DC North | June 2007 | Jazz Avenues

Jazz Avenues

by: Stephen Monroe

Save the dates for DEJF
This just in: The joint will be jumping again this year at the Third Duke Ellington Jazz Festival.

This year’s festival lineup, courtesy of promoter Charlie Fishman and his associates, pays homage to pioneer musician, entertainer and ambassador Dizzy Gillespie during its Sept. 9-17 run at the Lincoln Theatre and many other venues. Fishman will be bringing in jazz stars who performed with Gillespie in honor of his exploration of many musical styles and rhythms from around the world.

On Sept. 15 the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Concert spotlights saxophone legends Jimmy Heath and James Moody, trumpeter Clark Terry and trombonist Slide Hampton, each of whom played with Gillespie in an all-star event at the Lincoln Theatre.

DEJF again features a free all-day jazz event on the mall on Sept. 16. Hopefully the weather will play nice this year after last year’s jazz on the mall had to be canceled due to inclement weather and its events moved inside.

The mall event is to reunite artists who played in Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra from 1988-92. They include Paquito D’Rivera – who will also lead the festival’s opening night gala concert – Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Sibusiso Victor Masondo and Lalela.

Other festival headliners are trumpeter Roy Hargrove – one of the standouts at last year’s fest when his scintillating performances were the spark of several shows – pianist Danilo Perez, saxophonist David Sanchez, trombonists Steve Turre and Claudio Roditi, vocalists Nnenna Freelon, Somi and Roberta Gambarini, and the bands Step Afrika and Afro Blue.

Other venues for the festival – which will feature a film on Gillespie at the Library of Congress – are to include the Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, and again, nightspots along U Street, including Twins Jazz, the Bohemian Caverns and Busboys & Poets.

A clarinet thing
As one whose musical introduction occurred via clarinet lessons for a few years, hearing the excursions on the instrument by jazz stars from Benny Goodman to our own Buck Hill – and the eclectic Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet – always brings a personal appreciation.

Hearing Todd Marcus, the Baltimore-based bass clarinet specialist, is its own unique treat. Marcus’ jabbing, swinging sounds in small combos or his orchestra deserve wider exposure. A sampling of his CD, “In Pursuit of the 9th Man,” on HiPNOTIC Records label, shows off a rich, diverse talent as a musician and composer.

Marcus blends traditional jazz and other world rhythms and spices in his groups. His orchestra’s brassy ensemble front lines, with his own instrument’s sonorous, sometimes wailing, often bluesy solos, are featured in sparkling arrangements on tunes like “Pompeii” on his CD, recorded two years ago. Other CD highlights include the snappy title tune and the inventive “Plummeting.”

Marcus’ groups include top DC-area players like trombonist Reginald Cyntje and saxman Lyle Link, along with, among other stalwarts, pianist Joel Holmes, bassist Jeff Alan Reed, drummer Mike Kuhl and trumpeter Theljon James Allen, who all played on his CD.

Marcus (toddmarcusjazz.com) – self-taught as a player, composer and arranger – says his influences include Dolphy and “so many of the masters like Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Gary Thomas, Charlie Parker, Gary Bartz, Kenny Dorham, Herbie Hancock, Woody Shaw, Sonny Rollins …”

Heard frequently in orchestra and combo settings at Baltimore venues like Dogwood and Milton’s Grill, Marcus is to perform with his orchestra in this area June 19 at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland.

A Thad thing
And for more orchestra sounds, check out trumpeter Thad Wilson who started a Monday night gig at Bohemian Caverns this spring. Wilson’s band features his own innovative arrangements that make for free-flowing, entertaining jams full of twists, turns, stops and starts.

One Monday late last month, with the ubiquitous Cyntje on trombone, Allyn Johnson on piano, Roland Carter on drums, Joe Herrera on trumpet and Rod Muncie and Bryant Settles on saxes, Wilson’s group had the historic Caverns jumping.

June Highlights: Eddie Palmieri, June 7-10, Blues Alley … Buck Hill, Arnold Sterling, June 8, Westminster Presbyterian Church …WES Group, June 9, Bohemian Caverns … Tedd Baker Quartet, June 14, Bohemian Caverns … Ron Kearns, Cheryl Jones, Kim Mills, June 15, Westminster Presbyterian Church … Jim Snidero, June 15-16, Twins Jazz … Supernova, June 15-16, Bohemian Caverns … Kurt Elling, June 17, Blues Alley … Joey DeFrancesco Trio, June 21-24, Blues Alley … Michael Thomas, Paul Carr, June 22, Westminster Presbyterian Church … Larry Carlton, June 25, Blues Alley …Larry Willis, June 29-30, Twins Jazz …

June Birthdays: Josephine Baker, Dakota Staton 3; Oliver Nelson, Anthony Braxton 4; Monty Alexander 5; Jimmie Lunceford, Grant Green 6; Tal Farlow, Tina Brooks 7; Kenny Barron 9; Chick Corea, Geri Allen 12; Jaki Byard, Erroll Garner 15; Lucky Thompson 16; Eric Dolphy 20; Jamil Nasser 21, Milt Hinton 23; Reggie Workman 26; Andrew Hill 30.


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Jazz Avenues

by: Stephen Monroe
Save the dates for DEJF This just in: The joint will be jumping again this year at the Third Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. This year’s festival lineup, courtesy of promoter Charlie Fishman and his associates, pays homage to pioneer musician, entertainer and ambassador Dizzy Gillespie during its Sept. 9-17 run at the Lincoln Theatre and many other venues. Fishman will be bringing in jazz stars who performed with Gillespie in honor of his exploration of many musical styles and rhythms from around the world. On Sept. 15 the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Concert spotlights saxophone legends Jimmy Heath and James Moody, trumpeter Clark Terry and trombonist Slide Hampton, each of whom played with Gillespie in an all-star event at the Lincoln Theatre. DEJF again features a free all-day jazz event on the mall on Sept. 16. Hopefully the weather will play nice this year after last year’s jazz on the mall had to be canceled due to inclement weather and its events moved inside. The mall event is to reunite artists who played in Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra from 1988-92. They include Paquito D’Rivera – who will also lead the festival’s opening night gala concert – Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Sibusiso Victor Masondo and Lalela. Other festival headliners are trumpeter Roy Hargrove – one of the standouts at last year’s fest when his scintillating performances were the spark of several shows – pianist Danilo Perez, saxophonist David Sanchez, trombonists Steve Turre and Claudio Roditi, vocalists Nnenna Freelon, Somi and Roberta Gambarini, and the bands Step Afrika and Afro Blue. Other venues for the festival – which will feature a film on Gillespie at the Library of Congress – are to include the Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, and again, nightspots along U Street, including Twins Jazz, the Bohemian Caverns and Busboys & Poets. A clarinet thing As one whose musical introduction occurred via clarinet lessons for a few years, hearing the excursions on the instrument by jazz stars from Benny Goodman to our own Buck Hill – and the eclectic Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet – always brings a personal appreciation. Hearing Todd Marcus, the Baltimore-based bass clarinet specialist, is its own unique treat. Marcus’ jabbing, swinging sounds in small combos or his orchestra deserve wider exposure. A sampling of his CD, “In Pursuit of the 9th Man,” on HiPNOTIC Records label, shows off a rich, diverse talent as a musician and composer. Marcus blends traditional jazz and other world rhythms and spices in his groups. His orchestra’s brassy ensemble front lines, with his own instrument’s sonorous, sometimes wailing, often bluesy solos, are featured in sparkling arrangements on tunes like “Pompeii” on his CD, recorded two years ago. Other CD highlights include the snappy title tune and the inventive “Plummeting.” Marcus’ groups include top DC-area players like trombonist Reginald Cyntje and saxman Lyle Link, along with, among other stalwarts, pianist Joel Holmes, bassist Jeff Alan Reed, drummer Mike Kuhl and trumpeter Theljon James Allen, who all played on his CD. Marcus (toddmarcusjazz.com) – self-taught as a player, composer and arranger – says his influences include Dolphy and “so many of the masters like Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Gary Thomas, Charlie Parker, Gary Bartz, Kenny Dorham, Herbie Hancock, Woody Shaw, Sonny Rollins …” Heard frequently in orchestra and combo settings at Baltimore venues like Dogwood and Milton’s Grill, Marcus is to perform with his orchestra in this area June 19 at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. A Thad thing And for more orchestra sounds, check out trumpeter Thad Wilson who started a Monday night gig at Bohemian Caverns this spring. Wilson’s band features his own innovative arrangements that make for free-flowing, entertaining jams full of twists, turns, stops and starts. One Monday late last month, with the ubiquitous Cyntje on trombone, Allyn Johnson on piano, Roland Carter on drums, Joe Herrera on trumpet and Rod Muncie and Bryant Settles on saxes, Wilson’s group had the historic Caverns jumping. June Highlights: Eddie Palmieri, June 7-10, Blues Alley … Buck Hill, Arnold Sterling, June 8, Westminster Presbyterian Church …WES Group, June 9, Bohemian Caverns … Tedd Baker Quartet, June 14, Bohemian Caverns … Ron Kearns, Cheryl Jones, Kim Mills, June 15, Westminster Presbyterian Church … Jim Snidero, June 15-16, Twins Jazz … Supernova, June 15-16, Bohemian Caverns … Kurt Elling, June 17, Blues Alley … Joey DeFrancesco Trio, June 21-24, Blues Alley … Michael Thomas, Paul Carr, June 22, Westminster Presbyterian Church … Larry Carlton, June 25, Blues Alley …Larry Willis, June 29-30, Twins Jazz … June Birthdays: Josephine Baker, Dakota Staton 3; Oliver Nelson, Anthony Braxton 4; Monty Alexander 5; Jimmie Lunceford, Grant Green 6; Tal Farlow, Tina Brooks 7; Kenny Barron 9; Chick Corea, Geri Allen 12; Jaki Byard, Erroll Garner 15; Lucky Thompson 16; Eric Dolphy 20; Jamil Nasser 21, Milt Hinton 23; Reggie Workman 26; Andrew Hill 30.