A short one today but this is a highly significant example from Jazz great Billy Drummond, demonstrating how to play a ballad with the brushes, using the melody of the standard "Laura" as a musical vehicle:
Drummond's brush strokes are beautiful and he creates a nice big, full and flowing sound...but his method of using the melody while playing is a nice reminder that "if you can sing it...you can play it!"
Welcome back and thanks for checking in for what is the very first Monday Morning Paradiddle column of 2019. Incidentally, this coming spring will represent the 10th anniversary of Four on the Floor. Holy smokes! We're still here! Anyways, as per usual, here's an assortment of interesting things to check out:
- Several great articles on the late, great Alvin Fielder (1935-2019) including:
- Ted Panken interviews Jeff Tain Watts with a "Before & After" listening session and another one from JazzTimes magazine
- Ralph Peterson Jr. interviewed by Neon Jazz:
- Pablo Held "investigates" Peter Erskine:
- A short, but quick AND spirited drum solo from Johnathan Blake:
- The Late Show's Joe Saylor with pianist Emmet Cohen:
- Lewis Nash reminds us all how to play a ballad (pay attention now everyone!):
- A very special thank you to Ted Warren, via his fine blog Trap'd, for finding this awesome, recent BBC documentary on the history of the drums, hosted by Stewart Copeland:
- And check out these cool George Way drums (and great drumming!) as played by Vancouver's Jesse Cahill:
Kirk MacDonald "The Atlantic Sessions" - Jerry Fuller (drums)
The Herbie Nichols Project "Strange City" - Matt Wilson (drums)
Kurt Rosenwinkel "Reflections" - Eric Harland (drums)
Dexter Gordon "Doin' Alright" - Al Harewood (drums)
- And today's Final Word goes to Anthony Tidd (via vibraphonist Joel Ross) over at the Facebook:
"Seven Steps to Solving Most Musicianship Issues"
If you are not good at something and, if you wish to improve, you should:
1) Identify said thing.
2) Admit that you are not good at said thing, and dispense with all ego.
3) Find somebody that is great at said thing.
4) If you can take lessons from this person or spend time around this person, do. If not, make a serious study of this person and the thing that you want to learn, using whatever means are at your disposal.
A simple conceptual exercise today, inspired by a lesson I took with Carl Allen many years ago and from Todd Bishop's recent blog post on playing music with "odd" forms. Check out his insightful commentary here.
Basically the above idea is an exercise that involves keeping the form while alternating between playing measures of Time and then improvising on the drums for a pre-determined number of bars. It's also an exercise in becoming comfortable with "odd" phrase lengths as well as shorter ones.
So here's the basic routine:
1) Choose a Time Signature (ie. 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 12/8, etc.)
2) Pick a Style (Swing, Afro-Cuban, ECM, etc.)
3) Choose a Tempo (slower is always better!)
4) Play Time for the first section, then solo/improvise over the second half. Repeat. Then go on to the next one
5) The idea is that you are free to play whatever you want in each section BUT the form (ie. the number of measures in each section) and tempo must be clear and respected at all times
A few other variations:
- Trying changing the time signature every time you reach a new section
- Stick with one phrase length for the timekeeping sections but cycle through the lengths of the solo sections (ie. 8-8, 8-7, 8-6, 8-5, etc.)
- Mix up the order in which you play each section
- It is advisable to plan these routines out in advance and maybe even write them down such as I did for reference (ie. a road map!)
- Once you are comfortable with each phrase length and the transitions between them, challenge yourself to play over-the-barline phrases within each section.
- Be creative and have fun. Challenge yourself
Anyways, it's not rocket science but I find little games like this really help me break out of my usual vocabulary. Personally I find it can be a bit cold to play like this without any melodic reference or framework but it IS a good exercise in sharpening one's concentration skills and overall attention to phrasing (a tune like Victor Feldman's "Joshua", made famous by Miles Davis and his quintet, comes to mind...)
I also suggest recording yourself while practicing this, listening back afterwards for the clarity and definition of each section. Imagine that you are the saxophone player in the band, listening patiently to the drum solo and anxiously wondering when you need to come back in with the melody!
This one was making the rounds of social media yesterday and I just had to share it. Here is a lesson in sustained musical accompaniment on the drums courtesy of Jack DeJohnette, backing up an all-star saxophone section featuring Michael Brecker, David Liebman, George Garzone and Joshua Redman, anchored by Geoff Keezer on piano and Christian McBride on bass (with a guest appearance by Dave Holland!) on the John Coltrane anthem "Impressions":
Amazingly Jack not only manages to keep a sustained energy and interest going through all those successive tenor solos, never once backing off, but then he takes an epic drum solo himself to cap everything off!
I've been messing around with some interesting cross-rhythm excercises and the idea of poly-rhythmic "layering" lately (more on this later...) and this prompted me to revisit this excellent tutorial from percussionist and rhythm guru Pete Lockett. Take some time to check this one out as there is a lot of great and practical information to be found here:
I'm hitting the road shortly so I will be taking a break from blogging for awhile. However, in the meantime, be sure to check out these latest two instalments from Chris Smith over at The Drum Hang: an episode on Billy Higgins' solo vocabulary AND an excellent tutorial on the how's and why's of feathering the bass drum (perhaps one of the most misunderstood and underrated tools of Jazz timekeeping). These two segments are quite long each of themselves so plenty to dig into while I'm gone. Hope you learn something from these excellent videos. I sure have!
Inspired by recent social media posts and drum videos from such drumming luminaries as Geoff Clapp, Chad Anderson, George Sluppick, Quincy Davis, Gavin Sorochan, Dan Weiss, Josh Jones, Ted Warren, Conor Guilfoyle, Todd Bishop, Chris Smith and many more...here's my humble contribution to the hive, a simple sticking pattern I came up with and some orchestrations around the drums. It's basically a variation on an old fashioned paradiddlediddle except with a extra note stuck on the end of each grouping, making it two seven-note patterns that alternate between each hand.
Here's what the basic sticking pattern looks like:
Rubim De Toledo and Carsten Rubeling both think it sounds like something Tain would play (I should be so lucky...but I'll take it!) In any event, hope you dig it.
Just a quick one today featuring Marcus Gilmore and some cool drumming on pianist David Virelles composition Nube (thanks to Four on the Floor correspondent Tim Mah for passing along this one!):
Chris Smith keeps knocking it out of the park with his wonderfully informed and delivered series of Jazz drumming videos via The Drum Hang on the YouTube. Lots of great information here to check out and think about (I know I am!) Check out his website for written examples of some of these concepts as well at: www.chrissmithjazzdrums.com
I've been quite busy these days, playing full-time for Calgary's Decidedly Jazz Dancework's recent production of "Better Get Hit in Your Soul!", an amazing contemporary Jazz dance show featuring the music of legendary bassist Charles Mingus. The show runs until January 20th as part of One Yellow Rabbit's annual High Performance Rodeo festival www.hprodeo.ca/2019/better-get-hit. This production was originally mounted in 2013 but this time it is presented in a significantly larger venue (DJD's amazing new home on 12th ave SE!) and with a few updated tweaks. The show was created and choreographed by the amazing Kimberley Cooper, featuring live and recorded music by Charles Mingus, all under the musical direction of Edmonton bassist Rubim de Toledo (and featuring yours truly on drums!)
Playing with dancers is one of my favourite things to do and working with this company, in particular, is a real honour. Furthermore, I get to play the music of Charles Mingus on a nightly basis with a killer band! It's been a real experience for me so far to play this music on a regular basis and really get inside his notes. Furthermore, I feel that Cooper has done an exceptional job of capturing the essence of Mingus' spirit through her choreography. Come check it out and you'll see what I mean!
Here's a little teaser trailer of what you'll see, featuring the DJD dance company and band on Mingus' up-tempo axe chaser "Tonight at Noon":
In the meantime, here's some of my favourite footage of Charles Mingus (and Dannie Richmond in particular) that I've been checking out lately for some motivation and inspiration:
Toronto's Morgan Childs will be swinging by Calgary's Buckingjam Palace later this month, performing with a great B3 Hammond organ trio on Saturday, January 26th. Learn more about this gig and this happening concert series here. He will also be appearing on the West Coast in the coming weeks with a variety of groups.
Morgan was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his recent activities:
Morgan Childs - The Four on the Floor Interview
January 2019
1) Tell us about your latest recording and touring project!
2) How did you choose your repertoire and sidemen?
I think it’s important to make music with people who you admire. It’s nice to have a combination of some familiarity and some unknown factors; that creates energy and excitement on stage. In terms of the repertoire, I tend to think of sets of music to create a certain vibe for the listener. I want the experience of listening to my groups to be detailed and intriguing for the listener, and I want the musicians to feel like they are free to express themselves in THEIR way. That’s very important to me… to honour the contribution of the musicians by finding music that suits a certain facet of their musical voice.
In the case of the organ trio, I have a pretty long history of playing with Hammond organ, and have a love for the instrument. I got to hear and play with the late great Bob Murphy quite a bit when I lived in Vancouver, as well as Chris Gestrin, Vanessa Rodrigues, Barbara Dennerlein and Bernie Senensky at various and ongoing points in my life. When Jeff and Ben moved to Toronto around the same time, we had already talked about forming a group and working up some repertoire so it was a natural fit. I admire the depth of knowledge and dedication they both have.
3) What inspired you to pursue the vibe and instrumentation that you did?
My dad is a big Kenny Burrell fan, and Kenny made a whole pile of great organ records with Jimmy Smith in the 60s, so I grew up around some of that music. My dad also played bass in an RnB band when I was growing up, so he was super into the Stax sound in particular—very committed to playing a Fender P bass with flat wound strings like Donald “Duck” Dunn, and Booker T and the MGs was an early influence on me--playing along with those records and trying to sound like Al Jackson Jr! I got to see Booker T and Jimmy McGriff on a double bill when I was still in high school, with Leon “Ndugu” Chancler on drums—now that’ll make an impression! The great thing about the Hammond is that you can play some serious bebop on it like Jimmy Smith, or get really funky like Grant Green or the Sugarman 3. I love swinging hard and I also love playing funk, so I think playing organ jazz suits my musical personality. You can do anything you want!
4) Was there a particular message you were trying to convey to the listener?
Music is generally connected to a lot of positive emotions I think, positive memories, and often memories and feelings that people hold really close. It’s nice if it’s a positive, good feeling you can create for people. I find it really interesting that listening to music is a totally subjective experience, so you try to get into a space where you are expressing yourself honestly and to the best of your abilities, and hope that the people who are hearing it can have some meaningful association with what you’re doing.
5) Who are your influences with regards to this style of writing and playing?
For the BMC trio it’s definitely a lot of the classic organ records made by people like Jimmy Smith, Don Patterson, Grant Green, Jack McDuff, Lonnie Smith, George Benson, Melvin Rhyne, Wes Montgomery, etc. More generally speaking, I am influenced a lot by very swinging drummers. Jimmy Cobb, Lewis Nash, Jeff Watts, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Billy Higgins and Max Roach are some of my favourites.
6) What are you practicing/studying/listening to/researching these days?
Over the last few years I’ve taken some lessons with Kenny Washington, who has refined my understanding of the Wilcoxin book a great deal. I’ve usually got one or more of those solos on the go and continue to work at it and hone my abilities there. I’m eternally grateful for Kenny’s patience as a teacher, and how much he has demystified the purpose of those exercises for me. I keep a little notebook where I write out ideas, aiming for simplicity and clarity in my phrasing. Lately I’ve been revisiting a lot of Tony Williams and Billy Higgins albums. I listen quite a bit to these field recordings of the Ewe and Ashanti peoples of West Africa, which were collected by Mark Seidenfeld and released on John Zorn’s Avant label under the name “Drums of Death”. In that music, I hear some fundamental DNA of the polyrhythmic drum language that represents some of the more mystical aspects of jazz rhythm. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to create contrasting expressions of rhythmic power, within my own playing and also as a contrast to the other musicians I’m playing with. Billy Higgins has been on my mind a lot lately, the compelling force of his ride cymbal beat, and the world of polyrhythmic expression he inhabited so fully. How does one create something so compelling and powerful that exists in such a gentle way? I am attempting to think about music from these different angles that are analytical, but also sort of abstract.
7) What other current and future projects do you have on the go at the moment?
The quartet that travelled to Lviv, Ukraine to play for Canada Day has become a unit under the co-leadership of Jake Koffman (as), and Nathan Hiltz (g), with Mark Godfrey on bass. We’ll be booking some gigs this spring and summer and releasing an EP. I know Amanda Tosoff is planning a follow up to her Juno-nominated “Words” album, and I’m excited to be a part of that. In May I’ll be travelling to England to play with Scottish saxophonist and clarinettist John Burgess. I have regular gigs around Toronto that are ongoing. Other than that, I’ll continue to make music with as many different musicians as I can!
8) How do the drums and your overall approach to rhythm factor into your compositions and concept?
Not very much, actually… that’s an interesting question. I don’t usually start compositions from a rhythmic concept. I’m usually trying to hear a melody first, and see where that leads my ear. I don’t usually write things to feature the drums, I think about what a set of music might need and write something to fit a mood.
9) What drummers (or other musicians) do you consider as influences?
I mentioned many of my favourite drummers earlier… speaking more broadly of music, I’d say Freddie Hubbard and Herbie Hancock are two musicians whose influence I can pinpoint in my own playing and writing.
10) What advice do you have for younger, aspiring jazz musicians?
Train your ears to hear the tiny, fractional details that make the music what it is. If you find a certain sound compelling, investigate it fully and find out what makes it what it is. Take your time and be patient with yourself.
Learn more about Morgan Childs and his music here and then check out this clip of him in action at Toronto's Rex Hotel:
Happy New Year! And what better way to start off 2019 than with some footage of one of my favourite contemporary tenor and drum pairings featuring the great Lewis Nash on drums and Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone (along with Hank Jones on piano and George Mraz on bass) from a burning 2005 performance at Jazz Baltica.
Those who know me know are well aware my appreciation for Joe Lovano. I think he's amazing!
I was lucky enough to work and play with Joe during the 1998 edition of the short-lived Lake Placid Jazz Workshop and that experience left a deep, life-long impression on me. One thing is for sure, Joe Lovano KNOWS the drums!
Here's quick post with Mr. Lovano sharing some thoughts on the composition process:
And another longer one, but a great insight into Joe's improvisational process:
Thanks again for all your support and looking forward to another year of blogging. Incidentally, 2019 will mark the 10th anniversary of Four on the Floor (!) so check back often and look for some special "anniversary" happenings around here (who knows, maybe we'll bake a cake or something...)
Welcome back and I hope you've all been enjoying your turkey and eggnog over the holidays. It's the very last day of the year and therefore this is the last blog post and final Monday Morning Paradiddle column of 2018. Thanks again for your continued support and here's to what was definitely an eventful year and looking ahead ahead to 2019.
So without any further adieu, here's what's shakin' around the Four on the Floor office these days:
- Check out this informative and entertaining new podcast from Chad Anderson, George Sluppick and Robert Barnett entitled The Set Break
- Terry Bozzio interviews Gerry Gibbs at The Drum Channel
- Zildjian cymbal smith Paul Francis interviewed by DRUM! magazine
- A New York Times article feature on the Avedis Zildjian Cymbal Company
- A Before & After listening session with Adam Nussbaum from JazzTimes magazine
- Jazz warrior Victor Lewis interviewed over at All About Jazz
- Keith Copeland discusses his influences over at Scott K Fish's Life Beyond Cymbals
- An interview with Seattle's Ted Poor, an incredible musician that everyone should know about!
- Thanks again to the frequent and insightful Four on the Floor contributor Tim Mah for sending along this Rolling Stone piece on Chicago's Makaya McCraven
- A great list of recent solo percussion releases to check out from freejazzblog.org (thanks to Jeff Cosgrove for this suggestion)
- The Drum Shuffle offers an interview with Bill Stewart:
And, in case one needed any reminding...
- From Ben Wendel's "Standards with Friends" YouTube series, here is Wendel with Mark Guiliana on Thelonious Monk's "Evidence":
- A short clip of Willie Jones III in action:
- Jim Black playing some very unique (and wobbly!) cymbals:
- A cool piece on the legacy of Blue Note's album artwork:
- Thanks to Rochester's Mike Melito for reminding us via the Facebook to check out Shadow Wilson's drum break on Count Basie's "Queer Street":
- What am I listening to these days?
Eric Reed "Something Beautiful" - Rodney Green (drums)
Duke Ellington "Such Sweet Thunder" - Sam Woodyard (drums)
Elvin Jones "Live at the Lighthouse" - Elvin Jones (drums)
Turboprop "Abundance" - Ernesto Cervini (drums)
McCoy Tyner "Tender Moments" - Joe Chambers (drums)
Miles Davis "In Europe" - Tony Williams (drums)
John Coltrane "Ballads" - Elvin Jones (drums)
- And today's/this year's Final Word goes to Tyshawn Sorey...
"The thing in life I regret most was never having the chance to meet Ornette. But what I will say is this: As one who deals equally with both of these “traditions” (I happen to come from bebop, and have had a great deal of experience learning from the masters, which I still do! And I *still* play this kind of music - even though it’s not what I’m known for doing, given that certain folks view me as “that dude who plays really difficult and weird music all the time...” which is a VERY limited attitude.), sometime what bothers me is when I hear “bebop” played as a style of music. When the opportunity to play a standard comes about, those who indeed have a voice of their own in free/avant-garde settings suddenly become clones - all you hear are regurgitated cliches, pattens, and licks that have been transcribed...just to prove that they can play changes. It becomes an excuse to be creatively lazy and try to sound exactly like the people they have been influenced by...they are no longer “themselves” THROUGH the understanding of that language. There’s a difference between simply playing cliches and finding ways of playing over standards that is personalized, but without trying to play “out.” When one plays cliches, they are playing AT the musicians, and not with them. They’re not TOTALLY in the act of music making.
Say what you wish about Steve Coleman (which is separate from this conversation - given we are discussing MUSIC here) but to me he was one of the people who actually found a way to deal in that music in the most personal, lucid way through his understanding of the masters. Working with him during my tenure taught me that this music, too often, is played as a regurgitated style full of cliches. We need to get past that way of playing (or mocking) the music. You can still “be yourself” while having a well-grounded understanding in that language.
The other thing I will say, however, that the act of performing free/avant-garde music (or whatever you wish to call it) shouldn’t necessarily be one that is only valid once you have “mastered” the bebop language... Bebop is neither a style nor a prerequisite for this kind of expression...though it has greatly informed me very well in so many ways as a musician and composer. I don’t know why people feel that there is harm in dealing with or learning from either of these sub realms of creative music, and then when it comes time to deal with changes or swing, all of a sudden it sounds like a mockery of that music. Be yourself ALL the time, THROUGH your understanding of the language."
Another year-end list from Four on the Floor correspondent and CJSW radio host Tim Mah, this time featuring his top picks for Canadian Jazz releases of 2018.
Check out Tim Mah's radio show Jazz Today on CJSW 90.9 fm every Thursday morning from 530-7am and over at https://cjsw.com/program/jazz-today/ (also podcasted on iTunes!) and don't forget to read his previous guest column, a wonderful list of his picks for top overall Jazz albums for 2018.
And now, without any further adieu...
"Tim Mah's Top Canadian Jazz Albums of 2018"
In recognition of next summer’s 40th edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, here’s a list of forty album recommendations (released between December 2017 and November 2018) from Canadian jazz artists (as a leader or co-leader):
1) Renee Rosnes “Beloved of the Sky”
Pianist Renee Rosnes followed up to her 2017 Juno Award winning album “Written on the Rocks” with the April 2018 album called “Beloved of the Sky”. The album title is borrowed from an Emily Carr painting. The musicians on the album include Chris Potter (tenor sax, soprano sax flute), Steve Nelson (vibraphone), Peter Washington (bass), and Lenny White (drums).
Below is “Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky”:
2) Ingrid Jensen & Steve Treseler “Invisible Sounds: for Kenny Wheeler”
In October 2018, Ingrid Jensen and Steve Treseler released an album of their reinterpretations of the music of Kenny Wheeler. Personnel: Ingrid Jensen (trumpet and effects), Steve Treseler (tenor sax, clarinet/bass clarinet), Geoffrey Keezer (piano), Martin Wind (double bass), Jon Wikan (drums) and with special guests: Katie Jacobson (voice), Christine Jensen (soprano saxophone).
Below is a video of NPR’s live recording of “Foxy Trot”:
3) Renee Rosnes & David Hajdu “Ice on the Hudson”
Renee Rosnes released her second album this year in October, which included lyrics by David Hajdu and featured vocalists Rene Marie, Janis Siegel, Darius de Haas and Karen Oberlin. Personnel: Renee Rosnes (piano), Steve Wilson (alto & soprano sax), Seamus Blake (tenor sax), Ken Peplowski (clarinet), Erik Friedlander (cello), Sean Smith (bass), Carl Allen (drums), Rogerio Boccato (percussion).
“A Tiny Seed” featuring Rene Marie on vocals:
4) Ben Wendel “The Seasons”
In October 2018, Ben Wendel (Vancouver-born, raised in Los Angeles, now based in New York City) released his studio album adaptation of his YouTube video series “The Seasons.” Inspired by Tchaikovsky’s compositions, each track is dedicated to a specific month and artist, who has shaped Wendel's creative vision. Personnel: Ben Wendel (saxophone, bassoon, effects), Aaron Parks (piano), Gilad Hekselman (guitar), Matt Brewer (bass), Eric Harland (drums)
This is the video for the song “July” from “The Seasons”:
5) Kris Davis and Craig Taborn “Octopus”
Kris Davis (Vancouver-born, Calgary-raised and New York-based pianist) released a follow-up to her acclaimed 2016 album “Duopoly”, The January 2018 album “Octopus” features live recordings from three concerts during a 12-city U.S. tour, featuring Kris Davis and Craig Taborn.
Below is a concert video of “Octopus” in San Diego, California:
Released in December 2017, Vancouver bassist Jodi Proznick’s new album was inspired by two major life events (the birth of her son and the onset of her mother’s dementia). Personnel: Jodi Proznick (bass), Tilden Webb (piano), Steve Kaldestad (tenor saxophone), Jesse Cahill (drums) and Laila Biali (voice).
“Listen” from “Sun Songs”:
7) Quinsin Nachoff’s Flux “Path of Totality”
In November 2018, saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff’s new album was released in Canada (world-wide release in February 2019). The overarching inspiration of the album was the moon’s total eclipse of the sun in 2017. The musicians on the album included saxophonist David Binney, pianist/keyboardist Matt Mitchell, drummers Kenny Wollesen and Nate Wood, plus a number of guest artists.
Below is the title track “Path of Totality”:
8) Matthew Stevens and Walter Smith III “In Common”
Released in October 2018, “In Common” is an album co-led by Matthew Stevens (Toronto-born, New York-based) and Walter Smith III. Personnel: Walter Smith III (tenor saxophone), Matthew Stevens (guitar), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Harish Raghavan (double bass), Marcus Gilmore (drums)
“ACE” from the album “In Common”:
9) Allison Au Quartet “Wander Wonder”
The Allison Au Quartet recorded this album (released in November 2018) after completing a cross-Canada tour during the 2018 summer jazz festival season.
Personnel: Allison Au (alto saxophone), Todd Pentney (piano, Prophet Rev2), Jon Maharaj (bass, electric bass), Fabio Ragnelli (drums)
“The Rest is Up to You” from “Wander Wonder”:
10) Elizabeth Shepherd “Montreal”
In November 2018, Elizabeth Shepherd released her new album, “Montreal.” The songs were inspired by stories she gathered from countless interviews with strangers in Montreal over a four-year period. The project also includes a book, visual album and vinyl, which will be released in February 2019. Personnel: Elizabeth Shepherd (voice, keyboards / piano / samples / percussion), Francois Jalbert (guitar), Remi-Jean LeBlanc (bass), Mark Nelson and Rich Irwin (drums), Jacques Kuba-Seguin and Andy King (trumpet)
“Suits and Ties” from the album “Montreal”:
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And don't forget to check out these other outstanding Canadian Jazz releases as well, as selected by Four on the Floor correspondent Tim Mah:
Larnell Lewis “In the Moment”
Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop “Abundance”
Myriad3 “Vera”
Adrean Farrugia & Joel Frahm “Blued Dharma”
Peripheral Vision “More Songs About Error and Shame”
Anthony Fung “Flashpoint”
No Codes “No Codes”
Samuel Blais “Equilibrium”
Bryn Roberts and Lage Lund “Hide the Moon and the Stars”
Stephanie Richards “Fullmoon”
Amy Cervini “No One Ever Tells You”
Ethan Ardelli Quartet “The Island of Form”
Robi Botos “Old Soul”
Aaron Shragge & Ben Monder “This World of Dew”
Peggy Lee “Echo Painting”
Way North “Fearless and Kind”
Sandro Dominelli “Here and Now (feat. Chris Tarry & Rez Abbasi)”
CJSW radio host and frequent contributor to this blog, Tim Mah once again offers his favourite Jazz picks for 2018. Tim is the host of Jazz Today which can be heard on Thursday mornings in Calgary on 90.9 fm between 530 and 7am and over at www.cjsw.com (also podcasted over at Apple Music). Tim listens to a lot of new and current Jazz releases so I am always pleased to have him contribute this special guest blogspot with his informed choices. We'll also be featuring his picks for top Canadian Jazz albums later in the week.
So, without any further adieu, Four on the Floor is proud to present:
"Tim Mah's Top Jazz Albums of 2018"
Here’s a list of 100 jazz album recommendations, released from December 2017 to November 2018. The intent of this list is to help readers connect with new music from their favourite artists and discover new ones. Please refer to a future post featuring 2018 album recommendations from Canadian jazz artists.
1. Gilad Hekselman “Ask for Chaos”
This album features Gilad Hekselman’s two trios: Zuperoctave and GHex Trio.
Zuperoctave: Gilad Hekselman (guitar/bass), Aaron Parks (synths/Rhodes/piano) Kush Abadey (drums/pads)
GHex Trio: Gilad Hekselman (guitar), Rick Rosato (bass), Jonathan Pinson (drums)
“VBlues” (featuring Zuperoctave)
2. Kenny Barron Quintet “Concentric Circles”
Personnel: Kenny Barron (piano), Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass), Johnathan Blake (drums), Mike Rodriquez (trumpet and flugelhorn), Dayna Stephens (soprano and tenor saxophone)
4. Esperanza Spalding “12 Little Spells” / “Exposure”
Esperanza Spalding released the limited edition (CD and vinyl only) album “Exposure” in December 2017 (written and recorded live on social media over 77 hours in September 2017). In October 2018, Esperanza Spalding released “12 Little Spells.” Each song is dedicated to a body part.
Musicians on “Exposure”: Esperanza Spalding (bass, vocals), Matthew Stevens (guitar), Ray Angry (piano, Mello-tron), Justin Tyson (drums), plus guests: Robert Glasper (piano), Lalah Hathaway (vocals) and Andrew Bird (violin, vocals).
Musicians on “12 Little Spells” included: Esperanza Spalding (vocals, piano, Wurlizter, electric bass, orchestral bass drum), Matthew Stevens (guitar, electric bass), Justin Tyson (drums, organ, synth, vocals, beats & programming), Aaron Burnett (saxophone), Burniss Travis (electric bass, acoustic bass, vocals), Corey King (vocals), Rob Schwimmer (continiuum), plus many others in the orchestra.
“You Have to Dance” from “12 Little Spells”
5. Makaya McCraven “Universal Beings”
Chicago-based drummer, Makaya McCraven’s third album features recordings with four different groups (in Chicago, New York, London and Los Angeles).
“Universal Beings” (featuring Jeff Partker, Anna Butterss, Josh Johnson, Carlos Nino, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
6. Aaron Parks “Little Big”
Personnel: Aaron Parks (piano, keyboards), Greg Tuohey (guitar), David Ginyard (bass), Tommy Crane (drums)
“Kid” from the album “Little Big”
7. Kamasi Washington “Heaven and Earth” / “The Choice”
Personnel: Kamasi Washington (tenor saxophone), Dontae Winslow (trumpet), Ryan Porter (trombone), Cameron Graves (piano), Brandon Coleman (keyboards, organ, vocoder), Miles Mosley (bass, electric bass), Ronald Bruner Jr. (drums), Tony Austin (drums, percussion), Allakoi Peete, Kahlil Cummings (percussion)
“Street Fighter Mas” from “Heaven and Earth”
8. Logan Richardson “Blues People”
Personnel: Logan Richardson (alto saxophone), Justus West (electric guitar, vocals), Igor Osypov (electric and acoustic guitars), DeAndre Manning (electric bass), Ryan Lee (drums)
NPR Music Tiny Desk concert featuring Logan Richardson
9. Stefon Harris & Blackout “Sonic Creed”
Personnel: Stefon Harris (vibraphone, marimba), Casey Benjamin (alto and soprano saxophones, vocoder), Felix Peikli (clarinet, bass clarinet), James Francies (piano, keyboards), Mike Moreno (guitar), Jean Baylor (vocals), Regina Carter (violin), Daniel Frankhuizen (cello), Elena Pinderhughes (flute), Joseph Doubleday (marimba), Joshua Crumbly (bass), Terreon Gully (drums), Pedrito Martinez (percussion).
Stefon Harris & Blackout concert (September 17, 2018 in New Orleans)
10. Edward Simon (with Afinidad and Imani Winds) “Sorrows & Triumphs”
Afinidad: Edward Simon (piano & keyboards), David Binney (alto saxophone), Scott Colley (bass), Brian Blade (drums)
Imani Winds: Valerie Coleman (flute), Toyin Spellman-Diaz (oboe), Monica Ellis (bassoon), Mark Dover (clarinet), Jeff Scott (French horn)
Other musicians: Gretchen Parlato (vocals), Adam Rogers (guitars), Rogelio Boccato (percussion), Luis Quintero (percussion)
“Uninvited Thoughts” (featuring Afinidad and Imani Winds)
11. The Bad Plus “Never Stop II”
12. Ambrose Akinmusire “Origami Harvest”
13. Caroline Davis “Heart Tonic”
14. David Virelles “Igbo Alakorin (The Singer’s Grove) Vol. 1 & 2”
15. Helen Sung “Sung With Words”
16. Julian Lage “Modern Lore”
17. Mary Halvorson “Code Girl”
18. Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas - Sound Prints “Scandal”
19. Rudy Royston “Flatbed Buggy”
20. Cuong Vu 4-tet “Change in the Air”
21. Tia Fuller “Diamond Cut”
22. Joshua Redman “Still Dreaming”
23. Aaron Goldberg “At the Edge of the World”
24. Brad Mehldau “Seymour Reads the Constitution!”
25. John Escreet “Learn to Live”
26. David Murray “Blues for Memo”
27. Marquis Hill “Modern Flows, Vol. 2” and “Meditation Tape”
28. James Brandon Lewis & Chad Taylor “Radiant Imprints”
29. Darryl Yokley’s Sound Reformation “Portraits of an African Exhibition”
30. Dan Weiss “Starebaby”
31. Noam Wiesenberg “Roads Diverge”
32. Sons of Kemet “Your Queen is a Reptile”
33. Justin Brown “NYEUSI”
34. JD Allen “Love Stone”
35. Marc Cary “Cosmic Indigenous”
36. Ethan Iverson & Mark Turner “Temporary Kings”
37. Roxy Coss “The Future is Female”
38. Kate McGarry, Keith Ganz & Gary Versace “The Subject Tonight is Love”
39. Maria Grand “Magdalena”
40. Walking Distance feat. Jason Moran “Freebird”
41. Ray Angry “One”
42. R+R=Now “Collagically Speaking”
43. Bill Frisell “Music Is”
44. Chucho Valdes “Jazz Bata 2”
45. Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret “The Other Side of Air”
46. Shai Maestro “The Dream Thief”
47. Wolfgang Muthspiel “Where the River Goes”
48. Mast “Thelonious Sphere Monk”
49. Allison Miller & Carmen Staaf “Science Fair”
50. Nels Cline 4 “Currents, Constellations”
51. Tiffany Austin “Unbroken”
52. Magos Herrera & Brooklyn Rider “Dreamers”
52. Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life “People of the Sun”
53. Eric Harland “13thFloor”
54. E.J. Strickland Quintet “Warriors for Peace”
55. Kurt Elling “The Questions”
56. Kind Folk “Why Not”
57. Matt Penman “Good Question”
58. Now Vs Now “The Buffering Cocoon”
59. David Binney “Here & Now”
60. John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble “All Can Work”
61. Christian McBride “Christian McBride’s New Jawn”
62. Orrin Evans & the Captain Black Big Band “Presence”
63. Buster Williams “Audacity”
64. Stu Mindeman “Woven Threads”
65. Miguel Zenon “Yo Soy La Tradicion (feat. Spektral Quartet)
66. Adam O’Farrill’s Stranger Days “El Maquech”
67. Wayne Shorter “Emanon”
68. Christian Sands “Facing Dragons”
69. Mark Kavuma “Kavuma”
70. Kat Edmonson “Old Fashioned Gal”
71. Bobby Previte “Rhapsosdy”
72. Dafnis Prieto Big Band “Back to the Sunset”
73. Shamie Royston “Beautiful Liar”
74. Eddie Henderson “Be Cool”
75. Walter Smith III “Twio”
76. Sharel Cassity “Evolve”
77. Chick Corea & Steve Gadd “Chinese Butterfly”
78. Henry Threadgill & 14 or 15 Kestra: AGG “Dirt…And More Dirt”
79. Jonathan Finlayson “3 Times Round”
80. Devin Gray “Dirigo Rataplan”
81. James Francies “Flight”
82. John Raymond & Real Feels “Joy Ride”
83. Emma Frank “Ocean Av”
84. Various Artists “We Out Here”
85. Bob Reynolds “Quartet”
86. Jonathan Barber “Vision Ahead”
87. Sara Serpa “Close Up”
88. Black Art Jazz Collective “Armor of Pride”
89. Sarathy Korwar “My East is Your West (feat. Upaj Collective)”
90. Jamie Saft Quartet “Blue Dreams”
91. Chad Taylor “Myths and Morals”
92. Gogo Penguin “A Humdrum Star”
93. McClenty Hunter “The Groove Hunter”
94. Spanish Harlem Orchestra “Anniversary”
95. Dinosaur “Wonder Trail”
96. Phronesis “We Are All”
97. Kamaal Williams “The Return”
98. Jason Marsalis & the 21stCentury Trad Band “Melody Reimagined: Book 1”
Just a short little clip today of me playing the brushes, from yesterday's very VERY early morning gig, a live-to-air radio broadcast on CBC Calgary with Tim Tamashiro:
This is a blog about jazz, jazz drumming and all things unrelated. Thanks for stopping by!
A Bit About Me...
Jonathan McCaslin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. Jonathan began playing the drums at the age of nine. He progressed through the Regina Lions Junior Band and the music program at his high school, Campbell Collegiate, soon developing a passion for playing the drums and jazz. Ultimately, Jon's interest in music led him to enroll in the Jazz Studies program at McGill University, graduating with distinction in 1999.
While at McGill Jon had the opportunity to study with some of the finest jazz educators in the country including Gordon Foote, Kevin Dean, Jan Jarcyzk, Chris McCann, Andre White, Michel Lambert and Dave Laing. He also attended the prestigious summer jazz workshop presented by the Banff Centre for the Arts in 1997, where he performed with Canadian jazz greats Hugh Fraser, Don Thompson and Kenny Wheeler.
Jon has also been fortunate to have performed with many of Canada's jazz elite including Charlie Biddle, Brian Hurley, Louise Rose, Alaister Kay, Mart Kinny, Gary Guthman, Mike Rud, Hadley Caliman, Greg Clayton, Chase Sanborn, Andre White, Tilden Webb, John LaBelle, Kevin Dean, Dave Turner, Ralph Bowen, Don Thompson, Dionne Taylor, Jim Vivian, Kelly Jefferson, Ian McDougall, Brad Turner, Jim Brenan, The McGill Jazz Orchestra, Jeff Johnston, Lorraine Desmerais, Steve Amirault, Hugh Fraser, Chucho Valdes, Kieran Overs, The Altsys Jazz Orchestra, Pat LaBarbera, The Regina Symphony Orchestra and The Montreal Jazz Big Band.
In the spring of 2002 McCaslin completed his Master's in Jazz Studies at McGill University where he studied jazz drumming, improvisation and composition.
In January 2003 Jon released his debut CD, “McCallum’s Island”. Featuring his quintet, the CD contains an exciting collection of McCaslin’s original compositions, featuring himself and his band. The release of this CD was followed by a twenty-day tour of Western Canada, performing to enthusiastic, capacity audiences. During March of 2003 Jonathan was the recipient of a fellowship from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and attended the “Betty Carter Jazz Ahead” residency in Washington, D.C. Along with twenty other distinguished young jazz artists, McCaslin was featured with such jazz icons as Terence Blanchard, Carmen Lundy, Winard Harper, Curtis Fuller and John Clayton.
McCaslin’s quintet performed at the 2003 edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival and was nominated for the General Motors Grand Prix du Festival (awarded to the most outstanding Canadian group). From 2004 until 2006, Jon toured North America, Asia and Europe with the high-energy, critically acclaimed music production troupe “Barrage”. Featuring a cast of seven world-class fiddlers and a four-piece band, this dynamic show featured high-energy music and fiddle traditions from around the world set to upbeat choreography and movement.
In 2015, Dr. McCaslin received his Doctorate through the University of Toronto and completed his dissertation on the conceptualization of contemporary melodic jazz drumming. He is currently based in Calgary, Alberta where he maintains a busy performing and teaching schedule across Canada.
