ALLAN HARRIS BAND
The musical odyssey of Allan Harris visits a wide range of influences, including swinging jazz, rich R&B, sumptuous balladry, wailing rock, rumbling blues and even a playful touch of Brazilian music.
With a deeply resonant baritone/tenor voice that is soulful, richly expressive and flawless in both intonation and phrasing, Harris displays a total command and fluency while on stage.
Show Times: 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm
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CYRUS CHESTNUT TRIO
The New York Daily News once heralded Chestnut as the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum and Erroll Garner. In an interview on National Public Radio (NPR) for All Things Considered, Chestnut remarked, “If I can send one person home after a performance feeling better than when they arrived, then I’ve done my job, and I sleep good at night.”
To this day, Chestnut attends church every Sunday. He told CBS News, “If I’m not working, you’ll find me in somebody’s church.” Chestnut continually tours with his trio, playing live at jazz festivals around the world as well as clubs and concert halls.
His leadership and prowess as a soloist has also led him to be a first call for the piano chair in many big bands including the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band.
Showtimes are 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm
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JOE LOCKE QUARTET
Joe Locke Quartet featuring Joe Locke (vibes), Jim Ridl (piano), Jay Anderson (bass) and Samvel Sarkisyan (drums).
Vibraphonist Joe Locke is widely considered to be one of the lead voices on his instrument, having won numerous awards and polls, including the 2006, 2008, and 2009 “Mallet Player of the Year” award from the Jazz Journalists Association.
Showtimes: 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm
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DJANGO FESTIVAL ALL~STARS
Hot Gypsy Jazz
The Django Festival Allstars, from France, tour the US 2x a year, playing at America’s top halls and clubs including Carnegie Hall and Rose Hall. The Allstars have performed at SF Jazz, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Festival, Kennedy Center, Aspen, Taos, Vale, and Moody Festivals, and Birdland for 22 years, all to great acclaim!
Django’s unmistakable cool and jumpin’ jole de vivre have made him an icon for an unlikely range of luminaries from Carlos Santana to Eric Clapton, guitar greats! Jimi Hendrix named his “big band of gypsies” in tribute, and Willie Nelson adopted his influence in “country-swing.”
The Django Festival Allstars, have grown into a brilliantly cohesive group of star musicians who’ve taken America by storm, performing at top concert halls and festivals to standing ovations. The Django Festival Allstars bring this music to ‘today’ combining known standards and original music… intoxicating!
Show Times: 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm
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Requisites
Minor Move ~ Tina Brooks | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s choice from the library is Minor Move (Blue Note GXF 3072), a 1958 recording by tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks. It was his first session as a leader and should have resulted in his debut but remained shelved until 1980 when it hit the stores in Japan. He’s joined here by Lee Morgan on trumpet, Sonny Clark on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. My copy used in this report is the 2019 Blue Note Tone Poet Series Stereo reissue (B0030487-01). Nutville by Tina Brooks opens Side One with the quintet’s blissfully happy theme. Sonny offers a welcoming smile on the opening statement, then Lee invites us to make ourselves at home next. Tina continues the lighthearted mood with an easy-going interpretation. Doug adds a few cool notes leading to the group’s finale.
The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields debuted in the film, Swing Time (1936). Tina and Lee accelerate the beat to uptempo for the melody, then Brooks dives straight into an invigorating lead solo. Morgan moves through the second interpretation with surgical precision, followed by Clark who applies infectious enthusiasm to the third reading. Blakey engages in a brief exchange with the front line before everyone reassembles for the ending. Side Two starts with Star Eyes by Gene De Paul and Don Raye from the musical-comedy, I Dood It! (1943). Lee begins with a brief muted intro preceding the midtempo theme. Tina steps up first with a relaxing performance, then Sonny and Lee follow with two satisfying performances of sheer delight.
Minor Move by Tina Brooks gets underway with the quintet’s collective theme, then Brooks settles into a bluesy groove on the lead solo. Lee and Sonny follow with two interpretations that will have your fingers popping and toes tapping to the inviting beat before the ensemble’s closing chorus dissolves into nothingness. Everything Happens To Me by Matt Dennis and Thomas Adair is one of the most beautiful songs from The Great American Songbook. This is a showcase for Tina who gives two emotionally touching performances of lyricism and poignancy. Sandwiched between them is a gorgeous presentation of reflective beauty by Lee and a warm insightful interpretation by Sonny leading to the tenor’s soft conclusion.
Minor Move was produced by Alfred Lion and Rudy Van Gelder was the recording engineer. Joe Harley supervised the reissue and Kevin Gray did the mastering. The packaging is superb with great photos of the session. The recording is fantastic with an exceptional soundstage and outstanding detail that comes through your speakers as clear as Waterford Crystal. The record was pressed on 180-gram audiophile vinyl and is very quiet until the music starts. Tina Brooks released only one album during his lifetime and appeared on several Blue Note sessions. Sadly, he never got the recognition he deserved. He passed away from liver failure at age forty-two on August 13, 1974. If you’re a fan of tenor sax and don’t already own the Mosaic box set, I offer for your consideration, Minor Move by Tina Brooks. It’s a terrific recording by one of the underrated jazz musicians and an album I highly recommend for your library!
~ The Complete Blue Note Recordings of The Tina Brooks Quintets (Mosaic Records MR4-106), True Blue (Blue Note BLP 4041/BST 84041) – Source: Discogs.com ~ The Way You Look Tonight, Star Eyes, Everything Happens To Me – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2022 by Edward Thomas Carter
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