newyorkjazzproject newsletter

JAZZ CULTUREThe New York Jazz Project

In These Pages: Review 1‐2Rome Event by L. Fabris 23

Mastering Guitar by R. Stone 3‐5

Dr. Frank Fosterby C. Bridgewater 5‐8

Billie Holiday Tribute 9‐11Contact: Tel. : 646-312-7773

[email protected]

Rossano Sportielo, Pianist

Harry Allen, Tenor Saxophonist

Have a Musical Conversation

REVIEWApril 12, 2012 Just by accident happened into the cd release party

ofRossano Sportiello, pianist and Harry Allen, tenor saxophonist

at Smalls. Their new cd Conversations features the lyrics in the

Johnny Burke Songbook. That a musician should do a cd

featuring songs by a lyricist is a statement in itself. Knowledge of

the lyric can augment a performance, as lots of old timers can

testify to. They played among other songs, “Diamonds are a

Girl’s Best Friend,” “Like Someone in Love,” “What’s New,”

“Did He Call Her Today?,” Sportiello often playing walking bass

to great effect. Both played evocative solos, with excellent

techniques, with a couple of paragraphs lapsed in their stories

where technical facility obfuscated on fast tunes. Each tune was

about 7-9 minutes long with extensive variations.

Mr. Sportiello, from Vigevano, Italy, is a prodigy, who

married an American and moved to New York—plays stride like

the old timers with brilliance and his own color palette. He

absorbed harmony from Barry Harris and others, and evolved into

p.1Jazz Culture by �YJP v1, n3

a pianist resonating colors of the impressionists like Claude

Monet and his own brand of tenderness, warmth, and humor.

Mr. Allen, from Washington, DC, displayed a couple of

virtues that all instrumentalists should think about. He knows the

lyrics and he uses a lot of vibrato on ballads, to relaxing, intimate

effect. He is also kind of shy, and occasionally seemed to be

channeling others in the tradition (though he has his own sound, a

lovely woody sound that emphasizes the middle register) a bit self

consciously. Of course many famous musicians say that they are

channeling a higher power. Allen & Sportiello swing, each with

certain delights for fans of the swing era, who had an engaging

conversation and happy musical event.

Luciano Fabris, pianist

From March 19-23, 2012 at the Felt Club in Roma, Italy, there

was an international masterclass featuring Barry Harris with 90

students from 19 different countries, including Europe, the United

States, Canada, Israel, Syria, Russia, Japan, and Cyprus. The

highlight of the event was on Friday, March 23, when Barry

Harris played also a memorable concert with Luca Pisani on bass

and Oreste Soldano on drums.

This was the 1 1 th time a unique event of this kind has been

produced in Rome by the Roma Jazz Workshop Cultural

Association. Over 600 students have had the possibility in the last

seven years to study with this great teacher, composer, and

performer of jazz music. Besides being the foremost musician in

the world with knowledge ofCharlie Parker and Bud Powell's

music, he is recognized worldwide as an innovator, also because

of the great contribution to musical theory of his sixth/diminished

scales. Barry Harris has a unique way of teaching. He believes

that the best place to learn how to play is a class, where people of

ROME EVE�T

p.2 Jazz Culture by �YJP v1, n3

different levels come together and can improve. Seeing Dr. Harris

at work, sitting in front of a bunch of horn players ready to play

scales and phrases at really fast tempos and challenging them to

play faster is a remarkable experience. For many years Barry

Harris has traveled all over the world to teach young people and

spread his message and his passion for jazz. In Rome, the brilliant

pianist Andrea Papini collaborates with Dr. Harris as translator.

Also every night, passionate jam sessions were held until late in

the night, conducted by different piano players. Italian audiences

had the chance to listen to some great players as Richard

Clements from USA and Kuno Kurner from Germany, beside the

Italians Fausto Ferraiolo and the above mentioned Andrea Papini.

After the class was over, as always we received a lot of

messages of joy sent for days from students and audiences alike,

filled with gratitude. Things like that can happen when

somebody's heart is touched.

Mastering Guitarby Rick Stone

A person can obviously

become a GREAT jazz

guitarist without going to a

music school (countless

examples exist) but the

problem we face now is a lack

ofworking situations and

bands for a young musician to

learn in. If you look back at

the early history of jazz, most

musicians got a lot of their

training from playing in bands,

learning on the job. But now

people are so used to canned

music, that in most cities, onlyChris Drukker: Photo


the best musicians get to play even on little bar or cafe jobs that

barely pay. This leaves very few opportunities and so the schools

have kind of come in to fill that void by providing a place where

young musicians can learn from (and sometimes perform with)

their elders and perform with their peers. A degree is really only

necessary if one is going to teach or have any sort of job in an

academic setting.

Teaching is really a different art from playing. Early on in my

life I had some great teachers who inspired me to want to follow

in their footsteps, but I also wanted to be a player. So I've kind of

followed a split path; I've tried to grow as a player AND as a

teacher. You have to really make a study of that and observe the

lessons that you yourself have learned, and whether those things

translate to your students. Every student is different as well, so to

be a good teacher, you have to learn how you can get through to

that person in a way that effects them positively. It takes a

TREMENDOUS amount of patience and can be really frustrating

at times. Not every musician has the temperament to be a great

teacher.

Most jazz guitarists prefer an arch-top guitar. Of those, there

are two main varieties: A carved top (in which the top is carved

from a single piece of spruce) is much more responsive

acoustically acoustically, but also much more expensive and

fragile. Good examples of these are the Gibson L-5 and many

guitars handmade by luthiers like Benedetto, Buscarino and

Comins (which is what I play). A "laminate" (or plywood top) on

the other hand, has a top that is arched by molding the wood on a

form. The laminate is cheaper to build and much sturdier, so it's

often the choice for a "road" guitar, even for musicians who

prefer a carved top at home and in the studio. The Gibson ES-175

is a good example and there are many laminate instruments being

made by Asian companies now that fall easily into the beginners’

budget. It should also be noted that when played electrically, a

laminate is often less prone to feedback, so some players prefer

them in live situations for that reason.


I should also note though that ANY guitar can be used to play

jazz and the choice of instrument can be a really personal thing.

Some players (thinking now especially of the great Canadian

guitarist Ed Bickert) even prefer solid body instruments like the

Fender Telecaster, which believe it or not, can be a really great

sounding jazz guitar (in the right hands of course! ).

I personally use several guitars regularly; I use two Bill

Comins "Classic" models, both carved archtops (one is a 17" and

the other an 18"). I also use a D'Angelico SS which was

redesigned for the company by Bill Comins a few years ago. The

SS is a laminate with a smaller body (14.75") and is very

comfortable to play. I also use a Vestax nylon string guitar that

was made as a prototype for the NAMM show about 10 years ago.

It's different from a traditional classical in that it has a smaller

body (15") and an arched top. The neck is also narrower than a

traditional classical guitar and meets the body at the 14th fret (as

opposed to the 12th) so it feels more like my jazz boxes. I've got a

closet full of other instruments, but the ones I described are kind

ofmy "go to" instruments for almost everything.JAZZ HERITAGEDr. FrankFoster

by Cecil BridgewaterPart II

[Frank Foster] He had

several bands, the big band for

festivals concerts that also

played dances. He had another

group called Swing Plus, a

smaller group, more of a dance

group, with fewer horns and a

rhythm section. He also had

the Non Electric Company, a

small group – quintet/sextet.

Photo: Bruce McMillen


Cecilia his wife took over the booking and management and

PR and all that. She was as much a part of the band as he was.

She was behind the scenes, taking care of the business stuff. It

was a great partnership. It took a lot ofwork to get rehearsals,

trying to transport and house that many people. Festival people or

concert people don’t want to put out that much money. It is a lot

harder for bands to travel now days. I remember Max Roach told

me that bands used to stay in a city for 8 weeks at a time.

Nowadays you travel to a venue, do the concert/engagement and

return home until the next concert. A lot of concerts are in

colleges or schools. In Europe you’re doing festivals, so you

during the festival season. It’s a little more difficult, in terms of

financially making it viable not only for the artist but the venue.

Frank did all kinds of other things as well, commissions. He

just finished writing the “Nippon Lament,” for the people of

Japan tsunami victims, which had its premiere at his memorial on

September 23, 201 1 . He also taught at Jazzmobile and several

Colleges and Universities around the world.

[Now you have a] General public [who] doesn’t hear jazz.

Unless you seek out WBGO or some other jazz stations so there is

less awareness and appreciation for the music. You have to seek it

out. Going to Europe and Japan someone would come up to and

say, “I remember a recording you made for so and so..” often

something that I had forgotten. There is a different level of

knowledge of the music. A lot of people in this country don’t

know who Frank Foster is. We don’t remember the ancestors

whose shoulders we are standing on, we’re always looking for the

next new thing, we don’t give them the respect their due until

after they’re dead and gone, whether it is in fashion or music. It’s

very very young country… this country is very young like a little

kid, and so the music is the same way. We’re so used to throwing

away stuff, so we toss it aside. It has to be termed monumental for

something not to be built in its place…in another place they

wouldn’t think of doing. Jazz has withstood the test of time for

100 years, but that’s still a very short time.


[Frank Foster] He is one of

America’s great composers,

along with Duke Ellington,

George Gershwin, his

contributions have been as a

saxophonist, mentor,

composer, arranger and

organizer. Those are things

he…excelled in from the time

he left Cincinnati, from the

time he left college. Some

[people] are great instrumentalists, or great innovators, [e.g] John

Coltrane was great innovative, saxophonist, but Frank was known

for all of those things, and revered for all those things.

He was a great teacher. I first encountered him as a teacher at

Jazzmobile, Diz and Jimmy Heath used to teach there. He went

on to teach at several universities. Within the band he was always

challenging us, making us experience the difficulty in his music.

As a composer, arranger, saxophonist, as a mentor, all of those

things. . .

We are going to do the best we can to keep the music going

and let people know who Frank Foster is. He was one of the few

people who had a hit, like “Shiny Stockings,” his music was in a

couple of Jerry Lewis films; Dizzy commissioned him to write for

London Philharmonic. He was commissioned to do a piece for

double big bands, in Ohio, Sean Jones’ Big Band, and Byron

Striplings Big Band. That’s a very rare happening. Lincoln Center

Orchestra commissioned him-- he wrote for everybody. His great

sense of humor and curiosity came through and gave life to

everything. He fought through his illnesses. Taking on having

your own big band is a huge task as well, to try to keep it

working. Frank’s life was a big part of the history of the music,

from the era ofBasie right on up to last year.

A simple thing, never give up your dream. Whatever you

think you want to do, don’t shrink that for an easier route.

Cecil Bridgewater at 25th

Anniversary of�ew School Jazz

rehearsal


Something you really want to do, put in the effort and it’ ll

happen. He would come to rehearsals in a wheelchair and conduct

the band, the band was his instrument. You felt the energy he was

putting into it, you could do no less. He was the kind of person

that overcame all the obstacles, no matter what it was.

BILLIE HOLIDAY TRIBUTE

Frank Robinson

Jo

Marchese

& Maggie

Malone

Connie

Mc�amee

& Jim

Malloy

Michael Morgan


Joe Gimpel &

Lana Sokolov

April 7, 2012

The First Tribute to Billie Holiday by the New York Jazz

Project took place on Saturday afternoon, from 2-6 at The Rum

House, a midtown gourmet drink establishment that is elegantly

decorated with art nouveau light fixtures, dark wooden paneling,

in the Edison Hotel.

About 24 singers took part in the festivities, featuring a trio

with Kuni Mikami, pianist, Clifford Barbaro, drummer, and Jon

Roche, bass. Singers and audience alike exclaimed their love for

Billie Holiday, one of the jazz greats we all idolize and try to

learn from, as she was a great innovator and natural genius.

Overcoming a horrific childhood, she became at the age of 18 one

of the biggest jazz stars in New York and later in world history,

recorded by John Hammond, who declared her "an improvising

jazz genius." Critics like Nat Hentoff proclaimed her to be "the

best and most honest jazz singer."

Kumiko Yamakadoand

Sonia Perkins


Lionelle

Hamanaka

&

Mary Rocco

Lisi Pakulski

& Maki Motatsu

Anthony Maxwell

RichardWilliams


Mike Sergio Ron Saltus

Tamiko

Attending but not

photographed were Tom

Breuer, Joyce Deyo, Sybil

Evans.

Belonging to the jazz

world is a blessing, where we

are blessed with recordings

and memories of stars like

Billie Holiday, who filled our

heartbreak, happiest moments,

solitude and memories and

joy, with some of the greatest

music the world has known

belongs to everyone who

claims it.

Three generations ofjazz

lovers listen up.


http://www.newyorkjazzproject.com

Letters toJazz Culture:I will keep my students in the loop! Thanks,

Mike Dana,

Jazz Studies & Music Industry

Fresno City College, CA

* **

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, Italy

***

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, NY

***

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

newsletter,

Harold Danko, Dir. Eastman School ofMusic Jazz Dept., NY

The Billie

Holiday

Tribute was a

family Affair

Future editions willfeature upcoming Eventsin NYC and other places


newyorkjazzproject newsletter

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allen sportiello swing

rome event

barry harris

unique event

andperformer of jazz

happy musical event

pianistharry allen

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