Yolanda Rabun is a Renaissance Woman. A wife, mother, corporate lawyer, and national recording and performing artist, this North Carolina based go-getter lives life on purpose.
YOLANDA RABUN TRIBUTE TO NANCY WILSON
For two nights only the holiday season will honor the contributions of songstress Nancy Wilson as songs are interpreted by the great North Carolina-based singer Yolanda Rabun, while the story of her life is told by Jazz Historian Carl Anthony.
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Requisites
Kelly Blue ~ Wynton Kelly Trio and Sextet | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s record from the library is Kelly Blue (Riverside Contemporary Series RLP 12-298/RLP 1142) by The Wynton Kelly Trio and Sextet. It hit the stores in 1959 and was his second release as a leader on the label after Piano a year earlier. Wynton Kelly was an accomplished hard-bop pianist and accompanist who collaborated with many elite musicians and vocalists over his career, appearing on some of the most unforgettable jazz albums ever recorded. Here, he’s working with a superb supporting cast: Nat Adderley on cornet, Bobby Jaspar on flute, Benny Golson on tenor sax (tracks: A1, B2), Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. My copy is the 1982 Original Jazz Classics U.S. Stereo reissue (Riverside OJC-033).
Side One opens with the title tune, Kelly Blue, by Wynton Kelly. Bobby, Paul, and Jimmy introduce this mid-tempo blues with a three-instrument dialogue. The remaining ensemble joins in as the melody unfolds. Wynton begins the opening solo with a relaxing reading. Bobby exhibits some exciting twists and turns next. In the following presentation, Nat raises the temperature slightly with precise articulation. Benny delivers a gorgeous statement with a rich, warm tone as smooth as a sled on new snow before the close. Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II begins with the trio introducing the melody. Kelly sets the solos in motion with a performance that cooks. Chambers’s bass compliments him with a concise solo that is to the point ahead of the climax.
Green Dolphin Street by Bronislaw Kaper and Ned Washington is one of the prettiest jazz standards in The Great American Songbook. The trio gives this old favorite a lively sprucing up on the opening chorus, highlighting Wynton’s ability to captivate the listener in an impeccable performance until the closing ensemble returns. Side Two starts with Ann Ronell’s classic Willow Weep For Me. Chambers gets the nod and brings the song to life in a bluesy, slow-tempo introduction, and then Kelly and Cobb come in to complete the dreamy theme. The pianist opens with an effortlessly elegant solo. Paul expands on that feeling with reflective beauty next. Wynton has another memorable moment, leading to the finale.
Wynton Kelly’s Keep It Moving is an uptempo-blowing session that swings out of the gate with the front line returning for their second and final appearance. Wynton cuts loose on the opening solo vigorously. Benny takes his turn next and keeps the groove going, and then Nat turns in a captivating reading. Bobby makes the following point with a spirited statement. Paul has the last word with an excellent improvisation preceding the song’s conclusion. The trio wraps the album with Wynton Kelly’s Old Clothes. Kelly is up first after a leisurely melody with a light-hearted opening statement. Chambers makes his presence felt in the following reading. Cobb speaks with the leader in a concise conversation before the melody’s restatement.
Orrin Keepnews produced the session, and Jack Higgins was the recording engineer. The album’s sound quality is excellent, transporting the musicians to your listening room as if they were playing before you. Wynton Kelly was also a talented composer, and the level of good spirits demonstrated by him and his colleagues here is incredibly endearing. Kelly Blue is an album characterized by the pianist’s contagious enthusiasm, with everyone in top form. The music will also keep you hooked from start to finish. On your next record-shopping trip, I invite you to check out Kelly Blue by The Wynton Kelly Trio and Sextet. It’s not just a great album; it’s an excellent introduction to his music and a must-listen for any jazz enthusiast!
~ Piano (Riverside RLP 12-254) – Source: Discogs.com
~ On Green Dolphin Street, Willow Weep For Me – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Jazz Poems
LADY SINGS THE BLUES
Satin luscious, amber Beauty ceter-stage;garden in her hair. If flowers could sing
they’d sound like this. That legendary scene:
the lady unpetals her song, the only light
in a room of smoke, nightclub tinkering
with lovers in the dark, cigarette flares,
gin & tonic. This is where the heartache
blooms. Forgot the holes
zippered along her arms. Forget the booze.
Center-stage, satin-tongue dispels a note.
Amber amaryllis, blue chanteuse, Amen.
If flowers could sing they’d sound like this.
* * *This should be Harlem, but it’s not.
It’s Diana Ross with no Supremes.
Fox Theater, Nineteen Seventy-something.
Ma and me; lovers crowded in the dark.
The only light breaks on the movie-screen.
I’m a boy, but old enough to know Heartache.
We watch her rise and wither
like a burnt-out cliche. You know the story:
Brutal lush. Jail-bird. Scag queen.
In the asylum scene, the actresses’s eyes
are bruised; latticed with blood, but not quite sad
enough. She’s the star so her beauty persists.
Not like Billie fucked-up satin, hair museless,
heart ruined by the end.
* * * The houselights wake and nobody’s blue but Ma.Billie didn’t sound like that, she says
as we walk hand in hand to the street.
Nineteen Seventy-something,
My lady hums, Good Morning Heartache,
My father’s in a distant place.
TERRANCE HAYES
from Jazz Poems ~ Selected and Edited by Kevin Young
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Requisites
Star Highs ~ Warne Marsh | By Eddie Carter
Warne Marsh enters the spotlight with Star Highs (Criss Cross Jazz 1002), an outstanding 1982 quartet album, his second release on the Dutch label. It was recorded two days after the tenor saxophonist’s performance at the NOS Jazz Festival in Amsterdam. Marsh, a talented musician who studied under pianist Lennie Tristano and later joined his group, is a notable figure in the Cool Jazz school. His collaborations with Lee Konitz and the jazz group Supersax have further solidified his reputation. He is accompanied here by the exceptional rhythm section of Hank Jones on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. My copy is the original Netherlands Stereo album.
The first side opens with Switchboard Joe, the first of four originals from the pen of Warne Marsh. The saxophonist guides George and Mel through a brief introduction to the quartet’s brisk theme. Marsh sets the tone with his opening statement, followed by a solo from Hank that answers him. Marsh then leads a brief conversation with George before the theme’s reprise. The ensemble then shifts to the title tune, Star Highs, starting with a relaxed groove for the melody. Marsh goes first with a beautifully constructed statement, followed by a concise comment from Jones leading to the closing chorus.
Hank Jones introduces his composition Hank’s Tune, a leisurely paced blues that gets into a happy mood from the quartet’s melody. Warne delivers the opening solo with a simplicity and melodic charm. Hank follows with a thoroughly delightful reading, and then George walks with a sense of fulfillment next. Warne gets the last word before the close. Charlie Parker’s Moose The Mooche gets underway with the quartet’s lively melody. Marsh takes off first with a robust opening statement, followed by Jones’s spirited solo. Mraz takes a short walk with authority. Lewis has the final say in a brief workout ahead of the climax.
Side Two opens to a brisk clip for the ensemble’s quick melody of Victory Ball by Lennie Tristano. Warne soars into the opening solo, with the rhythm section’s driving accompaniment. In the following interpretation, Hank is inspired to greater heights; then, Warne and Hank chase each other through the third reading. Lewis has a moment to shine before the theme returns. Marsh’s Sometimes starts with the trio’s tender introduction and a seductive lead solo by Jones. The saxophonist illustrates elegance and sensitivity in the second statement. Mraz rounds out the readings briefly, moving toward the gentle repeat of the theme.
One For The Band begins with a carefree theme. Warne takes the spotlight first, offering an endearing reading. Hank responds with a dreamy, satisfying statement before the quartet wraps things up. Gerry Teekens produced Star Highs, and Max Bolleman was the recording engineer. The album’s sound quality is superb, with a vibrant soundstage that emerges from your speakers as clearly as Waterford Crystal. Whether you’re a cool jazz fan or enjoy the tenor saxophone, Star Highs by Warne Marsh is a gem you should not miss on your next record-shopping trip. It’s a great introduction to a jazz giant that should appeal to any jazz lover and become a welcome addition to any library!
~ Moose The Mooche – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Jazz Poems
THE SYNCOPATED CAKEWALK
My present life is a Sunday morning cartoonIn it, I see Miss Hand and her Five Daughters
rubbing myback and the backs of my legs
Nat King Cole provides the music and the words
It’s 1949, Finished with them, I take off
on a river boat, down the Mississippi, looking for work.
On deck the got the Original Dixieland Jazz Band
doing “Big Butter and Egg Man.”
A guru haas the cabin next to mine and everybody
who visits him whimpers something terrible!
Stood on deck after dinner watching the clouds
form faces and arms. The Shadow went
by giggling to himself.
An Illinois Central ticket fell from his pocket.
Snake Hips picked it up, ran.
Texas Shuffle, who sat in with the Band last night,
this morning, dropped his fiddlecases
in the ocean and did the Lindy all the way
to the dinning room
I got off at Freak Lips Harbor.
Boy from Springfield said he’d talk like Satch for me
for a dime. I gave him a Bird,
and an introductory note to the Duke of Ellington.
Found my way to the Ida B. Wells Youth Center.
Girl named Ella said I’d have to wait to see Mister B.
Everybody else was out to lunch.
In the waiting room got into a conversation
with a horse thief from Jump Back. Told him:
My past life is a Saturday morning cartoon.
In it, I’m jumping Rock Island freight cars, skipping
Peoria with Leadbelly; running from the man,
trying to prove my innocence. Accused of being
too complex to handle.
Meanwhile, Zoot, Sassy, Getz, Prez, Cootie, everybody
gives me a hand.
Finally, Mister B comes in. Asks about my future.
All I can say is, I can do the Cow Cow Boogie
on the ocean and hold my own in a chase chorus
among the best!Fine, says Mister B, you start seven in the morning!
CLARENCE MAJOR
from Jazz Poems ~ Selected and Edited by Kevin Young
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