DOBBIN’S DEN

By Len Dobbin

Posted Tuesday, March 11, 1997

Contents

Contents

• King Porter Stomp
• Jan Jarczyk Joined by Sim and Hagans
• Tony Williams (1945-1997)
• Wray Downes - Dave Young
• Other Montreal Jazz Action
• Upcoming in March
• Local CD News
• Other New Releases
• Discover Jazz Festival
• Dobbin`s Den (on radio)

[Editor’s note: We are proud to present the first installment of a regular column by jazz writer/broadcaster Len Dobbin. Dobbin has covered the Montreal scene since the 1950s for such publications as Coda, The Gazette, The Jazz Report and Mirror. He has also hosted several radio programmes, including Jazz 96 on CJFM. He currently does a weekly show on CKUT 90.3 FM. Also called Dobbin’s Den, it airs Wednesdays between 9 and 11:15 AM.]

KING PORTER STOMP

Ferdinand ‘Jelly Roll’ Morton was an early jazz pioneer. He was born in New Orleans on October 20, 1890 and died in Los Angeles on July 10, 1941. He is remembered as both a pianist and a composer. His Red Pepper recordings of the mid-20s document a marvellous coming together of composition and improvisation, marking Morton as one of the first jazz arrangers of note. The spirit of collective improvisation in New Orleans remained his love and he never did find interest in the new styles of larger ensemble orchestration put forth by musicians like Don Redman and Fletcher Henderson. Oddly enough, one of the great successes of the Swing Era was Henderson’s update (for the Benny Goodman band of 1935) of an arrangement that he had done earlier for his own band. The piece was Morton’s King Porter Stomp, a dedication to another pianist, Porter King.

On Wednesday, March 12 (which also marks the 42nd anniversary of Charlie Parker’s death), the wonderful Chuck Dotas Big Band will be heard in concert at Montreal’s Pollack Hall (555 Sherbrooke Street West). The entire first half of the concert will be devoted to King Porter Stomp. Pianist Tilden Webb will be heard playing a transcription of a Morton piano version of the tune, and the entire band will play arrangements of the piece by Fletcher Henderson, Gil Evans, Jim McNeely, Bob Brookmeyer (a rewrite) and Dotas himself.

The second half of the concert will include big band arrangements of Wayne Shorter’s Prince of Darkness, Monk’s Bye-Ya and arrangements of Indiana and This Can’t Be Love, the latter inspired by the Ella Fitzgerald/Oscar Peterson version. Original material by Dotas will also be heard.

Band members include Kelsley Grant and Dave Grott, trombones; Joe Sullivan, Jocelyn Couture, Aron Doyle and Bill Mahar, trumpets; pianist Webb and bassist Dave Watt, plus a reed section of Rémi Bolduc, Janis Steprans, Kelly Jefferson, André Leroux and Jean Frechette. The concert, which starts at 8 PM, is free.

JAN JARCZYK JOINED BY SIM AND HAGANS

Polish born Jan Jarczyk is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He joined the faculty there after graduation before settling in Montreal to teach, first at Concordia and now at McGill. Jarczyk is a pianist and composer and also a fine trombonist. He composes in both the jazz and classical fields (his 1986 composition, Four Pieces for Clarinet Solo, was recorded by Sherman Friedland). A jazz CD, Things to Look For, recorded in 1992/93, is available on the Montreal based Lost Chart label.

Joining Jarczyk for a Montreal concert on Friday, March 14 will be Mike Sim, Tim Hagans, Eric Lagacé and Andre White.

Mike Sim is a forward-looking Canadian tenor saxophonist who now lives in New York. He’s been a long time favourite of Jarczyk’s and is heard on the aforementioned CD. Both bassist Lagacé and drummer White come from musical families. Eric’s mother is Mireille Lagacé, a renowned organist, harpsichordist and teacher in the classical field. His father, Bernard, is no less famed as teacher, harpsicordist and baroque organ specialist. A sister, Geneviève, is also active in the classical field as is Eric, who recently played and recorded with the Bob Mover Quintet featuring John Hicks. (Look for Television due out shortly on the DSM label). Andre’s dad is jazz pianist Keith White, who was also an important cog on the Montreal scene in the 50s and 60s. He and Paul Bley set up the "Jazz Workshop" in the 50s, an organization of Montreal musicians that also presented night club and concert appearances by the likes of Charlie Parker, Brew Moore, Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins, Sam Most, Joe Gordon, Herbie Spanier and Kai Winding. Andre, who is also a first rank pianist, teaches at McGill and is extremely busy as a recording engineer. He recently returned from a playing engagement with trumpeter Kevin Dean in Norway.

Trumpeter Tim Hagans is no stranger to the Montreal jazz scene having played here with people like John Scofield, Joe Lovano and the Blue Note All Stars. Although Hagans’ playing has been getting some well deserved attention of late, he is hardly a newcomer to the music. I was first made aware of his playing by jazz vocalist Lodi Carr, who worked with him in the Sahib Shihab big band in the 80s. In the 70s, Tim played and recorded with the Stan Kenton band. In the early 80s he was (in Europe) a member of Ernie Wilkins’ Almost Big Band and recorded with them for the Danish Storyville label. While in Europe he also worked with the Thad Jones band in Denmark. On his return to the U.S., he worked with Shihab and with the Ohio-based Blue Wisp Big Band where he not only played trumpet but contributed compositions like Duncan’s Dance and Rollin’ with Von Ohlen (for drummer John). He also recorded (in the 80s) with the New England-based band Orange Then Blue and Bob Belden and more recently with Marc Copland, John Fedchock, Peter DeLano, Jon Gordon, Steve Slagle, Ron McClure, Jarmo Savolainen, Bob Mintzer, Joey Calderazzo and, of course, Scofield, Lovano and the Blue Note All Stars. His own beautiful Blue Note albums are No Words and Audible Architecture. Definitely one of the trumpeters to keep a constant ear on.

The Jan Jarczyk Quintet concert takes place on Friday, March 14 at 8 PM at Montreal’s Salle Marie-Gerin-Lajoie. Tickets are $14.00 for the general public and $9.00 for students and members of the Jazz Association of Montreal. For information from Dave Coon at (514) 932-9149 or Phil Ehrensaft at (514) 987-3000, local 4309 / fax (514) 987-4638.

The Jan Jarczyk Quartet with Mike Sim will be at Café Boomers (297 Lakeshore Road, Pointe-Claire) on Saturday, March 15.

TONY WILLIAMS (1945-1997)

Drummer Tony Williams died on Sunday, February 23. Williams, at the age of 17, made his first Montreal appearance during the week ending February 23, 1963. That was at the Tête de l’Art (1451 Metcalfe) with the J.J. Johnson Quartet (a 22 year old Herbie Hancock was the pianist). Williams and Hancock stayed in town and joined the Donald Byrd Quartet at the same spot the following week. During that time both Williams and Hancock could be heard jamming after hours at L’Enfer located in the lane behind 2137 Bleury Street. Williams’ lasting fame came when he (and Hancock) joined the Miles Davis Quintet in May of 1963. His first record date with Miles was on May 14 – it’s included on the CD Seven Steps To Heaven (Columbia). That was, by the way, the first jazz group to play the newly opened Place des Arts here.

Williams was born in Chicago on December 12, 1945 and grew up musically in Boston where, at the age of 12, he studied privately with Alan Dawson (who died on February 23, 1996). It was while still a youngster in Boston that he played with people like Sam Rivers, Toshiko Akiyoshi and former Montrealer, pianist Leroy Falana. It was the latter (who currently lives in Carmel, California) who first hipped me to Tony. Williams stayed with Miles through the middle of 1969 when he formed the group Lifetime with Larry Young and John McLaughlin. They played the (licensed) Black Bottom (22 St. Paul Street East). Through the reminder of his short life Tony was heard in the main as the leader of his own group. In the studio he was involved in countless sessions, among them classics like Hancock’s Maiden Voyage and Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch.

WRAY DOWNES - DAVE YOUNG

The combination of pianist Wray Downes and bassist Dave Young is by no means a new one. They recorded together for Toronto’s Sackville label in 1977, Pete Magadini’s Bones Blues, and again in late 1978 and worked together often during the time they were both living in that city. Downes, who was born in Toronto on January 14, 1931, was an important part of the Montreal jazz scene in the 50s. He first settled here in 1956 after having spent time in Europe where he played with people like Annie Ross, Blossom Dearie, Buck Clayton, Lionel Hampton and Sidney Bechet, often using the name Randy McBride as his family didn’t approve of jazz. He moved to Toronto in 1958 where he did some studies with Oscar Peterson. Since resettling in Montreal, he’s been of extreme importance as both a performer and teacher.

Bassist Dave Young is well known for his work with the groups of two of Canada’s most renowned pianists, Peterson and Oliver Jones. The group he co-leads with Phil Dwyer won the Juno Award for their Justin Time recording Fables and Dreams (1993). During 1995 he did a series of duo sessions for the same label that have been released on three CDs, Two By Two (volumes I and II) and Side By Side (volume III). His musical partners on the series are pianists Kenny Barron, Cyrus Chestnut, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, John Hicks, Oliver Jones, Ellis Marsalis, Mulgrew Miller, Oscar Peterson, Renee Rosenes and Cedar Walton.

Downes and Young have recorded together recently on From The Heart (Radioland), an Oscar Peterson tribute, and on Downes’ For You …E (Justin Time) both with Archie Alleyne on drums. They with together with Downes' cohort at Biddles, Wali Muhammad on drums, will be at Upstairs (1254 Mackay) on Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15.

OTHER MONTREAL JAZZ ACTION

One of Montreal’s many fine bassists, Mike Milligan will be unveiling his CD Solo Flights on Wednesday and Thursday, March 12 and 13 at Jazzons (300 Ontario Street East).

Pianist George Nakaidze, a native of Georgia (not the state) is at Café Boomers on Friday, March 14.

Sunday, March 16, saxophonist/composer Christine Jensen will be at Isart (263 St Antoine West). The evening will be devoted to the music of women jazz composer including the leader, Mary Lou Williams, Renee Rosnes, Maria Schneider and Elaine Elias. The works will be interpreted by Jensen, guitarist Mike Rud, bassist Jodie Proznick and drummer Joel Haynes, with vocalist Sienna Dahlen appearing as a special guest.

UPCOMING IN MARCH

March 19 - Pollack Hall McGill Jazz Ensemble I Under Gordon Foote

March 20 - Concordia Concert Hall A Tribute to professor/trumpeter Real Mathieu with Michel Lambert, Ron DiLauro, Charles Ellison, Jocelyn Lapointe, Gilles LaFlamme and Jocelyn Couture.

March 21&22 - Café Boomers Steve Amirault Trio

March 21&22 - Upstairs Pete Magadini Quartet

March 22 - Concordia Concert Hall Charles Ellison Sextet with Glen Bradley, Joel Miller, Tilden Webb, George Mitchell and Claude Lavergne.

March 23 - ISART Roddy Ellias Trio with Alec Walkington and Dave Laing

March 25 - Salle Gesu Saison Jazz Montréal Series David Sanchez

March 26 - Pollack Hall McGill Jazz Ensemble II Under Chuck Dotas

March 28/29 - Upstairs (U.S.) Trombonist Conrad Herwig

LOCAL CD NEWS

A number of new guitar CDs have recently hit the market, with Greg Clayton’s debut session with Dave Young and Jerry Fuller (recorded live at Café Boomers) due this week.

Already out there are the following: Jacques Labelle’s Page 1 (Productions Maverick) features a duo with bassist Gilles Boisvert and a quartet of Boisvert, pianist Eric Harding and drummer Kevin Coady. Mike Rud’s Whyte Avenue (Jazz Focus) has Rud in various combinations with U.S. tenorman Bill McHenry and pianist John Stetch's American trio of Joe Martin, bass, and Jorge Rossi, drums. Inland Passages (Justin Time) is by last year's winner of the Montreal jazz festival competition- the Roy Patterson Quartet. Patterson is joined here by Brian Dickinson, Jim Vivian and Ted Warren.

Pulse Brothers (DSM) is a second volume of the Dave Turner Quartet, featuring Nelson Symonds, Dave Gelfand and Claude Lavergne, recorded live at the Resto Bar des Gouverneurs in 1993. Also new on DSM are Live by bassist Michel Donato which features him in different combinations with Ron Di Lauro, Jean-Pierre Zanella, James Gelfand, Jim Hillman and Kim Richardson; Vision by Frederic Alarie's group Basse Section with Michel Ouellet (trombone), Christopher Smith (tuba, euphonium and bass trombone) and Claude Lavergne (drums), and pianist Jean Beaudet's trio outing Musiques Intérieures with Daniel Lessard and Michel Ratté. Upcoming on DSM are Television by the Bob Mover Quintet with Jake Wilkinson, John Hicks, Eric Lagacé and Lorne Ellen and a not yet titled solo recital by Hicks recorded at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal a few years back.

Justin Time just completed two sessions in L.A.- Oliver Jones with Ray Brown and Jeff Hamilton and Ranee Lee with Richard Ring, Tilden Webb, Brown and Hamilton.

OTHER NEW RELEASES

Guitarist Mark Elf's A Minor Scramble (Jen Bay Jazz) with a trio of Peter Washington and Lewis Nash and in various settings with Nicholas Payton, Eric Alexander, Benny Green, Dennis Irwin and Gregory Hutchinson. Beyond The Missouri Sky (Verve) is a new CD by the duo of Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny. A session recorded live at Visiones in New York City is out as Tactics (ECM). Featured is the trio of John Abercrombie with (organist) Dan Wall and Adam Nussbaum. Tony Bennett's latest . . . on Holiday (Columbia) is a tribute to Lady Day, while Joe Lovano's latest is Celebrating Sinatra (Blue Note).

Other new ones from Verve are Prosodie by drummer Aldo Romano, Props for Pops by Leroy Jones (the trumpet player, not the writer) and The Beautiful Thing by Stephen Scott.

Evidence has new CDs by Vincent Herring, Scene One; Santi Debriano's Soldiers of Fortune with Joe Locke and Kenny Werner; Roy Haynes' True or False, a reissue of a session originally on Free Lance, with Ralph Moore and David Kikoski; and We Remember Cannonball, a tribute to Julian Adderley by Herring, Payton, Mark Turner, Xavier Davis, Ben Wolfe and Carl Allen. Nat Adderley guests here and General Music Project is an A-1 band of Kenny Garrett, Geri Allen and the Moffetts, Charnett and Charles.

DISCOVER JAZZ FESTIVAL

The l4th Edition of the Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington, Vermont takes place June 11 through 15. "Celebrating The Piano" will include McCoy Tyner, Abdullah Ibrahim, Myra Melford and Dr. John. More later.

DOBBIN’S DEN (ON RADIO)

Wednesday March 12 will spotlight a number of versions of King Porter Stomp, the new Jean Beaudet CD, Jan Jarczyk with Mike Sim, Wray Downes with Dave Young and Tim Hagans in both combo and big band settings. (CKUT 90.3 FM - Wednesday 9-11:15 AM)