This past weekend in Wisconsin, the Eau Claire Jazz Festival celebrated 50 years of bringing together Jazz artists, instructors and students to participate, learn and enjoy together. The events began early on Friday morning and concluding very late on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

It was the biggest year yet in terms of band participation.

“Last year,” said Artistic Director Robert Baca, “we set the record at 117 bands. This year, we have over 130 bands.”

While the concerts draw the crowds, it is the workshops and competitions that draw the middle school, high school and college ensembles. The workshops were held in six different locations from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and covered many topics of Jazz interest from arranging, practicing, careers in Jazz, improvisation, specific instruments and much more. The highlights were the Master Class sessions with Jazz stars Connie Evingson, the brilliant Stefon Harris and the great Jimmy Heath.

The astonishing thing about the Eau Claire Jazz Festival is that it is a festival run by students for students. It is one of the top three student-led Jazz festivals in the country. Already, they have begun working on next year’s festival.

On Friday night, the clubs and theatres on Barstow Street recreated the atmosphere of New York City’s 52 Street from back in the day where the various clubs and restaurants participated in hosting live Jazz.

But it was Friday and Saturday nights’ Headliner Concerts that impressed and thrilled the most. Friday night saw Connie Evingson of the Twin Cities perform with the UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble I and, later, Jimmy Heath performed with the same ensemble to close the night.

On Saturday night, the Headliner Concert was opened by the Minnesota Youth Jazz Ensemble, an amazing big band sound with young musicians from middle school on up. Throughout the evening, the winners of the four classes of Honor Big Bands performed and showed why they were indeed the best in their class.

It was watching Stefon Harris and, later, Jimmy Heath perform with the UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble I that was so amazing. Certainly, the performances were wonderful. Even the young musicians gathered cheers and applause. The tall, impeccably dressed bass player Sam Olson turned in fine solos and, with drummer Cami Mennitte Pereyra, created a formidable rhythm section. Pereyra was solid and understated and showed a quick vision of her proficiency in Afro-Cuban rhythms. Pianist Andy Colburn played with strength and precision and won well-deserved praise for his talents.

Stefon Harris had originally planned to be a classical musician but hearing the music of Charlie Parker changed everything. He is an incredible vibraphonist who began his Jazz career in 1996. He began racking up awards in 1999 for his recordings and has been named “Mallets Player of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association and by Jazz Times magazine. He was infectious in his enthusiasm for Jazz and the young performers responded with equal enthusiasm.

Then came Jimmy Heath. From soprano to tenor saxophone to composing, arranging and teaching, Jimmy Heath has influenced generations of Jazz artists and listeners. He is a treasure trove of stories about Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Lester Young and so many more. He replaced John Coltrane in Miles Davis’ band in 1959.

“Trane was always high on Jimmy’s playing and so was I. Plus, he was a very hip dude to be with, funny and clean and very intelligent. Jimmy is one of the thoroughbreds,” said Miles Davis.

John Coltrane told Downbeat in 1960, “I had met Jimmy Heath, who - besides being a wonderful saxophonist - understood a lot about musical construction.  I joined his group in Philadelphia in 1948.  We were very much alike in our feeling, phrasing and a whole lot of other ways.  Our musical appetites were the same.  We used to practice together, and he would write out some of the things we were interested in.  We would take things from records and digest them.  In this way, we learned about the techniques being used by writers and arrangers.” 

His compositions have gained near-standard status, including Gingerbread Man which was covered by Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis and more. Gingerbread Man was one of the set-pieces for Saturday night.

His performance was sheer artistry, of course. But he revealed his nature as educator, as well. He served as band leader to the young ensemble and pushed them and taught them and brought out the very best in them. He gave hand signals for two trumpets to mirror the alto saxophone. Drummer Cami Mennitte Pereyra seemed to please the Maestro and pianist Andy Colburn got several grins from him.

Jimmy Heath brought out their best and gave them his best.

Wisconsin Public Television was there to record the clinics and live performances. They have planned a fall WPT broadcast of the weekend’s events. I want to relive it all over again.


Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 
 
 

On April 10, 2015, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Markus Reuter and special guest David Cross performed two live shows at Billboard Live Tokyo.  That recorded event has been released as Stick Men+ Midori. The album also serves as the calling card for the Stick Men+ 2016 tour coordinated by Leonardo Pavkovic of Moonjune Music. The album itself is on the Moonjune Records Label (MJRSM1).
 
The first show opened with the Opening Soundscape: Gaudy. The tone and texture of the opening is profoundly reminiscent of the days of King Crimson from the earliest days to the most recent. David Cross’s violin brings to mind the heady days of the Larks’ Tongues in Aspic album while surging beyond those boundaries. The expanding horizons with the soundscape itself are mesmerizing and deep. It is the introduction to all that follows.
 
It moves effortlessly into Improv – Blacklight with the heavy drums of Pat Mastelotto. Markus Reuter (Touch Guitars® and keyboards) pushes the structure outwards as Levin (Stick) and Mastelotto anchor the piece with a free rhythm. Again, the post-Crimson texturing is evident in the Improv and creates a bridge into Hide the Trees.
 
Hide the Trees (Reuter, Levin and Mastelotto) is performed with perfection, as one would expect. Levin and Mastelotto nail the groove from the start but Reuter takes on the melody for several bars until the groove resumes the dominance. David Cross glides in with his violin and the smile appears on your face.
The broken beat of the drums are still given structure from Levin and Reuter until Mastelotto comes back to the corral. This is profoundly satisfying. Even at 8:54, it seems too short. For longtime King Crimson fans, hearing Tony Levin say, “David Cross on violin” is pure gold.
 
Improv – Moth follows after and is opened with Cross’s pizzicato violin and a wash of Reuter’s keyboards. The fluttering wings of the moth are almost visible in the imagery created. Once again, Cross is in stunning form and Mastelotto’s strokes are incredible. Levin works the bass groove from beginning to end Listening to these masters improvising so telepathically is a treat to be savored.
 
Industry is a favorite from the Bruford-Levin-Fripp-Belew days of the early 1980s. The moth motif morphs into an industrial one as cold, steel machine moves into the dominant theme. Mastelotto recaps Bruford’s line and then some. Reuter shows himself the true disciple of all things Crimson. The droning and heavy rhythm creates an enclosed space within which Reuters and Cross move.
 
Cusp is a Reuter-Levin-Mastelotto piece. This is a hypnotic exercise in rhythm and free-flowing melody. It is a Mastelotto highlights reel. All the while, Reuter’s Touch Guitar is understated but very imaginative. This was a winner.
 
Cusp slowly bleeds into Shades of Starless (Cross-Reuter-Levin-Mastelotto). The theme is obviously from the King Crimson song, Starless, but this is a variation on a theme. The presence of David Cross makes such a difference. Cross is so distinctive. His artistry leaves no doubt as to whom the violin belongs. The same goes for Levin. John Wetton was a great member of King Crimson but the Jazzy twists of Tony Levin are almost incomparable.
 
The Talking Drum continues the take on King Crimson. Written by Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford and Muir, this is a smoking scenario for the present quartet. The dialogue of Reuter and Cross with the pulse-pounding rhythms of Levin and Mastelotto is electrifying.
 
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part 2 (Robert Fripp, composer) is probably my favorite King Crimson piece of all. The movement of the piece is fascinating. Starting with up-tempo and the coolest chord changes, it slows to a moderate step with a more lyrical melodic line. The tight bass and drums are a clinic in precision. Then the seven-note thematic climb begins leading to the bridge. Cross wails with the violin and Levin and Mastelotto thunder their support. The dénouement is magnificent. It is the perfect way to close out the first show.
 
The second show kicks off with Opening Soundscape: Cyan(Reuter-Cross). The ambience is punctuated with rhythmic stabs and soaring violin and leads precipitously into Improv: Midori where the march of Levin and Mastelotto add stridence to the melodic features. The purpose in concert may be warm-up but the creativity and imagination is phenomenal.
 
The group then tears into Robert Fripp’s Breathless. It is the archetypal King Crimson piece with the great guitar riffs and staggering bass and drums. The momentary howling bass is certainly breath-taking and the guitar of Reuter is spot-on.
 
The band returns to an improve with Improv: Moon. Far more delicate than the previous two ventures’ beginnings. The bass and guitar are anchored by the drums as they are joined by the violin. It shimmers and reflects off of the rock-hard rhythm section. A delicacy remains within the violin but it is well-protected and sometimes well-hidden.
 
It is followed by another Crimson favorite, Sartori in Tangier from the Three of a Perfect Pair album. The violin opens the piece with the beautiful chords in a meditative introduction. The tight rhythms and the Saharan melodies are amazing, as much now as when the original was first released. The music is still fresh and timely and the performance is on fire. The groove is monstrous. The stratospheric violin ascends in enlightenment. This was the power and the glory of King Crimson and it has been restated in equal measure by Stick Men plus David Cross.
 
Crack in the Sky (Reuter-Levin-Mastelotto) is a cool track with Tony Levin on vocals. Loved the guitar work of Markus Reuter over the R&B bass and drums. The ambient keyboards are well-spaced and affirming. This may be Reuter’s showcase track.
 
Shades of Starless makes another appearance in this, the second, show of the night. A song so nice, you need to hear it twice. It is almost a minute shorter than in the first set. Maybe it’s me but the violin seemed more plaintive here than before. Loved the fade-away.
 
Who could have expected Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite next? Stravinsky, sure, but this is Stick Men and make no mistake. I have heard Emerson, Lake and Palmer with their arrangements of Classical pieces and have enjoyed them. But this! This was furious—just like Stravinsky would have enjoyed.  Exquisitely powerful.
 
The Talking Drum was also reprised in the second set, albeit a minute longer this time due to an extended violin lead-in.
 
The second show also ended with Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part 2. No problem! I can’t get enough of it, anyway. There were some noticeable differences that make it a fascinating study to compare them both. Brilliant.
 
With Stick Men+ beginning the 2016 tour, the release of Midori serves as a herald for the excitement awaiting concert-goers.
 
The four artists never disappoint in their various groups and incarnations. I have seen Levin and Mastelotto together and have seen Levin with Bill Bruford as a duo and as part of King Crimson. But these four with this music is right on time and in perfect sync with each other and their audiences.
 
Midori has captured a moment from Japan in 2015 that is rich and amazing. What wonders await the 2016 tour.
 
 
 
~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

I’m a George Colligan fan. So sue me. I have loved all of his albums and his collaborations with the greats among the Jazz stars. Yes, he made his fame playing piano with Jack DeJohnette and others but he was first trained in drums and trumpet.
 
He was the drummer for Kerry Politzer’s great piano Jazz albums and was so again on his early 2015 release Risky Notion. He has developed a bass proficiency to go with all the keyboards, horns, percussion and now, with the release of Write Them Down (Resonant Motion RMI1502), he adds vocals and has written all the music and lyrics which he sings and plays. A complete solo recording.
 
The album opens with The Ice World. George is heard singing from the very outset. Aside from hearing him speak and introduce songs in concert, I had never heard his voice before. It is George on lead and backing vocals and, I confess, I was hooked. For the first time through the album I kept wondering who it is that George’s singing brings to mind. Finally, I had it! No one. He sounds likes no one.
 
Of course, his piano artistry is just phenomenal and always has been. His drumming is tight and deliberate. But we need to focus, for a moment, on his vocals. He delivers a cool, Jazzy vocal intonation that never loses definition and diction. In other words, Colligan is not puffing his own ego by taking on all parts. Far from it, he has taken on all the parts in order to maximize the delivery of his message and music. He knows how he wants each piece to sound and he guarantees its sound by his own artistry. As our grandmothers used to say, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” George has done it right.
 
So, on The Ice World, the tight piano and drum mix perfectly sets up what he wants to achieve with the lyrics and vocals. The lyrics are bright with imagery and the music adds the color and shade to present a striking picture.
 
You need to know, Write Them Down—the album—requires multiple listenings. The first couple of times through, it was the new Colligan vocals, as stated above, that grabbed me. Then listen to the piano, always a Colligan hallmark. Next for the drums, then the bass and horns. Yeah, you need to hear it that many times. Or, rather, you’ll just want to.
 
Get In Line follows with a nice layer of backing vocals behind the lead. The drums are exquisite and you can hear ever-so-slight influences, here and throughout the album, from George’s heroes like Jack DeJohnette and Lenny White. Colligan swings with the best of them.
 
The piano solo is vintage Colligan. Straight up and bright. And I really dug the lyrics and his delivery of them. Piano and drums steal the show, though.
 
That tight-fisted rouser is followed by Never Let Go, a longing hope for support and strength in the arms of another.
The maudlin desire is kept at bay by the tone and tempo. George knows how to write a mature, yet bright-eyed, song of belonging.
 
Write Them Down follows next. The electric keyboards and rim-playing on the drums create a snappy flair that makes for a tongue-in-cheek reverie of “possibilities” and “little schemes.” The pocket trumpet is a fine addition here, adding a whimsical touch to the feeling. Splendid artistry cloaked in great fun.
 
Beginning of the End is a lament for the end of western civilization but it is crafted within a rhythmic structure of Native American culture. He creates a cyclical view of history in his music while intoning the victory of commercialism over culture in his lyrics.
 
The bass is strident in keeping with the militaristic drums. Brass marching instruments take their place among the disintegrating esprit de corps. So well-written and performed.
 
The pace returns to up-tempo Jazz-Pop with I Don’t Have the Time. The chord changes are cool and, at times, unexpected. The theme is centered around what Colligan would do if he were the king, president, prime minister, emperor, supreme leader or generalissimo. He mixes noble aspirations with somewhat hedonistic impulses and musically shapes just such a world where he just doesn’t have the time for all of that.
 
Paradise is a slow-paced, fearful, look at what troubles may come and have come to so many. The organ wails quietly behind the pulse-pounding rhythms of bass and drums. It is heavy-laden with grief and fear of bereavement. And Colligan delivers it spot-on.
 
Magic Laughter is a welcome comic relief to the sadness that came before. It brings a sense of joy that alleviates the agony of Paradise. Listen to George’s intonation of “round” and “sound” as he delivers an intentionally nasal tone that heightens the levity of the piece. Colligan knows what he’s doing.
 
The instrumental interlude is exacting and exciting. He sings, “I would run and jump and slip and fall” and then creates the sonic image with a stumbling, crashing drum run that is guaranteed to bring a smile. This is a cheerful, hopeful piece of beautiful whimsy.
 
The album concludes with I Would Be Nothing Without You. It is the most soulful piece on the album. The electric piano is the perfect choice to go with the soul vocals. The bass and drums are forward-leaning R&B and Colligan, again, pulls off the vocals with great aplomb.
 
Write Them Down is the next evolutionary step for George Colligan the artist, the composer, the thinker. It is an album for those who don’t want their musical heroes to stand still and just keep repeating what they have been doing for the last 50 years. For George Colligan, Write Them Down is yet another surge into the unknown, filling with sound what was once a void.
 
Yeah, I’m a George Colligan fan.




~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl