Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jack Reilly, also known as Sean Petrahn was born on January 1, 1932, in Staten Island, New York. At age 7, he began classical piano and gave his first recital while still in grammar school. In high school, during his teen years, he formed a jazz band that proved to be pivotal in his choice of jazz as the major musical force in his life.
From 1951 to 1953 he played in a U.S. Navy band while stationed in Puerto Rico and it was there that he met Bill Evans. After military duty, Jack received a four-year scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music majoring in piano and composition. There he met Bill Russo, Phil Woods, Zoot Sims, John Lewis, John LaPorta, and Hall Overton. The year he graduated from MSMJohn LaPorta hired Jack to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958.
The critics gave high praise for the quartet’s performance and raves for Jack’s playing. During this time he also worked with Warren Covington, George Russell, Lennie Tristano, and Jerry Wald. He moved to California briefly in the mid-1960s to study Indian classical music with Ali Akbar Khan, and returned to Manhattan where he composed the large-scale piece Requiem Mass for Chorus and Jazz Quartet. This work was performed in New York with Sheila Jordan, Jack Six, Norman Marnell, Joe Cocuzzo, and the contemporary chorale with Carol Lian conducting.
In 1967, Jack presented an entire evening of his solo and trio works at Carnegie Recital Hall. His Liturgical Jazz ~ The Psalms, sung by Sheila Jordan was a true synthesis of the blues and classical music. A second choral work, commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts, was titled The Light of The Soul. The jazz musicians included Jimmy Giuffre~flute and tenor sax, Jack Six~bass, and Joe Cocuzzo~drums.
Reilly served on the faculties of New York University, Berklee College of Music, The Mannes College of Music, and the New School for Social Research. He was chairman of the Department of Jazz Studies at the New England Conservatory of Music as well as the Jazz Program at La Musica A Villa Scarsella in Diano Marina, Italy. He presented lecture/recitals at numerous universities in Europe and in North America including a presentation at the prestigious International Piano Festival and Competition at the University of Maryland.
Pianist Jack Reilly released nine albums during his career and passed away on May 18, 2018, at the age of 86.
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Review: Vanessa Rubin | The Dream Is You
Bebop is not widely known for its romantics, so many fans and aficionados of the era fell silent to the greatest romanticist of the time: Tadd Dameron. Though he was a part of the bebop scene, his warm, rich harmonies and romantic melodies were more akin to the world of big band, to which he was born, and to modern jazz. It takes a gentle soul to understand the ups and downs of life and love and Dameron was one such soul. This is the realm of music from which this vocalist of equal romantic acumen has selected charts. But be clear, this is just a peek into the extensive vault of compositions left by Mr. Dameron.
To plagiarize a line from the visionary 1966 television show Star Trek, Vanessa Rubin has boldly gone where no woman has gone before, exploring and giving new life to the tapped and untapped compositions of Dameron. So, to merely call this woman a singer does her a great injustice because Ms. Rubin just doesn’t sing a song, she embodies empathy and emotes the lyric. This is an attribute that only a vocalist of her stature can gift an audience. There are no vocal gymnastics to showcase her ego, just an honest and humble purveyance enabling the audience to reminisce personal memories.
Rubin kicks off this swinging set with the Stanley Cornfield lyrics to the sixteen bar Lady Bird, one of the most performed in modern jazz. The first line “we fit together like two birds of a feather” foretells just how deep in the groove Dameron and Rubin are, as well as what the arrangers have done for the lyricist and vocalist, thus giving one an idea of where this small compendium of music is going to take us.
The equally swinging Kitchenette Across The Hall characterizes a chance encounter of those two birds that leads to romance which culminates in marriage and the eventual combining of homes. If You Could See Me Now drops down to ballad tempo and Rubin delivers an honest baring of her own soul in the attempt to recapture lost love. Written in 1946 especially for Sarah Vaughan, with lyrics penned by Carl Sigman, it became one of Vaughan’s signature songs.
We’ve all had those fabulous escapes or little departures from life’s routine and Weekend exalts the memories of a snowy fun-filled Maine getaway. Not prolonged with verbose lyrics but exacting the unabashed pleasures two people spent. The Georgie Fame lyrics swing lightly once again On A Misty Night extolling the beauty and bliss of fleeting love in the night. The easy going Never Been In Love is a mid-tempo lament that every stalwart individual has felt at one time or another in their life, and then, love happens and completely changes the view.
With Next Time Around (Soultrane) she speaks to the end of a love affair, questioning how to move on living with the consequences of yesterday’s choices and hoping to find the answers the next time love happens along. If you’re tempting fate, then there is only one simple piece of advice offered, use Good Bait to catch the object of your desire. Reveries Do Come True (The Dream Is You) is an homage to a woman who has taken hold of his heart. Whatever Possessed Me is another Dameron ballad that confirms the magic of love and all the things that become evident in its unfolding.
You’re A Joy is a simple easy going statement sans flair in which Vanessa expounds the pleasure of being in love. The flute solo is lyrical and inviting the listener into the relationship. I Think I’ll Go Away reminisces the mixed emotions of a lover who realizes the joyful torment her heart undergoes.
I would be remiss if I did not give tribute to Dameron’s contemporaries enlisted by Ms. Rubin who majestically arranged ten of the twelve compositions. They were a part of the bebop era, Frank Foster, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, and Willie Smith all knew the man and his sensibilities. And though Bobby Watson came along after Tadd passed away, he comes with an arrangement that clearly understands the sentiment of the man. As usual, in her inimitable style, we are once again graced to witness Vanessa’s lyrical chops as she pens the words to Reveries Do Come True, a topic she knows all too well.
For those of us who are familiar with Ms. Rubin’s catalogue of work there is no surprise in her innate ability to turn a lyric into an emotional surprise. She never ceases to impress me with her facility with each tune, singing with mastery, melody and always with her audience in mind. This is suggestive of the shifting moods and tempos of the composer’s music, thus, there is never a dull moment. While other singers venture into realms and genres of music to stretch themselves, just like the robin the harbinger of springtime, Ms. Rubin stays true to her craft by discovering for the enthusiast unheard gems of jazz. She brings a fresh approach to Mr. Dameron by her choices of his songs to cover, creating a dreamworld for the listener. She weaves a tapestry of love with its many facets of pleasure and suffering, The Dream Is You is less a tribute to Tadd Dameron and more a testament to a loving relationship between vocalist and composer.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | march 26, 2019
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Review: Lenora Zenzalai Helm | For The Love Of Big Band
For those of you who aspire to greatness, who challenge your status quo, and who dare to create something majestic, one must dig deep inside for the temerity. Whether you question the audacity of the idea, it takes confidence to even dare the monumental task of bringing nearly four dozen men and women together, producing a unique and innovative big band sound.
Under the auspicious name of The Tribe Jazz Orchestra, vocalist and bandleader Lenora Zenzalai Helm joins the ranks of Lil Hardin Armstrong, Kit McClure, Blanche Calloway, Valaida Smith, Lovie Austin, Sherrie Maracle, and In Ray Hutton among others.
Helm’s debut orchestra project, For The Love Of Big Band, was recorded live in concert over a two day period on March 26~27, 2019 and released on her own label, Zenzalai Music. This album brings new arrangements showcasing legendary composers and big band leaders ~ Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, Mal Waldron, Victor Young, John Coltrane, George & Ira Gershwin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Clifford Brown, and Duke Ellington to name a few.
This twelve composition compendium of classics illuminates the musical genius of those who charted the big band course, laid the foundation and set the standard for this talented vocalist and bandleader to follow in their footsteps. Choosing Blues For Mama, Bebop, Chega de Saudade/No More Blues, It Could Happen To You, Soul Eyes, Everything But You, I Didn’t Know About You, Sandu, But Not For Me, A Conversation With God (Dear Lord), Mississippi Goddam, and Stella By Starlight, she spans several decades, from the Thirties to the Sixties. The music is a mix of jazz standards, brought swingingly to life at the live concert. Helm guided the band through the new arrangements by Stanley Cowell, Cecil Bridgewater, Maurice Myers and Brian Horton
Lenora’s Tribe Jazz Orchestra is composed of twenty-four musicians that include her voice, piano, guitar, bass,drums, reeds, trumpets,trombones and saxophone and orchestra conductor. Her Tribe Jazz Orchestra Septet, pulls three from the orchestra, adds conductor to her voice, along with cello, tenor saxophone, acoustic bass and the NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble as guest artists. Other special guests are pianist Joey Calderazzo, Acoustic bassist Ameen Saleem, and Maurice Myers ~ Vocal Soloist on A Conversation With God.
This is a well thought out and produced program of music that will introduce the novice to big band jazz and delight the aficionado who is seeking to expand his/her horizons and include one more big bandleader to their arsenal, who just so happens to be a vocalist, conductor, bandleader, and educator and all woman. I charge you to engage and listen carefully to the maturity of expression that Lenora Zenzalai Helm has put into and extracted from herself and the talented musicians under her purview. This is a wonderful and soulful performance by all accounts and something you will enjoy for years to come.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | february 15, 2020
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Review: Henry Conerway III | With Pride For Dignity
Smile is what you do when hearing a compelling sound. That is exactly what I did when the first notes of the opening track filled the room. It takes a bassist to arrange a bassist’s composition and make it fresh.
Hailing from the Motor City, Henry Conerway honed his skills in the hallowed halls and practice rooms of Morehouse College as well as the stages of Atlanta clubs. This adroit but ever humble practitioner enlists two of the city’s finest jazz purveyors to accompany him on this sojourn through time – pianist Kenny Banks Jr. and bassist Kevin Smith. His musical acumen is steeped in the history and tradition of jazz, making his choice of compositions from the pantheon not so startling as he ventures through three generations of jazz masters and contemporaries – Ray Brown, Phineas Newborn, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Heath, Marcus Printup and Kenny Banks, Jr..
It is a well known fact that one should not take on a classic if one can bring nothing new to the canon and Ray Brown’s Slippery is one such composition. Conjuring up a myriad of thoughts as to what he may have been thinking when he composed this song, the trio puts its own spin while taking each listener on a personal sojourn with a new arrangement by Smith, raising the tempo ever so slightly to give it a fresh sound. The title track, With Pride For Dignity, composed by Banks begins quietly with a piano solo, that immediately put me in the revered mood of Danny Boy then quickly sent me to the equally reverent first line of New Orleans before stealthily moves through a series of jazz periods, giving one a sense of the pride and dignity of this recording session. Newborn’s composition Sugar Ray elicits thoughts of the great pugilist named Robinson, illustrating the grace and style with which he fought. Of course, with later generation the song could have meaning for Leonard or even Richard Pryor’s role in Harlem NIghts depending on perspective. His choice of the 1940 Ellington composition Cottontail, written for orchestra, deftly translates the emotion into a trio setting with all the tempo and panache a big band would express. Smith quickly walks the bass as he paces the music leading into the brush work of Conerway. I could have been in the Savoy Ballroom testifying to this performance as Jitterbuggers or Lindyhoppers paraded the floor.
Hopscotch by composer and irrepressible trumpeter Printup is not the stuff of school girls tossing stones and jumping in chalk-lined squares but exhibits a similar humor of adults reminiscing those sidewalks as the trio swings this one. Heath’s Gingerbread Boy proves that jazz is never easy and placing it among such revered company is the epitome of this talented threesome true to their character. Banks follows this with another of his compositions The Feel Goods with a short overture that leads into a hip swing that best exemplifies the best times of our lives. Conerway closes with Carvin’s Agreement, an original composition he penned to pay tribute to one of his teachers, Michael Carvin, showing us just what drums can do.
Conerway’s svelte delivery as a leader keeps him in stride with his compatriots who swing equally gentle or sassy when called upon. An inventive drummer, he carries each song with equal parts to his companions, never overshadowing the others. Having witnessed the growth of these young men over the years, they were satisfied on many an occasion to sit unnoticed in the audience while gleaning pointers from the masters, a practice few young musicians find a need to do in this day and age. Like all great musicians they also realize there is still much to learn, more growth to take place. So it is no surprise their evolution into this cohesive unit affords them the facility to ply their trade as well as they do. They are more than musicians, they are friends who can start, carry and finish each other’s musical conversation when required. However, I beseech you to not overlook the liner notes so eloquently written by esteemed saxophonist and professor Dwight Andrews. Also do not dismiss the cover photography of any album because there is always a story, one deeper that you may surmise. This photograph was decidedly taken upon Henry’s request during a visit to the home of Langston Hughes. Historic on many levels.
Much more cannot be said of this album other than this is not a quick listen to see if you like it. You will. So take note music directors and programmers, it is radio friendly. You don’t need to skip tracks without listening to each one fully. If you must skip tracks it is my hope that you have a favorite song on this project and anticipation of getting to it is unbearable to see the trio’s approach. Whatever you do, this album speaks for itself and is a testament to the volumes of knowledge these industry-respected practitioners have about the music they have given their lives to enjoy performing. This is with pride for dignity and well worth the nod from their peers and a well-deserved Grammy nomination from the Recording Academy. Listen. You will be pleased.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | november 17, 2018
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Review: Kathleen Bertrand | It’s Time To Love
It’s Time To Love is a statement of purpose that is anything but simple. Knowing Kathleen as I do there is more than one layer to everything she does. I found this not only to be a personal message but a global appeal. On this project she pulls from several different sources and vantage points, distinguished by the cadre of the elite hometown musicians she has invited to have fun with her.
Her approach is unmistakable – pure and filled with joy. There is a clarity in her voice that is immediately recognizable from the first note you hear. Toss into the mix some very creative arrangements and you understand why Ms. Bertrand wholeheartedly believes it is time to love.
Bringing an impressive compilation of nine standards, originals, classic soul and gospel, she kicks off this offering with the title track that she composed with her musical director Phil Davis. Maintaining the groove she seamlessly moves into Diamonds, written for Rihanna’s 8th album, proving that no song is far from jazz with the proper arrangement. Reaching back to the 1946 musical St. Louis Woman she brings into the new millennium the classic Arlen/Mercer tune Come Rain Or Come Shine in an easy rendition that expresses yesterday’s view of today’s ride or die.
Always one to illuminate the talents of young writers she augments Tony Hightower’s Baby I’m Yours with additional lyrics, giving a lyrical homage to that very special person. Heading back to Broadway she juxtaposes the question of love with a 1947 Lerner and Loewe composition Almost Like Being In Love from Brigadoon, that has one understanding the feeling of being alive. Teaming up once again with Davis, their reputation as composers and arrangers firmly established, they pen and deliver another original Walking Through The Door, be it expectation or surprise, the need is the same. Walking us back in time to the Sixties and the music of another renowned team of Bacharach/David with Anyone Who Had A Heart.
Never far from the church, Kathleen chooses to rearrange with the assistance of Tyrone Jackson, the traditional It’s Me (Standing In The Need Of Prayer). As I listen to her rendering me back to my childhood, I am hearing so much of Mahalia Jackson in this passionate acknowledgement to the higher power. Closing out this recording she moves the message back to the joy of love with the Richard Clay, Carl Clay and Wayne Garfield composition Love From The Sun, made famous by Norman Connors. However, she turns once again to emerging artists, The Dangerfield Newbies, to arrange and produce this classic tune, clearly making this her own, as she inimitably does with every song she touches.
Earlier in this review I mentioned the elite cadre of Atlanta musicians and I would be remiss not to list them and allow you the opportunity to catch them in live performance when their names come across your radar. Order of appearance of the recording: Phil Davis, Rod Harris, Jr., Melvin Jones, Mike Burton, Katy Miner, Tyrone Allen, George Caldwell, Sean Jefferson, RiShon Odel, Russell Gunn, Robert Boone, Frankie Quinones, Joel Powell, Tyrone Jackson, Mace Hibbard, Sam Skelton, Kevin Smith, Chris Burroughs, Nelson Render and Marvin Pryor.
To say Kathleen Bertrand is an original does her a disservice for we are all one of a kind. What sets her apart is her innate ability to select and align songs in a manner that makes you anticipate hearing what comes next and a little saddened when the last song plays out. This album celebrates and laments the many facets of love. It is an enjoyable escape and journey through one’s heart, as we have all been where each songs takes us, that is, at one time or another. The one thing I know to be true, with Kathleen Bertrand, there will always be more and the best is yet to come.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | september 23, 2018
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