CHARLES MCPHERSON & SEAN JONES

Charles McPherson with Sean Jones featuring Jeb Patton, Russell Hall & Billy Drummond

Thursday-Sunday, November 10-13th
Thursday: 7:30pm
Friday & Saturday: 7pm & 9:30pm
Sunday: 5pm & 7:30pm

Four incredible nights with these five grand masters!

“Charles is the very definition of excellence in our music. He is the definitive master on this instrument. He plays with exceptional harmonic accuracy and sophistication. He performs free-flowing, melodic and thematically developed solos with unbelievable fire and an unparalleled depth of soul.” – Wynton Marsalis

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Charles Burchell was born in London, England on October 30, 1925 and began learning the ukulele, then guitar. Then he heard an Artie Shaw record that inspired him to take up the clarinet and play jazz. Switching to alto saxophone, he started his own quintet in 1943, then tried tenor saxophone before he was drafted into the Royal Air Force. Transferred to the army in 1944, he played in Greece with the British Divisional Band.

Following his discharge in 1947 Charles worked in London with the Toni Antone Big Band. By 1949 he had given up full-time musicianship for work in a factory in order to not perform music he did not like in order to make a living.

A disciple of Lennie Tristano and a devoted admirer of Warne Marsh, he continued to play part-time, leading his own quintet for more than 20 years. Burchell has guested with Clark Terry, Emily Remler and Nathan Davis, and recording for Peter Ind’s Wave label. He played with Ind in the group that supported Tristano on his only UK concert, at Harrogate in 1968.

Saxophonist Charles Burchell, who went by Chas and has been touted as one of the great unsung heroes of British jazz, transitioned from a heart attack on June 3, 1986.

BRONZE LENS

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The Jazz Voyager

Taking to the friendly skies to once again masked and safely flying into Lambert International to catch some jazz in The Lou. Looking forward to catching up with a friend, meet new ones and enjoying an incredible evening of music at Jazz St. Louis. Three amazing musicians, Tia Fuller, Mimi Jones and Matt Wilson top off their residency of workshops, clinics, masterclasses and jam sessions with students to give the public a taste of their talent. Two nights, two sets each evening at 7:30 and 9:30 pm

Of course while I’m in this city I’ll take in the Gateway Arch, sit by the mighty Mississippi River, visit the Griot Museum, walk through the Botanical Gardens, and spend an afternoon at the George B. Vashon Museum that was built in 1879 on the city’s historic Millionaire’s Row. This museum hosts 250 years of 10,000 artifacts and treasures chronicling Black history in St. Louis.

There is no mention of a cover or reservations required. I guess I’ll be dropping in a little before showtime. The address for Jazz St. Louis is 3536 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63103. For more information, the number is 314-571-6000 or jazzstl.org.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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Requisites

Johnny Griffin’s Studio Jazz Party ~ Johnny Griffin | Eddie Carter

This title from the library brings renown jazzman Johnny  Griffin into the spotlight for his only live album as a leader  on Riverside Records. Submitted now for your approval is the 1961 LP, Johnny Griffin’s Studio Jazz Party (RLP-9338), recorded before a live audience that was invited to the recording session inside Plaza Sounds Studios. Joining the saxophonist are Dave Burns on trumpet; Norman Simmons on piano; Victor Sproles on bass and Ben Riley on drums. My copy is The Riverside Original Recording Series Japanese Stereo reissue (SMJ-6145), released in 1976 by Victor Musical Industries, Inc.

The performance is hosted by Babs Gonzales who welcomes the crowd to the session on the opening track, Party Time and introduces the first song, Good Bait by Count Basie and Tadd Dameron. This  standard was written in 1944, becoming a feature in Basie’s  and Dizzy Gillespie’s Orchestra. Griffin and the trio  introduce the song slowly, picking up immensely when the  melody moves to a medium-fast tempo. Dave sets the pattern for the song on the opening statement with punchy rhythms, crisp lines, and a crackling tone. Simmons strolls  into the next reading for an impressive interpretation which shows no strain as each phrase unfolds. Both horns share a few more statements before the ensemble returns for a  march-like closing chorus and amusing ending.

The first side ends on an uptempo note with the 1942  popular song, There Will Never Be Another You, written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon for the musical film  Iceland, which premiered that same year. The first recording outside the film was a 78-rpm single (B-11574) by  vocalist Joan Merrill recorded for the RCA subsidiary, Bluebird. The trio opens with an abridged introduction,  stepping aside as Burns begins the opening chorus and the lead solo ambitiously with a drive which generates its own  excitement. Simmons is dazzling on the next reading with  choruses which illustrate a mature sound that swings freely. Griffin romps through the next statement of this cheery  bouncer with long, flowing lines that are rewarding in every respect to the delight of one fan who urges him on as his solo progresses. Sproles is up next to give a brief statement with an agility that shows he is much more than a solid  foundation and sets up the front line to share a few final  thoughts before the ensemble brings the song to a close to  the delight of the crowd.

Babs opens the second side with a message to the crowd, then the group tears into Dave Burns’ Toe-Tappin” which possesses great speed from the start and the interaction between the front line during the main theme is marvelous. Dave kicks off the lead solo with a passionate presentation which launches its own fireworks in perfect harmony on each note to the equally incandescent foundation by the rhythm section. Norman sustains the ferocious pace with a knockout performance on the next statement, then Johnny charges ahead with enthusiastic phrases on the tune’s longest interpretation which are constructed marvelously. Victor fuels the final reading with pure adrenalin for an  exclamation point that will have your fingers popping and your toes tapping to the contagious beat until the quintet’s soft fade finale and audience’s fervent expression of  approval.

The LP’s only standard is a classic from The Great American Songbook which Babs introduces in French. You’ve  Changed was written in 1942 by Carl Fischer and Bill Carey and has been covered by many vocalists in the jazz and pop  genres. The definitive vocal of this popular song, in my  opinion, was sung by Billie Holiday on the 1958 Columbia album, Lady In Satin (CL 1157/CS 8048). After a brief  introduction by the trio, Burns plays the first half of the  opening chorus with Johnny playing the second half to  ng, amiable final presentation that leads back to the closing chorus and a gentle ending as the applause fades to mark the end of this  very enjoyable Studio Jazz Party.

The original recording was engineered by Ray Fowler, the  man behind some of the greatest jazz albums on Riverside  and Jazzland with the mastering done by Jack Matthews of  Components Corporation for this Japanese LP. Both men have done their job well because the sound is vivid with each instrument providing a realistic soundstage that surrounds your sweet spot, placing you in the best seat to  enjoy the performance along with the crowd. The music which makes up the program is equally enjoyable, and I  even found Gonzales’ comments throughout the album colorful and its crystal-clear Babs was in a party mood as the set progressed. In short, Johnny Griffin’s Studio Jazz Party is a pleasurable program of music which still stands up well nearly six decades later and at nearly forty-six minutes, offers a benefit to the novice or knowledgeable listener that he or she will get their money’s worth from a performance they can revisit anytime.

~ Good Bait, There Will Never Be Another You, You’ve  Changed – Source: JazzStandards.com, Wikipedia.org © 2020 by Edward Thomas Carter

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JAVON JACKSON | THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO NIKKI GIOVANNI

Saxophonist and former Jazz Messenger Javon Jackson, world-renowned poet laureate Nikki Giovanni, and celebrated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon stand on the shoulders of their ancestors in The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni, a meaningful meditation on struggle, sacrifice, resilience, liberation, and victory.

Giovanni, one of today’s finest poets and thinkers, makes a rare vocal appearance at this inspired evening of her favorite poetry, hymns, and Negro spirituals reimagined by Jackson as jazzy new compositions. “These songs are so important,” says Giovanni of the historic collaboration. “I’m out here putting water on the flowers, because they need a drink” (Broadway World).

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