If You Don't Know Jack (DeJohnette)

Drummer Jack DeJohnette shows up in a lot of jazz in my collection, playing alongside many of my heroes.  I confess that I was not familiar until today with his work as leader.  That has been remedied.  ECM has released a box set of four albums that DeJohnette recorded under the group title Special Edition.  Jack DeJohnette: Special Edition is the kind of treasure I value very highly: a good slice of an artist's work, offering you several fine albums for a very reasonable price ($27.09 for the MP3 download).  In addition, a number of musicians that I have invested in are featured, including David Murray, Arthur Blythe, and Chico Freeman. 

The four albums are:

1. Special Edition
2. Album Album
3. Tin Can Alley
4. Inflation Blues

The last of these has not been released on CD before now.  Special Edition presents a lot of edgy avant garde compositions, but it is reasonable accessible over all.  DeJohnette's leadership and the brilliance of his co-conspirators is everywhere evident.  There is a lot of slithering horn on many of the pieces and I am a big fan of the low horns.  One thing that the four albums demonstrate is DeJohnette's command of a number of basic realms in jazz space.  

I am playing 'I know' from Tin Can Alley. This might be my favorite cut from the collection, a delicious walking blues with lots of screaming over guttural horn lines.  

• Baritone Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – John Purcell
• Bass Clarinet, Flute, Tenor Saxophone – Chico Freeman
• Double Bass, Cello – Peter Warren
• Drums, Piano, Vocals – Jack DeJohnette

I'm playing 'Monk's Mood' from Album Album.  This has a nice big band sound, putting Monk back into the contexts from which he drew his brilliant melodies.  There is a nice pastel feel to the solos by Murray and Johnson. 

• Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Rufus Reid
• Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – John Purcell
• Drums, Keyboards, Producer, Liner Notes – Jack DeJohnette
• Tenor Saxophone – David Murray
• Tuba, Baritone Saxophone – Howard Johnson (3)

 From Inflation Blues, I am playing 'Starburst'. 

• Bass – Rufus Reid
• Clarinet [Bass], Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor] – Chico Freeman
• Composed By, Clavinet, Drums, Piano, Vocals – Jack DeJohnette
• Flute, Saxophone [Alto, Barritone], Clarinet – John Purcell

This one reminds me of some of Miles Davis' spacy second quintet recordings, except for the marvelous bass clarinet.  

Finally, I offer 'India' from Special Edition. 

• Alto Saxophone – Arthur Blythe
• Bass – Peter Warren
• Drums, Piano, Melodica, Producer – Jack DeJohnette
• Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – David Murray

This great adventure story by John Coltrane is a very fine example of why I love Murray and Blythe and why I have now fallen for DeJohnette.  Be sure to take your passport for this one.  

It could be said that DeJohnette is only covering ground already explored by other intrepid jazz men, but boy does he cover it well.  The Special Edition box is a great buy.  This is one fine jazz man. 

Meanwhile, I am adding 'Meaning of the Blues' from Standards Vol. 1, by Keith Jarrett.  DeJohnette plays drums and Gary Peacock is on bass.  Enjoy.  

ps.  check out the video clips at DeJohnette's home page.  

Rare Blythe

One of my frequent pet peeves is the unavailable status of so many jazz CDs.  I understand that some CDs sell only a few hundred or even a few dozen copies, and that it doesn't make economic sense to print more of them.  But how much can it cost to make a copy available on iTunes or eMusic or CD Universe or Amazon?  Surely at some point it becomes virtually free to distribute, and a few pennies here or there is better than nothing.  But of these venues, only eMusic has a really rich collection of otherwise unavailable jazz.  

On the other hand, it is exciting to find something rare that one is looking for.  One example of a CD that I spent a lot of time tracking down is Arthur Blythe's Night Song.  Blythe's alto has been pretty well represented on the pages of this blog.  His 1978 magnum opus, Lenox Avenue Breakdown, wasn't all that easy to find when I first went looking for it.  It's one of the great statements of avant garde jazz.  But on eMusic was able to get superb slices of Blythe: Focus, Blythe Bite, Retrospection, and three Chico Freeman albums prominently featuring Blythe: Luminous, The Unspoken Word, and Focus.  All of these are fine documents.  

But Night Song, which I set after due to the four star rating in the Penguin Guide, eluded me until now.  I finally did find a used copy for a reasonable price from one of Amazon's independent vendors.  In fairness, there are reasons for the obscurity of the disc.  The label, Clarity Recordings, is obscure enough.  The insert art looks like it was produced by a Bible Bookstore publisher. 

One of the things that Blythe likes is to put a lot of unusual percussion instruments behind him.  This gives his music a pronounced African flavor, but island African more than mainland African.  This is pretty evident on his Focus, which is one of my favorite albums.  His fanciful moods are somewhat reminiscent of Wayne Shorter's compositions, but again more voodoo than Dracula's castle.  

Night Song was recorded at the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley (where else?) in 1996.  Bob Stewart plays tuba, Gust Tsillis marimba and vibes, and Chico Freeman, God bless him, is there on bass clarinet and percussion.  Also on percussion are Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Josh Jones, and David Frazier.  The liner notes are grand, including an interview with Blythe and Freeman.  I am tempted to drop the whole damn thing in my drop box, but I will resist the temptation.  But here are three good samples.  If you like them, demand the whole thing from your favorite vendor.  And pick up the above mentioned discs.  You won't regret getting to know Arthur Blythe.

Night Song

Cause of It All

Contemplation

Best Jazz Compositions 5: Trane's Naima

In picking out the best single Coltrane composition (excluding the epic works), it was a hard call between 'Naima' and 'Lonnie's Lament'. Heck, maybe I'll include that one too before I get to number ten. But I seem to have the impression that 'Naima' has been covered more often.

This is surely Coltrane's most lyrical and romantic moment. Like all great romances, it strikes a very simple and pure artery of passion. It appears on Trane's Giant Steps, his single most inventive album. Here is a bit from Jazz.com:

First, it’s a gorgeous piece of writing – how many times has “Naima” been covered over the years? – and, second, it is played with great patience and restraint. The tune runs only 4 minutes 21 seconds, but the quartet is in no rush to get there. In mood, “Naima” shares traits with Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue album, on which Coltrane played a key role just months earlier, but this is a very different piece of work, because there’s a real melody here. The rhythm section holds back while Coltrane blows simple, unadorned passages that haunt, and pianist Wynton Kelly delivers a touching solo of his own. Once while listening to this song, pay attention only to bassist Paul Chambers’ thump-thump- thumping. It’s quite revealing.

I won't try to compete with that. But here is one of my favorite covers, by one of my favorite under appreciated jazz geniuses: Arthur Blythe. 'Naima' from Blythe Byte. Blythe's horn is a bit more lush than one would expect, on top of John Hicks understated piano. Can't lose with this one.