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Italian Style

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In an already crowded field of great contemporary Jazz pianists, the Italian Enrico Pieranunzi is a stand out. He is regarded as one of the best Jazz pianists in Europe (and beyond) and his career has been on a steady upwards trajectory for decades. American and UK reviewers have mentioned him in the same breath as Evans and Jarrett, but his stylistic range probably encompasses a broader scope than either of the above. He is an adventurous musician who will frequently take himself outside of his comfort zone and then return effortlessly to the achingly beautiful melodic tunes that are his mainstay.  His long-standing trio with Marc Johnson (bass) and Joey Baron (drums) is well-known, but a number of other trio, duo and quartet configurations work equally well.  Like many great musicians he has an uncanny knack for locating top quality sidemen and he gives them ample room to breathe on their own. While I love his trio work with Baron and Johnson – who wouldn’t like those two – my personal favourite is the ‘Live in Paris’ trio. That all European trio comprises of Andre Ceccarelli (drums) and Hein Van de Geyn (bass); who are simply astonishing on this recording. The three work as if with one mind as they stretch time and rework standards and Pieranunzi tunes in ways that defy belief.

When Pieranunzi first became known outside of Italy his playing was often described as Evans influenced and at the time that seemed a fair assessment. After listening to his considerable discography I am not so sure, as some of his early work gives a nod to McCoy Tyner and even Hancock.  There is little of Evans in his early recordings with Chet Baker or Art Farmer and by the time he had recorded his first album with Charlie Haden he was uniquely Pieranunzi.  His energy and innovation seem boundless and for the last decade and a half he has been recording in a variety of settings.   His recent ‘Domenico Scarlatti‘ album is a case in point.   He plays the baroque master with fluency and yet with a subtle improvisational edge.    He manages to make the rendition sound both ultra modern and yet true to the traditional improvisational mores of the day.  Only a very skilled Jazz musician could pull this off so well.

If I were to recommend albums I would have to start with the magnificent double album ‘Live in Paris’ (Pieranunzi, Hein Van de Geyn, Andre Ceccarelli) – Challenge label.   Also the double album ‘Live in Japan‘ or ‘Ballads‘ (Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, Joey Baron) – Camjazz.  Other gems are his recent duo album with Marc Johnson and ‘Alone Together’ , a quartet with the stellar line up of Philip Catherine (g), Hein Van de Geyn (b) Joe La Barbera (d) – Challenge.   Two recent albums where he is not the leader are also well worth the effort; ‘Oslo‘ with Terje Gewelt, Anders Kjellberg – Resonant Music and ‘The Kingdom (where nobody dies)‘ Mads Vinding (b), Alex Riel (d).  They can be purchased on iTunes for around $18 each if you are impatient to own copies.  Amazon also holds a good range of Pieranunzi albums but when they occasionally run out of stock the second-hand albums often fetch huge prices until a reprinting of new stock occurs.  These are popular albums.

Larry, Joe, Bruce & Tom – found.

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I just found this notice on the Auckland Event Finder web-site.     A double billing starring the Tom Warrington trio (Tom Warrington, Larry Koonse, Joe La Barbera) and Bruce Forman who have all been to New Zealand before.    Larry and Tom feature together on the earlier clip I posted from the ‘Bruce Wyble’ tribute concert in LA.

Masonic Hotel – 29 King Edward Parade – Devonport  – 27th May 2011 – 7 pm – 11:30 pm

– Door charge   Adult: $25.00 – Student: $15.00

‘The ultimate double bill.

Direct from the USA – The Tom Warrington Trio. Featuring Tom Warrington – bass, Joe LaBarbera – drums and Larry Koonse – guitar. These three have performed with some of the biggest names in jazz. Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Freddie Hubbard, Tony Bennett, Bill Evans, Cleo Lane to name but a few.

Bruce Forman – Pinto Pammy and Cowbop 
“It’s hot, jazzy and has a drawl!” –San Francisco Chronicle 
Mix swingin’ grooves, thrilling riffs, sweet and hot vocals, acoustic western sensibilities and tons of fun and you have only begun to describe Cowbop. Formed in 2003 by internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Bruce Forman, the cowboy jazz and western bebop band has toured extensively throughout the world, exciting audiences with their unique and infectious brand of music. The band’s collective experience crosses the spectrum of American music, from the hottest jazz and the coolest swing to the fiercest bluegrass and most down-home honky-tonk.

Comfortable in diverse settings, from Carnegie Hall to roadside taverns, the band always hits the stage with an electrifying and entertaining assortment of music and frolic. Along with Bruce Forman on guitar, the band features PintoPammy on vocals, whose talent and the experiences range from big band swing, old-time country and musical theatre, and fiddlin’ Phil Salazar, who lights up the stage with his world-renown swing, Americana, bluegrass and jazz stylings. Put that on top of a rhythm section of Alex King, bass, and Jake Reed, drums, that are as swingin’ and rockin’ as rodeo bronc, but as sure-footed as a prized pack mule and you get Cowbop.’

That will be three concerts in a fortnight featuring international artists.    We are certainly being spoilt this year, but I for one have no complaints at all.


Below is clip from the LA Jazz Collective featuring Larry Koonse, Gary Foster, Putter Smith. This is ensemble playing that would have made Lennie Tristano proud.

Lost and Found: Alan Broadbent, Herb Ellis, Bob Brookmeyer

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Like many Kiwi Jazz fans I do my best to buy local artists music when they record. If we don’t buy, then they will not bother to record. Some of the diaspora have found wider markets and inevitably they settle where the work is. Alan Broadbent is just such a musician and locals always turn out to see his concerts when he visits from the USA. Alan has a new album out that has been well reviewed in both Jazz Times and Downbeat and understandably local fans want to obtain a copy. The album is titled , “Live at Giannelli Square: Vol 1”. Distribution appears to be a problem however as the local record stores like Marbecks have had it on order for many months and even though Amazon has it on offer; in reality no copies are available. Patience is extolled as a virtue, but this situation is never-the-less frustrating for the record stores (and for fans like me who lack the virtues of my elders and betters). Marbecks Records tells me that they could have sold quite few copies by now and it would have been sensible for ‘Chilly Bin Records’ to ensure that the supply coincided with the publicity and reviews. I am sure that I will get my hands on a copy eventually and perhaps the waiting will enhance the listening pleasure. I see in Down Beat that people are invited to order directly from ‘Chilly Bin Records’ and so I may even try that. This is probably Alan’s own label as the name ‘chilly bin’ is a piece of pure Kiwiana and just maybe, the album has sold so well that the distributer was unable to keep up?  Nice thought.

Found: Two new classic reissues well worth the purchase price.   The first is Herb Ellis ‘Nothing but the Blues’ but also included is the fabulous ‘Herb Ellis meets Jimmy Guiffre’.   To get the pair of these meticulously restored classic albums plus a 12 page booklet for a mere $24 is almost embarrassing; Poll Winners Records.   The second two for one album is a pair of dates recorded by the Bob Brookmeyer quartet.   First up is ‘Blues Hot and Cold’ which reaches back into older earthier trombone styles while somehow remaining very fresh and modern.  The second album is titled ‘7 X Wilder’ a typical Brookmeyer pun.    This album is a tribute to his friend Alec Wilder (great American Songbook).  The sidemen on ‘Blues Hot and Cold’ are Jimmy Rowles (p) Buddy Clarke (b) Mel Lewis (d).   The sidemen on ‘7 X Wilder’ are Jim Hall (g) Bill Crow (b) Mel Lewis (d) – Bob also plays nice piano as well as his unique valve trombone.  All that for $28 – cheers Lonehill Jazz.

Concerts in the wind.

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Quick Concert update:

This Saturday we get to hear the amazing Jack deJohnette – colourist and straight ahead master of the ‘traps’- probably the greatest drummer alive.     Jack’s band is performing an update on the ‘Miles Davis‘ fusion classic ‘Jack Johnson‘.     Next month Herbie Hancock is returning to Auckland (Tuesday 26th March) and his new ‘Imagine Project’ band will include talented Benin Guitarist Lionel Loueke.   I was in touch with old friend Larry Koonse last week (gifted West Coast Jazz guitarist) and he told me that he will likely be here again in a few months with the Roger Fox Big Band.     He may even return with Joe La Barbera like last time.

Lastly saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins is going to be playing in Wellington this winter (July).    As grumpy as I am with Wellington for canceling the International Jazz Festival because of the World Cup I will attend.     Swapping Jazz for rugby is a cardinal sin (or it bloody well should be).

Night in Tunisia

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Youssef Dhafer at Moers Festival, June 2006, G...

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In the mid nineties I was lucky enough to visit Switzerland for two weeks. Walking happily and aimlessly around the beautiful shores of Lac Lemon, Geneva, one summer evening, I came across five North African musicians playing entrancing modal melodies on the traditional instruments of their region. As I recall there was an Oud, hand drums, a reed instrument and several other stringed instruments.  I stopped to listen and during a break in the music asked them the obligatory, “what country are you from?”  “Tunisia” they called out with huge grins indicating their traditional costumes.  “Dizzy Gillespie”,  I said turning to my friend Michael as I threw a few Swiss francs into the cap that lay in front of them. We had hardly walked on a dozen steps when a cheerful cry of  “hey English” accosted us.  As we turned round the musicians began channeling Dizzy and to my ears that version of ‘Night in Tunisia” sounded just wonderful. I marvelled that they should know that 1940’s American Be-Bop warhorse because they were barely more than teens.  Jazz can truly be a world-music.

Some years ago I listened to a not-so-successful attempt to use an Oud in Jazz. The band was about in the late 1950’s and the ‘fusion’ was far from convincing; a novelty at best.  As the ECM label broadened the scope of its Jazz offerings I began to hear marvelous improvised music on the Oud. In the late 90’s I purchased several CD’s by Tunisian Oud player Anouar Brahem (a Keith Jarrett influenced musician). The Oud creates a wonderful soundscape and the deep improvisations the instrument is capable of adds much to the musical lexicon.

In 2009 at the Wellington Jazz festival I decided on a whim to go to an additional concert. The group was lead by Sufi Tunisian Oud player Dhafer Youssef.  This concert was up-there  as an experience and I enjoyed every note. His band consisted of Marcin Wasilewski (piano), Michal Miskiewiscz (drums) and a great Canadian arco-stick-bass player whose name now eludes me. Dhafer sung his other worldly songs and played the Oud and the crowd was entranced.  Having the heart of the utterly brilliant Tomasz Stanko band as his rhythm section did not hurt either.

The Oud is just fine by me.

What is in a name?

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3. Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights act...

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With civil unrest erupting across the middle east and bitter battle lines being drawn in Wisconsin and other Republican dominated states’ over the rights of people to collectivize in order to further a common cause, this title feels relevant.  This blog-site is a place where local opinions about Jazz can be voiced but that is not why I chose the term ‘Jazz Local 32′.    A ‘Local‘ is the term unions in America use when they refer to their branches.   These musicians union ‘locals’ are an integral part Jazz history and they have often been at the forefront of civil rights actions.  Jazz has been deeply concerned with social justice struggles since its inception and especially in the bitter battles to overcome racism.  These struggles are often reflected in the music.   Billy Holiday witnessed the lynching and burning of fellow African-Americans as she toured the deep south and later at the Cafe Society Club she sang ‘Strange Fruit‘ in order to bring home these unspeakable horrors.    This heart wrenching song once heard will never be forgotten, because the strange fruit are the charred rotting bodies twisting in the wind.    John Coltrane marched with Martin Luther King and later wrote profoundly moving tunes like ‘Alabama’, which touch the depths of the listeners soul.    Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and many more took on the segregationist bigots and their collective struggle is part of Jazz DNA.    A larger than life but somewhat controversial figure in this battle was John Petrillo; a one time trumpet player who eventually became president of  the American Musicians union.

‘Petrillo became president of the Chicago Local 10 of the musician’s union in 1922, and was president of the American Federation of Musicians from 1940 to 1958.  He continued being the prime force in the Union for another decade; in the 1960s he was head of the Union’s “Civil Rights Division”, which saw to the desegregation of the local unions and the venues where musicians played.

Petrillo dominated the union with absolute authority. His most famous actions were banning all commercial recordings by union members from 1942–1944 and again in 1948 to pressure record companies to give better royalty deals to musicians;these were called the Petrillo Bans. (Wikipedia)

Why the number ’32’ ?- That is where I live.