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BMF opens new museum-office

BMF home continued on page 2

April 2009Vol. 14, Number 2

LINCOLN, Neb.—After 14years in separate locations, theBerman Music Foundation museumand office have been combined un-der one roof, raising its visibility andgiving the general public greateraccess to its valuable resources, es-pecially for students, musicians andmusic scholars. The move furthersthe BMF’s longtime commitment toadvocate and educate through mu-sic.

Housed on the Skylight Gallerylevel of The Burkholder Project at719 P St. in Lincoln’s HistoricHaymarket District, the combinedBMF museum-office will celebratea grand opening April 3 from 7-9p.m., in conjunction with the FirstFriday Gallery Walk. Live music willbe provided by saxophonist BillWimmer and keyboardist JohnCarlini, and a new mural done es-pecially for the BMF by Lincolnartist Leora Platte will be unveiledthat evening.

Since he founded the BMF inthe spring of 1995, Butch Bermanmaintained his vast collection of re-cordings, films and music books inthe basement of his home in south-

By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

east Lincoln. When asked, he wouldgladly give a personal “tour” of hismusic archives, an opportunity hetruly enjoyed. But since Butch’sdeath on Jan. 31, 2008, the museumhas remained closed to the public.

BMF trustee Tony Rager spentmany months seeking a locationwhere the collection could be ad-

In this issue of Jazz....

Project Omaha.....................................4Jazz in June preview............................6Memorial Ping Pong Tournament.......8Tomfoolery: Kansas City Trip.................9BMF and UNL School of Music.................10Blue Note 7 review...............................11Madeleine Peyroux review........................12Dana Hall/NJO review...........................13Mike Tomaro/NJO review.....................14Jazz on Disc reviews...............................15From the Photo Archives....................20

Photos by Tom

Ineck

The new BMF offices are on the secondfloor of The Burkholder Project at 719P St., in downtown Lincoln.

BMF neon sign illuminates an officewindow for all to see.

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Page 2 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

equately used by music lovers andscholars, even consulting with edu-cational institutions in other statesto find a suitable site. Finally, ratherthan farm out parts of the collec-tion to different places and aban-don the hometown audience thatButch and the BMF had cultivatedover the years, Rager began look-ing for options closer to home.

The BMF office had been lo-cated in the Burkholder Project’slower level since its inception.Wanting to continue the mutuallybeneficial tenant-landlord relation-ship, Rager and Anne Burkholderagreed that a vacant loft apartmentwould make a suitable home for thenew, improved BMF facilities.

While appreciating the literal“underground” status of its damp,windowless environs, this editor andwebmaster had began to yearn fora room with a view. With the latestdevelopments, his prayers also wereanswered.

From four large windows alongthe north wall, the bright and roomynew quarters overlook the corner

of Seventh and P streets, a quaintcrossroads dominated by historicbrick buildings, a brick-paved streetand old-fashioned lamp posts. Justacross the street to the west is Lin-coln Station, a former BurlingtonNorthern railroad depot still oper-ating as a stop for Amtrak whilehousing offices, an antiques mall,and a restaurant. To the north of theBMF is the popular Lazlo’s restau-rant and brewpub and up the streetare The Oven, the city’s best In-dian restaurant; and The Mill, apopular coffee house and meetingplace for downtown workers andshoppers.

Situated in the bustling hub ofdowntown Lincoln, the HaymarketDistrict is within a few blocks of theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincolncampus, the daily Lincoln JournalStar newspaper, numerous retailshops and offices, and the city,county and state seats of govern-ment. That makes it an ideal loca-tion for the BMF and its mission toprotect and promote unique formsof American music.

The BMF collection consists ofthousands of recordings in a vari-

ety of styles and formats, including45s and LP records, DVDs andVHS videotapes, and a large libraryof books on the history of jazz, blues,soul, rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’roll. It was Butch’s wish that thefoundation continue to offer accessto this vast resource for anyonewho was interested, especially ayounger audience who may not beaware of America’s musical heri-tage. He had been a rare, preco-cious collector, amassing more than300 rock ‘n’ roll 45s by age 10 andeventually broadening his intereststo encompass blues, soul, country,folk and jazz.

During the last year of his life,Butch worked with computer whizPaul Kelly to create a digital cata-log of the collection, archiving therecordings and videos for easy ref-erence. A separate “listening room”will allow visitors to hear the musicand view music videos in comfort,with the kind of high-quality soundreproduction that Butch demanded.

The new museum-office alsodisplays many of the framed,autographed posters of jazz artists

BMF home continued from page 1 Photos by Tom Ineck

The front room displays many framedand autographed posters from concertssponsored by the BMF.

A “listening room” allows visitors tohear music and view videos from theBMF collection.

A wall is devoted to personal photos ofButch Berman and his many friendsand fellow musicians.

Page 3April 2009○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

JazzJazzJazzJazzJazz is published online at:www.bermanmusicfoundation.orgThe office of The Berman Mu-The Berman Mu-The Berman Mu-The Berman Mu-The Berman Mu-sic Foundation sic Foundation sic Foundation sic Foundation sic Foundation is at 719 P St.,,Suite C-1, Lincoln, NE 68508.

Editor and Designer:Editor and Designer:Editor and Designer:Editor and Designer:Editor and Designer:Tom Ineck

Contributing writersContributing writersContributing writersContributing writersContributing writers: TomIneck and Grace Sankey-Berman

Photographers:Photographers:Photographers:Photographers:Photographers: Tom Ineck,Bill Brown and others (Cour-tesy Photos and File Photos)

For inclusion of any jazz orblues related events, letters tothe editor or suggestedarticles, mail them to theoffice, phone (402) 261-5480or e-mailbmf@bermanmusicfoundation.org.

To be added to our mailinglist, call (402) 261-5480 or e-mailbmf@bermanmusicfoundation.org.

The Butch BermanThe Butch BermanThe Butch BermanThe Butch BermanThe Butch BermanCharitable MusicCharitable MusicCharitable MusicCharitable MusicCharitable MusicFoundationFoundationFoundationFoundationFoundation is a non-profit, taxexempt, 501(c)(3) private foun-dation recognized by the Inter-nal Revenue Service and theNebraska Department of Rev-enue. It was established in thespring of 1995 to protect andpromote unique forms of jazzmusic.

Trustee:Trustee:Trustee:Trustee:Trustee: Tony Rager

Consultants:Consultants:Consultants:Consultants:Consultants: Grace Sankey-Berman, Russ Dantzler, KayDavis, Dan Demuth, TomIneck, Gerald Spaits, LeslieSpaits and Wade Wright

that the BMF has sponsored overthe years, along with photos ofButch and his many musicianfriends. There has been an effortthroughout to retain something of therelaxed, informal atmosphere of theformer, home-based museum.

The new home has the poten-tial to expand the foundation’s edu-cational and philanthropic mission,said Butch’s widow, Grace Sankey-Berman.

“I am excited about the mu-seum-office combination because ithas the potential of taking Butch’svision to another level. Butch puttogether an extensive music collec-tion which he enjoyed sharing withpeople. This office-museum willgive the public a chance to continueto enjoy it. Beyond that, it will be agreat resource for music educationwhich is the main focus of the BMFgoing forward.”

The BMF offices will be openby appointment, with special em-phasis on music scholars and musi-cians. Call the offices at (402) 261-

Butch Berman’s custom-made oak cabinets contain much of the BMF musicarchive of LPs and CDs. They recently were moved from Butch’s house to the newlocation in the Historic Haymarket District in downtown Lincoln.

A corner table glows in the light of theneon sign.

5480 to arrange a visit.The Berman Music Foundation

is a Nebraska non-profit, tax-ex-empt 501(c)(3) organization. Giftsto the foundation are tax deductiblein accordance with IRS rules andregulations governing donations tocharities.

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Page 4 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Concert Review

Project Omaha is both the band and the vibeBy Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

LINCOLN, Neb.—Six musi-cians with diverse Nebraska tieswill reunite for a June 23 perfor-mance at Jazz in June on the Uni-versity of Nebraska-Lincoln cam-pus. The only other time they shareda stage was for a two-night engage-ment that resulted in a live record-ing called “Project Omaha,” a moni-ker that describes the band and thevibe, a gathering of Midwesternersbent on making good music and hav-ing a good time.

Saxophonist Bill Wimmer hadconsidered the recording for severalyears before it came to fruition.Over the last decade or so, he hasfrequented Vail, Colo., to sit in withkeyboardist and singer Tony Gulizia,who moved from Omaha to theRocky Mountains resort manyyears ago and has since establisheda reputation as the area’s mostpopular entertainer.

The two drew up plans for adream project that would eventuallyinclude six musicians with ties toNebraska. Gulizia and his brother,percussionist Joey Gulizia areOmaha natives. Guitarist DaveStryker and drummer Victor Lewis,world-class players based in NewYork City, have deep Omaha roots,as does bassist Mark Luebbe.Wimmer hails from West Point,Neb., but has called Lincoln hishome for many years.

Gulizia and Wimmer could havegathered a group of local Vail musi-cians for the gig, but they wantedto “raise it to the next level,”Wimmer said. “I really wanted tomake a good record. We wanted tofocus on it being a good record, andsomething listenable, not necessar-

ily something commercial.” The goalwas to fall along the jazz spectrumsomewhere between an esotericjam band and a patronizing loungeact.

A top-notch drummer would beessential to create the drive andrhythmic anchor necessary in a suc-cessful jazz recording. A friend ofTony’s since high school, Lewis wasthe obvious choice. For more than30 years, he has been the drummerof choice for such jazz luminaries

as Woody Shaw, Stan Getz, BobbyWatson, Kenny Barron, J.J.Johnson, Bobby Hutcherson, CarlaBley and many others.

Gulizia also has a long historywith Stryker, who has recordedmore than 20 CDs under his ownname and others with the likes ofsinger Kevin Mahogany, saxophon-ist Steve Slagle, and fellow guitarist

Photo by S

tefan Held

Victor Lewis on drumsThe CD “Project Omaha” was thelong-planned brainchild of BillWimmer and Tony Gulizia.

Project Omaha is (from left) drummer Victor Lewis, keyboardist Tony Gulizia,saxophonist Bill Wimmer, bassist Mark Luebbe, guitarist Dave Stryker andpersussionist Joey Gulizia.

Photo by Joanne K

lein

Page 5April 2009○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Royce Campbell. He also had a longstint touring with the legendary tenorsaxophonist Stanley Turrentine.

Project Omaha became a re-ality when Gulizia and Wimmer se-cured the ideal venue for a live re-cording—the Kelly Liken restaurantin Vail—and booked two dates in2008, May 13-14. Planning beganmany months in advance. Everyonecleared their calendars for travel,recording, and “hang time” thatwould allow the bandmates to es-tablish the camaraderie that is es-sential to good jazz interplay.

Wimmer, Gulizia and Strykerput together a song list that wouldboth bring out the best in all the play-ers and entertain their live audi-ences, as well. The fact that all sixplayers hail from Nebraska andhave ties to Omaha is somewhat co-incidental, but Wimmer acknowl-edges that the city was a “jazzMecca” for all of them in their for-mative years.

“In a way, it’s a going-back-home record. But, in another way,it’s a looking forward record and it’sreally looking at the possibilities.”Wimmer stops short of identifying

the resulting collaboration as a “Ne-braska sound.”

“I won’t say that, but I will saythis, and Victor would probablyagree with me. There is a certainMidwest attitude and there’s anopenness, a real down-homenessabout being from Nebraska, Kan-sas, Illinois, Chicago. I do thinkthere’s a certain Midwest estheticthat connects people a little bit.”

Perhaps that comes acrossmost obviously in Tony Gulizia’s vo-cal performances of the romanticballads “I Thought About You” and“She Was Too Good to Me” and inthe soulful tunes

“Rhyne, Rhythm and Song”and “Cherry Red.” Latin selectionssuch as Dexter Gordon’s “SoyCalifa,” “Gypsy Blue,” Stryker’s“Carnaval” and the Brazilian med-ley “Dreamer/Felicidade” also dis-play that easy, “open” quality thatWimmer cites and give the percus-sionists ample space to mix it up.

It all comes together on TonyWilliams’ seldom-covered “GeoRose.” A hallmark of thatdrummer’s breezy, hard-chargingstyle, it is well-served by the Mid-western attitude, as exemplified by

Stryker’s soaring guitar, Wimmer’ssnaking soprano sax, Tony Gulizia’ssteel-drum sound on electronic keysand, of course, by the formidablepercussion duo of Victor Lewis andJoey Gulizia. Finally, Luebbe’s bassprovides the anchoring riff that cre-ates the tune’s powerful mood.

The recording venue is intimate,seating about 75 diners. That alsocontributes to the high-qualityacoustics and the sense of excite-ment that pervade the CD. Over thecourse of the two-night stand, themusicians had only two opportuni-ties to get each tune down.

“It was kind of like the old days,where you went in and you only hadmaybe eight hours, and you’d maketwo takes and you’d have to moveon,” Wimmer said. “There are a lotof great musicians making musicnow that isn’t connected directly.”

By contrast, the great innova-tors of the bop tradition were con-strained economically and by thelimitations of the recording medium,so they were forced to make con-cise musical statements on the fly.Wimmer wanted to inject that un-predictable element into the musicwith spur-of-the-moment solos thatallowed for individual freedom ofexpression.

“The biggest compliment thatI have on any of it is that the musi-cians had a good time, and the mu-sic was happenin’,” he said. “Youcan’t fake that.”

In addition to the June 23 ap-pearance at Jazz in June in Lincoln,Project Omaha will perform a clubdate June 21 at Julio’s in WestOmaha and a festival June 19 inHastings, Neb., during the band’sweeklong “reunion” this summer. Tolisten to tunes from the Project Ob-ject CD, go to http://www.myspace.com/billwimmer.The CD is available for purchase athttp://cdbaby.com/cd/billwimmer.

Courtesy P

hoto

Bill Wimmer in performance on tenor

Dave Stryker on guitar

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Page 6 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—TheBerman Music Foundation again willplay a major role in sponsoring theJazz in June series, a popular eventthat annually draws thousands toweekly concerts in the sculpturegarden outside Sheldon Museum ofArt in downtown Lincoln.

For the 2009 edition of Jazz inJune, the lineup has a decidedly lo-cal resonance, with three of the fiveTuesday evening performances fea-turing artists with strong ties to Ne-braska.

The Nebraska Jazz Orchestrareturns to the stage June 2, alongwith guest vocalist and pianist Chris-tine Hitt, a native of Bellevue, Neb.,who studied music at the Univer-sity of Minnesota and the Univer-sity of Arizona. She has earned ac-colades for her strong scat-singingskills and lilting Latin rhythms.

“Her wholesome, energeticsinging is characterized by rangeand refinement and her immensepianistic prowess is carefully tai-lored to capture the sense and spiritof each selection,” wrote one critic.

Hitt’s 1999 debut release on theMaxJazz label is entitled “You’d BeNice to Come Home To.” In addi-tion to the familiar title track, the re-cording showcases such standardsas “Dream a Little Dream of Me,”“Thou Swell,” “A Time For Love,”“Moonglow,” “I’ve Got a Crush onYou,” “Joy Spring,” “My FoolishHeart,” “What is This Thing CalledLove” and “In a Mellotone.”

ZARO, a jazz quartet based inFort Collins, Colo., will perform theirunique blend of progressive R&B,jazz and funk on June 9. Each ofthe four letters in the band’s name

represents the first letter of aplayer’s first name. They are ZacRothenbuehler, guitar and vocals;Andrew Vogt, saxophones andwoodwinds; Roger Barnhart,basses; and Oscar Dezoto, drumsand percussion.

The band plays an eclectic mix

of tunes, including the familiar TVtheme song of “Sanford and Son,”the movie theme song “Mo’ BettaBlues,” Stevie Wonder ’s “SirDuke,” and Nat Adderley’s “JiveSamba.” Their influences rangefrom Marvin Gaye and MaceoParker to Frank Zappa and CharlesMingus.

Though he has lived in theRocky Mountain State since 2000,Vogt is a Lincoln native with manyties to the local music scene and alot of loyal friends. He was inter-viewed for a BMF article in July2007, and his CD “Action Plan” wasreviewed by Butch Berman thatsame year. Vogt also figured promi-nently in a Tomfoolery column lastyear about Jay’s Bistro and JazzLounge in Fort Collins, where he fre-quently performs.

Singer Kendra Shank will re-turn with her long-time quartet to theJazz in June stage June 16. Shank’slatest CD is entitled “Mosaic.” Re-leased in late March, it is largelycomprised of standards and fea-tures her favorite bandmates—pia-

Concert Preview

Nebraska roots evident in 2009 Jazz in June

Christine Hitt

Courtesy P

hoto

Courtesy P

hoto

ZARO is (from left) bassist Roger Barnhart, saxophonist Andrew Vogt, drummerOscar Dezoto and guitarist and singer Zac Rothenbuehler.

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nist Frank Kimbrough, bassist DeanJohnson and drummer TonyMoreno, reed player Billy Drewesand guitarist Ben Monder. The BMFwill post a review of Shank’s CDon its website before her June visitto Lincoln.

Shank also is a longtime friendof the Berman Music Foundation,which first brought her to Lincolnas part of an all-star lineup that alsoincluded Claude “Fiddler” Williams,pianist Jaki Byard, bassist Earl Mayand drummer Jackie Williams. Sheperformed at Jazz in June in 2004and 2007, when she featured a setof tunes from her acclaimed tributeCD, “A Spirit Free: Abbey LincolnSongbook.” Shank also was inter-

viewed for aBMF feature ar-ticle in April 2007.

P r o j e c tOmaha, who willperform June 23,is a sextet of mu-sicians withstrong ties to Ne-braska. Saxophon-ist Bill Wimmerand keyboardist-singer Tony

Gulizia assembled the outfit for alive recording last year in Colorado.Gulizia and his brother, percussion-ist Joey Gulizia are Omaha natives.Guitarist Dave Strykerand drummer VictorLewis, world-classplayers based in NewYork City, have deepOmaha roots, as doesbassist Mark Luebbe.Wimmer hails fromWest Point, Neb., buthas called Lincoln hishome for many years.

The six will reunitefor several June perfor-mances. In addition tothe Jazz in June concert,

Project Omaha will perform a clubdate June 21 at Julio’s in WestOmaha and a festival June 19 inHastings, Neb. Bill Wimmer was in-terviewed by the BMF for a fea-ture on the band and the live record-ing.

For the final concert of the se-ries, drummer John Riley will fronta trio on June 30. Riley has visitedLincoln a couple of times before,most recently as drummer for theVanguard Jazz Orchestra when thebig band appeared at the Lied Cen-ter for Performing Arts in February2008. In a professional career span-ning more than 30 years, he has per-formed and recorded with WoodyHerman, Miles Davis, saxophonistBob Mintzer, pianist Kenny Werner,trumpeter Randy Sandke, guitaristJohn Scofield, and many others.

Riley is on the faculty of Man-hattan School of Music, and SUNYPurchase, and is an artist in resi-dence at Amsterdam Conservatoryin Holland. He also authored of“The Art of Bop Drumming,” “Be-yond Bop Drumming,” and “TheJazz Drummer’s Workshop.”

Jazz in June concerts begin at7 p.m. each Tuesday and run until 9p.m., with two sets and an intermis-sion. The concerts are free, but lis-teners are asked for contributionsto support the annual series.

Photo by G

ene Martin

Kendra Shank and her band at the Jazz Standard in New York City

Courtesy P

hoto

Drummer John Riley will front a trio at Jazz in June.

Photo by Joanne K

lein

Project Omaha will reunite for Jazz in June.

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Page 8 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

For some 30 years, Butch playedPing Pong with his friends. BradKrieger and Daniel Nelson have beena part of the core group of men thatplayed with Butch for all those years.Butch loved the game and looked for-ward to every Saturday when hecould play with his friends in hisbasement, where he had home-court advantage.

So, when Butch died I won-dered what to do with the PingPong table. I thought it would befitting for either Daniel or Bradto have it. Neither of them hadroom, but they came up with abetter plan—to find a place forthe table where they could con-tinue to play and keep the tradi-tion going.

Bill Brown, who alsoplayed Ping Pong with the group,offered his garage. Bill is a col-lector of all things Porsche, so it is theperfect guy hang-out. The garage con-tains classic Porsches, full-size and min-iatures, spare parts, pictures of differ-ent model Porsches, and a whole lotmore. Bill even makes steering wheels.

“It is a guys’ Mecca,” said DanielNelson.

Daniel, Brad and Bill moved thetable to Bill’s garage. They wanted alabel for the table and finally settle onthe “Butch Berman Still Boppin’ Me-morial Table.” It looks great on the sideof the table, and I am sure that Butchwould approve.

They had a tournament in Butch’smemory on March 21. I was late get-ting to the tournament, but pleased tosee that more people had showed upthan expected. The atmosphere wasrelaxed and there were two guys com-petitively playing a Ping Pong game. As

I stopped to watch and looked aroundthe garage, there were people talking,reminiscing about the past, or just eat-ing Bill’s great homemade chips andguacamole and the other refreshments.Before the competition began, there

was a ceremony in memory of Butch.People shared their favorite storiesabout Butch, and a toast was made tohis memory.

Brad and Daniel, like most of theguys in attendance, said they knewButch from watching him play with theMegatones and other bands at the ZooBar and eventually met him at Larry’sShowcase while playing Ping Pong. “Itall started at the now-closed Larry’sShowcase bar,” said Brad Krieger.

Memorial Ping Pong tournament keeps tradition aliveMemorial

They met on Tuesday nights tohave a beer and play Ping Pong. Theywould also play with other guys thatcame from Milford and the Universityof Nebraska. After the bar closed, thecore group would stay and play until 2

p.m., so they had a lot of practiceand got really good at the game.Other people that came to play atthe bar were not so good, exceptfor a few that were unbeatable.The entry fee was $3 and the moreyou played and won, the cheaperthe beer got. The bartender keptthe score. So if you were good,you might break even at the endof the night.

Butch started inviting theguys to play at his house. Theygot together most Saturdays.

“It was a multi-media expe-rience. You had great music, wineand talk,” Brad said. Butch al-

ways had new music he wanted themto hear or a new video he wanted themto watch, slowly building up anticipa-tion and excitement for the game.

They were all very competitive,and Butch was especially so. He al-ways had creative tricks to distract hiscompetitors, Daniel said. “For example,if I was enjoying the music and had mo-mentum in the game, Butch wouldchange it and play something crappy.”

“My ex-wife’s name is KarenAllyson, no relation to the jazz singer,so if Butch wanted to mess with mymind during a game, he would get outall his Karrin Allyson albums and linethem up where I could see them,” Bradrecalled. They said Butch hated it if any-one missed the scheduled Saturday PingPong games and would always givethem a hard time, regardless of the rea-son.

By Grace Sankey-Berman ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Friends gather at Bill Brown’s garage for ButchBerman Memorial Ping Pong Tournament.

Courtesy P

hoto

The table is officially labeled.

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Butch and his friends braggedthat Ping Pong was the only gamewhere they could beat jocks. It wasa real surprise to the athletic guyswho got beat. “Very satisfying,”said Brad. While talking to the guys,I could see how much they enjoythe game. Brad explained that “itis an endurance game that takeshours, and not too many people canstand that long. You need good re-flexes and mental alertness be-cause you have to find the weak sideof the other guy and know where to hitthe ball. It is momentum and groove.”He said that if you had all these factorsyou won all the time.

These guys spent many years per-

fecting their game and individual styles.Above all, they created a bond and cul-tivated a lifetime of comradeship andfriendship, which I am grateful to havewitnessed and been a part of. I am gladthat the Ping Pong table has a home

with friends.Ruthann Nahorny, Butch’s

friend and assistant, and her boy-friend, Bob, came to the tourna-ment a couple hours after her be-loved mother’s funeral. I was notexpecting her to show up, consid-ering the circumstances, but waspleasantly surprised to see her. Ialso appreciated Bob Doris, Kirk,Dale, Terry, Jimmy and all the otherpeople that took the time to attend.

I want to especially thank Daniel, Bradand Bill for putting this tournament to-gether and remembering Butch in sucha meaningful way. It was an enjoyablegathering of friends.

Tomfoolery

Kansas City trip has the essential ingredients

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—From histeenage years at Wentworth MilitaryAcademy, Butch Berman had a fond-ness for all things related to this city,which was just a few miles up the roadfrom the school.

He often talked of listening toWHB Radio, at 10,000 watts one ofthe most powerful Top 40 stations inthe country during the 1960s. He wouldfrequently escape the discipline of mili-tary life with wild forays into KC fordrinking and other illegal activities. Mostof all, he would immerse himself in thelegendary music of Kansas City—blues, soul and jazz.

Butch instilled that love of Kan-sas City in all of us here at the BermanMusic Foundation, and we pledge tomaintain our ties to that vibrant city withoccasional 200-mile trips south andfaithful reports of our adventures there.This is the first of those accounts.Needless to say, it will not have thesame irreverent tone that Butch’sbrought to his personal columns, butwe hope to provide our readers with

information they can use on their nexttrip to KC.

Our immediate destination was aMarch 20 concert by singer MadeleinePeyroux at the Folly Theater. The re-view of that concert is featured else-where in this issue.

We spent two nights at the HotelPhillips, one of Butch’s favorite hotelsand just a couple of blocks from theFolly. Situated between Broadway andMain streets on 12th Street, it is a con-venient home base to points in thedowntown and mid-town areas, includ-ing the waterfront, the Power & LightDistrict, Crown Center, Westport, andthe Country Club Plaza.

On this visit, we checked out therefurbished Union Station, at 30 WestPershing Road, which sadly sat emptyand unused for many years. While stilllacking a lot of activities that mightmake it a popular destination, it is aspectacularly preserved building fromthe golden age of rail travel. TheBeaux-Arts station opened in 1914.

After some midday walking and

shopping in the Plaza, we headed backto the hotel to rest up for that evening,which would see us a Jardine’s Res-taurant & Jazz Club for dinner and aperformance by blues and soul singerextraordinaire Ida McBeth, a KansasCity legend for some 30 years.Jardine’s, a small club at 4536 MainSt. overlooking the Plaza, is itself a KClegend, having hosted many great jazzperformances and late-night jam ses-sions.

Ida and her band did not disap-point. On the contrary, she displayedyouthful energy, enthusiasm and audi-ence rapport in a stylistically mixed setthat included the ballads “My FunnyValentine” and “Bewitched, Botheredand Bewildered,” a swinging “ThereWill Never be Another You,” thesamba “Dream” and the blues classic“You Can Have My Husband (ButDon’t You Mess With My Man).”

This brief trip to Kansas City hadall the essential ingredients—a lot ofmusic, good dining, a little shopping, andspring-like weather.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○By Tom Ineck

Grace Sankey-Berman (right) plays Ping Pong.

Photo by B

ill Brow

n

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Page 10 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

LINCOLN, Neb.—The BermanMusic Foundation and the Universityof Nebraska-Lincoln have enjoyed along tradition of collaboration and ex-ploration in the related areas of jazzperformance and jazz education.

In October 1996, the BMFbrought singer Kevin Mahogany totown to perform and conduct a work-shop with the Kenny Barron Trio atWestbrook Recital Hall on the UNLcampus. The following February, saxo-phonist Joe Lovano and bassist Chris-tian McBride performed at UNL’s LiedCenter for Performing Arts.

Saxophonist Benny Waters andpianist Jane Jarvis conducted a UNLworkshop in March 1997, as did saxo-phonist Greg Abate in April. The Mo-tion Poets performed at WestbrookRecital Hall in October of that year, andthe Mingus Big Band took the LiedCenter stage that November, all withsupport from the BMF.

BMF sponsorship has continuedthrough the years with performancesand/or workshops featuring saxophon-ist Ahmad Alaadeen (December 1998),Bobby Watson and Horizon (October1999), Norman Hedman’s Tropique andJerry Gonzalez and the Fort ApacheBand (March 2001), and singer SheilaJordan and bassist Cameron Brown.

In addition, the BMF has for manyyears been a major sponsor of the Jazzin June concert series, staged in thesculpture garden of the Sheldon Mu-seum of Art on the UNL campus..

That tradition continues with sev-eral new projects-in-progress involvingthe UNL School of Music. Prof. JohnRichmond, director of the music school,has been instrumental in working withthe BMF on these exciting ventures.

“The UNL School of Music is

honored to forgethese new part-nerships with theBerman MusicFoundation, aname synony-mous with com-mitment to jazzperformance andeducation,” Rich-mond said. “Ourschool is moving forward with severalstrategically important initiatives in jazzeducation, including newly approvedmaster’s and doctoral degree programsin jazz studies (pending approval fromthe National Association of Schools ofMusic), a new high school jazz camp inthe summer, and a Berman FellowshipProgram in conjunction with our HighSchool Honor Jazz Weekend to providean in-service educational opportunity forhigh school music teachers to expandtheir understanding of principles in jazzeducation.”

Berman fellowships wereawarded earlier this year to several areahigh school music teachers. They werein residence at UNL during the HighSchool Honor Jazz Weekend in Febru-ary, allowing them to work with artist-

in-residence StefonHarris, the UNL jazzfaculty, UNL jazzstudents and themany high school stu-dents attending theweekend activities.

“An especiallyexciting facet of ourrecent partnerships isthe launch of ournew Berman Fellow-ship Program in con-junction with the an-

nual High School Honor Jazz Week-end,” Richmond said. “While we havehad the chance to engage an outstand-ing cadre of gifted high school jazz mu-sicians, this new program permits us toreach out to high school music teach-ers in an effort to enable them to de-liver jazz education in their schools to ahigher standard.”

Looking ahead, the BMF will part-ner with the School of Music for its firstUNL High School Jazz Camp, June 28through July 2 on the UNL campus.Artist-in-residence John Riley, drummerwith the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra andprofessor of jazz percussion at Man-hattan School of Music, has workedwith UNL students during two previ-ous visits in 2007 and 2008. Riley andhis trio also will perform June 30 in thefinal Jazz in June concert.

“High school jazz students fromacross the region will convene on theUNL campus for an outstanding expe-rience studying jazz performance, im-provisation, composition, and jazz his-tory,” Richmond explained. “It is thequintessential win-win-win partnershipamong these distinguished collaborators.We couldn’t be more proud to be a partof it all.”

Friends of BMF

BMF continues collaboration with School of MusicBy Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

John Richmond

Photo by Tom

Ineck

Vibraphonist Stefan Harris performs students duringthe High School Honor Jazz Weekend in February.

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LINCOLN, Neb.—Either be-cause of prohibitive expense or artisticdifferences, all-star jazz groups seldomrecord and tour together while still intheir prime. Such projects are more fre-quent among elder statesmen of themusic, as though they can be marketedlike museum pieces long after their in-strumental skills are diminished.

That makes The Blue Note 7 phe-nomenon a landmark event. This sep-tet of living jazz giants has been criss-crossing the country for months behindtheir January release, “Mosaic: A Cel-ebration of Blue Note Records,” rec-ognizing 70 years of legendary record-ing history. The CD is reviewed in thisissue of the BMF newsletter.

By the time its ambitious touringitinerary comes to an end with a six-night stand in April at Birdland in NewYork City, the all-star aggregation willhave performed in more than 50 ven-ues, including Omaha and Lincoln.

Anticipation was in the air March26, as the band took the stage at theLied Center for Performing Arts in Lin-coln. Dramatic lighting set the mood forthe casual entrance of trumpeter Nicho-las Payton, tenor saxophonist RaviColtrane, alto saxophonist and flutistSteve Wilson, guitarist Peter Bernstein,pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Wash-ington and drummer Lewis Nash.

A true cooperative, the seven dis-played an egalitarian spirit in everything,sharing the introducing of tunes and solo“spotlight time.” And, nearly all of themtook a hand in the arrangements.

The opener, Freddie Hubbard’s“Hub-Tones,” may have seemed an oddchoice, since it does not appear on theCD, but it was a fitting tribute to one ofthe late legends of the Blue Note labeland served notice that the band has

gone beyond the confines of the eighttracks included on the recording. Thetune’s intricate rhythm pattern was noobstacle for soloists Payton, Wilson,Coltrane and Nash, who never ceasedto amaze listeners with his completemastery of the drum kit.

“Party Time” by Lee Morgan re-ceived a bluesy treatment in Bernstein’sarrangement and everyone took a solo.Washington and Nash collaborated ona tantalizing interlude that had the drum-mer displaying his scat-singing skills.McCoy Tyner’s lovely ballad, “Searchfor Peace,” was the first tune from theCD. As arranged by Charlap’s wife,pianist Renee Rosnes, the statelymelody was stated by the brass in beau-tiful harmony, followed by solos fromWilson on alto and Payton on trumpet.

The intensity returned on “CrissCross,” a typically angular TheloniousMonk composition arranged by Wilson.The virtuosic Charlap added his ownkeyboard variations, then Wilson on altoand Coltrane on tenor explored thetune’s inherent harmonic obstaclecourse. Bernstein and Washingtonadded brief solos, the horns punctuatedthe tune in unison and Nash held thewhole affair together, maneuvering eas-ily through the quirky rhythmic changes.It was a masterpiece of jazz interpreta-tion and individual expression.

A pulsing Latin beat andstop-time passages gaveCharlap’s arrangement ofHorace Silver’s “The Outlaw”a driving, forward motion thatwas aided and abetted byNash’s flawless timekeeping.Wilson turned in a brawny altosolo, and Payton effortlesslyflew through the changes withdaring octave leaps. Charlap

himself created nifty keyboard seguesbetween the solos.

In his arrangement of DukePearson’s “Idle Moments,” once abluesy, ballad showcase for the late,great guitarist Grant Green, Bernsteinspent considerable time in the spotlight,slowly building on the hesitation rhythmwith soulful horn accompaniment anda snaking string solo.

The CD’s title track, CedarWalton’s “Mosaic,” also served as thetwo-hour concert’s grand finale, a ram-bunctious tribute to drummer ArtBlakey, whose legendary Jazz Messen-gers first established the tune’s reputa-tion when Walton was the band’s pia-nist. Appropriately, Nash arranged thenumber, recreating the fury and powerof Blakey’s playing while giving every-one a chance to take a lively solo.Nash’s own extended solo was a thor-ough drum lesson, ranging from sticksto brushes to mallets in a dazzling dis-play of the percussive art.

A standing ovation brought theseptet back to the stage for a brief ren-dition of Dexter Gordon’s “Soy Califa,”highlighted by a stunning Charlap solo.

The Blue Note 7 CD and tour havebeen so successful that there is talk ofa follow-up recording and future per-formances. Fans of straight-ahead jazzat its finest have reason to celebrate.

By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Concert Review

Blue Note 7 performance a landmark event

Courtesy P

hoto

The Blue Note 7

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Page 12 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Peyroux features original songs with styleConcert Review

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—In littlemore than a decade, and with just fourreleases to her name, MadeleinePeyroux has established a reputation asone of the most original vocal stylistson the scene. Often compared with BillieHoliday, she possesses a world-wearyvocal quality and an ability to slide eas-ily across the harmonic spectrum whileremaining true to the melodic line. Herchoice of material—from country bluesto modern folk to French chanson totraditional swing—has also made her acrossover favorite.

All of those qualities were inample evidence during an appearanceMarch 20 at the Folly Theater in Kan-sas City, Mo. She and her quartet oftop-notch sidemen delivered a captivat-ing, 90-minute set that never lagged. Itwas a masterful, well-disciplined per-formance that, nevertheless, seemedintimately informal.

Understandably, the emphasis wason her new CD, “Bare Bones,” releasedjust 10 days before her KC visit. It rep-resents a major step forward, as it isher first release of all-original material.On most of the 11 tunes, she sharescredits with other songsmiths, includingproducer Larry Klein, Julian Coryell andSteely Dan’s Walter Becker. As al-ways, it is Peyroux’s idiosyncratic stylethat makes the songs completely hers.

For the Folly show, her versatilebandmates included the great LarryGoldings, switching off on acoustic pi-ano, electronic keys and Hammond B-3 organ; Jon Herrington on acoustic andelectric guitars and mandolin; BarakMori on acoustic and electric basses;and Darren Beckett on drums and as-sorted percussion. Peyroux also con-tributed some nice acoustic guitar work.The instrumental diversity kept things

fresh all evening.Before introduc-

ing the new songs,Peyroux began withher definitive versionof Leonard Cohen’s“Dance Me to theEnd of Love,” withGoldings taking aswinging piano soloand Herrington chim-ing in on guitar. Thenew CD’s title trackhad Goldings on sultryorgan accompani-ment, as Peyroux re-ferred to her Southernheritage—“They preached the gospeldown in Metarie, they preached it inschool. It never made much sense tome, wonder if it was supposed to.”

On “Don’t Wait Too Long,” fromthe 2004 release “Careless Love,” thesinger displayed her astounding tech-nique of sliding up and down the scaleas she caressed the lyric, creating abeguiling eroticism. The ballad “Riverof Tears” featured some wonderful slideguitar work and a subtle organ solo.

Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make MeLonesome When You Go” also receiveda unique Peyroux treatment, withBeckett utilizing soft mallets in rubatoand Goldings on piano. “Damn the Cir-cumstances” is a heart-rending origi-nal about dashed dreams and skeletonsin the family closet. Peyroux attemptedto lighten the mood with “I’m All Right,”introducing the tune as a “happy break-up song.” “A Little Bit” followed in arollicking, rocking style. The last twoare both from “Half the Perfect World,”Peyroux’s 2006 release.

For a brief, two-tune set, the band“unplugged” to recreate Peyroux’s stint

as a Paris busker. WithHerrington on mando-lin, Goldings onmelodica, Mori onacoustic bass andBeckett using brusheson a pasteboard box,they played “LaJavanaise” and“Don’t Cry Baby,” aCount Basie classic.

In rapid succes-sion, Peyroux andcompany ran downsix more songs fromthe new release—themoody “Love and

Treachery,” the bluesy “You Can’t DoMe,” the haunting “The Lady ofPigalle,” the wonderful song of love andloss, “I Must Be Saved,” the easy-swinging, feel-good tune, “Instead,” and,as an encore, Peyroux’s tribute toBarack Obama called “Somethin’Grand.”

The lavish rococo décor of theformer burlesque house was an idealsetting for Peyroux’s throwback appeal.But as a songwriter, she demonstrateda timeless talent and a sure sense ofpoetry in every lyric.

Canadian singer-songwriter StevePoltz opened with a 30-minute set ofquirky originals, including “Brief Historyof My Life,” which referred comicallyto his Catholic upbringing, “EverythingAbout You,” from the “Notting Hill”soundtrack, and a whacky, dramaticparody of “Edward Scissorhands”called “Sewing Machine,” featuring arecording of friend A. J. Croce on pi-ano accompaniment. He also displayedsome fine finger-picking technique on“Silver Lining” and the instrumental“Chinese Checkers.”

By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Madeleine Peyroux

Courtesy P

hoto

Page 13April 2009○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

LINCOLN, Neb.—A degree inaerospace engineering was only thebeginning for Dana Hall, who went onto garner diplomas in music, music com-position and music arranging and is com-pleting his doctorate in ethnomusicologyat the University of Chicago.

“It’s Not Rocket Science…” wasthe ideal title for Hall’s March 24 guestappearance with the Nebraska JazzOrchestra at the Cornhusker Marriott.The versatile percussionist steered thebig band through a set of challengingand frequently high-flying performancesfor the NJO’s final concert of the year.

The legendary Woody Hermanflag-waver “Four Brothers” kickedthings off with a front-line saxophonebarrage led by Matt Wallace on tenorsax and Scott Vicroy on baritone. Hallfirst demonstrated his drum skills on“Synergy,” a tune by guest music di-rector Eric Richards, sitting in for EdLove, who is traveling in Italy with agroup of young musicians.

A highlight of the evening was theThad Jones composition “Us,” a funkynumber featuring intricate, bluesy linesand bright brass ensemble work. MariaSchneider’s “Wrygly” had Wallacewailing with soulful intensity on tenorand Peter Bouffard soaring on an in-spired rock-style guitar solo.

The band returned to Earth for anexquisite reading of John Coltrane’sstately ballad “Central Park West” anda flawless version of Don Grolnick’sdevilishly difficult “Nothing Personal,”with masterful playing by Wallace ontenor, Bob Krueger on flugelhorn andHall on drums.

“Fingers,” a Thad Jones tunebased on the changes of “I GotRhythm,” was driven by Hall’s fastshuffle beat, which drew excellent so-

los from several players. Mark Bensondelivered a rousing soprano sax state-ment, while other notable solos camefrom Bouffard on guitar, Krueger ontrumpet, Tom Harvill on piano and AndyHall on bass.

The audience of 355 also showedenthusiastic support for the opening setby the Omaha Westside High School

Concert Review

Dana Hall steers NJO through challenging set

Concert Jazz Band, joined by Hall onan Eric Richards arrangement of“Black Orpheus.” Directed by RogerGroth, the youthful ensemble also turnedin a fine rendition of the SammyNestico-penned Basie standard “WindMachine.” Several of the young play-ers showed promise, but the realstandout was drummer GrantMcMullen, who exhibited ample tech-nique and self-assurance, even whensharing the stage with Hall manning asecond drum kit during “Orpheus.”

During the intermission, longtimeNJO sponsor John Tavlin of MidwestDiamond gave a rambling, impromptu“state of the NJO” address, pleadingfor support for the financially strappedband, which was founded in 1975. Atrumpeter and former band member,Tavlin shared his intimate knowledgeof NJO history as he made a persua-sive case for the survival of this musi-cal treasure.

Photos by Tom

Ineck

Matt Wallace on tenor (above) solos with accompaniment by guitarist PeterBouffard and bassist Andy Hall as drummer Dana Hall (below) keeps time.

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Page 14 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

Woodwind virtuoso leaves listeners awestruckConcert Review

By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

LINCOLN, Neb.—Woodwindvirtuoso Mike Tomaro put two gen-erations of local jazz artists throughthe paces as featured guest artist forthe 2009 “Learning from the Mas-ter” concert Jan. 22 at theCornhusker Marriott.

Once a year, the Nebraska JazzOrchestra brings in an establishedmusician to front the professionalband and to mentor the area’s latestcrop of musical youth, also knownas the Young Lions All-Star Band.Tomaro, who teaches at DuquesneUniversity, left both ensembles awe-struck at his considerable instrumen-tal prowess.

After a short set with theyounger ensemble, the NJO primedthe pump with a rousing rendition of“Writer’s Block,” a bluesy tune fea-turing trumpeter Bob Krueger, tenorsaxophonist Paul Haar and some niceunison playing by the brass section.

Tomaro then joined the NJO for“You and the Night and the Music.”His up-tempo take and astoundingtenor playing served notice that heis a force to be reckoned with. Hisextended solo drew from a deep wellof ideas.

Switching to alto sax for BillyStrayhorn’s lush and lovely “AFlower is a Lovesome Thing,”Tomaro set the mood by reading thelyrics before playing the romanticballad. His arrangement of“Bluesette” transformed the tuneinto a samba, with Tomaro on sopranosax and trombonist Todd Thatcherand Haar on tenor taking solos.

In another unexpected interpre-tation, the NJO played Tomaro’s ver-sion of J.J. Johnson’s “Lament.”Usually performed as a ballad, it

emerged as a mid-tempo waltz thatalso proved a perfect vehicle for thearranger’s octave leaps and high-reg-ister foray on the tenor sax.

From the extensive popsongbook of Stevie Wonder came“Send One Your Love,” first re-corded on Wonder’s largely instru-mental LP of 1979 entitled “JourneyThrough the Secret Life of Plants.”This lesser-known tune featuredTomaro on flute and the sax sectionin a unison interlude.

For his own “Del Corazon,”Tomaro turned to the Electronic WindInstrument (EWI) in a stylistic nodto the music of guitarist Pat Methenyand pianist Lyle Mays. The breezy

fusion tune had pianist Tom Harvill,drummer Greg Ahl and bassistGeorge Bryan bravely keeping thedriving beat.

The band closed with the flag-waver, “Dodo’s Dance,” a tune bypianist Dodo Marmarosa based onthe standard “Cherokee.” Tomarotook it at a blazing tempo and impro-vised with ease over the whole rangeof the tenor sax, giving the rest ofthe outfit a chance to burn and in-spiring a standing ovation from thecrowd of 250.

Photos by Tom

Ineck

Guest soloist Mike Tomaro leads theNebraska Jazz Orchestra withauthority on tenor sax (top and bottomright) and on soprano sax (bottom left.

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Jazz on DiscBlue Note tribute also an artistic achievement

It is rare when a clever marketingploy to sell CDs and concert tickets alsoresults in a high-quality product capableof standing alone as a work of greatcreativity and artistic integrity. So it iswith “Mosaic,” a brilliant project con-ceived to celebrate Blue Note’s 70thanniversary as a great jazz label.

Released in January, the record-ing brings together a septet of today’sleading proponents of post-bop jazz—Nicholas Payton on trumpet, SteveWilson on alto sax and flute, RaviColtrane on tenor sax, Peter Bernsteinon guitar, Bill Charlap on piano, PeterWashington on bass and Lewis Nashon drums. Nash, the eldest, was bornin 1958, about the time that many of theclassic Blue Note recordings were be-ing waxed. That makes this a poignanttribute to an earlier, and very influential,generation of jazz masters.

Wisely, the eight tunes chosen torepresent the Blue Note legacy aregiven new arrangements that updatethe sound while remaining true to theoriginals. Truly a collective, the en-semble shared in arranging the charts.

Nash’s masterful drumming im-bues the opening fanfare of CedarWalton’s “Mosaic” with an urgency and

Always looking for ways to ex-pand the narrow confines of the“gypsy jazz” style inevitably tied toits virtuosic innovators, guitaristDjango Reinhardt and violinistStephane Grappelli, The Hot Clubof San Francisco has embraced notonly the standards of the gypsy jazzrepertoire, but more conventionalmodern jazz favorites, as well aspop tunes by Lennon andMcCartney and even a couple ofclassical composers.

But the Bay area band has sur-passed itself in the adventurousspirit of its latest release. “Bohe-mian Maestro: Django Reinhardtand the Impressionists” is an ambi-tious, and largely successful, at-tempt to link the legendary gypsyto the music of classical Impres-sionism, with the quintet occasion-ally augmented by a woodwind quin-tet, a piano and even a banjo. Forpurists of the gypsy jazz persuasion,the result is as mixed as the stylis-tic disconnect.

“Bohemian Maestro” does not

excitement that continues throughoutthe piece, a favorite of Art Blakey’s JazzMessengers. In his arrangement, Nashmakes no attempt to mimic the greatBuhaina, but he admirably retains theBlakey spirit. Likewise, Payton’s takeon Joe Henderson’s “Inner Urge” is re-freshingly new, but still urgent.

“Search for Peace” gets a lovelyarrangement by Renee Rosnes thatemphasizes the McCoy Tyner ballad’sexquisite chord changes and spotlightsColtrane’s lush tenor and Payton’ssearching trumpet. Wilson’s flute car-ries the lilting melody line in his treat-ment of Bobby Hutcherson’s “Little B’sPoem,” with notable solo contributionsfrom Bernstein and Charlap.

Wilson also gives new life to theedgy Thelonious Monk tune “CrissCross.” No Monk sound-alike—as ifthat were possible—Charlap developsthe quirky theme in his own virtuosicmanner and the others offer their owndistinctive variations on that theme.Arranger Rosnes returns for “DolphinDance,” creating a sophisticated, yetswinging rendition of the HerbieHancock masterpiece.

“Idle Moments,” written by DukePearson and first recorded by guitaristGrant Green in 1963, gets an aptlybluesy arrangement from Bernstein.While prominently featured, the guitar-ist also involves the horns in somemournful harmonies. Charlap’s arrange-ment of Horace Silver’s “Outlaw”brings the session to a close with sometricky stop-time passages creating atypically hard-bop attitude.

The Blue Note 7 are bringing theirbop celebration to venues nationwide,including a February stop in Omaha anda March 26 appearance at the LiedCenter for Performing Arts in Lincoln.

By Tom Ineck ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Jazz on Disc continued on page 16

THE HOT CLUB OF SANFRANCISCOBohemian Maestro: DjangoReinhardt & the ImpressionistsAzica Records

THE BLUE NOTE 7Mosaic: A Celebration of BlueNote RecordsBlue Note Records

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Page 16 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

At age 78, the wonderful jazzsinger Bill Henderson finally has a newrecording that puts him in historical per-spective and provides a stunning set-ting for his still-amazing vocal gifts. Thevenue is The Vic, a club in SantaMonica, Calif., near his longtime homein Los Angeles.

Incredibly, Henderson’s last re-lease was a 1981 tribute to the musicof Johnny Mercer. Since then, he hasbeen featured occasionally on others’recordings, most notably CharlieHaden’s 1999 release “Art of theSong.” With “Beautiful Memory,’Henderson steps fully into the warmglow of the spotlight.

The audience at Vic’s has an ob-vious affection for their local treasure,and Henderson’s trio—Tateng Katindigon keyboards, Chris Conner on bass andthe great Roy McCurdy on drums—shows an ease and compatibility withthe front man. On the opener, “All theThings You Are,” you believe him whenhe joyfully repeats “happy, happy daysare mine.” He is just as persuasive whilesinging the blues, as his rendition of“Never Make Your Move Too Soon”soulfully illustrates.

This 12-track set comprisedlargely of familiar standards never lagsand offers new perspectives on suchold chestnuts as “You Are My Sun-shine,” “Royal Garden Blues” and“That Old Black Magic.” Hendersonshouts a bluesy “Sunshine” with a broadand breezy style in the upper register,

Sonny Rollins’ tightrope-walking,extended improvisations on the tenorsaxophone are best appreciated in liveperformance, but—like anyone—heis not always at the top of his game.

lack direct references toReinhardt—six of the 16 tracks arehis compositions—but they tend tobe among his more obscure pieces,such as “Diminishing Blackness,”the stirring “Bolero” and the generi-cally titled “Improvisation No. 3.”The Aeros Quintet lends its classi-cal woodwinds to new interpreta-tions of Reinhardt’s “Nympheas”and “Messe/Improvisation,” the lat-ter expanded from a surviving frag-ment intended by Reinhardt as amass dedicated to the Romanypeople.

Hot Club guitarist and leader,Paul Mehling, contributes to thegrowing gypsy jazz songbook withtwo new tunes, and violinist EvanPrice adds one. With bassist ClintBaker and rhythm guitarists JasonVanderford and Jeff Magidson, thecore quintet is as lively as ever. Pia-nist Jeffrey Kahane infuses threenumbers with his keyboard pyro-technics. Mehling switches to banjofor one of the most refreshingtracks on the record, Jelly RollMorton’s “The Pearls.”

Mehling’s “Le Surdoué” imagi-natively recombines fragments ofReinhardt compositions and impro-visations. His “Waltz for M.C.Escher” cleverly mimics the artist’soptical illusions with a musicalequivalent.

The estimable Impressionistswhose melodies tie the whole af-fair together are Claude Debussy,Francis Poulenc and Heitor Villa-Lobos, whose gently swinging“Choros” is a great vehicle for theHot Club. Debussy’s immortal“Clair de Lune” closes this chal-lenging and ground-breakingproject, a somewhat more subduedset of performances than we areused to from these swinging gentle-men, but equally satisfying.

inspiring the audience to a soul clap. Heplayfully swings the lyrics on “Garden,”and recites the ballad “Black Magic”with very effective hesitation phrasingbefore escalating the tempo to a swing-ing groove.

Harold Arlen’s wonderful“Sleepin’ Bee” gets the tender balladtreatment it deserves, with Hendersondrawing out the lyrics in long, languor-ous phrases. Henderson dives into theLatin mainstream with the rarely heard“The Moon Is Yellow.” He brings newmeaning to Elton John’s modern stan-dard “Sorry Seems to Be the HardestWord,” also covered a few years agoby Karrin Allyson. “The Song is You”fairly bursts with joy.

Johnny Mandel’s melancholy odeto love and loss “Living Without You” isa great choice for Henderson’s endear-ing confessional style. “Tulip or Turnip”is a clever finale, bringing good humorto self-doubt.

Henderson’s voice is a warm andsupple instrument that is never too farfrom the roots of gospel, soul and theblues. With “Beautiful Memory,” he hasreestablished his reputation as one ofthe best male jazz vocalists of the last50 years. Let’s hope there are manymemories yet to come.

Jazz on CD continued from page 15

BILL HENDERSONBeautiful Memorial: Live atthe VicAhuh Records

SONNY ROLLINSRoad Shows, Vol. 1Doxy Records

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That’s what makes “Road Shows,Vol. 1” so enjoyable. It serves upsome of the best Rollins recordingscaptured over the last several decadesand instantly re-establishes his creden-tials as a giant among jazzmen.

Totaling nearly 72 minutes, theseven tracks were recorded between1980 and 2007, reminding us again ofthe tremendous breadth and depth ofthe Rollins oeuvre. Rollins has beenrecording since the early 1950s andcontinues to perform at age 78.

“Best Wishes,” from a May 25,1986, performance in Tokyo, virtuallysurges with that famous Rollins en-thusiasm and visceral power. Fromthere we are transported to Toulouse,France, for a 2006 concert and an in-credible version of the ballad standard“More Than You Know.” It offers thetrademark Rollins at his finest, insert-ing and embellishing familiar musicalquotations with ease. Previously un-recorded, “Blossom” is taken from a1980 jazz festival in Sweden. It hasRollins on fire, ably aided and abettedby pianist Mark Soskin, bassist JeromeHarris and drummer Al Foster.

Congress Hall in Warsaw 1980is the unusual setting for an emotion-ally charged performance of the bal-lad “Easy Living.” Soskin apparentlywas provided with a piano that hadnot been properly tuned and voiced,but he overcomes its shortcomingswith a great solo. In his solo cadenza,Rollins takes the tune—and the lis-tener—on a bold excursion to new,uncharted and thrilling territory.

Rollins revisits “Tenor Madness”in spectacular form during a 2000performance in Tama City, Japan. Hissqualling, snarling sax righteously ex-plores the blues changes from everyangle. No Rollins collection would becomplete without a calypso, and his“Nice Lady” serves the purpose wellin a 12-minute performance recordedin Victoria, B.C., in 2007. Andersonturns in a fine extended solo beforeturning it over to Uncle Sonny.

Aptly named, “A Duet of One”rightfully implies the singularity ofpurpose, the extrasensory dialogueand the compatible virtuosity of clari-netist Eddie Daniels and pianist RogerKellaway. It also implies the seat-of-the-pants immediacy of its live set-ting, The Jazz Bakery in Los Ange-les, where it was recorded March 30to April 2, 2005.

Daniels and Kellaway quicklyestablish their amazing talents with“I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,”taken at a swinging mid-tempo thatgently urges the participants to everhigher feats of improvisation and one-upmanship. Equally proficient on tenor

Rollins has maintained a loyalcoterie of musicians over the yearsand most of them are representedhere—trombonist Anderson, guitaristBobby Broom, pianists Soskin andStephen Scott, bassists BobCranshaw and Harris, and drummersFoster, Victor Lewis, Perry Wilson,and Steve Jordan. The closer, “SomeEnchanted Evening,” is a rare andvery special trio performance withbassist Christian McBride and drum-mer Roy Haynes.

Of course, the amazing musiccontained in “Road Shows, Vol. 1”begs the obvious question. When canwe expect more of the best from theliving master of the tenor sax?

Jazz on Disc continued on page 18

saxophone, Daniels here eschews thatinstrument’s larger, robust and metal-lic sound for the brighter, woodier toneof the clarinet. The result is a morelevel playing field for the two featuredinstruments, and the two artists re-spond accordingly.

Daniels’ composition “SlowDance” is, indeed, a swirling, terpsi-chorean delight that inspires splendidsolo statements from each of thedance “partners.” His tune “AdagioSwing” liberates Daniels to soar on asolo clarinet flight before turning itover to Kellaway, whose two-fistedtechnique simultaneously maintains apulsing, left-hand rhythm pattern whileascending into the upper registers withthe right.

Their whimsical, imaginative per-formance of “I Want to Be Happy”is as carefree and exuberant as itstitle. Free of a rigid rhythm pattern,Daniels and Kellaway carry on a veryhigh-brow jazz conversation—makingsolo statements, responding with wittyrepartee and occasionally mixing it upin a polite “shouting” match. HoagyCarmichael’s “New Orleans” gets arelaxed, bluesy reading in which thetwo instruments blend beautifully inpitch and mood.

Kellaway’s loping, rhythmicallyambiguous “This Is the Time” ironi-cally leaves the listener wonderingexactly where the “time” is. Would-be dancers, beware! The two returnto more familiar ground with a daz-zling uptempo display of technique onthe standard “After You’ve Gone.”They trade fours with ease, continu-ously upping the ante for the nextsmoking chorus and inspiring the au-dience to enthusiastic applause.

“Blue Waltz,” another Danielstune, is a perfect vehicle for thecomposer’s warm and woody clari-net at a meditative ballad tempo. Onhis ballad “Love of My Life,” it isKellaway’s turn to romanticize and he

EDDIE DANIELS &ROGER KELLAWAYA Duet of One: Live atthe BakeryIPO Recordings

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Page 18 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

“Till I Get It Right” is the wel-come return of jazzy vocalist MarkWinkler, six years after his wonderfultribute to Bobby Troup, the composerof such hip classics as “Route 66.”His latest release is a showcase forhis own lyric-writing talents and hisability to shift gears from uptemposwingers to romantic ballads.

Based in Los Angeles, Winklerhas assembled a crack West Coastband that includes saxophonist BobSheppard, guitarist Anthony Wilson,trumpeter Ron Blake, keyboardistJamieson Trotter, bassist Dan Lutzand drummer Steve Hass.

On the title track, Trotterdoubles on piano and Hammond B3to create a funky, propulsive kick with

With a reputation so firmly es-tablished in the world of Latin jazzand, in particular, those subgenres ofBrazilian samba, bossa nova andchoro, it comes as a great surprise thatThe Sons of Brazil had, until recently,only one recording in 17 years. To theband’s enthusiastic fan base, whichextends well beyond its Kansas City,Mo., home, the arrival of “While YouWere Out” is long overdue.

The Berman Music Founda-tion has followed the evolution of TheSons and its featured players withmuch interest, featuring the ensembleas part of the local Jazz in June seriesin 2002 and 2007 and catching themwhenever possible on their home turf.

For their latest outing, trumpeterStan Kessler has once again as-sembled some of KC’s finest musi-cians, including guitarist DannyEmbrey, pianist Roger Wilder, bassistGreg Whitfield, drummer DougAuwarter and percussions GaryHelm. On two tracks, Luiz Orsano isadded on percussion.

It is refreshing that most of the13 tunes were written by band mem-

a walking bass line and an wailingtenor sax solo that combines for adazzling opener. Winkler’s smooth,relaxed delivery reminds the listenerwhy he is often compared with suchvocal stylists as David Frishberg,Michael Franks and Mark Murphy, aWinkler fan who contributed the linernotes.

Winkler cleverly celebrates gor-mandizing while thumbing his nose atthe diet-crazy world with “How CanThat Make You Fat?” On the MarilynHarris tune “Cool,” he croons hisoriginal lyrics soulfully and sexily induet with Cheryl Bentyne of Manhat-tan Transfer. “Cool” also featuressome very cool bass work by Lutz.

“Spring Is Where You Are” is alove ballad written by Steve Allen,another prolific tunesmith with a pen-chant for clever lyrics and the soundof cool. Wilson’s guitar is a perfectfoil for Winkler’s touching rendition.Joshua Redman’s “lowercase,” withlyrics by Winkler and Lori Barth,seems an unconventional choice, butthe bluesy, moody tune works well andis assisted by Sheppard’s marveloustenor sax playing and the intensedrumming of Hass.

Winkler pays homage to TrumanCapote on “Sissies,” with music bycollaborator Louis Durra. “In a LonelyPlace” is another Marilyn Harris com-position, this time a sensitive balladwith Winkler lyrics and featuringBlake on muted trumpet and Trotteron piano. The Harris-Winkler tune“Future Street” is an easy-swingingblues with enticing lines such as,“There’s a girl that’s waiting for me,with tomorrow in her eyes.”

The Ivan Lins samba “Evolution”gets a new coat of paint with lyricsby Brock Walsh that draw the con-clusion that “evolution is a state ofmind.” Winkler’s descriptive wordsfor Durra’s “How to Pack a Suitcase”tell a witty tale of the sweet sorrowof parting. “In the Moment” is a ro-mantic Mike Melvoin tune with a

Jazz on CD continued from page 17

does so with tenderness, grace andbeauty. “We’ll Always Be Together”is Daniels’ lyrical statement of hopeand the embodiment of this joyful andfruitful duo collaboration.

Not released until 2008, this verylive session is another jewel from IPORecordings, which is responsible foranother of last year’s best jazz CDs,the collaboration between JamesMoody and Hank Jones called “OurDelight.” The label has wisely cho-sen to focus on seasoned musicianswho are still performing at a very highlevel of creativity and have not got-ten the attention they deserve.

Latin lilt and some nice acoustic gui-tar-piano trades.

“You Might as Well Live,” adreamy, bittersweet ballad by DanSiegel with lyrics by Winkler and Har-ris, closes the set with a message ofspiritual courage and triumph overlife’s challenges and disappointments.

MARK WINKLERTill I Get It RightFreeHam Records

THE SONS OF BRASILWhile You Were OutStanding Bear Records

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bers, with only two covers by Brazil-ian master Antonio Carolos Jobim, oneby Joao Bosco and one by JoseRoberto Bertrami. Kessler’s warmand breezy flugelhorn set the moodfor his set-opening tune, “Joao.”Embrey and Wilder expand on thatmood with gently swinging solos.

Whitfield establishes the funky,fusion underpinnings of Bertrami’s“Partido Alto,” inspiring Wilder to aHerbie Hancock-style foray on theelectric keyboard, and Kessler’s play-ing is reminiscent of the late, greatFreddie Hubbard in his bright, spiritedsolo. Embrey contributed three tunes,including the melodic masterpiece“Journey,” which gives the guitaristan opportunity to explore imaginativechanges with his deft fretwork.

Kessler gives the Jobim classic“Desafinado” a respectful arrange-ment that emphasizes his luxuriousflugelhorn tone against Wilder’s pianoharmonies and a brief, but brilliantEmbrey solo. With Kessler’s “Salva-dor,” the band returns to a pumping,rhythmic feel, featuring thecomposer’s soaring trumpet andOrsano adding another layer ofpolyrhythmic percussion.

“Bala Com Bala,” by Bosco, hasa clever circular pattern that gives thepiece an infectious forward motionand keeps the musicians and the lis-tener enthralled. Kessler’s playing issimply virtuosic in its confidence andexecution. “Migration” is a gentleEmbrey composition with some in-triguingly melancholy “blue” chordsthat resolve upward, finally creatinga more affirmative mood. The titletrack, a collaboration betweenWhitfield and Kessler, churns with adriving bass line, some two-fistedplaying by Wilder and some high-notepyrotechnics by Kessler, capped by apercussion tour de force.

Jobim’s “Surfboard” does seemto ride the crest of a wave. You canalmost feel the ocean spray in its leap-ing chord structure and the lilting per-

formances by all. “I’ve Got Samba”is Kessler’s rambunctious tribute tothe genre that popularized the dance-friendly music of Brazil for millionsof Americans. Embrey’s romanticballad “Tell Me Now” is exquisitelybeautiful, and it gets the perfect back-ing with Kessler’s sensitive flugelhornand Wilder’s understated piano an-choring the guitarist’s melodic treat-ment. Wilder contributed the gentlyswaying and curiously titled “EssoBees.” The set ends with Kessler’sstrutting, bluesy “If It Feels Good.”

Perhaps as a nod to their loyalfans in Lincoln, most of the photosincluded in the CD liner are from thatmemorable Jazz in June concert of2007, shot by BMF photographer RichHoover. “While You Were Out” isdefinitely IN, in the coolest sense ofthe word.

Guitarist David Boswell is amongthe many fusion jazz pickers whoopenly emulate Pat Metheny, arguablythe most influential guitarist of the last30 years. Boswell, a San Francisconative, goes so far as to characterizea Metheny concert that he attendedat age 16 as “a religious experience.”

Boswell’s approach to the mu-sic is not mere slavish duplication. Withhis third solo effort, 2009’s “I LikeThat,” he builds on the fusion modelwith a strong band of like-minded ad-venturers, including Yellowjacketsbassist Jimmy Haslip, saxophonist

Nelson Rangell (on three tracks), hisbrother John Boswell on piano, anddrummer M.B. Gordy III. The resultis a product with crossover potentialwith jazz, rock and New Age fans.

With Boswell on assorted elec-tric and acoustic guitars, mandolin,synthesized guitar, keys and voice, thetitle track is a paean to Metheny’sbreezy style and wide-ranging tech-nique. Like his mentor, Boswell buildsthe intensity to a breath-taking climax.On “Tightrope,” A serious funkbackbeat, Rangell’s keening sax andHaslip’s solid rhythmic foundationform a potent backdrop for Boswell’srock guitar excursion. “It’s Possible”combines unison guitar and sax linesto a decidedly mellowing effect,rather like a cup of herbal tea.

Metheny is again evoked on thebeautiful “Awaken the Gentle Giant,”with multi-tracked vocal harmoniesand John Boswell’s meditative pianoleading into a dynamic Haslip solo anda soaring synth guitar interlude. “LittleSteps on a Long Road,” like“Awaken,” marries a soaring guitarwith wordless vocals. One of the mostinteresting tracks is “Come and GetMe,” with Boswell playing all the in-struments, including guitars, keys, syn-thesizer, bass and voice.

“Across the Plains” is an unfor-tunate allusion to Metheny’s Plains-themed tunes, but the Missouri-bornMetheny comes by his inspirationnaturally. On “Westward Path” thesolo Boswell evokes a rural flavor onmandolin and a keyboard “harmonica”sound, avoiding easy comparisons andcreating a simple, but endearingmelody.

While Boswell occasionallytakes a bold step away from theMetheny camp, he eventually returnsto safer ground. Until the guitaristfinds a truly individual sound andbreaks the Metheny mold, he will for-ever be compared with his elder, whois a much more sophisticated com-poser and player.

DAVID BOSWELLI Like ThatMy Quiet Moon Records

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Page 20 Berman Music Foundation Jazz

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Berman Music FoundationSkylight GalleryThe Burkholder Project719 P StreetLincoln, NE 68508

Butch Berman and singer Kendra Shank were fast friendssince BMF consultant Russ Dantzler first introduced them inNew York City in 1995. In this photo, Shank is flanked byButch and Russ. Shank and her band will return to Lincolnfor a Jazz in June performance on June 16. Shank oncereferred to Butch Berman as “a jazz evangelist.”

From the Archives

Butch, Kendra Shank andRuss Dantzler in NYC

File Photo