William N. Law Blog: April 2017

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Melvin Sparks: Live at Nectar's

Just three months before guitarist Melvin Sparks died on March 15, 2011 at age 64, he recorded at a club in Burlington, Vt., called Nectar's, a club that's still there today (go here). Sparks was backed by members of his working trio—organist Beau Sasser and drummer Bill Carbone. But on this night, he added alto saxophonist Dave Grippo and tenor saxophonist Brian McCarthy. It had been several years since Sparks last used horns.

Now this live date has been released as Live at Nectar's (One Note) in the digital and vinyl formats. According to the credits, it was recorded by Caleb Bronz on Dec. 30, 2010, a working drummer based in Burlington. According to the liner notes by Bill Carbone, Caleb had the approval of Sparks and Nectar's Alex Budney. It seems the recording was a favor to Sparks, since the credits thank Sparks's family for "making the album possible." [Photo above courtesy of Nectar's]

Sparks, of course, was one of the leading guitarists of the soul-jazz movement starting in the mid-1960s. Born in Houston, Sparks started playing guitar at 11 and began working in high school with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters and then Little Richard's Upsetters, Little Richard's touring band in the 1950s. Sparks moved to New York several yearslater to work as a session guitarist at Blue Note Records, and he released his first leadership album, Sparks!, in 1970, thanks, I'm sure to Bob Porter and the crew at Prestige. From there, Sparks recorded on a long string of soul-jazz gems. His great strength was powerful rhythm playing and soulful solos.

On Live at Nectar's, the quintet recorded Leon Spencer Jr.'s Miss Riverside, the hit Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Got), Rusty Bryant and Jerry Taylor's Fire Eater, Sparks' Cranberry Sunshine, Bobby Womack's Breezin' and Sparks' funky Whip! Whop!.

The sound on this album is fantastic, and the soul-jazz is just the way it was back in the early 1970s. It has heat, energy and lots of soul, with Sparks taking lyrical guitar solos and laying down a thick mattress of rhythm playing when the horns are soloing. If you love this period of music, you're going to want to own it.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Melvin Sparks' Live at Nectar's (One Note) here.

JazWax clip: Here's Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Got)...

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Friday, April 28, 2017

Cal, Leslie and Junior

This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed Cal Ripken Jr. for my "House Call" column on growing up the son of a baseball player and how his disciplined childhood helped him become a Baltimore Orioles star and Hall of Famer (go here). Known as the "Iron Man" for setting the record for the most consecutive games played (2,632), Cal knew he wanted to be a ball player from the time he was a ball boy on his father's minor league team.

Also in the WSJ this weekend, I interviewed blues guitarist and singer Robert Cray on the soul-gospel music of O.V. Wright, who is largely unknown today (go here).

Fred Astaire digs Donovan. Rock guitarist and former member of the Bongos Richard Barone sent along a link to Fred Astaire dancing to Donovan's Mellow Yellow in 1967...

Billy Mitchell. Following my post on tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell, Les Johnston sent along a link to a video clip of Mitchell playing with Gatemouth Brown in 1977...

Sonny Rollins Bridge. In case you missed it, Amanda Petrusich in the New Yorker magazine wrote in April about a push to rename the Williamsburg Bridge for tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Sonny, of course, spent nearly two years outdoors on the bridge practicing before resuming his performing and recording career in 1961 (go here). Here's Sonny, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Ben Cranshaw and drummer Ben Riley in 1962 playing Sonny's composition The Bridge...

Harold McNair. Following my interview with arranger John Cameron on flutist Harold McNair, Weso send me the following note:

"Harold McNair is one my favorite musicians. The energy and inventiveness he had, particularly on flute, have stood the test of time. In my opinion, his two finest flute solos are on Here, There and Everywhere, from The Fence...

"...and on O Barqhuino, from Affectionate Fink...

"McNair was a regular visitor to Liverpool in the 1960s. Some of my older friends remember seeing him play here and all said he was a very nice guy. I believe he was a close friend of Joe Harriott. They went to the same school in Jamaica—the Alpha Boys School.

"Why McNair is not more widely known and respected is indeed a shame. Along with many other Caribbean musicians arriving in the U.K. in the post-war years, he made a significant contribution to the British music scene."
Duke Ellington radio. WKCR-FM will present its annual "Duke Ellington Birthday Broadcast" on Saturday, April 29. The Dukes music will be played around the clock starting Friday night at 11:59 p.m. (EST) and then all day and night on Saturday. You can listen on your computer and smartphone from anywhere in the world by going here.

Junior Mance. The Kickstarter campaign to raise sufficient funds to finish Sunset and the Mockingbird, a documentary on the pianist's life, is nearing its target. Please help push them over the top by going here.

Leslie Pintchik. If you're in New York on Thursday May 11, head over to Kitano Jazz on Park Ave. South to hear this remarkable jazz pianist. Leslie will be performing with her trio—bassist Scott Hardy and drummer Michael Sarin. Reservations are strongly suggested. Sets are at 8 and 10 p.m. The phone number for reservations is (212) 885-7119. I plan on catching the 8 p.m. set. See you there!

What the heck. Why was Chuck Berry special? Here's the entire Belgian TV show that featured the rock 'n' roll singer-guitarist-composer in 1965...

Oddball album cover of the week.

Last week I featured Dinner in Mexico, an album with an ill-advised green-tinted cover. This week we fly to Caracas (above), where you'll dine in a restaurant where your date will give you her undivided attention. Courtesy of Chuck Brown.

And as it turns out, all of your dates on these album covers will be checking out the action or wondering when the food is coming...

Here's how Dinner in Caracas sounds...

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Dying at Work in California: 388 Workers Didn’t Come Home

Recently released data show 388 workers were killed on the job in California in 2015, more than one per day. This and other findings are included in a report released on Workers Memorial Day by Worksafe.

Recently released data show 388 workers were killed on the job in California in 2015, more than one per day. This and other findings are included in a report released today by Worksafe, an Oakland-based worker health and safety organization, to commemorate Workers Memorial Day 2017, an international day of remembrance for workers who have been killed and injured at work.

from Safety http://ift.tt/2ptANT4

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Jazz Cultural Theatre Lives!

Back in 1982, pianist Barry Harris opened a jazz club in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. Harris followed in the wake of a long tradition. Musicians from Shelly Manne and Buddy Rich to Count Basie and others over the years took stabs at running music establishments. The difference was the kind of club that Harris operated.

Called the Jazz Cultural Theatre, the space was partnership founded by Harris and promoters Jim Harrison and Frank Fuentes. The exterior of the club on Eight Ave. between 28th and 29th St. looked like a storefront. Inside, as I recall from my many visits, there was a wide, long entryway that ended in a sizable rectangular space where tables was situated along with the stage area and a grand piano. Harris taught classes there during the day, and at night superb music was performed. I remember seeing the Jaki Byard Big Band as well as Bill Hardman and Junior Cook, Vernell Fournier, Walter Bishop Jr., Michael Weiss, Chris Anderson, Harris and many others. The club was forced to close in 1987 when its lease expired and the rent jumped.

Now, it turns out, a Jazz Cultural Theatre has opened in Bilbao, Spain (go here). Harris, of course, is no longer setting up tables; he's 87. Instead, the club in Spain was founded (with Harris's blessing) by pianist and Harris disciple Joshua Edelman and Cristina Santolaria, Edelman's wife and writer. Yesterday I came across this interesting video clip of the new space that the club uploaded in March. Makes me want to head over just to hang...

Three of the Dirty Dozen: Dedicated TCS, Nissan USA and Pilgrim’s Pride

The most recent statistics (for 2015) report 4,836 deaths due to workplace trauma and an estimated 95,000 additional deaths due to long-term occupational illnesses. These employers contributed to those numbers.

Preventable and tragic incidents happen each day in American workplaces. In a country that likes to pride itself on being ahead of the game, there are 100,000 fatalities a year that are the direct result of workers being exposed to hazards.

from Safety http://ift.tt/2pDtHMz

Jeremy Bethancourt Named 2017 ASSE Safety Professional of the Year

ASSE selects Bethancourt, director of safety, health and training for LeBlanc Building Co. Inc., for bringing attention to the dangers of distracted driving, heat stress and for being an advocate for fall prevention.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has named Jeremy Bethancourt, director of safety, health and training for LeBlanc Building Co. Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., as the organization’s 2017 Edgar Monsanto Queeny Safety Professional of the Year.

Besides holding the position of government affairs for ASSE’s Arizona chapter, Bethancourt has played a lead role in getting billboards posted throughout Arizona to bring attention to the dangers of distracted driving.

from Safety http://ift.tt/2oMVF3M

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Billy Mitchell: Detroit Colossus

It's a disgrace that many of Billy Mitchell's leadership albums aren't available on CD or by download. Mitchell was a tenor saxophonist of extraordinary power and skill, and yet today he's virtually unknown. Many jazz musicians had the misfortune of recording for labels in the 1960s and '70s that were so small that the master tapes were lost, erased or misplaced. In the case of Michell, several of his most important recordings were for Xanadu. Sadly, many of the label's master tapes were stored in New York and damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Two of Mitchell's best albums as a soloist were A Little Juicy and The Colossus of Detroit. The former was recorded in 1963 for Smash, a subsidiary of Mercury Records founded in 1961 by Mercury executives. Where the Smash masters are is anyone's guess.

A Little Juicy featured Thad Jones (tp), Billy Mitchell (ts), Richard Wyands (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Herman Wright (b) and Oliver Jackson Jr. (d). Mitchell's playing is extraordinary as he slides around fluidly, with a polished gruffness. Jones wrote four of the six tunes—A Little Juicy, Bossa Nova Ova, Brother Peabody and Kids Are Pretty People, a sophisticated ballad akin to one Horace Silver might have written. They also recorded the standard Stella by Starlight and Oliver Jr., written by Mitchell and Kenny Burrell.

The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra was still two years off, and Jones recorded frequently as a sideman during this period. When you hear Mitchell and Jones together, you're going to wish they had recorded several other albums like this.

The Colossus of Detroit is the edgier album of the two. By 1978, Mitchell had an more muscular tone that reminds me of Joe Henderson and Sonny Rollins—smokey, eel-like and full of force and conviction. The trio behind Mitchell featured Barry Harris (p), Sam Jones (b) and Walter Bolden (d).

Interestingly, the first song on Colossus is Recorda-Me by Henderson. Four standards follow—I Had the Craziest Dream, I Should Care, Unforgettable and How Am I to Know. The final song is Fats Domino's blues Be My Guest. Mitchell approached the standards like a singer, fully conscious of the lyric and eager to tell you a story with his saxophone. The album, in many ways, belongs to Mitchell and Harris, since the bop pianist is given wide solo room.

Hopefully, after this post, someone here or abroad will reissue Billy Mitchell's leadership dates, including the two covered in this post along with This Is Billy Mitchell, Warming Up (a Dave Burns leadership sessiion), De Lawd's Blues and Night Flight to Dakar and Xanadu in Africa, with Al Cohn. They're sensational.

JazzWax tracks: Both of these albums are extremely rare. I found a Japanese pressing of A Little Juicy on eBay for $60 and a sealed Xanadu original pressing of Colossus of Detroit for $29 (attention Zev Feldman).

JazzWax clips: Here's A Little Juicy in its entirety...

Here's Recorda-me from Colossus of Detroit...

And here's I Should Care...

A special thanks to Doug Paterson and Bill Kirchner.

William N. Law Blog