Caught

Alice Coltrane Tribute

At UCLA Shapes Its
Own Identity

McCoy Tyner

oetic justice was served with the Alice

Coltrane Tribute at the University of
California, Los Angeles Royce Hall on Dec.
5. Coltrane, who died in 2007, was a longtime
Angeleno with significant ties to the campus.
She recorded her 1976 album Transfiguration
at UCLA, and then presented one of the more
memorable Los Angeles jazz concerts of the
past decade at UCLAs Royce Hall in 2006,
shortly before her death, and two years after her
Translinear Lighther first album in a quarter
century. The unconventional and vaguely mystical jazz musician was, of course, the famed
spouse of John and mother of saxophonist Ravi,
was an avowed Vedanta spiritualist and Ashram
director who spent her last decades more in tune
with spiritual work than jazz work.
Given the multiple hats and entities involved
in Coltranes life, she touched many shores beyond just the jazz scene. At the Royce Hall tribute, ally and spiritual protege Radha Botofasina
led the chanting charge, and Coltrane greatnephew producer and laptop player Flying Lotus
(a.k.a. Steve Ellison), a rising electronica star, offered up an organically beautiful sonic event.
The sound beautifully adorned a short film recounting his visit to India with his great-aunt,
whom we also heard sermonizing in her engagingly sonorous voice.
Still, it was somewhat disappointing that this
tribute didnt have more actual jazz content involved. It would have been nice to have Ravi
Coltrane involved (as he was, and inspiringly so, at the 2007 concert) or Angeleno Charlie
Haden, who worked with Alice Coltrane at various points, including on the luminously fine
Translinear Light.
Avowed Alice Coltrane admirer guitarist

EARL GIBSON

Kyp Malone, of TV On The Radio fame, was an

anchoring and charismatic presence for this tribute, but musically, hes more jammy than jazzy.
That point was made especially noticeable in a
quartet with the more fluently jazz-inclined guitarist Nels Cline, who has been a starring, veteran presence in Los Angeles left-end jazz population. Cline later led a large ensemble, including
harpist Zeena Parkins (harp being an important
part of Coltranes musical vocabulary), on the
lyrical Haden tune For Turiya, dedicated to
Coltrane.
Overall, this evenings high points came in
jazz guises. Daniel Carter, making his L.A. debut here, was the shows resident saxophonic
force and poetand those descriptions neatly
suit his contributions to the mix. Trustily entertaining Dutch drummer Han Bennink opened
the second set with some of his swinging comic
relief, playing a single snare, the stage floor and
his own body (joking that sometimes, it would

Jazz Loyalty Rewarded, Education

Emphasized at Xalapa Festival

Jack DeJohnette

EDUARDO VAZQUEZ

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DOWNBEAT MARCH 2011

be nice to have a wooden leg).

Late in the program, McCoy Tynerthat
critical piece of the Coltrane story puzzleappeared for two solo piano pieces, but he passed
on Alices daughter Michelle Coltranes offer to
sit in on the loose-fit finale of A Love Supreme.
Violinist Michael White, who shared with Alice
Coltrane certain musical-modal qualities and a
stint on Impulse! in the 70s, accompanied the
distinctively intriguing singer Leisei Chen. They
wove some medley magic, in and out of impressive impressionistic ventures and a telling snippet of Every Time We Say Goodbye.
Fittingly but also sometimes frustratingly,
the Royce Hall tribute moved in many directions, in and out of jazz, suiting the complexities
of this unique musical and spiritual figure. She
never played by the rules or fit neatly into a given
box or identity, and thats just one facet of fascination surrounding the Alice Coltrane story.
Josef Woodard

ay Drummond seemed genuinely taken

aback by the roar of approval that greeted
him at the Teatro del Estado in Xalapa, Mexico,
which emanated from a crowd that not only filled
the theaters seats but crowded the aisles on either side. Such enthusiasm would turn out to
be the norm over the seven days of the third
Festival Internacional JazzUV, sponsored by
the eponymous school, which ran Nov. 814.
The legendary headlinersMcCoy Tyner, Jack
DeJohnettewere given heroes welcomes,
while loyalty was especially rewarded: In his

third festival visit, trumpeter Jason Palmers every appearance was greeted by something like
a miniature Beatlemania.
Drummond played the avuncular host
throughout his trio performance, where pianist
and festival director Edgar Dorantes and drummer John Ramsay joined him. The bassists playing was erudite and playful, whether chuckling
at his own solo on Yesterdays or a more garrulous than usual take on Round Midnight.
JazzUV is a small jazz school under the umbrella of the Universidad Veracruzana founded

in 2008 by Dorantes, who this year ceded his

role as artistic director to Francisco Mela. The
Cuban-born drummer brought several of his
Berklee cohorts with him, including Ramsay,
Palmer, saxophonist Grace Kelly and Daniel Ian
Smith, who whipped the schools young big band
into fighting shape in a remarkably short time.
A shaky Early Autumn aside, Smiths
band sounded well-polished on the blazing
opener, Nat Adderleys Sweet Emma, and
managed to navigate the labyrinthine turns of
Ken Schaphorsts tricked-out rearrangement of
Stolen Moments. With a mission of encouraging jazz education, the festival was oriented toward engaging with students. The guests
stayed throughout the week, giving master classes by day and performing at night. Palmer, Kelly,
Mela, Dorantes and guitarist Nir Felder were es-

Dave Brubeck Revels

In 90th Birthday
Celebration

pecially prominent, each taking the lead role in

performances that featured most or all of the
others. The surprise throughout the festival was
18-year-old bassist Emiliano Coronel, JazzUVs
director of bass studies. Stunningly confident, he
began one solo with long, resonant tones when
he was interrupted by the ringing of an audience
members cell phone, the melody of which he
used as the basis of a series of variations.
DeJohnette used similar components
through lesser-known pieces by Joe Henderson,
Freddie Hubbard and Ornette Coleman. The
drummer was inspired, constructing an intricate
solo on a Dorantes original that was like listening to architecture in action. He also gave a master class that was mostly performancea textured half-hour solo followed by a run through of
Hubbards Bird-Like.
Shaun Brady

Dave Brubeck

t the start of the second half of the Dave

Brubeck Quartet concert at the Music
Hall in Tarrytown, N.Y., held on Dec. 3, a few
days before the legendary pianist and composer turned 90, the capacity crowd began singing Happy Birthday as the musicians were
readying on stage. Brubeck, beaming with appreciation, sat at the piano and listened to the
serenade, then decided to add some accompaniment with blocks of dramatic chords. As
the chorus ended, though, he signaled to his
bandmates to keep the song going, and alto
saxophonist Bobby Militello took advantage
of the bluesy waltz tempo to frost the confection with a bold solo that brought forth a big
ovation. Militello then took out a lighter out of
his pocket and asked the chuckling Brubeck
to blow out the flame. After Brubecks solo
the pace more swinging as he toyed with the
songs harmoniesthe band wrapped up the
informal jam, and when the applause died
down, Brubeck pulled the microphone over
and said in a hoarse voice, Thats a first!
Equal parts of celebration and valediction
marked the quartets appearance in Tarrytown,
which came close on the heels of a three-night
stay at Manhattans Blue Note. The jazz great
walked out on stage holding onto bassist Michael
Moores arm for support, but once seated at the
piano showed little effect of recent heart surgery.
The band warmed up with a Duke Ellington
medley, and Brubeck laughed through Moores
entertaining bow solo before driving his cohorts
to a Take The A Train conclusion. The band
alternated between energetic uptempo numbers
and Brubecks serious, more classical side, af-

KEVIN MASON

firmed in top-notch performances of Pange

Lingua March and Thank You, two nods to
his wife, Iola, as well as the ballad Theme For
June, written by Brubecks brother Howard.
Ultimately, the quartet delivered a take-noprisoners reading of Take Five, complete with
a ferocious drum solo by Randy Jones, his rimshots sounding like rifle fire. A birthday cake
was brought out, and then Brubecks manager, Russell Gloyd, sensing enough was enough,
walked onstage to lead the maestro off. Fully
enjoying another night out with his bandmates,
however, Brubeck was in no hurry, and after licking some icing off his sleeve, he acquiesced to a
shouted request for Unsquare Dance that featured another tough solo from Militello.
Another long ovation ended, and out in the
audience a baby cried. Brubeck, starting to get
up from the piano, sat down again and played
Brahms Lullaby, a.k.a Guten Abend, gute
Nachta considerate gesture and exquisite
finish to a purposeful gathering.
Thomas Staudter
MARCH 2011 DOWNBEAT

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