THE GIG

Many Happy Returns

 File under Reasons for Blog Hiatus: I’m just back from a weeklong teaching fellowship at my old alma mater in Honolulu. The picture above was taken from the lanai of my hotel room at dawn, my standard wake-up time there. It was a blur of a week, extremely busy and incredibly rewarding, and I’m grateful to my friends and colleagues at Iolani for extending such a warm welcome. I’m also glad the students were willing to let me invade their turf for a spell. 

So now, here comes the catch-up. Below, find some thoughts on Kurt Elling and the new JazzTimes. Tomorrow: a bonus-feature postscript for Sunday’s Henry Threadgill feature.

Say It (Over And Over Again)

 

I haven’t seen the new issue of JazzTimes in print, but I noticed that this month’s column, on Kurt Elling, has been posted online -- to a small burst of lively conversation. (The first in a volley of comments came from someone apparently concerned about my sinuses. I appreciate that, having just flown 6,000 miles. More on that in a sec.)

My subject, suavely pictured above, was chosen to align with the magazine’s vocal issue, which features an even more suave (suaver?) Harry Connick, Jr. on the cover. And while I hope the column is worth reading in full, my basic point splatters right there on the floor: “Kurt Elling is the most influential jazz vocalist of our time.”

Reflections, Conflagrations

 

Playlist, Nov. 1

On Fillmore, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Fire!, Pelican, Rihanna

Ben Williams Quartet

Jazz Gallery, Oct. 29

Fast Moves

Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard

Webster Hall, Oct. 28

Jazz Listings

Oct. 30 to Nov. 5

Move It On

JJ Grey & Mofro, Shooter Jennings

Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, Oct. 22

Digging Graves

 

I wanted to draw attention to an interesting back-and-forth -- oh hell, let’s call it a throwdown -- sparked by a recent pop column in the New Yorker. Sasha Frere-Jones puts his nail in the coffin of hip-hop: “As the marquee names nudge rap into its transitional, synthetic phase, a host of traditionalists are doing strong work in well-known older styles. This movement reminds me of metal and jazz, areas where artists work in a larger number of established subgenres that do small but consistent business with loyal audiences. The claim to shock is traded in favor of a reliable form and a reliable following.”

Little Ditties

 

Busy weekend, punctuated by a lot of televised football, some overdue social outings, and a couple of superbly slippery jazz gigs. At the Jazz Standard on Friday, I caught an early set by Joshua Redman, with Matt Penman on bass and Greg Hutchinson on drums. It began with a medley of Blackbirds, shifting allusions from the Beatles to Miles Davis, and went on to include a couple of pieces from Compass, his most recent CD. (The release party was on Inauguration Day.)

For those newer tunes, Redman had the luxury of a nearly complete Double Trio, thanks to a guest turn by bassist Reuben Rogers. I especially enjoyed how “Little Ditty” progressed from sweet simplicity to heady complexity, with a soprano solo over an impressively fluid 29/8 groove (parsed 6 + 7 + 7 + 5 + 4). I was just as happy to hear “Chill,” which Redman played with Hutch and Rogers, even if it always makes me nostalgic for the 1990s quartet with Brad Mehldau. (Incidentally, Redman did feature some piano during a Thursday set, according to Josh Jackson of WBGO.)

The other serious jazz gig of the weekend was by Henry Threadgill’s Zooid at Roulette on Sunday. Much more on this soon; stay tuned.

The Brian McKnight Show

Critics’ Choice: New CDs

Brian McKnight, “Evolution of a Man”

Choices, Choices

Jazz Listings

Oct. 23 to 29

Wilsonian Doctrine

 

Photo appears courtesy of Greg Aiello

Matt Wilson, the drummer-bandleader-composer on the cover of the new JazzTimes, just might be the most effortlessly engaging interview subject in jazz. Quick with an anecdote and always up for a laugh, he also takes the time to consider the premise of a question. We sat down a few times this summer; our most in-depth conversation unfolded in his spacious Long Island backyard. (He sent me home with a tomato.)