmy Heath, Hiromi , Zakir Hussain, Chaka Khan, Angelique Kidjo, Lang Lang, Joe Lovano, Romero Lubambo, Shankar Mahadevan, Wynton Marsalis, Hugh Masekela, Christian McBride, Danilo Pérez, Tineke Postma, Dianne Reeves, Troy Roberts, Bobby Sanabria, Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and Tarek Yamani. George Duke will serve as Musical Director. Confirmed Co-Hosts include Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Quincy Jones.
We hope you’ll spend a bit of time today appreciating Jazz. Whether it’s attending a show this evening, or reading about the music, or just listening to it at home. Happy International Jazz Day!
Festival Picks: Soul’d Out 2012
For the past three years, the Soul’d Out Music Festival has been bringing some of the best Jazz, Soul, Funk and R&B music in the world to Portland. Soul’d Out is held in venues throughout the city, encouraging attendees to branch out to new venues and neighborhoods. This year’s festival boasts a fantastic assortment of music for your listening pleasure…here are our picks:
Tuesday, April 17th – Jon Cleary’s Philthy Phew @ Dante’s – 8 PM
The accomplished singer-songwriter makes a rare Portland appearance with his new band. Cleary was born in England, but has spent the past 20+ years in New Orleans. He’s played with Bonnie Rait, Dr. John, BB King and more. His appearance at the Soul’d Out Festival is a must for any fan of New Orleans music.
Saturday, April 21 – Will Bernard Trio @ the Goodfoot Lounge – 9:00 PM
Guitarist Will Bernard knows how to lay down a groove. His aesthetic could be compared to that of Medeski, Martin and Wood, but Bernard is more than just another purveyor of the jam-groove-band sound. He’s got serious Jazz chops…and with Wil Blades joining him on the Hammond B-3 organ, his performance in Portland should be a really fun experience.
Sunday, April 22 – Snarky Puppy @ The Wonder Ballroom – 8:30 PM
Snarky Puppy are on the rise. Coming from the deep south, the core of the group formed at the famed Jazz program at University of North Texas. The famed collective, featuring some 30+ members on their recordings, is now based in Brooklyn. Led by award-winning bassist/composer Michael League, Snarky Puppy delivers raw funk and sensitive dynamics, relentless pocket and lyrical melodicism, lush harmony and soulful simplicity, and most importantly, a delicate mixture of composition and improvisation.
Monday, April 23 – Dr. Lonnie Smith @ Mississippi Studios 7:30 PM
Working with celebrated Jazz luminaries like Lou Donaldson and Rahsaan Roland Kirk in the early 1960′s – Dr. Lonnie Smith’s piano playing and Hammond B-3 organ stylings provided the foundation for the sub-genre that would become known as Soul Jazz. He makes his third appearance during the festival this year, making him a sort of “resident artist” for Soul’d Out.
Wednesday, April 25 – Esperanza Spalding @ The Crystal Ballroom, 8:00 PM
The grand finale of the festival this year features Portland’s favorite home-grown talent. Esperanza Spalding is much more than a bassist and vocalist – she’s a musical force of nature. Her new record, Radio Music Society is a new sort of Jazz Fusion and debuted at the top of both the Jazz and Pop music charts. She makes her Portland debut with this new recording on the 25th. A perfect way to round out the festival!
Albums We Love: Root Down
From the opening track, “Sagg Shootin’ His Arrow”, with its Arthur Adams wah-wah-laden guitar, you just know Jimmy Smith’s Root Down is going to be as funky as it gets. Some have said that Jimmy Smith did for the Hammond B-3 what Charlie Christian did for the guitar. While this may be true for Smith’s role in bringing the instrument to a wider audience, after listening to Root Down a number of times, you might find yourself thinking that Eddie Hazel would be just as accurate a parallel.
Recorded live in Los Angeles at the Bombay Bicycle Club in February, 1972, Root Down is a distinct departure from the big band dates Smith had previously done for Verve. It’s an album that’s less restrained and more enthusiastic than some of his laid-back projects recorded as a Blue Note artist.
Reissued and remastered in 2000 as part of Verve’s By Request series — quite possibly due to the attention garnered from the sample the Beastie Boys used on their 1994 release Ill Communication — Root Down contains a number of note worthy gems, There’s a 12-minute-plus, unedited version of the title track, a gritty, bluesy rendition of the Erskine Hawkins-penned classic “After Hours,’ and a memorable go at Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.”
In addition to Smiths’ masterful touch on the B-3, Root features Wilton Felder on bass and Paul Humphrey on drums (both would go on to work with Steely Dan), as well as Arthur Adams on guitar, Buck Clarke on percussion and Steve Williams on harmonica.
Jimmy Smith has a number of four- and five-star recordings in his catalog, but Root Down is the one, in my opinion, that cemented him as the father of the Funk/Soul Jazz Sound.
- Mark Rini, Host of Soul Station, Tuesdays, 9-11 PM
Artist Interview: Branford Marsalis
During the Portland Jazz Festival this year, Raoul Van Hall caught up with Branford Marsalis at the KMHD studios. Never at a loss for words, Branford spoke with Raoul about what Jazz “clicked” for him as a young man, his opinions on the state of the music industry and his vision for Jazz’s long-term success. You can listen to an edited version of the interview below:
Interview: Michael Cuscuna
Throughout his long and storied career, Michael Cuscuna has been many things: musician, radio host, writer, label owner and archivist. It’s the last profession, however, that has endeared him to Jazz fans around the world. As the owner of Mosaic records, Cuscuna has worked tirelessly to reissue and re-enhance Jazz treasures from bygone eras in the music’s history. I caught up with Cuscuna to talk about his most recent project, never-before-heard recordings from the great Wes Montgomery in 1957 and 58.
Artist Interview: Robert Glasper
Robert Glasper’s new album “Black Radio” was released to critical acclaim, and not just in the Jazz world. The record debuted at #1 on the Jazz charts, and at #4 on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts. We caught up with Glasper while on tour to talk about this new album, his opinions on the state of Jazz today and his approach to making music. You can listen to the whole interview below, and catch him at the Star Theater this Saturday at 9 PM in Portland!
Artist Interview: Ben Williams
Ben Williams isn’t just another young Jazz bassist . He’s one of the most in-demand sidemen in music these days. His long list of collaborations includes work with Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Dee Dee Bridgewater and more. In 2009, he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk competition. His new album, State of Art is so good that we put it on our top 10 list for 2011. On Monday, March 12 – Williams brings his quartet to Portland @ Jimmy Mak’s downtown. We caught up with him on the road to talk about his new record and what it’s like to be a rising star in Jazz these days. Take a listen, and see what you think!
Jazz Highlights 3/4-10
Here are our picks for live performances this week.
- Tuesday, March 6th- The Mel Brown Septet, featuring Gordon Lee @ Jimmy Maks. 8pm.
- Tuesday, March 6th- Andrei Kitaev @ Classic Pianos. 730pm.
- Wednesday, March 7th- Trio Subtonic @ The Goodfoot. 9pm.
- Friday, March 9th- the Ed Bennett Quintet, with Paul Mazzio @ Wilf’s Restaurant. 8pm.
- Saturday- March 10th, Greg Goebel @ the Heathman Hotel. 8pm.
Remember, while it’s great to listen to Jazz recordings, getting out there and experiencing it live will only add to your appreciation!
To submit a Jazz Highlight for consideration – send an email to KMHD Jazz (at) OPB (dot) org
Artist Interview: Roy Haynes
photo credit: John Abbott
Legendary drummer Roy Haynes has provided the beat on some of the most seminal Jazz recordings of all time. From John Coltrane, to Lester Young to Rahsaan Roland Kirk – he’s worked with everyone. We caught up with Haynes at his home and talked about his legacy, his spirit and his upcoming performance at the Portland Jazz Festival. You can catch Roy Haynes and his Fountain of Youth Band on Friday, February 24th at the Newmark Theater.
