RYAN ADAMS: New Solo Tour Dates, NPR First Listen & Conan

New Solo Tour Dates, NPR First Listen & Conan

ARCHIVAL CD REVIEW - RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS - III/IV

Having just listened to the brand spanking new Ryan Adams CD, Ashes & Fire about a dozen times on the free NPR stream, I am going to start digesting post gush and write about it but first let me pull s little something from the archives before it turns. I was gonna lay this review on y'all last year but got distracted by life and other roadblocks. Here's my review of the previous Ryan album. Okay, so I'm a little laid back. I wrote the review of Ryan's III/IV immediately after hearing it many months ago and then decided not to post it until I'd listened a few more times but never got around to a re-write. Here is the initial rushing spew in all of its flush-cheeked exuberance.

Watch for the new review of Ashes & Fire in a day or two...the CD comes out on October 11. Pre-order here. I just spent hours deciphering and scrawling out the new lyrics, learning a few chord changes for my next gig and ordering it on Amazon. In the meantime listen it here while it is still up on NPR and buy his entire catalog.   

RYAN ADAMS - III/IV

Buy RYAN ADAMS III/IV now!...especially if you like The Strokes, Todd Rundgren, 80s power pop, Pretenders...his most rockin' record all the way through in ages...outtakes from Easy Tiger (Bonus CD) ...but this sounds so different than that wonderful album. Most of the tunes on this 2 CD set would have radically changed the vibe of that disc. Welcome back Ryan and Cardinals...keep 'em comin'.

Now, I'm one of these guys who can't believe that this guy isn't just the biggest thing ever but then again, I wouldn't want that because then he'd be even more pissy about the state of the bidness and maybe even quit again and I like him right where he is--big enough to be always striving for more vision and more expression. This guy is a craftsman first and foremost but not in the Steely Dan/Eagles pristine production way. More in the intense ability he has to make basic rock n roll songs sound unique and compelling through myriad sections, leaps of melodic faith, and memorable riffs. The thing about almost ALL of his records and the last couple in particular are how much is revealed on subsequent listens. Just when you think there are no hooks, they pull ya back in. On the next listen you feel inundated with them. This is music that is not obvious. My how refreshing he has become in today's rock world.

For those who don't know this guy HE RIPS! Any of his numerous previous albums are full of well-crafted songs, compassionate vocals and bottom line just a glimpse into one of the eras most prolific and accomplished singer/songwriters. And the Cardinals are what The Band used to be for Robbie Robertson...a songwriter's best friend: a group that can play any style you throw at them well.

There's a pretty direct paean to Tom Petty on the first disc's "Stop Playing With My Heart". But from past releases, you'll know that Adams is most definitely not afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve. I hear Todd R mostly in some of his vocal phrasing ("Kisses Start Wars" and the tune that immediately follows it "Crystal Skull", for instance).

                        Kisses Start Wars

There's a edgy hint of the Costello-esque in the slashing rhythm guitar figures here and there, but not much Dead or country or Neil Young this time out (but don't miss his last 3-4 for that tip). "NUMBERS" reminds me of X playing a Pete Townshend tune circa The Who Sell Out until the bridge which is pure Ryan.

 

Numbers                                      

"Sewers At the Bottom of the Wishing Well" melds The Clash with The Byrds, Crazy Horse with an opening riff halfway to The Beatles' "Please, Please Me". How hip is that!

         Sewers at the Bottom of the Wishing Well

He even gets a bit of Freddie Mercury overbite on in "Star Wars" which is just a weirdly cool song. He gets slagged for being prolific but bottom line is, I've downloaded buckets of unreleased outtakes from this guy that put many of the present day chartbusters to shame. Rock on, baby.

Adams' albums are like those of Neil Young or David Bowie in that you always know a) that it's him b) that it will be interesting, c) that it may just be very different and unexpected from what you previous know but d) that it will always be quality and always be compelling. Sure we all have our favorites (I'm a Cold Roses and Easy Tiger guy), and like Neil and Bowie, there are always masterpieces to exist alongside near misses and blunders. But in the big picture, such is life. That these guys consistently just put it out there, diving in, heart first, craft second, critics/audience/sales somewhere farther down the list is a call for discerning listeners to keep supporting them, keep listening, keep buying tickets. Give these sonic poets their canvas and let `em run with it.

Since his recent marriage to pop/movie star Mandy Moore and his "retirement" from music, this surprising release was a wonderful treat. Recorded in 2007 during sessions for the Easy Tiger album, these 21 tunes have more bite and no real country.folky vibe like lots of his output with the Cardinals. This is a ROCK record, teasingly referencing Ryan's earlier incarnations pre-Cardinals. Here he has modernized his alt-rock pose from years ago, left the Grateful Dead references behind. A bit of arena rock grandiosity, barroom brawling 80s edge, some punk simplicity with a dash of hippie metal. Fun and somehat tossed off, not as desperately rockin' as his pre-sobriety music but no real twang as he's recently courted either.

While this holds up well, there is still something of a feeling that it is a stop-gap release while Ryan rejuvenates himself, folds his prodigious radar around his new muse and waits to see what shakes out next time. With Adams, like the best of his forebears you never can tell what will come next...and you can't wait!

(Obviously, "next time" is HERE on Oct. 11 and here's a tease...if you haven't already checked out the full stream of Ashes & Fire on NPR...this is a solo acoustic version of the lead track, "Dirty Rain". The album version has some band on it though subtle and tasty...)

CONCERT REVIEW ARCHIVES: LE BUTCHERETTES

Where: The Echo, Echo Park, CA
When: March 11, 2011 opening for Mike Watt + Missingmen

I was inspired by the Watt show Sunday to troll around YouTube for some vids of LE BUTCHERETTES, the opening band from the MIKE WATT + THE MISSINGMEN Hyphenated-man performance at the Echo back on March 11 of this year.

Le Butcherettes were one of those rare, killin' opening bands that you can't wait to see again. Their latest incarnation features from Guadalajara, firecracker mouthpiece Teri Gender Bender on vocals, guitars, keys, serpentine motion and stage diving, Jonathan Hischke from Hella on bass, and Gabe Serbian from The Locust on drums. Tight and jugular pumping garage-punk. Here are a three vids from this very show to shove what you missed in your face....and a mersh vid or two...THE SOUND IS LOUD AND VOCALS PRACTICALLY BURIED ON THE LIVE TRACKS SO IF YOU CAN'T HANG TRY THE LAST TWO VIDS.....WIMPS

THE DEVIL LIVED and New York:

HENRY DON'T GOT LOVE:

BREATHE YOU IN:

BANG -

NEW YORK -

 

UPCOMING 2011  TOUR DATES

• Nov 1

  Santos Party House New York, NY

• Nov 2

  Milkboy Philadelphia, PA

• Nov 3

  Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland

• Nov 4

  Subterranean  Chicago, Illinois, US

• Nov 6

  Fun Fun Fun Fest - Orange Stage  Austin, Texas

• Dec 1   opening for Iggy & The Stooges

  The Palladium   Los Angeles, CA

  Dec 4  opening for Iggy & The Stooges  
  The Warfield  San Francisco, CA
• Dec 6      opening for Iggy & The Stooges
  The Warfield  San Francisco, CA

More on LE BUTCHERETTES Here 

Their official MySpace page 

Funk legend Sly Stone homeless and living out of a van in Los Angeles - NYPOST.com

Funk legend Sly Stone homeless and living out of a van in Los Angeles - NYPOST.com

CONCERT REVIEW: MIKE WATT & MISSINGMEN IN PEDRO

Where: TriArt Fest, Ports o' Call, San Pedro, CA
When: Sunday, September 25

Mike Watt + The Missingmen with Norton Wisdom at TriArt Fest 9/25/11. Photo by Skipper Jeff

 You know, I been hooked on the thud staff since I heard the MINUTEMEN for the first time back in the early 80s, saw the Ball Hog or Tugboat tour date in Philly at the Troc and many firehose and Watt shows since. But digging into his third punk opera, hyphenated-man (clenchedwrench) has been a brain shank of wondrous weirdness. Every time I tackle it again something else resonates wildly. As one who was a longtime BoschHead and near the same age as Watt this concept really feels thumpy, close to chest bone.

photo by Skipper Jeff

"This is based on the little creatures in Hieronymus Bosch's painting. The songs are the little creatures," Watt explained to fans in the parking lot of the TriArt Fest just after he and THE MISSING MEN finished their first local performance of the opera in Watt's long-time home town of San Pedro, California. Pedro is the working class town at the port of Los Angeles where Watt has been a leader of the local music scene for two decades now. He's staged shows to help raise funds for a community p.a. system shared by the local punk bands and performs free whenever he can generally on bills that help draw attention to the phalanx of talented bands from Pedro and surrounding beach communities.

Read Uncle Ray's essay on hyphenated-man

NY Times review and Watt spiel here.

This was my second live exposure to the full hyphenated-man. I'd been tingly when I heard Watt was heading out for the 51-gigs-in-52-days tour this past Spring. I was only able to grab a ducat for the 2nd show of the tour on March 11 in Echo Park but it was worth the haul down the hill. That gig was pumped and miles fun if a tad clammy so early in the trek. The vibe was deep, the fans crunchy into it and the Echo as always a great spot for a gig. And check out the vids of Le Butcherettes -- a crusher opener. You must catch this band too. Wild energy and muscle tight.

Yesterday, Watt + The Missingmen commandeered the second day of the free TriArt Fest on the lawn at the south end of the Ports O' Call village Pedro. Thanks to Greg Iberra and peeps the fest was typically econo with a simple canopy over a slab of concrete on the lawn at the end of the Ports O' Call shopping village on the waterfront. A handful of vendors of handcrafted wares, CDs and buttons, a handful of old metal folding chairs, two portable construction light rigs and the community p.a. Even the volume level of the music was amazingly controlled compared to the usual high test spleen shaking of the usual bar and hall scene. You could carry on a conversation within ten feet of the stage while still hearing every note. Not the usual ferocious punk face peeling assault. Not lessening the impact of the music much but keeping the non-festers from recoiling. Consequently there were families picnicking, shoppers and after-dinner strollers stopping by to check out the commotion and fans surrounding the stage digging in deep.

We missed Saccharine Trust (I was cranky at that) but heard The Last before Watt launched the whole of hyphenated-man shortly after 7pm. The 45+ minute piece of music flowed powerfully, much tighter than at The Echo. The roadwork paid off heavily. A few lyric babbles but all smiles. This is difficult shit to spew out. Fast and complex. Pedro's own Raul Morales was especially torched on drums, so sharp and propulsive playing for the pack. Tom Watson's guitar punctuations synced perfectly with Morales machine gun delivery and Watt's thud was pervasive, the homey crowd was right there with them. Two little girls waltzed together on a platform behind the stage area and Norton Wisdom's provocative real-time paintings behind the band were propelled by his familiarity with the material and band and his ability to shred the moment into spontaneous liquid vision.

Underground Railroad To Candyland closed the fest with a scorching set in the cool fall evening. Perfect Pedro day.

photo by Robert Francis 9.25.11

Buy hyphenated-man here

A photo gallery from Skipper Jeff (unless noted) from the TriArt Fest...

Raul Morales & Tom Watson

art by Norton Wisdom from Watt set 9/2511 (photo courtesy Norton Wisdom - find him on Facebook)

Skipper Jeff and Watt

Watt, Tsau & Bsau

Watt & Wisdom

econo dash

Below is the entire opera from the national tour in the spring. This show is from April 23rd at the Complex in Salt Lake City, UT. The 47th of 51 gigs in 52 days. Ball hog AND tugboat. No prisoners.

Follow the lyrics here.

Also shovel through Watt's tour diary  and dig into Watt's Hoot Page and podcast: the Watt from Pedro show! ...






Buy hyphenated-man here




pt. 1: arrow-pierced-egg-man > hollowed-out-man:

pt. 2: finger-pointing-man > pinned-to-the-table-man:

pt. 3: mouse-headed-man > funnel-capped-man:

pt. 4: blowin-it-out-both-ends-man > hell-building-man:

pt. 5: man-shitting-man > wheel-bound-man

pt. 6: encore:

ALSO: TWO LAST MINUTE ADDS from SKIPPER JEFF:

Video of two songs from the Tri-Arts Fest.

       Shields-Shouldered-Man (9/25/11)               

                     

 

                 Pinned-to-the-Table-Man (9/25/11)

Thanks to Watt, Raul, Tom, Norton and the people of Pedro for sublime graciousness...

Norton Wisdom 9/25/11. photo by Robert Francis

CONCERT REVIEW: KOFI BAKER'S TRIBUTE TO CREAM

Where: Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E. Huntington Dr. Arcadia CA
When: Friday, September 23

I've never been a huge fans of tribute bands until, of course, I formed LOVE MINUS ZERO, our homage to the music of Bob Dylan. I prefer a tribute band that doesn't dress up like the guys, do the same stage movements and all that rot. Granted, I couldn't look like Bob Dylan if I tried and proof that no one can really sing like him is blatantly available in the hundreds of folks who have tried. And while there is a lot of truth to his claim that, he writes songs for himself to sing, it still doesn't preclude nearly EVERY musician from giving a stab at something from his prolific songbook on more than one occasion.

Now, being a Dead Head I have played tunes from their rich book for many years as well, and I have seen MANY bands do the Dead tribute thing some of whom do a fine job. The most famous and successful being the DARK STAR ORCHESTRA (too by the book for me), the most unique being DAVID MURRAY'S OCTET of nearly two decades ago playing outside jazz versions of GD material (which I LOVED but which was a one shot deal...find the disc and cherish it). There are a plethora of bands doing a decent job of it while still clinging to their own sound and arrangements to some degree like CUBENSIS from L.A., SPLINTERED SUNLIGHT and many others on the East Coast. But for me I'm looking for a tribute band to not be note-for-note but to add their own personalities and new twists to things. I like a band who brings the Dead's openness and ear for a great song to the stage, like my local DE faves MONTANA WILDAXE and MAD-SWEET PANGS, the later of which RARELY even do GD material but find the spirit of the music part of their own sound. Granted hearing them perform the entire TERRAPIN suite at the 4th Annual Ramjam Festival this past April was pretty inspiring.

I have friends who love the cover bands out on the circuit...not the ghost bands of one or two old members with young guys filling other slots in the line-up, but the bands of no-name musicians playing close to note for note versions of tunes, like BEATLEMANIA run amok. There are tons of these bands playing the casino and neighborhood theater circuits. Zeppelin, Tull, Stones, Who, even Deep Purple cover bands circle the country.  

So this brings us to KOFI BAKER'S TRIBUTE TO CREAM. Yes, this is Cream drummer Ginger Baker's drumming son in a power trio playing the music of the band that made his papa famous. I'd not heard a note of theirs before going to the Arcadia Blues Club this past Friday night to see them at the instigation of my brother who had heard them at the OC Blues Fest at Irvine Lake.

The house band, a quartet lead by drummer Bobby Blues was fine if a bit long-winded with a two-hour opening set. The blues tunes were delivered well with guitarist David Malcolm and sublime bassist Howard Deere (who had toured with Guitar Shorty for 40 years) the main focal points for me. Keys and drums were tasty and enjoyable if basic as were the vocals in general. Where they lost me was on the non-blues covers such as Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and Otis Redding's "Dock of the Bay" both taken decidedly too fast, stripping the essential soulfulness from the performances.

Par for the course, and you may know my aversion to "sit-ins" was a pedestrian harp player and singer who screeched his was through "Hoochie Coochie Man" and a version of "Mustang Sally" that floundered in and out of the arrangement while trying to cover his flat vocals. Owner of the joint, official greeter and father of the drummer, Santa Claus picked things up a bit with decent vocals on "Johnny B. Goode" (though the verses were all inside out), and a well-sung version of "Stormy Monday". But again, why does everyone do these four overplayed tunes with guests? Very odd that the last gig I played with a bluesy guest singer, she chose to sing three of those four tunes with us. The bane of my existence is unimaginative guest performers. Just sayin'.

The band recovered later in the set with a couple of sweet slow blues tunes that hit and held the pocket nicely. Also stellar were a wonderful vocal and slow groove from Howard on Brook Benton's "Rainy Night In Georgia" and a rollicking take on Chuck Berry's "School Days". By far the best tunes of the long set. I doth protest too much though being spoiled by years of catching the cream of the blues school - from John Lee Hooker, Son Seals, Koko Taylor, Stevie Ray, Albert Collins, Willie Dixon to Gatemouth Brown, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Big Joe Turner, B.B., Freddy and Albert King. Spoiled.

We also MUST give it up to the Arcadia Blues Club whose very existence in this day and age are a challenge. They have excellent regional and national talent most weekend nights and cheap! Tickets are generally $10-20 and they often offer half price for early arrivals and advance purchases online. Check them out here. Major blues players often are scheduled as well. Name artists such as Johnny Winter, Delbert McClinton, Coco Montoya, Duke Robillard, and Rod Piazza have all graced the stage at the ABC.

In fact, the night after this show young guitar phenom, Michael Williams who is on tour opening for Buddy Guy, was holding a CD release party. Joining him for the evening would be his producer Eddie Kramer who was instrumental in the same role in the studio with Jimi Hendrix.

The two sets by headliners KOFI BAKER'S TRIBUTE TO CREAM were incendiary blasts of material from not only CREAM but his father's other most famous affiliation BLIND FAITH. Guitarist/lead vocalist Fran Banish was the most faithful to the original material of the three, wonderfully recasting Clapton's original leads with finesse and respect while making room for the more modern approaches integrated into the mix by his partners in the trio. Banish's vocals were a nice blend tonally of Clapton's higher reedier sound of the time and Bruce's more fluid and dramatic style. Bassist Ric Fierabacci sang occasional harmonies though I did miss them on a couple of tunes that were left strictly to the lead vocalist.

Fierabacci's approach the the five-string bass was modern in a post-Cream manner, busier than Bruce's and while not as iconoclastic, Ric is a virtuoso. He reinventions are always right on, surprising and fresh, filled with humor and masterful technique. Harmonically and stylistically he has modernized Bruce's innovative style to incorporate many of the fusion concepts that followed in Bruce's wake.

Kofi Baker is a monster drummer. Playing a large kit festooned with double bass drums like his Dad's, he used his father's trademark patterns and post-Elvin freedom as a launching pad for his own post-modern take on the material. While indeed a tribute band, this trio brings Cream's energy and vibe into the new era.

In conversation with Banish between sets he mentioned that the repertoire is fluid depending upon whether Ric is the bassist or not. It is also very obvious that the man knows his E.C. A fan of the mid-70s "comeback" period as am I, his devotion to Clapton's musicality is refreshing in the post-Van Halen age when pyrotechnics often overshadow feel and substance. Like Clapton, his ability to not only shred but to compliment the playing of his fellow players onstage is welcomed heartily by this listener.

Baker formed the band after being turned on by the 2005 Cream reunion shows. "I really wasn't into  it as a kid, because it was, you know my dad's music...but after the reunions, I started playing the music for fun and put a band together."

(none of the audio or video below are from the gig reviewed)

above: interview & epk

Kofi has toured playing duets with his father as well as in playing in various groups featuring Jack Bruce, Chris Poland (Megadeth), Steve Waller (Manfred Mann), John Ethridge (Soft Machine), Randy California (Spirit), Steve Marriot (Humble Pie) and Eric Sardinas. I first heard him on the album Abstract Logic with Jonas Hellborg and Shawn Lane in 1994.

Here's what went down at the Arcadia Blues Club:
SET ONE:
WHITE ROOM
OUTSIDE WOMAN BLUES
POLITICIAN
BADGE
I'M SO GLAD
SLEEPY TIME TIME
I WANT YOU (The Beatles)
DO WHAT YOU LIKE (Blind Faith)

SET TWO:
SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE
> MANIC DEPRESSION (Jimi Hendrix)
THE WIND CRIES MARY (Jimi Hendrix)
PRESSED RAT & WARTHOG
PRESENCE OF THE LORD (Blind Faith)
DESERTED CITIES OF THE HEART
CROSSROADS

"White Room" began the gig with a nice long, extended section in the middle that let us in on a bit of this band's particular musical imprint. "Outside Woman Blues" was a treat and something I've not heard live much from anyone. For a band that released so few albums worth of material there are so many Cream songs one wants to hear when you see a show like this. "Politician" is always essential to me. This tune really cranks and illustrates so much of what the balls of Cream was all about. Fierabacci's first extended bass solo of the night crowned this version. Many think of the sheer instrumental prowess of the band but their pop smarts always balanced all of the bluster and long solos and rock star largess. This is a concise window into all of those elements.

One of the handful of Cream tunes that has remained in Clapton's repertoire during most of his solo tours has been "Badge" the tune written with George Harrison which appeared on the Goodbye Cream album. This was the only tune of the night where I felt the busy-ness of the playing got in the way of the tune. Could be my great affinity for this tune colored my perspective since the version this band has on YouTube is much more to my liking.

"I'm So Glad" was long and rippin'. Great open jam in the middle. This one roared. "Sleepy Time Time" Fran introduced as the first original blues from Cream. The last two tunes of set one were wonderful treats and nice surprises which I'd never heard anyone play live. Kofi intro'd the first: "Here's a tune by a band of small insects. You might recognize these insects..." and the lit into The Beatles' one real jam-tune, "I Want You" from Abbey Road which featured an extended solo from Banish. They followed this with the first Blind Faith tune of the night "Do What You Like" which was Kofi's father's showpiece with the band. Kofi played a 16+ minute drum solo within the piece featuring poly rhythmic snippets of African, Caribbean, and jazzy extrapolation in a tour de force spotlight.

Set two began with a discussion between the band members before asking the crowd what they wanted to hear a Cream tune or a Hendrix tune...they wound up playing the Cream tune that Hendrix was known to cover, "Sunshine of Your Love" soaring into frenetic take on Jimi's own "Manic Depression". They followed with another Jimi staple, the gorgeously rendered "Wind Cries Mary" with an inventive and jaw-dropping solo from Ric.

Kofi who had been introducing songs but not singing, next said, "I'm going to sing one now. This was written, produced, recorded and mostly played by my Dad. I'd like to do it in honor of him tonight because he's a bastard...and it goes like this..." With that introduction the odd tune, PRESSED RAT & WART HOG rattle about for a few minutes of fun. Fran followed this with a powerful take on Blind Faith's PRESENCE OF THE LORD played more like Clapton played it in the early/mid-70s. This also featured a nice lengthy solo section. Excellent.

DESERTED CITIES OF THE HEART roared out of the chute full blazes. Long, ferocious lines snaked around each other en route to a long midsection that featured a few measures of what sounded like Howlin' Wolf's trademark SMOKESTACK LIGHTNIN' riffs before launching back into the smouldering ending of DESERTED CITIES.

The last tune of the night was, of course CROSSROADS done up more succinctly than the expansive Wheels of Fire version. A fitting end to a very fun set. If you have never seen Cream and are a fan, don't miss these guys.   
 

above: Kofi Baker's Tribute to Cream - "Sleepy Time Time"

This next clip, WHITE ROOM is unfortunately audio only but an nice extended version with some killer playing and interesting spacey stuff midway through...

above: Kofi Baker's Tribute to Cream - "White Room"

below: from you drum heads:

CD REVIEW: Bonebridge / Erik Friedlander

The cello has never been known as a real genre-busting instrument in general music circles. In fact, other than the occasional solo in E.L.O. (which was more of a contrived concept than even a break-through) or the trendy style-hopping of the still decidedly classically entrenched Yo-Yo Ma, or the edgier leanings of the KRONOS QUARTET, there have been very few cellists who have spent their careers hopping from idea to idea, style to style. Avant-jazz/rocker, the late Tom Cora seems the only real model. Sure there have been cello-sightings through out the jazz world for years, Mingus but generally they were either instances of the instrument used in a basically jazz formula or as colorization or thematic foils as in some of the Third Stream music of the late fifties/early sixties.

Cellist Friedlander has been part of the NYC underground scene for years while not remaining true to any die-hard stylistic tendencies other than that of change. While he has been heard in avant-garde, chamber, Easter European, rock, and free jazz ensembles over the years making his rep playing sessions and/or gigs with John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Myra Melford and Marty Ehrlich.

What Erik Friedlander has done with his latest recording, Bonebridge (also the name of the ensemble) has been to simplify the melodies, clean up the harmonies and dissonance into a more rural sound where bluegrass, Appalachia, and Delta immediacy, converge with swinging rhythm and jazz improvisation. It is, in essence a strings album with cello, the upright bass of Trevor Dunn and the slide guitar of Doug Wamble joined by drummer Mike Sarin’s delicate drive. Wamble’s Southern sensibility as a jazz player known for his affinity for rootsy blues and seminal country textures is a perfect foil for Friedlander’s vision. Sarin and Dunn’s simpatico playing comes from their time as 2/3 of the cellist’s Broken Arm Trio.

Bonebridge is an incredibly listenable album which transcends the jazz categorization in which Friedlander has most frequently been pigeonholed. The music’s melodies are, for the most part, tinged with a rootsy Americana vibe but less stylized then Bill Frisell’s best-known excursions of similar textural reference. My initial thought on first listen was that this music hung on the “New Acoustic” shingle from which sprang Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor and Viktor Krauss. That genre’s more overt bluegrass and Gypsy stylings are hinted at but the compositions here are emboldened by a concrete jazz sensibility in the way the musicians react to one another. Not overtly swing driven like Grisman or classically emboldened or slickly countrified like some of the more ambitious music of the genre, but taking the music into a more simple and rootsy space balanced by some very melodic choices out of the bluesy Southern rock vibe at times. Coupled with occasional outside elements from the underground jazz school and virtuosic playing from all involved, Bonebridge creates a roots-based primitive feel intrinsic to much of the great music of the aforementioned genres. Catchy, tasteful, communicative yet still challenging enough in the sheer instrumental prowess and succinct point of view. Loved it.

Here is Friedlander in other contexts...

above: Masada String Trio: Erik Friedlander: cello, Greg Cohen: bass, Mark Feldman: violin

above: Bar Kokhba - live in Marciac 2007 // Marc Ribot - guitar / Mark Feldman - violin / Erik Friedlander - cello / Greg Cohen - bass / Cyro Baptista - percussion / Joey Baron - drums / John Zorn - conductor

www.erikfriedlander.com

A LITTLE AL GREEN FOR WHAT AILS YA (ME)

No explanation needed. I’m posting this for today and any of those days that rear up when you are missing someone in your life. Someone from your past, from your imagined futures, from your present now. Nobody sings yearning like Al Green. Nobody. Nuff said.

 

Happy 81st Birthday Sonny Rollins

photo by John Abbott

Sonny Rollins, along with Wayne Shorter are the last of a generation of musicians who changed the sound of the jazz saxophone forever. Coming up at the tail end of the bebop movement, they took the rhythmic and harmonic lessons of their predecessors and wound them in to a freer, more personal statement that reflected a whole generation of upheaval and change, that mirrored and prodded changes in the very way human beings approached the world around them.

But there have been many wonderful words written about both of these iconoclastic artists elsewhere and I will not try and spin any new theories about their historical importance or the fact that both men continue to make some of the most brilliant music of their careers. Today, to celebrate Sonny’s 81^st birthday, I will briefly mention a couple of moments that resonate for me personally and my love affair with the music of this exemplary human being. And of course, a little music is in order as well.

From his early years with Miles, Monk, the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quartet and MJQ to his incendiary rebirth in 1962 to his continuing innovation and crowd-pleasing live performances, Rollins remains at the forefront of today’s iconic jazz performers. Many of his tunes have become classics in the jazz repertoire, “Oleo”, “Doxy”, “Tenor Madness”, “Pent-up House”, “St. Thomas”, and “Airegin” to name just a handful.

First, we want to congratulate Sonny on the announcement that his career will be celebrated at the 34^th Annual Kennedy Center Honors on December 4, 2011. Fellow honorees included singer Barbara Cook, singer/songwriter Neil Diamond, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and actress Meryl Streep. Their "collective artistry has contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world," said David M. Rubenstein, chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced today. For more on the Awards see JazzTimes.com

Via his website Mr. Rollins says, “I am deeply appreciative of this great honor. In honoring me, the Kennedy Center honors jazz, America's classical music. For that, I am very grateful."

DON’T STOP THE CARNIVAL

My first Sonny Rollins LP was The Bridge. Released in 1962 on RCA Victor, the album marked Sonny’s return from his first self-imposed hiatus from the music business, which began in 1959. The album got its title from the legendary story of Sonny being discovered by a jazz writer while rehearsing alone on the Williamsburg Bridge on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This infamous story grew Rollins’ already formidable status in the jazz world, drawing attention to his intense focus and dedication to the furthering of his art. Rollins has always been the image of the attentive jazz perfectionist, the mammoth length and scale of his improvisations investigating every possible nuance and harmonic twist of the melodies he chooses to explore. Having already elevated calypso music as a vital vehicle for jazz improvisation with his 1956 recording of “St. Thomas”, upping the ante with his great wit and melodic explorations of material not generally considered fodder for the jazz canon (his classic album Way Out West from 1957 explored left-field material such as “I’m an Old Cowhand”), Rollins returned from his “retirement” rejuvenated and firing on all cylinders. In the following years he would explore the avant-garde as it was gestating as well as bring the politics of the time into his compositions and playing with an intensity and purpose shared by his contemporary John Coltrane.

SONNY ROLLINS with JIM HALL pt. 1 “The Bridge”

Available on DVD “Jazz Casual: Sonny Rollins & Jim Hall”

From Ralph Gleason’s TV Show “Jazz Casual” circa 1962

featuring Ben Riley on drums and Bob Cranshaw on bass

After the years of innovation and intensity in the 60s, Rollins again went on sabbatical, this time to study religion. He visited Japan and India, spending time in a monastery. He returned to recording in 1972 with the album, Next Album leading to his long association with the Milestone label. Also essential to the continuing story of Rollins is the role of his manager, his late wife Lucille. Lucille handled the day-to-day rigors of dealing with the business side of the music industry which allowed Sonny the freedom to concentrate solely on his art.

But all of that was old news by the time I found my jazz jones hitting full tilt. I really didn’t get the full picture of Rollins sheer prowess until I experienced him live on the MILESTONES JAZZ STARS tour of 1978. Sonny commandeered that stage on September 17 when I caught them in San Diego at the Civic Theater. The Milestones jazz label pulled together three of their biggest stars, Rollins, bassist Ron Carter, and pianist McCoy Tyner along with the first call drummer of the day Al Foster for a tour and album of intense collaboration and sublime solo turns. Performing music from each of their songbooks and stylistic corners in the jazz pantheon, these shows were a godsend to a young jazz fan like myself newly discover how to listen to each individual improvisers unique contributions to the musical whole. No prisoners taken.

One of my biggest coups as a member of the Cultural Arts Board at San Diego State University was booking Sonny Rollins into Montezuma Hall on Feb. 26, 1980. We were able to give the students a glimpse at the artistry of this amazing player for just $5.50 a seat. Now that’s my kind of missionary work.

Among my favorite musical moments in life has got to be the Sonny Rollins show outdoors at Penn’s Landing on the waterfront in Philadelphia, June 16, 1989. It was a stormy afternoon but this rain-or-shine event was the first major show of that year’s Mellon Jazz Festival and would not be cancelled. Rollins' longtime sidemen Clifton Anderson on trombone, Mark Soskin on piano, Jerome Harris on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass guitar and Tommy Campbell on drums stood around onstage as the crew continued to sweep puddles of water from the floorboards. Lightning was slapping the water of the Delaware River on either side of the stage, the sky black from Baltimore, two hours south to Camden, directly across the river. I stood in the patient crowd soaked to the skin though my three layers of water-resistant garb but my jazz pal Ron and I were not about to leave. What are a torrential downpour and some lightning when Sonny Rollins is in the wings.

The band seemed to stand patiently out there for ages when finally from deep underneath the cement hill that made up the Great Plaza, you could hear between the raucous peals of thunder, the sound of a distant saxophone. The unmistakable sound of Sonny Rollins. Was he rehearsing beneath us? Slowly over the next ten minutes, the sound serpentines through the ambient rattle. It seemed to slip between raindrops, to pause for thunderbolts booming like Max Roach bass drum bombs. Closer it came and eventually, the sight of Sonny’s horn raised to the sky poked out from the corner of the building, he walked slowly, dressed in white as the storm reeled around him, an escort in front and behind him guiding his slow path towards the stage 30 yards away. Lightning’ reflected off of the brass of his tenor, his fingers flashing over the pearl keys as he waved his horn up and down in prayer towards the darkness above.

Finally ascending the stairs to the stage, never stopping his keening solo jabs and punches at the menacing clouds above him, he spun lyrical strings of melodic extrapolation from the meat of the familiar calypso lines coming to us through the maelstrom. In the ring, just Sonny and Mother Nature. Tenor madness, indeed. Once he approached center stage, the band picked up the rhythm of the song at Sonny’s signal. We were a good 15 minutes into his solo it seemed. Anderson took two steps towards his mic anticipating his solo spot and Sonny waved him away with a left-to-right swing of the sax and swivel of the hips. Anderson backed off and Sonny continued on, pulling the essence from the melody his mother had sung to him as a child and offering it up to the heavens in a plea for peace and calm.

On he went as slowly the lightning decreased, the brash sound of thunder set course for other destinations. The rain became but a mild mist off the water, graceful now in the ballet between the tumultuous and the languorous as the notes from the bell of the horn took on a thankful, joyous tone. For the next 90 minutes Rollins thanked the heavens with a set both invigorating and peaceful. When he had played his final lines, introduced the band and thanked the crowd, we were hardly aware of our wet-dog countenance, we had seen the walls of Jericho fall, the sea part and the majesty of a man creating moments in time tied only to that very instant itself. My memory claims the tune to have been “St. Thomas” but I’m not positive. I will search for the recording of this show since it was broadcast on WRTI that evening, I believe. Anyone with a recording of this show please let me know.

Excerpt from OLEO 1965 with NHOP on bass and Alan Dawson on drums

Another fond personal brush with Sonny occurred backstage at the 50^th Monterey Jazz Festival in 2007. There was something in the air. A palpable buzz hung around the fairgrounds, local hotels and backstage all day in anticipation of his appearance. He had performed at the original festival years before as had fellow 2007 artists Jim Hall, Ernestine Anderson, and Dave Brubeck. Ornette Coleman who had appeared in 1959 also returned. Now, moving slowly on hobbled legs the sight of a slower, older Rollins was disconcerting to many who had not seen him in recent years. But the gleam in his eye and always strident yet peaceful power in his voice disclaim any fear of a man not in control of his art.

Backstage Sonny was signing a piano top being auctioned off for a good cause and as the rest of the hangers on wandered out to find a place for Sonny’s set, I had a rare moment alone with the man. As we all do I gave thanks for the years of great music. I also passed on a loving greeting Marian McPartland had asked me to forward. Sonny was very gracious and as he got up to head to the stage, he said, “Could you give me a hand, my friend,” and I reached out and took his hand escorting him from the green room to the stage area. This gentle, direct and seemingly fragile man then shook my hand and said, “Enjoy the show. I hope I can give you what you came for.” He proceeded to wow the house playing a lengthy set that closed the a historic evening at one of the premier jazz festivals in the world, the transcendent moments in Sonny’s set that evening were riveting. The sold out crowd spanning all ages and demographics sent so much love and respect back to the stage that Sonny played on and on, ageless. His distinctive sound reached into the hearts of all of those present, giving them a taste of the history of the music and allowing them a glimmer of those he calls “the gods of music” who came before him.

Since his second return to the public forum in the early 70s, Rollins has continued to astound musicians and audiences alike while continuing his humble pursuit of becoming the best musician and human being he can be. For the next 4+ decades, Rollins has produced a continuing body of work always delving deeper into his unique sound and approach to improvising that has influenced generations of saxophonists from Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker and all of those who will follow. His live shows have thrilled millions the world over and in spite of health issues that may make traveling difficult and plague folks of his age, Rollins has yet to show any signs of calling it a day. His music remains among the most acclaimed, vibrant and emboldening that one can be graced to witness. I am proud to live in a world that includes Mr. Sonny Rollins.

There are still giants who walk this earth.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:

Sonny Rollins & The Modern Jazz Quartet Prestige) 1953

Sonny Rollins Plus 4 (Prestige) 1956

Saxophone Colossus (Prestige) 1956

Tenor Madness (Prestige) 1956

Sonny Rollins Vol. 1 (Blue Note) 1957

Sonny Rollins Vol. 2 (Blue Note) 1957

A Night At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note) 1957

Freedom Suite (Riverside) 1958

The Bridge (RCA Victor) 1962

Don’t Stop The Carnival (Milestone) 1978

The Solo Album (Milestone) 1985

G-Man (Milestone) 1986

This Is What I Do (Milestone) 2000

Without A Song: The 9/11 Concert (Milestone) 2001

Road Shows, Vol. 1 (Doxy/Emarcy) 2008

photo by: John Abbott

Sonny Rollins own label DOXY Records has released his studio recording Sonny, Please (2006) as well as the much-acclaimed live offering, Road Shows, Vol. 1 (2008). Watch for his next release Road Shows, Vol. 2 this fall.

ESSENTIAL SONNY ROLLINS as SIDE MAN:

With Bud Powell:

The Amazing Bud Powell (1949)

With Miles Davis:

DIG (1951)

Bag’s Groove (1954)

With Thelonious Monk:

Monk (1954)

Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins (1953)

Brilliant Corners (1957)

With Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet:

At Basin Street (1956)

With McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter and Al Foster:

Milestone Jazz Stars in Concert (1978)

For you rock n rollers just getting into Sonny, you might be surprised that you may already have some Sonny Rollins in your music collection. Yes, that is the jazz great playing the sax on three tracks of the Rolling Stones hit album Tattoo You (1980), including the gorgeous riffing on the single “Waiting on a Friend”.

For more Sonny Rollins discography try Sonny Rollins Discography Project

Be sure to look at the Sonny Rollins podcasts and videos from JazzVideoGuy

who has been documenting Rollins on vid since 2006.

Special thanks to Bret Primack, Terri Hinte, John Abbott and SonnyRollins.com for keeping the legacy of Sonny Rollins alive.

Unfathomable thanks to Mr. Sonny Rollins for his art, his humanity and his graciousness.

SONNY ROLLINS & COLEMAN HAWKINS “Lover Man”