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JAZZ CULTUREThe New York Jazz Project

In These Pages‐ReviewEngland Event‐J. Watson 2‐3

Singers: ABCs' 4‐5Jazz Heritage

Chris Anderson, B. Harris 6‐7Let's Link 8

[email protected]://newyorkjazzproject.comREVIEW

Houston Person Quartet

at Lenox Lounge

Houston PersonMay 26, 2012. Caught Houston Person at the Lenox Lounge,

playing swing and bop with Lafayette Harris, piano, Matthew

Parrish, bass, & Chip White, drums. The Lenox Lounge, with its

historic vibe and art nouveau décor, was an apt setting for the

Houston Person Quartet Saturday night. The quartet started with

“Namely You,” a lilting standard. Mr. Person knows how to build

a solo to a crescendo, sometimes honking for emphasis with scalar

fills that warmed up the audience with his authoritative tenor.

Lafayette Harris wove an intricate filigree, inserting many triplets

into his solo, ending with a chordal segue.

The second song was “Black Velvet," recorded by Ella

Fitzgerald as "Baby Don’t You Go Away Mad,” an impish tune

where Mr. Person, who obviously knew the lyrics, engaged in an

imaginative musical dialogue with his lover. Chip White gave a

solid foundation for the band, feeling every note and playing as if

it might be the last time, which you almost never see anymore,

Jazz Culture by "YJP Vol I:6 p.1

with a crisp, bright sound. Lafayette’s solo inserted some classical

effects, and Mathew Parrish has good time, pitch and played a

good solo, with 16th note triplets, which bassists rarely use.

“Fools Rush In” was played as a ballad, which Person played

tenderly, hopefully, as if courting a lover. Chip White used

brushes. Lafayette Harris paraphrased the melody using trills

effectively, playing the upper register and milking the notes.

Mr. Person knows how to build a set and tells his stories well.

Next the group played a bright samba, “Only Trust Your Heart,”

Mr. Person, masterful on tenor yet with a personal sound, wailing

at times in passionate long tones. Mr. Parrish played a good solo

with fine articulation, accenting the upbeat. Lafayette Harris was

able to find the slow rhythm under the fast, and play a relaxed,

seductive solo using the blues scale and arpeggiated Latin figures

with lots of tremolos, octaves and ending in cascading chords. The

group then did “Lester Leaps In” where Mr. Person led off at a

burning tempo which set the audience’s pulse racing. Chip White

was in drummer’s heaven playing a solo with fiery conviction

which garnered smiles from the audience. Then Mr. Person cooled

things down a bit with a 2 feel on “Isn’t It Romantic,” using tasty

notes in a variation that had the audience moving in their seats.

Mr. Harris delivered a solo relevant to the melody, using upper

notes of the chords with small glisses, and fine articulation.

The dynamic balance was sometimes off as I could not hear the

piano well. The group rounded off the set with “Since I fell for

You” in 12/8 where Mr. Person seemed cradled in the arms of his

rhythm section, and a Shuffle Blues medium up, where the rhythm

was rock steady and almost all the soloists were wailing on the

blues scale. The audience appeared to be feeling “This is what I

came to New York for.”

p.2 Jazz Culture by "YJP Vol I:6

L: The Rum

House crowd

R: Swing 46

dancers-

George Gee

fans

by John WatsonA jazz musician's life in

London is probably quite

similar to New York in that it is

full of contrasts. One night you

are playing for peanuts in a jazz

club or bar (hopefully to an

appreciative and demonstrative

audience) and the next night

you are in the lap of luxury.

The Dorchester

The latter applies to my

night at The Dorchester

performing with a quartet featuring Alex Garnett on sax, Steve

Rose on bass, Helder Pack on drums and yours truly on a grand

piano (hired in for the occasion). We were booked by a rich, jazz-

loving client to perform for about 100 guests in the Gold & Silver

Rooms. We performed mostly straight ahead jazz numbers such as

"Killer Joe" with some Latin numbers such as "Song For My

Father" to showcase Mozambique(via Portugal) drummer Helder

Pack's style. It was great to work with Alex Garnett again. We

recently bumped into each other at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club (when

I was performing there with Mica Paris) as Alex is a regular

member of the house band; "The Ronnie Scott's All Stars". Alex

became well known as a member of "Ray Gelato's Giants"(a Louis

Prima style swing band) but left to pursue his own projects

including his début album Serpent recorded in famous Brooklyn

studio "Systems Two." Completing the line-up on bass was Steve

Rose who has played with the likes ofBenny Golson and Joe

Lovano. This was not my regular line-up but playing with such a

great collection ofmusicians always draws something new out of

you.

Mica Paris at Ronnie Scott’s, March 29-31, 2012

Ronnie Scott’s is the most well known club in London.Jazz Culture by "YJP Vol I:6

ENGLAND EVENT

John Watson, pianist

Photo: Max Garr

p.3

Located on Frith Street, right in the heart of Soho,it plays host to

the best ofBritish and US blues, jazz and soul artists. The original

club was opened by British modern jazz sax player Ronnie Scott,

and fellow tenor player Peter King in 1959 inspired by Ronnie’s

trips to 52nd Street in New York.

At the end ofMarch, I had the privilege of performing at

Ronnie Scott’s as musical director (piano/keyboard/vocal) for

British soul artist Mica Paris. We did five sell-out shows over

three nights (one show on Thursday and two shows on Friday and

Saturday). Like most jazz clubs, the layout is intimate, with some

tables right in front of the musicians. Tables further away are on

raised sections (to the right and left) for better viewing whilst other

customers sit or stand by the bar at the back of the club.

The audience was extremely receptive but I did feel sorry for

the support band on Friday and Saturday (which featured Carl Orr

on electric guitar) who did a set from 7:1 5 and 8 pm, and then had

to wait until after our second show before starting their second set

at 12:45! If you are planning a trip to London, Ronnie Scott’s is

well worth the visit!

* * *

Ed.: John Watson, a sensitive, melodic English jazz pianist, one of the

most gifted on the English music scene, has a steady gig at The

Langham, a premiere London hotel with an exquisite restaurant where

for a drink or soda, you can hear the John Watson Trio every weekend.

Surpassing New York, London’s hotel industry supports jazz events and

groups. John Watson also serves as musical director for various singers,

and has a growing discography and popularity. A graduate of the

Guildhall School ofMusic and Drama, John Watson has performed in

many different situations, from hotels to jazz clubs, from festivals to

parties. These include: Four Seasons Hotel London, The Dorchester

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Pizza Express Club Soho, Hammersmith

Apollo, JVC Jazz Festival Paris, Grand Hotel du Cap Ferat Music

Festival and St. Regis Hotel New York. John is a “triple threat”-- singer,

pianist and keyboardist, accompanist and long time music director of

Leee John and legendary 80’s group Imagination. Through popular

demand, he has recorded and released several albums. Most recently the

Jazz Culture by "YJP Vol I:6p.4

Jazz Culture by "YJP Vol I:6

JW3 Live at the Langham, (available for download) features his jazz trio

and was recorded at the Palm Court,-The Langham, London, where John

is currently resident pianist and musical director. www.john pianoman.co.uk

Myspace.com/johnawatson; youtube.com/johnpianoman;

twitter.com/johnpianoman;facebook.com/john-watson/78494720527Singers: ABC'sby Lionelle Hamanaka

What are the differences between a singer and every other

musician?

The voice is in the body. That so, it figures a singer must take care

of his or her body. You cannot go out and buy a Stradivarius or

Steinway. You are stuck with what you’ve got. Of course, the

right technique can develop every aspect of the voice including

intonation. But even a virtuouso must take very good care of him

or herself and not do or take anything that will keep them from

performing at the top of their game. So, give your voice a chance.

Diet, exercise, and sleep are ABC’s to create a good environment

for your voice.

Sleep comes first. No one is happy without sleep, and

sometimes you can’t help not getting enough sleep. A sick child, a

late night, an early morning. But in general, you must insist on

getting enough sleep or your mind will get distorted and singing is

as mental as it is physical.

Exercise is next. You must try to walk up every day or some

aerobic workout a few times a week.

The minimum for adults is about 100

blocks, so it’s good investment to buy a

$1 1 -1 5 pedometer. Yoga, pilates,

strength workouts, stretches or

meditation--there are exciting choices,

even on dvd's.

Diet is what you are. Try to drink 8

glasses ofwater a day, two before each

meal, and eat 4 cups of vegetables, raw

if possible, as in salad. VegetableDawn Hampton dances at

Swing 46p.5


protein can be eaten with a very

small iron supplement, so you

do not get anemic. Depending

on your blood type, you may or

may not be a natural grain

eater. But if you have 8 glasses

ofwater a day and 4 cups of

vegetables, it will be hard to

stuff tons of pasta, meat, and

dessert in your tummy because you won’t have room, and you will

have better health.

The second difference between a singer and other musicians is

that singers have lyrics. Try to create a nice communication with

your inner self. That is the inner self you will call on to interpret

lyrics and concentrate on the basics ofmusic. If you read the lyric

from beginning to end, who is singing this song? What happened

to this person to make them sing this song? And what about the

lyric relates to your experience. What is the outcome of the story

the lyric provides? It might recall the saddest experience in your

life. The story you tell should be clear to you before you perform.

You have to make choices and try them out. You can't just go out

and sing notes. Carve out the time to focus on the lyric; ask for

some private time. Although the ideal is to sing the words as if for

the first time, and react spontaneously, you will have to memorize

the melody, words and harmony. Along the way you will create

your story behind the words and notes. There are a million ways to

phrase the rhythm alone, but if your word stress, or long tones

cross into the next measure, check the harmony is not changing to

a different key so you can stick with the rhythm section. Please addyour thoughts on this on the Singers blog on the site.

Singer at Thalia waits to sing

Please sign up for the email list ofJAZZCULTURE at

http://newyorkjazzproject.com or call 646-312-7773

or email your letters to: [email protected]

Lionelle Hamanaka, Publisher

See lionellehamanaka.com

p.6


JAZZ HERITAGECHRISANDERSON,Pianist

Comments byBarryHarris

PART II: I think he

[Chris] could play a tune

2-3 times in a row and it

would be different. That’s

the kind of cat he was. Never did the same thing twice on a song.

The way he did things, he gave me changes. I wanted to write an

accompaniment for him. He was entirely different, [the way] he

gave me changes, [an] entirely different way to use the harmony-

his was more [correct] than what people play today. They think

Stella starts with a 2-5. Stella starts with a diminished major 7th,

that’s how it starts. He knew that. He didn’t believe in 2-5 for

everything, he gave me changes that had nothing to do with 2-5.

It’s really funny. I couldn’t tell you the first time I heard him.

How we started with the concerts, what it was, I knew him cause

he stayed at Nica’s a couple of times, he stayed here.

One time he had gone to California with Billy Higgins, he

played a lot and came back and wasn’t doing nothin’ , had no gigs.

We were friends. He called me one day and said, “I was in

California and I come back here and don’t do anything.” I said,

“Don’t feel like that. We gotta find things for you to do, I’ ll put

you on my concerts.” I wanted to make him happy.. . Whenever I

thought of giving a concert I’d call Chris to give me the changes.

I’d write the changes, they’d always be right. He was my peer. No

way wrong. Show you things you didn’t know before.

A blind person listens to music differently, they listen different

than us. We look with our eyes. When [Chris] sat down at the

piano he couldn’t look at his hands. He had to look up with his

Chris Anderson at rehearsal

p.7


mind, of course his hearing was better. It shouldn’t be that way--

we should have our hearing as well developed, as properly.

[Sometimes] I would come to my house wake up and put a

blindfold on and learn so I couldn’t look at the keys. His senses

were more developed than ours.

The greatest thing I learned from Chris. This is hard to explain.

I used to take a chord and roll it upwards. But Chris rolled

downwards. I learned how to roll downwards, 'Oh yeah, that’s the

way Chris would do it. ' That’s the way he played chords.

Dr. Frank Foster

Photo: Brian McMillen

We Remember Dr.Frank FosterQUOTATION:

"The connection between one

generation ofjazz musicians

and the next is stronger than a

steel chain." Junior Cook

Letters to Jazz CultureThanks, it was great reading about a great friend and mentor Frank

Foster.

He was one of the greatest! thanks for the newsletter heads up.

God Bless, Ronald Carter

--

Professor Ronald Carter

NIU Board ofTrustees Professorship

p.8

Sonya Perkins, not Lesli


Director of Jazz Studies

School ofMusic

Northern Illinois University

* * *

Hi,

The newletter looks great! Very easy to read and its nice the way

you can shuffle through the pages, both forward and back. It really

feels like you are flipping through the pages of an actual magazine.

Tim

* * *

I clicked on the link and saw the work.. . it's

very nice and it gives an insight on what's

happening beside the usual venues and gives

voice to other important musicians often

ignored by the other media.

Dado Moroni

* * *

Thank you. We are happy to share with our students. We are also

happy to include event listings on our facebook page when

possible. https://www.facebook.com/#! /pages/Setnor-School-of-

Music/165581576854656.

Michelle Taylor, Syracuse University

* * *

I will keep my students in the loop. Thanks!

Michael Dana

p.9

Dado Moroni


Jazz Studies and Music Industry

Fresno City College

* * *

I like the newsletter and will post it… Best wishes with the

newsletter.

Harold Danko, Director Eastman School ofMusic Jazz Dept.

* * *

What I have seen is nicely written. I am sure people will enjoy

this.

Jimmy Owens

* * *

Congratulations on the newsletter. It

looks great and I’m glad it’s off to a

good start. David Pearl

MUSICIAN CORRESPONDENTSLuciano Fabris, pianist,

composer, producer is from

Rome, Italy and sponsors the

International Workshops at the

Felt Club in Rome featuring

Dr. Barry Harris, workshops on

piano, improvisation, having

jam sessions and a special

concert starring Dr. Harris with

an Italian rhythm section at the

end. He has played in Roman

clubs, recorded and organized

1 1 events where over 600

people have attended from 19

countries. He first studied jazzInternational Workshop in Rome

p.10

David Pearl & Rodney Harrison


improvisation with Agostino Giorgio and now studies with Barry

Harris.

Rick Stone, a leading guitarist

who teaches at Jazzmobile and

Hofstra. His latest cd Fractals

was selected as one of the top

cd's of 201 1 . A virtuouso

guitarist, his original voice is a

synthesis of bebop, hard bop,

progressive, latin jazz and post

progressive styles and his

compositions clearly project an

urban modern feeling. He

played with many masters and

is a respected teacher and

leader of his own trio, with

bassist Marco Panascia and

drummer Tom Pollard.See

RickStone.com.

Let's Link

See Barry Harris.com

Congratulations

Jazz Culture!

Kuni Mikami, jazz pianist CD

Baby:

"Hamp's Boogie"

Maggie

Malone,

Singer has

donated her

copywriting

skills

Photo: Chris Drukker

p.11

Lafayette Harris at Ginny's Harlem Jazz

Festival see Lafayette Harris.com

JAZZSCE"E

Dawn Hampton's Birthday will

be June 8 featuring George

Gee's Swing Orchestra

Dawn Hampton's Birthday Party

June 8 will feature George Gee's

Swing Orchestra


Future issues of JAZZ CULTURE will feature articles by Joe Magnarelli,trumpeter, about how to make a beautiful cd project, an article onworld jazz by Dado Moroni, a series on jam sessions by LafayetteHarris, pianist, and one by Clarence Banks on secrets of tromboneplaying.

Joel Fass, guitarist at Fat Cat

p.12

BE"EFITFOR WESTPARKCHURCH bynewyorkjazzproject.com Sunday May 20, 2012

Emily & DeeDee McCloskey, Joan Wile starred in "7 Ages of

Woman" by Joan Wile

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