Brubeck Time

by | Apr 25, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet

Whether solo or with his quartet, Dave Brubeck has become an American jazz icon. His name has become synonymous with unusual time signatures and pure piano excellence. He was also a composer, who delighted in combining different styles and genres, like classic, jazz, and blues … often superimposing contrasting rhythms, meters, and tonalities into his work. In 1951, Brubeck organized the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which featured Paul Desmond on alto saxophone. Eventually, Joe Morello (d) and Gene Wright (b) joined Dave and Paul to form the quartet with which we are most familiar, that sustained through the years, and any number of hit recordings. Above, they perform Brubeck’s own Three to Get Ready … the forgotten little brother of “Take Five.”

Top left is another Brubeck original from a 1962 performance in Sydney Australia, Blue Rondo a la Turk, written in a tricky 9/8 time. Finally, lower left, is the stylistic ‘mother of them all,’ Take Five. This 1972 recording offers a little different cast of characters from the the ones we’re used to –– like Gerry Mulligan (bs), Alan Dawson (d), and Jack Six (b), in addition to Dave Brubeck ℗ and Paul Desmond (as).

Gambarini Carolina Style

by | Apr 20, 2025 | Big Band, Vocal

On April 12, 2025 three time Grammy nominated, international vocal powerhouse, Roberta Gambarini joined forces with eighteen of the most outstanding jazz musicians, soloists and band leaders from across the Carolinas at the Harbison Theater in Irmo, South Carolina. Together with the South Carolina Jazz Masterworks Ensemble she brought the house down … and I was lucky enough to be there!

Of eleven songs, in two sets, Roberta performed nine of them … ranging from uptempo scat to gentle classics straight from the heart. Meanwhile, the SCJME orchestra, and their uniquely creative arrangements, demonstrated why ‘the house’ is always packed when they play. I was able to record three of the numbers that evening from row G, seat #118. Since I was working only with my I-Phone, the audio and video quality isn’t as professional as I would have liked –– but all of it is most enjoyable, and the best I could do to put you in the seat next to me! The first tune is a Slide Hampton arrangement of Hammerstein/Romberg’s Lover Come Back to Me.

Next is a change of pace with Roberta and the orchestra tweaking our chordae tendineae with their rendition of Thelonius Monk’s 1943 jazz standard, ‘Round Midnight.

Finally some cool scat from Roberta as she joins the SCJME orchestra for a walk On the Sunny Side of the Street. Pay particular attention to her incredible vocal range!

Cute / Willow Weep for Me – Mel Lewis

by | Apr 11, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

Mel Lewis was an American jazz drummer, session musician, professor, and author, who received fourteen Grammy Award nominations. He did it all! Lewis’s cymbal work, in particular, was considered unique among many musicians … drummer Buddy Rich once remarked, “Mel Lewis doesn’t sound like anybody else. He sounds like himself.” In 1966 Mel teamed up with composer, arranger, trumpeter/cornetist Thad Jones to form the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra.

Topmost, At the 1984 Swiss “Jazz-In”, Mel Lewis teams up with Horst Jankowski at the piano, ‘Toots’ Thielemans playing harmonica, Mads Vinding on bass, and Pierre Cavalli on guitar to perform the bright and breezy Cute. Below that, Is rather non-standard arrangement of the standard Willow Weep for Me, typical of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big band, which played primarily at the Village Vanguard in New York for the next twenty-four years.

Jazz Italian Style

by | Apr 6, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

Funny, but she sounds awfully American! Roberta Gambarini came to America in 1998 from Turin, Italy, and took the jazz world by storm. Roberta has toured and sung with the greatest in the business … from Dizzy Gillespie to Jimmy Heath, from Clark Terry to Paquito D’Rivera.  I’ll be seeing her perform live for the first time next Saturday, with the South Carolina Jazz Masterworks Ensemble. Keep you posted. (Above) Gambarini is reflective with a heartfelt rendition of Every Time We Say Goodbye. She was recorded live in 2009 at Jazz A Vienne (France) with the Roy Hargrove Big Band. (Below) Roberta steps up the tempo with Joe Lovano (ts), Cyrus Chestnut (p), James Genus (b), and Antonio Sanchez (d) in 2021, singing When Lights Are Low at the 10th annual celebration of International Jazz Day, featuring top musicians from all over the world.