Jazz - "J to Z" New R3 programme replacing JLU from 7 April.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

And then there's the (essential) attribute of the artist to connect and trigger, emotionally, intellectually, whatever. Which Parker, Powell, Monk, Dexter, Pepper, Mingus et al et all et al emphatically do. But of course, none of that matters a Friar Tuck because what really matters in "art" is who is "now" because "now" is by definition "BETTER" in flashing lights. Because "we" know so much more now than then. It's strange then that so much of "now" music is so fucking empty? But, no matter, we've got our lists and "league tables" (hey, dock Dexter Gordon three points for that quotation). I always listen to Jazz with a legal notebook and an assortment of coloured pencils, it's so much more rewarding. Well, doesn't EVERYONE?

Case in point, Freddie Hubbard's "Body & Soul" on "Here to Stay". It's not "innovative", it's not stretching Hubbard or the genre, the tune is by now so well worn, but the performance is considered, beautifully played by Hubbard, with Wayne's little intro phrase, Workman's bass, and it is, to be SO hopelessly "last year", beautiful and moving. But is it "jazz" sic. Is it form advancing, harmonically extending & wannabe "relevant". Nop.

[uncleboko]

Does anyone know the date of the Toshio Miki Front Page Orchestra fragment broadcast last Monday 23 April on Jazz Now, and will any more be broadcast from this gig?

[Serial_Apologist]

Does anyone know the date of the Toshio Miki Front Page Orchestra fragment broadcast last Monday 23 April on Jazz Now, and will any more be broadcast from this gig?

Ah - an archivist, I do detect! Over to Alyn?

[Serial_Apologist]

Laura Jurd seems to be coming up with more interesting material for her band Dinosaur than was the case a couple of years ago, though I still find the character of the music strangely charmless, and while appreciating what she said to Jumoke about feeling improvisation to be too partitioned off from composition - hardly a new problem - her own solution shares similar limitations to the later Weather Report's, namely solos curtailed before having anything really interesting to say and feed into the further progress of the music. However gifted these people are - and I've no doubt about that - they'll remain at their present level under the given formal restraints. As to the other choices I'm surprised to find Martin Speake linking up with the no-longer Bad Plus pianist, recalling the total swamping by the latter of his subtle approach when I saw them back in the 1990s. While the featured track, if characteristic, suggested Mr Iverson might have ditched his more demagogic former tendencies, Martin Speake really isn't a jazz-rock player, and pretending (or being made to think) he is only has the effect of anonymising his style.

As to the programme, I'm getting the feeling that each of the presenters is free to shape and schedule his or her turn at the wheel, so that being the case, there should be some variety within the brief that seems to be generally welcomed here, from week to week.

[Ian Thumwood]

I caught a snatch of Laura Jurd's music tonight. She has the technique on her horn but I just feel that the composing is uninspired and the band not exactly cooking. Difficult not to think that this band has been over-praised but I think this is actually a common feature of so many contemporary British bands. Dinosaur are like a band of college students with a decent front line soloist - in no way is this stuff representative of the better kind of jazz being performed in 2018. The best stuff seems to sneak under the radar like the Peter Hurt band. The stuff that is getting lauded is a little under-whelming. I would like to hear her in a better context but strange to see her getting all the media attention when there is plenty out there more interesting and decidedly more "hip." Can't believe that someone like Josh Berman is totally over-looked at the expense of players like Jurd. Check out his " A dance and a hop" to hear where jazz cornet / trumpet is heading. Ditto Jaime Branch.

I would be interested to read Bluesnik's take on Laura Jurd.

[Quarky]

In terms of Jazz singing, and bearing in mind Jumoke is a singer, I found the singing items interesting .
Lizz Wright's contribution to the programme was notable, with her insights. I gather she performed at the London Jazz Festival a couple of years ago.

[Serial_Apologist]

I caught a snatch of Laura Jurd's music tonight. She has the technique on her horn but I just feel that the composing is uninspired and the band not exactly cooking. Difficult not to think that this band has been over-praised but I think this is actually a common feature of so many contemporary British bands. Dinosaur are like a band of college students with a decent front line soloist - in no way is this stuff representative of the better kind of jazz being performed in 2018. The best stuff seems to sneak under the radar like the Peter Hurt band. The stuff that is getting lauded is a little under-whelming. I would like to hear her in a better context but strange to see her getting all the media attention when there is plenty out there more interesting and decidedly more "hip." Can't believe that someone like Josh Berman is totally over-looked at the expense of players like Jurd. Check out his " A dance and a hop" to hear where jazz cornet / trumpet is heading. Ditto Jaime Branch.

I would be interested to read Bluesnik's take on Laura Jurd.

That is good, taking its inspiration from Dolphy's "Out to Lunch"; but there is homegrown stuff that is as good as that. Laura's band uses strict metres - they may be odd metres, but they're still metres, which tell the improvisers: this has to be acknowledged in what you're doing. I've always preferred the loose, more flexible time approach that determines what it is as it goes along and resolves things at benchmarks with periodic regularity, as is happening here.

[Ian Thumwood]

I think that the problem with a lot of younger jazz musicians is that they are very much products of the college system. To my ears, this is truer in Europe than in the States where the jazz education process has been in place since the late 1940s in some instances. Most European courses probably don't do back much further than the 1990's - there was a real absence in jazz education when I was getting in to the music in the 1980s. I would have to say that technically the musicians arriving on the scene today are head and shoulders above what was happening even twenty years ago. The Southampton Youth Jazz Orchestra who I saw perform a month ago are a great example of this and it does bode well for the future.

If there is an issue with the contemporary scene, it is that it has become a bit dull. There was a really good article on line last month about the jazz flautist David Valentin where Bobby Sanabria recounted a story where he was on a panel of judges with some well know jazz musicians in Cuba where they were deciding who should win a composition competition. A famous pianist was in favour of someone who wrote complex, multi-metered compositions whereas Valentin was more in favour of an older musicians who had written a more melodic theme. An argument ensued and Valentin ended up shoving two cigarettes up his nostrils , pulled a face and said "Well, what do you really think?" everyone dissolved in laughter and the panel then voted for Valentin's choice as they realised that it is the music that touches the heart which was important. There is a lot of truth in this.

Personally, I feel that these Chicago musicians are producing music that "touches the heart." It feels authentic and they don't sound like university students. It is interesting that these players are now getting a lot of kudos in the States and Chicago is certainly flavour of the month. I am interested to read that you feel there is stuff as good as this in the UK because these musicians have worked with Europeans too , albeit from the Free Jazz scene and well outside the remit of players likes Laura Jurd. Frank Rosaly is actually based in Holland now. It does interest me because I feel that what is happening in Chicago at the moment trumps any other jazz scene at this point in time, even New York and the West Coast. You are correct that they take their inspiration from people like Dolphy, Hill and Hutcherson but what I like about those musicians who have followed in the wake of Vandermark is that they have rejected much of what has gone on in jazz after that point and really connected with what was one of the most creative periods in jazz ever. This is the kind of jazz that should appeal to you but should also appeal to the likes of Bluesnik as well. I just feel that there is an awful lot going on in Chicago at the moment. The UK is not even in touching distance of what is happening there now in my opinion. Berman, Rosaly, Roebke, Reid, Reed, Bishop, Jackson, Adasiewicz , Shelton, Giallorenzo, Mitchell, etc seem to be the main musicians up there with the likes of William Parker, Douglas, Lehman, Coleman and Threadgill making innovative jazz at the moment.

[Alyn_Shipton]

Regarding Uncle Boko's question about Toshio Miki:
Venue
NHK Fureai Hall, Tokyo
Concert date
15/09/2016
We only had rights to broadcast it once, so that's it.

[Alyn_Shipton]

I can't say (see Ian's post above) that I ever have had much time for Dave Valentin. I went to hear him with McCoy Tyner's big band at the Blue Note in New York and he hogged the show with mindless grandstanding, not letting the other (IMHO) much finer soloists in the band get a look in. It's not often I regret paying to hear jazz in an expensive club, but this was a bit like paying for Madame Tussaud's in that I got to see a lot of musicians I wanted to hear, but barely heard any of them play a note... And I think Ian is wrong about the products of the college system. The variety in the UK colleges at present is remarkable, and far less predictable than the orthodoxy of Manhattan School of Music or Berklee. Take a listen to the two bands on Jazz Now's BBC Introducing segment tomorrow night, Wandering Monster and Artephis, which have come from the Jazz North introduces scheme, via Leeds College of Music and the RNCM and they'll give a taste of what I mean - highly unlikely you'd hear this kind of music coming from a US band of 23-24 year olds. And when you add this to what is going on in other colleges - e.g. Jam Experiment or the Elftet coming out of some of the London conservatories, I think the variety and excellence is a really strong signal for the future of the music.

[uncleboko]

Many thanks Alyn, there is always the chance that other fragments were broadcast and grabbed elswhere in the world, full concert recordings are sometimes built from many fragments!

[uncleboko]

I found this which is - dare I say it - real jazz performed by experts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKntlhtdkaE

[Ian Thumwood]

Regarding British bands, I found this review on the Jazztimes website this morning to be quite interesting as it offers an alternative view of one of the most popular UK jazz acts:-

https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/gogo-penguin-humdrum-star/http://

Afraid to say that I have heard this band perform once but walked out after a couple of numbers as I found it mind-numbingly dull. Horses for course. Not my bag at all yet I would concede it offers something radically different to what is going on in the States. They are original yet difficult to be enthused by this kind ofstuff which is on the fringes of jazz.

I am probably coming from a different perspective that most on this board. For me, the interesting jazz at the moment if the more outside / free stuff which is taking it's cues from the 1960's avant garde plus the likes of Threadgill, Coleman and Lehman who are re-thinking composition. Outside of that, it is writing for larger ensembles and jazz composition that is catching my ear. I would agree that Laura Jurd has the technique but with so many people really being creative with writing , her compositions tend to let the performance down. I would rather hear her in a different context - less of the fusion / Smooth jazz stuff.

Interesting to read Alyn's comments as I don't think that the UK is especially unique if offering alternatives to the US model. I have been hearing this a lot in France especially at Vienne although I had previously encountered a decidedly "French" approach back in the early 19902 when I did a historical trip to Le Mans.

[uncleboko]

Why is trad jazz so totally disregarded?

[Serial_Apologist]

Why is trad jazz so totally disregarded?

Because it's of its time, which is not our time?