Three Wishes
The question that came to Charles Lloyd from the Baroness when she asked if he had three wishes what would his answers be and he told her:
- “That’s awful difficult! Well, no – I wish I could play the music that I feel, and play with the musicians I’d like to.”
- “I would like to be a … to derive some kind of financial success from my music, and to know that it’s aesthetically pleasing.”
- “I’d like to make a contribution to art.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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AN EVENING WITH BRANFORD MARSALIS
The NEA Jazz Master, Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee is equally at home performing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with members of the Grateful Dead, but the core of his musical universe remains the Branford Marsalis Quartet. The quartet that saxophonist Branford Marsalis has led for the past three decades has always been a model of daring, no-apologies artistry, of ever-widening musical horizons and deepening collective identity.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joki Freund was born Walter Jakob Freund on September 5, 1926 in Höchst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He began playing the accordion as a child, switching to tenor saxophone after World War II ended.
Early in the postwar era, he played with Joe Quitter, Carlo Bohlander, Gerry Weinkopf, Joe Klimm, and Jutta Hipp, before forming his own ensemble. He began performing with American musicians, including Donald Byrd, Art Taylor, and Doug Watkins during their European festival appearances.
He went on to play with and arranged for Albert Mangelsdorff in the jazz orchestra of Hessischer Rundfunk, and Erwin Lehn in the Süddeutscher Rundfunk orchestra. He played with the Frankfurt Jazz Ensemble on soprano saxophone in the 1970s, also performing as a leader around this time.
Saxophonist Joki Freund, who predominantly played in a quintet setting but also in orchestras or big bands, transitioned on February 15, 2012 in Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany.
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Requisites
Swiss Nights, Vol. 2 ~ Dexter Gordon Quartet | By Eddie Carter
I begin September with a return to The Zürich Jazz Festival ’75 for this morning’s discussion of Swiss Nights, Vol. 2 (SteepleChase Records SCS-1090) by The Dexter Gordon Quartet. The tenor saxophonist’s back on stage with Kenny Drew on piano, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums. My copy used in this report is the 1978 SteepleChase Records German Stereo Audiophile release.
Dexter opens the set introducing There’s No Greater Love by Isham Jones and Marty Symes. The quartet launches into an exciting melody, stepping aside for Dexter who leads off the first solo vigorously. Kenny shows off his creative powers in the second reading, next Niels-Henning walks the bass enthusiastically. Dexter trades thoughts with Alex leading to his final solo ahead of the reprise and finish.
Sticky Wicket, the first of two tunes by Dexter eases the throttle back to a comfortable pace on the foursome’s opening chorus. Gordon leads off the solos with a relaxed statement. Drew continues cruising to a carefree beat, then Pedersen takes a laid-back stroll with his bass. Gordon and Riel share a brief exchange preceding the reprise and the audience’s approval.
Side Two opens to a timeless standard from The Great American Songbook, Darn That Dream by Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie Lange. Dexter and the trio introduce the song with a delicately gentle theme. Dexter’s tenor sax is the epitome of graceful elegance on the opening solo, next Kenny compliments him with a mellow reading of soft warmth. Niels-Henning and Alex hold everything together as Dexter returns for the climax.
Montmartre is Dexter Gordon’s tribute to the Copenhagen jazz club and is off to the races from the foursome’s opening theme. The leader kicks off the solos with a robust performance that gains momentum as it unfolds. Drew has a very good time on the second statement, next Gordon and Riel exchange a few ideas, then the drummer gets the spotlight briefly. The quartet returns to take the song out with an abrupt finish, followed by the group’s theme and musician introductions to great applause.
Nils Winther produced Swiss Nights, Vol. 2, and Helmuth Kolbe recorded and mixed the album. The soundstage is excellent, placing the listener in a front row seat to enjoy the quartet at work. The record is pressed on 180 grams of audiophile vinyl and is very quiet until the music starts. Like its two companions, Swiss Nights, Vol. 2 is a great live album by The Dexter Gordon Quartet with tight musicianship and outstanding sound. If you’re a fan of Dexter Gordon, it’s definitely worth adding to your library!
~ Swiss Nights, Vol. 1 (SteepleChase Records SCS-1050), Swiss Nights, Vol. 3 (SteepleChase Records SCS-1110) – Source: Discogs.com ~ There’s No Greater Love, Darn That Dream – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2022 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Fred Hess was born in Abington, Pennsylvania on September 3, 1944 but was raised in New Jersey. He studied at Trenton State College with his early studies with saxophonist Phil Woods, a stint with bandleader Fred Waring, and composing music for the world premiere of a Sam Shepard play.
As a composer, his influences encompass avant-garde classical sources, as well as Anthony Braxton and the members of the AACM. Moving to Boulder, Colorado in 1981, he founded the Boulder Creative Music Ensemble. Fred then completed further studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, taking his doctorate in composition in 1991.
He recorded his debut album Sweet Thunder in 1991 and by 2012 had sixteen albums as a leader in his catalog. He was the Director of Music Composition at Metro State College in Denver, Colorado.
In addition to his own projects as a leader, BCME, The Fred Hess Group and the Fred Hess Big Band, he was the founding director of Denver’s Creative Music Works Orchestra and was a member of drummer Ginger Baker’s Denver Jazz Quintet, as well as ensembles led by trumpeter Ron Miles.
His playing was influenced by Lester Young, John Coltrane, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, and Eric Dolphy. Tenor saxophonist Fredd Hess transitioned on October 27, 2018.
Bestow upon an inquiring mind a dose of a Abington saxophonist to motivate the perusal of the genius of jazz musicians worldwide whose gifts contribute to the canon…
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