Review: Virginia Schenck | Aminata Moseka
Whenever I hear the word ambitious used by critics, I take pause, because it rings of a generosity that references an artist who has made a conscious decision to cover the music of an icon. The artist is often convinced that they have the chops to give a new life to the music; however, they are often the singers who release the adequate. And then there are those vocalists who are the light at the end of the tunnel and successfully walk into posterity. This offering by Virginia Schenck, however, happens to be a case of the latter and this is her moment.
The last time I saw this talented interpreter of lyrics I was amongst a gathering of jazz enthusiast under a beautiful Atlanta evening sky. During her set while singing Caged Bird, providence stepped forward and a small flock of birds answered her call with an appropriate and timely response. I knew a higher power was at work and everyone felt the energy pass throughout the audience. There are very few occasions when I experience a connection with nature in an urban setting as I did that night.
So to choose to pay homage to a poet of Abbey Lincoln stature was not only adventurous but exhibited a resolve that resulted in a highly rewarding experience. As I sat listening to Virginia’s delivery, with each composition hope blossomed again and again into a blissful reality. This was no mere one or two listens to this compendium of songs, but a dozen or more at different times in light and darkness, at different levels of volume and not all songs at the same time. I became engrossed in the conversation between musicians and heard the joy and pain, the laughter and sadness, the troubles and the victories as each song unfolds and began feeling the spirit of Abbey in every word from this messenger.
Though the subtitle states this recording is a tribute, this is so much more. It is a conversation between Abbey and Virginia. If you are familiar with Ms. Lincoln, then you know each vocalist is holding her own tempo and pacing within the understanding of the lyrics. Ms. Schenck’s choice of compositions were well thought out, with a precision that compliments her voice and clearly represents thirteen of Abbey’s best. To be true to the emotion and exhibit every side of the composer, these musicians invite you to be privy to the conversation between poet and vocalist.
Virginia hangs with a few of Atlanta’s best in the recording studio for a session that may appear perfunctory, however, it is the banked talent that makes it look and sound effortless in their execution that allows one to hear the voice until it’s time for the musicians to shine. With Kevin Bales tickling the 88, Rodney Jordan walking the bass, Marlon Patton keeping time on the drums and their special guest on alto saxophone Kebbi Williams, they bring a fresh breath of interpretation to these 13 songs. It is here that we hear the musical dialogue between the rhythm section and Virginia as they playfully emote their understandings. Kebbi’s frenetic improvisation keeps pace, adding complementary emphasis to Schenck’s spoken word of The River.
The arrangements. Listen but listen most carefully and you will hear the subtleties in the playing of piano, bass and drum that will entice you to desire more. This project goes beyond the borders of convention as collectively and individually each musician contributes their thoughts to each song that will touch, move and inspire each listener differently.
So, suffice it to say, Ms. Schenck has made a joyful noise in honoring one of America’s preeminent lyricists by crossing the borders of time, race and emotion with Aminata Moseka. She has raised the bar a few feet and what she leaves behind is an indelible audible mark on the industry that she loves. I would be remiss if I didn’t compel you to sit and listen, then read the liner notes for context, then listen again to truly hear the magic of Virginia and company talking to the sun.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | august 28, 2017
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Review: Rick Bear & Friends | Sweetness
If you’ve ever been to the Crescent City, then you are well aware of the charms that seduce its visitors, as its residents are already under the city’s spell. Within its confines and in neighboring jurisdictions belies a cornucopia of delights in the aromas of varied cuisines, ample drinks and lots of music. It is, however, the latter that embraces and stimulates the enthusiast and aficionado to move to the myriad of rhythms.
So don’t allow the cover art to tempt you to pigeonhole this group of world class musicians in some staid understanding of what NOLA offers, for you just may miss their stellar performances. And for you initiates who have yet to sample the delights there is no better place to begin your journey than with a tasting of Sweetness. This is a recording representative of the talent that continues to spring forth from the city that has heralded the title of the birthplace of jazz.
Sweetness not only lends itself to the cuisine of the Crescent City but also invokes the very nature of the musicianship that is its tapestry. Herein lies the beauty of the compositions performed by drummer Rick Bear, guitarist John Fohl, bassist Jason Stewart and trumpeter/trombonist Ken Gregory. Stir in the piano and organ of Herb Avery and the vocals of Hampton B. Cole and you understand why jazz remains such an integral component to the gumbo that is New Orleans.
The base ingredients of this gumbo of compositions are Bechet, Waller, Rodgers & Hart, Henderson, Monk, Mitchell, Hines, Hancock, Ronell, Patton and Bernie who set the stage for this compendium of jazz standards. There is nothing subtle about their choices as they pay homage to the jazz canon and the Great American Songbook. So put aside any and all biases as to what may be and enjoy listening to these arrangements.
The set opens with the Sidney Bechet classic Petite Fleur where Spanish trumpet and French guitar influences conjoin in a flourish of style. The rest of the album follows with jazz standards – Willow Weep For Me, Rosetta, My Funny Valentine, Honeysuckle Rose, Bye Bye Blackbird, ‘Round Midnight, Hard Times, Jitterbug Waltz, Cantaloupe Island, Funky Mama and Sweet Georgia Brown.
Gregory takes the lead on most songs and his interpretations of My Funny Valentine and Round Midnight, the two ballads presented here, mournfully take you into a place of melancholy. The trumpet and trombone spell out his attributes, begging Valentine not to leave. On the latter, Fahl’s guitar quietly releases the anguish of a soul as it spells out its woes.
Hard Times is juxtaposed against its name with a rhythm that is anything less than enjoyable. Composed by Paul Mitchell during the turbulent Sixties, Americans on both sides of the struggle found lighter moments. Just the same way society did in finding its fun during the war years in the Jitterbug Waltz of Fats Waller.
Fohl opens up Cantaloupe Island with an easy strum and accompanies Gregory through what puts me in the mood for a hammock, warm breezes, sand and a cooler as the Hammond B3, guitar and the trombone swing you into a toe-tapping, finger snapping mode on Funky Mama. The closing tune on the album, Sweet Georgia Brown, opens with a rim shot staccato and ends the set on a fun note, a fitting tribute to the vocals of their recently departed friend, Colonel Bruce Hampton (Hampton B. Cole), making this final studio recording and an apt farewell.
Throughout the project, Rick Bear leads his compatriots and keeps time, allowing each musician to bring his sensibility to the signature sound that emanates from this city. Subtle though it may be, this session extolls a synchronicity in the songs that tell stories that are American made, as are the players whose star-power has not diminished.
To return to an earlier statement, allow me to clear up any misconception it was not my intent to disregard the thought behind the cover. I merely mentioned not to be distracted or form an opinion of what lay behind because there is a sellable story in the art. The missing part of the sign painted on the side of the building is A. J. ‘S Produce Co. Inc, 3162 Chartres. Angelo Benandi, the son who broke away from the family produce business at the French Market, established it in 1983. The Creole Tomato is grown in Louisiana soil in the river parishes along the Mississippi where the soil is richer. They are large, meatier, heat resistant, stay on the vine longer and hit the table so much sweeter. So when you’re down in New Orleans feel the pulse of the city, have a robust taste of homegrown and you’ll begin to understand the flavor that is The Big Easy.
carl anthony | notorious jazz / august 3, 2017
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Hollywood On 52nd Street
My Foolish Heart is the theme song to the 1949 film of the same name adapted from J. D. Salinger’s 1948 short story Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut. Directed by Mark Robson and starred Dana Andrews and Susan Hayward. The film tells the story of a woman’s reflections on the bad turns her life has taken.
Unfortunately for movie fans this remains the only authorized film adaptation of Salinger’s work as the filmmakers’ infidelity to his story famously precluded any possibility of film versions of other Salinger works, including The Catcher in the Rye. Though a lackluster and critical reception met the movie, Hayward was nominated for an Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Victor Young and Ned Washington for Best Music, Song for the title song and which has become a jazz standard.
The film was recognized with a nomination by American Film Institute in 2002 to AFI’s 100 Years…100 Passions, however, it did not make the list.
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Atlanta Jazz Festival…2017
Tradition takes time and through that time the dream weathers the tests that will one day allow it to stand alone. Tradition is not a task for the faint-hearted but is best relegated to the visionaries who recognize its value and grasp the baton as it is passed.
In Atlanta, the gateway city to the South, the bastion of tradition has long been the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the largest free jazz festival in the country. It is truly the hallmark of legacy heralding the vision of Mayor Maynard Jackson that began in 1974. It took four years of planning before the then Bureau of Cultural Affairs would launch the inaugural festival in 1978. Not without its obstacles, its success established the foundation upon which forty consecutive festivals have presented this music to admiring and adoring fans.
For 40 years, 5 mayors, Maynard Jackson, Andrew Young, Bill Campbell, Shirley Franklin and Kasim Reed, 4 decades of City Council men and women and 7 directors of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Robert Lomax, Shirley Franklin, Tom Cullen, Shirley Cooks, Harriet Sanford, Barbara Bowser and Camille Russell Love have kept jazz a vibrant invitation and welcome to the city each year. They have given opportunity to more than a 1000 jazz musicians and vocalists to grace the stages of the Atlanta Jazz Festival before millions of spectators.
Without their staunch support and hard work, the ever-evolving festival would not have been able to give visibility to venues around the city during the 31 Days of Jazz that precedes each Memorial Day weekend festivities. Nor would they have been able to have more than a 100 middle and high school bands compete each spring in the Youth Jazz Band Competition to win a coveted performance spot on the main stage to open each day of the festival.
Over the years without the support over the decades with staff like Michael Lomax, Malcolm Johnson, Joe Jennings, Kole Eaton, Ebon Dooley, Mitchell Feldman, Rob Gibson and John Armwood, festival managers Alonzo Craig and Melissa Laurenceau, project supervisor Nnena Nchege who ran logistics & 31 Days or Valarie Benning Barney responsible for sponsorship & marketing, there wouldn’t be current project coordinator Herman Wilson.
7 photographers have been primarily responsible for documenting festival’s growth: Jim Alexander, Sheila Pree Bright, Michael Reese, Sue Ross, Eric Waters, Julie Yarbrough and Ernest Gregory. With the onset of the internet hundreds more amateur and professional photographers have shared their photos and videos across multiple platforms.
The media has played an important part of getting the message to the people and we recognize radio sponsors WVEE 103FM, WCLK 91.9FM, 94Q Jazz Flavours, WRFG 89.3FM, WJZF, WALR/Kiss 104.1, WABE-PBA, WJZZ 107.5, 790 The Zone, as well as radio personalities Ernest Gregory and perennial emcee, John Armwood, Bobby Jackson, Steve Bowser, Phil Clore, Carl Anthony, H. Johnson, Riva Blue, and Jamal Ahmad among numerous others, who have lent their voice and time volunteering. Print media sponsors have been Creative Loafing, Jazziz, Jazz Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jezebel Magazine, Atlanta Magazine, Rolling Out, Abyss Jazz Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Atlanta Tribune The Magazine, Southwest Atlanta Magazine, and television sponsors MediaOne, BET on Jazz, WSB TV, Mundo Hispanico, and Comcast.
Last but never the least, we must never forget to give thanks to the thousands of volunteers, aptly dubbed Jazzteers by Nnena Nchege in 2005, who over forty years have unselfishly given their time to insure the success of the festival. Without their help the behind the scenes production activities that make operations run smoothly would not happen. They have are a vital component to each year’s event.
The Atlanta Jazz Festival is the acknowledged largest continuous free jazz event in North America and contributes greatly to the success of the city’s tourism, hospitality and community. Standing alongside all of the men and women who have been proud to have supported this tradition and are currently a part of this annual endeavor, it has been a privilege and an honor to be numbered among this cast.
This 40th year anniversary celebration lineup includes performers who graced the stage the very first year, those who have performed over the years and those who are first time initiates. They are the Pedrito Martinez Group, the Robert Glasper Experiment, the Allan Harris Band, Regina Carter: Simply Ella, Randy Weston’s African Rhythms Quintet, Reńe Marie and Experiment in Truth, Charles Lloyd Sky Trio, Moonchild, Nik West, Nicholas Payton Afro-Caribbean Mixtape, Macy Gray, Little Tybee, Harriet Tubman: The Band, Deva Mahal, Marquis Hill Blacktet, the Miles Davis Electric Band Tribute All Star Jam with Lil’ John Roberts feat. Russell Gunn and Miles Davis band member Mino Cinelu, Dwight Andrews, Joe Jennings & Howard Nicholson’s Life Force, Celebrating Sarah: Kathleen Bertrand & Friends Honor Sarah Vaughan, the Joe Gransden Big Band with Alexandra Jackson, the Ojeda Penn Experience with Jean Carne, Freddy Cole, Frank Houston, Kemba Cofield, Darren English, Cleveland P. Jones, Julie Dexter and Jacob Deaton Duo featuring Rasheeda Ali, Mamaniji Azanyah & Mastery, Russell Gunn & African Drums meets Kebbi Williams’ Wolf Pack and Mausiki Scales & Common Ground featuring Giwayen Mata.
Sponsors & Partners of the 2017 Atlanta Jazz Festival are Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Wetumpka, Resurgens Atlanta, Bank of America, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, City of Atlanta, Publix Supermarket Charities, Marta, Fontis Mountain Spring Water, Lyft, Loews Atlanta Hotel, and Sprouts Farmers Market.
The Official Print partner is Creative Loafing and the Official Radio Partner is WCLK 91.9FM #AJF40
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Atlanta Jazz Festival…2016
Last year signaled the mounting of the 39th time that Office of Cultural Affairs, under the current Director Camille Russell Love leadership, that she and her staff brought local favorites, emerging musicians and national performers to Piedmont Park for the 2016 jazz festival weekend that ran from May 27th – 29th.
Thousands turned out to grill, eat and sit on blankets, lawn chairs and under tents before three stages, Legends, International and Local to enjoy as eyewitnesses the talents of Alex Lattimore, Anonymous DaBand, Assaf Kehati, Band Room Nation, Camila Meza, Chandra Currelley, Chargaux, Daby Touré, Eliane Elias, Enoch, Etienne Charles, Eugenie Jones, Gregory Porter, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Jamison Ross, Joe Alterman, JOI, King Ace Beats, KP the Great, Mabu’s Ark Band, Mette Henriette, Navy Bound Southeast V.I.P. Protocol Combo, Next Collective, Rialto Jazz for Kids, Rialto Youth Jazz Orchestra, Tatran, The Benny Golson Quartet, The Headhunters, Theo Croker, and Tomeka Reid
Drummer Lil John Roberts and trumpeter Russell Gunn Quartet hosted respective nights of the Late Night Jazz Jam.
Sponsors for this year’s festival were Bank of America, Publix, PNC Bank, Loews Atlanta Hotel, MARTA, Cantoni, The Coca-Cola Company and the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. #AJF40
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