Her hook-up with Jason Moran has become something unique: You don’t see many violin/piano front lines these days. Insiders know that they’re both agents provocateurs, improvisers who don’t let one nuance go by without considering its pliability. Scheinman has been writing fiddle tunes during the last few months. Wonder if any of their melodic esprit will find its way into the book?
photo by Kristine Larsen
1. Dave Douglas’s soloing posture
2. Jason Moran’s left hand
3. Rudresh Mahanthappa’s frakking of selected notes during solo with Team DeJohnette
5. Joe Lovano’s arm gestures when explaining something to a pal
6. Dave King’s laff
7. Jack DeJohnette’s foot on the kick drum
8. Unison swoop of Dafnis Prieto’s front line
9. Paul Motian floating above the stage during TBP+BF’s “It Should’ve Happened A Long Time Ago”
10. The standing ovation that the above performance earned from its packed audience.
+ 1 extra since it was such a swell day:
11. James Carter’s outfit
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Dafnis Prieto, dave douglas, dave king, Jack DeJohnette, jason moran, joe lovano, paul motian, rudresh mahanthappa, the bad plus
Jason Moran walked away with “Best Pianist,” “Jazz Album of the Year,” and “Artist of the Year,” in DownBeat’s annual critics’ poll. Here are some of the results. Nice to see Sunnyside Records waltzing away with the “Label of the Year” award. Hit Mog for a listen to Moran’s 10 (Blue Note). Read Kelvin for some insights into the album. Jump to DB for the rest of the list.
59th ANNUAL DOWNBEAT CRITICS POLL WINNERS
Hall Of Fame: Abbey Lincoln
Veterans Committee Hall Of Fame: Paul Chambers
Jazz Artist Of The Year: Jason Moran
Jazz Album Of The Year: Jason Moran, 10 (Blue Note)
Historical Release: Duke Ellington, The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia And Master Recordings Of Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra (Mosaic)
Blues Album Of The Year: Pinetop Perkins/Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Joined At The Hip (Telarc)
Beyond Album Of The Year: Lizz Wright, Fellowship (Verve Forecast)
Big Band: Maria Schneider Orchestra
Jazz Group: Joe Lovano Us Five
Soprano Saxophone: Dave Liebman
Alto Saxophone: Rudresh Mahanthappa
Tenor Saxophone: Sonny Rollins
Baritone Saxophone: Gary Smulyan
Trumpet: Dave Douglas
Trombone: Steve Turre
Clarinet: Anat Cohen
Flute: Nicole Mitchell
Drums: Paul Motian
Percussion: Cyro Baptista
Vibes: Bobby Hutcherson
Violin: Regina Carter
Acoustic Bass: Dave Holland
Electric Bass: Christian McBride
Guitar: Bill Frisell
Piano: Jason Moran
Organ: Dr. Lonnie Smith
Electric Keyboard: Craig Taborn
Miscellaneous Instrument: Béla Fleck (banjo)
Male Vocalist: Kurt Elling
Female Vocalist: Cassandra Wilson
Composer: Maria Schneider
Arranger: Maria Schneider
Producer: Michael Cuscuna
Record Label: Sunnyside
Blues Artist/Group: Buddy Guy
Beyond Artist/Group: Carolina Chocolate Drops
Hats off to Jason Moran. Exploration isn’t for everyone, and those who lead the pack should be acknowledged. He’s been awarded a MacArthur Grant for “expanding the boundaries of jazz expression.” Quite rightly so. He talks about the award’s impact.
AND DON’T FORGET: taking musical knowledge to the ‘hoods is also a job well done. Congrats and thanks to Providence’s Sebastian Ruth.
The summer always fades away on a strong note for jazz buffs in proximity of NYC. At the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, audiences uptown and down think of Bird and absorb inter-generational programs that illustrate how far the music’s come. This year the whomp of McCoy Tyner’s piano, the whisper of Jimmy Scott’s vocals, and the wiles of Jason Moran’s Bandwagon interplay (Nasheet Waits!!) mark the Harlem happening. On the Loisaida, the designated veteran is the ingenious James Moody (check “Along Came Betty” from that 4B joint), the riveting Vijay Iyer Trio (kinetics as swing, lyricism as raison d’etre), the seductive Catherine Russell (who gets extra points for informality masking depth), and the never-not-fierce JD Allen Trio (they recently stood a Newport audience on its head). The whole thing is free, too.
I, Jukebox
Nels Cline, Dirty Baby (Crytogramophone)
Avishai Cohen, Tirveni (Anzic)
Tom T. Hall, Places I’ve Done Time (Universal)
Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys, Betweenwhile (AUM)
Nicholas Urie, Excerpts from An Online Dating Service (Red Piano)
John Hebert, Byzantine Monkey (Firehouse 12)
Missed the Fest? No You Didn’t!
Posted in jazz, music, Uncategorized
Tagged ahmad jamal, ben allison, jason moran, joe morris, matt wilson, newport jazz festival
Lament For A Straight Line 