THE GIG

Giddins on Giddins

 Big Think has posted a video interview 

with Gary Giddins. The clip is actually mostly Giddins on criticism, which is always worth hearing. I remember seeing a panel years ago, on which Giddins professed bafflement at the idea that jazz critics would not also be students of criticism -- and yet, he said, that often turns out to be the case. This interview hits on a similar idea (around 11:30 and, more pointedly, at 25:00), along with much else.

Giddins has a big new book out, coauthored with Scott DeVeaux.

Catching Up

Critics’ Choice: New CDs

Juvenile, Cocky and Confident

 

Sonic Youth

Music Hall of Williamsburg, Nov. 24

 

Jazz Listings

Nov. 27 to Dec. 3

Elling in High Places

I recently referred to Kurt Elling as a “consummate insider,” in a Gig column (and, by inference, in this related post). Well, it turns out that he’ll be performing at the White House tonight, for the first official State dinner of the Obama administration. His accompaniment will include not only pianist-sidekick Laurence Hobgood but also an orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. The guest of honor is India’s prime minister, but you can probably bet that Elling will not perform his Hindu-relevant lines from John Coltrane’s “Resolution.” (For the record, they are: “Vishnu! Preserve us all along the way; keep us clear of the final thunderbolt of the judgement day.”)

There’s a fascinating personal twist that I first learned through Ted Panken’s Elling interview at Jazz.com. Here it is via a Concord press release: “Both Chicago natives, Elling first met then-state senator Obama in the course of a real-estate deal: when the Obamas moved to the Chicago house they now own, Elling and his wife purchased their Hyde Park condominium.” So the conversation tonight could conceivably involve favorite takeout restaurants from the old neighborhood, though I imagine all parties will exercise due restraint.

Retreads, Reverberations

Steve Grossman Quartet

Jazz Standard, Nov. 19

 

Critics’ Choice: New CDs

Leona Lewis, “Echo”

Faded Glories

Milton Nascimento

Carnegie Hall, Nov. 18

On and On

Jazz Listings

Nov. 20 to 26

Times Is Tough

Audio from today’s appearance on Soundcheck is online, with a small twist: instead of focusing strictly on the Vision Festival’s weekend marathon, the conversation covered broader economic realities for the New York jazz musician. There wasn’t a lot of time -- the show also included a 20-minute segment about the Jazz Loft Project, and a nice in-studio performance by Grant Lee Phillips -- but I think we credibly scratched at the surface.

The theme of the segment apparently derived from a line I dashed off in an email: “It’s a fantastically open time to be a jazz consumer in the city, and a borderline oppressive time to be a jazz artist (economically, not creatively).” Let’s continue this conversation, shall we? Is there any insight to be shared about that paradox? Does anyone disagree with my premise? The lines are open; leave comments below.

And while we’re on the topic: I didn’t get to mention that the Vision Festival marathon will include a moderated discussion on “The effect of the economy on life decisions of the young musician.” This Saturday, 5:30 to 7 p.m. More on that here.

  Oh, and the image above is of trumpeter Steven Bernstein, whose music was chosen to illustrate the segment. Photo by Ziga Koritnik.

Questions, Answers

In the unlikely event that you’re reading this blog and don’t also keep tabs on Do the Math, a.k.a. the Bad Plus web journal, maintained by pianist Ethan Iverson: do not miss the Tootie Heath interview now posted there. (Go right ahead, we’ll still be here when you’re finished.)

Iverson, whose interviewing mojo I have hailed here before, does his usual fine job of coaxing insights from an under-sung jazz legend. I won’t step on the results except to pick up where they leave off, with Tootie on Sonny: “This is what I felt about Sonny Rollins: that he could play anything I played back at me, twice as fast and twice as good.” Iverson then posts video of an “On Green Dolphin Street” recorded in Denmark in 1968. What’s above is from the same session, which can be legally obtained as part of the Jazz Icons DVD series. (Heath begins an easygoing, melodic drum solo at 6:45, though you’d be crazy not to sit through the preceding stuff first.)

And while we’re on the subject of interviews, I’d like to take a moment to plug tomorrow evening’s conversation between critic Gary Giddins and ECM Records majordomo Manfred Eicher, both giants in their respective fields (and, I’m happy to attest, both excellent practitioners of dialogue). The event is free and open to the public; details here.

Finally, a quick programming note: I will be on Soundcheck tomorrow to talk about the Vision Festival’s 28-hour marathon this weekend. The show airs from 2-3 p.m. EST, on WNYC 93.9 FM. You should be able to listen live on the website; an archive will probably appear on Friday. My host will be John Schaefer, another expert interviewer, and an open-minded fellow besides.

Lofty Viewing

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Late in the second hour of Today this morning, there came a quick reprieve from pet stories and assorted other pageantry: a segment on the Jazz Loft Project, and the archival stockpiles of W. Eugene Smith. 

I thought that Sam Stephenson -- the director of the project, and author of a book by the same name, out Nov. 24 on Knopf -- did a fine job of explaining a fairly complicated story here, even under the glare of studio lighting. And whoever wrote the script for Ann Curry compressed the message well. (The ethical question she raises is worth posing, and Stephenson parried it nicely.) Bonus points to everyone involved for sneaking a few moments of Zoot Sims onto network TV. 

My feature about the loft, in February, reflected a particular emphasis on Thelonious Monk, who rehearsed for his Town Hall concert there. I haven’t yet seen a copy of The Jazz Loft Project, but I can’t wait to read it, and to pore over those photographs. Needless to say, this should be a contender in the category of “Holiday Gifts Suitable for the Jazz Fanatic in Your Life.”

Newport From the Vaults

 

Update: Hear here.

I haven’t heard much noise around the recent news that Wolfgang’s Vault, the online concert repository, has acquired the rights to recordings from the most glorious years of the Newport Jazz Festival. This surprises me a bit. The initial batch of music, available as a free stream or reasonably priced download, consists of full sets by Dakota Staton, the Count Basie Orchestra (with Joe Williams and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross), and Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, all from 50 years ago. As Ben Ratliff notes in the piece linked above: “There are chillingly good performances in the 1959 crop, from half-inch three-track tapes mixed for stereo, made with stage microphones that pick up the nuances of the drums and the growls of the band members.” And more, much more, is apparently on the way.