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Dobbin's Den - April 9, 1997 |
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DOBBIN’S DEN By Len Dobbin Posted Wednesday, April 9, 1997 Contents
Got a chance to hear the trio of guitarist Roddy Ellias with Alec Walkington on bass and Dave Laing on drums at Isart. They played a number of memorable originals by the leader, including The Clown, French Song , Cuba. and Stronger Than Dirt, a waltz whose title was suggested by a comment from pianist Jean Beaudet. The David Sanchez Quintet proved to be well worth bucking a snow and rain storm. Everyone, both as a team and individually, was most musical. Bassist John Benitez and drummer Adam Cruz combined to be a marvellous rhythm team. The latter's timbale playing was an exciting musical bonus. The band's manager, Charlie Fishman, who used to handle Dizzy Gillespie, promises that David and a number of other Latin musicians, including Chucho Valdes, will be back here come festival time. Speaking of which, vice president André Ménard uses the word "heavy" in describing this year's event and says that trumpeter "Doc" Cheatham will make his debut this year. Cheatham turns 92 on June 13. The concert on April 2 by the Aldo Romano group Palatino (consisting of Glenn Ferris, Paolo Fresu and Michel Benita) at Salle Gesù will be remembered as one of the musical highlights of 1997. Together and collectively, it’s a most musical quartet, with some nonsense with electronics that preceded a piece in the second half being the only downer of the night. To borrow a word from a Bill Mahar composition, the group had a definite Mingusian feel to it. There was lots of celebrating at Café Boomers on their first anniversary as a jazz club. Music was supplied by a swinging quintet led by Pete Magadini with Aron Doyle, Frank Lozano, Eric Harding and Frédéric Alarie. Also caught the return (Fridays and Saturdays) to Jazzons of the Skip Bey - Tim Jackson duo. Great music AND great fun! I was most impressed with the playing of trombonist Glenn Ferris, who was here as a member of drummer Aldo Romano's quartet, Palatino. I realized that although his name was familiar, l didn't know too much about him. So here's a little background I came up with in my research. He's had a long and varied career. Although he's thought of as a European musician, the 46-year-old Ferris was born in Los Angeles, California on June 27, 1950. He took up the trombone when he was 8 years old and later, as a teenager, studied theory and improvisation with Don Ellis. He worked as a member of Ellis’ big band in the late 60s. He was featured on Ferris Wheel, recorded in 1969. In the 70s he worked in the group Revival with trumpeter Jack Walrath and played with the Harry James big band in 1973 and drummer Billy Cobham's group in 1974. The era also saw him working with such diverse attractions as the Beach Boys, The Average White Band, Stevie Wonder and Frank Zappa as well as with the Celebration Orchestra and James Newton, John Carter and Bobby Bradford. By 1978 he was in New York City working with a Haitian orchestra. In 1980 he moved to Europe and worked with the collective Planète Carée led by saxophonist Jean-Pierre Debarbat. In the late 80s he was part of L'Orchestre National de Jazz, directed by Antoine Hervé. Presently Ferris, along with Paolo Fresu, trumpet/flugelhorn and bassist Michel Benitez, is a member of Aldo Romano's group Palatino. Check out the group's eponymous CD on France's Label Bleu (LBCD 6585). GLENN FERRIS SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
THIS WEEK IN MONTREAL (APRIL 10-16, 1997) Vocalist Willow Quig and guitarist Greg Amirault will be appearing on April 10 at Jazzons (300 Ontario St. E.) in that spot's Thursday night duo series. The dynamic duo of bassist Skip Bey and pianist Tim Jackson are again the feature there on Fridays and Saturdays. The Django-inspired Swing Dynamique are at the Jello Bar (151 Ontario St. E.) on April 10. The Joshua Ell group, featuring the voice of Kim Richardson, continues at Upstairs (1254 Mackay) on Thursdays. A relatively new spot, the Wax Lounge (3481 St. Laurent) features the duo of singer Adam Broughton and pianist John Sadowy on Thursday. Other singer/piano duos like Dawn Tyler Watson and Tom Van Seeters and Richardson and Ell have also been featured there. At Concordia Concert Hall (7141 Sherbrooke St. W.) on April 10, the student Jazz Vocal Ensemble, conducted by Charles Ellison, can be heard in concert at 8 PM. Ralph Angelillo and the magazine Le Musicien are behind the Guitar and Bass Festival ‘97 which takes place Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13. It all takes place from 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM at Salle Pierre Mercure (300 de Maisonneuve East). Among those appearing on Saturday are Alain Caron, Jimmy James and Frédéric Alarie's Basse Section, whose CD Vision (DSM) is selling very well. The latter group now has Kelsley Grant on trombone in place of Michel Ouellet, who is stateside studying. Richard Ring, Peppino D'Agostino and John Patitucci are among those to be spotlighted on Sunday. Tenor saxophonist Joel Miller's quartet with Tilden Webb, piano; Brian Hurley, bass; and Joel Haynes, drums are the Friday and Saturday night feature at Café Boomers (297 Lakeshore Rd., Poimte Claire). One of the city's longest standing trios, led by pianist François Bourassa can be heard the same nights at Upstairs (1254 Mackay). This Sunday, April 13, guitarist Mike Gauthier with Eric Harding, keyboard, Fraser Hollins, bass and Claude Lavergne, drums will be at Isart (263 St. Antoine St. W.) Pianist Billy Georgette is back from Florida and appearing in the early evenings at Biddles (2060 Aylmer). He and bassist Errol Walters are joined by reedman/vocalist Johnny Scott on Fridays and Saturdays. The Charlie Biddle trio with Wray Downes and Wali Muhammad are the late night attraction there. The Jazz Knights Dixieland Band continue on Sundays beginning at 4 PM at the Cock 'n' Bull (1944 St. Catherine St. W.). Koji's Kitchen (4120 St. Catherine St. W.) continues to feature the superb guitar of Greg Clayton, Sunday through Tuesday, with the unsung king of Montreal tenor players, Richard Parris, joining in on Sunday and Tuesday. Tim Nolan is the bassist. In Ottawa on Tuesday, April 29, the trio of guitarist Roddy Ellias with bassist Michel Donato and (in from New York) drummer Terry Clarke, will be at the After Eight Jazz Club (101 Sparks Street). In Montreal, pianist Jean Beaudet (who's originally from Ottawa) will be playing a solo concert on May 2 at 10 PM at La Chapelle Historique du Bon Pasteur. I recently discovered a marvellous Canadian author, Timothy Findley. His Headhunter, Famous Last Words, The Last of the Crazy People and Not Wanted On The Voyage are all recommended reading. Pianist/composer Joe Sealy, whose Africville Suite (Sea Jam) is one of the best CDs released recently, and choreographers Danny Grossman and David Earle have teamed up on Findley's The Piano Man's Daughter . . . and Others. It opens at the Blyth Festival in Blyth, Ontario on April 23. The national tour has stops at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John on April 30, at the Royal Alex. in Toronto on May 13 and at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver on May 14. Sealy was born in Montreal on August 16, 1939. April 17
April 18 & 19
April 19
April 20
April 21
April 24
April 24 & 25
THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO (MONTREAL 1962) Trumpeter Herbie Spanier was drawing large crowds at the Penthouse (1194 Peel Street). A two-trumpet set by Spanier and Al Penfold was one of the highlights. Guitarist Billy White, reedman John Warren, bassist Ian Henstridge and drummers Spike McKendry and Larry McDonald were among the others joining Spanier. Sessions at Greenwich Village in the Laurentians featuring vibraphonist Yvan Landry and bassist Charlie Biddle came to an end. Biddle, along with guitarist Nelson Symonds and drummer Charlie Duncan, was featured upstairs at Dunn's. A spot called the Flaming Ember on Stanley Street presented (before it closed) pianist Buddy Jones, reedmen Billy Holmes, Wimp Henstridge and John Warren, trumpeter Guy Deschênes, guitarists Sonny Greenwich and White and drummer Norman (Villeneuve) Griffith. Le Mas, an after-hours spot, closed. Wimp Henstridge had led the house band there. Among the regulars heard there were pianists Pierre Leduc and Joe Sealy, bassist Stan Zadak and drummer Billy Barwick. Also in evidence were Cisco Normand on drums and vibes, Spanier, White, Vic Vogel on trombone, Doug Willson on bass, reedman Alvin Pall and a number of drummers including Réjean Emond, Buddy Hampton and Billy Graham. At that spot the ten-piece Lee Gagnon band was presented in two well-received concerts. The personnel included Gagnon, Pall, Holmes and Richard Ferland, reeds; Penfold, Gilles Laflamme, Claude Blouin and Vogel, brass; and a rhythm section of Don Habib, Bernard Primeau and (doubling) Vogel. The arrangements were by Vogel, Ferland, Holmes and Gagnon. The Café St. Michel (770 Mountain) on "the corner" reinstated a jazz policy by presenting the trio of pianist Maury Kaye with bassist Ian Henstridge and drummer Larry McDonald playing between shows. (The first time I met broadcaster Rod Dewar, he was in the club listening to Maury). Ted Elfstrom's record Surprise, Surprise won a Grande Prix du Disque locally. On Radio McGill (which was located in the attic of what's now the McCord Museum), Gary Gilmour and Hugh Hartwell were doing Jazz From McGill, and Neil Shee and I were doing The Modern Beat. We used Frank Strozier's Runnin’ as our theme and received a lot of comments for a feature we did on the compositions of Carla Bley. On the CBC, the Meet Mr. Morrow radio show featured the Art Morrow big band with Spanier, Landry and Al Baculis among those showcased. The trio of pianist Brian Browne with Skip Beckwith on bass and Doug Johnston on drums were heard on Wednesday afternoons. Pianist/composer Galt McDermot (Hair) was living in England and working with people like reedman Tony Coe. Johnny Dankworth, who had a hit with Galt's African Waltz, recorded McDermot's A String of Camels and Laurie Johnson did Chaka (aka African Fiddle Song). The John and Faith Hubley film, The Tender Game was shown at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Its soundtrack included Ella Fitzgerald and the Oscar Peterson Trio with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown. On the blues side Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry were in town as were the Clara Ward Singers. Seen on the small screen were tenorman Don (D.T.) Thompson, trumpeter Dizzy Reece, trombonist J.J. Johnson with Michel Legrand, valve trombonist Rob McConnell, the Oscar Peterson Trio and the teams of Jackie and Roy, and Anne Marie Moss and Jackie Paris. Roddy Ellias recently recorded with the quintet of Ottawa-based saxophonist Billy Robinson (who at one time worked with Charles Mingus). David Restivo was on piano with Jim Vivian, bass and Martin Auguste, drums. Roddy's trio of Donato and Clarke will be also recording in Ottawa, on April 30. That's great news as it's been too long since his last release. That one A Night For Stars (Posterity), with people like Hugh Marsh, Scott Alexander, Dave Hildinger and Robin Moir, was recorded in Ottawa back in January of 1979. The Justin Time people have announced (in addition to the sessions mentioned here previously) the following: Hamba Ekhaya, on which the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir do a salute to the music of South Africa. It was recorded here live by Ian Terry last December. Live at the Old Absinthe House Bar, the latest from bluesman Bryan Lee, was recorded in New Orleans with guests Kenny Wayne Shepherd, James Cotton and our own Frank Marino. Also scheduled is a not-yet-titled session by Cuban pianist Hilario Durán with Chanquito, Tata Guines and Jane Bunnett among those guesting. New on ECM is Angel Song, an album of Kenny Wheeler compositions interpreted by a superior quartet of Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell and Dave Holland. Best of the West Coast Sessions (Verve) is a CD of music selected by the pianist involved, Lou Levy, from the three-CD Stan Getz collection, East of the Sun: The West Coast Sessions. The musicians here are Getz, Levy, trumpeter Conte Candoli, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and either Shelly Manne or Stan Levey, drums. Shine and East of the Sun are included here but you need the box set for Summertime and Night In Tunisia. Top notch Getz! Forever (Verve) is a pretty outing of, for the most part, standards played by guitarist Mark Whitfield. He's joined on occasion by vocalist Diana Krall and a 21-piece string orchestra. Perfect for late nights by the fire. DOBBIN’S DEN (ON RADIO)
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