by Scott Yanow
2 1/2 MONTHS TILL MONTEREY
The 68th annual Monterey Jazz Festival (if one counts the cancelled one from 2020) will be held during Sept. 26-28 and boasts a pretty remarkable lineup. Unlike too many other so-called “jazz” festivals (such as the one recently held at the Hollywood Bowl), Monterey is 95% jazz and 99% if one counts the occasional blues groups.
Imagine spending a weekend and seeing and enjoying the music of Gregory Porter, Christian McBride (with Ursa Major), Marcus Shelby, John & Gerald Clayton, Grace Kelly, Caity Gyorgy, Alfredo Rodriguez, Benny Green, Mr. Sipp, Dianne Reeves, Keyon Harrold, Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Cory Wong, Ledisi, Davina & The Vagabonds, Gunhild Carling, Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, Carmen Lundy, Christian Sands, Camille Thurman, Pete Escovedo, René Marie, Trombone Shorty, the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, Chris Cain, Nnenna Freelon, organist Delvon Lamarr, Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Lucia, Dayramir Gonzalez, and Sullivan Fortner plus quite a few others!
It is a festival not to be missed. I will be attending for the 36th time. More information can be found at www.montereyjazz.org.
DIEGO FIGUEIRIDO
At the Moss Theater for a show presented by Ruth Price and the Jazz Bakery, it was supposed to feature a set of duets by Ken Peplowski (clarinet and tenor) and guitarist Diego Figueirido. Unfortunately, due to his doctor’s advice not to fly, Peplowski could not make it, but nevertheless it was still a very musical and entertaining show. Figueirido, who only learned the day before that he would have to create a solo concert, charmed the audience, played consistently dazzling guitar solos, and on a few numbers welcomed guest singer Claudia Bossle.
The guitarist began the night with a picturesque version of “Over The Rainbow” which at one point seemed to include a storm in the background. After playing “The Colors Of Brazil,” he explained how he played. Throughout the night, Figueirido talked to the audience and gave them insights into the music and his own approach to improvising. He performed a medley of “Besame Mucho” and “Quesas Quesas Quesas,” a Jobim medley that included “Wave,” “Desafinado,” and “One Note Samba,” and an adventurous flight on “Take Five” that included quotes of “Fur Elise” and “Blue Rondo A La Turk.”
Claudia Bossle displayed an attractive voice and a happy spirit on “So Danco Samba,” “Influencia Do Jazz,” “Speak Low,” and the lesser-known Jobim ballad “Retrato em Bracoc E Preto.” After she departed, the guitarist played a stirring version of “Tea For Two” that ended up quite uptempo. He asked the audience to make suggestions for what he should include in a free improvisation, getting them to name keys, tempos and styles (bossa nova and a tango won out this time) for an intriguing performance. After he played “Night Of The Carnival” and “Tico Tico,” the night ended with Ms. Bossle returning for “Girl From Ipanema” which she sang effectively in both Portuguese and English.
While Ken Peplowski was missed, Diego Figueirido created a fine night of music that satisfied everyone and gave listeners further evidence that he is one of today’s guitar greats.
THE LAST BILL HOLMAN CONCERT
Whether for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, his own long-time big band, or for an endless assortment of freelance assignments, Bill Holman (1927-2024) had his own distinctive voice as an arranger in addition to being a very skilled composer and an excellent tenor-saxophonist.
After leading several short-term large ensembles, in 1975 Bill Holman formed his own orchestra. The ensemble, which included some of Southern California’s top musicians, rehearsed once a week for decades and played occasional concerts which were invariably memorable. At Catalina Bar & Grill a year after his death, his big band had a reunion for what was billed as their final concert. During the night, several band members reminisced about Holman, vintage film clips were shown, and at one point a long excerpt from a thus-far unfinished documentary (Charting Jazz/The Mastery Of Bill Holman) that is in the process of raising money for its completion was viewed; it looks like it will be a memorable film.
Among the pieces that the Bill Holman Orchestra performed were his arrangements of “You Go To My Head,” “Ol’ Man River,” “And Thad Ain’t Bad,” “Bright Eyes,” “Rhythm-A-Ning” (which purposely sounded nothing like Thelonious Monk), “Isn’t She Lovely,” “The Theme From Mash,” “Lover Man,” “After You’ve Gone,” and classic renditions of “Just Friends” and “Stompin’ At The Savoy.” The key soloists included Doug Webb and Danny Janklow on tenors, altoist Bruce Babad, baritonist Jim Jedeikin, trumpeter Aaron Janik, trombonist Erik Hughes, pianist Christian Jacob, and bassist Ken Wild with drummer Peter Erskine making a guest appearance.
But the main stars were Bill Holman’s innovative arrangements. Let’s hope that similar ensembles will someday have the opportunity to play these timeless charts, and that any pieces that have not been documented will eventually be recorded. This was a well-conceived evening and a well-deserved tribute to the great arranger. Geoff Roach deserves thanks for his work in organizing this special event.
ANAT COHEN AND TIERNEY SUTTON
The Pacific Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2022 by arranger-composer Chris Walden who runs and conducts the large group. The 40 piece ensemble, a combination of a big band and a string orchestra, consists of 14 horns, a five-piece rhythm section with percussion, 20 strings and a harpist. For their latest concert at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, they featured clarinetist Anat Cohen and singer Tierney Sutton.
The night began with the orchestra playing Walden’s “No Bounds” which featured pianist Josh Nelson. Tierney Sutton, who proved to be in prime form throughout the evening, sang “People Will Say We’re In Love,” Ivan Lins’ “Comecar De Novo,” and “Cry Me A River.” She departed and then Anat Cohen was showcased on two of her compositions (the joyful samba “Waiting For Amalia” and the waltz “Valsa Do Sul”) plus Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints.”
The second set began with the big band rollicking on “Killer Joe.” Tierney Sutton was quite expressive on “Nature Boy,” started “I Get A Kick Out Of You” with some unaccompanied scatting before swinging it with the trio (which also included bassist Edwin Livingston and drummer Peter Erskine) and ended with a heartfelt rendition of “Smile.” Anat Cohen was in the spotlight during her blues strut “The Night Owl” which was complex, at times classical-oriented, and displayed her virtuosity.
The only times that Tierney Sutton and Anat Cohen performed together were on the final two numbers: “No More Blues” (which had the stars harmonizing with each other including on some stirring high notes) and the encore, “Velas,” an r&bish Quincy Jones piece from 1980. While I wish that they had interacted with each other much more during the concert, the performances overall were quite enjoyable and the Pacific Jazz Orchestra (with Chris Walden’s arrangements) proved to be a mighty impressive outfit.
AT CATALINA’S
Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood (323-466-2210) has three notable jazz events in July. On Wednesday July 9th, Annette Warren will be performing, two days before her 103th birthday! The vocalist, who in the early 1950s ghosted for the singing voices of Ava Gardner (in Showboat) and Lucille Ball among others in movies, sings classics from the Great American Songbook. On evidence of her guest spot at Catalina’s a few months ago, she still sounds pretty good!
The next night, on July 10th, the excellent jazz vocalist Amber Weekes will be featured. And on Friday and Saturday (July 18-19), pianist Noah Haidu will be leading a trio that also includes bassist Buster Williams and drummer Lenny White.
Every jazz musician needs a well-written press biography, every CD (and even downloads) deserves informative liner notes (I have now written 995), and important events benefit from press releases. I write all of these and more at reasonable rates. Please contact me at 661-678-3542 or at scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com for further information about my services. My latest book, Jazz Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist (My Jazz Memoirs) is available at www.amazon.com.
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