by Scott Yanow,
Bea Fleck and the Flecktones has always been one of the most unique groups not only in jazz but in all of music. Banjoist Bela Fleck, Howard Levy on harmonica and keyboards, electric bassist Victor Wooten, and drumitarist Roy “Future Man” Wooten first came together in 1988. Levy departed in 1992 due to the band’s very hectic schedule. The Flecktones continued (often with saxophonist Jeff Coffin in the group) until 2008. In 2009 they had a reunion tour that included Levy but otherwise they only came back together on an irregular basis as each musician was involved in many other projects. Now in 2025 the original quartet is back for a new tour that included a stop at Hollywood’s Ford Theater.
Each of the musicians is in their own category. Bela Fleck consistently takes his banjo into areas that in which it has never ventured before, whether World Music, classical, avant-bluegrass, or modern jazz. Howard Levy is a marvel on harmonica, playing his blues harp as if it were a chromatic harmonica which is nearly impossible. Victor Wooten has long been a pacesetting virtuoso on electric bass while his brother Future Man plays his unique portable drumitar, a box that sounds as if he were sitting in front of a full drum set.
At the Ford, the group started off sounding like the world’s oddest fusion band, performing music that would not be out of place in the repertoire of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Some of the other pieces resembled suites that Chick Corea could have written while others had folkish melodies or hints of both modern jazz and bluegrass. The rapid unisons played by the quartet were often remarkable, and each musician had opportunities to display his virtuosity and unique musical personality. Levy, who also played a bit of flute, engaged in many stunning tradeoffs with Fleck. There was certainly no shortage of energy displayed throughout the 90 minutes.
The only misstep was after Bela Fleck performed a very impressive solo banjo version of “Rhapsody In Blue.” Instead of ending the piece and receiving a guaranteed standing ovation, he segued into another piece for the quartet that was somewhat forgettable and temporarily slowed the set’s momentum. But otherwise, this was a flawless show by a band unlike any other.
Because he is a masterful accompanist (think of his classic duets with Irene Kral), a talented arranger, and a soft-spoken individual, it is possible to overlook just how brilliant a pianist Alan Broadbent is, at least until one sees him live. Ruth Price and the Jazz Bakery presented a duo performance by Broadbent and the equally talented bassist Harvie S at the Moss Theater in Santa Monica. It was immediately obvious that the pianist should be ranked as one of the giants.
Alan Broadbent has complete control over the piano, is tasteful and melodic yet peppers his statements with stunning double-time runs, and he really can dig into standards. Harvie S (who Broadbent first recorded with on a Sheila Jordan set back in 1991) played complementary ideas, often challenged the pianist as they improvised together, and swung hard when it was called for by the music.
Among the songs that the duo explored were “How Deep Is The Ocean,” “Alone Together,” the rarely-heard gem “What Is There To Say,” the bassist’s “No Sadness Today,” “All The Things You Are” (which began with some fairly free interplay), a few of Broadbent’s originals (“Carried On The Wind,” “Heart’s Desire,” and “First Try”), “Body And Soul,” “What Is This Thing Called Love,” and “East Of The Sun.” While there were hints of Dave Brubeck in spots and occasional passages that Lennie Tristano would have approved of, Broadbent has long had his own voice within the modern mainstream of jazz along with a strong musical curiosity that results in him consistently stretching himself.
Sometimes the quietest individuals produce the most wondrous music!
The great alto-saxophonist Kenny Garrett, who has had a long and prolific career ever since his days with Miles Davis, performed eight shows at the Blue Note Los Angeles (a beautiful new club) in four nights. He was joined by pianist-keyboardist Keith Brown, bassist Corcoran Holt, drummer Ronald Bruner, percussionist Rudy Bird, and singer Melvis Santa.
The group performed originals including material from Garrett’s recent recording Sounds from The Ancestors. Garrett played with plenty of fire as usual, Santa’s wordless singing was primarily used as part of the ensembles, Brown sometimes took solo honors, and the rhythm section, driven by Bruner and Bird, rarely let up.
The main problem with the performances was that, although the solos were impressive, the songs were pretty lightweight and forgettable. Many were based on simple and repetitive riffs that did not reward such extended treatments. While the first piece explored several moods during its 20 minutes, many others just stuck to danceable rhythms with Garrett blowing on top. If the volume were lower, they could have served as background music. Brown did get to stretch out as a solo pianist on a ballad but it was not until the final number that the music became noteworthy. Taken at a very rapid tempo, the piece at first had Garrett joined by the piano-bass-drums trio. Pianist Brown then dropped out, followed by bassist Holt and, after an explosive duet with drums, Garrett played a long and fiery cadenza. It was the highlight of the 75-minute set and showed why Kenny Garrett is rated so high.
PHAROAH SANDERS ON MOSAIC
Pharoah Sanders (1940-2022) had a very interesting and episodic career. He was born as Ferrell Sanders in Little Rock, Arkansas. Early on he played church hymns on clarinet and in high school he switched to the tenor. Sanders played music in Oakland during 1960-62 before moving to New York in 1962. He struggled for a time before meeting and playing with Sun Ra who suggested he change his name to Pharoah. Sanders’ first album, made for the ESP label, found him displaying a strong John Coltrane influence although his own musical personality also shined through in spots. He greatly impressed Coltrane who added him to his group during 1965-67 where they engaged in free jazz and sound explorations. Sanders, who often played ferocious shrieks and roars, would frequently start his intense solos where Coltrane had left off. He signed with the Impulse label, recorded what came to be known as spiritual jazz, and had a surprise hit with “The Creator Has A Master Plan.” After Coltrane’s death, Sanders mostly led his own groups which often set a groove on one or two-chord pieces. His own playing alternated between warm playing on ballads and intense emotional sounds. After his Impulse period ended and he recorded a few attempts at commercialism in the mid-to-late 1970s, Sanders began to record for the new Theresa label.
The Complete Pharoah Sanders Theresa Recordings is a limited-edition seven-CD set that has all of the tenor’s sessions for the label. Included are his six Theresa sets (the double-album Journey To The One, Rejoice, Live, Heart Is A Melody, Shukuru, and A Prayer Before Dawn) and his two sideman sessions: Ed Kelly & Friend and Idris Muhammad’s Kabsha. Dating from 1978-87, these albums feature Sanders often returning to his roots, playing standards in a style reminiscent of Coltrane circa 1958-60. While Sanders embraces many of the themes, which also include a fair number of his originals, he also occasionally displays the passion and intensity of his earlier years. While the settings are a bit more conservative than his Impulse albums, Sanders is still very much himself throughout these performances and displays unpredictability along with plenty of surprising moments.
The lineup of musicians includes such notables as pianists John Hicks, Joe Bonner, and William Henderson, bassists Ray Drummond, Art Davis, Walter Booker, and John Heard, drummers Idris Muhammad, Elvin Jones, and Billy Higgins, Eddie Henderson on flugelhorn, trombonist Steve Turre, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, singer Leon Thomas (on two songs), and a young Bobby McFerrin as a background singer. The Idris Muhammad album teams Sanders on two songs with fellow tenor George Coleman. Among the highlights of the massive reissue (which does not include any previously unreleased performances) are a duet version of “After The Rain” with Joe Bonner, a romantic “Easy To Remember,” “When Lights Are Low,” and a 22-minute rendition of “Ole.”
Pharoah Sanders is quite consistent throughout this very worthy box set (available from www.mosaicrecords.com). Listeners only familiar with his earlier work will certainly not expect to hear the potentially ferocious tenor playing Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way” and “The Christmas Song.”
Zev Feldman, the “Sherlock Holmes of jazz,” has done it again. During the past decade he has unearthed and released a true treasure chest of previously unknown jazz sessions by classic greats. Recently for the Elemental label he has come out with superior sets by pianist Bill Evans and altoist Art Pepper.
Bill Evans In Norway – The Kongsberg Concert is a single CD featuring the very influential pianist with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell on June 26, 1970. There are certainly no shortage of Evans recordings, this is the 12th set of “new” Evans that Zev Feldman has worked on, but the quality remains high and there are some surprises to be heard on this release. The repertoire consists of 13 songs that Evans had recorded at other times and frequently played, but many of the ballads are taken at surprisingly fast tempos including “Turn Out The Stars,” Denny Zeitlin’s “Quiet Now,” Scott LaFaro’s “Gloria’s Step,” “Emily,” and “Who Can I Turn To?” There are some ballads taken at more relaxed tempos (including “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life” and “Some Other Time”) but mostly this is a pretty energetic set. In addition to Evans’ inventive playing, Gomez has plenty of solos that are generally concise and Morell gets some brief spots. As is typical of a Zev Feldman production, included is a generous 28-page booklet which includes a Bill Evans discussion from the day after this performance and interviews with Gomez, Morell, and pianists Aaron Parks, Craig Taborn, and Norwegian Roy Hellvin.
Altoist Art Pepper has also had many posthumous releases. Most are from his later period (1975-82) as admirable packages that have been saved and organized by his widow Laurie Pepper, often as part of her Widow’s Taste series. While the innovative saxophonist had an up-and-down life, he never made an unworthy recording and, despite the large number of his recordings, all are well worth acquiring.
In his later years, Pepper had health problems but he put plenty of intensity and passion into every solo, feeling that each performance could be his last. While retaining his earlier sound and mastery of the bebop vocabulary, he opened up his style to make it more emotional and raw, never letting up.
The two-CD set An Afternoon In Norway – The Kongsberg Concert has Pepper joined by his regular band of the period with pianist Milcho Leviev, bassist Tony Dumas, and drummer Carl Burnett. Pepper performs seven songs in 97 minutes, really stretching out and digging deep into such pieces as “The Trip,” his intense ballad “Patricia,” “Caravan,” “Blues For Blanche,” and a typically blazing version of “Straight Life” (based on “After You’ve Gone”). With Leviev constantly challenging him and strong support offered by Dumas and Burnett, Pepper sounds quite driven throughout, and inspired by the enthusiastic audience. A bonus is the 24-page booklet which includes interviews with Dumas, Burnett, John Zorn, and Rudresh Mahanthappa plus excellent notes by Marc Myers and Laurie Pepper.
Both of these superior releases are available from www.elemental-music.com and www.amazon.com.
I just recently wrote my 1,000 set of liner notes. Every recording deserves informative liner notes and every jazz musician needs a well-written press biography along with press releases that announce important events. 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.
I have a new book that is available from amazon.com. Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist. It is subtitled My Jazz Memoirs and is my 12th book and first in a few years. I discuss in an often-humorous fashion my early days and discovery of jazz, my period as the jazz editor of Record Review, the story behind my involvement with the All Music Guide, and I reminisce about some of my adventures as an amateur musician. Included are vintage interviews with Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, and Maynard Ferguson, encounters with Clint Eastwood, summaries of the Monterey and Playboy Jazz Festivals (including a full-length review of the 1985 Playboy Festival), memories of other events (such as the IAJE Conventions), and brief snapshots of many memorable club and concert performances. There is also background information about my other books, evaluations of the jazz critics who inspired me early on, and my thoughts on jazz criticism which includes advice to up-and-coming jazz journalists. Rounding out the book is a chapter on how the jazz writing business has changed over the past 50 years, and appendixes that include the jazz greats of the past, 86 jazz giants of today, 21 young performers to look for in the future, jazz books and DVDs that everyone should own, and a dozen enjoyable Hollywood jazz films.
Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist, a paperback book, sells for $26 through Amazon.com Signed copies (which will take 2-3 weeks) are also available for $30 (which includes free postage) by sending the money via Pay Pal to scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com and by sending your mailing address to that E-mail.