Charles McPherson's both sides now

It took two and a half-years, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic lull, but alto saxophonist Charles McPherson finally got back to Artis-Naples. He appeared with the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra on Wednesday, November 9 in the quintet's All That Jazz series. His last visit to Naples was about 10 years ago.

Charles McPherson

On this night, he treated the audience to two sides of his musical psyche: a fine composer with wide-ranging material, and a true-blue bebopper who can add high-energy artistry and rapidly shifting ideas to most any tune.

The top-notch band supporting him this night at Daniels Pavilion included tenor saxophonist and musical director Lew Del Gatto, trumpeter Vince DiMartino, pianist Jerry Stawski, bassist Chuck Bergeron and drummer Mike Harvey. 

Jerry Stawski, McPherson

McPherson, now 83, opened the program with four diverse originals: his burner "Bud Like," two very different pieces from his Jazz Dance Suites, and the playful "Jumpin' Jacks," which was inspired by the game jacks that kids used to play on floor, driveways or sidewalks many moons ago.

The dance pieces were quite interesting. McPherson is the resident composer of the San Diego Ballet, where his daughter Camille is a principal dancer. "Song of the Sphinx" was gorgeous and intricate with both Spanish and Middle Eastern tinges. He followed it with the frisky, upbeat tune "Wedding Song." McPherson said it was inspired by an Old Testament tale of a hopeful young woman jilted by King Solomon.

McPherson, Lew Del Gatto

After those four originals, he played an inspired, occasionally delicate take on the standard "Old Folks" with just the rhythm section. The evening's lone ballad was a splendid showcase for Stawski's fine keyboard skills.

Then, with Hurricane Nicole bearing down on Florida, McPherson and the band shifted into gale-force bebop.

Vince DiMartino

They roared through Dizzy Gillespie's classic "A Night in Tunisia" and Jerome Kern's "All The Things You Are," and closed with a blistering take on Charlie Parker and Gillespie's "Anthropology" with all of the band members turning in fine solos.

Early in his career, McPherson spent 14 years in bassist Charles Mingus' band. He noted that Mingus tweaked the beloved Kern standard a bit, and called his version "All The Things You Could Be By Now if Sigmund Freud's Wife was Your Mother." DiMartino rolled out the melody on this one, showcasing his bright and beautiful trumpet artistry.

It was good to hear McPherson in Southwest Florida again, playing in Naples after a four-night run at Smoke in New York City. 

He had been scheduled to play at the opening night main stage concert of the Sarasota Jazz Festival in March 2020. It was cancelled because of COVID-19 just an hour or so before showtime. His scheduled Naples return a month later was cancelled, and he was unable to make planned concerts in November 2020 and January 2022.

New Orleans trumpeter Wendell Brunious is the next featured guest in the All That Jazz series on December 14.

Charles McPherson with the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra

Another gem from Randy Despommier

New Orleans-based OffBeat magazine has published my review of saxophonist Randal Despommier's latest CD, A  Midsummer Odyssey, in its July issue. 

The Louisiana native's duo project with guitarist Ben Monder explores  compositions written by Swedish baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin. Click on the hyperlink to check out my review.

A month for saxophonists

In my mind, June is a month for saxophonists. At least this June. For this jazz journalist.

Let me explain.

The June issue of Hot House jazz magazine, which covers the New York City jazz scene, as well as select venues in neighboring states, includes my profile of tenor saxophonist Harry Allen. 

I've known Harry since he was a junior in high school back in 1983. It is always great to hear and talk with this musician whose high-quality recording output in the U.S. and abroad is prolific to say the least. 

The June issue of JazzTimes includes my extensive profile of saxophonist Greg Abate. 

Greg Abate

He talks about his early-career road stint with Ray Charles, his evolution into a hard-bop ambassador, his important collaborations with late alto sax master Phil Woods, and much more. 

Greg was a natural fit for this issue, which spotlights a variety of sax players. They range from early 30s players Marcus Elliot, Julieta Eugenio and Melissa Aldana to Preservation Hall Jazz Band veteran Charlie Gabriel, who is just out with his first recording as a leader at age 89. The others include Eli Degibri, Kenny Garrett, Walter Smith III and Mark Turner, as well as the late Steve Lacy.

Greg and Harry came out of the Rhode Island jazz scene, where I got to know them well over the years. Harry is 55. Greg turned 75 on May 31.

Vincent Herring sears and swings in Naples

The Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra's socially distanced concert series at Artis-Naples didn't miss a beat on Wednesday, January 20 when the sextet was joined by special guest Vincent Herring. The alto saxophonist replaced tenor player Billy Harper, who had been scheduled until pandemic concerns scuttled his travel plans.

Vincent Herring

Herring has been based in New York since 1982.  His soulful, swinging style was heavily influenced by the late Cannonball Adderley. Herring worked for nine years with trumpeter Nat Adderley. After Nat's death, he formed the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band with drummer Louis Hayes. He last played with the Naples sextet in 2018.

For this concert,  the material pretty much alternated between four jazz covers and three of Herring's varied originals. Artistic director and tenor saxophonist Lew Del Gatto penned arrangements for the sextet. The band also included trumpeter Dan Miller, violinist Glenn Basham, pianist Jerry Stawski, bassist Kevin Mauldin and drummer Mike Harvey. 

The Joy of Saxes

Composer, arranger and bandleader Jim Roberts was the Charlotte County Jazz Society’s first guest artist with an outdoor concert back in 1991, the year he move to the Orlando area from New York City. He’s been a frequent visitor to the CCJS concert series over the years – and his visits never get dated or tiring.

Jim Roberts

He brought his Saxtet, with a mighty three-reed horn line, back to Port Charlotte FL on Monday, March 11. They turned in a superb performance coursing through a wide range of jazz material.

Roberts plays the piano, and plays it well in a sprightly style, but his finest contribution is the intricate, swinging extended arrangements he has crafted for the band. There are lush three-flute and three-sax choruses (sometimes a blend of alto, soprano and tenor, sometimes three tenors). A bit of sax counterpoint sneaks in from time to time. And there is ample space for soloing by all of the horn players.

Danny Jordan

The band included Danny Jordan, Rex Wertz and David MacKenzie on a variety of saxes and flutes, bassist Mark Neuenschwander and drummer Eddie Metz Jr. This was Neuenschwander’s first performance with the Saxtet. His distinctive, resonating bass line complemented the other players, and kept things swinging mightily in tandem with Metz’s always-solid drum work.

Rex Wertz

Roberts draws from many different areas in the jazz repertoire. This night featured 14 tunes including two originals. There were only four repeats from the Saxtet’s appearance three years ago. 

Those gems, the adagio from Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concerto de Aranjuez” (transformed into a jazz classic on Miles Davis and Gil Evans Sketches of Spain project, Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil,” Sonny Rollins’ “Tenor Madness” and Count Basie’s “Jumpin’ at the Woodside," which was the high-energy closer for the night. And even those sound freshened and updated, from Roberts’ arrangements, from the solo improvisations - or a bit of both.

David MacKenzie

The Saxtet’s 2016 appearance featured only Roberts’ artful arrangements of jazz chestnuts. This time out, he treated the audience to two of his originals, the beautiful waltz “Pretty Lady” featuring the flute chorus, and the more-uptempo second-set opener, “Breaker.” He also shared a shimmering solo-piano version of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life.”

Other treats: a blend of “What is This Thing Called Love” and Charlie Parker’s “Hot House,” which Bird performed over the former tune’s chord changes; Miles Davis’ “Freddie the Freeloader,” Herbie Hancock’s classic composition “Dolphin Dance,” and film and TV composer Lalo Schifrin’s exotic “Towering Toccata.”

Neuenschwander, Metz

There were three clear highlights to my ears: 

• The piano and flute chorus features that set the tone on the flamenco-tinged “Concerto de Aranjuez.”
• The band’s romp through Sonny Rollins’ calypso “St. Thomas” was fueled by the Neuenschwander-Metz groove, with the drummer using hands but no sticks for a large portion of his spotlight solo.
• Roberts’ creative arrangement of a medley of “(Back Home Again in) Indiana” and “Donna Lee,” which was based on the former tune’s chord changes, weaved successively through three very different jazz styles. It started with a Dixieland flair, evolved into a Swing tune, then blossomed into a bebop burner. MacKenzie started out on his giant bass saxophone, then shifted to alto sax for the bop segment.

I’ve been fortunate to hear this band three times (2013, 2016, 2019) in the eight seasons I’ve been attending CCJS concerts, and this one was aces.

The concert at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County's William H. Wakeman III Theater drew a crowd of about 350 listeners.

The Jim Roberts Saxtet

Updating a classic format

Trumpeter Dan Miller and tenor saxophonist Lew Del Gatto usually perform in a quartet format at their weekly Thursday night gigs at The Barrel Room at Twisted Vine Bistro in downtown Fort Myers, FL. But the bandstand was a bit more crowded on Thursday, February 28. Delightfully so.

Dan Miller

Besides regular drummer Tony Vigilante and St. Petersburg bassist Joe Porter, subbing for a couple of weeks for Brandon Robertson, they were joined by tenor saxophonist Gerald Augustin and alto saxophonist Bob Bowlby, a Boston music scene mainstay who is in the area visiting family. 

On most tunes, as is standard in jazz, each member of the band takes a solo that stretches the music in varied ways, before they all join back in for the wrap up. That happened on most numbers this night. But the four-man horn line, enabled Miller to change things up near the end of the first set.

Tony Vigilante, Joe Porter

The band treated the crowd to a ballad medley. With Porter and Vigilante keeping the steady, swinging time, Del Gatto dug into a straight melodic reading of "You Don't Know What Loves Is." Without skipping a beat, Bowlby offered his take on "Angel Eyes." That segued into Fort Myers native Augustin's more modern take on Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady." Miller brought it home with his trumpet on "Tenderly."

It was a fine ballad relay between the four players, celebrating each tune's melodic essence without a lot of improvisational fanfare. Impresario Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic tours from 1944 to 1957 used the ballad medley to great effect during its all-start concerts. It was great to hear Miller & Co. extend the tradition with excellence.

Digging the tenor solo

   

Del Gatto, Vigilante, Bowlby

Other evening treats included the band's explorations of Thelonious Monk's "Bright Mississippi," Ray Noble's hard-driving romp "Cherokee" and "On The Trail" from composer Ferde Grofe's "Grand Canyon Suite."

This evening wrapped up three straight evenings of Bowlby sitting in with one band or another during his latest Florida sojourn. It was also his first opportunity to play with 25-year Saturday Night Live Band alumnus Del Gatto. 

Bob Bowlby

Bowlby spent several years playing lead alto in the Buddy Rich Band and has more recently toured with the Buddy Rich Alumni Band. He's a Boston Pops regular and can be found in the pit for just about every touring musical that stops in Beantown. Florida musicians in the know look forward to his visits. 

Y'all come back now. Hear?
 

Del Gatto, Vigilante, Bowlby, Augustin, Porter, Miller

Mastery and stylistic breadth carry the night

No matter which gems brothers Peter and Will Anderson choose to explore from the very wide and deep jazz canon, the pair always delight with their technique, clever arrangements and swinging musicality.

Such was the case on Monday, February 11, when the 31-year-old identical twins performed in the Charlotte County Jazz Society’s Artist Series in Port Charlotte FL. Paris-born guitarist Felix Lemerle, a Fullbright Scholar who has worked regularly with the Andersons for two years, completed the trio.

Will and Peter Anderson

Stylistically the music was all over the map, but the Andersons embraced it and transformed the varied selections into something all their own. We’re talking vintage New Orleans, Claude Debussy’s classical masterpiece “Clair de Lune,” some movie soundtrack gems, and something from the pen of hard-bop composer Horace Silver, as well as early Duke Ellington and Fats Waller.

Felix Lemerle

Peter Anderson (the elder brother, by one hour) played tenor and soprano saxophones, and clarinet. Will Anderson (the taller brother, by one inch) played alto sax, clarinet and flute. Lemerle soloed and played rhythm guitar as the situation demanded, also tapping his fret board to provide a drum-like rhythm on occasion.

The twins are Bethesda, MD natives who studied at Juilliard and are based in New York City. They shifted with ease between instruments, sometimes doubling on the melody or handing the melody off to each other in seamless fashion.

They also supported each other’s solos with a more rhythmic role. Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine,” which became Artie Shaw’s biggest hit, was a prime example. As Will dug into the familiar melody on clarinet, Peter used his tenor sax to drop in accent notes that kept time much like a drummer or bassist.

Their version of “Clair de Lune” was unusual. The combined sound they created on tenor sax and clarinet melded into something that at times seemed like it was coming from an accordion.

Other material presented in this program included “These are a Few of My Favorite Things,” “After You’ve Gone,” “Basin Street Blues,” a teasing arrangement of “Rhapsody in Blue,” Horace Silver’s funky “The Preacher,” “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Mood Indigo,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Moon River,” “Darn That Dream” and a burning take on Ray Noble’s “Cherokee” before closing with Louis Armstrong’s “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” 

Will Anderson

This was the brothers’ second Port Charlotte visit. They first performed for CCJS four years ago. At that February 9, 2015 concert, they performed “Reed Reflections,” which a good friend, New York-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Kyle Athayde, wrote for them as a symphonic piece.

Peter Anderson

This night, they shared Athayde’s "Appalachian Mountain Song." Featuring the brothers on clarinets, the complex and vivid song’s textures and rhythms sounded like it was inspired by the Appalachian Round song form. It was composed for clarinets and a 31-piece string orchestra. Lamerle took on all of the string responsibilities with his artful guitar work.

The concert at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County’s William H. Wakeman III Theater drew a crowd of more than 300.

Will Anderson, Felix Lemerle, Peter Anderson