1994: The Year in Review : Shows and Albums That Were Magic

This list of 1994’s best jazz shows is admittedly incomplete, missing such talked-about events as the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra with Lew Tabackin concert at the Robert B. Moore Theatre and the Dewey Erney-Stephanie Haynes tributes to George Gershwin and Cole Porter at DeMario’s. We were elsewhere those nights. And for each of these omissions, there probably are at least half a dozen other nights we missed when musicians made magic.

But the sheer amount of what was seen speaks well of the jazz scene in Orange County. Here’s hoping the list lengthens in 1995.--Bill Kohlhaase

Favorite Concerts

In order of preference:

1. Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Nov. 11: The pairing of the young trumpet sensation’s quintet with the storytelling vocalist gave both stars a chance to slip out of their usual performance personas and give a more spontaneous presentation. Appearing together, both complemented the other’s work, playing up the other’s strengths while seldom resorting to one-upmanship. Seldom, that is, until Hargrove, Reeves and saxophonist Ron Blake stood toe-to-toe to match chops in an improvisational round-robin exchange on pianist Cyrus Chestnut’s “Greens at the Chicken Shack.” Hargrove was also stirring here in February, but bassist Charlie Haden’s Quartet West fell flat on the same bill.

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2. Walter Norris, Spaghettini, Aug. 28: Despite the background bar clatter, this was a chance to see one of the world’s most respected pianists up close and personal. You may have recognized some of the tunes he played, but you certainly never heard them played quite like this. Norris’ stream-of-consciousness improvisations, prodigious technique and playful sense of invention were effectively hypnotic.

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3. Bopsicle, Orange Coast College, April 19: Any of Bopsicle’s Orange County performances could have made this list. This one was chosen because it was held in a college classroom, a perfect place for bassist-composer-vocalist Jack Prather’s tributes to jazz greats and styles. Prather’s witty, attractive compositions invite listeners to explore the music, while working from a solid base in the jazz tradition. Vocalist Stephanie Haynes, certainly one of the most rewarding singers on the West Coast, makes everything she touches irresistibly engaging. Guitarist David Waggoner and trumpeter Ron Stout also made fine contributions.

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4. Tito Puente, Anaheim Marriott hotel, Jan. 1: Sure, the show by the timbale-playing mambo king at the Performing Arts Center later in the year was a knockout. But this was a dance concert. Puente and his ensemble found the groove early and maintained it. And, come solo time, the ageless percussionist rattled the timbales as only he can.

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5. Buddy Collette, Kikuya, Oct. 22: The veteran saxophonist, flutist and clarinetist who hung out with Charles Mingus when they were teen-agers, has one of the richest careers in West Coast jazz. Somehow, his playing continues to evolve, and this was an especially revealing night from the sax man, who was backed by guitarist Doug MacDonald’s trio.

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6. B Sharp Jazz Quartet, Jazz at the Hyatt, Aug. 26: B Sharp is the best of Los Angeles’ young lion bands, and this performance only strengthened that reputation. Saxophonist Randall Willis and pianist Eliot Douglass were especially hot this night. The B’s badly upstaged the night’s headliner, Bobby Lyle, despite a typically rhythmic performance from the keyboardist.

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7. Gene Harris Quartet, Robert B. Moore Theatre, Nov. 6: As always, the master of the funky keyboard delivered the goods here in strong style. No matter how somber the ballad, how upbeat the be-bop or how infectious the pop ditty, Harris injected strong shades of the blues into everything he played. The threesome that backed him--longtime associates guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Luther Hughes and drummer Paul Humphrey--also had statements to make. A big-time toe-tapper.

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8. Ross Tompkins, Kikuya, Nov. 18: Though the former Doc Severinsen Tonight Show Orchestra pianist fit glove-tight with guitarist Doug MacDonald’s backing trio, he saved his most sophisticated stuff for unaccompanied spots, where he swirled through a variety of moods and rhythms.

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9. Poncho Sanchez, Randell’s, July 3: Again, any date from the conguero and his Latin jazz octet is worth seeing. Subs in the horn section, including trumpeter Jeff Brunnell, made this date even more interesting as the soloists tried to outdo one another over Sanchez’s potent rhythm section.

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10. Solsonics, Coach House, March 31: The ‘sonics here demonstrated why their release “Jazz in the Present Tense” was the cream of the acid jazz crop. More than some tired riffing aired over samples from jazz-past, the group gave a tight, musically astute performance that mixed blues, rock reggae and rap into their jazzy hybrid.

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Honorable mention:

Phil Upchurch (Randell’s, March 12): The Chicago-raised guitarist featured one-time Miles Davis bassist Daryl Jones in his trio--a few weeks later Jones was named to become the next Rolling Stone. . . . Orange County Musicians’ Bash (Red Lion Hotel, Nov. 27): Continuous entertainment at five venues inside the spacious hotel from the cream of the O.C. music scene. So many musicians, so little time. . . . Mark Isham (Randell’s, Aug. 27): A chance to see the film composer (“A River Runs Through It,” “Quiz Show,” “Nell”) put down his pen and pick up the trumpet. . . . Al Williams Jazz Society with Barbara Morrison (Spaghettini, Nov. 13): The drummer and onetime owner of Birdland West in Long Beach (another of 1994’s club casualties) led a rollicking good-time session with pianist Phil Wright, saxophonist Rickey Woodard, bassist Henry Franklin and blues-and-ballad vocalist Morrison.

Favorite Albums

In order of preference:

1. James Newton, “Suite for Frida Kahlo” (Audioquest Music): Forget that composer-flutist Newton is a music instructor at UC Irvine and that Audioquest is based in Orange County. This disc has made a number of year-end-best lists, and for good reason. Newton’s opus reflects his views both of life in Southern California (“The Verdict”) and, in the four-part suite inspired by painter Kahlo, the dedication and suffering that the creation of art sometimes demands. Not meant for casual listening, “Kahlo” extends Newton’s international reputation as one of the jazz world’s most important composers.

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2. James Carter, “JC on the Set” (DIW/Columbia): Saxophonist Carter may fit the young-lion category (he’s only 25), but he’s the least predictable of the pride, playing a warped, then bouncy version of “Caravan” on baritone, and following it with a Lester Young-in-orbit rendition of Sun Ra’s “Hour Of Parting” (more of the revivalists should look to the late Ra for direction). His attack reminds one of David Murray at his most rambunctious. Carter is the year’s brightest new star.

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3. Charles Lloyd, “The Call” (ECM): Though actually released in 1993 (distribution was slow), “Call” is much preferable to the saxophonist’s current release, “Acoustic Masters I” on the Atlantic Jazz label. Though the “Acoustic Masters” disc, with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Higgins, is fine as it goes, it takes Lloyd out of his own band and away from pianist Bobo Stenson, the fine foil to his searching, often contemplative style. (But Lloyd’s recent show at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood, with Walton and company, would get our vote as the year’s best show, bar none.)

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4. Wynton Marsalis, “In This House, on This Morning” (Columbia): a no-apologies exploration of the role of church music in the jazz tradition, carrying both the reverence and the revivalist enthusiasm one would associate with music inspired by religion. Marsalis’ septet is first-rate in its execution and improvisation, and the trumpeter himself plays with the kind of heartfelt emotion sometimes missing from his earlier efforts.

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5. B Sharp Jazz Quartet (MAMA Foundation): B Sharp works from the jazz tradition but brings new life to the style. Each of its four members contributes pieces to the all-original (plus John Coltrane’s “Naima”) program, and each is a fine instrumentalist. No ego clashes here: B Sharp works as a unit rather than a gathering of individuals. (And heard live, the band only gets better.)

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6. Bob Moses, “Time Stood Still” (Gramavision): Percussionist Moses, writing for ensembles ranging from nine to 19 pieces, takes big-band theory to new places, combining hip-hop and world-beat rhythms with quirky thematic ideas and long improvisational sections that allow soloists to rant, rankle or be reflective. Not everything works here, but the pieces that click make the album more than worthwhile.

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7. Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, “Desert-Lady Fantasy” (Columbia): Though firmly anchored in the jazz tradition, composer Akiyoshi’s big-band writings have more character than most, full of orchestral color and percussive references to her native Japan. And the featured soloist, saxophonist-flutist Lew Tabackin, is someone we can never get enough of.

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8. Robert Stewart, “Judgement” (World Stage Records): Unlike most hot young saxophonists, Oakland-based Stewart was influenced by the likes of Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins rather than John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. What’s most amazing is Stewart’s tone: rich, resonant and full of life. His writing reflects a reverence for the saxophone tradition but is far from being stale. Expect big things from this man.

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9. Paul Motian Trio, “trio i sm” (JMT): a wiry electric date from the eclectic drummer and guitarist Bill Frisell, saxophonist Joe Lovano and, on one cut, tenor man Dewey Redman. The tunes range from far-out flings to contemplative musings, all backed by the drummer’s strangely personal style.

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10. Patricia Barber, “cafe blue” (Premonition Records): Barber is a smart, literate singer-keyboardist with a spare style of self-accompaniment that recalls Shirley Horn. Not content to be just another singer of standards, she looks to new music and classical forms for her own writing, while stamping such tunes as “A Taste of Honey” and Miles Davis’ “Nardis” with her own personality.

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Honorable mention:

John Abercrombie, “Speak of the Devil” (ECM); John Scofield, “Hand Jive” (Blue Note); Steve Swallow, “Real Book” (XtraWATT); Roy Hargrove, “With the Tenors of Our Time” (Verve); Joe Lovano, “Tenor Legacy” (Blue Note); Peter Erskine, “Time Being” (ECM); Gary Bartz, “Episode One: Children Of Harlem” (Challenge); Wallace Roney, “Misterios” (Warner Bros.); Geri Allen, “Twenty One” (Blue Note).

Hear the James Newton Ensemble: * To hear a sample of the album “Suite for Frida Kahlo,” call TimesLine at 808-8463 and press *5580.

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