November 2, 2011

The weekend before last was another wonderful SF Jazz weekend.  Saturday night at Herbst the duo of Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau played.  Duets are one of the most challenging formats in jazz, and Redman and Mehldau were marvelous.  From 'Trane-like explorations to chamber music to standards, they are both at the forefront of their generation.  And without pretention.  The next night at Herbst the great Jim Hall celebrated his 80th birthday.  While frail and using a cane, his music is as concentrated and wry as ever.  A classicist who also has always been in touch with the forefront of the music, he had Greg Osby on sax, Steve LaSpina on bass, and Clark Terry, who achieved fame with the John Handy Quintet Live at Monterey recording, on drums.  May we all stay so vibrant! 

October 17 2011

Genius is a word used too often.  But the SF Jazz Festival the last two weeks has indeed presented genius.  By my definition, a genius changes the way we perceive a discipline.  Einstein, Picasso, Charlie Parker.  October 1 at the Paramount the young genius Esperanza Spaulding and her Chamber Music Society played. The next night Wayne Shorter and his quartet were at Herbst.  Then Ravi Shankar on October 7 at Davies.  Now 91, I've had the privilge of seeing Ravi for over 40 years.  With his daughter Anoushka a recent mom and not on this tour, I was afraid age might finally catch up with him.  It hasn't; he's still the finest musician in the world, of any genre.  And last night, McCoy Tyner, who I've also had the privilege of seeing since my teens, played Herbst with the fabulous Chris Potter on tenor.

Number 40 April 29, 2010

Charles Lloyd at The Palace of Fine Arts as part of SF Jazz this last Sunday was magical.  He is one of my biggest musical influences.  I realized years ago that many of the open voiced major ninth chords I love to play, and which are unusual voicings for a guitarist, come from Keith Jarrett's work with Charles' early quartet.  The current quartet, with Reuben Rogers on bass, Jason Moran on piano, and Eric Harland on drums is perhaps his best since that fine group.  I just redicovered his first recording, "Of Course, Of Course",  with Ron Carter ,Tony Williams  , and Gabor Szabo.  Charles Lloyd was the music director for Chico Hamilton when Gabor was in the band.  I had the priviledge of being in Chico's band in 1979 and 1980, and I was flattered that I reminded him of Gabor.  It amazes me what a direct link there is between musicians.  Along with Wayne Shorter and Cecil Taylor, Charles Lloyd remains at the forefront of pushing the music forward, something very few artists can do at an advanced age.

Number 34 March 14, 2010

Last Thursday SF Jazz hosted an event at Amnesia they call Hot Plate. It features local musicians performing tribute concerts to jazz greats. This night Peter Horvath and friends performed the 70's funk music of Herbie Hancock. Ray Obiedo, an old friend, was on guitar. Ray played in Herbie's band in the late 70's. It was a great night of music by players who have all known and played with each other for many years. I realized that many of them have recorded with me: Marc Van Wageningen (with his brother Paul on Ananda) Karl Perazzo (on Come to Me) and Peter Horvath (on Reincarnation). I suddenly realized how blessed I am to know so many wonderful musicians.

Number 25 November 27, 2009

More reflections on the great fall SF Jazz Festival this year. I had the privilege of taking Butch Morris to see Ornette Coleman at Davies Symphony Hall. A legend himself, Butch holds Ornette in such high regard that he told me a standing room ticket would be OK if that was all I could find. Fortunately there were still good tickets available. Ornette of course is one of our living masters, and I’ve had the good fortune to see him many, many times, in many settings. The last few years has been with two acoustic bass payers, and his son Denardo on drums. Like all true masters, Ornette craves change, and this group had an electric bass, acoustic bass, and Denardo. The electric bass player was in the higher register; almost guitar-like, which gave the group a little more open sound.

Perhaps because I’ve entered a new level of understanding, but a few years ago Ornette started to sound “inside” to me. Still fresh, and strange and beautiful (to paraphrase Jimi) but very much like “home”. (In truth, the Prime Time band of the early eighties, with Blood Ulmer, Berne Nix, Jamaldeen Tacuma, another bass player and drummer, plus Denardo, was SERIOUSLY harmolodic).

“The Shape of Jazz to Come” and “Out to Lunch” and “Conference of the Birds” all seem rooted in the blues to me, if not overtly. It’s been said that Charlie Parker played the blues over ballads, and ballads over the blues. This night Ornette would occasionally start a melodic line on alto, and finish it on trumpet or violin. It was a triumphant concert in Ornette’s 80th year.

Gregory James

Number 23 November 11, 2009

This has been an extraordinary SF Jazz Fall Festival. John Handy was presented with the Beacon Lifetime Achievement Award and gave a concert. “John Handy recorded live at The Monterey Jazz Festival” in 1965 was a very important record for me, as was “Forest Flower” the Charles Lloyd Quartet live at Monterey in 1967. In those days the new artists were showcased on Sunday afternoon, and if you made a splash, you had a career. John had the original rhythm section of Don Thompson and Terry Clarke with him for the SF Jazz concert, along with a drummer I’ve been very privileged to play and record with, Deszon Claiborne. It was marvelous to hear Deszon play with Thompson and Clarke on Spanish Lady. Again, the connections through musicians, what Buddhists call direct transmission, always amazes me. There is my dear friend Deszon, a few feet away from me on stage, playing with one of my major heroes.



Gregory James