JazzWax

Cynthia, Elliot and Dom Um

In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed fashion designer Cynthia Rowley for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Growing up, Cynthia loved designing clothes. But a pair of elephant bell-bottoms she made for a middle school event were so radical, she wasn't asked to dance. Throughout high school and college, teachers constantly tried to suppress her creative streak, but Cynthia resisted and wound up having the last laugh. A lesson in believing in yourself, no matter what. [Photo above of Cynthia Rowley wearing one of her wetsuit designs in Montauk, N.Y., in June courtesy of Cynthia Rowley]

Here's the elegant and irrepressible Cynthia at home...

Hamptons radio. Today (Saturday, July 24), starting at noon (ET), I'll be on Lunch on the Deck in Sag Harbor, N.Y., with hosts Jessica Ambrose and Bill Evans (above). They asked me for 20 favorite songs, so we'll be spinning discs and gabbing for two hours. You can listen in from anywhere in the world by going here and clicking "listen live." If you select "mp3 player," the show will open automatically in your iTunes.

Half-Nelson. In the wake of my post on cool jazz and Half-Nelson, Lou Califano wrote:

Marc, WKCR-FM's Bird Flight host Phil Schaap tells the story of how "Half-Nelson" got its title. He said it was because bassist Nelson Boyd only got a half-chorus solo on the recording with Miles and Bird, who, by the way, played tenor on that session.

Elliot Lawrence. Last week, Matt Schudel of The Washington Post wrote a lovely and complete obit of Elliot Lawrence. Many thanks, Matt, for quoting me and citing the JazzWax interview. Go here.

Dom Um Romão. After my post on Brazilian percussionist Dom Um Romão, I received a lovely email from percussionist Frank Colón in Rio de Janeiro:

Hello, Marc! As a close friend of Dom Um Romão, I thoroughly enjoyed your article on him and his brilliant musical trajectory. Dom Um took me under his wing and pulled me and guided me through some very interesting situations and opportunities. We weren't pals like I am with Airto, but we'd visit each other and hang out whenever we got the chance. Thanks for bringing it all back.

In January 2020, Frank released Latin Lounge. Here's his amazing Latin Wonder album...

I also heard from drummer Duduka De Fonseca:

Hi Marc. Bom dia. This is a great post! Dom Um was like a father to me when I arrived in New York at the end of 1975. He got me a gig with Astrud Gilberto that lasted 14 years. Dom Um helped, many musicians in the city, including Dom Salvador, Claudio Roditi, Naná Vasconcelos, Cyro Baptista among many others. He was a superb player with a big heard. He also was a black belt in Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art.

Here's Duduka Da Fonseca...

David Sacks. Following my post on Astrud Gilberto, I hard from Danilo Morandi in Switzerland:

Hi Marc. On Gilberto's 1988 clip of "The Girl from Ipanema," you can see (and almost hear) a fine American trombonist, David Sacks, who had quite a career in Brazil in the 80s. In 2017, back in Rio after 27 years away and performed at Um Café La em Casa, in a show led by guitarist Nelson Faria with (mostly) Brazilian stars. Amazingly, on "Chega de Saudade," at 5:00, Nelson and David point out some common mistakes made interpreting the tune.

Here's the entire show...

Chico Hamilton. If you're online on Tuesday evening, July 27, catch Uncivilized, an experimental Brooklyn collective when they take on the music on Chico Hamilton's El Chico album, recorded in 1965. Uncivilized has been a fixture at Brooklyn's Barbès club since 2013. The group features Rachel Housle (d/percussion), Ben Stapp (tuba), Nick Jozwiak (cello), Kevin Sun (ts) and Tom Csatari (g/effects). Their set will start at Barbès (376 9th St.) at 8 p.m. (ET) and will be live-streamed for free (the group urges a $20 donation). Live stream tickets can be found here.

Jazz samba radio. Sid Gribetz will host a special five-hour show on jazz samba this Sunday, July 25, from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET) on WKCR-FM in New York. To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.

Half Nelson: Cool Perfection

For those who don't quite get East Coast cool jazz or why it's special, I have two words for you: Half Nelson. The song is by Miles Davis, who created a new melody using most of the chord changes to Tadd Dameron's Lady Bird, first recorded in early 1947. Half Nelson was recorded for Savoy in August '47 by the Miles Davis All Stars, featuring Miles Davis (tp), Charlie Parker (ts), John Lewis (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Max Roach (d). Originally a bebop tune, the song was later picked up by Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh, two exponents of the cool school. [Photo above of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis in the late 1940s by William P. Gottlieb]

The sound of cool jazz is distinguished by a light, airy sound, a more spacious geometry of notes and dry tones in contrast to bebop, which was more furious, dense and bluesy. Pianist Lennie Tristano's staccato rhythms and snapped off ideas in the late 1940s was an influence on cool but so were modern classical approaches. In the hands of leading cool players, Half Nelson was given a flat feel, allowing the song's beauty to surface without being overly rendered or juiced. Instead, the emphasis is on chord voicings by the horns, and their harmonies and counterpoint. [Photo above of Lennie Tristano by William P. Gottlieb]

Yesterday, I found a perfect example of what I'm talking about. In this video of Half Nelson, the cool jazz approach becomes apparent in the horns. Here's Warne Marsh (ts), Lee Konitz (as), Don Elliot (tp, mellophone), Billy Taylor (p), Mundell Lowe (g), Ed Safranski (b) and Ed Thigpen (d). They open with Lady Bird, with Elliot on trumpet. The second half is Half Nelson, when Elliot switches to mellphone.

Listen carefully to the modern chord voicings created by the horns. The performance was on the 1958 NBC TV show The Subject is Jazz, hosted by Gilbert Seldes with music direction by Billy Taylor. First Billy plays the song in its original bop idiom. Then the septet handles it with a cool approach. It's all in the horns. [Photo above of Lee Konitz from YouTube]

Here's Half Nelson...

A special thanks to Bill Kirchner.

Chuck Israels on Hampton Hawes

In May 1965, pianist Hampton Hawes recorded an album of mostly standards with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Donald Bailey. The album was Here and Now, an extraordinary session for the Contemporary label. Seven of the eight songs were recognizable by most people picking up the album in stores, but the execution was anything by standard. Hampton, Chuck and Bailey sail into each song with fresh energy and determination to rock the canoe, so to speak. For example, Hawes and Chuck solo off each other for most of Fly Me to the Moon and What Kind of Fool Am I? and they turn The Girl From Ipanema inside out. It's a beautiful, invigorating recording, largely because all three players are so special and work together perfectly.

The tracks are Fly Me to the Moon, What Kind of Fool Am I?, The Girl From Ipanema, Hawes's Rhonda, Dear Heart, People, Chim Chim Cher-ee and The Days of Wine and Roses.

For Chuck, the album was sandwiched between his work in the Bill Evans Trio. The Evans group had returned from an extended European tour in February and March of '65, and then recorded The Bill Evans Trio With the Symphony Orchestra recorded for Verve in September.

Here's what Chuck told me about the Hawes date:

Even though Bill was successful, the trio wasn’t working all the time, so I had time to explore other opportunities. At the time, I was in Los Angeles working as a famous folk singer's music director. That was a frustrating, almost depressing experience because of her habit of singing every song as if the lyric was, “Listen to my beautiful voice.” Her voice was beautiful, and she’d achieved her success by depending on it. But it didn't suit songs we took on.
[Photo above of Chuck Israels in 1965]

I don’t remember how I ran into Les Koenig in L.A., but as soon as he knew I was going to be there for more than a day or two, he set up the recording session with Hamp. It was my impression that what interested Les and Hamp was the juxtaposition of the way I played with Bill against how Hamp played. If they hadn’t encouraged that, I might have been a little less adventurous and more supportive of Hamp on the session in a more conventional way. In any case, whatever I was doing seemed to please both Hamp and Les. And playing with Donald Bailey was magically uplifting. [Photo above of Lester Koenig by Ray Avery/CTSImages.com]

As far as the session, I do remember that Contemporary Records' studio where we recorded was filled with LP boxes. I recall Hamp and I discussed the harmonies for "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" Hamp was interested in the ones I had come up with while playing the song with Bill. We mostly used them. Hamp was friendly.

I was just starting to get to know Donald, who would later become a good friend as well as musical colleague. I know I was glad Les had included him on the date. Several years earlier, while attending Brandeis, I was at the Jazz Workshop in Boston listening to Herb Pomeroy’s quintet when Floyd “Floogie” Williams, a Boston drummer who’d been playing with Lionel Hampton’s band, ran in. [Photo above of Donald Bailey by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]

He grabbed me by the shoulder and said, “Chuck, you’ve got to come hear this genius drummer.” He took me across the street to hear the Jimmy Smith Trio with Donald playing drums. I remember being quite surprised, because I had no idea that Floogie had paid any attention to me or my bass playing—or why he assumed (correctly, it turned out) that I’d understand how extraordinary Donald’s playing was.

So, when Donald turned up on the Hawes date in '65, I was already looking forward to playing with him. Donald was unique. His playing had so much variety—so much going on quietly and subtly, generating commentary and enthusiastic lift. Yet all this activity never covered up what others were playing. He always had the appropriate dynamic, from a whisper (or even silence) to a roar, in perfect connection to the emotional shape of the music. Some of us were lucky enough to have had the chance to make music with him.

Hamp is, of course, the better known musician, and I enjoyed playing with him. But I didn’t get to know him as well as I got to know Donald. Donald didn’t like flying, so when I invited him to spend 10 days with us recording and teaching at Western Washington University, he took the long train ride from where he was living in Emeryvlle, Calif. Donald stayed with us in our home, and my family all loved him.

Those are my memories—not so much about Les and Hamp, both of whom I wish I’d taken more initiative with and gotten to know better. By the way, someone transcribed the piano and bass parts from "Fly Me To The Moon." Here it is...

JazzWax tracks: Hampton Hawes's Here and Now is difficult to find on CD. Try Discogs.com.

JazzWax clip: Here's the entire album, with Hawes, Chuck Israels and Donald Bailey...