JUNE2011

KURT ELLING

JR. DRINKWATER

STEPHANIE JORDAN CHRIS THOMAS KING

JOE DONATODUWAYNE BURNSIDE MIKE GERBER

DANNY BURGER BB KING DEBBIE ORTA

BRAD VICKERS IRA SULLIVAN

WENDY PEDERSEN

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WINNING SPINSDURING HIS 14-YEAR RECORDINGcareer, vocalist Kurt Elling has receivedGrammy nominations for every CD he’sreleased. Of course, he didn’t actually win forany of his first seven mostly original efforts.But he finally collected a Best Jazz VocalAlbum Grammy for the themed 2009 releaseDedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Musicof Coltrane and Hartman.

Grammy voters love tributes, especially toclassic collaborations like the self-titled 1963LP by saxophonist John Coltrane and vocalistJohnny Hartman. Elling splits the differencebetween homage and originality on his newrelease The Gate, eschewing a theme butfocusing mainly on creative arrangements ofpop covers. And the unorthodox selections,plus impressive performances by the singerand his all-star sidemen, make it likely thathis nominations streak will continue.

The Chicago-born singer’s vocalese skillssometimes fuel a hipster persona that obscureshis musicality, but The Gate showcases someof the four-octave baritone’s best pure singing.The Don Was-produced disc opens with theunlikeliest of jazz covers, a group arrange-ment (with Bob Belden) of “Matte Kudasai,”from the 1981 Discipline album by progressiverock godfathers King Crimson.

Bassist John Patitucci, drummer and per-cussionist Terreon Gulley and longtime Ellingpianist Laurence Hobgood morph the originalguitar-driven ballad into unrecognizable territory with their delicate intro. OnlyElling’s reverent vocal—and the solo ofunderrated Chicago guitarist John McLean—hint at the soaring contributions of KingCrimson’s singing guitarist Adrian Belew.

Other pleasant surprises come courtesy of1970s R&B icons. Hobgood’s arrangement ofthe Earth, Wind & Fire hit “After the Love HasGone” features a dramatic building intro, anaching Elling vocal that covers the breadth ofhis range, and subtle nuances by tenor saxo-phonist Bob Mintzer. The pianist also arrangedStevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady,” on which Ellingcops some of Wonder’s signature phrasingthrough lines both sung and scatted.

Two other pop covers fall short by compar-ison. The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” suffersfrom a forcibly different arrangement by

Hobgood and Elling that removes the origi-nal’s Middle Eastern elements. Its highlight isthe absurd middle solo by McLean, whoseemed to realize that the only approach tothis staggered, outside arrangement was totake it further out. Hobgood also arrangedJoe Jackson’s 1980s pop hit “Steppin’ Out,”which, in contrast, is too much like the original.The swinging shuffle was inspired by trum-peter Nicholas Payton’s version, but thattake didn’t feature a clichéd Elling vocal thatgoes straight to Vegas without passing go.

However, those prove mere hiccups. MilesDavis’ “Blue in Green,” from the 1959 classicKind of Blue, features Hobgood echoing BillEvans as Elling hits soaring, sustained falsettonotes that approximate an instrument morethan a human voice. The singer even harmo-nizes with himself on lyrics written by AlJarreau and Frank Martin. Elling also addsvocal harmonies to the Herbie Hancock-AlleeWillis composition “Come Running to Me,”arranged with Belden and Hobgood and high-lighted by the pianist’s playful, intermittentnote choices.

by Bill Meredith

KURT ELLING

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A pair of original compositions stand out. On theinfectious “Samurai Cowboy,” written by Elling andbassist Marc Johnson, the singer is obviously having fun, sounding like he’s reciting stream-of-consciousness lyrics over his own multilayeredvocal tracks. The only instrumental accompanimentis a sparse, 6/8-timed rhythmic cadence by percus-sionist Lenny Castro, plus humorous blasts byMintzer, who sounds like he’s literally playing ina different room.

The nine-minute closer, “Nighttown, LadyBright,” was composed by the late pianist DonGrolnick, and Elling’s additional lyrics paint acinematic portrait of a jazz musician’s life.Patitucci’s evocative solo, and the singer’s spoken recitation ofwords written by Duke Ellington in his 1973 autobiography Music is MyMistress, close The Gate with supreme elegance.

Kurt Elling performs June 11 at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center in FortLauderdale. Visit Southfloridajazz.org or call 954-462-0222.

WINNING SPINS

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WENDY PEDERSEN & DEBBIE ORTA JAZZ GALS: CELEBRATING THE SONGS OFBILLIE HOLIDAY AND PEGGY LEESUNRISE CIVIC CENTER, SUNRISE/JUNE 3Two of South Florida’s most versatile jazz vocalists,Wendy Pedersen and Debbie Orta, will display theirrange in this tribute to two iconic yet disparatesingers. Billie Holiday’s husky, aching voice was onlypart of her complex picture. She was one of the firstAfrican-American artists to tour the Deep South inArtie Shaw’s band, and one of the first female com-posers of a future jazz standard with “God Bless theChild” (written with Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939).Peggy Lee was of Scandinavian descent, toured withBenny Goodman, and had a huge hit with her coy ren-

dition of “Fever.” Shealso penned standardssuch as “It’s a GoodDay” and “Mañana (IsSoon Enough forMe).” Pedersen, who’sbeen touring with thevocal quartet MadRomance, is a UMmusic grad who’s wonawards as both a jazzand rock vocalist.Orta is working on herdebut jazz CD and isequally adept in Latin,funk and pop styles.BM

S P O T L I G H TSTEPHANIE JORDANDAYTONA MUSEUM OF ARTS & SCIENCES/JUNE 5Born into a New Orleans musical family, vocalistStephanie Jordan possesses a relaxed, stately deliverythat radiates the influence of the Big Easy. And she’scontinued to wow audiences even after things becamenot-so-easy there. Uprooted from her home after Katrina,Jordan took part in a Jazz at Lincoln Center hurricanerelief benefit concert with Cassandra Wilson, DianaKrall and Dianne Reeves. Alongside siblings Marlon(trumpet), Kent (flute) and Rachel (violin), Jordandelivered a passionate rendition of “Here’s to Life.”Recently, the masterful interpreter joined the ChicagoJazz Ensemble for a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and

Sarah Vaughan. Of herversion of “Lullaby ofBirdland,” The ChicagoTribune’s HowardReich wrote, “Thesinger had plenty ofspace in which toimprovise—and madethe most of it. At somepoints, the melodiccontours and rhythmicsyntax of the originalwere barely percepti-ble, Jordan inventingcreative musical struc-tures at every turn.”BM

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DANNY BURGER QUARTETMUSICIANS SHOWCASE @ BLUE JEAN BLUES, FT. LAUDERDALE/WEDNESDAYSMRS. MURPHY’S PUB, FT. LAUDERDALE/JUNE 5Great drummers rarely have trouble finding work,which explains why South Florida’s own DannyBurger hardly ever has a night off. His playing exudespersonality, plus technique honed at the University ofRochester’s Eastman School of Music in New York.Burger hasn’t achieved international stardom, buthe’s performed with people who have, including DizzyGillespie, Jaco Pastorius and James Moody. One of thearea’s ultimate accompanists, he’s recently backedtouring artists vocalist Giacomo Gates, saxophonistHouston Person and pianist Norman Simmons. With

his own band, Burgershowcases his singularmethods, which includethe use of cowbellsand “tompani,” thecustomized drum onwhich he blows into atube to vary the airpressure and changethe tuning. Burger’sbands include top areatalent, and on June 5,he’ll be joined by long-time comrade IraSullivan at Blue JeanBlues. BM

S P O T L I G H TIRA SULLIVAN & FRIENDSDAVIS ART CENTER, FORT MYERS/JUNE 9ARTS GARAGE, DELRAY BEACH/JUNE 11For multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan, the secret tobecoming a jazz octogenarian is likely not dwelling onthe past. Sullivan has always looked to the future—exemplified by his move 50 years ago from Chicago toSouth Florida after he’d become a rising star in theWindy City. The gifted trumpeter, saxophonist andflutist played with Charlie Parker and Red Rodney inChicago and toured with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengersbefore taking that fateful trip south. Sullivan has paid itforward ever since, nurturing jazz stars Jaco Pastoriusand Pat Metheny, as well as generations of area musicians. That trend continues through his teaching

at UM’s Frost Schoolof Music’s YoungMusicians SummerMusic Camp. Sullivanalso recorded a liveCD last year with theDePaul UniversityJazz Ensemble atChicago’s Jazz Show-case. For his FortMyers concert, he’ll bejoined by saxman LewDel Gatto, trumpeterDan Miller, pianistJerry Stawski, bassistScott Smith and drum-mer Ron Hefner. BM

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BRAD VICKERS AND HIS VESTAPOLITANSBIG EASY, HOLLYWOOD/JUNE 2HURRICANE, MARATHON/JUNE 3-4Even if you weren’t aware of guitarist Brad Vickers’bona fides, you’d recognize his commitment to theblues as soon as you heard him play or sing. After all,the cat named his band for a country-blues tuning(also known as open E or open D). Vickers balances hislove of old-timey blues and rags with sensibilitiesrooted in gritty West Side Chicago blues. As a bassist,he’s backed legends such as Hubert Sumlin, JimmyRogers, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Lightnin’ Slim. All thisis evident in Vickers’ music, as heard on last year’sterrifically entertaining Stuck With the Blues, whichincludes gems by major influences Tampa Red, Jimmy

Reed, Chuck Berryand Jelly Roll Morton.Vickers also expertlyconjures his heroes onoriginals such as “ColdFish” and “What AboutMe,” and receives superbsupport f rom hisband, which includesMargey Peters onbass, fiddle and vocals.The players, includingWest Side blues-guitargreat Bobby Radcliff,reupped for Vickers’brand-new release,Traveling Fool. BW

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JOE DONATO WITH MIKE GERBERMIAMI SHORES COUNTRY CLUB, MIAMI SHORES/THURSDAYSTo refer to Joe Donato simply as a “saxophonist” is tosell him short. His capabilities on soprano, alto, tenorand baritone saxes and clarinet make “woodwindplayer” a more accurate description. The son ofSicilian immigrants, Donato initially wanted to studyaccordion in his native New Jersey. But a neighborwho taught saxophone hastened an early formativechoice. Donato’s emotive, versatile playing caught theear of University of Miami School of Music dean BillLee in 1969, resulting in a scholarship. Since arrivingin Miami on New Year’s Day of 1970, Donato hasearned multiple degrees from the school, started a

teaching career andbecome one of SouthFlorida’s favoritemulti-instrumentalists.In pianist MikeGerber, Donato ispaired with anotherheroic area musician,whose touch, tech-nique and range ofideas keep him in thevanguard of Florida’sjazz elite. BM

S P O T L I G H T

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JR. DRINKWATER AND THE WEST SIDE BLUES BANDBACK ROOM, DELRAY/WEDNESDAYSFew South Florida blues singers command the sheersoul power of Jr. Drinkwater. The Mississippi nativedraws on experiences from the cotton fields of hisyouth to the boxing rings of Miami, where he foughtin the late 1960s. Fortunately, Drinkwater left thesquared circle for the club circuit, and he’s beenknocking out South Florida audiences with his sweat-raising performances for decades. Drinkwater has along association with Delray’s Back Room and its gui-tar-playing owner John Yurt, who plays fiery licksbehind Drinkwater along with guitarist SteveSiciliano. The group’s West Side Blues Band moniker

not only honors artistssuch as Magic Sam,Otis Rush and BuddyGuy, but also WestSide Liquors, Yurt’sfamily business.Drinkwater is amongthe nicest cats in thebusiness, but he cancut you bad with thatvoice on tunes such as“They Call Me LittleJ.R.” and “Last TwoDollars.” BW

S P O T L I G H TB.B. KINGSAENGER THEATRE, PENSACOLA /JUNE 9At age 85, B.B. King hardly seems ready for therockin’ chair. The King of the Blues recently returnedfrom a tour of Australia, and this summer he’s motor-ing through the Southern states before jetting toEurope. Preceding his trip to Florida, King andLucille will head to Jackson, Miss., and take part in anall-star concert celebrating the Grammy legacy of hishomestate. The Indianola-born Riley B. King, a.k.a.“The Beale Street Blues Boy,” collected his 15thGrammy for his excellent 2008 release One KindFavor. With deep feeling and supreme artistry, Kingpersonalized tunes by Blind Lemon Jefferson, LonnieJohnson, T-Bone Walker and the Mississippi Sheiks.

Reviving his early his-tory as a popular radiopersonality on WDIAin Memphis, King nowhas a home onSiriusXM. His pro-gram, B.B. King’sBluesville, featureshis insights into clas-sic and contemporaryblues. King alwaystravels with atopflight band, and heplays down-home oruptown blues withequal authority. BW

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AD-Footsteps AD-Ft. Pierce

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CHRIS THOMAS KINGVINYL MUSIC HALL, PENSACOLA/JUNE 25Chris Thomas King literally grew up in the blues. Hisdad, swamp-blues great Tabby Thomas, owned a pop-ular juke joint in Baton Rouge. So, naturally, Kingspeaks the language of the blues as easily as breath-ing, although he’s hardly bound by tradition. In fact,his releases have incorporated R&B, hip-hop and hardrock. But King has been most often recognized for hismastery of country-blues, as reflected in his deftacoustic-guitar picking and quietly soulful vocals. Heplayed a fictional composite of country blues artists inthe Coen Brothers movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?and portrayed Blind Willie Johnson in the documen-tary Soul of a Man. King’s discography, however,

alternates betweentraditional and more-modern recordings.Interestingly, his mostrecent release is titledCaught in Between, agood description of anartist who might blis-ter the frets on a ver-sion of Freddie King’s“Tore Down” andthen bust out theacoustic for a seduc-tive read of RobertJohnson’s “Come onin My Kitchen.” BW

S P O T L I G H TDUWAYNE BURNSIDEBRADFORDVILLE BLUES,TALLAHASSEE/JUNE 30Born in Senatobia, Miss., Duwayne Burnside learnedthe blues at the side of Hill Country masters: namely,his dad, R.L. Burnside, and the mesmerizing JuniorKimbrough. Obviously, the young guitarist absorbedthe feel of this raucous, sometimes majestic brand ofblues while playing in the Burnside family bandSound Machine Groove, as well as in Kimbrough’sSoul Blues Boys. He also had the opportunity to playwith artists such as Albert King, B.B. King and BobbyBlue Bland, and developed a sound that merges hyp-notic Hill Country rhythms and tonalities with soul,funk and rock. Burnside’s recorded with his own

band, the MississippiMafia, as well as withthe North MississippiAll Stars. And, follow-ing in Kimbrough’sfootsteps, he opened aclub, the BurnsideBlues Cafe, in HollySprings in 2004. In2006, his recordingUnder Pressure wasnominated for a BluesMusic Award for BestNew Artist Debut.BW

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Bill MeredithPHOTO CREDITS: Brad Vickers cover byAhron R. Foster, Ira Sullivan cover by Howard Gitelson

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