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“Tremé” really isn’t all that engaging a show. It does, however, serve as television’s way of reminding viewers that NOLA’s still a place that has a bit of work to do before completely recovering from Katrina. Just ask Jay Electronica, but give him a minute to finish up that soda commercial. Either way, the Rebirth Brass Band figures musically into the previously mentioned show—they’re included in its soundtrack. And like the David Simon show, Rebirth’s latest disc, “The Rebirth of New Orleans,” attempts to liven up an otherwise problematic situation. Read the rest of this entry »

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Pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette began playing as a group something like three decades back, but only after each performer had established himself as the preeminent musician on his instrument. The rhythm section individually gigged with everyone from Albert Ayler to Miles Davis, played every jazz subgenre from cool to fusion and did so internationally. Jarrett, who came to prominence as a result of his solo piano recordings, “The Köln Concert” deserving particular distinction, actually played with DeJohnette on a few recordings prior to hooking up in this ensemble. Read the rest of this entry »

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“A choir of trumpets,” was how Bill Chase once described the unique jazz-rock band that bore his name. One of the most distinctive trumpeters of all time, Chicagoan Chase had a career as a “screech” soloist in a number of jazz big bands, most notably in the legendary 1960s incarnation of Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd, before putting together the unique nine-piece band called Chase, a band like no other before or since.

Chase’s own signature solos were an exciting element of the band, but he had the idea to feature no less than four virtuoso trumpeters who were each top soloists and arrangers in their own right and could, with Chase taking the top voice, create a sparkling sonic trumpet soundscape as a section. Supporting the trumpets was a flexible, frantic rhythm section and a growling take-no-prisoners vocalist, though two of the trumpeters could also sing. After three groundbreaking albums and various personnel changes, Chase and two members of the third incarnation of the band—not the entire band as is often erroneously reported—were killed in a small plane crash en route to a gig in August of 1974. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dave Cantor

“Larry Coryell was an interesting case,” says vibraphonist Gary Burton from a twenty-fourth floor room at a New York City hotel. The sixty-eight-year-old jazzbo ties his onetime guitarist into a group of players, who like himself, strove to again make jazz a popular music during the sixties, a time when rock bands sturdily held the attentions of younger audiences. “He also played with rock groups in clubs and developed this interesting schizophrenic style of playing,” the vibesman says. Coryell’s ability to spit out a few jazz-based ideas, quickly followed by a procession of notes slathered in reverb and a hint of distortion, was an indispensable part of what made Burton’s quartet from 1966 onward an important precursor to bands like Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew crew and the following Mahavishnu Orchestra. Read the rest of this entry »

The California-based Tierney Sutton Band chose a selection of songs relating to America itself for their debut release on BFM Jazz after several years with the label Heads Up International. Though not every track on “American Road” is a folk song, many have ingrained themselves into our memories as a part of American music, even those written for Broadway shows or movie soundtracks.

This proves to be a challenge—how to bring something new to tunes that are so well known? The Tierney Sutton Band’s answer was to take an innovative approach toward each song that focused on Sutton’s unique vocals and the band’s longtime chemistry. Read the rest of this entry »

Mavis Staples

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Saying goodbye to summer means a farewell to beaches, outdoor seating and, perhaps the saddest of all, festivals. Fear not! The Hideout is squeezing the last out of the festival fun with the return of its legendary block party after a two-year absence. Perhaps the most impressive element of the festival is the diversity of style of the artists. The ten-hour event is a variable platter of sound, and it all looks delicious.

Andrew Bird, the biggest name on the bill, will provide the intricate indie tunes he’s known for. Lofty soul calling your name? Mavis Staples and her syrupy low voice at your service. To take that one step further, Booker T. Jones will be around to inject some serious funk into said soul. Read the rest of this entry »

In 1962 and 1964, Frank Sinatra teamed with bandleader Count Basie for two recordings that would be considered some of the best work for both performers. The initial recording was titled “Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First,” and featured tunes like “Pennies from Heaven” and “I Only Have Eyes for You.” The second time around, the duo enlisted a young Quincy Jones, who arranged the music in tunes that would ultimately become Sinatra staples such as “Fly Me To The Moon” and “I Wish You Love.”

The two albums have now been combined in “The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings” on the Concord label, which also reissued Ol’ Blue Eyes’ collaborations with Antonio Carlos Jobim in 2010.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Jazz and funk have counted more than a few industrious percussionists: Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie, Elvin Jones and Ziggy Modeliste to name just a few. Stanton Moore might not come to bear so heavily in a stylistic manner, but the NOLA native has done his fair share in expounding the virtues of his hometown and its percussive history. While not engaged as Galactic’s drummer, Moore has spent the last few decades giving workshops, recording instructional DVDs and, perhaps most importantly, trying to take NOLA and its musicians back to a pre-Katrina standing. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Michael Jackson

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Chicago guitarist Jeff Parker spent the first decade of his career, after he finished school at Berklee, gigging and recording with the city’s jazzbo-elite and performing with a little group called Tortoise. Coming aboard for the ensemble’s 1998 “TNT” means Parker wasn’t a part of the ensemble’s high-water mark, the krauty “DJed,” but added in a subtle six-string voice, enabling the group to push simplistic rock stuffs somewhere unique. In every setting he plays, though, Parker’s sturdy bop-informed experiments are easily recognized. Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s infrequent when fifty-year-old careers claim the last few months as the most fruitful. During March, Dr. John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And the NOLA native’s 2010 album, “Tribal,” was in contention for a Grammy as “Best Contemporary Blues Album.” It’s the pianist’s earliest recordings, however, that continually pull in younger music scavengers. Sure, “Tribal” sought to more fully incorporate that bad ju-ju the singer prodded decades back with tracks like “Manoovas” sounding as if the band were possessed by some devilish spirits. But “Gris Gris,” recorded back in 1968, remains Dr. John’s towering achievement. For an album so beholden to NOLA’s musical and spiritual heritage, it’s odd to find that the disc was recorded in Los Angeles, where Dr. John had relocated and begun work as a part of the Wrecking Crew, taking on studio gigs backing up everyone from Sonny and Cher to Canned Heat. Read the rest of this entry »