Not only was I able to take in the new site, but I was able to see it with my favorite current jazz band, the Dave Holland Quintet, on stage! Given that the great bassist Holland had just released a new octet CD, Pathways, I thought it would be cool to hear the core band play the new tunes.

As usual, the band did not disappoint. At front were the two mainstay horn players, trombonist Robin Eubanks and saxophonist Chris Potter, both world-recognized artists. Their interplay is one of the highlights of any Quintet performance. Of course, Holland writes and arranges precisely to create that relationship. To the left side was vibe master Steve Nelson, who is part of almost every Holland production as Dave’s replacement for the piano player, throwing chordal curves in a percussionist vein, which drew pleasant grins from both Holland and the group’s drummer, Nate Smith, who was nestled back stage left behind the horns.

In fact, one of the joys of seeing this group is watching Holland, placed backstage middle, setting the tone for each selection and then showing his joy in what his bandmates do with what they are given.  On this night, Smith earned continuous smiles from his leader as he found numerous instances in which to push and pull rhythm and timing, all the while having to pay attention to Nelson’s constant desire to match his drummer’s pace and beat.

Clearly, Holland wants people to know that his chosen few create much pleasure and surprise, even after nearly ten years together, on and off. And on this night, judging from our view of his face, he was continually entertained.

Music from the new album will be featured on subsequent shows on Jazz with Mr. C, Wednesday nights on Owl Radio.

So I face hours of reading student writing. While it is true that some students can’t pay attention during lectures, it is also true that some student papers bore me half to death, a trade-off, I guess. (Sub-title of my comp classes: How not to bore your professor–a guide to good grades.) In doing this reading, I sometimes have to stimulate my mind to stay actively involved, even if artificially engendered.

Some will rely on drugs, and I certainly will brew the pot of coffee needed (sorry, no ritalin or truck driver fluids for this dude).  However, one thing that works all the time is stimulating music in the ear phones. It has to be instrumental for me…lyrics beg for my attention.

Jazz provides stimulating music, alright. The two artists that seem to work the best are Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane. Others include Andrew Hill, Pat Metheny(in his purer jazz idioms),  and Dave Holland. The key element to each is a musician whose style and approach entice my mind to follow in a non-linear path as a counterpoint to the linearity I am reading for in my students’ work. It’s as though one part of my mind is escaping by being aware of the need for a “path,” while the other part is actively looking for one. One keeps me alert, the other on task.

People like Kenny G and other smooth jazz artists are too melodic to provide that counterpoint. I fall asleep, even when I am not reading papers. At 1 a.m., in the middle of my final stack, I don’t need incentives to hit the pillow.

So, students and instructors, try it. Get some Monk into the ear; let his percussive style cajole your intellect. You may read sharper, think quicker, even in the midst of the boggy swamp of student rhetoric.

I am one of those volunteers, and I always bring music with me, ususally a song from the Great American Songbook sung by a famous artist connected to the jazz world. (Tune in tonight to hear what I am going to use on Thursday.)

This year I will be reading Sonnet 91 (sometime between 1 and 2 p.m.), a tribute to the priority of love over high class, with its power and glory.  I found it more difficult this time to locate an appropriate song and began to wonder why.

First, the imagery of class–in this case, the life of a nobleman–is very foreign to those in the jazz tradition. Those in society’s higher classes have a very difficult time claiming they have “the blues.” Even if one is snubbed in love, their position makes it more possible to have a greater number of candidates for love due to the attraction of position and its glories. Jazz artists were never, really, in that position. Those who wrote for popular singers during the first three-quarters of the 20th century had a cynical or ironic tone in regard to those who “have.”

So, Shakespeare in this regard is clearly peculiar. In Sonnet 91, the speaker claims that all the things a nobleman would desire pale in comparison to his love. Several songs in the American catalog reference the idea of trading “the world” for a lover, but the conceit is never extended beyond a few phrases; the passion takes over or natural imagery overtakes more materialistic language. For example, Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman,” mentions that a woman will make a man “trade the world/for the good thing he found,” but that’s as far as that discussion goes.

As it turns out, a song made famous by Dean Martin, “You’re Nobody Til Somebody Loves You” turns out to be the closest sentiment in context that I could find (so far). But…I’ll play Nat ‘King’ Cole’s version instead. The word “king” occurs early on as a reference to fame and fortune (and class); whether the pun on his name was intended or not can be debated.  Nevertheless, the lyric here–”You may be king, you may possess the world and it’s gold/
But gold won’t bring you happiness when you’re growing old”–clearly evinces the context the sonnet creates: love is better than upper class glories.

In the meantime, the subject of class became evident as I perused my own library, leading to some songs that can be juxtaposed to the development of a study of sorts. I plan to play those songs as part of my Shakespeare sonnet moment tonight, starting around 9:30. Hope you can be a part of that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VymAn8QJNQ

Who knew?

Slowly but surely, people will know, once the word gets around about what’s happening at the Mellow Mushroom on Chastain. Every Monday, KSU guitar instructor Trey Wright and his trio host a jazz night from 7:30 to 10:30 on the restaurant’s veranda.

This past Monday night, Wright’s chromatic guitar playing (featured on his CD Thinking Out Loud) opened the weekly festivity, followed by an extended jam session that lets KSU students and other local musicians join in, channeling their inner Joe Pass, Charlie Parker, Jackie McLean, Christian McBride, or Billy Higgins in front of curious pizza eaters who get the music for free (to paraphrase Joni Mitchell, whose song “Both Sides Now“ was one of several songs covered this night).

And then there was Roy Harper, who drove down in the rain from Blairsville. Harper, a long time Atlanta-area resident, has been, in his terms, a “guitar for hire” for most of his career. He showed up this night to mix it up with the boys. It took, oh, about 15 seconds to realize we were in the presence of talent and wisdom as he gave lessons on picking and riffing. Roy’s grin told the real story: this was meant to be fun, and he was having some.

Add two alto saxophones (KSU students Zach Evans and Brandon Bell), a flugelhorn (Phil West), yet another guitarist, along with two bassists (including GSU student Stephen Cox), and a whole ‘nother pile of classic interpretations—old songs played new—was on the way. Notable were spirited renditions of “Cherokee” and Horace Silver’s “Song For My Father.”

This wasn’t lounge music by a long shot. Trio music can get boring in a hurry without the verve of bass and drums; Wright’s trio mates Marc Miller on bass (and also a KSU instructor) and Darren Stanley on drums (KSU student Pershaud Bolt replaced him on a couple pieces) never let anything get staid. Everything swung like heck, even that Mitchell tune. Food digests a lot better, too, when the toe is tapping.

This was ‘quality stuff,’ a perfect introduction to the pleasure and intricacies of performance involving America’s music. KSU students, faculty, associates and all area jazz fans are invited to share in this weekly joy ride as a way to illuminate and preserve a crucial, evolving art form.

Listen to Jazz with Mr. C on Owl Radio to hear music from Thinking Out Loud. For more information on Trey Wright, go to http://www.treywright.com/Home.html

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Part 2. Right-click to Save As.

Be sure to check out John’s website to see samples of his music, photos (such as the one used for this post ), information on gigs, and biographical materials.

Also, be sure to tune in for Jazz with Mr. C, every Wednesday night, 9pm to Midnight. Only here on ksuradio.com.

Armed with a winsome, dreadlocked personality, a versatile voice, and a solid backup trio, this demure but sassy lady effectively entertained a moderately-packed house with a collection of songs from her recent release Street of Dreams (cover shown at left) and various other bits, some off-the-plan as she inveigled her bandmates into disrupting the playlist for some improvisational fun.

Real jazz artists can take old material and refresh it in ways that resurrect music from stodgy framework. Sellick does this in spades. “Get Happy” has been performed a billion times but somehow seemed fresh this night, alighted by Sellick’s effervescence and off-beat phrasing. This reviewer’s favorite moment was her second set rendition of “I Love Paris,” which began with an exotic thrust, then morphing into a narrative of young Annie’s youthful wanderlust and eventual settled marriage before she stopped the proceedings to entice her sterling pianist Kevin Bales (of Marietta) to create a more “romantic” tone, leading to a dreamily poetic musing…and a return to the zestful prelude. This was Betty Carter-like–the deconstructing of tradition to offer another version of an old, old story.

One other significant characteristic of Sellick’s approach is her fervent demand for her bassist’s prominence in sound and arrangement. This night, the wonderfully earnest Elisa Pruitt shared center stage on several performances, including the youthfully risque “Do It Again.” Pruitt and rhythm partner Justin Barnes on drums never allowed the proceedings to become staid. It says a lot for Sellick’s approach when her musical supporters feel as free as Pruitt and Barnes did to guide the pace and keep things interesting. The singer called this trio “her favorite” to work with, and the group’s musical camaraderie throughout supported her contention.

Live jazz, done well, refreshes and stimulates both the mind and the spirit. In this case, Annie Sellick and her tune weavings fit the cozy confines of a place like Churchill Grounds very comfortably, providing entertainment to those who, leaving their troubles outside the door, came to hear old messages in new ways.

Learn more about Annie Sellick by going to www.anniesellick.com.