New books on Marian McPartland, John Pizzarelli

In the April issue of Downbeat, I reviewed a pair of new life stories about some of jazz radio’s most iconic figures: Marian McPartland and John Pizzarelli. The McPartland biography, “Shall We Play That One Together,” by Paul de Barros is a valuable historic narrative not only about jazz and jazz radio since the ’40s but about women fighting to stake a place in the male-dominated worlds of live music and World War II. McPartland gets personal with her biographer, sharing her own revelations from experiences like psychoanalysis, and de Barros does a beautiful job of showing the relevance of these things to her career and the wider jazz spectrum that she influenced.

I was less crazy about Pizzarelli’s book, but if you’re a fan of his radio show or live performances, you’ll dig the book. Check out the reviews, “Revelations from jazz radio stars,” by clicking here.

 

The Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong Jazz Camp Instills Culture of Confidence

A common denominator in the educational backgrounds of successful, 20-something New Orleans musicians is the Satchmo Summer Camp, where Kidd Jordan and a bevy of other gifted artist-educators have taught the fundamentals of jazz to students aged 10 – 21 since the mid-’90s.

The camp’s legacy includes an impressive list of alums, from Trombone Shorty to Jonathan Batiste. Both Shorty and Jon frequently credit the camp’s teachers with imbuing in them a commitment to music education that’s helped inspired projects like Shorty’s new Music Academy at Tulane and Jon’s education programming at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, where he is the associate artistic director.

After catching up with Kidd Jordan, Jackie Harris, Jon and others, I put together a profile on the organization for DownBeat’s International jazz Camp guide in the magazine’s March 2013 issue. Get the scoop on the 2013 Artist-in-Residence and more by clicking here. A less legible, but prettier DB layout format can be viewed here.

Visiting Cajun Country

New Orleans has some elements of small-town charm — beautiful Victorian homes, the mixed blessing of seeing the same folks week to week and knowing what they’re up to, a generally warm and friendly vibe. But technically, it’s a big American city. And when folks travel Louisiana looking to soak up the region’s culture, they frequently miss out on one its keystones: the communities, music and food of Acadiana.

This spring, I thought it would be cool to encourage visitors to check out Lafayette, LA and the surrounding towns of Cajun Country, so I pitched American Way magazine on some tips for an ideal weekend jaunt to my other favorite part of this state.

Get the scoop on zydeco breakfast, the Blue Moon Saloon and Festivale Internationale over at American Way’s site: A Weekend In: Cajun Country.

Oh yeah, and Happy Lent!

 

 

 

Trombone Shorty Talks Raphael Saadiq, Musical Heroes and More

Troy Andrews and Raphael Saadiq, courtesy Trombone Shorty’s Twitter

Still catching up on some work published in the last month or so, including a feature from DownBeat’s December issue on Trombone Shorty. The peg was his winning the trombonist of the year spot in the 2012 Reader’s Poll, but what he has to say about recording his next album under the production guru-ism of Raphael Saadiq is the exciting stuff.

Personally, I’m relieved that his team is giving him some time to dig into the studio process. Sounds like the last disc was recorded under the duress of an insane schedule, leaving Shorty and (brilliant) producer Ben Ellman to pull too many all-nighters and spend too much time piecing together bits of thoughts and ideas. Looking forward to hearing what Troy comes up with when given the space to record more complete ideas.

DownBeat’s digital edition version is here: “Trombone Shorty: Evolving Naturally”

In other news, the sheer act of typing Saadiq’s name just ensured another full day of spinning ”Stone Rollin’” …

 

 

 

How did I miss Papo Vazquez?

My poor wordpress site has been woefully neglected in recent months, leaving a slew of Down Beat reviews isolated in lonely print magazine land. I’ll be correcting that situation in the next few days, adding my thoughts on new releases by a pile of great artists, including Papo Vazquez.

Not familiar? Neither was I — until I was assigned his latest with the Mighty Troubadours. If you haven’t checked this guy out, he’s a Latino Jazz Master who’s been writing for years for the Bronx Arts Ensemble. Most of his new work is based in Afro-Puerto Rican folk music but don’t fear the folk. The material on “Oasis” is moving — and I mean booty-moving, not just compelling — stuff. Not a big fan of doling out stars but that’s my job and I gave this release four in DownBeat’s February issue.

Assuming you don’t want to click over to a blurry PDF, here’s the rehash straight from the source:

“Oasis”
Papo Vazquez and the Mighty Pirates Troubadours
****

Latino Jazz Master and Grammy nominee Papo Vazquez frequently turns up on lists featuring underrated jazz artists. By all rights, “Oasis” should help him get the credit he has long been due. The centerpiece of his latest effort is the title track, which Vazquez initially wrote for a performance with the Bronx Arts Ensemble. Intense and vaguely macabre, the tune’s scene is set with waves of percussion that evoke a jungle – a spooky calm that’s later spiked with a prickly string section (featuring Regina Carter), upping the ante of palpable, dramatic tension.

The contemplative “Redemption” has a similarly theatrical quality, while the more laid-back “Sol Tropical” and “San Juan de la Maguana” (featuring Wynton Marsalis) bask in lush orchestration, buoyant horn lines and Vazquez’s earthy, energetic solos. “Plena Drumline” (which also includes Marsalis) bookends “Oasis” with an extended onslaught of hard-edged drumming and hypersonic horn lines, broken by a cymbal crash that sets free the birdlike percussion that swirled over the title track.

Throughout the disc, there’s a feeling of constant motion; instrumental lines are drawn so vibrantly they seem to elicit animated impressions of themselves. That’s partly an effect of Vazquez’s liberal use of Afro-Puerto Rican folk forms, plena and bomba, historically used to convey messages about popular life. It’s also simply how Vazquez writes and plays: with an unbridled lust for life matched, happily, by an unmatched ear for moving music.

Oasis: Manga Larga; Sol Tropical; Danzaon don Va’zquez; Que Sabas Tu; Psalm 59; City of Brotherly Love; Oasis; Redemption; San Juan de la Maguana; Igors Mail; Verdura de Apio; Plena Drumline (1:16:55).

Personnel: Papo Vazquez, trombone; Willie Williams, tenor sax; Rick Germanson, piano; Dezron Douglas, bass; Alvester Garnett, drums; Anthony Carrillo, percussion; Carlos Maldonado, percussion; Regina Carter, violin (7); Wynton Marsalis, trumpet (9,11,12).

Ordering info: http://www.papovazquez.com

Best Music Writing 2012

Looks like “No Guts, No Glory,” my Downbeat cover story about Trombone Shorty and the making of “For True” has been selected for inclusion in the annual Best Music Writing anthology for this year. In case you missed the piece, check it out here. More info about the book’s publishing date to come …

Viola Davis Talks Education, Inspiration and More in American Way

This past spring, the Oscar-nominated star of “The Help,” Viola Davis, and I sat down in her kitchen to talk about her new film, “Won’t Back Down,” in which she plays a teacher who helps take over a failing school from its administrators.

In addition to being one of the most honest and down-to-earth actresses I’ve ever interviewed, it turns out Viola has become — for lack of a less cheesy word — an inspiration to the students back in her own hometown. Maybe it’s because of the SAG Awards and Oscar noms — but I suspect it has just as much to do with the fact that Viola is unafraid of painting a picture of the world as it actually is. Check out my new cover story in American Way magazine to see what I mean.