Which living composer has written the most standards? With
the passing of antonio Carlos Jobim, there is no clear-cut leader, although
Horace Silver, Michel Legrand, Dave Frisberg, Benny Golson, and Benny Carter
are probably up there. Vertainly Johnny Mandel, who is best known for his
many exquisite ballads, is a strong contender.
Recently in Los Angeles, a well-organized tribute was paid to Mandel,
who was in attendane. six different singers participated, with Mark Murphy,
Sue Raney, Bill Henderson, and Ruth Price taking two songs apiece on both
of the sets and single appearances being made by Morgan Ames and Heather
Gold. In addition, pianist Alan Broadbent and Mike Melvoin had a pair of
instrumentals apiece. The other excellent musicians were pianist Tom Garvin,
who teamed up with Mark Murphy, the hard-working bassist Putter Smith, and
drummer Joe LaBarbara.
With the artists introducing each other, the show moved along very smoothly
and had plenty of variety. Highlights included Murphy's inventive yet respectful
treatment of "Emily" and the emotional "Where Do You Start";
the beautiful voice of Sue Raney, who showed off her tremendous range on
"Sure As You're Born" and who sounded like "A Time for Love"
and the sensual "Take Me Home" were written for her; Bill Henderson's
touching "Without You"; and Ruth Price's exquisite rendition of
"You Are There." It was a particularly memorable evening. |
| One of the most innovative of all synthesizer players, Joe Zawinul
has been less dominant in his field since the breakup of Weather Report.
Recently his group, Zawinul Syndicate, with guest percussionist Alex Acuna,
created some infectious grooves, but the results often sounded like "Music
Minus One" records with the main solosit abset. The leader spent too
much time utilizing his vocoder and trying to create exotic sounds while
the performances tended to wander a bit aimlessly. There were a few good
moments, most notably on "Rockin' in Rhythm" (although one wonders
what Wayne Shorter would think about Zawinul sampling his tenor sound),
but it seems obvious that the synth wizard needs some fresh ideas. |
| One of the hits of last year's Monterey Jazz Festival (which he closed
with an exciting performance by his Sanctified Shells), trombonist Steve
Turre performed recently in Los Angeles with an all-star group of top local
players: veteran tenor Harold Land [JN
February 1996], pianist Billy Childs, bassist John Clayton, and drummer
Albert "Tootie" Heath. It was particularly fun going on the opening
night because then one could view the amazed expressions of some of Turre's
sidemen when they saw him playing his colorful shells; his largest one looked
hilarious. Turre is able to get approximately half an octave out of each
shell, and his trombone playing, which ranks near the top of the current
field, is not bad either. The bop-based music was also highlighted by many
superior and explorative solos from a vastly underrated Billy Childs. |
| Finally, after literally decades of being Los Angeles's great underground
legend, pianist-composer Horace Tapscott [JN
September 1991]has recorded his current group. Although he has appeared
on releases on Nimbus and Hat Art, the very original veteran pianist, whose
unpredictable solos are always stimulating, had not previously documented
the quintet he has long led. It includes bassist Roberto Miranda, drummer
Fritz Wise, the great tenor saxist Michael Sessions, and trombonist Thurman
Green. Stay tuned for future details. |
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